Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The alarm on your phone blared into the dark bedroom. Fumbling, after what feels like a minute you finally grasp where it lays tangled between your bedding and pillow, grumbling all the while. After shutting it up, you sigh, and rub your eyes with the palms of your hands. 

Everyone always said that Mondays were the worst; you disagreed. Tuesdays were the bane of your existence.

There’s a small squeak as the bed dips suddenly beside you. A soft meow breaks the silence. Your cat decided to also aid in the task of getting you up. You crack a small smile and lower your hands, greeted by your small furry child. He purrs while headbutting against your fingers and you scratch him good morning. 

Sighing, you push yourself up and get out of bed with a stretch. You amble towards your closet to pick out your clothes for the day, forcing the old doors open with uncomfortable squeaks. You stayed up too late, again, but it’s become an increasing problem for you recently with how your anxiety has been flaring. In minutes, you could feel your heart rate quicken as you picked out pants, underwear, bra, and blouse.

You took a deep breath in an attempt to chase away your thoughts and focused on the task at hand; showering and dressing. Your cat nearly tripped you on your way to the bathroom when he hopped from the bed, causing him to skitter quickly away to the other room. 

“Damn it, Gandalf!” you hissed, glaring after him. He was seven years old and you had adopted him when he was only 3 months old. A family that lived a few blocks away had a purebred Himalayan cat who had unexpected kittens, and you had begged and begged your mom for a kitten until she finally gave in. Since you were about to head off to college and the cat would be leaving with you anyway, your mother didn't see it as her problem for long.

Gandalf was such a sweetheart, but you were not a morning person even on a good day, so you felt only a little bad for getting after him.

Huffing, you place your clothes on the sink and turn on the water to let it warm. You shivered slightly in your wait, your body still adjusting to being awake. You glanced at the time on your phone as you turned on your small Bluetooth speaker that you kept on the toilet lid. Seeing 5:45 am blink at you before you pulled up Spotify and clicked a playlist, you pulled back the shower curtain and got in. With music filling the small bathroom, you felt instantly soothed, as you could now focus on the lyrics than the dread of the day ahead. You sang along to Green Day as you went through your routine; you had been in a punky phase right now, and didn’t regret it one bit. 

A few songs later you hop out of the shower, drying yourself off with brisk movements. You apply your lotion, put on your earrings that adorned your right ear, and slid on your pinky and thumb rings. Once you got your clothes on, you made sure to apply just a touch of oil to the ends of your hair so it wasn’t super frizzy after drying. You gave yourself a quick nod at your reflection deeming yourself presentable. After all, you had looked worse. Although, you were going to need to touch up your blue underlights soon. Maybe after you got a haircut you would… you desperately needed to trim some split ends. 

That accomplished, you made your way to the kitchen for a quick bowl of cereal. Gandalf was waiting for you by his food dish and made his displeasure known with a yowl. Clearly you had taken far too long in the bathroom. You chuckled a little at his racket, getting out his food as well. His tail swished in annoyance as he paced around you. 

“Yes, yes, I hear you. You act like you’ve never been fed before.”

Getting his mix of wet food and kibble situated, he wandered to his bowl and put on a show of giving it some sniffs before indulging himself. You rolled your eyes. 

After your breakfast, you wandered to the living room to check on your plants. You only had a few, but you had gotten better at keeping them alive over the course of a few years. You had three hanging pothos plants that were doing…okay, you think. Satisfied, you then felt your mood dip as you began gathering your purse and keys. It was May, the school year was almost done, and you were thankful for small things - like not needing a coat. 

“Only two more weeks. Even less than that. Then you’re done.” you murmured to yourself. You pulled on your shoes and felt the heavy air settle on your shoulders. You gave Gandalf a couple of pets before you go, as you always do. He had finished his food rather quickly for acting like a snob. 

Parking your car, you stare out at the building before you. A quick glance to your dashboard glares 6:45 AM, and your eyes close briefly. You’ve been trying to get to the school earlier than most of the other staff if possible so that you could avoid them. Most trickled in after 7:00 am, and you wanted to get most of your prep done before that. 

Pulling your shoulders back, you step out of your SUV, and quickly make your way to the front doors. You itched for a cigarette, but pushed those thoughts away. You couldn’t bust out a cancer stick near the school grounds, after all.

You taught and lived in a fairly rural town in the Midwest. Nothing exciting tended to happen, and it was beautiful in how the community and people knew each other so well. Being a small community was one of the things that brought you here in the first place. You had lived in a big city your whole life, and wanted to get away from the noise and polluted air as soon as you got your teaching license. There were pastures nearby, as well as fields of glorious corn. You got to see cows on your way to work. It was awesome!

But like a double edged sword, the concept of a small town was like a cesspool whenever something “bad” happened. 

And for the past couple months, you had been dreading the work you loved. Not because of the students, but everything else. The other staff, the families, the town itself. News spread like wildfire, how could it not when it involved the elementary school? A teacher being accused of being neglectful to students. It was all anyone talked about. Rightfully so, you supposed, but you hated how you were in the limelight. Because it was YOUR co-teacher. Therefore, why hadn’t you known? Why hadn’t you stopped him, or said something? How could you have not KNOWN?

God, you hated people.

You were completely in the dark with everything, but the damage had already been done. And it showed, every day. 

You didn’t blame them. You understood. It didn’t make it fair, but you understood. Your primary objective of your job was to take care of children. That only fueled the beginnings of self-loathing you developed at the time. 

You got through the doors and made your way down to the 3rd grade classrooms. There were only two, and yours popped up first. Getting inside you set your things down at your desk and got to work turning on your computer, got the day's lesson plans pulled up, and wrote down some quick schedule notes before grabbing worksheets you needed to make copies of. Time to kill some trees.

The teachers lounge is thankfully empty as you arrive. You begin warming up the copy machine, and finally let out a sigh that had been coiled in your chest since you walked in the school. It seems like you really were the first one in today, and you counted that as a small win. It meant you didn’t have to deal with the isolating silence and snide looks. 

You had hoped, when this all started, that your fellow teachers would have been supporting at the discovery that your co-teacher was on admin leave.

It had happened on a Tuesday morning, during an English lesson, when he had been called out of the classroom by the principal over the intercom. You thought nothing of it at the time, as it happened sometimes. One of the reasons you loved this school was its philosophy of co-teaching; having a partner was wonderful in making lesson plans, minding the children, and made you feel less crazy on the hectic days. And you felt very fortunate that your co-teacher was male. There were so few male teachers in comparison to females, it was nice to have that solid dynamic. Children with absent fathers, or simply adding another positive male influence, could benefit them.

But then he hadn’t returned, and it started creeping on being close to an hour that he’d been gone, and you felt the worry tangle in your stomach. 

Once it was lunch time, you had walked your students to the cafeteria, and the unease hadn’t left you. It was just unusual to not hear anything at all from the Office. You checked your phone and didn’t see any messages, from your co-teacher or your boss. It made you feel itchy.

Mrs. Knoble, who is the lead teacher in the neighboring 3rd grade classroom, approached you after all the children were settled with their food. It was meatloaf that day.You were biting your thumb nail. 

“Hey, Ms. Hart. Where’s Mr. Barlow?” she questioned. Her voice was kind like her smile, and she was the first friend you had made here when you started working. And the first you lost. 

You shrugged, letting your hand fall to your side, “I have no idea. He was with me during Grammar practice this morning, but he got called to the Office. I haven’t heard any-”

“Ms. Hart.”

Whirling around, the cafeteria grew quiet at seeing the Principal poke his head out of the Office. The Office entrance was connected by the open space of the cafeteria, seeing as the cafeteria also had the entrance to the school. It was a small building overall. 

Your boss stood there, and usually he had a friendly and cheerful demeanor, but his shoulders were stiff and his posture screamed that there was…something wrong. His face was tight, and he jerked his head to signal you to follow him back to the office. 

Some students let out a chorus of “Oooh~s” before being shushed by the teachers, and you nervously glanced at Mrs. Knoble. 

“Uh…guess I’ll be right back?”

She nodded, concern crossing her features, “No worries. I’ll watch your table, Mrs. Kelly has ours.”

Mindful that the students were all still very much present, you walked to the Office with a casual gait though your brain was working overdrive trying to figure out what was wrong. You honestly had no idea. Did something happen with Mr. Barlow? 

And then nothing was the same. 

The copy machine beeped as it finished its job. You blinked rapidly, clearing your thoughts, and grabbed your supplies before hurrying back to your room. It was nearing seven, and you didn’t want to linger more than you had to. 

Settled in your room, you began opening the blinds to your classroom to let the light in. The rising sun was warm on your skin. It was supposed to be an unseasonably hot day today, and you drifted towards your desk as you prepared for the arrival of your students. 

Your smile finally was able to fall as the last of your students scampered from your classroom. The last bell had rung not too long ago, but you had promised one of your students who was struggling with their math homework you would help them with a couple of long division exercises. 

You began picking up some papers and random trash from the floor, as you didn’t like your room to be seen as too unkempt by the cleaning crew. As you were closing the blinds you heard the soft knock at your doorframe, and quizzically turned only to feel your stomach drop. 

“Hello, Skylar. Can we talk?” brisk and to the point, the schools Principal, Mr. Devon, didn’t wait for a response as he entered and closed your classroom door behind you quickly, but quietly. He had dark circles under his eyes. Then again, you had to guess his sleep was worse if not as bad as yours. 

Your eyes narrowed and you crossed your arms, not bothering to close any of the distance between you. Your hackles rose, “Wow. First name basis? Back on friendly terms all of a sudden?”

Perhaps that wasn’t fair, but a flash of guilt skated across his face and you got just a tiny bit of satisfaction from it. You haven’t had a proper conversation with an adult in this building in weeks . 

Clearing his throat, Mr. Devon had the sense to pause and collect his thoughts before speaking, “I know …I’m, I’m so sorry, Skylar. I don’t know what to say or do to make things better, but may-”

“Stop,” you snapped, professionalism be damned. It was after hours, and your boss had been avoiding you unless it was absolutely necessary to talk to you. “Save your apologies. What’s done is done, the school year is almost over, and I can…I will, I don’t know, quit, or,” 

You drifted off as you felt your eyes get heated, but you bit your lip hard, you would not cry. Not here, not now. Especially not in front of him.

He sighed, trying again, “All right. No apologies. I just want you to know, that the investigation is closing, and we all know that you had nothing-” he closed his eyes tightly, clearly tired and in pain about merely having to bring it up. You were about to interject again when his sharp gaze returned to you and he held out a hand, “Let me speak.”

Your jaw clicked shut as you stared each other off, but then slowly dipped your head in acknowledgment. Maybe he was going to fire you after all. 

“We haven’t…as a staff, we have never had to deal with a situation like this before. We are a small town, a small community. We were blinded by it, and in that sense, I know that people are always looking for somewhere to put the blame. It should not have been you, but circumstances being what they are, it was easiest…” 

He was nearly 54 years old, you think you remembered. A gentle and kind man, with a passion for education and the community he served. He went to church every Sunday, every sports game at the middle and high school that he could to see students who he had known since they were little tots do great things. He was a good man. 

He looked so broken, now.

He didn’t stand up and protect you like he should have. He had tried, in the beginning, but he couldn’t be by you all the time. And when the gossip and cruel remarks had stopped, he thought he had done enough; but all that was left was for the other staff to simply isolate and ignore you. It was childish, and hurtful. All the connections you had made over the years gone in an instant, all thanks to a situation out of your control. You didn’t feel welcome or wanted anymore. The families of the students in  your class barely tolerated you. Deep down, you knew they would have sent their children to another class, or school altogether, if they were able. It made end-of-the-year conferences more terrible than they usually were. 

But your students needed you, and they hadn’t fired you, so you swore to finish the school year, co-teacher less and all. Your students are the ones who showed you the most kindness, in the way only young children could. 

“...anyway,” he continued, rubbing his eyes and dragging his hands up over his bald head in a heavy grasp, “I wanted to talk to you. About an opportunity. Out East.”

Your eyebrows furrowed and you waited for him to continue.

Silence dragged for only a moment and he took a couple steps forward letting his hands fall only to move as he spoke. He was animated that way.

“I’m sure you know, schools across the country have been reached out by the government to see if there was any interest in, ah, experienced educators wanting to relocate to help the educational needs with…monsters.” 

Since you didn't immediately cut him off, he licked his lips and hastened to continue, “You wouldn’t be going in blind. There’s some courses, trainings, coming up over the summer. I would have to know by the end of this week, and they’d get you situated. To give you trainings on monsters. And, ah, how that all works.”

He was grasping for words, God, it pained you to see how uncomfortable he was around you now. You felt your lips slowly part as you spoke, carefully, “Are you asking me to?”

He sighed heavily through his nose as he stared at you, “I’m just going to be upfront. And give you this chance, this opportunity, to have a clear out with something to look forward to. This would be a good position; well paid by government funding compared to what you make now. A chance to get away, to…start over.”

A tear did make it’s way down your cheek, this time.

“I know. I know, that we went about this all wrong. And you’re not happy. And I just- Lord above knows you’re good at your job. You care so much for your kids. You stuck through all this, just to see them through.” His hands fanned out, as if begging you to understand where he’s coming from. That he cared.

Bitterness coated your tongue, “Yeah, and look where that got me? For being so good at my job, I can barely even shop at the grocery store without some old hag saying shit-”

“Language!” he snapped, but then sighed, again, grappling with this moment and trying not to lose it. “I know. Please.” 

You sniffed, and made him wait while you thought. 

Monsters. 

Who fucking knew, right? 

A year ago, at Mt Ebott over on the east coast, rumors had begun in a few online reports about the sightings of creatures coming out from under the mountain. And soon enough, every news station was covering it. It was true. It was all the buzz in town until, well. You know. 

Things had been moving slowly for the monsters. The government, of course, set up borders and had the national guard deployed almost immediately. Slowly, over time, there had been talks of housing being built and a painfully tiring struggle for citizenship, of a sort. There were curfews and restrictions keeping the monster population as close to the mountain as possible. Humans, of course, were terrified. Not all, but the mass majority. There was a mass movement of people living in the city of Ebott. A lot left, some wanted to be close to this phenomenon. Casual optimism, blind arrogance.

You were able to catch replays on Youtube now and then of clips of press conferences featuring large, white goat looking monsters claiming to be monster royalty. What was more bizarre was the young child with them, who turned out to be their ambassador. The child had fallen down under the mountain somehow, and freed them? It was just…so much like a fairytale. 

King Asgore, you recall, had spoken of how his kind had been sealed away by human mages long ago, and wished to live in peace like they had in the ‘before times’. This of course forced humans to face a lot of past atrocities, which you as a species were oh so good at. Who knew the Salem Witch Trials might have had actual, real witches?

So it was awful, sometimes, hearing about the happenings in Ebott. How the monsters were denied proper housing, at the start, and were given rations of food and tents that barely counted as proper shelter. You assumed it was to pressure them to stay under the mountain, but they were not swayed. The child, Frisk…? Was determined. 

What’s more, the child is mute, and needs an ASL translator during their conferences, protests, etc. The kid’s face was everywhere, and they were fighting for the rights of a species that we, the humans, had damned to years of being trapped underground. 

No sun, no sky. You couldn’t imagine it. 

But earlier this year, there were movements and rallies made, and monsters were able to finally integrate into the city of Ebott, located at the mountain's base. Apartments and businesses were hastily built at an alarming rate, according to the humans that lived there. Something about magic? 

Either way. Tensions were high. Just like with anything that was different than the norm, monsters were facing the brunt of it. Racism was nothing new, and it made your heart ache. 

You could understand the fear. At one point there was a giant fish monster and what looked like a small dinosaur wearing a lab coat, at one of the rallies you saw on TV. It was just so different, compared to someone having different skin. This was like some alien shit. 

But none of it was their fault. They wanted to live up here, on earth, just like the rest of us. Like they had before.

The Queen, you couldn’t remember her name… she hadn’t been as present as King Asgore, but had recently been a part of a lot of movements regarding the education of monster children. There was none, as a matter of fact, and last you heard that hadn’t changed. Monster children were scarce, so it wasn't seen as an immediate concern.

Guess things had changed.

“So, what, are they building a new school?” you questioned, and Mr. Devon latched onto your curiosity with enthusiasm. 

“Even better - there’s a school willing to start accepting monster students, approved by the county and education board. That of course caused a good chunk of staff to leave, and they’re drowning in trying to get things ready for next year. The school’s reputation is being dragged through the mud, but they are adamant about making a change and Queen Toriel” - ah, that was her name, right, -”has been hired as a new Principal there. She wants to have humans and monsters, teach, together, so the school and children have the best chance of succeeding. But they need good people, people who care about the work and the children, and aren’t afraid of the pressure they’re facing from the world right now.” He blazed on, picking up speed; he fought for education on every tooth and nail. 

“THAT’s why,” he breathed, and looked at you with sad eyes, “that’s why, I’m telling you, because you’ve faced a nightmare here. One that I’m sure you want to leave behind. You’re a fantastic teacher, and I don’t want future students to miss out on your kindness. They need someone like you.” 

You stared almost disbelieving at him. Your boss, your…friend. You know that this whole ordeal has been tearing him apart. 

And really, you had already lost everything here, so what was stopping you?

Fear. Uncertainty of the unknown. The shadows that lingered here, and the future darkness that curled around corners.

And what felt like the first time in months, your heart raced for something other than anxiety. It was excitement. 

“Where do I sign up?”

Chapter Text

Your keys jingled as you entered your apartment, followed by a thump and a quiet stampede of paws as Gandalf came to welcome you home. You smile faintly at him and lean down to offer some pets. His bright blue eyes close happily with a purr. He does his duty and follows you about your routine; hang up your purse, put keys on the table, let out a long sigh as you glance at your fridge’s contents. 

Glancing down at Gandalf, you mutter, “You should like, go grocery shopping when I’m at work. Earn your keep and all that.”

A meow answers you in retaliation. You huff and close the fridge. It’s not your best idea, but you reach into one of the nearby cupboards for a glass and snag a bottle of rum from the top of your fridge. Nothing like some liquid courage to dust off that resume. 

Mr. Devon has assured you that he was going to stay late and send off an email to the right people to get started on your application process. Apparently since it was such a delicate matter, a ‘request’ had to be sent for one. You figured it wouldn’t hurt to get a headstart on updating your resume. After all, you had to make some big edits to your References sheet. 

Two ice cubes in the glass, a generous pour, and you made your way to your living room. You take the bottle with you, just in case.

Your apartment wasn’t anything to write home about but it was yours. Your first home away from ‘home’ for the past four years. You took a long swig to feel the burn. Crazy how a couple of months destroyed all that you built here. 

Gandalf hopped up beside you on the couch and made himself comfortable. He never strayed too far from you whenever you were home, which made the guilt tug at you. Hell, maybe with this move, you will look into getting another cat to help keep him company. 

If you get the job, you supposed. 

Your laptop opens easily and you begin logging in and opening the various documents to edit. Looking at your old resume, the one you had submitted for your position here in this town all those years ago, made you stop and stare. 

All your beginning tutoring sites were listed. Various schools you helped at, and afterschool programs. The colleges you went to (you had transferred far too many times, in your opinion, but you just couldn’t settle anywhere), the student teaching positions that you held back home, where your mom lives. This was a younger you. A you that you weren’t familiar with anymore. 

The sadness and frustration that clouded you over the past couple of months festered in this apartment. You didn’t exactly have anyone close by that you could connect with; there was too much gossip and too many rumors. It was clear that if you weren’t actively hated, you were held at a distance by most people. So you stayed home. And consequently, home didn't feel like home. It felt like a prison.

You went to bed early sometimes to escape your thoughts, other times your thoughts kept you awake most of the night and sleep escaped you. Your anxiety medication didn’t really help much anymore. Well, that’s not true. You’d hate to think of what it’d be like without it. 

Isolation changes people. You weren’t exactly a people person, in general, but being turned into an outcast hurt. Your coworkers were your family. You didn’t have anyone when you moved here, and it wasn’t like there were any big social gathering opportunities that weren’t bars or the bowling alley. So, your fellow teachers, it was. And it was so comfortable to be around folks that shared your passion. 

And your co-teacher. Mr. Barlow. He was your best friend. You spent over 40 hours a week together. That makes you HAVE to get to know someone, there was no way around it. All the laughs, late work nights, smiles, jokes-

The ice cubes clattered as you took another long drink. Your glass would be empty soon. Your fingers began flying across your keyboard to add your current position to your resume, and then you began the editing process of the rest of it. You supposed you needed to send out a couple of emails to the folks you had as your references. An old college professor, your old band teacher…Mr. Devon? He owed you that much. 

Before you knew it, two hours had gone. Clicking the laptop shut, you didn’t realize you made your way through two more glasses, and had to right yourself as you stood from the couch. Just a bit of unexpected wobbliness. Straight rum was risky business. 

You walked to the kitchen and did your best to avoid the dishes accumulated there from the weekend that you still didn’t get to. They could wait another day. You got out a frozen pizza from the freezer and pre-heated the oven, and while you waited on that you got Gandalf’s dinner ready. Needless to say he bolted from the couch once he heard the kibble hit the bowl. He also decided to grace you with his loud yowls.

“I knoooow, I know. I’m late. I’m sorry,” You tried your best to keep his meal schedule on time, but you had been quite focused earlier, “And you were sleeping anyway, so you couldn’t have been that hungry!”

His yowls continued until the bowl was set on the floor, and you shook your head. So dramatic. 

Suddenly your phone let out two pings. Seeing as your social life nowadays was non-existent, you couldn’t fathom what it would be. You had left your phone by your laptop, so you wandered back to it.

Unlocking your phone greeted you with a text and a new email. The text was from Mr. Devon.

From: Mathew Devon 7:24pm  

Good evening, Skylar. I just finished a phone conversation with a faculty member from that school at Ebott I told you about. You should be receiving an email soon about the application process.  They seemed very excited!

The text seemed too relieved for your liking so you scowled down at the device, but did the civil thing and chose to ignore it. No response is the best response, right? You also thought he was just going to be emailing them, but a phone call? He must really want you gone. 

The oven suddenly beeped, so before you dived into the email you quickly set the pizza in the oven and started the timer. Gandalf had finished his food and was now resting in his cat tree. 

Back on the couch you flipped open your laptop to read the email. The sudden spike of nerves hit you, effectively killing whatever buzz you had going on before. Thanks to the past couple months your alcohol tolerance has gotten better, you supposed. 

Turns out the email was from Toriel. Toriel, as in the Queen of Monsters. Toriel, as in, your potential new boss. 

‘Faculty Member’, he had said.

Your hands instantly got sweaty. 

Tuesday, June 6th, 20XX

7:24pm

To: Skylar Hart ([email protected])

From: Toriel Dreemurr ([email protected])

Dear Ms. Skylar Hart, 

I had a lovely conversation with Mr. Devon, the Principal at your school, this afternoon. He tells me that you have an interest in joining our staff here at Ebott Elementary! 

I am pleased to answer any questions you may have. I have attached an application in this email, but after my conversation with your principal I have to say that I am quite excited to meet you. Applicants are few and far in-between!

I am sure you are aware of the circumstances in Ebott. It has not been easy, and that is putting it lightly. Working with the government officials, we have been able to put things in motion to allow our monster children to finally get a proper education. Our children are precious and few, in comparison to the human population. This past year has had many hurdles to jump over, and I’m sad to say that there are more to come. 

Protecting our children is one of the big concerns in starting up our school, and I hope that you understand the weight of that statement. The weight of the families of the monsters we will be serving. These children are our most precious gifts. 

We are looking to hire strong, compassionate individuals who are willing to not only educate our children, but fight for them, too. 

Not in the physical sense, of course! Violence is strictly forbidden. 

I mean to say, hire those who want to see our children succeed and have a bright future, in all sense of the idea. Education is empowering. I want to see human and monster children learning and growing together in harmony. 

So while you have been teaching and nurturing human children, it is imperative you realize that you will be interacting and educating monsters. And, as such, be nurturing them as well. The monster community is close. In the Underground, situations were not always ideal; I can best describe it based on a saying I have heard from some fellow educators up here on the surface…”It takes a village!”

I do not mean to be blunt or try to intimidate you, but I do not want to waste time on applicants who are not serious. Please only reply if you are willing to make a change. If you are determined to make a difference. 

Kindly, 

Toriel Dreemurr

Principal at Ebott Elementary

(xxx)-xxx-xxxx

Rereading the email several times, you feel an anxious knot in your throat that tightens at each reread. That was a bit more…serious, than you were ready for. 

It wasn’t just about escaping and starting a new life for yourself. This whole move, and new job was bigger than just you .

Closing your eyes, you crack your neck and roll your shoulders. There’s nothing for you here. You love teaching. You love school. These children need help. You have nothing to lose.

You pull up the application and begin filling it out. It takes you a bit over an hour to complete, including a break to pace nervously and eat your pizza, and then ANOTHER half hour of you scanning and triple checking everything. Before any more doubts and nerves can stop you, you export some PDFs, attach them, write a response and hit send. You slam the laptop closed. 

It’s late by now, and you have to teach in the morning. 

“Hey Google, turn off the lights.” 

The darkness cascades over the living room in a gentle cloak. It kinda makes you feel like Tony Stark, having all these Google devices in your home. You make your way to your bedroom quietly, feeling the weight of the day heavy on your shoulders. Worse case scenario they don’t hire you, and you just...find something else, somewhere. There’s other teaching positions. It’s a national shortage, after all. 

You clench your phone in your hand and don’t bother with your bedroom light as you chuck it on the bed and go to the bathroom to go through your night routine. You wash your face, brush your teeth, use the bathroom. You almost regret having the rum as it meant you couldn’t take your anxiety sleep medicine, but…it should be fine. 

The meme of the dog sitting in a room on fire pops up in your head. 

Finishing up, you strip out of your clothes and crawl into bed. You never bother with PJs anymore if it’s just you. Why make it so you have more clothes to wash?

There’s a pang in your heart. You find your phone in the dark, and unlock it and open up a text message thread you haven’t looked at in a long time. Old aches and pains. You wonder if he ever opened up these old text messages, and thought of messaging you? 

Best not to go down that route. With a heavy sigh, you make sure your phone is plugged in one last time and try not to inwardly groan at how tired you’re going to be tomorrow. Or should you say, later today. 

Gandalf makes his way onto your bed and curls up at the base of your back, since you’re laying on your side. His purrs help distract you, and you focus on the quiet rumbles until sleep tugs you under.

—

Just because you sleep, doesn’t mean it’s peaceful. 

The darkness creeps in at the corners; it coils and thickens like smoke. It’s heavy and hard to breathe. Your body is cold and heavy, and you struggle to see anything. Suddenly it’s everywhere, and everything. The blackness. The shadows.

But you can hear everything.

It’s almost nauseating. Words bounce and echo in your head while your lungs struggle for air, and it feels like your drowning down, down, down, buckling under the pressure of that invisible weight-

“ You ruined everything, you know that, right? I can’t go a day without you fucking needing some kind of validation from me, nothing I do is right, you are so toxic-”

“She doesn’t even try to deny it anymore. She had to have known something, they taught together for years, there’s always a sign-”

“You’re so uncompromising. I’m not asking for much, we can’t even agree on dinner half the time. Stop making everything about you-”

“I didn’t raise you right, did I? Look at you. You don’t know what real pain is, what real depression is, you have nothing to be sad about-”

“I love you but I can’t do this anymore. You need help. I can’t do this. You’re so exhausting-”

“Your dad left me, is that what you want me to say? He left us! He took everything! I’m doing my best-”

"Listen. Fucking listen to me, all right? You open your fucking mouth to anyone, and I'll come back and-"

“I wish she’d just quit. It’s hard enough trying to convince all the parents that their kids are gonna be safe with her. We could just have Mr. Devon step in-”

You want to scream and yell, but the smoke has turned to sludge in your throat, and you can’t speak or breathe or feel and you just want to runandgetawayyourechoking-

—

You gasp and jolt up in bed, your hands scrambling to your neck, trying to rub and soothe the tightness that’s there. Gandalf had ran off at the sudden movement and you’re panting, you’re trying to stop the pain–

Shaky breaths in, and out. In, and out. Your chest rises and falls, slowing down and you begin to tremble. The sheets are soaked with sweat beneath you. Your skin was hot, then quickly grows cold as you’re able to calm yourself down. 

You do nothing but sit for a while. You’re not sure how much time has passed, but you feel the numbness begin to crawl up your spine. Your hair is now sticking to you in odd places on your neck and back, curling at the edges where the sweat clings to it. 

Finally, you crawl out of the mess that’s your sheets and slowly make your way to the living room. Your eyelashes are sticking together through the tears you didn’t realize were falling. There’s a small stash of throw blankets next to your couch, and you fumble and grab one to wrap around yourself. From this angle, you can see the time on the stove, and see the 5:05AM glaring in the darkness. No point in going back to sleep. 

Tightening the blanket around you, you go to your purse and dig out your pack of cigarettes and lighter. You shuffle your way onto your balcony and make sure to close the sliding door so Gandalf can’t sneak out. You’re not supposed to smoke anywhere near your apartment building, let alone your balcony, but fuck it. It’s dark enough outside and you know you have neighbors who do the same. And your nerves are shot. You need this.

The blanket becomes a makeshift robe of sorts and you tap out a single smoke from the pack, clench it between your lips and light it. The tiny flame glows brightly in the stark darkness. You take in a long drag before letting the smoke billow out between your lips. Your shoulders instantly relax.

There’s not a single ounce of shame as you stand there, naked, with only your blanket to cover you, and let the methodical-ness of smoking the cigarette ease your rattled brain. It’s only a little chilly. Not enough to be unbearable.

You try not to think of that place; you can’t even call it a nightmare. It’s like you go somewhere in your sleep, sometimes. It’s dark and suffocating, until your own memories echo so loudly that it’s painful. You’ve been having these kinds of nightmares since you were a child. It’s a part of you, in a way. Some kind of hollow emptiness that plagues you now and then. 

At least, this time, there were no awful clicking sounds during the dream. Only your chest feeling like lead for hours later, in the aftermath.

You’re still nursing your cigarette and miss the ping of your phone from your bedroom. The notification from your email reads: Interview Invitation: In-person Preferred! 

Chapter Text

To say that the following morning was a blur was an understatement.

When you had gone back inside your apartment and started getting ready for work, you hadn’t thought to check  your phone until you were just about to leave. You could do nothing but stare dumbly at your phone for a good minute. It was so soon, you expected at the very least a day or two for a response!

After realizing that the clock was ticking and you still needed to get to school, you hurriedly snapped out of your daze and left. You blared some music on the way to distract your racing thoughts. You hadn’t looked at the email yet. 

But, you reminded yourself, the subject line said that the interview was preferred in person. That would mean that you’d be the one traveling, since monsters wouldn’t be able to. Your thumbs tapped against the steering wheel as you pulled into the school parking lot. 

The morning ritual went on as per usual, and thankfully you didn’t have to make any copies today, so you got to stay holed up in your classroom until the children arrived. 

You took this time to take a breath, log in to your email account, and finally read the email in full. 

Wednesday, June 7th, 20XX                                                                                                                                                                                  

5:46AM                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

To: Skylar Hart ([email protected]), Mathew Devon (cc: [email protected])                                                                                       

From: Toriel Dreemurr ([email protected])

Dear Ms. Skylar Hart,

I am delighted to inform you that we have approved your application and are excited to set up an interview with you! As the subject line indicates, I insist on the interview to be held in person. Please let me know at your earliest convenience when you would be able to make the trip. 

I have a small amount of funding that is granted to me by the government to fulfill our hiring needs, so please do not fret about the flight cost! We will also have a bed and breakfast set up for you for your stay. I foresee this visit not only being an interview for a job, but a chance for you to fully experience our school and perhaps gain a feel for our community.

Meaning, I would like you to meet some of our educators that we already have lined up, humans and monsters alike. And of course, get to meet some of our monster students! Consider this part of the interview. Monsters are very good judges of character. :) 

A single night stay should suffice? I do not want to drag you away for too long since this is so sudden, but I am hopeful that it could possibly happen this week. 

Please know that in the interview there will be myself and a small handful of other monsters present. It will be a monster led interview.

I have included Mr Devon in this interview in the hopes that we can all reach a decision for your arrival and interview time. I know that you still have a commitment to your school, so please, once again let me know what would work best!

I hope you can excuse my forwardness and excitement. I truly did enjoy looking over your application and am looking forward to getting to know you. 

Kindly,

Toriel Dreemurr

Principal at Ebott Elementary

(xxx)-xxx-xxxx

A fog settled in your brain as you went through the paces of your lessons. You finally managed to meet up with Mr. Devon, and through a small chat back and forth, you were granted Friday off of work. You would travel to Ebott on Friday morning, stay the night, and fly back on Saturday - mid-afternoon. This way, you could do the interview and get a feel of the city, and just…everything, before coming home. You still had a couple days of PTO left, and with Thursday available you could set up some solid lesson plan instructions for the sub that day. Being the end of the school year in general, things were pretty easy going. 

You had emailed Toriel on your lunch break, and by the end of the day your plane was booked and you were flying to Ebott on Friday. 

–

You had gone out and purchased one of those upside down, gravity feeders since no one would be able to check in on Gandalf while you were gone. You tried not to feel guilty over it, but cats were self-sufficient in that way, and you knew he’d just be extra clingy when you got back. You made sure to give him some extra cuddles Thursday evening before bed, even though he was being kinda grumpy about the forced attention. It had to be on his terms, after all. 

Friday morning came and you bid a farewell to Gandalf, and packed your suitcase in your SUV and went through your mental list of making sure you had everything you needed. Figuring you were as ready as you ever would be, and the plane would leave regardless how you felt, you drove to the airport. The drive itself was about two hours, since you lived basically in the middle of nowhere. Corn for miles, as far as the eye could see! 

The airport was chaotic as usual. Your flight was an early morning one, so thankfully you were able to board quickly without delays after you finished going through security. You had special papers at the checkpoint that needed to be signed off on, and approved. You tried not to focus too much on that. It felt more like going through customs, even though you were still in the states. Although you were given some critical stares by the airport staff once they realized where you were traveling, there weren’t any issues. You couldn’t help but narrow your eyes at that.

Once on the plane, you put in your ear buds, and sent out a quick text to Toriel to let her know that you were about to take off. 

Yeah. You had the Queen’s phone number. That still took some getting used to. 

To: Toriel

7:40am

Boarded and the flight is on schedule. Hoping it stays that way!

From: Toriel

7:41am                                               

Splendid! I will be waiting for you when you land! :) Have a safe flight, dear.                           

Your lips quirked into a small smile, and you told her thanks before turning your phone on airplane mode. Texting with Toriel was always pleasant, and though you were nervous like anyone is about meeting a potential new boss, she had this way about her that oozed a natural kindness and warmth. It had been awhile since you were around someone like that. You think that that made you more nervous than her being a Queen, or a monster.

Before you knew it the tires were touching down on the tarmac of the airport just outside Ebott city. From above, you had gotten to see the bustling city below, and the mountain that loomed overhead. Getting to see it from your tiny window seat now that you were landed gave a new kind of vibe to it. 

Creepy? No…it was hard to describe. Knowing that for thousands of years, the monsters were trapped under it, all because of humans. Maybe dread was a better word, with a touch of guilt.

Glancing away from the mountain, you quickly got your suitcase from overhead storage once the seatbelt light turned off. Traveling was always exhausting even if it went well, so you were antsy to get off the plane, since your day hadn’t even technically gotten started yet. 

When you were finally given permission to exit the plane you waited like everyone else and moved as quickly as you were allowed. You didn’t mind flying, but were happy to get off the plane. The recycled air was overrated. 

Toriel had said she was going to wait for you, and so you felt your nerves spike as you walked down the airport terminal. Like, obviously you’d be able to know who she was right away - super tall, white fur, small horns on top of her head. You had always seen her wearing purple robes in videos and photos, so guessed her attire would be something similar. 

Even though you were mentally prepared, at least visually, of what she would look like, nothing was compared to actually seeing her -  she stood out of the crowds with a graceful elegance that radiated off her. It made your steps slow to a near stop, and then quicken, not wanting to seem like you were judging or gaping or oh god, did you even look ok? You were just an on airplane for two hours, you probably smelled, fuck-

She beamed at you as you approached, and called loudly yet gently at the same time; that must be that queen shit coming in clutch, “Hello, Ms. Hart! I hope that your flight went well! It’s so good to meet you, in person.”

You supposed she recognized you from your resume. Part of you felt a need to include a photo of yourself to make it seem more professional. It was one taken at the beginning of this school year, so you had your piercings on and hair colored and some of your tattoos peeking from the t-shirt you had worn. You always felt a need to be upfront about things. You knew you weren’t a ‘traditional’ elementary school teacher in the least. Even though, nowadays, tattoos and piercings weren’t as frowned upon as they were in the past. 

“The flight went as well as it could have, made it in one piece,” you joked, and cringed inwardly. She was your potential boss, and a Queen, you could stand to be a little more professional! “It’s great to meet you as well, Mrs. Dreemurr…?” 

Your voice hiked up as you suddenly realized you weren’t sure how to address her, and you cringed.

“Oh, Toriel is fine, dear. I don’t fret about titles,” her voice was like silk and honey, a natural balm on your nerves. You could pat yourself on the back with how well you were handling this. Royalty aside, it still was very much a large anthropomorphic goat monster standing before you.

Clearing your throat, your smile turned more genuine in response, “Then please, call me Skylar.”

Her eyes twinkled before her face fell with a sigh as she led you away, “As much as I would love to get you all settled in, I’m afraid we have some more paperwork to do. Since you will be staying in the monster perimeters, you will need an access badge. It will be important to keep it on you at all times.”

You nodded quietly beside her as you walked towards a nearby check-in station that looks like it was recently built inside the airport's security area. There, Toriel waited off to the side while you approached and got out the necessary papers. In a matter of minutes, since your arrival was pre-determined and approved, you had a temporary clearance badge. On it was your name and photo, same as on your passport, and what looked like a barcode. You would need to have it on your person to show that you are here on business and not a tourist. At least, that’s what it seemed like. It even had the date that you were supposed to leave stamped on it. 

You couldn’t help but wonder why someone like Toriel (she may not care about titles, but you knew the goat monster was a Big Deal) met you by herself. Shouldn’t she have some kind of …protection?

Toriel seemed to brighten once more as you were finally able to leave the airport. She spoke excitedly, “Just earlier this week monsters were granted access to the full city of Ebott, and some other parts of the state. We expect to have more traveling rights by the end of the year, but it’s a very long process.”

You frowned at that. It seemed silly that a year later they were still under such harsh surveillance, as it were. You looked up at her, and damn, you know that you’re on the shorter end of the height department but she’s giant! You cleared your throat, “That’s amazing. I’m sorry that it’s taking such a long time.”

As you’re walking, you maintain your pace as you get to the parking garage. You were surprised that you hadn’t actually seen too many monsters, but then again, if they weren’t permitted to travel outside of the state, why would they be flying?

Thankfully, she led you to the stairs and you only had to go down one flight of them, and exited to a first lower level of the garage. Not that it was a big deal, but you supposed she probably couldn’t fit in the elevator.

And that’s where you stopped and gaped. Opening the door from the stairwell had you meeting a tall fish-looking monster with a long, fire red ponytail. She was fucking jacked , and you suddenly felt inadequate in many more ways than you usually do. She was tall, ripped, had a cool eyepatch. She was wearing an outfit that was a bit mismatched; it was a combination of different types of protective gear you’d seen on military police, right down to the combat boots. She had clearly ripped the sleeves off of the jacket that she was wearing under the protective vest, allowing a clear view of the muscles she was packing along her arms. Her blue scales practically glittered under the bright fluorescent lights of the garage.

She also seemed vaguely familiar, but you couldn't place it…

You tried so very hard not to stare, but God damn. Scared and horny was the phrase, right?

Her head swiveled so quickly to lock on to first Toriel, and then down to you, and she barked out, “This the dweeb?! About time!!”

Before Toriel could respond, the scaly monster caught on to your staring and stepped towards you almost threateningly, followed up with, “NEVER SEEN A FISH MONSTER BEFORE?!”

You blinked and back peddled from the sheer volume, “Uh, n-no? I’m sorry, I really wasn’t trying to stare-”

“Hey, what’s that? You got some kind of skin thing, you wimp?!” her golden eye had suddenly zeroed in on your left shoulder. She leaned forward so she was right in your personal space - your shirt got all scrambled and pulled down over your shoulder in your haste to back up earlier, and now your tattoo was clearly visible, as well as a bra strap, nice .

You were getting whiplash from the back and forth intensity of the monster before you, and you couldn’t lie, just a touch irked, cause, hella rude. Something in you spurred you into taking a gamble, so you snarked back, “Never seen a tattoo before?”

There was a beat of silence, and you registered Toriel raising a hand to her mouth in your peripheral.

Oh God, this was it, you were gonna get decked by the hot bodybuilder fish lady, you just knew it.

A sharp, raspy cackle rang out in the parking lot, causing passersby to jump and startle, including you. Your heart was hammering in your chest as razor sharp teeth spread across her face in a fierce grin. 

“This one has some bite, Tori!” she finally straightened back up and jerked a thumb towards herself, while her other fist rested on her hip. It was like meeting an anime protagonist.

“Name’s Undyne, punk! I'll be escorting you and our Queen today. No funny business or you’ll answer to me, GOT IT?!” 

Ohhhh, right, you saw her in the first few broadcasts when the monsters first appeared! She was part of the Royal Guard, or something? The more you thought about it, when you had been watching interviews and press conferences with King Asgore, there was always a flash of blue in the background.

You wondered if you would develop some kind of emotional PTSD from all this. That would be just your luck, all things considered. You shuffled your clothes back in order, tightened your grip on your suitcase and held out your hand, “Skylar.”

Undyne's grin was near feral as she clapped her hand in yours and tightened it so quickly you heard your joints pop seconds before your brain registered it, and damn it all, you smirked while your right eye twitched in agony. You refused to crumble in front of her! 

“Oh Undyne, please mind her hand! No injuries this time.” Toriel tittered behind her hand, finally calming her amusement.

Wait, this time?!

“Let’s hasten our way, now, you two. I’m sure Skylar wants to get settled before our interview! I hope you don’t mind a working lunch?” Toriel's warm eyes met yours as you rescued your hand from Undyne’s grip. Fuck, that smarts. 

If you were going to be living here, starting a new life, and all that, you wanted to make good first impressions. Despite your introverted tendencies, you could read people fairly well. You hoped that little interaction with Undyne was favorable.

“That sounds amazing, honestly. Airplane food is awful,” You flexed your hand a couple times at your side, hopefully unnoticed, as the three of you walked along the line up of parked vehicles. Your group quickly approached a very large truck, which you supposed made sense with how tall Toriel was. 

Unlocking the truck, Undyne huffed, “Wouldn’t know much about airplane food, seeing as we’ve never been on a plane,” her tone sounded agitated, but you think you’re starting to understand that agitated might be a verb to describe Undyne. 

Toriel shushed Undyne with a warning look, and Undyne rolled her eyes before yanking your suitcase from you and chucking it into the backseat of the truck. You let out an indignant squawk, but Undyne was already getting back there with it. Seems like you had shotgun. 

It took a bit of effort on your part, but you were able to hoist yourself up and into the truck with the aid of the ‘oh shit’ handle. It was certainly roomy, and with a quick glance behind you saw that the backseat was just as nice. Undyne wasn’t even cramped. 

It did surprise you that Toriel was the one driving. You had assumed with Undyne being a sort of - bodyguard, then she’d be the one at the wheel. 

Toriel caught the puzzled expression and reassured you, “Undyne is a bit too intense for the road, but makes lovely company regardless.”

“Hah, as if I’d let you be alone with a human you barely even know!” Undyne hissed loud enough from the back seat you so you could hear, but you don’t think the fish monster had the capacity to be subtle. 

Deserved, you think. You don’t take it personally. It occurs to you that you are the odd one out, and are in fact in a closed space with two very big monsters. Monsters, whom you have never been in the presence of before today. You thought things were going surprisingly well. 

Inner panic notwithstanding. 

As the truck pulled out of the parking garage and onto the main road, you got distracted from the two monsters with you because, holy shit, lookit all the monsters outside! 

There were so many …species? Shapes, colors, animals…blobs, and wait, was that a fucking washing machine?!

“HELLO, EBOTT TO DWEEB!!” 

You snapped to attention and hastily looked to your left where Undyne was leaning forward over the center console, and Toriel reprimanding her in the same instance. 

“Sorry, I was just.. Sorry. What were you saying?"

Undyne sneered as she finally sat back in her seat, and Toriel gave you a sympathetic smile.

“I was ASKING, what kinda tattoo you got on your shoulder? Some of the humans at the checkpoint have 'em, and I heard those hurt like no other!” 

You decided to ignore the excitement in her voice at the mention of pain, and hummed, “I’d show you but that’d be pretty unprofessional of me. It, uh, starts at the base of the back of my shoulder blade. It goes up and over my shoulder and arm, part of my neck, and kinda wraps around me and stops under my …breast?” you hastily continued, “And yeah, they can hurt, depending on where you’re getting work done. Needles jabbing in and out of the skin isn't normal for humans.”

You felt yourself sweating profusely at saying the word breast in front of your future boss. Whatever, it was better than saying boob. 

“So over your neck, shoulder, and ribs?!” she almost sounded impressed. Almost. “Seems a bit of an odd place to me. Ain’t people supposed to be able to see them?”

You were surprised at the genuine curiosity in her voice, but supposed that maybe monsters couldn’t get tattoos? So you continued, “Not always. Sometimes people are very personal about their tattoos, and get them for their own private reasons. This one,” You gestured to your shoulder, “for me, holds a special memory, I suppose. It can be seen depending what kind of shirt I’m wearing, like a tank top. It’s also not my only tattoo.”

Toriel took a quick glance at you while you were at a stoplight, “Oh? How many do you have?”

“YEAH PUNK, HOW MANY?!” 

You couldn’t help but laugh, and quickly replied so as not to offend, “I have the one on my left shoulder and back, which is my largest, one on my left thigh that wraps all around, a half sleeve on my right arm, one on my lower back, and one on ah, my left wrist.”

“Awesome,” Undyne whispered and Toriel chuckled. Undyne then leaned forward again so she could lock eyes with you, “You’re gonna have to show me!! Once all this interview crap is done, and all that,” she leaned back with a thump and you shook your head with a grin. You are wearing a long sleeved blouse and dress pants, since you wanted to give off a good impression, so most of your ink wasn’t visible.

“Sure. Could be a fun show and tell, I guess.” 

You’d never had anyone so interested in your tattoos before, let alone be under the attention of someone as intense as Undyne in…a long time. Regular social interactions in general, you supposed, were throwing you off a little.

The conversation continued as the drive went on, and oddly enough it stayed away from anything relating to the whole reason you were here. You mostly zoned out as you watched everything that passed your windows. 

In the outer limits of the city, there was a big mix of monsters and humans, with humans being more prominent. It was almost staggering, since you’d only seen monsters on TV or Youtube, so in person was just…culture shock, you guessed. But the closer you got to the city center, the more it switched to monster territory, and soon enough you came to a human-led checkpoint, but there were monsters here and there that mostly looked like dogs. You heard the backseat window roll down as Undyne suddenly leaned out and snapped, “OI, L.D.!! Stop begging for pets while on the clock!” 

You glanced to where Undyne was shouting. There was a huge suit of armor on two legs leaning down towards a human military officer, who was looking quite amused, when the suit of armor suddenly shot up straight. And there, you could see a white fluffy dog head poking out of it. The dog looked thoroughly abashed and whined in response to Undyne’s shouting.

Huh. 

Toriel gently tapped your shoulder, and you quickly whipped your head around. Her window was rolled down and there was a different officer there, hanging onto the truck's side mirror and balancing on what you assumed was the footboard. He had on a pair of mirrored sunglasses, so you couldn't see his eyes, but the rest of his face was carefully stoic.

“Need to see your identification, ma’am.”

At least he was nice about it. Toriel, Undyne, and yourself got out your badges and he did a quick scan of them all with a handheld device. His gaze lingered on yours in particular, which made you panic. Hopefully you weren't missing anything important. Eventually he handed them all back, then hopped off the truck. 

“Good luck, Toriel! Hope this one sticks!”

“Thank you, Sergeant Jameson! I have a good feeling!” Toriel called back happily, and as the gates rose, the truck slowly rolled through the checkpoint. There were now very few humans, and mainly monsters, in the vicinity. You could hear Undyne’s continued muttering behind you as Toriel spoke.

“Such a kind young man. He has been stationed here since we came to the surface over a year ago now, and just had a little girl born of his own! He works so hard,” she sighed and smiled over at you. “Now, we’ll make a quick stop at home so you can drop off your things and get freshened up before we head over to the school for the interview.”

You blinked a few times in confusion, and questioned, “Ah, uh, ‘home’? Aren’t I staying at a bed and breakfast type deal?”

That sparkle returned to her eyes as she grinned, “I’m told I make a lovely breakfast, I’m sure you’ll waffle it!” 

Chapter Text

It was like your brain turned to static. Toriel’s home  was the bed and breakfast? You’d be staying with your potential new boss? Or, fuck, if the interview went terrible and they don’t want to hire you after all, then you’d have to awkwardly stay over night? 

Your face must show the growing panic, because the energy in the truck suddenly grows very tense at your lack of response to Toriel’s joke, and offer. It’s like the static in your brain is now fizzling in the air as Undyne leans forward, once again, from the back seat. 

“...you got a problem with staying with a monster, punk?” it was like her voice was holding a knife to your throat, waiting for you to say the wrong thing. 

“Undyne, please.” Toriel’s voice was strained as she turned another corner, and the movement caused your brain to come back online and suddenly words began to spew from your mouth. You desperately needed to save the situation because that wasn’t it, at all!

“NO! No, no, that’s not a problem at all! You being monsters has nothing to do with it!” you flail your hands in front of you as you speak, as if that will help ease the situation, “I’m just, ugh it’s dumb, my own anxieties and insecurities. I wouldn’t want to impose or be a bother, Toriel, that’s all, you’re already doing so much-”

You feel your voice catch since your breathing has quickened, and God you feel like such an idiot. Your voice gets stretched thin as it rises in pitch compared to your usual, husky voice, “Just, I’m sorry. The last couple of months have been rough and I haven’t had people…be nice to me.”

There. That was the simplest way to say it, even though it sounded fucking stupid and made you feel like a child. Toriel had parked outside of a nice double story home. It looked like your stereotypical, family home, but it was definitely modified with her height in consideration with a glance at the front door. It was like a suburban neighborhood, the houses were all new and the lawns were tidy. Were those little gnome frogs in her front lawn…?

A gentle hand, or paw (you should check yourself), rested on your shoulder to bring your wary gaze back up to Toriel. She had a kind smile, and tilted her head as she spoke, “It’s all fine, dear. I know I was not forthcoming with that information, and I apologize for not telling you in the beginning that you would be staying with me.”

She turned off the truck and the back door opened hastily. Undyne launched herself out of the truck with your suitcase in her hand. Her fins on her head twitched irritably as she waited on the pavement for you, but you heard Toriel continue beside you. She unbuckled her seatbelt, “And, I do not know the details, but Mr. Devon had mentioned that things were not …favorable, for you, back home. He said he was hoping this opportunity could help you find your spark, again.” 

She paused and let her eyes linger over her home, “It’s been over a year now and we monsters have faced many obstacles here on the surface that we were unprepared for. Your government, and fellow humans, were not as open minded as we had hoped, but then again, we didn’t know what to expect at all. It’s been months of hard work; of vulnerability paired with courage. It’s difficult, in times of stress and hopelessness, to see the dreams of the future.”

She looks at you again and her eyes are warm, and understanding. It’s like looking through a lens of someone who has seen far too much pain in their lifetime, “I understand if you don’t want to stay with us. I promise there will be no judgment. We are strangers, after all. Thinking on it, I can see how overwhelming it would be to have this sprung upon you. I got lost in my excitement. I apologize.”

The silence that followed wasn’t uncomfortable, per se, but you were at a loss. You shook your head and hoped that you hadn’t somehow damaged what chance you had with this, “No need to apologize. I-” you make sure you’re looking up at her, even though eye contact has always been a struggle for you, “I would love to stay at your bed and breakfast.” You offer a weak smile, but then hastily correct yourself, “Your home! I’d be honored.” 

Toriel grins down at your definitely still worried face, “Wonderful!”

And with that, she opened her own door and got out of the truck, sending you one last calm look before excitement brightened her features, “Now! Let’s get you settled in your room! I have fresh sheets and towels, if you would like to have a quick wash before we head over to the Elementary School?” 

You could only stare after her, confused and honestly, lost. You thought that you had insulted the Queen, and in the end she only offered compassion. 

Finally, you get out of the truck yourself to quickly follow, much to Undyne’s annoyance. She begins muttering something to herself along the lines of “about time, damn human”. 

Ignoring that jab, you feel your heart somewhat relaxed from the tension of the drive over. It doesn’t last as  new nerves prickle the back of your neck when you remember the interview. One thing at a time. 

You follow Toriel and Undyne takes up the rear, the three of you making your way into the house. It was so clean, you thought. You entered into the living room, where there was a large cozy armchair and spacious couch, all centered around a fireplace. You could see various pictures hung up on the wall but didn’t have time to linger, finally answering Toriel’s earlier inquiry, “Actually, I’d rather get over to the school so we can do the interview and …tour? Like you had mentioned?” You smile, although it doesn’t feel genuine. At least your voice sounds normal. 

The goat monster nods in return and motions you to follow along down a nearby hallway, chattering away about how far away the school is, how she was nervous to take up the role of principal, and how the last couple of months have been very busy. The relief from the conversation in the truck is palpable in the air. She holds herself in a way that you can only admire.

Toriel opens the door to a favorably sized guest room, and Undyne pushes past you to toss your suitcase onto the bed. You glare at the fish monster, annoyed that she keeps manhandling your things, and she glares right back. Toriel sighs, tells you to have as much time as you need to get ready, and to meet her and Undyne in the living room when you’re ready to go. She closes the door gently behind her. 

Suddenly, the tension and weight slams hard into your shoulders and you sit down heavily onto the bed, by your suitcase, to let yourself catch up to…everything. 

You met Toriel, who is going to be your new potential boss, and found out you're staying with her to boot. She's sweet and kind, yet there’s this force behind her eyes that you can’t pin down. She’s earned your respect without much effort. 

You met Undyne, who could easily ‘yeet’ you across the whole city if she wanted (well, maybe not the whole city) and was so…wishy washy, with you, but you supposed it made sense. Humans have not been that great to monsters, in the past or currently. You think she’s just protecting herself and those of her kind by being on her guard. You can respect that, too.

On the drive you had seen so, so many different monsters. Monsters, who are people; not scary creatures from stories that you were told when you were young. 

Your hands rose slowly and you hadn’t noticed how they were trembling, until now. Your chest felt tight, so you closed your eyes and counted backward from 10 to help settle yourself. 

They, Toriel and Undyne, in both their own ways, have been nothing but kind. And it was unsettling, almost, because you have been in a “survival mode” headspace for some time now. You were second guessing yourself, you knew, but it was hard not to when you were so harshly judged from people you thought were your friends. Your family. 

It was difficult to trust others so blindly. But here you are. Out in a strange, new city, with literal strangers . It didn’t matter if they were monsters, or if they had been human. You still didn’t know them. In hindsight, maybe not the smartest thing you’ve ever done. Your boss knew you were expected back to work next week, so. If you didn’t show up maybe he’d say something about it.

Anxiety and depression were your best friends at this point. Had been, all your life. You were doing something so out of your comfort zone, compounded with the looming fear of this all being a colossal failure. It was a chaotic cocktail in your brain that you were struggling to keep underwraps. 

All right. Enough mental warfare. You could do this. Standing up, you dust off your pants for something to do when you catch sight of a full length mirror across from you. It was attached to the back of the door. 

Slowly, you step close to it and give yourself a look over. You looked fine; your make up was simple, and hadn’t looked too smudged or anything like that from the flight. Lifting each arm, you confirmed that there were no pit stains, and thanked the stars for that. 

You had nothing to lose. 

Opening the door, you straighten up and hold your head high as you make your way to the living room, and ignore the voices in your head screeching your insecurities at you.

On the drive to the school, you apologized again to Toriel for freezing up, and actually remembered to thank her for letting you stay at her home. She chuckled at you and waved you off, thanking you for taking the plunge and coming out to see them all on such short notice. She emphasized how it was a very brave thing to do , and narrowed her eyes in the rearview mirror to Undyne, who you somehow could feel shrink a little. You had a suspicion that Toriel had a small talk with the fish monster while you were in the guest room.

“I mean, honestly. I have only been able to interview a handful of humans so far. Two that had flown in, once they saw me at the airport waiting for them, well…” she trailed off, pulling off into the parking lot of the school. Undyne growled from behind you.

“Those two meatsacks weren’t worth it! They were just like any other humans that actively hate us!” When the truck was fully parked Undyne barely wasted any time, once again, getting out of the vehicle quickly. It was like she needed to be moving at all times to help with her intense energy. Or maybe it was the anger. 

Toriel followed along readily, “Undyne, enough.” She chastised the other monster gently, but firmly, and waited for you to also exit the truck before locking it up, “I say that we move forward to getting Skylar settled with everyone else so that we can get this interview underway.” 

You nodded and smiled, opting to keep quiet and out of the way of the two monster women who led the way into the school. Undyne offered Toriel a weak shrug in apology. 

You took the time to admire the school. It was a beautiful building. Ebott City had a few elementary schools located throughout it, as most cities do, but this one was closest to the mountain. It loomed in the distance, and honestly created a fairy-tale like backdrop. Ebott City was odd that way; it was large enough to have the city title, but it felt so mixed with nature that it made it almost unreal. You supposed that was the ‘magic’ about this place. Or, maybe the monsters that were locked underground for centuries feeding into that magic. 

Entering empty school buildings always had that ‘creepy’ factor to them. Long hallways lined with doors, filled with lockers and water fountains. There were many boxes lined up along various empty spaces of walls, with what you assumed was new materials for the upcoming school year. 

Toriel noticed you looking and waved a hand out to the boxes, “We’re currently in the process of gathering materials for next year! As well as bringing in new desks, tables, and so on to help with the variety of monster children and their needs.”

You finally come up to a set of double doors with a small sign next to it saying ‘Cafeteria’. Undyne pushes the doors open with much gusto and walks in, then holds it for you and Toriel to follow through. You murmur your thanks and Undyne huffs in response. 

There is a small group of people already here and you can hear the excited chatter. To your shock, there is a human here, too. You were only a little confused since Toriel mentioned in the email it would be monsters doing the interview, but maybe they were another teacher? She was a young black woman who was a head taller than you. Her long black braids, possibly extensions, were intricately weaved and rested over her left shoulder. She had a pair of glasses that were in the ‘cat eye’ shape resting on her nose.

Your attention was quickly snapped up by a tall, loud, fucking skeleton monster holding a large plate above his head. Holy shit.  

You say he, because his voice has a masculine tint to it, but you’re trying not think too hard of gender profiling cause it’s a fucking skeleton . The plate almost skirted on the ceiling with how tall he was and his voice boomed, “GREETINGS, EVERYONE! I, THE GREAT CHEF PAPYRUS, HAVE BROUGHT THE INTERVIEW SPAGHETTI!! NOW WITH MORE BASIL!”

You reflexively flinch from the sheer volume of the skeleton but no one else in the room seemed phased by it. He had on big red gloves, clunky red boots, and a red scarf, but was wearing your typical looking chef attire. A white uniform that you had seen on TV before in shows and other media. His red scarf, gloves and boots stood out loudly against the white of his outfit, and…bones.

There’s a rabbit monster who had a purple sheen to her fur, and she was of average human height. Her long ears drooped behind her head,  reminding you of a lop rabbit. There was also a lizard monster who had green scales, oval glasses, and an orange sweater. He was a bit shorter than the rabbit monster, and had on a pair of square looking glasses.

They all smiled and thanked the skeleton monster, who placed the plate of spaghetti on one of the lunch tables. It was the only one unfolded and sitting in the center of the room, near everyone gathered. 

Toriel and Undyne are quickly noticed soon after, in part to Undyne’s entrance, and you are all cheerfully greeted by the small group. The skeleton gasps and bounds over to Undyne, and you freeze in your tracks as he’s suddenly very much near your space. He’s like…even taller than Undyne! Not by much, but damn.

“UNDYNE! IT IS GOOD TO SEE YOU! YOU AS WELL, YOUR MAJESTY!” his gaze flicks down to you, and it’s so odd how his skull is so…malleable? Animated? You weren’t sure what to call it. He’s been blinking, you're sure. And now that he’s closer you see that his eyes are like tall, black rectangles. His grin is large. It’s clear that he may be a skeleton but not anatomically correct. Or, just, not like a human skeleton. 

He grins brightly as he holds his hand out to you without missing a beat, “GREETINGS, HUMAN! IT IS A PLEASURE TO MAKE YOUR ACQUAINTANCE! I AM THIS SCHOOL'S MIGHTY AND TALENTED CHEF, THE GREAT PAPYRUS!”

Ah. So, the yelling must just be his…thing.

He waits patiently and you start to see his composure slip; his shoulders sag a little and the grin starts to fall, so you quickly stop staring and grasp his hand in your own. You can make out his skeletal fingers through the big red glove he is wearing.

You can’t quite manage a smile but you try to not look like a jerk, whatever that means. “Hi! Hi. It’s nice to meet you too. I’m Skylar.”

Papyrus is elated and shakes your hand enthusiastically, but thankfully with enough mindfulness to not yank your arm from your socket, “NYEH HEH HEH! WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU TO ARRIVE! I HOPE YOUR BODY IS READY FOR THE DELIGHTFUL CUISINE THAT I HAVE PREPARED-”

Squinting, he lets go of your hand. His hands go to his hips and takes on a super-hero like pose, causing your shoulders to feel less tense. He certainly had a personality, and you felt a smile slowly grow as he continued, “AFTER ALL, WHAT BETTER MEAL TO HELP PEOPLE GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER THAN THE WARM, HEARTY NOODLES OF SPHAGETTI?! COMPLETE WITH HOMEMADE MEATBALLS AND SAUCE!!”

Was his scarf billowing behind him? You’re inside a building, there’s no wind -

Toriel chuckles and Undyne just grins, looping an arm around his shoulders. She dragged him to her level with ease to give him a noogie. 

“HA, just like I taught ya, right? Did you make sure to beat the tomatoes into a pulp?!” 

Papyrus scrambles in her hold in an attempt to escape, embarrassment clear on his face, “UNDYNE, PLEASE, NOT IN FRONT OF THE NEW HUMAN FRIEND!”

Those two get into a small squabble back and forth, and you feel very, very out of your element. Toriel puts her paw on your shoulder like before, steering your attention towards the lunch table. 

She leads you to the lunch table where it looks like the other monsters had gathered plates and utensils while you had been introduced to Papyrus. The human woman walked over with napkins as well. 

They all give you smiles and introduce themselves. Turns out the green lizard monster is the school librarian, and the rabbit is one of the kindergarten teachers. The human woman was her co-teacher and she threw you a quick peace sign. 

“I’m Yara, it’s great to meet you!” she grinned at you and shook your hand, and you reciprocated in kind, “I know this is all probably super overwhelming but, we’re real happy you showed up.”

“Please help yourself to some food. Papyrus has taken several culinary classes, and has become quite the chef since we monsters surfaced! If it’s alright with you, we will start going through some standard interview questions through lunch?” Toriel gestured to the table, and Papyrus and Undyne had gotten out another table behind you. They move pretty quickly, it seems. And oddly stealthy for them being such large monsters. This table was a bit taller than the one holding the food,, so she assumed that is where they would be eating. They had also begun bringing out some foldable chairs from one of the side closets. 

The others were serving themselves spaghetti and heading over to the table to seat themselves. Papyrus had managed to flee the room quickly, only to return with breadsticks and parmesan cheese. And other various…toppings, from the looks of things. 

You nodded and served yourself some food, taking in slow breaths. You made the choice to skip out on the glitter Papyrus had set out…edible or not. 

Well, it was now or never. 

Toriel followed along with you, mentioning that they were waiting on one other person to join them but he was running late. You rejoined the group at the other table and began your lunch.

“Typical.” Undyne had seated herself at the table as well, choosing not to eat, and rolled her eyes, “When is that bonehead ever on time for ANYTHING?!”

Toriel narrowed her eyes at Undyne, causing her to quiet down. She pulled out her phone and began sending off a handful of texts. Papyrus wringed his hands as he watched what she typed, looking disappointed and nervous all at once. 

“OH, I’M SURE HE’LL BE HERE SOON YOUR MAJESTY! I REMINDED MY BROTHER THIS MORNING BEFORE I LEFT FOR WORK THAT THE INTERVIEW WAS HAPPENING AT ONE!”

Yara laughed and dipped her breadstick into her spaghetti before taking a bite, and quickly chewed before speaking, “We can start without him like you said, Toriel. He really only needs to be here to do the final check, right?”

‘Final Check’? What was that supposed to mean?

The others nod along, and Toriel turns to you. You chose to sit by her, realizing maybe that was a mistake if you’d have to be talking with her. Should you move opposite to not make it so awkward? 

Before you can stop overthinking things, Toriel breaks you out of your thoughts, “I am aware that human interviews go a little differently than how I plan on running things. So please, just answer honestly and jump in with questions of your own. We will only be doing this one interview, and I will have Papyrus give you a tour of the school while we chat and come to our final decision. Sound agreeable?”

You nod, chewing through your own bite of food. You spared a moment to give Papyrus a quick thumbs-up, to which he gasped and applauded himself with rapid claps. Then the questions begin.

The questions are your standard hiring procedures in regards to teaching. What is your degree, where’d you go to school, what’s your license cover, lesson plan examples, how you solve problems in the classroom with behaviors, etc. 

You relax easily at this. This is something you know you’re good at, you’re passionate about. Teaching is like breathing to you, though it wasn’t always. You had your own rocky history, but it ultimately led you to this profession. 

“Growing up, I didn’t have the best home life. I wanted to become a teacher because all throughout my childhood, I loved school. I loved learning, I loved the friends that I made. It was my safe space. And I strive to create those kinds of environments for my students.” You feel the heavy weight of the past year weigh down your shoulders, the voices in your head spewing poison, but you push forward. 

You ignore the feeling of how you failed your current group of students. You know rationally that it was out of your hands, but you don’t think that you will ever be able to shake that guilt. 

The others don’t read into your inner turmoil and Toriel, especially, warms up to your response. Yara had asked you why you went into teaching.

You continue, making sure to not let your voice betray you, “Children deserve to have good teachers. Teachers who care. Teachers who want to help them learn, and grow, and discover their own passions. I know I wouldn’t have loved school as much as I do, without the teachers I had growing up. And, sadly, we all know of the teacher shortage. That’s a whole ‘nother topic of conversation, but. You know.”

“Are you willing to share this same compassion with monster students? Who have been fearful of humans, and may struggle warming up to you?” The rabbit monster leans forward with her question, making sure to lock eyes with you. You believe her name was Lilith. 

Her question causes you to really consider it. She didn’t come off as aggressive, just realistic, because that’s a totally fair question to ask. You didn’t want to mess this up.

So, you’re honest.

“I know that it will take an adjustment period, but yes. Without question. All children deserve to feel safe, loved and cared for. Culture, skin tone, …species, aside. I can’t pretend that this isn’t overwhelming, but I have never met any monsters before today. It’s clear that you are all ‘people’, too. I’m here wanting to teach. I want to help.”

As you finish talking you look up at Toriel, and she meets your gaze with a nod. You hope it’s of approval. She’s still smiling, at least.

Yara grins at you, “Yeah, you get used to it! Monsters are by far the most caring and understanding people I have ever had the pleasure to be around. I love it here. It’s crazy, but amazing.” 

You nod at her, and that helps ease something in your chest. You hadn’t known you needed to hear that. 

Papyrus, throughout the interview, had been attentive and cleared plates as necessary. He tried to seem like he was simply in the background, as he didn’t want to interrupt, but he was clearly paying attention. He’s now standing off to the side with Undyne, and his phone chirps in his pocket. He quickly pulls it from his pocket and starts texting and muttering to himself. Undyne quirks a brow at him and understanding dawns on her face as he shifts his phone so she can see the screen.. She turns sharply and marches out of the cafeteria. 

Toriel hums, “And we love having you here, Yara,” the other monsters nod, and the Queen turns back to you, “We have some trainings to help give you more understanding of monsters. Things that will be necessary to be of note, since you will be spending so much of your time around our children. Depending on the time frame of your arrival, the trainings could possibly be done over the internet?” she casts a glance to the others present, and they all nod and smile at the Queen fondly.

It doesn’t take much to notice the air grow quiet as she continues, more of the seriousness settling into her shoulders, “I have told you before in our emails, but I’m afraid I must reiterate it. Monster children are precious to us, and there are not many. In the Underground resources were not always the greatest, and raising children could sharpen the strain quickly on our population. With us back on the surface, and numbers hesitantly looking like they will be growing, we want people here who can be under this kind of pressure. Not just from monsters, but your fellow humans. Every day is different from the one before. Much of the world is still not kind to us, and that is just the reality of things. You will more than likely face the same challenges as us, if not more so. Are you prepared for the discrimination  you will face, from your own kind?”

The room is now silent. They’re all staring at you, waiting for your answer. Little did they know, you have already faced something similar from your own kind. You know realistically it will be on a different level, but hell. You know what humans are like. 

Just as you’re about to answer, the doors of the cafeteria swing open and Undyne walks back in, but not alone. All your heads turn at the interruption, and Papyrus has annoyance coming off him in waves. 

Following Undyne is another skeleton, but they’re much shorter than Papyrus. Their face is even different; the skull is more round, with black eye sockets and small little white pin-prick lights. As they approach you are able to see that they look far more relaxed than Papyrus’ general aura. While Papyrus is tall and almost lanky looking, this one is short and kinda...rounded? Chubby? You’re not sure how that works, considering the lack of skin, flesh and…everything. They’re wearing a blue zip-up hoodie that’s undone with a white t-shirt underneath. To complete the look it’s paired with black gym shorts and pink, fuzzy slippers. His gait is more of a saunter compared to Undyne’s purposeful movements. 

The final detail, that actually makes you pause, is the large, toothy smile on their face. And when they speak, their mouth doesn’t move. At all.

“heh. sorry about that, guys. guess i’m just too good at sleeping.”

The voice is a deep baritone, smooth and low.  He shrugged his shoulders. This causes Papyrus to prickle up as he stands beside him, his own voice echoing off the walls, “SANS, YOU LAZY BONES! THIS IS WHY I WOKE YOU UP BEFORE I LEFT!!”

“sorry, bro.”

Brothers. Papyrus had mentioned something about a brother before, hadn’t he? Now the pieces clicked together in your head.

Papyrus scolds his brother with a finger wag, “SANS!! YOU TOLD ME THAT YOU WERE GOING TO TRY AND IMPROVE YOUR SLEEPING HABITS! WE CAN’T AFFORD TO BE SLACKING OFF, ESPECIALLY WHEN THERE’S SO MUCH WORK TO BE DONE!”

The shorter skeleton winks up at his brother, “maybe i can find  somethin’ that’ll pay me to sleep. it’d be my dream job !”

Papyrus screeches while the table groans and laughs, especially Toriel. You can only manage to still stare somewhat bewildered. And that joke was terrible. Sans seems very pleased with himself.

Toriel remembers herself and calms her giggles, waving the short skeleton over, “Sans, it’s good to see you, my friend. I have someone I want you to meet. She’s the new teacher candidate I told you about!”

All of a sudden the room’s attention is back on you, and you straighten up as Sans flicks his eye lights towards you. 

He ambles over to where you’re sitting, and you don’t know if you should stand up to greet him or stay seated, fuck, you’ve nearly reached your social limit of the day- 

His eye lights were trained on your face like anybody’s were during normal conversation, but then they shift and flicker down to your chest and he just…stares. For a good few seconds, you might add. You feel your cheeks heat up, and a scowl morph on your face while you fight the urge to cross your arms over your chest. No one says anything, and you’re ready to shout something at him because hello , creep! 

You were so ruffled that you missed the very brief look of confusion to cross his features, but Sans gathers himself seamlessly.

His white eye  lights go back up to your face to meet your own hazel ones, and he chuckles. What was so funny?!

“heya, pal. name’s sans. sans the skeleton. or, sans the flesh.”

Chapter Text

Sans had turned away from you to wink at Toriel and gave her a thumbs up. The Queen looked positively delighted. 

You’re not proud of how you handled this interaction. 

“Sure it’s not ‘sans manners’?” 

Your voice had turned sharp, like velvet over steel, and it seemed to catch the skeleton monster off guard. Toriel quickly stood up as everyone else in the room grew uncomfortable. It was clear that with your change in tone, and everyone’s reaction, you had missed something. You could see Papyrus and Undyne both come to attention, but where Undyne looked like she’s ready to throttle you to the ground if needed, the taller skeleton wrung his hands together nervously. 

You didn’t understand why, ‘cause it wasn’t you who decided to give your boss a potential thumbs up about your tits.

Sans’ grin twitched at the corners, but not in a pleasant way. He seemed a touch strained as he replied, “heh heh. i know looks can be real deceivin’, but i ain’t a mockingbird , i’m a skeleton-”

At the same time, Toriel came and stood between the two of you. You had by now chosen to stand up to face Sans directly, and even though you were short by human standards there was a smug satisfaction at having at least a few inches to Sans’ roughly 5 foot height. 

“Skylar, please-” Toriel talked over Sans, causing him to ‘tch’ and shove his hands deeper into his hoodie pockets. 

You crossed your arms and waited; the two monsters talking over each other forced a strained pause. You weren’t impressed. And what’s more, why were all the monsters suddenly  on edge? It was only one monster in particular that irked you, and for good reason! 

“Toriel, I don’t know the culture of monsters, but you can’t tell me it’s normal to stare at a woman’s-” 

Unbeknownst to you, Yara had quickly rushed over to the three of you as well. Being the only other human in the room and a female to boot you expected a little back up, but she was standing next to Toriel to put you further from Sans. She had a look that begged you to listen. Shouldn’t she also be offended?! 

“Skylar, hear them out? It’s not what it looks like. I promise.”

Incredulous, you could only stare from Yara, to Toriel, to Sans, so you kept your mouth shut. This was already awkward and you felt your anger fade slowly. You were the only one reacting to this in a negative way, and you were baffled.

Toriel gave Yara a grateful smile and turned to you, putting a hand on Sans’ shoulder, “Sans has a special gift. He is able to tell us if a human is…dangerous or not.”

Sans has gone from looking tense to having a more melted, laid back stance, but his eye lights remained locked on you. Even though he appeared nonchalant, you got the feeling that there was something else lingering under his impassive exterior. 

He hadn’t bothered to add to the conversation, either. 

You gave him a slow blink. “And that requires staring at my…chest?”

Yara nods quickly, “Yes, but not your boobs, honey. I can tell that’s what’s tripping you up, and trust me, I was there too at first! Cause like, how convenient an excuse is that, right? How like a man !”

She let out a laugh that didn’t feel helpful in the least, and if anything, Sans was now the one who appeared offended. But before this conversation got more out of hand, Toriel shifted to block your view of Sans and looked apologetic. 

“I understand that with human females it's a very touchy subject. We monsters have a reason, and I promise that in time we will explain more as to why. It will be part of the training you would undergo should you choose to accept the position here. It will help you learn about monster fundamentals and, consequently, concepts that humans have since lost all knowledge about.” 

Toriel treaded lightly as she spoke, as if she was trying to assure you without giving away too much information. It only left you more confused, and that’s when your brain finally caught up to what she had said. Your mouth popped open in surprise as your eyes widened up at the goat monster. 

“Should I choose to…?” you trailed off, and felt your body lose all anger and instead, a rush of adrenaline bowled you over. You couldn’t believe it! Weren’t they supposed to talk it over?

Toriel nodded with a chuckle, and Yara looked relieved that they could move past the awkwardness. Sans had wandered back over by Papyrus and Undyne since the attention was off of him. The three of them watched. Papyrus looked like he could barely contain his excitement. 

“Skylar. I know we said we would discuss this separately, and give you an answer later on but…we monsters have good intuition, like I said before.” She looks back at the rest of the group. Lilith and the lizard monster, you can’t remember his name, share a look before nodding unanimously at Toriel.

Toriel nodded back, and Yara squeezed your shoulder gently in relief. Toriel gazed back at you, “You impressed me thoroughly with your answers. Myself, and the other monsters here, can sense the truth in your words and the conviction behind them. We would be honored if you would join our staff here at our school.” 

There is an overwhelming air of ‘hopefulness’ that blankets everyone in the room. Well. Everyone except Sans, you think. 

You cast the shorter skeleton one last look because honestly the situation wasn't exactly explained well enough to your liking…but his eyes were now closed. Was he sleeping?! 

"I hope you know this offer is truly genuine and not some kind of…ruse to gloss over your concerns of the situation that just transpired. I promise you, things will be explained in time," Toriel looked sincere, at least. 

Deciding that you had mulled over Sans long enough, you turned back to Toriel. Her hands were clasped in front of her as she tilted her head. Waiting. You licked your lips, and with more bravery than you felt, you spoke quietly, “I’d love to.”

The room erupted in cheers. You weren’t sure what to do with the mix of anxiousness and excitement you felt, so you could only smile and bounce back from the tension from before as the other monsters, and Yara, came to congratulate you and share your moment. 

Papyrus even came over to join, as did Undyne. The fish monster had given you a quick look up and down before nodding with a grin of her own. 

“You better hold up your end of the bargain, punk! I wanna see those tattoos you were bragging about!!” 

You missed how Sans’ left eye had cracked open just a sliver and watched you celebrate with the others. 

It has been a couple hours now since the interview that you somehow managed to pass, especially with that hiccup with Sans. You still hadn’t gotten an explanation for the boob staring, but Toriel had assured you once again that it would be explained. Apparently it was a sensitive subject, and now wasn’t the time. 

She did mention that monsters can feel the intent from humans, so since you had so rapidly switched from calm to anger when confronting Sans, they were all wary. It’s why Undyne had looked ready to pummel you into the ground if Toriel hadn’t stepped in.

You couldn’t wrap your head around it, but the tall monster assured you that they would be going into detail about that later, too, along with the rest of your training. 

You couldn’t think of a reason to argue and had let it slide, for now. You had gotten a tour of the rest of the school and were told that you would be meeting your monster co-teacher over the summer. You even got to see your future classroom. The more time you spent around Toriel and the others, the more it felt like this all wasn’t some crazy dream.

Well, maybe it was still crazy, but it wasn’t a dream. 

Toriel had apologized about you not being able to meet any of the monster children today like she had hoped; many monsters still were wary about their children being around humans they did not know were safe, and you understood. Inwardly you were a touch glad, simply because the day was already so eventful.

Now, after the tour and all the excitement had calmed, you were back at Toriel’s home. Undyne had come with you both once again to ensure you made it there safely. She didn’t stay long, saying something about needing to be home for date night. Now it was just you and Toriel. It was nearly 4pm, and exhaustion hit you like a ton of bricks. 

She must have caught onto it and smiled at you softly, “Please feel free to have a proper shower and make yourself at home. I know you have a big day tomorrow as well. The bathroom is the next door down this hall, by yours. I’ll get you a fresh towel and start preparing dinner; Frisk will be home soon!” 

Frisk…that name rang a bell but you couldn’t place it. A shower sounds fantastic, though. 

You made your way back to the guest room and gathered a set of comfier clothes as well as your travel bag of essential goodies, and then headed for the bathroom. Toriel met you outside the door and handed you probably the softest towel you had ever held in your life. And you’d like to think you’d held your fair share of towels. 

She chuckled and nodded back towards the kitchen, “Please, take your time. Papyrus and Sans will be by soon with Frisk, so don’t be alarmed if there’s a sudden commotion! They just have so much energy, you see.”

She appears to brace herself for something, you’re not sure, and you can only assume it’s because the Sans situation is still so fresh. You give her a reassuring nod, “Sounds good. Thank you again for letting me stay in your home, Toriel. And just…for everything.”

“Of course, my child. We cannot wait to have you join us here in Ebott. I trust you have let Mr. Devon know your decision?”

You nod, again. You had sent him a quick email at the school. He hadn’t responded yet. Toriel seemed to sense some kind of trepidation between the words unsaid, but left it alone.

“Lovely. I know that this process has seemed overall a bit rushed, but please know that I truly am grateful for you coming all the way out here and giving us a chance. I know that you will fit right in!”

Giving them a chance? They were giving YOU a chance! But in a way, you understood where she was coming from. It made your hair prickle to know that this has been such a struggle for her. Toriel was probably the kindest person you had ever met. 

“Oh, goodness, listen to me ramble on! Go, have yourself a shower, I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me.” 

With that she left you to it, and you went into the bathroom and locked the door behind you. 

Time was finally giving you a moment to rationalize everything that had happened over the past couple hours, and you felt your grip on the towel and your clothes tighten. You clung them close to you as you took some steadying breaths. 

No time to panic about anything right now. This is a good thing. This is what you wanted, as scary and new as it was. 

Finally taking in the room around you, it doesn’t surprise you how soft and comforting the bathroom is. It's a simple coloring of soft purple walls and dark violet accents. The plush bathroom mat in front of the sink is fun to wiggle your feet against. 

You turn on the shower and are pleased to see how roomy it is, and that makes sense given Toriel’s size, you supposed. It was a walk in shower with sliding glass doors, and the steam caused them to fog up quickly. You liked your showers to be on the ‘almost too hot’ side of the temperature scale.

You undressed and unpacked your small toiletry bag, getting out the necessary bottles of shampoo and conditioner, and your face wash and body wash, all travel sized of course. You quickly got into the shower and sighed in relief as the hot water cascaded over you. 

You could feel your shoulders relax as you went through the motions of your shower routine. You took care to wash your face and help get the makeup off. Here in the comfort of the warmth and privacy of the bathroom, you felt yourself unwind. 

So much so that you started singing, as it was something you did at home while you showered. It was a habit and something to distract yourself from your thoughts. 

So, you let Axl Rose’s voice fill your head with words from one of your favorite songs, and your husky timbre echoed in the small room as you continued your shower. 

“She’s got a smile that it seems to me, reminds me of childhood memories…”

After some time, you had finished cleansing yourself and are dabbing at your wet hair while looking yourself over in the mirror. Now out of the shower, you drifted into humming.

Without your makeup your face looked a little worse for wear. You admittedly got little sleep last night from the anticipation of your flight and overall day here in Ebott, and it clearly showed. You didn’t bother with a new face, though. Toriel said to make yourself comfortable, and well…you didn’t think adding on more makeup was the right vibe for that. 

You never thought yourself a looker, but you suddenly had a stab of insecurity. You had touched up your blue underlights so they were a catchy ocean-blue once more, and your black hair that overshadowed it was long and slightly…unkempt. You hadn’t managed to squeeze in that haircut before your flight like you wanted to. Thankfully when your hair dried it had just enough of a natural wave to it that it masked it well. 

Your eyes dropped to your breasts, and you can’t help the flare of irritation. You had partly wondered if like…all your fleshy bits grossed Sans out, with him being a skeleton and all. But Papyrus hadn’t stared, at least not so fucking obviously. 

And it was just rude! Mysterious monster culture reasons aside. If he was a human male, you’d have been just as upset. 

You had a thing about being objectified. It brought up some shitty memories, and just being a woman in general, you couldn’t help the aggravation that had sprung. 

Whatever. You had nice boobs, at least you thought. Damn it. This was so stupid. 

You pulled on a bra as you grumbled internally at your thoughts. You then applied your lotion, and deodorant, and finished getting dressed. A simple black tank top and your favorite pair of jean capris. They were well worn and still fit you just right. They had rips and tears on the tops of the thighs for a splash of fashion. 

You put on your pinky and thumb rings, which you had left off for the interview, but now wanted them back on to help you feel more…you. They were simple silver bands. One in particular on your right thumb was layered, so you could fidget with it. You had one black band on your left middle finger that was silicone. You opted out of wearing socks since you only packed one other pair, and wanted to save it for tomorrow’s journey back home.

Sparing a final once over in the mirror, you found a hair dryer under the sink and plugged it in. You’d rather not drip water everywhere, and oddly enough using the hair dryer made you smile. You couldn’t help picturing Toriel drying her fur, or her long ears. 

Satisfied, you tidied up your things so the bathroom didn’t look like you had vomited your personal belongings everywhere, put the hair dryer back under the sink, and hung up your towel on a hook. 

Upon opening the door, you heard several voices chattering away in an area you assumed was the kitchen. There was also the aroma of something that smelled amazing . 

You recognized Papyrus's voice immediately due to the sheer volume of it. Turns out the skeleton brothers arrived, then. Bracing yourself, you made a quick stop back at the guest room to drop off your toiletry bag. 

With Papyrus, you assumed Sans was there to follow, since Toriel had mentioned them both. You could do this. You could be civil. It was a misunderstanding, after all. A ridiculous, confusing misunderstanding.

Determination pushed you to walk back out towards the living room, where you nearly ran over someone much, much shorter than you. 

Your gut had dropped; your immediate response was thinking it was Sans, but the person was even shorter than the skeleton in question. 

It was a child. 

They wore a large blue and purple striped long sleeved shirt, and had a brown mop of hair that fell to their shoulders. Their bangs just barely covered their eyes, and were choppy looking in appearance. When they looked up at you they had a soft disposition and eyes that were bright and warm. They had a sense to look startled, but it quickly shifted to a pleased smile. 

You smile back in kind. Kids were so much easier to deal with than adults.

“Sorry about that! I wasn’t paying attention,” you hesitantly laughed, and knelt down so you were more eye level with them. 

Now it was them that seemed to hesitate, but it lasted only a second before they brought up their hands in front of themselves and began making different symbols and gestures. Their eyes locked with yours questioningly and waited to see your reaction, but your own gaze was focused on the movement of their hands.

Ah.

You were super rusty, and wouldn’t consider yourself fluent in the slightest, but back in college you had taken an American Sign Language course at the suggestion of your advisor. Being a teacher, you had many students throughout the years that would have varying needs. 

It panned out that sign language wasn’t something that was terribly needed in the small town you taught at, but you still enjoyed teaching your students the alphabet and of course, the classic, ‘The More We Get Together’ song. Children absorbed new languages like sponges, and what was the harm in introducing them to something that can perhaps help them communicate with someone who was deaf, or mute, or whatever the case may be? Being a kind person didn’t need to have language as a barrier. 

You smiled gently and raised your hands, replying back slowly and not nearly as perfectly as the child before you, but were able to get out, “It’s nice to meet you, Frisk. My name is Skylar.”

Frisk’s face went through the motions of surprise, understanding, and excitement in a matter of seconds. You laughed loudly as they began rapid-fire signing back at you, and you had to slow them down. 

“Easy, easy! I know some sign language, but not nearly as much as you!” 

This didn’t seem to deter them in the slightest, and repeated a couple of gestures slowly. You watched carefully but you could only shake your head sadly, “I’m sorry, Frisk, I’m not sure-”

“they said they really like your singin’.”

Since you were still crouching in front of Frisk, you hadn’t noticed the presence behind them. Sans had apparently wandered into the living room and had been watching the two of you. The shorter skeleton was leaning casually against the wall beneath some picture frames. 

Frisk looked back at the skeleton and began signing quickly. It gave you time to hastily stand. You felt yourself tense up; the skeleton made your walls go back up quickly. You still didn’t quite know what to think of him. 

Sans eye lights were focused on Frisk. The child was close to his personal space and nearly bouncing on their feet in their enthusiasm. Sans chuckled deeply and gave their hair a tussle. He seemed fond of the kid. 

You were starting to feel awkward when he finally gazed back up to you, “kid says they are excited you are going to be their teacher. they think you’re pretty ‘bad ass’.” 

Well. Now you were only more confused, did Frisk actually swear? You didn’t know if Sans was telling the truth or not. And wait, their teacher?!

Sans tsked and looked back down at Frisk as he replied, “we can’t be dropping too many bombs on this one, kiddo. she gets a bit shell shocked , and gets too fired up to handle it.”

Frisk paused their hands and frowned up at Sans, while you glared at him. 

“eh. they can’t all be winners,” he finally decided to look back up at you, and shrugged with a wink, “no offense.”

Despite the wink and the smile that never leaves his face, for some reason you don’t think this interaction is entirely friendly. The ‘no offense’ also felt like some kinda double sided comment, or maybe an attempt at an apology, but it was a shit one if it was. 

“TINY HUMAN! LADY HUMAN! THERE YOU ARE!” Thankfully Papyrus deemed it was the perfect moment to appear. He noticed Sans, “SANS, I HOPE YOU ARE NOT SUBJECTING OUR NEW TEACHER HUMAN TO YOUR TERRIBLE JOKES! NO ONE HAS THE PATIENCE FOR THEM.”

Sans instantly relaxed at the presence of his brother, and you mentally pat yourself on the back at discerning that the shorter skeleton had been putting up a fake performance for your sake. He seemed much more at ease around Papyrus. 

“you’re right, bro. she’s a teacher, not a doctor. gotta remember that.”

Papyrus crosses his arms and nods, but then seems to freeze in realization of Sans’s terrible joke. He then throws up his hands with an “AUGH!” 

Frisk on the other hand covers their mouth quickly to try and hide their giggles.

“REALLY, SANS? CAN YOU NOT SEE THAT THE LADY HUMAN CLEARLY ISN’T AMUSED AT YOUR SHENANIGANS?! 

Sans briefly spares you a look before shrugging once again, “eh, i’m not tryin’ to ‘amuse’ her, bro.” 

And you’d never admit it, but that stung. Sans seemed like the kind of guy that liked making jokes to get people to laugh. Guess that didn’t apply to you.

Papyrus approaches you and sighs heavily, “LADY HUMAN, I SINCERELY APOLOGIZE FOR MY BROTHER’S TOMFOOLERY. AND FOR BEFORE. WITH THE CHEST-BOOB-OGLING. YOU SEEMED VERY UPSET BY THAT, BUT I CAN ASSURE YOU, IT WAS FOR JUST REASONS, AND I’M SURE YOUR BOOBS ARE VERY ADEQUATE FOR A HUMAN SO DO NOT FEEL INSULTED-”

Both you and Sans quickly have varying degrees of how you react; Sans sputters and chokes, and you squeak and desperately try to get Papyrus to stop as your face turns red like a tomato, “NO! No, it’s all fine, Papyrus, I know it’s a monster thing-”

“bro, you’re so cool, but please never say boob again-”

Papyrus looks startled at the both of you talking over each other, and you distantly register Frisk cackling in the background. God, you’re mortified. 

Huffing, Papyrus crosses his long arms and gives Sans a disappointed look, “WELL, I DIDN’T HEAR YOU APOLOGIZING FOR YOUR OGLING, BROTHER! SHE WAS CLEARLY UPSET BY IT AND WE NEED TO MAKE A GOOD IMPRESSION!”

“shi-stars, fine! just stop,” Sans seems like he’s in physical pain and now you notice the blue glow dusting his cheekbones and small sweat drops on the side of his skull. Is he…blushing? 

Good. 

To your surprise, Sans turns to you with his shoulders stiff and his hands shoved back in the pockets of his hoodie. You were gathering that it was some kind of comfort for him. 

He lets out a breath and the last traces of the blush are gone from his cheeks, but you notice that the smile plastered on his face gives off a blank vibe. You brace yourself, still feeling terribly defensive and just wanting this whole ordeal over with when he meets your gaze. 

You can admit that you’re a tiny bit enraptured by his eyes. His sockets are pitch black and hollow, and the white eye lights create a luminous glow that lets you just barely see into his skull. 

Okay, more than a tiny bit. They were…really, really pretty. You wondered how his eyes looked in the dark. 

“i’m sorry.” It’s not that it sounds forced…maybe he’s upset? You can’t really tell. “i know humans got a thing about that, but trust me when i say i was just making sure you were…”safe”. tori asked me to judge all humans before she makes the final hiring decision, so,” he shrugs here, now looking off to the side. 

“MONSTERS ARE VERY GOOD JUDGES OF CHARACTER IN GENERAL, BUT MY BROTHER HAS A SPECIAL ABILITY THAT LET’S HIM-”

“heh heh heh. let’s save that talk for later, eh, paps?” Sans gently cuts off his brother, and you half expect Papyrus to ignore Sans for cutting him off, but to your surprise the taller skeleton seems to think on it before agreeing. 

“YOU’RE RIGHT, SANS. THE QUEEN HAS BEEN BUSY PREPARING SUCH A LOVELY DINNER FOR US, AND IN MY HASTE TO GATHER YOU ALL FOR DINNER, I GOT LOST REPRIMANDING YOU AND FIXING YOUR MISTAKES!”

“you’re the best, bro.”

“NYEH HEH HEH!”

With that, Papyrus hoists Frisk up onto his back much to their delight, and races back to the kitchen shouting, “COME ALONG! IT’S RUDE TO BE LATE FOR DINNER!”

There’s a tense and awkward silence between the two of you. That was just, so much, all at once, and you were already so done with the day. You briefly wondered if Toriel would be horribly offended if you just went to bed, but you couldn’t do that to her. You prayed to whatever deity was out there that dinner would go smoothly so you could pass out. 

Sans shuffled in place, like he was trying to decide on his next move, before turning back towards you. There was a weight carrying his frame when there wasn’t one before. 

He looked as tired as you felt. 

“how bout we uh, try and start over? pretend like this is our first time meetin’, and all that.”

It was as if his body was mechanically saying the words. 

Worry caused your brows to furrow, but you nodded hesitantly, “I’d like that… like pressing a reset button, right?”

There’s a shift in the air and the eye lights from his sockets faded, for only a sliver of a second, and he slowly raised his hand to you as they flickered back to life.

It was like walking on literal eggshells around him, and you weren’t exactly sure what it was you were doing that was affecting him. And honestly, the whole eye lights fading thing was scarier than you expected. 

You took pride in how steady your hand was when you took his hand in yours, but you could only gape as the loud sound of a whoopie cushion tore through the heavy atmosphere that had clouded over the two of you.

What. The. Hell?

And just like that, his shoulders were shaking in silent mirth. He raised his hand to show you his little device he had hidden in his palm, “heh heh heh. the ‘ol whoopee cushion in the hand trick. classic.”

Chapter Text

Luck wasn’t on your side tonight. 

You had hoped that with that terrible whoopee cushion joke, the two of you could put the terrible awkwardness behind you. Things seemed tentatively okay, but you know that something was amiss. You still were unsure what exactly you had said to cause Sans to be so…closed off from you, but you tried not to think too much on it. 

The shorter skeleton had quietly joined the others in the dining area of Toriel’s home, and you followed closely. Your worries quickly evaporated at the scent of such a delicious dinner, and your stomach chose that moment to let out a loud gurgle that had your ears turning bright red. 

All monsters turned to you curiously, Toriel looking amused and Frisk grinning at you cheekily. The child was signaling you over to their side of the table, saving you from having to sit by the skeleton brothers…instead you were directly across the two of them while Toriel took up the head of the table. 

The skeletons shared a snicker with each other, commenting to each other about humans and their organs. You chose to ignore it as you sat by Frisk, thanking them with a quiet smile. They tilted their head and their own grin fell, and they began signing at you. You watched their hands gesture for a moment and were able to piece together what they were trying to say, but then Toriel cut your train of thought. 

She was beginning to start passing around a large bowl of green beans and spoke lightly, “They are wanting to know if you are all right; and I wonder as well. I know today has been quite eventful, dear.”

She served Frisk and herself before passing the bowl towards Papyrus, so you simply sat and waited. Papyrus passed it to Sans, who would then presumably pass it to you. 

You realized you hadn’t answered the question as the table remained quiet, and hurried to reply, glancing at Frisk and then Toriel, “I’m okay! I’m just very tired. I didn’t sleep much last night with the trip on my mind and all that, so it’s finally all catching up now that the excitement’s done with.”

Frisk bounced in their seat as Toriel served them some baked chicken, and you felt your mouth water as you watched. The sound of someone clearing their throat jarred you out of your focus and you found yourself staring up at Sans, who quirked a bone-brow as he held out the bowl of green beans. 

Oops. You can’t remember the last time...or come to think of it. You don’t think you’d ever had a ‘family’ style meal like this before. 

“Sorry,” you murmured and carefully took the bowl from him. Sans didn’t seem phased by it. 

“THEN AFTER DINNER YOU SHOULD HEAD STRAIGHT TO BED! BUT NOT BEFORE MAKING SURE TO SIT UPRIGHT FOR AN HOUR OR SO.” He took only a tiny bit of chicken for himself, passed it to Sans who took a small amount as well, and then that bowl came to you. “AFTER ALL, LAYING DOWN AFTER EATING A MEAL IS BAD FOR YOUR DIGESTION! I READ THAT IN A HUMAN MAGAZINE.”

You offered the taller skeleton a tired smile, “Thanks, Papyrus. I appreciate the look-out.”

The small chatter continued and soon enough everyone had their plates filled with their desired food, and started to dig in. Frisk ate with gusto and had Toriel reminding them to use their napkin often, causing you to smile. 

Sans had gotten up at one point but since no one questioned it so you decided to not pay it any mind either. Papyrus was chattering about the lunch menu options he was planning, and you complimented Toriel thoroughly on her cooking.

The goat monster had a pleased smile as she ate, and nodded towards you, “Make sure to eat all you like, dear. There’s Polenta to go around!” 

Frisk looked like they ate something sour, and it took you a second to gather the joke. But really, Papyrus looked physically pained as he kept eating. And what’s more, you were trying really hard not to stare cause…where did the food go ? He was all bones!

“heh heh, good one tori. you always know how to butter us up.” Sans returned carrying a large bottle of…ketchup? Bewilderedly you watched as he fucking drank from it. 

“SANS, PLEASE, NO MORE! I WANT A NICE FAMILY DINNER WITH OUR NEW FRIEND AND NOT BE TORMENTED BY YOUR TERRIBLE PUNS!” he wailed, choosing to eat faster. 

Sans noticed you staring, and gave you a devious expression as he drank even more from the bottle. Your face must show your disgust and he seemed to be relishing in it. 

Oh, god. Internal puns. 

“sorry bro, I keep forgetting you don’t have the stomach for it.”

Toriel and Frisk giggled as Papyrus sighed, and you couldn’t help but pipe up, “Not trying to be rude, but uh, how exactly do you two…”

The skeletons blinked at you owlishly, waiting for you to finish. Frisk was signing at you, and before Toriel could jump in, Sans actually decided to answer. 

Not helpfully, though. 

“how do we what?” 

Ugh, his tone had your fears confirmed, he was enjoying this. 

“Y’know, eat, breathe, I dunno! All of it…?” you couldn’t help but let the annoyance seep into your tone. You didn’t need the teasing, you already felt way out of your comfort zone, “just, you’re skeletons so…where does it all go?”

Toriel tsked Sans with a look, and he shrugged as he leaned back with his bottle of ketchup. You had also noticed that while Papyrus had eaten the food on his plate, Sans had picked at his own. 

With a big, shit eating grin, he wiggled the fingers of his free hand at you “magic.”

You glare at him as he downs more of the ketchup, and Papyrus hops into the conversation, “WE SKELETON MONSTERS NEED NUTRIENTS AND SUCH JUST LIKE ANY MONSTER! BY CONSUMING FOOD LACED WITH MAGIC, WE EASILY ABSORB IT INTO MAGIC ENERGY TO REPLENISH OURSELVES.”

Frisk taps your arm and you quirk a brow down at them, and they smile at you reassuringly and sign something at you. You watch them repeat the motions and sadly, you look towards Toriel, internally feeling ashamed that you couldn’t fully understand what the child was trying to explain to you. 

Thankfully, Frisk didn’t seem bothered by this, and Toriel naturally translated for you, “Frisk was just letting you know that monsters need to eat food that is made with magic. We cannot eat normal “human” food, and humans cannot live on monster food alone. It’s all about intent.”

They all notice you stare quickly down at your plate of remaining food, and Toriel continues gently, “Do not fret my dear! It is safe for you to consume. Your human body will quickly absorb it and turn it into energy. You will just have to be mindful to consume human food on a regular basis to make sure your body gets the nutrition it needs. You cannot survive on magic alone, unlike monsters.”

Frisk in point takes a big bite out of a bread roll on their plate, as if to comfort you, while Toriel continues, “I often make two meals for Frisk a day that are normal ‘human’ food, with dinner often being simply monster food.”

That seemed like so much work. 

“But..what’s the difference?” you ask, tearing apart your own bread roll so not to be rude, “between monster and human food. Like, do you have to grow your own plants?” you quickly slather some butter on your roll and take a bite. Gosh, it was so good. Bread rules.

Sans huffs. Both his eyes are closed now, and his arms are crossed back behind his head, “it’s like tori said, pal. it’s all about intent with monsters. to make monster food, we cook using magic.”

Papyrus pokes his brother on the head, causing the shorter skeleton’s eyes to pop open. He warily rubs his skull as Papyrus waves a finger at him, “DON’T BE RUDE!”

“i ain’t done nothin’. just cuttin’ to the cheese , paps. explaining all this leaves me bone tired.”

“Your brother is correct, Sans,” Toriel interjects before Papyrus can get too wound up, “Skylar is going to be living amongst monsters now, it’s important for her to learn and understand these things. She’s going to be teaching our future.”

Sans has a sense to look a little apologetic, but says nothing. You notice now, under this lighting, that he has deep grooves under his eyes.

For all his jokes, he must be telling the truth. His tiredness from before comes back to your mind. 

You feel a touch uncomfortable. You don’t want to be a burden on anyone, so you put down your fork and are about to excuse yourself, but Frisk once again gently taps your arm to get your attention. 

Their eyes are bright and staring at your arm, causing you to look at your tattoo. You had forgotten that your arms are very much on display, and your ink is fully visible now. 

Toriel easily latches onto the subject change, as does Papyrus. 

“Yes, child! I remember you talking about your tattoos on the drive from the airport with Undyne. Would you mind telling us about them?” 

Frisk nods eagerly and you can’t turn away that face. Ugh. 

So you carefully turn yourself so your left arm is showing first. Your half sleeve is from your elbow up to your shoulder, and is filled with an intricate drawing of a koi fish swimming up towards your shoulder. The koi fish itself is in a grayscale, while the cherry blossoms that surround it are in very soft pink tones. Where usually koi fish tattoos can come in all sizes and colors, you wanted yours to be more muted and only have the flowers be colored. All but Sans verbally ‘ooo’ed over it, but you could feel him watching. 

“Koi fish tattoos have a special meaning. They can come in all shapes and colors, but depending on how it’s drawn, it can have different message it’s sending,” you point and drag your index finger gently up your arm, to help reinforce the direction it’s swimming, “when a koi fish tattoo shows the fish swimming upward, it means that it’s symbolizing going through a great struggle, and persevering. Koi fish in real life are known to fight up against strong currents. In some legends and stories, the koi fish is swimming upwards to become a dragon by the end of it’s journey. If the fish is depicted as swimming downward, well. Odds are the person feels like they don’t have the strength to conquer their obstacles.”

You take a moment to pause, and decide to continue on truthfully, “I got this tattoo after going through some tough times. To represent that I won’t give up. I still struggle now and then, and it helps looking at this and reminding myself where I came from, and how I have the strength to push through.”

“WOWIE, WHO KNEW A FISH COULD SHOW SUCH STRENGTH AND MAJESTY!!”

Your mind immediately went to Undyne, but you chose not to comment. 

You notice Sans’ white eye lights stay locked on your arm as Toriel frets, “Oh my dear, I hope that this is not bringing up any bad memories, we understand if you don’t want to share-”

“It’s no problem, Toriel. I’m happy to talk about them. I’ll share what I’m comfortable with,” you reassure her with a calm smile, and she nods. 

You then hear Sans deep voice question, “what about the flowers? you said the koi fish had meanin’, and i ain’t never seen those kind of flowers before.”

Shocked that the skeleton was interested at all, you answer easily, “These are called cherry blossoms, and they don’t grow in our area…like, at all. They’re mostly found in Asia and maybe some parts of Europe, but I’m not sure. They grow in some states, but not in ours. Like many plants, they have some special requirements of where they can grow and thrive.”

Your brown eyes soften at the flowers in question, “cherry blossoms, in Japanese culture, mean lots of things, but mostly good luck or new beginnings or just…beauty. And love. I wanted the koi fish to be surrounded in something soft; to also remind myself to embrace life.”

Silence settles as you shift yourself back to your normal sitting position, and Toriel chimes in, “It’s a beautiful tattoo, Skylar.”

You give her a grateful smile and are about to twist to show your other arm, but your brain freezes as you are midway turned.

Because you had partially forgotten what was on your other arm, an important detail in fact, so before you can figure out how to prepare the conversation Papyrus is already in some kind of state of shock. 

“NYOO-HOO-HOO, LADY HUMAN, WHY ARE THERE …SKULLS ON THE OUTSIDE OF YOUR SKIN?!” 

Sans immediately perks up at this and stares at your other arm in what looks like…confused disgust, and you quickly right yourself. Papyrus has stood up and looks like he wants to puke, and you wave your hands rapidly to try and calm him. Frisk stares wide eyed at your arm the whole time with what looks like sparkles in them.

“Please, it’s not anything bad-”

“ARE THEY…SKELETONS OF PEOPLE YOU KNOW?!”

“God, no, just listen-”

“DID YOU DEFEAT SOMEONE IN BATTLE AND ARE WEARING THEIR HEADS ON YOUR BODY?! OH NO, I CAN’T BEAR TO LOOK AT IT-”

“paps, maybe uh, we should let her explain…”

Even as Sans says it, he doesn’t sound like he thinks it could mean anything good, and you feel frustration build and your body freeze. You swallow hastily and Toriel tries to help Sans soothe Papyrus, and you feel like you just traumatized the poor skeleton beyond repair, fuck you’re the worst thing to happen to them here-

He must not have noticed the design while in the hallway. He was, after all, pretty busy scolding Sans. Maybe this is really some kind of big offensive statement for skeletons, but how could you have known?

A small hand gently joins your own, and you look down to see Frisk standing beside you. You hadn’t noticed that you had gotten out of your chair. They put their other hand over yours so that they are holding your hand in their small grip, and you focus on them as you recollect yourself. 

Your heartbeat slows, and you inhale deeply. Sans and Toriel had managed to get Papyrus to calm back down, though he looked deeply troubled. Frisk gently pulled you back down to sit in your own chair. Toriel looked at you as well, giving you a worried but encouraging smile. You had to say something.

“Ah…uh, I really, really like rock music.”

They all stare at you blankly, and you can sense the tension tremble as Sans comforts his brother by patting his arm. If you listen hard enough, you hear a rattling sound, and it dawns on you that Papyrus is shaking…

He’s scared.

And that breaks your heart.

Filled with new determination, you feel your brain go back into ‘teacher mode’ and get your inner panic under control. Your voice is gentle but firm, and you look at Papyrus reassuringly, “I’m sorry that I scared you, Papyrus. Please know that it’s nothing bad, I promise.”

He shifts warily in his seat, and looks back at you skeptically. Sans watches you too, wearing a stoic mask.

Toriel gives the skeleton brothers a comforting look, and then nods to you to continue. She’s looking curious, if not dubious.

Better than nothing.

“Skeletons and all that, uh, with rock and metal type music have a kind of symbolism with it? It’s been a thing back since even before I was born. Human skeletons have been a big part of the promotional art of many bands and just, music in general. It’s considered ‘cool’ and ‘edgey’ I guess, and when I was younger I was going to concerts and festivals all the time. I got this tattoo at a festival, which wasn’t my best idea because of how large the piece is, but…”

You drift off, and go back to shifting to show your right arm. The tattoo is a pattern of blood red roses, black thorny vines and grayscale skulls. It wrapped up behind your shoulder and down your left arm to your elbow, as well as part of it winding down your shoulder to circle around to your front. You had some roses and vines just under your right breast, too, but weren’t about to show them that.

“It was my first tattoo I ever got, and skulls just happen to be very much in the rock music scene, and yeah…that’s pretty much it. For humans it’s like, the beauty in death? Kind of? I can show you other examples, if you want?”

Awkwardly you wait, and see the two skeletons across from you digest the information. Toriel and Frisk wait as well, and Frisk turns to you and signs, and for once you understand what they said. 

You sign ‘thank you’ back at them. 

Sans relaxes in his chair with a strained smile, “heh, sorry pal. guess we don’t have the skin for it.”

You sputter in shock, and Papyrus groans as Toriel and Frisk laugh to break the silence. The taller skeleton huffs “BROTHER, I DON’T HAVE THE GUTS FOR IT!”

Sans’ eye lights brighten in glee and chuckles heartily, nudging his brother in his side, “you ain’t tellin’ no fibula .”

Frisk covers their mouth to try and contain their giggles, and Toriel wipes tears from her eyes, “Oh you two, you know just how to hit my funny bone !”

You can honestly say that you’re dumbfounded, but are grateful that these terrible jokes are helping ease them all back to a state of normalcy. You still very much feel like you kicked a puppy, but at least Papyrus isn’t afraid to look at you.

Once the laughter settles, the tall skeleton gives you an apology, to which you wave him off. It’s understandable. 

“IT JUST DOESN’T MAKE SENSE. HUMANS ARE SO WEIRD!”

You agreed.

“...CAN I SEE THEM UP CLOSE?”

Chapter Text

Dinner wraps up quickly after that and you feel like you're about ready to pass out, but with how the conversation ended, you feel the familiar need and twitch of your fingers. You’re itching for a cigarette, have been all day, and now seems like a good a time as any. 

Toriel and Papyrus are cleaning up dishes and leftovers, and Frisk has wandered off to their bedroom to get some toys for them and Papyrus. Everyone seems busy enough that you excuse yourself for a small walk.

Toriel looks back at you worriedly, but you assure her you just want some fresh air and are only going to walk around the block. You’ll be gone for thirty minutes tops.

You go back to the guest room and quickly fish out your pack of cigarettes and your lighter. You stuff them into your pockets, grab your phone, and head back out to the living room to put on your shoes. 

Without socks they felt a little weird, but whatever, it wouldn’t be for that long. 

“Are you sure, dear? I know that the area is safe, but you don’t know your way around and the monsters won’t recognize you…”

You know that the goat monster is just looking out for  you, but you can’t help feeling a touch smothered, knowing that all the constant attention today hasn’t done much for your nerves. A cigarette and then bed, that’s all you needed. 

“no worries, tori. i’ll tag along with her.”

Sans joined your side just as you were about to open the door and you can’t help the immediate dread. It’s not that you didn’t want him to walk with you, you just really wanted a moment alone, and you REALLY wanted a cigarette.

You give him a tense smile, “It’s all good. I don’t mind going on my own.”

“eh, c’mon pal. it’ll make tori feel better, and you won’t get bonely.”

You don’t want to seem rude, or poke at whatever …friendship you were starting to form with the shorter skeleton, so you internally sigh and open the door for him. Toriel shouts after both of you to be safe. He saunters out with a wave at Toriel, and you do the same before following him.

You both walk down the steps and out onto the sidewalk. It’s a calm summer evening; some homes nearby have lights still on, while other houses seem empty. You wonder how many monsters are living here, or how many were still at the mountain's base. There’s the distinct sound of cars passing every once in a while, and the soft music of the night insects. 

The neighborhood was like a standard looking cul-de-sac vibe, but you could see the tall buildings far off showcasing Ebott’s downtown. You were thankful that Toriel lived in the more residential looking areas. 

Since Sans hadn’t said anything, you suddenly felt your nerves prickle. He was keeping pace with you and seemed to be lingering at the stars. 

You feel your fingers twitch, and finally cringe before asking, “You uh, won’t mind if I smoke, would you?”

In the dark, his eye lights are bright like stars of his own. They quickly flick towards you and he says nothing for a minute. He eventually shrugs, “you do you, pal. didn’t think those were good for humans.”

Even though it was phrased like it could be a question, it was a statement, and you couldn’t help feeling judged. 

This was the reason you wanted some time alone.

But you ignore that feeling as you pull out your packet and tap out a stick. You pop it between your lips as you put the packet away in your back pocket so you can grab your lighter from one of the front pockets. The tiny flame that sparks to life casts an orange glow on your face and hands. 

You gratefully inhale the first drag as you shove the lighter back in your pocket. You're conscious enough to blow the smoke away from Sans’ direction. It slides out from between your teeth and finds its way with the wind.

Sans is quietly observing the whole time, but makes no other comment since you don’t offer anything in return. You walk in somewhat comfortable silence, holding your cigarette in your hand furthest from him. Your shoulders have eased as your eyelashes flutter. God, you can’t wait to sleep.

You’re still very much aware of the skeleton next to you, so you take another drag quietly before speaking, “I’m sorry. For just, all the awkward stuff today.”

There. You’re proud of yourself. 

You can feel the white pin pricks on you again, and you look down at him. His eyes are at about your collarbone level, so you got half a head on him in height. You shrug, tucking into yourself. You use one arm to hug yourself around your middle while the other holds the remaining half of your cigarette.

He says nothing, so you feel this need to explain yourself, “I met monsters for the first time ever, today, and was super nervous so was more on edge, and it was honestly just…so overwhelming, but not in a bad way, I’m just terrible in social situations thanks to the past year, and I know I was defensive-”

“woah, slow down-”

The ashes are falling quickly from your cigarette. It’s burning quicker than you’d like, you haven’t even gotten to enjoy it, damn it, but you don’t let yourself get deterred. You stop and turn to face him, causing him to slow to a stop himself. 

“No. You apologized earlier, and I need to, too. I’m going to be moving here, practically going to just say fuck it and get out of Dodge, leave everything behind in the hopes of it all not biting me in the ass, and I was just…on your case about the boob staring thing and that’s not your fault-”

Even in the dark you can tell he looked uncomfortable at the ‘boob thing’ being brought up again, but it doesn’t last long as he sees your hands trembling. You don’t seem to notice that bit, though, and bring up the cigarette to your lips shakily to take a pull from it. There’s not much of it left.

The internal coil you have kept hunkered in the back of your mind suddenly grips you like a vice. 

He tries to get you to listen to him, but you push on, your words coming quick and strained, “And shit, I totally freaked out Papyrus and he’s been nothing but sweet and kind, and Toriel is like a saint. Frisk is totally cute to boot and I can’t even, I’m supposed to,”

The cigarette had slipped from your fingers, and suddenly it became clear that your chest felt tight and your breathing wasn’t right. You found that you were struggling to focus and tears were stinging your eyes. 

You felt so weak and pathetic, and now you were breaking down in front of Sans of all people. Your knees started to feel like jelly, causing you to lock your legs in an attempt not to make a fool of yourself. 

Looking at the ground you distantly heard someone trying to speak to you, but your long hair now shrouded your face and put you in your own distraught bubble. What if this was just a huge mistake? Or worse, you try hard to be good, and monsters grow to hate you too? What if you couldn’t help them, like you wanted, or do you even know what the hell you wanted anymore?

You lost your friends. You were distant with your family. For so long, you thought you had it good. You were teaching in a well-accredited, middle of nowhere school, when suddenly the rug was swept up from under you without warning. And you tried so hard, so hard , to do right by your students that you had failed, but it didn’t seem like your efforts mattered as your colleagues and the whole stupid town isolated you-

Two hands grabbed yours gently. They were covered in a soft material, and you felt two thumbs rub the back of your knuckles as Sans attempted to ground you. 

His deep baritone cut through your brain's onslaught of thoughts, “breathe, kid. let’s count, huh? count with me. one…two…”

With each number he gave your hands a squeeze to further pull you out of the spiral you were quickly falling in. You blinked rapidly, listening to his calm presence, focusing on the circles he was drawing into the tops of your hands. Even though your hands felt like lead, you tentatively squeezed his back. 

Your back and shoulders rise and fall with your breaths. You tried to zero in and keep your breathing up with his counting, and it was helping. Once he got to ten, you were able to timidly raise your head so you could meet his eyes.

His smile didn’t meet his eyes. His brows somehow once again made his expression look worried, and you didn’t understand how that worked . 

“kinda hard to see you through that mane you got.”

Confused, you quirked your own brow at him and realized your hair was definitely a mess. You pulled your right hand away from him as he carefully held onto your left. You haphazardly pushed your hair from your face, and wiped at your eyes. 

“Sorry. I’m fine.”

“sure you ain’t lion to me?”

You let out a bitter chuckle, and his toothy grin suddenly widens brightly.

“hey! finally got you to laugh at one of my amazing jokes. knew i could tickle your whiskers.”

“Please, stop.”

“i’m just kitten around.”

“ Sans .”

He downright giggles at you and you glare at him tiredly. But instead of a frown, you find yourself with a begrudging smile.

He’s kinda funny.

His giggles fade as he looks you over. His hand had slid up to your left wrist, and you felt him pause as his boney finger traces over the horizontal scar there through his mitten. 

You’re both quiet as the heaviness settles over the both of you. Where your panic attack had a tense and almost manic energy about it, this was like gravity was zero-ing in on the both of you. You clear your throat and try to pull your hand away awkwardly, but the skeleton slowly turns your hand palm-up so he has a better look at your wrist. 

It’s dark, so you can’t see it, but your memory is vivid as his thumb traces over the raised skin. He’s holding your hand gently in one hand as the other seems fixated on the scar. 

His eye lights are sharp and tiny as he focuses on the tender flesh.

You know there’s a question that doesn’t need to be asked, but you can’t help the rush of anger as you yank your arm from his grip. You remind yourself that you don’t know him, and it was incredibly personal and not something at all that you wanted to talk about.

Sans initially was shocked at your reaction, but he sombers not long after. He shoves his hands into his jacket pockets while regarding you. 

You're too busy shoving another cancer stick in your mouth to notice his intense stare. It takes far too long for the next one to light as you struggle with the little metal box in your hands. You curse under your breath until you’re finally successful. The distraction doesn’t last very long. 

“skylar.”

You had taken two or three steps from him before you heard him say your name. It’s heavy and guilty sounding, coming from him, and you feel annoyance trickle down your spine as you clench the cigarette between your teeth. 

For some reason, it really hurt that the first time he said your name, it sounded like regret.

You whirl to face him and can’t stand it anymore. A hint of venom tinges your words, “Look, I wanna enjoy my cigarette, get back to the house and pass out. I don’t wanna talk about it.”

Direct and to the point, you blow out smoke while you take up walking again. You hear his quiet footsteps follow you. Now that he’s behind you he’s probably getting all your smokey residue, but you didn’t care at this point. 

The emotional whiplash you just went through made your head ache. And your heart, but that was obvious.

Eventually you’re approaching Toriel's house. You had finished the cigarette a little bit ago and your body is leaning towards zombie territory. Everything feels heavy, and you’re not sure how much longer you can keep yourself together.

“hey.”

Jarred from your thoughts, you’re once again stopping and turning towards Sans. He looks how you feel, and you keep forgetting that he must also still be tired. Clearly. 

Your own tiredness is winning out because you hum at him in question, and hope that this goes quickly, because you just want to curl under some blankets. You're getting pretty sick of the interactions between you two always ending on a bad note.

He shuffles in place and then rubs the back of his skull with one hand, “look, i didn’t mean to make you feel embarrassed or nothin’. i know…”

You both stare at each other for a long moment.

“...heh. i just, i get it, is all.”

You don’t believe that, only because you know that everyone is different and has their own pain. 

But, you know what he’s trying to say. And you’re not surprised.

He is very good at hiding it, but you can tell that there’s layers to this guy. It’s not your business and since you both keep stepping on each other’s toes, you acknowledge you may be more alike than you think.

You nod at him, and speak quietly, “It’s fine. I’m really tired.”

Your reply causes his posture to sag. Maybe he was hoping for more from you, but you didn’t have much to give right now. 

Regardless, you can’t fight the guilt at how all of this turned terribly, and rub your wrist self-consciously as you decide to continue, “It was a long time ago, and I’m better. At least, I’m not in that headspace anymore.” sparing him a look, you carefully add, “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Sans perks up a little and he tilts his head up to you, “good. seems like we keep ah…pushing each other’s buttons.” He shrugs, “wanted to be sure you knew that i wasn’t trying to upset you. again.”

This clearly was bothering him more than he was letting on, and you decide you need to try fixing this somehow. 

He was making an effort. Why, you couldn’t fathom. But he was trying.

You're not the most empathetic person, at least not with people in your personal life. With your students it was different. You gave them more of yourself than was probably healthy, which is why you suck at it in regards to friendships. You were used to being emotionally drained from work, and added outside stressors didn’t always get navigated well.

You know that logically it’s because you’re now afraid of letting people close, but fuck it. You were going to be leaving all that old bullshit behind. And you were going to make new paths here, in Ebott. With monsters. 

You didn’t want a bridge to burn before it was even built.

So you give him a weak smile, and Sans blinks at you, “Stop stressin’, bonehead. It’s all fine. And…thank you, for helping me back there.” 

His grin stretches, making his eyes crinkle. He scratches at his left cheek idly, “bonehead, huh? guess i deserve that.”

You roll your eyes and fold your arms below your chest and tilt a hip to the side, “That’s what you focus on? It was a joke.”

“for a teacher you should know better. name calling is serious business.”

You can’t catch yourself as you let out a soft bout of laughter, and Sans finally looks at you differently. You’re not sure why, but it was as if there was…acceptance. 

The beginnings of what an actual friendship could be like.

He gently nudges you to start walking again, and you concede. The two of you are near the steps up to the front door before he starts talking again.

“i know we don’t uh, know each other well, but still…” 

The light on the front porch casts an orange, amber tint over you both. You had been reaching for the door handle and paused, giving him a curious glance.

His smile has relaxed and he seems to think over his next words carefully, “we’re here, for you. we know what kind of sacrifice you’re making. this ain’t gonna be easy, but...just remember to take care of yourself. and if you need help, ask us.”

The white pin-pricks of his eyes hover over your chest just briefly before locking with yours. 

“‘cause it looks like someone really cares about you.”

Chapter Text

Thankfully, the skeletons were quick to depart once you and Sans made it back inside Toriel's home. It meant you wouldn’t feel guilty for turning in and crashing for bed. However, before they left, Papyrus insisted on exchanging phone numbers so you could stay in contact.

“I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HOPE THAT YOU HAVE THE SAFEST OF TRAVELS BACK TO YOUR HOME TOMORROW!”

You smile at him as you try to take your phone back, but Sans quickly swipes it before you’re able. He puts in his phone number, too. 

You shake your head at him, “Y’know, you could just ask .”

“eh, my way’s more fun.”

The brothers bid you all goodnight, and Toriel carefully locks the door after they leave. 

Before you’re able to escape to your room, Frisk takes your hand and pulls you towards their bedroom. You meet Toriel’s eyes and she decides to spare you, “Frisk darling, make sure you show them your room quickly. Our Skylar is very tired and needs to make sure she gets some good rest for her flight tomorrow.”

Frisk pouts but nods, and you send Toriel a grateful look before you enter Frisk’s bedroom. It’s cozy but at the same time minimalist. They have a toy box and a bookshelf, which holds various action figures and books alike. You notice the full sized bed tucked in the corner is very neatly made, and fondly picture Toriel making Frisk’s bed every morning. 

There’s random posters and drawings on the wall, and Frisk stops by a desk on the far side of the room. It’s big enough that it should last Frisk a while, you think. It's got room for them to grow into it. There’s a small laptop on top of the desk, but they begin to shuffle through one of the drawers. You wait patiently in the middle of the room. With a quick glance up, you see a splattering of glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling. You grinned. You had always wanted those when you were a kid. 

Frisk comes back over to you quickly with a bright smile. They’re hiding something behind their back, so you tilt your head. 

“Whatcha got there?” 

With a toothy grin they bring out a book from behind with flourish. They offer it to you with a little nudge, so you take it from their hands. 

You rub a hand over the cover gently as you open it to skim a few pages. There were some rips and tears, as well as the crinkly spine, showing that it was well used. It was titled Learning Sign Language for Beginners, with a promise of having a beginner’s understanding in 30 days. 

Looking down at Frisk, they also have a small notepad and a pen in their hand. They begin writing out something, then show you the notebook. Their handwriting is neat and tidy, much to your surprise. You were impressed.

“This way we can talk more! But the notebook works too. I hope that’s okay.” You could see them second guessing themselves, so you give them a patient smile and hold the book to your chest. 

“Thanks, Frisk. This will be great reading material for my flight home tomorrow. And then when I come back, maybe you can give me some lessons and help me practice?”

Frisk is delighted and signs ‘Yes!’ over and over, causing you to laugh. You don’t linger long though, and tell them goodnight. You really just want to sleep. 

Toriel is waiting for you outside the guest room. You give her a strained smile. She returns it and opens her arms to you. 

A hug?

You don’t want to seem rude, but you feel so awkward. When was the last time someone hugged you?  Ultimately you go and lean in, and carefully wrap an arm around her. She pulls you in and gosh, she’s so soft and warm. You feel your body melt, just a little. Definitely a top tier hug.

When she speaks, it's a gentle whisper next to your ear, “Thank you, Skylar. I know that this has been so much to take in. I am so thankful that you are going to be sharing your kindness and experience with us, and taking this leap of faith.”

Well jeez. Now bashful, you offer a small pat on her back before pulling away. She seemed reluctant to let you go, and when you are back to fully standing you see small tears in her eyes. You freeze on the spot, and aren’t sure what to say or do. 

She rubs at her eyes with a chuckle. “Oh Stars, lookit me. I’m sorry. It’s just…it’s been a very hard year. I want my people, our children, to feel home up here on the surface.”

Her grateful smile makes you feel unworthy. “And it’s thanks to people like you, Skylar, who are helping us get one step closer.”

She squeezes your shoulder before you can respond, and you’re thankful. You weren’t sure what to say. 

You weren’t anything amazing. 

Exhausted, you enter the guest room and close the door behind you. You gingerly step over to the bed without turning on a light, instead letting the moon outside cast its soft glow to help you see. 

You took off your tank top in exchange for an oversized t-shirt, and slipped off your jeans. You brought along a pair of PJ shorts, so you found it in your bag and quickly put them on. You put down your phone and the book Frisk gave you on the small night stand by the bed.

Yanking back the covers, you slipped into the bed and burrowed your way into the comforting softness. The day fully collapsed over you, and you weren’t allowed much time to overthink, or panic, or worry, as your tiredness dragged you under. 

–

Something wasn’t right.

You were floating. Your limbs feel heavy and numb, and you couldn’t lift your head. You tried shifting around but were left suspended in the nothingness. It was as if there were tiny, invisible strings holding you mid-air.

It was blackness all around you. The kind of dark that was layered and suffocating; you could move your head left and right, to try and get your bearings, but there was nothing to see. Shadows overlapped, and although you were in nothingness, you got the distinct impression that you were horizontal, rather than vertically upright. 

You had hoped you were too tired to dream tonight.

But unlike other dreams, this one was silent. Achingly so. 

There were no mocking or scathing remarks bouncing around in this endless cavern, and you couldn’t even hear yourself breathe. It felt like you were hanging there for hours.

And it was driving you mad .

You were aware of studies done to people kept in sensory deprivation rooms for too long, and how it messed with their heads. There was no sense of time, and it made the riot feelings of hopelessness and vulnerability  escalate tenfold. 

“HELLO?!”

Your mouth had opened, but no sound followed. Your brain had projected you speaking, you were sure, and still there was silence. 

Suddenly a horrendous, loud ‘screech’ rung in your ears. It was  followed soon after by clicking, fucking clicking over and over in different patterns and dictations. Your eyes squeezed shut at the onslaught of tiny noises. It made it feel like the clicking was ants crawling in your brain. 

And just as sudden as it happened, it stopped, and you panted heavily in relief. Then, there was a hesitant:

‘click click click.’ ‘clickclickCLICK click.’

You peeled your eyes open, and forced your head to look to the right. There, across from you, was a door in the distance.

A heavy looking steel door that definitely was not there before. 

You could hear a very faint series of ‘clicks’ coming from it, and your chest heaved as your body was shifted roughly upright. It was like a claw, or a hand, had grabbed your entire person and shifted you bodily at their will. Where before it was as if you were laying down, you were now standing, and unceremoniously dropped to the darkness below. 

You screamed for the entire 12 inches to the ground. Not your proudest moment.

Although it wasn’t a far drop, and the floor was black like everything else, you could at least gather yourself enough to balance. Sweat had been pooling at the nape of your neck, and your hands trembled. Vertigo was awful.

Your stomach was rolling as you wobbled on your feet.

You were used to these…dreams. They were always dark, always unnerving.

But this was the first time there had ever been a door. 

You didn’t dare move closer. In fact, you wanted nothing more than to wake up, because your rational mind was quickly losing to the panic.  

Experimentally you tried raising one foot, but found it was like walking through muck you couldn’t see. You almost fell on your ass, but were able to save yourself that internal embarrassment. 

But not for long. 

The clicks started to sound like…patterns? Warily you looked up at the door again, only to jolt backward in an attempt to distance yourself. But you were stuck. 

Because now, there was a face. 

It was all white. Slowly, it inched it’s way past the doors opening so it could peek out from behind it. It reminded you somewhat of those drama masks that you see in theaters, except one half of its eye looked sad, and the other happy. There was a smile vacant of teeth. A black crack trailed down each of the eyes, in opposite directions. 

There was no body attached to the mask that you could see. It was just floating there, just behind the door. 

The next thing you knew the clicking increased in a sharp burst of sound, and your hands flew to your ears as your body cringed in pain. It was so loud , it hurt! 

You lost your balance and fell to your knees. The clicking ricocheted off the invisible nothingness, rapid firing itself back at you as if screaming at you to understand it. 

“I…can’t! I DON’T KNOW WHAT’S HAPPENING!” you yelled back, squeezing your eyes shut in hopes it would help make it all go away.

“JUST TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT!”

An erratic drop in pressure, followed by breathtaking silence.

Your shoulders were grabbed, and you were hoisted back up to your feet with bruising force. 

Your eyes flew open. 

The mask -no, the face- was inches from your own. You stared into the empty, hollow eyes, that for some reason strike a familiar cord in you.

And then there was static.

–

You landed with a hard thump as you thrashed yourself out of the bed. 

The sheets and comforter were a mess around you. Somehow your feet had gotten tangled up, and you could only stare blankly at the ceiling as you sucked in precious air in gasping breaths. 

Your shirt was soaked through with sweat. The room was lit up by the sun’s bright light. It must be some decent time in the morning. 

Blearily you wiped at your eyes in an effort to clear your head. All you could remember was crippling fear before snapping awake, thanks to your fall off the bed. 

A timid knock at your door had your heart stampeding in your chest, but you weren’t sure why. 

Toriel’s voice called through, “Skylar? I heard a noise, are you all right?”

So as not to make her worry more than she likely already is, you scramble yourself upright from the floor and cough to clear your throat. It felt so dry, “Y-yeah, sorry! Just. Waking up.”

There’s a long beat of silence.

“Okay, dear. There’s some breakfast croissants, and eggs and yogurt for you if you would like any. We will have to get ready to take you back to the airport in a couple hours.”

Damn, you really must have slept in late. 

“Thanks Toriel. I’ll be out in a sec.”

You hear her soft footsteps wander down the hall and you let out a deep sigh. Dragging yourself up, you begin fixing all the bedding as best you can. 

You can’t really remember what the dream was about. At all. But, you’re left with the familiarity of gross, sweaty clothes and the heaviness that comes with restless sleep. 

Checking your phone, you notice two messages waiting for you. One was sent a few hours ago, while the other was only minutes ago. 

One was from Papyrus, the other from an unknown number. 

You sit heavily on the bed and check the messages. 

From: Papyrus…7:38am

GOOD MORNING, LADY HUMAN! I ONCE AGAIN WANTED TO SEND YOU WELL WISHES ON YOUR JOURNEY HOME!! I HOPE YOU RETURN TO US QUICKLY.

You quirk a half smile, and send him a quick thanks in reply. You don’t exactly know your time table in regards to moving over here, but the sooner the better. You wanted to be sure you, and the school itself, would be ready in September. 

To: Papyrus…10:31am

Thanks, Pap! I’ll be sure to let you know when I’m back home.

You thumb over to the other message that was sent and opened it, but when you did there were only…really weird symbols and emojis. 

You could only sit dumbly and stare at it for far longer than you should have. It was probably spam or a robo caller thing. Sighing, you tossed your phone back onto the night stand and began to change your clothes. It was a similar outfit to what you wore last night, except you also had on a loose zip-up hoodie. Even though it was summer, airplanes were iffy in regards to regulating temperature. 

That done, you made sure to pack up your belongings in your carry on bag and double check that you had everything. You kept out your toiletry bag so you could brush your teeth after some breakfast. 

You grabbed your phone and slid it into your pocket before walking out to the kitchen. You lazily tied your hair back into a ponytail on the way. 

Frisk was at the kitchen table as Toriel did some dishes. The windows were open, letting in the hot summer air. You might have to ditch the hoodie for now. 

Frisk noticed you and signed "Good morning!” , and you returned it in kind. They grinned up at you before going back to their drawing. Toriel smiled at you from over her shoulder, “Good morning, Skylar. The croissants are over there. Help yourself. The eggs are in the pan on the stove, and there’s a couple different jars of jam in the fridge as well, if you would like!

You got the distinct feeling that Toriel really liked feeding people. Not that you were one to complain.

There was an easy chatter that carried between the two of you, mainly going over your flight schedule. A sudden question pops into your head as you finish spreading strawberry jam on a croissant. 

“Hey Toriel, uh…where am I going to be living?”

Before the trip, Toriel had told you in an email that there were several options since apartments and homes were being built all over Ebott during this time of …transition. Lots of humans had moved away once the monsters showed up, and the ones who stayed were a mixed bag. Some of them were pleasant and supportive, but others…not so much. 

Every day was different, to say it kindly. 

Toriel let out a gasp and hastily dried her paws on a nearby tea towel, “Oh goodness, I’m so sorry Skylar! Of course, of course. That would be very helpful to know.”

You and Frisk watched as the large goat monster fluttered about the kitchen and grabbed her own phone, though she seemed awkward as she typed on the touch screen. Frisk tilted their head questioningly at Toriel, but Toriel waved them off.  She put the phone up to her ear, and you couldn’t help but be amused as the large, floppy appendage twitched at being moved around. 

Someone eventually picked up on the other end, because Toriel let out a sigh of relief, “Good morning, Muffet! I was wondering if it would be all right if I stopped by in about an hour or so to show my new teacher candidate - yes yes, they accepted the offer - oh, thank you dear. Will 12:30 suffice? We will only have a moment for a quick look around before - yes, wonderful. See you soon!”

Toriel beamed at you and ushered you to finish eating, saying that they would have to leave soon if they were to make good time. Apparently Undyne is going to be arriving soon as well so that she can help ‘chaperone’  you back to the airport. 

Frisk would be tagging along, this time. Which made sense. You wondered where they were yesterday?

You didn’t have much time to think as in a matter of moments the front door banged open, causing Toriel to glare and Frisk to hop off their chair excitedly. They ran into the living room and you heard the booming voice of the fish monster carry into the kitchen, “HEY, SQUIRT!!”

You decided to slip away and gather your things from the guest room as Toriel made her way to the living room. You didn’t catch the words, but had a good guess of what she was saying. It made you chuckle to yourself imagining Toriel scolding the other woman.

Soon enough the four of you were packed away into Toriel’s truck; you once again sat upfront with Toriel, and Undyne and Frisk sat in the back, and you were on your way.

You listened and thought about something you had noticed yesterday, and now today, but didn’t know exactly how to bring it up. 

Undyne was carrying on a full conversation with Frisk, but she wasn’t signing anything back. She'd just watch Frisk's hands move, and then reply. As a matter of fact, every monster you had seen talk with Frisk did that.

You wanted to ask if all monsters somehow knew sign language, but felt it might be insensitive, so you simply let it be for now. The truck was just about 10 minutes into the trip when Toriel pulled over onto a side street. 

Glancing out the window greeted you with a street similar to what it was like back home; it wasn’t full swing downtown, but it was certainly a busier area than where Toriel lived. There were several businesses lined up, along with various apartment buildings. Right across from where you parked was a bakery. 

The building itself looked like a two story building. There were two metal staircases; one winding up the right side of the building to what looked like an upstairs apartment, right above the bakery. The other stairwell was on the opposite side of the building, but instead of going up, it circled down below the bakery. 

The four of you exit the truck and make your way to the bakery. Getting closer to the building, you could see that there was a staircase that led down below the bakery as well, indicating that there was another living space below. The building itself was themed in shades of purple, gray and black with dashes of pink and maroon accents. Through the glass of the store front, you could see that it was definitely set in a gothic style, but still had all the sense of comfort. 

There were plush booths and cushions neatly arranged everywhere. It was like a much more comfier coffee shop. The outside color scheme matched the inside, with a large blackboard listing out the bakery’s menu in swirling, perfect cursive. 

The smell was divine. Coffee and baked goods had such a cozy, soothing scent.

There were several glass cases filled with various types of pastries as you all approached the  front counter. Undyne, Toriel and Frisk waved to a handful of monsters nearby enjoying some beverages and donuts. You smiled awkwardly as Toriel introduced you. 

In that time, a …spider, yes. A spider monster wearing a frilly looking romper outfit with buttons down the front came out from the back room, behind the counter. The uniform, you admit, is super cute. It’s a deep crimson red color to go with the vibe the whole bakery has going on. You assumed the back room is where the magic happened.

Ha. 

The spider monster definitely was that; she had two legs, and three sets of arms. Her …skin? Was a pretty purple shade that reminded you of lavender flowers back home. There were two large black pigtails that bobbed at about her eye level, while the rest of her hair framed her face delicately.

Or, you guessed the pigtails came to her lower eye level. She had five of them, you think. Eyes.

You mentally scold yourself for staring too hard as Undyne gives a lazy wave towards the spider monster, and she titters up close to your group quickly. 

Maybe a touch too quickly. 

Toriel offers her a small bow in greeting while ushering you forward with a gentle press against your back. 

You have nothing against spiders. You just have social anxieties. And you can count on less than two hands the total amount of monsters you've met. And you know you were in a hurry, but c’mon. 

Fuck. Don’t panic now.

“Good afternoon, Muffet! Hope we’re not interrupting anything, but this is Skylar! Who we spoke about last week regarding the apartment upstairs?”

Muffet was looking you over while also having one of her other sets of arms returning a hug from Frisk. That was a bit wild. 

“Hmm, yes. Hello deary. I’m Muffet, owner of Muffet’s bakery,” she extended one of her hands towards you. Now that she spoke, you saw the two little fangs poking out from her mouth. 

You shocked yourself by grinning at her widely and accepting her hand with zero hesitation. 

Toriel and Undyne noticed this, too. 

“Wow, uh…not to sound really lame, but you’re freaking rad .” with that comment you kind of wave at her, well, everything. Frisk nods in agreement, giving Muffet a twinkly look of their own. 

You realize quickly that was maybe, not an okay thing to do?

But Muffet only blinks all sets of her eyes in quick succession of each other before covering her mouth with one hand. Her shoulders gently shake “Ahuhuhu, why thank you deary. I must say it’s not quite the reception I’m used to from…your kind.”

You can only imagine. You’re also not dumb enough to ignore the vague threat at the end of that sentence. 

Shaking that thought off, you are distracted by movement on the counter that wasn’t there before. Small tiny dots are moving about, and with a not-so-subtle double take, you register that yes…they’re spiders. 

And the longer you spent focusing on your surroundings, you realized that they were everywhere . Counters, walls, floors. Spiders.

You felt your eye twitch, but only a little. Were they monster spiders, or real spiders? Did Muffet have some kind of mind control power over spiders?

You decided you had to know. Muffet was watching every movement you made, reminding you of Undyne. 

“Humans aren’t particularly fond of my precious spiders.”

A nod, and you watch as some of them begin moving pastries around inside one of the display cases. 

“So like…are they monster spiders? Or are they, uh. Normal spiders?” You ask, like an idiot. 

Frisk giggles at your expense. They walk up to the counter to wave at some of the spiders there, and you watch in fascination as they wave their little appendages back. 

Muffet’s head tilts, “Does it matter?”

Huh. You supposed it didn’t.

Toriel interjects and looks, admittedly, apologetic about it, “I’m sorry you two, but Muffet, we really only stopped by to see the apartment. I wish we could stay longer, but Skylar could miss her flight otherwise, and we don’t want that.”

The way Toriel says it with finality seems to snap both of you to attention. The way it was said was almost like a threat, but…oh. It probably wouldn’t look good since the military was keeping a close watch on who was here, and why, and for how long. If you missed your flight, you could possibly get in trouble. 

Muffet understood this as well and reached into one of her pockets to pull out a set of keys. She handed them over to Toriel. 

“Of course, Your Majesty. Apologies. I only wanted to be sure that my spiders would be around…pleasant company.”

Toriel gives her a warm smile that looks a touch forced, “Please, Muffet. I told you before that Toriel is fine.”

“Ahuhuhu~” Muffet smirks and shoos you all back outside, “Go ahead and head on up the stairs, dearies. Be sure to lock the door before coming back down, hm?”

Undyne and Frisk lead the way up the stairs and you stop yourself, rushing back to the counter. Muffet looks perplexed and on edge, staying deathly still. Toriel calls you back, but you give her a distracted wave.

You look around quickly on the counter but don’t see what you’re looking for, and notice a couple of spiders watching you with their beady eyes. They seemed frozen at your abrupt appearance.

That made sense. You waved at them, like you had seen Frisk do earlier, “Hey guys, I’m sorry for the scare. Do you have some paper I could use? And a pen?”

Muffet approached from behind you while you observed in amazement; at your request the two spiders scrambled off behind the counter where you couldn’t see, and only a few seconds later they returned with your requested items. You grinned down at them. 

“Thanks! You’re awesome, little dudes.” 

Hurriedly, you start scribbling some information down on the paper. After you’re done with the pen you give it back to three of the spiders who lingered by and they scurried away with it, presumably to put it back where they got it. 

You whirled around and were only slightly startled at Muffet’s closeness, but offered her the paper as you started rambling, “Here, this is my cell number and email address. Feel free to reach out if you wanna, y’know, chat a little more. I know it’s probably scary letting some stranger move in upstairs after all the work you put in this place. But really,” you smile at her, and it’s honest and genuine because holy shit, this place was…totally in your wheelhouse. “All of this? It’s awesome. And your food smells incredible.”

Muffet gingerly takes the paper from your hand and skims over it, looking back up at you with a smirk, “Thank you, deary. I will take it into consideration. Now, off with you!”

You can hear Undyne holler down for you from upstairs, and you give Muffet one last smile before heading out the door. Toriel is now waiting for you at the top of the stairs, so you bound up them quickly. 

“Just a quick look. Probably a good idea to get a sense of the space, so I know what I can or can’t bring with me!” you flash Toriel a grin and she seems a little bewildered at your change in demeanor, but she can’t help but share your enthusiasm and grin back. 

It filled her with hope.

“About time, nerd. What took ya so long?” Undyne grumbled as she and Frisk waited in what looked like the living room area. You were a touch distracted as the apartment entered in through the kitchen area. You gave it a lookover, and yes, YES, there was a dishwasher. That’s all you cared about.

“I was just giving Muffet my contact info. Thought it was fair since we can’t really get to know each other right now,” you rushed out, quickly making your way around of the apartment. You heard Undyne squawk as you wandered down the nearby hallway. You find the bathroom and bedroom easily enough.

You waste little time and are honestly more impressed than you thought you would be with the place. It was all clean, and new. You remember Toriel telling you on the drive over that Muffet was just able to open her bakery this past week, seeing as the building was finished being remodeled. It used to be a multilevel furniture store, but they added this new apartment up top.

It is a decent sized apartment with one bathroom, one bedroom. The floor is all wood paneling, which you have some reservations about simply because you will have cat claws skittering about, but you could buy rugs. The bathroom has the classic tub/shower combo, which is what you’re used to. You are not ashamed to admit you’ll miss the shower at Toriel’s place. 

The bedroom is nice and roomy. You’re sure your king sized bed will fit with your desk, and maybe some new cat furniture for Gandolf. You quickly make your way back out to the living room where the other three wait for you. Actually, they’re all waiting in a very particular spot. 

You gasped. How had you not noticed before?!

The living room had a large patio with sliding doors, but only one other window on the perpendicular wall. You guessed that was pretty normal in most apartments, but what wasn’t was a skylight . You saw the sunlight glimmer down from the panels and brighten up the living room in a natural way that made your heart happier than you thought it would. 

You could stargaze in your living room.

And you can only imagine how happy Gandalf will be when he gets to sunbathe under it while you’re at work.

The apartment was situated so your balcony was facing one side of the building, as opposed to the front where the bakery’s entrance would be. It offered a little semblance of privacy. It got plenty of sun, which meant you could get some flowers growing out there, too. 

In short, it was perfect. It was more than you were expecting, in your price range according to Toriel, which just made it extra special. 

Yes, you were nervous. Yes, you were terrified of the move itself, and and the task to get your things over here. And yes, you were scared. 

But you were scared because it was new. Because it was change.

And change is what you needed.

Chapter Text

Returning home felt like being put back inside a tiny box. 

While, yes, you still adored the rural countryside that the Midwest offered, the reality of your own situation shatters any fondness you had for living here. And now with a taste of what the possibilities could be out East at Mt Ebott, well. 

You couldn’t wait to move.

You had gotten home late in the evening since the airport was so far from where you lived. On your drive home, you had already begun calling moving services from different businesses to get estimates. 

Excitement. What a foreign feeling. 

Gandalf greeted you happily on your return, and the guilt was overwhelming. It seemed silly but, your cat has been in your life going on seven years now, and you couldn’t help feeling like you left him alone for weeks when it was only for about a day and a half. 

You made sure to put away the gravity feeder and collapsed in bed, so your fur child wouldn’t gorge himself, and thankfully sleep was dream free this time. Gandalf snuggled with you under the covers, purring away as he made his way to nuzzle under your chin. You had sent off a text to Toriel and Papyrus before you lost consciousness to let them know you arrived home safely. 

Sunday morning came quicker than you expected. After getting Gandalf his breakfast you attached yourself to your laptop. Mr. Devon finally replied to your email you sent after you initially accepted the job. He congratulated you, and said that they could arrange to have the substitute teacher take over your position at the school if you wanted to just leave the school year altogether. 

Fuck that.

You told him as such, but much more civilly and professionally. You weren’t going to let this town run you out before finishing your school year. Above all else, you weren’t abandoning your students. What kind of message would that send them, regardless of there only being three days of school left?

Nah. 

So Sunday was filled with writing your letter of resignation, scanning moving companies and finally deciding on one that wouldn’t break the bank, and shockingly, texting Papyrus. 

From: Papyrus…11:24 AM:  LADY HUMAN! I HOPE YOU ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO YOUR MOVE! IT MAKES ME SAD THAT YOU WILL HAVE NO ONE TO TRAVEL WITH YOU.

To: Papyrus...11:30 AM:  It will def be the longest solo-road trip I’ve ever done, but I won’t be totally alone!

To: Papyrus…11:30 AM

From: Papyrus…11:33 AM:  GASP! WHAT A CUTE KITTY CAT! IT IS SO FLUFFY! I HAVE THIS SUDDEN INTENSE NEED TO PET IT! 

To: Papyrus…11:41 AM:  Haha, thanks! He’s a good boy. I missed him while I was away. 

From: Papyrus…11:42 AM:  YOU MUST TELL ME HIS NAME.

To: Papyrus…11:45 AM:  Gandalf. :) Ganny for short. 

Papyrus didn’t know the reference, but someone else did. 

From: bonehead…1:55 PM:  paps tells me you got the servant of the secret fire. 

It took you a few seconds to process it, because holy shit, Sans knows Lord of the Rings?

To: bonehead…1:56 PM:  No way! You had LotR in the Underground?

From: bonehead…2:01 PM:  we had a very specific area that was overrun with garbage from the surface. paps liked 2 go there sometimes with ‘dyne and bring back books for bedtime stories. he found the 2 towers, so i thought that was the only 1 before we got to the surface. 

From: bonehead…2:02 PM:  i was able to find the others quick nuff and read em. 

Well shit. An area full of…human trash? 

You had to squash the sadness, because the last thing he would want is pity. You instead grinned and got comfy on your couch. His texting style was going to take some time to get used to, you think. 

To: bonehead…2:04 PM

To: bonehead…2:04 PM:  He’s my son, and your future king.

From: bonehead…2:06 PM:  lol. i shud practice my curtsy. 

From: bonehead…2:06 PM:  we have movie nites often. frisk loves tlk.

To: bonehead…2:07 PM:  An excellent choice. Have you seen the LotR movies?

From: bonehead…2:15 PM:  nah. didn’t kno there was any. they good?

To: bonehead…2:17 PM:  Depends; I think they are amazing, but some folks have their opinions and whatnot. I think they are visually stunning, at any rate.

From: bonehead…2:29 PM:  sounds like a movie nite 2 me.

You blink in surprise, but feel that ‘excitement’ bubble under your skin. Movie nights? With friends?

It’s been a while. 

To: bonehead…2:30 PM:  HELL YEA! Although, they are long movies. And we are absolutely watching the extended editions. It’s the only way to watch them. 

From: bonehead…2:34 PM:  lol k

From: bonehead…2:55 PM:  do u kno when ur moving here?

It had only been a day since you had left Ebott. You didn’t want to read into it too much, but maybe the two of you really had patched things up? 

The hope in your chest was turning into a dangerous thing. 

Still. You glanced at your laptop that was left open on your coffee table. You were waiting for one final message back from Mr. Devon, as well as the moving company you chose. You know you are getting a stipend to help pay for your move out East, but it still would be difficult to pack up all your things by yourself. Since he was pretty much the only person in town willing to talk to you, you were hoping that he would help you move your bigger pieces of furniture. 

Being a small town, the company you wanted to rent the moving trailer from was about an hour away. Thankfully it would attach to your SUV, so that meant you didn’t have to try thinking about how to get your SUV there along with all of your stuff separately. You would be able to drop off the trailer in Ebott since the company had a branch located out there as well. Easy peasy.

As long as nothing happened. Ugh. You scowled at the thought.

You focused back on your phone.

To: bonehead…3:10 PM:  I’m aiming for about a week and a half from now. I have three days left of teaching, and I want to give myself plenty of time to pack all my things and take care of any loose ends here. 

That just reminded yourself that you needed to contact your current apartment complex and let them know you needed to cancel your lease. That’s always a fun conversation. 

Your phone vibrated in your hand. Sans was certainly a quick texter. 

From: bonehead…3:12 PM:  Sad 2 b leaving?

You scoffed.

To: bonehead…3:15 PM:  Fuck no.

To: bonehead…3:15 PM:  Too many bad memories.

To: bonehead…3:16 PM:  The only part I’m really nervous about is the long drive I have. It’ll be about 16 hours total. And lugging most of my stuff with me. Hoping it goes smoothly.

With that in mind you ALSO need to see how much stuff you could possibly send through the mail, or if you have it in your budget, how much you could donate and just replenish by ordering things online and having them sent to your new place.

Decisions, decisions.

So you finally put your phone down and pull your laptop back towards you, and get to work finalizing more of your ever growing ‘To Do’ list. 

The final days of the school year went as smoothly as they could. Mr. Devon had sent out an email early Monday morning about you stepping down from your role, but no one had bothered stopping by to wish you well or offer any sort of comment. 

That was fine.

You feel like there was a spike of rumors floating around, but you hadn’t heard any personally, and didn’t want to confirm or deny them. 

Your students had a mixed reaction to the announcement of your departure. You had spent nine months with these kids, and like any class there were a couple that were more rambunctious or had “behavioral problems”, but they were YOUR students. The whole reason you do what you did. 

Despite everything that had happened, the vast majority of them had banded together and made you a good-bye card. The third grade classrooms were right down the hall from fourth grade, and after summer they knew they wouldn’t be seeing you anymore. 

You’re not ashamed to admit that you cried. 

It helped heal a small part of you. The part that ached at the thought of failing them, in any possible way. 

You spent a good chunk of your time after everyone had left packing up your things. Basically any items you spent with your own money, you were taking. There were various things like posters and artwork you had bought to decorate the room, as well as a cool globe you had bought since the one in the classroom had broken. You had set up some fairy lights in a cozy corner area for reading, and were taking them too. All your pens and highlighters and dry erase markers that you ordered personally, because they were the kind you preferred. 

It was nearing 6 PM. School had ended a couple hours ago. You cast one last look back at your classroom as you linger in the doorway. This was your first teaching job, and though it ended terribly, you’re still happy for all the good you had done. The adventure definitely had it’s ups and downs, but you are now taking a new path. 

A path full of more unknowns than you cared to admit. But this was how people grow, how people learn ; by taking on new challenges and stepping into roles that they are not fully comfortable with. 

“Good-bye,” you murmur under your breath, and carefully close the classroom door behind you.

“Okay, one…two…and lift!”

You and Mr. Devon huff and finally get the last piece of your sectional couch loaded into the trailer. It was packed tight, but strategically so. Mr. Devon was a math teacher before he was a principal, so he was good at the mental kind of tetris that packing required.

The last five days were a blur. You had gotten all your loose ends wrapped up faster than you expected, and your landlord agreed to let you leave early. You got your official paperwork for your transfer to Ebott Elementary, along with a temporary ‘Passport’ of sorts since you will be a resident there. 

It was way more complicated than just getting a new Driver’s license, but you had Toriel’s help as well as Asgore’s, at least through email. Apparently they kept a close eye on people who were trying to move to Mt Ebott. Riots had broken out about half a year ago, after the ‘magic’ had worn off at the discovery of monsters. Protestors had gotten violent, and under the guise of ‘moving in’, many monster homes or businesses had been vandalized by random humans who would enter the city one day, and then leave the next. Hence, the checkpoint in place, as well as the extra security about travel and residency, and the extensive background check you had to complete.

It made sense. It was just so disheartening. 

You haven’t personally talked to the King of the Monsters, but Toriel had him pull some strings on their end to make sure you got your paperwork as soon as possible. 

Toriel said he owed her a favor. 

So here you were. Outside your old apartment building, your SUV packed and moving trailer as well. You wipe the sweat from your forehead as Mr. Devon latches the trailer shut, and tests it to make sure it won’t open on you while you’re driving. 

You can hear the muffled chorus of Gandalf’s meowing from the backseat of the SUV and shake your head. You went out of your way to buy a fairly roomy travel-sized dog kennel, so that there would be a safe way to have a litter box in the car, as well as his food and water. You had given Gandalf some treats as well as put on a ‘calming collar’ to help with the trip. 

He sometimes got motion sickness. You’re hoping with the way you had loaded everything up,, his view through the windows would be limited enough.

And on top of it all, you thought it was way better than a standard cat carrier for 16 hours worth of travel. 

Finally, Mr. Devon turned to you with a wilted smile. He patted the side of the moving trailer, awkwardly shuffled in place, and bit his lower lip anxiously. 

You decided to get this over with quickly. 

“Thank you. For, well, helping me pack up everything. It would have taken a lot longer by myself, so I appreciate it,” you rubbed your sweaty palms on your sides, and then took a tentative step towards him. You held out your hand.

He took it.

“Of course. Skylar, I’m…” he sighed heavily as he shook your head, and to your shock and surprise, he pulled you in for a stiff hug.

It didn't last very long, but the hug held more to it than a simple goodbye. Unspoken regret and apologies channeled between you. 

You’d be lying if you said you didn’t feel some type of way. Mr. Devon had been your first boss, much like this town had been your first ‘home’. You weren’t expecting any kind of closure from him, but were grateful for this small moment.  

“Drive safe. You don’t have to, because I understand things are less than…well. Let me know when you make it safely?” he asked quietly. 

“I can do that,” you nod, and finally let down your sweaty hair from it’s ponytail. With the summer heat, and driving on the highway, you planned on having the AC on full blast. 

He nods, and stands there tensely before clearing his throat, took a step backward, and then another. He finally turned around and made his way back to his own car to head home. 

So that was that. 

Hopping into your SUV, you buckle your seat belt, and take a slow breath in and out. You carefully adjust your mirrors. You sent off a couple of texts to Toriel, and Papyrus, and Muffet, that you’d be on your way. You glance back at Gandalf, who looks less than pleased about his situation. 

“Sorry, buddy.”

You turn back towards the front and turn the ignition. As you shift into ‘Drive’, you murmur, “Home is behind us, the world ahead.”

Four hours in and your phone starts ringing. It’s roughly 3 PM.

Your phone is set up in one of those cell phone caddy’s attached to your windshield so you could have ease of access, but also, your Google maps in view. 

You cut off rocking out to “Bad Moon Rising” and tap the green phone icon to answer it. 

“Hey, Muffet!”

“Ahuhu, hello deary, I hope I’m not distracting you,” the spider monster’s voice had a slight robotic tinge thanks to the phone as it came through your car's speakers. 

“Not at all. Got roughly 12 more hours to go, so…not much really happening. What’s up?”

You hear a slight shuffling of movement on her end, “Just wanted to let you know that the last of your packages arrived, including what I believe is your mattress?”

“Oh, that’s awesome. Thank fuck,” you sigh. You had been anxious that you wouldn’t have a bed by the time you got there. You hear Muffet snicker. 

“You and that language, deary. Does poor Toriel know about your potty mouth?” she tittered gleefully. 

“Why Muffet, didn’t take you for bein’ a snitch.” 

“Ahuhuhu. It amuses me, is all.”

You smirk and shake your head. You and Muffet had been texting back and forth since you had been apart. What you had said at your initial meeting was true; you thought it was important for the two of you to get to know each other. It felt a little unfair that you’d be springing yourself into her space. 

You had found out that Muffet has an apartment in the basement below the bakery. She assured you that that’s what she preferred, being a spider and all. And it wasn’t like it was all concrete floors and walls, which is what your brain had pictured when she first told you. It was an actual apartment. With a floor plan similar to your own, just without windows. 

Muffet could handle the sun and “peopling” necessary during the day while her business was open, but she admitted to you that she didn’t always get along with other monsters on a casual level. She much preferred her personal space, and had comfort knowing that her spiders had a safe space to stay as well. 

Unsure if the spider monster would ever admit it, you thought the two of you had become friends through your conversations over the phone these past several days. 

Which makes you clear your throat for your next question. “Hey Muffet, do you think you could do me a favor?”

There’s a long pause.

“Depends, deary. What is it?”

Here goes nothing, “So I ordered a bed-in-a-box type deal, and it’s required to like…expand and breathe before you get to sleep on it. And it says it should take 24 hours.”

She doesn’t say anything, so you continue, “If you, or maybe if I ask Toriel or Papyrus and you give them the keys… I was hoping someone could do me a solid and get the mattress out of the box and out of the plastic, so it can do its thing, and be ready by the time I get there.”.

There’s some movement and rustling on Muffet’s side, but she still hasn’t said anything, so you rush to add, “Like I said, I can ask Toriel or Papyrus! If you wouldn’t mind giving them-”

“Hush, deary. Your rambling may be charming to others, but I find it trying on the nerves.”

Well jeez. That hurt. Especially because she said it so sweetly? 

You’re about to apologize, because really, that was a reach for you to be asking and you felt bad, but Muffet breezed in with, “My spiders and I will take care of it, of course. Don’t fret.”

You awkwardly laugh, “Thanks, Muffet. You’re awesome.”

The spider hums, “You’re welcome, deary. You focus on your driving now, we wouldn’t want anything treacherous to happen to you while you’re on the road. Tah tah~!”

There’s a ‘beep’ before you’re able to say goodbye, and you let out a sigh. You have to mentally remind yourself that Muffet has her own way about things, and her forwardness with you meant that she had you in her ‘approval’ list. She wasn’t being fake, or unnecessarily rude. She was just being Muffet. 

Along with Muffet, you had been able to chat with Toriel and Papyrus over the phone a couple of times throughout your trip. It was nice to have a little bit of company to help ease the boredom. You wanted to just throw caution to the wind and make the whole trip without stopping, but your poor sleeping habits were hindering you. You were hitting the 10 hour mark, and it was close to 9:30 PM. You had stopped a couple times during the trip to stretch your legs, do bathroom breaks, and get food.

“LADY HUMAN, I THINK IT WOULD BE WISE FOR YOU TO GET SOME REST! YOU WOULDN’T WANT TO FALL ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL. THINK OF POOR GANDALF!”

You chuckle and eye a passing ‘Rest Area’ sign. It was about 12 miles away. 

“Yeah. You might be right, Papyrus. Wouldn’t want the fur baby to be put in danger.” you sigh in defeat and rub your left eye, keeping your right hand on the steering wheel. 

“OF COURSE I’M RIGHT! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM THE BEST AT LOOKING OUT FOR TIRED AND LAZY INDIVIDUALS!” you could practically feel him puff out his chest, “REST ASSURED, YOU ARE NOT LAZY.”

You feel your eyebrow quirk in silent question, and could only assume he was talking about Sans. It was pretty adorable how much the two skeletons cared about each other. 

To help pass the time and keep you awake, you decide to ask, “How’s Sans doing?”

There’s an air of dismay as Papyrus complains about his brother, “I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO GET HIM OUT OF HIS ROOM THE PAST FEW DAYS, BUT TO NO AVAIL! HE HASN’T DONE THIS IN QUITE A LONG TIME. NOT SINCE WE WERE BACK IN THE UNDERGROUND.”

The worry is clear in his voice, though the skeleton was trying hard not to let it show.

“He hasn’t come out at all? That’s…doesn’t he need to eat?”

There’s a crackle of movement, and you see that the Rest Area is approaching. Gandalf meows pitifully in the back.

Maybe you could let him out for a little bit before you try to sleep. 

“YES, BUT THE LAZY BONES HASN’T BEEN ANSWERING WHEN I KNOCK. I WILL TRY AGAIN BEFORE I TURN IN FOR BED. IT’S BEST TO LET SANS RIDE IT OUT. HE STRUGGLES WITH…A LOT OF CRYPTIC THINGS THAT I PROBABLY SHOULDN’T SHARE, BECAUSE IT’S NOT MY BUSINESS TO TELL, NYEH HEH HEH!”

You huff out a laugh, and take the exit to the Rest Area. Soon enough you find a large parking space so your trailer isn’t obnoxiously in the way of other drivers. You unbuckle your seatbelt, and turn off the car tiredly. 

“I’m sure he’ll come out soon, Papyrus. I’m sorry he’s worrying you,” you yawn and hear Papyrus tut in the background, so you apologize, “I just pulled into the rest area. I’m gonna try catching some sleep, I’ll text you when I’m on the road again, okay?”

“WONDERFUL! I HOPE THAT YOUR VEHICLE IS NICE AND COZY. I AM EXCITED TO SEE YOU TOMORROW!! I WILL BE THERE TO HELP YOU UNPACK YOUR TRAILER! TORIEL SAID I COULD, SO NO TAKE BACKS!”

You full-on laugh at that, and thank him with genuine gratitude, “I’m excited to see you too, dude. And thanks. The help will be amazing. Good night.”

He bids you good night as well, and you both end the call. 

You have a spur of the moment, crippling need for a smoke. It gives you the handy excuse of getting out of the SUV and stretching out your legs before you sleep. 

Getting out of the car, you eye your surroundings carefully. There were many other cars parked outside the rest stop building. They had vending machines and bathrooms, and also a few payphones for those who needed it.

Deeming it safe enough (meaning, no dogs running around unleashed and unchecked) you open up the backseat. Gandalf begins letting out a series of angry mews, protesting his imprisonment, and you glare at him and point a warning finger at him. 

“I’m gonna let you out to walk with me for a little bit. DON’T be a douche!”

He meets your glare with his own. 

Gandalf is already wearing his harness, so you grab his leash from atop the crate and unlock the door. You’re quick and practiced, and are able to grab onto his harness before he launches himself out towards freedom. You latch on his leash with a ‘click’, and let him hop out of the car. 

Your cat was well trained on his leash, much to the delight of every pet store clerk. It’s rare to see cats on leashes out in public, in comparison to dogs, and you had trained him since he was a kitten to walk with one. Gandalf loved going for walks in the pet store or the park, and he adored car rides (when he wasn’t trapped in a carrier), so you felt terribly guilty as he began prancing about his surroundings. 

After you get a cigarette lit you start walking with Gandalf along the nearby sidewalk. You kept him away from the grass, as you didn’t trust what pesticides or weed killer could have been sprayed on it. Thankfully, he seemed happy enough just to be able to move around and not be in the crate.

You wander and stare at the sky. It looked like it might start to rain soon. The air also felt a bit thick with humidity, causing you to feel more gross than you knew you were. Sitting in a car for 10 hours doesn’t do anyone any favors for anyone. 

Your cigarette has been over and done with for a while now, so you turn and begin a leisure trek back to the SUV, for Gandalf’s sake. He keeps getting distracted by batting around small pebbles and sniffing everything that spooks him.

Idly you pull out your phone. Your conversation with Papyrus stirs something in your chest. You felt bad for him, knowing that he would be stressed until Sans came out from his room. 

It wasn’t any of your business. And even though you and Sans had texted randomly throughout the past week, you don’t necessarily think you two are close by any means.

You scroll through your contacts, push some buttons, and hold the phone up to your ear. 

Chewing on your bottom lip, you drag Gandalf away from some trash, listening to the trilling rings. 

Eventually the ringing stops. Sans didn’t pick up. 

Unlocking the car you wrangle Gandalf up front with you. He had put up quite the protest at having to be back in the car, but you didn’t put him back in the crate. Instead you figured while you tried to get some sleep, he could be free to move about as much as he could. The SUV was pretty well packed, so he’d only be able to go back and forth between the front seats and the floorboards. 

You rolled up a sweatshirt under your head as you tucked yourself against your car door. Your eyes are heavy as rain drops start to pitter-patter against the glass. With one final attempt, you bring up your phone and open your text thread with the elusive skeleton. You were going to tell him he should let Papyrus know he’s okay, or if something was wrong to reach out to his brother, but caught yourself. Something tells you Sans wouldn’t appreciate that.

So you take a different approach.

To: bonehead…10:25 PM:  I’ll be rolling in around the early afternoon tomorrow. Stopped for a sleep break. Would be cool to see you, Papyrus said he was gonna come help me unpack everything. 

You hit ‘send’, and wait. After a few minutes of no response, you sigh. It was a long shot. You’re about to put down your phone when you decide to send one more quick text.

To: bonehead…10:33 PM:  Hope you’re doin’ all right.

With that, you set an alarm and set your phone down in the cupholder. You triple check that your SUV is locked, and snuggle up as much as you can as you listen to the rain drumming down, and let yourself fall into a restless sleep.

At some point in the night you must have fallen into a deep enough sleep to ignore the small buzzing of your phone. Your screen lights up the front seat briefly in the pitch black of the night.

From: bonehead…1:45 AM:  c u then.

Chapter Text

You think you’re going a touch mad by the time you enter Ebott’s city limits. 

When you had woken this morning you had tried stretching, and found out you had a terrible kink in your neck. It was like someone had taken a bat to your neck; in reality you knew it was because you had managed to pinch a nerve, but still. It fucking sucked.

Gandalf had been less than pleased about being put back in his crate, so on top of the pain in your neck, you got to listen to his bellowing for a majority of the day’s trip. You didn’t blame him, but again. It fucking sucked . You struggled turning your head even the tiniest inch.

Six hours later, the mountain is a welcome sight.

Thankfully, you got to see a familiar face at the checkpoint. Sergeant Jameson recognized you by name, and welcomed you back. He even asked about your drive. He was shocked that you attempted to make the trip all in one go. You shrugged and flinched in pain in response. He tsked in sympathy when you motioned to your neck pain.

The soldiers had to do a quick check of your trailer, which you agreed to. It made sense. They wanted to make sure that you didn’t have anything questionable among all your belongings. They had one of the dog monsters do a thorough sniff search. It was the one Undyne had talked to on your first time through…L.D.? You learned his name was Lesser Dog. 

You were chatting with Sergeant Jameson when you heard an otherworldly growl followed by a  hiss , causing you to nearly jump out of your skin. Lesser Dog yelped in surprise and clambered back away from your SUV. You hadn’t realized that he had stuck his head in through the rolled down window of the backseat. Turns out the poor monster had a close encounter with Gandalf. 

Gandalf, luckily, only spooked the poor thing. You apologized to Lesser Dog profusely, and felt terrible. It wasn’t your cat's fault; he was stressed out beyond belief. Some other human soldiers comforted Lesser Dog as well, but he didn’t seem to hold any grudge towards you or your furry passenger. 

Sergeant Jameson had radioed Undyne when you first arrived and by the time you were cleared to cross the line into the inner limits of Ebott, the fish monster had made her grand entrance. 

Undyne wasn’t dressed to the nail this go around. She was wearing a sporty black tank top and a pair of blue jeans. It caught you off guard, but she was grinning brightly as she rather rudely opened your passenger side door and hopped into your SUV.

“HEY PUNK, you made it in one piece!!”

You balked at her. Sergeant Jameson merely smirked and tapped the side of your vehicle to signal you to get a move on. 

Snapping out of your daze, you hastily start driving through, giving him a small wave as you passed.

Then you round on the fish monster, “Dude, a little warning would be nice! You can’t just be getting into people’s cars without asking, or-”

“Woof, you’re smellin’ kinda ripe there kid, you could definitely use a shower.”

Squawking incredulously, Undyne’s straight face cracked and she shrieked with laughter. You huff and roll your eyes. You have no patience to feel self conscious or embarrassed at her teasing.

“S’what happens when you spend over an entire day in a car. You simmer in your own musk.”

Undyne hacks on a gag at your description, “EW! I didn’t need the mental image!!”

“”WELL! Next time don’t be so rude!”

“Ain’t tryin’ to be rude was just tellin’ the truth, YOU DWEEB!”

“Might make you think twice next time before just inviting yourself into someone’s car without permission,” you sniff, but cast a slow smile her way. 

Undyne grins back at you, gently nudging your shoulder. You quickly scold her since your neck didn’t much care for the jostling, which she ignores, “I went ahead and let everyone know you made it back. They should all be arriving at Muffet’s soon to help unload your stuff!” 

Suddenly feeling anxious, and guilty, you tighten your hands on the steering wheel, “Thanks. I hope it’s not too much of a bother…”

“Shuddup, nerd. We know how exhausted you must be. I can see it written all over you. We wouldn’t help if we didn’t want to.”

You had nothing to say to that. 

Soon enough, you’re rolling to a stop in front of Muffet’s bakery. Toriel is already waiting outside with the spider monster, with Frisk bouncing up and down excitedly to wave at you. Both monsters look relieved at your arrival, which confuses you.

Toriel’s voice carries out joyfully, “Welcome home, Skylar! I’m so glad you made it safely.”

Home. The word causes a strange quiver down your spine.

As soon as you cut the ignition, Undyne hops out of your car in much the same manner as she had with Toriel’s truck. Once her feet hit the pavement she’s walking to the back of the trailer before you can even say anything. You rush to get out to make sure she doesn’t break the trailer itself cause ugh, that’d be the last thing you needed. 

You’re able to meet her at the back of the trailer before she gets her hands on the latch and give her a weak glare, and she sighs and throws her hands in the air impatiently, “FINE, just open it already then!!”

Toriel, Frisk and Muffet join you two as you unlock the trailer and open it up. The door needs a little extra push, so you grumble and do a little hop to help it roll upward. This doesn't do any favors for your neck. 

You hiss and rub at it with a small whine, and Toriel immediately looks concerned. Frisk is busy opening the backseat of your car. You hear their small gasp of delight at the sight of Gandalf. 

“What’s wrong, my child? Are you hurt?” Her amber eyes are searching over your neck, and you mentally register that whenever the goat monster grows concerned she shows this strong natural ‘motherly’ aura. It’s like a need in the core of her being. 

Not a judgment. You just weren’t used to it.

“I slept in my car last night, is all. I must have ended up in a position that pinched a nerve in my neck, so it’s hurting today,” you cringe, and she gently reaches out a paw with a furrowed brow. She is careful with her movements, and her paw nearly takes up one whole side of your face with its size. 

“sounds like the drive was a real pain in the neck .”

You hear Undyne groan behind you. Turning bodily around, you blink in surprise at Sans. Toriel hummed in humor, but gives you a scolding look as she turns you back to face her.

“Hold still, child. I’m going to help alleviate your pain. Is that okay?” 

You wince slightly as she adds a touch of pressure to your neck, and you can feel your own brows crinkle in confusion. 

“Uh…okay?”

Taking that as an agreement, Toriel closes her eyes. Suddenly the air around you swirls gently along your skin as wisps of a green, glowing light come from Toriel’s paw at your neck. You gasp and your eyes widen in awe. 

It reminds you of applying icy-hot; the pain is soothed in a steadily growing caress from under your skin. You and Toriel are illuminated by a bright, green light that casts beautiful shadows in contrast. Tiny sparkles of what you can only assume is magic are floating in the air around you. Before you know it, the glowing light fades, causing the air to return to normal. 

Toriel blinks her eyes open and looks you over. She seems pleased at her work, “Go ahead, does it feel better?”

You struggle to gather yourself cause holy shit , that was MAGIC! 

Carefully you twist your neck to the left, and to the right, and are gobsmacked. Normally, a pinched nerve takes days to get better. It’s terrible and makes existing more tedious than it already is. You can hardly believe that the pain is just…gone!

Sans chuckles. He’s walked up beside you and Toriel now. “heh heh heh, green magic comes in pretty handy , huh kid?”

Toriel snickers and you give him an unimpressed look. The skeleton has deep grooves under his eyes that are tinted with a dark blue hue, kinda like having bags under his eyes. It gives you the impression that he hasn’t slept well. Or, remembering your phone call with Papyrus, maybe he hasn’t been sleeping well for a while.  

The white pin pricks of his eyes are not as bright as you remember.

Deciding it best to ignore it, at least for now, you give him a huff before looking back at Toriel. You smile gratefully up at her, “Thank you, Toriel. Really…you have no idea how that’s going to make moving all this stuff so, so much easier.”

“You’re quite welcome, dear. We couldn’t have you in any sort of pain! Not while I’m around,” the goat monster sniffed and straightened up, looking towards your trailer. Undyne is leaning against it, impatiently waiting for the go-ahead. You can’t help but smirk; maybe she is more insightful than you give her credit for. 

Muffet approaches you, Toriel and Sans. She stretches out one of her hands to you, and you can see a small key ring with two keys dangling from it. 

“Here you are, deary. My spiders have the door already unlocked and the entryway clear of the packages, so we will be able to move things up quickly,” her eyes glitter in the sunlight. You take the keys with a shaky hand. 

You’re exhausted, but ready. 

Papyrus had been with Frisk fawning over Gandalf while Toriel was healing you, and you decide that first order is getting him situated. He’s been trapped long enough. After a giant hug from Papyrus in greeting, of course. He had picked you clear off the ground with ease!

Assuring Frisk and Papyrus that they would have the chance to meet your cat properly later, you take him out from his crate and up to the apartment. His claws are clinging into your skin through your shirt, and you can’t be mad at him. He’s just as tired and stressed as you are, probably even more so. 

You get the disgruntled feline settled in the bathroom so you can shut him in while the rest of you work on getting the trailer and SUV unloaded. 

More hands truly make less work. Between you, Frisk, and the five monsters present, it only takes about an hour to get everything unloaded and into your apartment. Papyrus and Undyne had made it a competition, racing to see who could get the most boxes out of the trailer and into your apartment. 

You had shouted after the two of them to please, lord, be careful, you didn’t want to replace anything you didn’t have to. The two of them assured you of their skills and prowess, much to your dismay. 

Sans took his time, which didn’t surprise you. What did surprise you was that he wasn’t lifting things with his hands. Boxes were floating behind him as he walked to and from your apartment. Sometimes he didn’t even walk to your apartment at all, just sent the boxes on their merry way all by themselves! 

You had nearly dropped the chair you were carrying in shock when you had first realized that no, you weren’t delusional, boxes REALLY WERE floating in the air. Sans had this leisurely stroll about him and you could only sputter after him.

His left eye socket was a brilliant swirl of blue and yellow, while his right was vacant of any light. It was intimidating, sure, because the absence of his eye lights in any fashion took some…getting used to. Underneath that, though, you felt your palms get the tiniest bit sweaty.

That was certainly an interesting reaction that you were NOT going to think about.

“Wha-wait, how are you doing that?!” you feel your voice turn squeaky, and wish you could kick yourself for it. Somehow he manages to give you a shit eating grin as he, once again, wiggles fingers at you and says “magic”. 

You debate throwing the chair at him. With great restraint, you remind yourself that you like this chair. It goes well with your dining table. 

As you all were working hard at unloading the trailer, many monsters that were out for walks or out running errands stopped and stared. They would easily recognize the monsters that were helping you move, and would wave hi and stop for a quick chat (especially with Sans…he was somehow very popular and seemed to know everyone). Toriel would introduce you to folks when she was able, and you felt a bit out of your element because you’re sweaty and tired and honestly, starving. Everything went as well as it could, though. The monsters you met in passing were all very pleasant, if a little nervous at meeting the new human moving in.

Muffet and Frisk had focused on unloading your SUV. It was packed with more of the delicate items, or just random things like your vacuum and laundry hampers, and a box full of Gandalf’s things. You planned on getting out some of his toys as soon as possible, so that there were familiar smells of home mixed in the new apartment.

Undyne and Papyrus had worked together on getting out your small dining table and the pieces of your sectional couch. Their voices had bounced around in the background as you finished locking everything back up. You planned on taking the trailer back in the morning.

The spider monster approached you after everything was finished, “I need to go get some things taken care of before I open my bakery up tomorrow, deary, so I wanted to say good luck with unpacking! Sorry I couldn’t stay longer.”

You shake your head as you rub the sweat from your eyes. Summer heat wasn’t making the move easier. 

“Thank you for all your help Muffet, don’t be silly! You’ve done more than I ever would have expected. I really appreciate it.” You give her a tentative smile and she grins at you. Her little white fangs poked out to glint in the sunlight.

“You’re very welcome. My spiders and I are happy that you made it safely. Just holler down if you need anything!” and with that, she goes into the bakery to get started on her own tasks. 

It’s a Saturday, and Undyne says she needs to head back home as well. She has plans with her girlfriend, since they don’t get to spend a lot of time together during the week. The fish monster is insistent that the two of you need to meet still, so with that in mind, she demands your phone number so that you can stay in contact. You nod and thank her for her help. You know that you wouldn’t have been able to get done nearly as quick enough without her and Papyrus’ muscle. 

Speaking of, Papyrus suddenly appears behind you and shouts, “LADY HUMAN! DO YOU NEED HELP UNPACKING ALL YOUR BELONGINGS? THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS VERY SKILLED AT PUTTING AWAY KITCHENWARE!”

You look up at him with a tired smile. You, the skeleton brothers, Frisk and Toriel are all that remain. All of you are back inside your apartment and taking a small break, now that the big task was done. You already feel like you’ve taken up so much of their time, and their weekend. It was nearing dinnertime. Sans was snoozing on one half of your couch. 

You envy him fiercely. But, knowing that he’s lacking sleep, you let him get the rest when he’s able. He did help, afterall. 

“I appreciate the offer Papyrus, but it’s okay. You guys have done more than enough!”

“Nonsense. I am going to go buy some groceries so that we can make you a proper home cooked meal for your first night in Ebott!” Toriel announces as she moves some boxes away from the entryway. Everything was just kinda…everywhere. You had labeled the boxes but didn’t bother moving everything into the correct rooms yet. 

Ugh. You were so tired. 

“Toriel it’s okay, you don’t have to do-” you feebly wave her off, but she wouldn't have another word.

“I know I don’t have to, child. I want to. Papyrus!” at her call, the tall skeleton snaps to attention.

“YES, MY QUEEN?”

“Be a dear and find all the boxes labeled ‘kitchen’? I trust you can get everything put away in time for me to come back and start cooking?” she gives you a knowing look and you sigh in defeat. 

“OF COURSE!! THE GREAT PUZZLEMASTER PAPYRUS WILL FIND EXCELLENT SPOTS FOR ALL THE KITCHEN ITEMS!” now given a task, Papyrus has a glint in his eye as he marches towards all your boxes and starts organizing them into different groups. His gaze snaps to his brother on the couch. 

“SANS! SANS, YOU LAZY BONES, GET UP!!”

In what seems like a snap Sans bolts upright, looking around the apartment frantically. You feel mounting concern as Papyrus marches over to him. Why did he look so…frightened? Papyrus had been talking earlier as well and the short skeleton barely twitched. 

Sans has recovered from his brief lapse in composure, with Frisk watching him sadly. Clearly there was something you weren’t getting. You could only assume that he hadn’t meant to fall asleep?

But that didn’t seem to be an issue. It looked like he saw a ghost, or something.  

“I KNOW THAT YOU ARE TIRED, BROTHER. WOULD YOU PREFER TO GO HOME?” Papyrus seems to have a change of heart as he comes to stand before Sans. Worriedly, he pats Sans shoulder, who quickly brushes his concern off. 

“nah. s’all good bro. you know i’m an opportunist,” the shorter skeleton winks at his brother, and after a once over, Papyrus nods and straightens up. 

“VERY WELL. I WAS GOING TO ASK IF YOU WOULD MIND TAKING ALL THE BOXES MARKED ‘BEDROOM’ DOWN THE HALL? THAT WAY WE CAN GET THE LIVING ROOM ORGANIZED AS WELL!”

Sans agrees easily enough, and Papyrus warns him not to use his magic this time. The shorter skeleton tries to wrangle Frisk into helping him. The child pouts at him and signs something to him, but Sans shakes his head and gives them a quick hair tussle. 

While Sans starts pushing boxes down the hall with his feet, Frisk comes up to you and points towards the bathroom door. 

Deciding not to dwell on Sans’…Sans-ness, you smile down at the hopeful, big eyes of a 12 year old. 

“Let’s make sure all the doors are locked up, then we can let Gandalf out to explore.”

Chapter Text

Gandalf has had the past hour to calm himself in the bathroom. Well. For the most part. 

You got a litterbox sorted out for him in one corner of the living room so that it’s easy to find, and open up the moving box with his name on it. You get out some of his favorite cat nip toys and his ‘fishing pole’ (it was a long pole with a string that had a small stuffed fish attached to it…hence the name). And carefully, you open up the bathroom door to let him out. 

He’s curled up in the bathtub. He’s not angry, per se, but he isn’t pleased. It’s certainly been a long trip for him, too. 

You coo out to your fur baby and kneel down by the tub. It takes a minute, but he uncurls himself and meows at you unhappily. You chuckle and glance towards the bathroom door. You had sensed eyes watching you and sure enough, Frisk was lingering in the doorway. They certainly were impatient. 

You can’t really blame them. 

Gandalf meows once more, louder this time. You wave Frisk in and lean over the tub to take off his harness. 

Frisk is conscious of the fact that he’s a bit spooked. They walk in quietly and carefully and stand beside you. You can feel the air vibrate with how excited they are to meet your cat, though. It’s pretty cute. 

Gandalf gives himself a small shake to help fix his fur, but to no avail. You hear his feet scrabble on the bottom of the tub and he starts grooming himself. He’s been wearing the harness all that time, too. Poor guy. 

“He’s gonna be a bit grumpy, I think. But he loves people. The trip was a bit rough on him though, so don’t be discouraged if he kind of just wants some space, okay?” you motion for Frisk to kneel by the tub next to you, “We can try a small greeting though. You know how to say ‘hi’ to cats?”

Frisk nods quickly, and contrary to their bodily excitement they carefully lean over the tub with their hand extended. They pause about a foot away from Gandalf, who had by now snapped to attention at the new person. Frisk smiles encouragingly at the small, disgruntled creature. But your boy does you proud as he leans forward slowly towards Frisk’s hand to give them a few good sniffs. He pushes his head into their waiting palm. 

You chuckle as Frisk is visibly delighted. They immediately give Gandalf some gentle scratches under his chin, since he turns his head that way. It’s his favorite spot. 

Humming, you stand back up and stretch your back, but there’s no satisfaction from it.. You need to get your bed frame put together. Ugh. 

“Keep him company for me?” you ask, and Frisk gives you a big grin and a thumbs up with their unoccupied hand. You smile back. 

As you leave you give one last call out, “Just let him do things at his own pace, okay? He’ll come out eventually.” 

With that, you make your way to your bedroom. Upon entering you find Sans sitting on a stack of boxes he pushed into a corner. He’s slouched against the wall, idly thumbing through his phone. He glances up with heavy eyes as you enter. 

You frown with a furrowed brow. 

“You really can go home to get some rest. I don’t mind,” you offer softly when you enter the room fully. A quick scan helps you spot out some large, flat boxes. They’ve been pushed up against the far wall, to rest under the window. You had a new bed frame ordered and sent with your new mattress. Said mattress is in the middle of the floor, where Muffet last left it. You’re so thankful that she was able to do that for you.

Lifting the mattress, you lean it up against the wall to create enough space for you to work on assembling the frame. You huff out a breath. It wasn’t that heavy, but it was a king size, so it was just…awkward to move around.

You start opening the boxes and hauling out the pieces. It’s a dark gray in color with a simple fabric headboard, and a frame with wooden slats. That way you didn’t need a box spring, just your mattress. 

Sans murmured over the sound of you ripping apart cardboard, “s’ok. wouldn’t sleep anyway.”

You give him a doubtful look, remembering the living room not thirty minutes ago. He notices and shrugs, “you have a comfy couch.”

Shaking your head, you start putting pieces in little piles and rest the slats on the wall. Gotta do the frame first. 

“Well if you end up needing some time to zonk out, I get it. I won’t tell Papyrus,” you try giving him a teasing smile, and it seems to have some benefit because his shoulders slump easily. 

He watches you work. Your old bed frame was similar, so you know what you’re doing for the most part. At least, you think you do. You thought his watchful eyes would have stressed you out, all things considered. But no. 

This is fine. 

You’re attaching some metal pieces together that make up the inner frame using the stupid little ‘L’ shaped wrench they sent in the box, when you see it from the corner of your eye. A small furry head pokes into your room, with whiskers twitching and a swishing tail to follow.

You grin, “Gandalf! C’mere buddy!”

He sees you, of course, but nervously walks in anyway. He pokes at the ground like it’s going to jump up and bite him. You see Frisk beaming behind the feline as they follow him in. They start signing at Sans and he chuckles from his perch on the boxes. 

“kid says that they coaxed him out of the bathroom with some treats,” Sans explains sleepily. Gandalf hears him before he sees him, and you wonder how your little fur child is going to react. 

His small head whips around to stare up at Sans. The room is silent as you observe. Gandalf arches his back and pins his ears back, and you feel your heart drop. His bright blue eyes are locked onto Sans.

“Sssh, hey. It’s okay, Ganny.” You drop what you were working on carefully on the floor and wander a bit closer to your cat by shuffling forward on your knees. 

He looks at you, and back to Sans, then back to you once you're able to gently stroke his back. Slowly, thankfully, he settles. He still looks very skittish, but you think that’s fair. 

It’s not like Gandalf had seen monsters before either. Or, you suppose he had, and it was a dog . Not a good first impression. 

You give him pets and motion for Frisk to give you a treat. They must have gone out into the living room to find the treats in the box you had opened up earlier with Gandalf’s things. 

Gandalf, the glutton that he is, is easily distracted and takes the treat from you. He munches on it and after that, he goes about the room to investigate. You let out a breath. Sans seems relieved too, you think. 

The skeleton huffs as he leans back against the wall, “had me worried, bein’ in the presence of mithrandir.”

You grin and Frisk looks confused, signing at Sans in what you assumed was some sort of correction. Sans explains that ‘Gandalf’ is a name from a book series, and ‘Mithrandir’ is what the elves call him in the book. 

You can’t help it. The fact that Sans knows Lord of the Rings knowledge has you giddy. 

It’s a series that you hold dear to your heart. You have the One Ring’s inscription on your left thigh, for crying out loud. You love the world, the characters, the sheer epicness of the story itself. 

Your mom used to read The Hobbit to you when you were very small. Before you got older, and things turned sour between you. 

Frisk at least looks interested at that, especially when Sans says that Gandalf is a wizard.

“If Sans is still up to it, we had talked about having a movie night at some point to watch them all…if you wanted to join, Frisk?” you ask this hesitantly. Frisk seemed to be such a big, crucial part of this pieced together monster family. You know they would find out about it sooner or later, so why not offer it now? 

Gandalf (your cat), at this point, seems to be as calm as he’s able. He’s exploring the various pieces of the bed frame you have out, before he wanders over to the boxes Sans is sitting on. The cat is slowly standing up on his hind legs to sniff at one of the skeleton’s pink slippers. Sans notices, and sort of looks awkward as he’s forced to sit still and wait to see what happens. 

You know that dog monsters exist and wonder idly if there were cat monsters. 

Gandalf sniffs the slipper and sneezes in response, causing Sans to jump and blink his eyes widely. Frisk laughs and you smile, because both Sans and Gandalf look offended. Sans for being sneezed on, and Gandalf because he was seen doing something so graceless as sneezing.

“Poor baby,” you croon, and Gandalf flicks his tail irritably every which way as he sauntered over to you. Frisk is laughing at the display. They’re signing at you and you pay attention, and you get the general idea. You smile and are about to answer when Gandalf sees this as an opportunity to put his paws on your knees, since you are still kneeling on the floor. He continues and stretches up until he’s able to aggressively rub his face against yours. 

It melts your prickly heart. 

You return his affections with nuzzles of your own, and his purring seems so loud in the quiet of the bedroom. 

Hearing Sans hop down from his tower (really it’s only like, three boxes high) he drags his slippered feet across the floor to get a closer look at Gandalf. Frisk signs to him and he shrugs.

“from my perceived knowledge on all things human related from the internet, i thought cats were…less people-y?” he squints at you and your feline friend. Gandalf has deemed this satisfactory enough as he starts making his way over to Frisk. He meows and circles them with his tail up high. He’s certainly putting on a show to get more treats. It works as Frisk digs into the small bag for him.

You dust off some of the fur that clings to you in Gandalf’s wake. You’ll have to brush him out soon. 

“I mean, most cats don’t really care much for any kind of attention unless it’s on their terms. It’s what sets them apart from dogs,” you glance up at Sans to continue but are caught off guard. He’s been looking at you the whole time. 

You have this…back and forth, vibe from him. Sometimes you can’t actually tell if he likes you, thanks to your rocky history with each other. And other times, like now, he shows an interest in talking with you and offers a very tentative form of companionship. 

It’s that nagging feeling that Sans puts up with you because of your impact on his friend and family circle. That he’s just…tolerating you.

You brush your hair behind your ear for something to do. 

Sans is engaging with you cause he wants to know information…that’s probably it. 

“He’s a himalayan cat. Their breed is typically very fond of people. He’s still an ahh-” you catch yourself on the swear, and Sans grin turns more genuine, “...a jerk, sometimes. But I’ve had him since he was very small, so he grew up with all kinds of love and attention from me. He likes people well enough. And all that rubbing on my face he was doing?” he nods when you pause to gesture at your chin and cheeks, “that was his way of leaving his scent on me, to show his own affection. Kinda like calming his own nerves, so he can smell himself on me. I’m sure he’s going to be rubbing his head all over the place.”

You shrug, and Sans hums thoughtfully. Frisk has finally put the treat bag away in their pocket, and Gandalf licks his chops. The cat briefly looks back at you and Sans, then starts creeping back towards the door. All of you can hear Papyrus puttering around in the kitchen. Hopefully you’ll be able to reach everything that he’s putting away. 

Frisk all of a sudden pulls out their paper and pencil from their other pocket. You can’t help the guilt that tears at you; once you’re fully settled in, you plan on brushing up on your sign language. 

They scribble something out quickly, and then show you the pad of paper, ‘ He’s the nicest cat I ever met. I really like him.’

Well. If that doesn’t make you puff up with pride. 

Gandalf has managed to slowly go back out into the hallway. You motion Frisk to follow the curious feline, “Could you maybe try leading him over to where his litter box is? It’s in the left corner of the living room, near the window.”

Frisk nods and with a determined look, they bound out of the room. 

You start picking up where you left off, not sure what to say to Sans that you haven’t already. One of the metal pieces you're holding steady keeps slipping while you’re trying to tighten the screw on the other end. You mutter curses under your breath, and after two more failed attempts, suddenly the other end of the frame is held up and in place. 

Blinking, you look back where Sans is now sitting cross legged on the floor a few feet away from you. He’s holding the piece you’ve been fumbling with, so you’re able to finish connecting it to the other part of the frame. 

“...thank you,” your voice is quiet. He lets his skull fall into his other hand lazily as his elbow rests on his knee. 

“no prob, buddy. let’s get this put together so you can sleep tonight.” 

Relief fills you and you nod, and you both get back to work. 

You fail to notice the switch from ‘pal’ to ‘buddy’. 

Between the two of you, it only takes about half an hour to get the frame built and the slats put in place. Sans had never seen this kind of bed frame before and was doubtful of how comfortable it would be. 

Moving all the packaging aside, you set the frame where you think you’ll like it best in your room, before you grab the mattress that’s leaned up against the wall. You let it fall onto the frame and are able to push and wiggle it around until it’s set just right. 

You sigh in delight and flop back onto it. You bounce a little and your hair goes absolutely everywhere , making a dark halo around yourself. Staring tiredly at the ceiling, you let out a yawn. 

Sans watches amusedly and decides to hop onto the other side of your bed. You glance over at the skeleton as he casually leans back to lay down as well. He makes a show of shifting and getting comfortable, before he hums and closes his eyes, “yeah, this is what i’m tolkien ‘bout.”

There’s stunned silence between you. Finally, your fried mind snaps, and you cackle in delight, “No fucking way, dude. A Tolkien joke?” 

You’re still laughing as he responds flippantly, “well you’ve been a tough nut to crack. i had to go out on a limb, all ent style.”

After rubbing your eyes, you give Sans a tired smile. He has his eyelids half-mast, and his arms crossed behind his skull. 

“Thanks. I needed that laugh.”

He gives you a slow blink, and he eases into a cheerful wink, “heh heh heh. anytime. you got a nice laugh.”

Huh. 

Ignoring the weird fluttering in your tummy, you sigh and force yourself back up and off the bed. You stretch your arms up over your head and push up onto your tiptoes. Your back ends up popping in several places, your spine releasing pressure in delight. It feels fucking fantastic.

A satisfied groan escapes you as you settle back onto your heels and murmur, “Right. Breaks over. I gotta find the box with all my bedding in it, so I can get this all ready before I pass out later.”

Shuffling over to the arrangement of boxes Sans has brought into the bedroom earlier, you miss the bright blue flush that had taken over the skeleton’s skull. 

Beads of sweat drip down his skull as he hastily gets off of the bed and clears his throat roughly, “heh, ok, i’m gonna go see how paps is doing and if he uh…needs something.”

He’s out the door before you can say anything. You cast the door a confused look, but ultimately shrug it off.

Weird.

It only takes you a few minutes to find the right sheets (your favorite set, it’s so light and cozy) and get your bed situated. Before the move you had washed all your bedding so that it would be fresh and clean at your new set up. 

You would worry about decorating and rearranging things tomorrow. 

The last thing you did was remember to grab out a clean towel from a different box, and the bathroom necessities. You were definitely taking a shower before bed.

Ugh. You were so gross. 

Deciding to check in on the living room and kitchen situation, you could only stare in shock upon the threshold. 

Papyrus had gotten all the kitchenware unpacked and put away. There were several boxes that were unpacked and broken down, which is how you guessed. You saw Toriel at the stove mixing some things together in a pan, and it smelled so amazing . 

The living room was …actually, very much put together. Papyrus was busy centering your coffee table. He went ahead and connected your sectional couch and arranged it in the back corner, since it was an ‘L’ shape. The tall skeleton even rolled out your carpet and centered it, and got your entertainment center set up. That thing was a beast itself, because it was glass shelves and always a bitch to move around. 

There was a chaise piece on one of the couch ends, and there you found Sans laying down with his hood over the majority of his face. 

But what made you grin was Gandalf perched on the punny skeleton’s chest. The feline lazily blinked at you, very much content at his new spot. 

Standing up straight, Papyrus notices you and claps his hands together, “LADY HUMAN! I HOPE YOU DO NOT MIND, BUT THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAS AN EYE FOR FURNITURE ARRANGEMENT. IF YOU DO NOT LIKE IT, WE CAN MOVE THINGS AROUND!”

You shake your head slowly and smile at him in amazement, “It’s …way more than what I was expecting, Papyrus. You really are great.”

Sans chimes in from his position on the couch, “my bro is def the coolest.”

Frisk, who was rummaging through one of your boxes, pokes their head up and gives Papyrus two enthusiastic thumbs up. 

The taller skeleton blushes a bright orange and flusters adorably before he composes himself. Once again he strikes a grand pose, “OF COURSE! WHO BETTER TO ENSURE YOU ARE COMFORTABLE IN YOUR NEW HOME THAN THE GREAT PAPYRUS?!”

You walk up to him with a grateful smile, “Really, Papyrus. Thank you. It was so kind of you, I hope it wasn’t too much of a bother.”

The skeleton looks downright scandalized, “LADY HUMAN! IT IS NEVER A BOTHER TO HELP A FRIEND IN NEED.”

Frisk starts taking out books and movies from boxes, and you vaguely gesture at the entertainment center. You don’t have anything like bookshelves, but soon you might have to invest in some. Your collection keeps growing. 

Frisk understands the motion and starts putting books on the bottom tier of the entertainment center carefully. 

You acknowledge what Papyrus has said, but are unsure how to respond. He doesn’t seem to be expecting one, but you feel like you need to.

Friendship seems to be a big deal to him. You noticed how he went out of his way to be helpful, in so many different circumstances. In the short amount of time you had known the skeleton, in person and through text, it was clear to see the insecurities he had. It was almost like he was seeking approval or recognition. 

“Y’know, seeing as how we’re friends, you can call me Skylar and not ‘Lady Human’,” your tone is light and teasing, and you think it was the right call because the tall skeleton gasps and slaps both hands on either side of his skull in joy.

“OH WELL, IF YOU INSIST LADY HU-I MEAN…SKYLAR!”

“Not at school, though,” you wag a playful finger at him, “then it’s Ms. Hart."

“NYEH HEH EH!! THAT’S RIGHT, WE WILL BE SEEING EACH OTHER AT WORK TOO, HOW FUN! HOW SPECTACULAR!!”

You chuckle along with his excited energy, and Frisk comes up and pokes you in the side. Their task forgotten, it seems the talk of school has garnered their attention. 

They sign at you, “What about me? Can I call you Skylar?”

You understand easily enough, because paired with their innocent expression, you know that they are trying to be sneaky. You huff, “Yes, but the same rule applies to you especially. In the classroom, it’s Ms. Hart.” They pout playfully up at you as Papyrus snickers.

While you were back in the Midwest and packing up your things, you had a long call with Toriel one night. Mostly to chat about how things were going, but you ended up remembering what Frisk had said that night in the hallway with Sans. 

Toriel confirmed guiltily that yes, she forgot to tell you in the haste of everything, that Frisk would be in your class. 

You didn’t mind, in fact it was kind of nice to know one of your students already. It only made you slightly worried because you were getting to know them as your friend’s child, before they were your student. It was just…different, than what you were used to. You were forming a ‘friendship’ like relationship with Frisk, and in the future expected to be their teacher.

You expressed this concern to Toriel, ever the professional, but she insisted that it was okay. She had faith in your abilities and if anything became a problem, they would handle it. She said Frisk was a bright, determined child.

And the Queen also decided to drop the fact that Frisk was the Ambassador for monsterkind, which…no pressure. 

You should have connected the dots sooner, in retrospect, but you had a ton on your plate and it had been a long time since you watched the interviews and press conferences when the monsters had first appeared. 

But it’s all fine. Toriel explained that their duties as Ambassador wouldn’t get in the way of their education. She had a firm discussion with King Asgore about it.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out that there was some tension between Toriel and the King, but it definitely wasn’t your business. So you never touched the subject. 

Toriel chose that moment to come join you all in the living room and gave Frisk a stern look alongside you, causing the child to hide behind Papyrus’s lanky legs. 

It was comical ‘cause realistically, it was a less than stellar hiding spot. 

The goat monster switches to a pleased smile easily as she turns to you, “I made a simple stir fry for you, dear. No magic included, so your body can get the nutrition it needs! I thought a nice dinner at home to get used to everything would do you good, and we could all get out of your hair for the evening?”

As she says this you see Frisk’s playfulness fall, but they tug on your hand gently to grab your attention, and sign quickly to you, “Can I come see Gandalf soon?”

You smile and nod, “For sure. Toriel and I can figure out a time, but it might not be for a few days, okay? I’m gonna be getting some shopping done and just…settling in.”

Toriel hums and pulls you in for a hug, to your sudden surprise. Your body is sore and you’re sure you smell, but return her hug easily. You remind yourself that with your friendship with these monsters, most of them are the…touchy feely types. 

“Have a good night, dear. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you need anything. I have notified all monsters of your arrival, so if you are out and about, don’t be shocked if you are recognized. I included your picture in my email!”

She seems overly pleased by this, and you only feel a spark of dread. 

You understand, though. Humans aren’t very common, from what you have noticed so far, this far into the city. Most likely she let all the monsters know because you would be working at the school, with their children, and all that. 

It made sense.

Just. Y’know. More to be anxious about. 

“Thanks, Toriel. I’m probably mainly going to go grocery shopping, return the trailer, and rest tomorrow.”

“That would be best. But, the offer still stands!” she heads to the door, and Frisk opens their arms questioningly at you. You nod, and that’s all the answer they need as they quickly wrap their arms around your middle. You give them a gentle squeeze back. 

When they pull back, you lock eyes and raise your hands and sign, “Goodnight, Frisk.”

They giggle and sign “Goodnight” back at you, and scamper off to follow Toriel. You wave goodbye and Papyrus comes to your side. 

He looks nervous.

Tilting  your head at him, you try thinking back over the past couple moments to try and figure out what’s wrong, but he starts speaking, “DEAR HUM-AH, SKYLAR. ARE YOU SURE YOU’RE GOING TO BE OKAY, WITH THINGS UNFINISHED?”

Ah. 

That was so awfully sweet, it made you sick. But like, in a good way. 

You reach out and give him a gentle pat on his arm to reassure him, “No worries, big guy. Like I said, I have tomorrow to finish getting things put together. Right now, I can manage.”

He pokes his index fingers together and looks at the floor, almost timidly, “...ARE YOU GOING TO BE OKAY BY YOURSELF?”

That one takes you off guard. ‘Cause like, you’ve been living by yourself for a while now, so it wouldn’t be any different than before. 

But…there’s always that fear, right? When you move to a new city? It’ll take some getting used to. Even more so, now, with monsters. 

However, you think that compared to humans, this new move will be…easier. Especially now, since you’re leaving so much drama in the last town.

You hear Gandalf hop to the floor with a ‘thump’ and the pitter patter of his paws soon after. Sans approaches the both of you, his hood now down. The dude looks like he’s ready to drop. 

He nudges Papyrus softly, “we’re a text away, right bro? like tori said,” sans looks at you and his eye lights are faded from their usual brightness. Worry sparks in your chest, so you offer him a small smile.

“Better get your brother home, Papyrus. He might fall asleep on his feet at this point,” you tease lightly, but Papyrus huffs and picks up Sans as if he weighs nothing. He sets his older brother up on his shoulders and there’s a tiny ‘clack’ sound of Sans skull resting on Papyrus’s. 

It’s so fucking cute .

“YES, HE IS PRONE TO DOING IT MORE THAN YOU THINK, SKYLAR. WELL,” He squats down carefully so he’s more eye level with you, and not at risk of dropping Sans, “GOODNIGHT, FRIEND! MAKE SURE TO EAT YOUR DINNER AND GET PLENTY OF REST!!”

“I will, don’t worry! Goodnight, you two. Thanks again for all your help today,” you follow them to the door, and open it for Papyrus. The tall skeleton holds onto Sans’ legs, much like a parent would their child in any similar situation, and he gets himself through the door by crouching down. Sans’ eyes are closed already and you think you see a little drool coming from one corner of his smile. 

“YOU’RE MOST WELCOME! GOODNIGHT!” 

And with that, you watch as the tall skeleton walks down the stairs and out to the sidewalk, presumably in the direction of their home. 

The silence is heavier than you expected. 

You close and lock the door behind you, and let out a long, heavy sigh. It’s nearing 7pm, and in all the rush of the day you feel how much your body hurts .

Moving aside, you had also been cramped in a car for over a day, technically. Blech. You can’t wait to sleep.

So you make your way to the kitchen and serve yourself the stir-fry Toriel had made for you. Gandalf had followed you into the kitchen, quick to return to previous routines, and wails about his own lack of food. 

There’s a box nearby that has his cat food stowed away in it, so you grab a second plate from the cupboard and mentally thank Papyrus for putting everything at a reasonable height for you. You open up a can of Gandalf’s wet food and get a scoop of his kibble mixed with it.

“I’ll dig out your dinner bowl tomorrow, bud. Tonight you get to eat off a plate, just like me.” 

You place it on the floor and he rushes to it. In the car trip he had been living off of dry kibble alone, and apparently he was dying from hunger without his wet food. 

Typical. 

You sit on the couch and eat. The entire time you’re absorbing your new space, and coming up with ideas on how you want to decorate. You need to get Gandalf a new cat tree, since you had gotten rid of his old one to make the move easier. He was due for a new one, anyway. 

You also had donated your house plants so you wouldn’t have to figure out how to transport them, so maybe you could find a local greenhouse and get some more plants to liven the place up. 

It reminds you of your skylight, and you glance up at it happily. You can see the stars beginning to poke out in the cloudy, night sky. 

You’re looking forward to making this place your home. 

Chapter Text

Waking up was slow and painful.

Painful, only in the sense that your body was still very much unhappy with you. Blearily you reach for your phone that was ringing somewhere on your bed. 

Gandalf cracked his eyes open to glare at your fumbling around. He had gotten cozy on the bed as well, deciding to sleep at the end of it by your feet. 

“Ugh, c’mon where is the damn thing, fuck-” you push yourself up with your hands and chuck one of the pillows off the bed to reveal your phone. Grabbing it you quickly silence it, and flop back onto the bed with a muffled groan. 

The phone vibrates in your hand, and you mutter curses as the universe has decided that you must wake. 

You roll onto your back and hold your phone above you. You have a missed call and several text messages. 

Narrowing your eyes you unlock the device to see who had tried calling you, and you feel a headache forming like needles pricking in your brain.

Your mother. 

Deciding to put that off as long as possible, you open up and reply to a text message sent by Mr. Devon. You had forgotten to text him when you got to Ebott. 

To: Matthew Devon…9:33AM:  Sorry, Matt. I got in just fine. I had some help unloading my truck and I was exhausted. Thanks for checking in. 

Now that he was no longer your boss, you saw fit to go by a first name basis. Not that it mattered much anymore. 

You flick through and smile as you read a text from Papyrus;

From: Papyrus…7:30AM:  GOOD MORNING, SKYLAR!! 

To: Papyrus…9:35AM:  Morning, Paps. 

And one final text was also sent, but it’s much like the one you had gotten while you stayed at Toriel’s place. It was all…emojis and weird symbols. 

You furrow your brow, because you don’t recognize the number. Looking back at the last text that was sent to you, you come to find that the two numbers don’t match, either. 

Someone must be pulling a very terrible prank. Or, it’s just more spam. 

Whatever.

You ignore it and toss your phone back to the bed. You rub your eyes and whine, “Hnnng, God, I don’t wanna . Blech.”

Your pity party lasts only for a couple minutes before you roll yourself out of bed. You wander to the bathroom to handle your business and run through a mental checklist of things you absolutely need to get done, like returning the trailer and grocery shop. 

Bathroom business handled, you wander back into your room and pull out a small duffle bag that you had packed with a couple sets of clothes. Your wardrobe was still packed up in the boxes, somewhere, and this made it so you had some clothes handy without searching through them. 

That was a problem for Future Skylar. 

You pull on some underwear and a bra, then your black ripped skinny jeans. You also decide to opt for your semi see-through, mesh tank top, and pull on your minty green top over it. It had a plunge neckline style cut, and the shoulders cut out of the long sleeves.. This way it was a peek-a-boo effect, which you thought was cute and just your vibe. There was only a bit of cleavage, and that was still covered by the mesh tank.

You put on your rings, finished up with a quick wash of your face and brushing your teeth, and stopped to grab your phone from the bedroom. 

Gandalf had fallen back asleep, and you smile at the big fluffball. You take a quick picture of him with your phone and head out to the living room. 

You figure that on your trip to returning the trailer, you can get a sense of the area you live in. On the way in, you had noticed a few grocery stores and various other shops. There was a bar and grill place not too far away as well, and you thought of maybe venturing there for dinner. 

Snagging your sunglasses out of your purse, you put in your driver’s license and Ebott Id in the back of your phone case, along with your debit card. It saved you from having to drag around your entire purse.

You lock up your apartment and walk down the stairs, pausing in front of Muffet’s Bakery. The open sign was on, and your foggy brain instantly hooks onto the idea of caffeine. 

A little bell chimes when you enter and you take in the familiarity of the cozy space. There’s a few  anthro-looking monsters enjoying some food, and you offer a polite smile as you go to wait in line. The monsters take you in quietly; clearly they are aware that you’re the human who moved in upstairs.  Muffet is behind the counter serving a blob looking monster. You carefully step out of the way, and offer them a simple ‘good morning’ as they pass. 

They shift and ‘wiggle’ at you, which you can only hope is a good thing, before they’re making their way out of the bakery. They had no eyes or mouth, it was literally like a bowl of…gelatin. 

You decide not to think too hard on it. 

When you approach the counter Muffet chitters, “Ahuhuhu, lookit who’s awake! I expected you to sleep in, deary.”

“I wish. Need to make sure I get the trailer back to the moving folks, so they don't overcharge me. I went to bed pretty early, though. Thank you again for helping me yesterday. I really appreciate it!” your eyes flick over the menu behind Muffet, and you bless her for having coffee.

She gives you a once over and hums, “You certainly look the most put together I’ve seen you. This look is more…you,” 

Giving the spider monster a confused look, you supposed that yesterday you were probably a hot mess. And the only other time was nearly two and a half weeks ago now. 

You’ll take the compliment. 

“Ha. Thanks, I certainly feel better. A big load off now that the move is officially over with. Well,” you shrug, "I’m keeping my errands light today before I start unpacking the rest of the boxes I have. Could I get a caramel latte to go?”

“Of course, deary. It’d be my pleasure,” she turns and gets a cup and lid with one set of hands, and they are passed seamlessly to another set of hands behind her and get to work making your drink. All her arms operate as if on autopilot and it’s really, really cool. 

“Would you like something to nibble on, deary? You shouldn’t run on coffee alone,” she chides you and you chuckle awkwardly. You weren’t used to people being concerned over you. 

“Well since you called me out…” you give her a small glare and she smirks, finishing your drink and putting on the lid. She puts a small spider sticker over the opening as a stopper. 

You look through the glass display case and all the pastry options. You notice that nearly all of them have small spider labels on them. A few pastries don’t have the little spider tags, and you are morbidly curious as to what that means.

“What do you recommend?” 

Muffet seems surprised by this, but recovers easily and hums, “I’d recommend the house specialty. Spider Donuts, with a side of Spider Cider. But since you have your coffee, maybe the Spider Cider another time. How about it?”

“Sounds perfect,” you get out your debit card as a flurry of small spiders go to the display case to fetch you a donut. Your eyes widen as they get the donut out of the case, and put it in a small to-go bag. There was definitely a spider label by the donut, and you were under the impression that the whole "Spider Donut" name was a gimmick, but… 

You get an inkling there's more to it.

There’s a beat of silence as if Muffet is waiting for you to say something. It feels like some sort of test. 

Behind her, you can see a tagline at the bottom of the menu written in big, fancy cursive:

“Come eat food made by spiders, for spiders, of spiders!”

Looking down at the tiny spiders on the counter, you give them a small wave in thanks and hand your debit card to Muffet with a smile. 

The spider monster curiously tips her head to the side, but eventually has a pleased look about her, you think. 

“Thank you, deary. I hope you enjoy, ahuhuhu~” she hands you your card back with the receipt. You tuck them away and take your goodies with you. 

“I’m sure I will. Later!” you nod at her and make your way out to your SUV. In the safety of your car, you tentatively pull out the ‘spider donut’ and give it a look over. It was soft and textured, reminding you of a classic cake donut. But with that signage, and the tags in the display case, it was a sure bet that there were spiders in it. 

You didn't want to ask, and seem rude. You were trying to be cool with Muffet, damn it.

Fuck it. There’s countries all over the world that eat bugs and all that. 

You take a bite, chew, and are pleasantly surprised. Monster food was legit. 

Taking another bite, you punch in the address of the moving company on your phone and set it on your phone caddy so you could see it while you drove. You put on your sunglasses, and begin your trek through the city, all the while munching away on your donut. 

You make it to the moving company, and they help you detach the trailer from your SUV and you finish signing off paperwork for it. It will be so nice to drive without dragging that big lugging thing behind you. 

You were surprised to see some monsters working there. Surprised, in a good way. Toriel had mentioned that monsters were allowed to have full access to Ebott, and nearly the whole state. You weren’t sure on how or if they were being integrated into the mainstream ‘work force’, so it was great to see them employed with humans. 

Hopefully they were getting paid fairly. It wasn't the time or place to ask, so you keep that to yourself. The large bear monsters working there seemed in good spirits. 

The only other task you had was groceries, so as you settle back in your vehicle you get your phone and scan your nearby options. You find a place that’s closer back by your apartment, and you figured you should find a regular place to shop at so you can get familiar with its layout. 

Destination set, you set off. On your drive you can’t help but just…take in, all the different kinds of monsters you see. Many of them appeared to be anthropomorphic creatures, but like the slime monster from the bakery…some were just bizarre. 

There was a group of floating humanoid looking ones, but they were dressed like mini wizards. At least that was your best guess. They didn’t have any arms, though. They were like…little floating orbs in place of them. 

Wild. 

You shake yourself and in a matter of time, you’re at the grocery store, so you pull into the parking lot. You attempt to keep to yourself, but can’t help to offer polite smiles and nods to monsters who interact with greetings of their own. You’re at war with yourself, in a sense; do you keep to yourself, or do you breach your comfort zone and act like a normal human?

Social skills just were never your forte unless it involved teaching. 

Usually you grocery shop with earbuds in so you can jam to music, making it less mundane, but since this is your first time in the store you figure best to be on full alert. 

You grab a cart, and go about getting the basic essentials as well as things for some simple meals you know how to make by heart.

Everything was going well until you turned towards the refrigerated section. 

You were grabbing some milk when you heard glass shatter behind you, causing gasps of alarm around you. 

“UGH! Look what you’ve done, you blundering fool!” 

A human woman in a dark pink dress was standing in a puddle of shattered glass and the remains of a pickle jar. 

Cowering before her was a monster you didn’t recognize; it looked like a cross between a cat and a dog and had a full head of black hair, and was wearing a blue shirt. It was walking along on all fours like the aforementioned critters, but right now it was shivering in response to the human’s shouting. 

There are defining moments in everyone’s lives. And Toriel’s words from her emails reverberate in your mind; how you would face challenges, especially from your own kind. 

“h..h…TEMMIE sori!!” it’s a quivering and fearful sound that tears itself from the poor thing. 

The human woman snarls, “It doesn’t matter if you’re sorry or not! You bumped into me and made me drop this jar, and I’m going to make YOU pay for your mistake! I wouldn’t have dropped it if it wasn’t for you! And now my SHOES…”

She screeches on and actually dares to take a threatening step towards the small monster, and they flinch away from her. There are monsters around you, and other humans, murmuring to each other. Many fellow monsters look like they want to step in, but you can’t blame them for being afraid. The humans look uncomfortable, but do nothing. Worse, you see some humans share similar looks of disdain towards the small monster.

You’re more disappointed in your fellow ‘humans’.

Welp. 

Narrowing your eyes, you leave your cart and march up behind the seething woman, “Hey, lay off ‘em, lady. They clearly didn’t mean it and you're scaring them half to death.” 

She startled at your approach, and she sneered at you in response, “Mind your business! This monster has been hyperactive all throughout this store, and no one is doing anything about it! I don’t know why they let these mangy-”

You take a carton of milk out of her own cart, and she gapes at you in shock as you drop it to the floor to join the mess of pickles and glass. Not your best idea on how to diffuse the situation, but she was really getting on your nerves.

Your steely gaze never leaves hers as she snaps her teeth together in a harsh ‘click’. 

There’s a fire burning in your veins. 

Maybe it’s from months of dealing with harassment in the workplace; of being rejected and out-casted by people you trusted. No. By humans, you remind yourself. 

Maybe it's because the small monster the lady is screeching it reminds you of a child, because really, it looked terrified.

Or maybe there's parts of you from your past teenage years that are rearing their loud, rebellious fists to the sky, urging you to stand up and fight back. Teenage Skylar had gotten into plenty of fights she had no business being in. 

Either way, it did the trick. Now all her anger is directed at you, instead of the monster behind her.

“YOU…You insolent bitch!” she spits at you, and you get right up in her personal space, causing her to stumble back on her heels. The loud woman is clearly not expecting you to be so direct with her.

“Oops! I thought this was my cart. SO SORRY about that. Didn’t mean to drop the milk either, just slipped. Crazy how that happens.” You continue to stare her down. Her hands are trembling mid air, as if she’s unsure what to do with them.

She looks like she wants to hit you.

You kinda wished she would. You feel your fists tighten at your sides.

She opens her mouth to spew more vitriol but you cut her off with an ugly smile, “How about we go and get an employee to help take care of the mess, and we go on our merry ways, huh? Unless you want to explain to them why you’re screaming at another paying customer.”

Sputtering, and clearly not knowing how to handle this situation any more, she snarls and storms off without another word. There’s a trail of milk and pickle juice left by the wheels of the cart as they haphazardly squeal away. You are aware that that could have backfired and actually gotten you in trouble, but as the kids say, hashtag worth it.

You huff, and turn to the small creature. You now notice that everyone in the aisle is staring at you with wide, disbelieving eyes. Monsters more so than humans. Some of the humans are whispering quietly to each other and speed off, not wanting to be near the scene anymore.

Ignoring them, you crouch down to the small ball of fur. They have black beady eyes, and a cat-like mouth. They really were an oddball of assorted features. 

“You okay?” you softly ask. The smell of the pickle juice is really starting to get to you, and you’re thankful that the milk carton didn’t actually break when it dropped. 

They stare at you with what you think is awe. 

“TEMMIE IS OK!! ThAnK u humAN!!!!” they are vibrating in their excitement. You think that suits them much better than the shivering from before. 

You smile gently down at them, “No problem, little dude. Sorry that she gave you such a hard time.” You stand back up, and you motion to the crowd, “Show’s over, let’s all move on, yeah?” 

It breaks the tension like you expect it to, and you’re approached by a couple of frog looking monsters that also thank you and help control…Temmie? And lead them off. Turns out they really did have some crazy manic energy. 

Not entirely sure where that came from, you feel yourself shrink inwardly at the attention of other monsters who quietly thank you, or give you some other compliment. 

Looking down at the mess you sigh, and you feel guilty for how you handled that situation. But you didn’t know how else it would have ended if you didn’t do something to cut off her angry tirade. Reaching into her cart, grabbing one of her items and deliberately dropping it? Not your smartest plan. You try very hard to bottle up the mix of negative emotions.

Whatever. Another human met your eye as they passed and nodded, so you count that as a win. 

Someone must have gotten the attention of an employee, because soon enough a washing machine looking monster comes around the corner with a little red apron and a badge on. If you squint you can see the name “Woshua” etched into it. 

You step away to give him space to work, and attempt to apologize, but the little guy has such an intense focus on cleaning the mess he doesn’t pay you any mind. 

“Wosh the floor, wosh the pickles…”

There’s even a little duck bobbing in the water of the ‘machine’ bubble on the monsters body. It’s cute in a very…strange, way.

“that was quite the dill-emma .”

Startled, you whip around to find Sans standing behind you. Where did he come from?!

Calming your racing heart, you give him a weak glare, “A little more warning next time, please.”

“heh. my bad.” 

He’s carrying a shopping basket filled with bottles of ketchup, and what was maybe a bottle of hot sauce.

“It’s fine. I’m still just a bit…amped up from that,” you wave at the area behind you where Woshua was finishing up cleaning, but the odd little monster ambles off again before you’re able to say anything to him. You make a mental note to tell the cashier you were going to pay for the pickles. Walking back over to your cart you suddenly feel self conscious. 

Sans follows you, “it really was a good thing you did. i relished the moment.”

Scoffing, you push your cart along to continue grabbing things from your list. You’re looking through cartons of eggs as you reply, “It was just ridiculous. I uh, honestly don’t know what came over me but, I dunno. Guess I’m getting pretty tired of bullying.”

It was the simplest way to say it, but Sans was smart. He could read that there was more you weren’t saying, and he had a hunch it was something to do with where you came from.

He can sense your unease, so the skeleton drops it for now. He hums, “was pretty ‘badass’ of you, is all.”

A weak chuckle escapes you, and you give him an embarrassed smile, “Thanks, I guess.”

Suddenly you have a shopping partner, because Sans decides to join you as you go down each aisle picking out odds and ends. You chat about how your move was, because the idea of sitting in a car for that long is baffling to him. You inform him just how terrible it is.

Sans seems better than yesterday, you thought. The dark ‘bags’ under his eyes aren’t as prominent, and he keeps pace with you easily. 

You’re glad that he was able to get some rest. 

Somehow you can't help but think that with the way he saunters and shuffles about, he has his own theme music playing in the background that only he can hear. 

Soon enough, the two of you are approaching the checkout lanes. He hasn’t added anything to his basket, and you quirk a smile at him as he puts it up on the conveyor belt. You don’t want this little moment between the two of you to end, and decide to put down a divider to unload your cart behind his basket rather than go into a different lane. 

Once again you notice something off. The cashier barely spared Sans a glance, even when the skeleton monster said hello. Sans didn’t seem bothered by it, but you couldn’t help being offended FOR him.

You told yourself you weren’t going to make a scene.

You could do this. 

The skeleton paid for his bounty of ketchup, told the guy he hoped his shift was going well, and again the man said nothing. You can’t stop the scowl that forms. 

The cashier begins to scan your item and greets you, asking you how your day was and did you find everything okay, your usual customer service commentary. 

Something in you snaps.

“Oh. So you can talk. You were just ignoring my friend.”

Your voice is clipped and a touch angry, and once again you caused another human to sputter today. The cashier is a man about your age, you think. Not that it should matter. 

He stalls, and looks abashed at your comment. He quickly glances at Sans who is sporting a couple sweat drops on the side of his skull, but his expression doesn’t change. 

The cashier ducks his head and continues to scan your items, desperately wanting to get you through the line. He doesn’t bother making small talk anymore. You’re thankful, because if he came at you with the same kind of bigotry as the woman before, you’re not sure what you would have done. 

You do have the sense to tell him you’re paying for a broken jar of pickles. He quickly looks up the item and adds it to your bill, and you pay for your groceries without sparing him another word. 

Sans follows you out of the store as you silently fume. You angrily push your cart up to your SUV and open the back hatch, and grumble as you start unloading your cart. 

His low voice is cool and calm, “hey buddy, it’s all right, you don’t have to-”

“No!” you bark out and finish loading the trunk, and push the button to have it automatically close the hatch door, “no, Sans, it’s not ‘all right’. It was so disrespectful, I couldn’t just stand there and let him get away with acting like you didn’t exist!”

He lets you get it out of your system, and the skeleton shrugs in response before replying, “hate to say it buddy, but that’s what it’s been like. and this ain’t even the worst of it.”

It’s a dose of reality that you weren’t fully prepared for. You knew monsters were facing a difficult time in the overall grand scheme of things, because racism was still very much a concern amongst your own ‘species’.  And you weren’t blind to the reports of violence and riots that had happened last year over their merging into Ebott. 

Just to see it so casually, and so plainly… it really sparked something in you. 

An anger you weren’t sure what to do with. 

Sans senses your internal struggle, and he warily takes a step towards you. 

“hey. how does a whale like it’s burger?”

You had just pushed the cart into the little stall by where you parked, and blankly stared at the skeleton. The anger that was curdling in you shifted to confusion.

Because, what?

“...on the krill.”

He has the audacity to give you finger guns. 

“That was awful, ” you huff out a laugh, and he snickers in kind. 

“eh, it did what it was supposed ‘ta. ya wanna grab a bite?”

Chapter Text

Sans says that Grillby’s is the best place for burger and fries, buns down , so you take him up on his offer. 

He rides along with you back to your place so that you can put your groceries away, first. His feet dangled a little above the floor when he was fully strapped into the passenger side. You can’t help the laughter that escapes you. He takes it in stride. 

The trip is quiet in conversation, but you have your music playing and it helps to distract you from the events of the morning. 

You’re tapping your fingers on the steering wheel along with the song, and soon enough your head starts to nod with the beat. Metallica is always a classic choice, in your opinion. 

‘Enter Sandman’ has great riffs and is overall such a catchy song, and soon enough you are singing along with it. It brings you back to memories of high school. After you graduated and started going to music festivals with people you barely knew. It wasn’t the smartest thing you ever did, but created some of your favorite memories. Seeing Metallica live was one of the best shows you had ever seen. 

You forgot Sans was in the car with you. 

“Hush little baby, don’t say a word. And nevermind that noise you heard… It’s just the beast under your bed. In your closet, IN YOUR HEAD!”

You’re stopped at a stoplight and tap your hands along with the beat drop, when you catch Sans in the corner of your eye behind your sunglasses.

He looks very, very amused. 

You can feel your cheeks heat up and huff out a breath, “What? Never let off steam while singing a song?”

The skeleton chuckles and quirks a bone-brow, “nah. not really the singin’ type. you seem to really be into it, though.”

The light turns green and you bite your lower lip briefly in thought. A healthy dose of self-consciousness follows soon after. 

You feel a rush of satisfaction when you see Sans’ hand tap along to the guitar riff against his knee.

Or…his patella, you guess.

“I really like music. Get it from my dad. He played the fiddle a lot when I was a kid, well. When I was around him.”

“the fiddle?” his voice is curious, and he chooses to avoid the last part of your explanation. 

You’re pulling up to your apartment now, and ease into the back where there’s two parking stalls behind the building reserved just for you and Muffet. But since Muffet doesn’t have a car, the other space is simply an extra one. 

Parked, you unbuckle your seatbelt as you reply, “Yeah. Uh, basically it’s a violin. Do you know what that is?”

“think so. it’s one you hold under your chin and use the stick thing, right?” he adds a miming gesture of holding the instrument, but he looks unsure. 

It's pretty cute.

You smile at him as you both get out of the car. You walk to the trunk and you open it, continuing your conversation as you each grab some bags. With both of you helping, it will only take one trip. Sans makes sure to grab his bag of ketchup as well.

“Yeah! The difference between the violin and the fiddle is just basically how the instrument is played. I know that sounds really weird, but it’s the same instrument.” 

You’re walking up the steps and you fumble only briefly with your keys before getting the door open. You take the bags to the kitchen, dodging the mess of boxes as you go. Sans kicks the door gently closed behind you, and follows. 

True to himself, Gandalf comes out from the bedroom with groggy blinks. He ‘mrows’ at you, and you chuckle as he sits and watches you put the food away. Sans watches you as well, and shoves his hands back in the pockets of his hoodie. He takes to leaning casually against the wall.

“so what kinda music did your old man play to be callin’ a violin a fiddle?”

Gandalf makes the choice to wander over to Sans, since you’re not giving him attention. He rubs his forehead against Sans’ shins and sits down, staring up at the skeleton with pleading eyes. 

Sans gives the cat an odd look, and tentatively leans down to pet him. It's as if the skeleton isn't sure how to handle the needy feline.

“Folk music. And like, old timey songs or country type songs? When people think of violins, they typically think of symphonies and orchestras. Fancy type deals. My dad was not fancy. But,” you pause as you decide where to start keeping your pantry items. You pick a cupboard and start putting things away, “he liked to have fun. He and his buddies would get together on weekends at the local bar, or barn house and play stuff for people at parties. Sometimes it’d even just be in someone’s backyard for a barbeque.”

Sans nodded in thought, glancing at you briefly in puzzlement as Gandalf hops up on his back feet and stretches his front paws up along Sans body. He begins making grabby paws at Sans' general "tummy" area.

You grin reassuringly at him, and seeing his  uncomfortableness, take pity on the skeleton. You ‘shoo’ Gandalf away with a few waves of your hand and the cat wanders off to the living room, tail flicking each way in mild irritation.

“Sorry. He’s kind of a man whore, if I’m being honest."

Sans snorts, “couldn’t catch a break with any witches then?”

Smirking, you shake your head at him, “His manhood was taken from him long ago. There were never any ‘witches’ to be had."

“aw man. poor guy. you hate to see it,” he lets out a long, sad sigh, “a true cat-astrophe ."

After putting away the groceries, you put the collection of plastic bags under your sink. You use them to clean the litter box with, so it’s good to have a small stash. 

“All right, think we’re good. How far is this place?”

Sans leads the way to the door as you follow, “it’s only a few blocks away, probably a fifteen minute walk. you cool with that?”

“Ice cold,” you offer him a smirk, and he snickers. You were making a song reference and know that he probably doesn’t understand it, but the joke works nonetheless. Alright, alright, alright, alright…

“ha, nice one, buddy. who knew you could dish it with the best of ‘em?” he teases. You lock up and the two of you begin your trek to Grillby’s. 

Muffet is peering out the bakery’s window watching the two of you walk past together and titters. Thanks to the sun being so bright, you can’t see her because of the glare on the shop windows. She pulls out her phone and sends out a quick text, leaving you two none the wiser. 

In response to Sans claiming to be the ‘best of ‘em’ you scoff, “I hate to break it to you, bonehead, but your jokes are awful .”

The skeleton gasps and grabs at his chest in a dramatic fashion, “ouch. right in the chest cavity.”

You slide your sunglasses back over your eyes and shrug, “Someone had to tell you besides Papyrus.”

“heh heh heh. paps may put up a big huff, but i know he loves ‘em.” 

“Uh-huh,” you’re quite doubtful and feel the teasing lilt of your voice ring in the air between you. You think Papyrus loves his brother more than his jokes, but play along. 

When had you and Sans become so comfortable with each other you could snark back and forth?

As you’re mulling this over and trying not to get anxious over the fact that this …’lunch outing’ could fail terribly, Sans decides to fall back on your earlier conversation. 

He seems to be testing the waters of this new connection between the two of you as well.

“so. you not on good terms with your dad, then?”

It’s a simple enough question.

It’s not difficult to talk about. You just don’t, because what is there to say? 

“I wouldn’t say that. When I was around two years old, he had cheated on my mom and she found out about it. There was a big fight, naturally, and he just up and left us,” you kick at a stray pebble, “after they got divorced, I would go and visit him during the summer time since we didn’t have school. He moved back down south, where he was originally from.”

"cheated on," he mumbles the phrase, as if mulling it around his head, "what exactly does that mean?"

Left a bit bewildered, you mentally scratch your head… what was cheating ?

"Uhh, it's uh. When you're dating someone, or are with someone, it's like. Dating another person behind that original person's back?" Your voice raises in pitch, because honestly you never thought you'd have to explain that to someone. Sans eye sockets somehow widen almost comically. 

He's clearly miffed, "humans just… lie about relationships? they'd betray the person they love? isn't marriage… ain't that a forever thing?"

The skeleton is riled up. Like… really riled up. You feel guilty for having to even let this nugget of knowledge into his life, but. You can't help but ask, "I take it monsters don't have that in their uh… culture?"

Sans' eyes are back to normal size, but his brow is furrowed and his smile irritated, "no. there's a dating period for monsters, sure, but we are very much in tune with each other. we know early on if the match will work out or not. and if it don’t, then we break it off.”

It seemed like a rather vague explanation, as if he was leaving out some key details. Regardless you were still thrown for a loop. That was …wholesome and hard to believe. 

Must be nice, at any rate. 

"sorry. that rattled the 'ol bones more than i thought it would. carry on," he waves a hand dismissively, and you put your arms behind you to clasp your hands together. You felt fidgety. 

"'Kay," You smile weakly as you continue, “I loved getting to listen to him play the fiddle, and go to those little outings that he and his friends did. I wouldn’t call them a ‘band’ or anything, just some dudes making music for people to enjoy along with some beers. I would dance to every song.”

Sans says nothing until there’s a long enough pause, “when was the last time you saw him?”

“Hmm. I think right before I started Middle School. So, like, when I was 12?” you squint in thought, “my mom didn’t want to keep driving my brother and I to go visit, since my dad didn’t make the effort to come see us. I don’t blame her.”

“brother, eh?” he hums and tilts his head. His own grin widens with something you think is fondness. “brothers are the best.”

The more you’re around him, the more you think you’re getting the hang of differentiating his expressions. It was challenging, since the grin was always in place. But it was about noticing all the quirks and twitches of his face in general, as well as the sound of his voice. 

Like when he talks or thinks about Papyrus, his face is lax and calm, like he's at peace. Or after he thinks he's told some real 'ringer' of a joke, his smile stretches so big that his eyes get squished or crinkled. 

Or that night at Toriel's when you had said something to make his eye lights completely fade, even briefly, you knew something was very wrong.

Slowly but surely, you were understanding him more.

At his question your voice, however, takes a different tone entirely. 

“He’s a piece of shit. I’d rather not talk about him, if you don’t mind,” you mutter. 

Sans appears slightly taken aback at the disgust in your tone, and he nods slowly. 

Thankfully you two are reaching your destination, and you change the subject quickly, “Oh, this place! I saw it when I was driving to return the trailer. I was gonna come here for dinner.”

The smell of fried and greasy food made your stomach rumble in anticipation, but thankfully Sans didn’t comment on it. He chuckles to himself, instead.

“hope i’m not ruinin’ your plans, then,” he opens the door with a shove of his shoulder and catches it with his slippered foot to let you through. 

What a gentleman. 

Inside it’s warm and cozy, and fairly busy. It’s all wood paneling and wooden floorboards, with about six tables in the center and eight booths; four taking up the left wall and the other four taking up the right wall, respectively. And, of course, the bar in the far back. It's a fairly large dining area for a bar, and you’re impressed. The lighting is nice and low.

“grillby is an ‘ol buddy of mine from the underground. this place is basically identical to the one he owned down there, just bigger. he gets pretty sparking reviews,” Sans leads the way to the bar, and you take note of the monsters enjoying their food. What’s more, they all erupt into cheers and jovial greetings as Sans passes. 

He waves and quips with each in kind. It reminds you of yesterday and how he basically knew any monster that came to say hello while you all were unpacking the trailer. 

“Heeeey Sansy, been a while~!” a rabbit monster who has maybe had a few too many (wasn't it just barely past noon?) makes a point of getting the skeleton’s attention. Her voice has clear flirtation behind it, but Sans merely grins and jerks a thumb back at you. Oh, god. 

“been helpin’ my new buddy here move in. she’s gonna be teaching at the elementary school with tori. decided to show her the best place in town,” he gives you a wink, and you can only smile awkwardly at the group of monsters. 

You offer a small wave, and a dog looking monster wearing a ninja-like mask and a bright pink muscle shirt jolts upright. Before you’re able to offer a greeting, he yaps, “DID YOU SEE THAT? Something’s moving, a hand? A HUMAN hand?!”

There’s a hulking suit of armor beside them with a tiny, fluffy dog head poking out of the top. They ‘woof’ in affirmation, causing the dog from before to have a mini spazz attack, “here, here at GRILLBY’S WHEN did they get here? With Sans?!”

“Ah…hey. I’m Skylar.” you offer a strained smile, because you didn’t want to make them uncomfortable. 

But like, you’re standing a few feet from them. Can they not see you?

“it’s good, doggo. she’s the human tori talked about at the last town meetin’ or whatever, ‘member? or was it an email…” the skeleton mutters, and a pair of dogs in long black cloaks taking up the last corner of the table help calm ‘Doggo’ down with some pets. 

The female of the duo gives Sans a side eye, while leaning their head in your general direction to get some sniffs. That seems to trigger the other…dogs, at the table, and there’s various noses pointed in your direction.

This sniffing session seems to satisfy the canines, and they all turn back to their meals. However, the drunk rabbit seems to pout at you before addressing Sans. 

“Jeez Sansy, I thought you didn’t like humans? Why you takin’ one on a date?” it ends in a whine, and you feel yourself freeze. 

Was this a date? No, friends go out for lunch all the time. 

Sans waves them off and offers you a conspiring grin. There's a twinkle to his eye lights that promises nothing good.

Uh oh.

“oh y’know. decided to broaden my horizons . it’s a ri- sky move, but i like the different in- sky -ghts.” 

You turn briskly and make your way to the bar for a drink.

His belly laugh rumbles behind you as well as the canine’s yipping giggles. Hopping up on a bar stool, you grab a nearby menu and to your surprise it’s very simple. It lists a variety of burgers, and french fries. You can’t complain, because hey, it’s good bar food. 

As you’re waiting patiently you hear Sans hoist himself onto the bar stool to your left. He leans forward and props his head up with one hand as he rests an elbow on the counter. There's the familiar clacking sound of his bones meeting the hard surfaces, though it's muted by his clothing.

You don’t look at him as you scowl up at the bright neon sign above the counter. It says “Grillby’s” in a swirly, red glowing font.

“someone’s bein’ a bit stormy,” he teases as he gently pokes your shoulder, and you give him an unimpressed glare. 

“Sky puns, really? You had to go there?” you don’t want to say you were whining, but it might be close. 

“hey, i had to think hard on those. usually when i make sky puns, they go over people’s heads. ”

Ugh. 

You’re saved by a bright, glowing presence that quietly appears before the two of you. Blinking, your gaze widens as you stare in awe at the monster before you.

He’s a tall humanoid shaped monster literally made of fire , wearing a neat long sleeved suit with a back vest and bowtie. There’s even a pair of square glasses resting on…well, where you assume his nose must be. His bright orange and yellow flames spark and twist at Sans in greeting. 

“ayyye, grillbz. how’s things?” Sans’ eye lights glance up at the tall fire monster in a relaxed manner. Tiny sparks burst and sparkle from Grillby's head, and Sans nods with an easy smile. His eyes are now half-mast, but not in tiredness. He just seems…happy. 

He must really like this place.

“good t’hear. seems like business is lit.” he lazily waves a hand towards you, “this is skylar. she thinks my jokes are sans-sational .”

Your hazel eyes narrow down at the skeleton beside you, “Lies and slander.”

“or is it sans-der ?”

Grillby, this whole time, hasn’t actually said words to Sans or you, but you get the feeling that he’s been conversing with the skeleton. His fiery head shakes in response to Sans’ jokes, and he focuses more of his attention back towards you.

If you listen closely, you hear the sounds of a wood crackling fire. 

“...........what….would you like?”

Ooh. It was like warm embers on a cold summer night. Or kinda like, the rumblings of a furnace. That feeling of the first sip of hot chocolate on a cold, winter night. Overall, his voice was quiet, and you feel like he was using actual words for your sake. 

You offer him a grateful smile, “Whisky? On the rocks, please."

You hope you didn’t sound as desperate as you felt.

Another crackle, and he reaches for a glass and adds some ice. He gives you a generous pour from an amber bottle off the middle shelf, and you thank him by taking a long, appreciative sip.

It was nice and smokey, and you sigh in relief, “Thanks, Grillby.” The burn of it was refreshing.

Sans watched with interest, and gave a couple taps with his gloved fingers on the counter. He straightened in his seat and motioned to Grillby, “i think i’ll take one as well, but of the monster variety, grillbz.” 

Grillby stares at Sans for a long moment, a silent conversation happening between the two, but nods and gets out another glass and grabs a different bottle. 

You watch curiously as Grillby pours Sans’ drink, and while it looks similar in color to what you have, yours definitely didn’t have magic sparkles dancing in the glass. 

And once again, Sans tips it back against his unmoving grin and you can only stare in wonder as it just…goes through his teeth? 

He notices your staring, because of course he does, and his grin twitches upward mischievously. 

Embarrassed, you look away and focus on your drink. You take another swig and feel your fingers twitch. 

“can we get an order of burger and fries, grillbz? told my buddy your place was the go to for some tasty food,” Sans winks at the fire monster and Grillby nods back, and without a word he wanders back behind the bar to work on your order. 

The skeleton takes another drink; his eyes are closed, his posture is lax, and he appears to be simply enjoying his beverage. 

But it’s eating at you and you just have to ask.

“So does it just seep through your teeth, or something?”

One eyelid slowly lifts to give you a lazy, satisfied expression. He takes another deliberate, slow sip and the ice clinks against the glass.

“i dunno what you mean. i’m just drinkin’ my whiskey, same as you.”

“Come on, really? You ask me questions and I answer you honestly. That’s hardly fair.” 

“all’s fair in love and whiskey.”

“Sans.”

“yeah?”

“Don’t be lame.”

“heh. what if i’m flame?”

There’s an abrupt clatter that cuts you off of your retort. Grillby returned with your food, and set the plates down in front of the two of you with what you think is an unimpressed look at Sans. The skeleton chuckles and shrugs with a sigh, “i will, i will. no need to get all fired up, buddy.”

You realize he must be talking to Grillby, because the fire elemental monster blows more sparks at the skeleton before going to tend to other customers. 

Distracted by the food in front of you, you take a moment to admire it. Maybe part of your brain was thinking that a ‘monster burger’ would look different than what you were used to, but you were delighted that it was just what it looked like. A big patty on a toasted bun with all the dressings. The fries were golden and crispy and you could feel your mouth watering in anticipation. 

You pick up a fry and pop it into your mouth, and a pleased hum escapes you as you chew. 

Now that you’ve tried it a couple times, your body is picking up on the ‘differences’ between monster and human food. There was something under the layers of taste, like a bubbly sensation that lit up on your taste buds. When you swallowed, your entire body was overcome with the feeling as well.

Not to mention the food just tasted so, so good . 

You’re picking up your burger  when Sans clears his throat beside you.

Warily, you look his away, expecting to be teased or judged somehow, but he’s holding a fry in his hand. You can’t imagine how dirty his mittens must be. 

That thought is dead before you can waste too much time on it, because there’s a crack that literally sends pins and needles down your spine. It reminds you of the feeling of nails on chalkboard, or if you ever pull apart a cotton ball. Your eyes are far too distracted to process that feeling, because Sans’ mouth is opening.

You are flabbergasted, because he has never done it ONCE since you’ve known him. It’s nothing crazy, it’s just a skeleton’s mouth (aside from that, you guess) but it’s almost comical. Just like his eyes, his mouth has…a black emptiness that seems like it’s endless, but contained at the same time inside his skull. 

It’s alluring.

His canine’s are also more prominent than a humans. Not in comparison to a dog, or anything like that, but they are defined at the tips. You wonder how sharp they are. 

Ahhh, dangerous territory. 

The skeleton takes a bite of his own fry, makes a show of doing the chewing motions, before opening his mouth to take another bite. 

He’s staring at you expectantly. 

Your brain is busy connecting the dots. You’ve seen Papyrus talk, and eat, and laugh. His mouth moves , which is why you were so curious about Sans to begin with. Even if the two of them didn’t have organs, Papyrus at least went through the motions of operating like a walking, talking, living skeleton. But Sans, as a contradiction to all things, didn’t need to move his mouth to talk. 

Thinking that maybe they were different on some other fundamental level, you thought Sans couldn’t do all that. That his ‘magic’ explanation was just going to have to be enough. But the more you thought on it, you hadn’t actually ever seen him eat. Dinner at Toriel’s that night, he kinda just picked at the food and you were busy holding conversation. And you didn’t want to outright stare at the little bastard. 

“Papyrus was right, you’re fucking lazy!”

Chapter Text

Lunch lasts longer than it needs to, but you were completely unprepared for the corners it took.

And how you ended up feeling up a skeleton’s bones.

But you’ll get to that. 

The burgers and fries were delightful. And after Sans’ little display, your banter was easily picked back up. You tried describing to him the feeling of eating monster food. How it was delicious, of course, but your body was also buzzing with some kind of energy you couldn’t explain. You felt a little energized and refreshed, almost.  He had explained that the ‘magic’ in monster food had healing properties with it. Which, in theory, is the reason that humans can’t survive on it alone. Monster food can give you a ‘boost’, but it doesn't have long lasting effects.

Monsters were made of magic, humans were (mostly) made of water. 

Something had changed between the two of you, because suddenly he was much more forthcoming with answers to your questions. 

Maybe it was the alcohol.

The two of you had chatted enough at the bar, and seeing as how you were still both engaged in each other’s company, the short skeleton suggested moving to a nearby booth.

Apparently, he wanted to stretch out. 

“monsters are easily able to use magic because our entire existence is magic. think of it kinda like an interconnected, infinite looping channel. we are born from magic, eat and drink with magic, use magic for fights. hell,” he takes a long drink from his glass, you think it’s his fourth, and he continues, “the whole underground is practically magic. the mountain is made out of the earth and stone and yadda yadda, but after being sealed away, it was like the underground itself manifested and created itself based on the magic all the monsters used.”

This was all a bit…fantastical, but you took it at face value because what else could you do. The lighting in the bar was dim, but there was a light fixture hanging from the ceiling above the table of your booth like you’d see in any typical restaurant. 

The golden light casted shadows in the dips and grooves of his skull. 

And sometimes, if he leaned forward just enough, you were able to make out parts of his spine and collarbones.

You are on your second drink and relishing in the burning feeling of the alcohol. 

“That sounds…beautiful, in a way,” you murmured. Sans ‘tched’ hollowly. 

“sure.” 

There’s a strained silence. You rotate your glass anxiously in your hands. It’s a bit sweaty from the condensation.

“I’m sorry. That was shitty to say.”

“nah. it’s fine,” he leaned his weight on the arm he had holding him up on the table. His eyes are lidded as if he’s lost in some detached thought. 

You didn’t like that look.

So you lean forward and fold your hands under your chin, giving him a small smirk. Your own eyelids feel a touch heavy. 

“So. Papyrus is a chef. He’s also pretty much great at, well, everything,” as if sensing where the topic is going, Sans meets your gaze with a wry grin. 

“That begs the question…” you quirk a brow at him, “what does Sans do?”

“i nap, do the dishes sometimes when i’m feelin’ daring,” he’s back to leaning towards you again, and you can’t help the small thrill that gives you, “i’m even potty trained.”

You blink in shock before covering your mouth in a terrible bark of laughter. Snickering, he tips the rest of his glass back. 

Collecting yourself, you snark, “Do you even need to use the bathroom? You have no organs. I thought we covered this already.” 

“heh heh heh. nah, just wanted to hear you laugh,” he murmurs quietly, and it takes you off guard. If you look closer you can see the slight blue tint of his cheekbones. The lighting made it a little difficult to notice. 

He looks like he’s about ready to wave Grillby for another drink, and since it’s nearing three in the afternoon, you reach out and gently grab his hand to stop him.

“Probably should slow down, huh?” you give him a rueful smile. 

He stares at you for a long minute. Carefully, he looks down at your hand still holding his. 

It’s your left hand. 

You’re about to pull your hand away and apologize, because who are you to tell someone how much they can and can’t drink? He’s an adult, well…he may not act like one-wait, how old was he anyway-

He stops you by gently turning his own hand over and gripping yours back. He has that far-away look about him again, and you can’t help the nerves that rush through you. 

“i ain’t a fan of humans,” he says lowly, and there's a knot forming in your stomach. The mitten of his glove is soft, and you can’t help but be a little mad at the secrets it hides, "’sides you and the kid, and maybe some random folks here and there, it's been nothin' but disappointing."

You remembered what the drunk rabbit had rambled at the both of you when you first got here. She had said something about him not liking humans then, too, but you hadn’t paid it too much thought. 

But now sitting here, inches away from Sans, and him holding your hand, the words were sharp and cut you deeper than you thought. 

“some of you fell, over the years, into the underground. a few were kind, and genuinely good people. vast majority were, eh. less than pleasant.” 

His hand tightens and he brushes a thumb over your knuckles. 

You don't know what to say. So you don’t say anything. 

“and then we got to the surface, after frisk freed us. i was excited. shit, we all were. we saw the sunrise, together. for the first time. we saw stars, breathed in fresh air. the idea of all of it was crippling, in a way, because how were we supposed to be prepared for the world up here? we didn’t know if humans even remembered us. we suspected that they didn’t, based on the ones who were so surprised by us after they fell. but we hoped. ‘cause we were friends with humans, once upon a time.” 

His voice takes a turn, and it reminds you of crunching gravel. Sans’ deep baritone dips into a harsh edge, and once again, you see the eye lights in his skull shrink and flicker into the blackness of his sockets.

Your heart races, but for a different reason this time. 

“but who were we kiddin’, right? after all our struggle and hardship, you’d think there’d be a little compassion. not blind hate and repulsion. but, that’s exactly what it was. fear sparks and ignites like a wildfire in your kind, and then you don’t listen. most of you hide behind fake placidness and ignorance, choosing to turn away and act like we don’t exist until we actually become a problem. wanting to travel, wanting space to grow our families. to live. having to watch humans throw slurs, insults, even the bodily harm in the beginning when we came up here. the riots and outrage. all over people just wanting to have better lives.”

Your hand starts to tremble, just slightly, in his grip. His sockets have gone completely black, and you feel something in the air still and grow heavy on your shoulders. An invisible weight that prickles up your skin, and not in a good way. 

“it’s exhausting.”

And of course, even though you’re not the most ‘people’ person in the world, you care. It bleeds from your core; you suppose it comes from being emotionally neglected and abused as a child. At least, that's what your therapist had told you years ago. You had the strong urge to help and show kindness, when it wasn't shown to you. It was your way of coping with the hand that was dealt to you, growing up.

It wasn't a bad thing, necessarily, but you didn't know your threshold. It's how you kept getting hurt. Because you gave too much of yourself.

When you decided to become a teacher, you wanted to help children and others connect with people, because you knew what it was like to not have that safety and security. And sure, it’s slapped you in the face multiple times like life does, last year especially so.

You didn’t know if you could handle it, again. Being abandoned. 

But with moving here, you wanted to find yourself again. It was hard, because you were faced with such kind and caring people who wanted you to feel like you belonged when you so clearly didn’t. And after listening to Sans, you could feel nothing but stabbing guilt. You ached that you couldn’t do more to help, that the people you are slowly and carefully allowing into your life had been hurt so badly by your species. Your species, who never learns, and seems to thrive on constant pain over and over. History is proof enough, in that fact. 

And, blindly. You're doing it again. You're letting people in, when you said you wouldn't. Or at least, you were trying to be careful. 

You’d never admit it, but you were so lonely. 

“then there’s you,” he breathes. “and frisk. you’re both…”

His eye lights are back and they flicker up to meet your hazel ones. His face contorts, and suddenly he shifts in his seat and looks terribly awkward. There’s sweat drops beading on the side of his skull.

“heh. sorry. didn’t mean to dump that on you,” his shoulders sag, and the air feels normal, now. At least, not so dense and heavy with something you couldn’t name. His hand had somehow traveled further down your hand once again, to your wrist.

You had a suspicion that Sans and his…magic, had something to do with it. 

The last thing you want is for him to close off from you. From yesterday, and today, you’re gathering that you do really like the skeleton. You can’t understand on a personal level where he’s coming from, because you weren't a monster, and you didn't face those hardships. But you recognize the pain easily. 

And you’re going to ignore those pesky, fluttery feelings that you’d rather not name.

You shake your head, because you didn’t quite know what to say, and his gaze is fixated on your hand. You can feel his grip shift, like he wants to twist and roll it over. He wants to look at your wrist. 

Your scar.

Memories trigger for you and your entire body goes on the defensive. It was definitely the darkest period of your life, and you can’t help the negative response you usually have. It’s like a knee-jerk reaction, to protect yourself.

But. You pause. This whirlwind of emotions is making you more anxious than you need to be.

Because the rest of the bar has been nonexistent. It’s been you, and Sans, for the last couple of hours. And this moment seems important, in this secluded little bubble the two of you created.

You get the feeling that he’s bared more of his thoughts, more of himself , than he had planned to. It’s written over the rigid and nervous energy that’s clouding him.  Maybe he’s been bottling it up, and finally cracked enough to let go of some of the pressure. Or, once again, the alcohol could have made it easier to open up. 

He already knows the scar exists. You had shut him down so quickly and harshly, the last time when you were both out walking at Toriel’s. Granted, you barely knew him at the time, and who wants to talk about how they wanted to end it all, and had almost succeeded?

Licking your lips, you gently turn your left hand over in his grip without his prompting, exposing your wrist.

His eye lights brighten and snap to focus as he latches onto the chance to look down at your wrist. Sans carefully, mindful of your watchful eye, brings his other hand up to…poke at it, you’re not sure, but you let out a small cough to catch his attention.

The skeleton hesitates and looks back up at you cautiously; wordlessly, you muster up what courage you have and reach out with your right hand and, gently, grab the end of his mitten that’s not holding your arm. You tug it off, slowly, just a little.

The unspoken question is blaring in the silence. He furrows his brows at you, not in anger, but as if asking ‘are you sure?’. 

He doesn’t stop you as you slowly slide the mitten off his hand and reveal the bones underneath. 

Your breath catches in awe. 

The bones of his hand are an off-white color, much like his skull and the parts of his legs that you have been able to see. You had been doing your best throughout your time of knowing Papyrus and Sans to not just, fucking overanalyze their bones and structures though you had so desperately wanted to.

One, you didn’t want to be rude as all hell. And second, after the tattoo incident, it just felt…inappropriate, in a way. 

But this was different. 

You had taken your fair share of human biology and anatomy classes. Never in your life would have ever guessed that you’d be staring at a skeletal hand that wasn’t an x-ray or a page from a textbook.

That wasn’t fully accurate, though, because Sans wasn’t human . He was a monster. His bones were a touch thicker, but he had phalanges and metacarpals. They suddenly bent and wiggled at you, and you caught yourself holding back a chuckle at the playful motion as it broke you out of your concentration. His fingers bent and moved, much in the same way that yours do. You can see the cluster of all the small bones that make up the ‘palm’, and how they lead down to connect to his radius and ulna. 

There’s no cartilage. It’s all just held together, seamlessly. With “magic”, Sans's voice sings gleefully in your head.

Seeing that you had your fill, he continues his hand’s original path and returns his attention back to your wrist. You feel your nerves spike once more, and you ignore the tightness of your throat. 

“didn’t see this before,” he murmurs. Sans is referring to the small tattoo that’s covering your scar. 

That night you had both been walking in the dark. You had thought maybe with how bright his eye lights are, he would be able to have night vision or something. Guess not.

You had asked the tattoo artist for a specific word, and whatever they felt was appropriate over your scar. Tattoos on the wrist were quite painful, in general, because it was such a sensitive area. But adding that it was being done over a scar doubled it, at least for you. And difficult, at times, because scar tissue doesn’t always accept ink the best. 

It was one simple word, in a flowing other-wordly script that was intricate and delicate. It spanned across the width of your wrist, going over your scar. 

But the word isn’t in english, and Sans can’t help but give you a knowing, almost incredulous look.

“heh, you’re gonna have to help me out here. i ain’t fluent in elvish,” he teases gently. He must clearly recognize the script, because anyone who has read any Tolkein novel knows that he includes examples in his books. 

The man created his own language, God damn it, elvish was cool as fuck .

You let out a self-conscious giggle, suppressing a shiver at the feeling of his bare bones brushing over your skin. The bone is hard, but much to your surprise, he's warm .

And gentle, and smooth. And Sans. 

“It’s pronounced ‘maethril’. It means warrior,” you watch as he traces his index finger over the swirling text. Your whisper, “to remind me that I'm strong enough. To uh…keep fighting.”

His grin widens and he hums softly, “seems appropriate. you certainly were ready to go to battle earlier.”

You shrug a little, embarrassed.

Soon, his fingers trail up, just a little more, to graze along your forearm. He’s applying enough pressure to get a feel for what’s all underneath your skin, and his expression is calculating and thoughtful. It’s like he’s feeling out muscles, and tendons. Mentally cataloging the differences between the two of you.

As his phalanges get closer to the dip of your elbow, you twitch in his hold and shiver slightly. 

Sans quickly checks in with you to make sure he didn’t hurt you, and you shake your head with a blush, “N-no, just uh, little ticklish. Skin, uh, under the arm is more sensitive.”

“hmm, makes sense i ‘spose. less exposure to sun and the elements in general,” his voice rumbles in contemplation and you can’t help but snort. He gives you a curious glance and you finally feel more like yourself rather than a nervous school girl. 

You smirk at him, “Nothin’. Just admiring your nerdiness.”

He rolls his eye lights and lets his thumb run back down along your arm, to your wrist, “whatever, ms. sindarin.”

Everyone knows that nerds are hot. You keep that to yourself, though.

You’re not sure how he managed it but both of his mittens are off now, so you have two skeletal hands feeling up your arm and your mind is going just a teeny, tiny fuzzy. The blush is back and you can’t help how your heart starts to leap beneath your skin, with his thumbs trace along the scar, this time, instead of the scripture. 

He felt it. Damn it all.

This new discovery seems to grab his attention, and his teasing lilt pauses as he presses down, grazing along your blue veins that stand out under your pale skin, trying to find it. His index and middle fingers pause over the area just on the outside of your wrist, below your thumb, where you know he can feel your pulse. 

So much for not feeling like a school girl. 

“what…uh, what is that, exactly?” he asks curiously. He can feel the fluttering sensation under his bones where his hand has stopped, and he looks up at you only to widen his eyes at your flushed face. 

Shit, fuckin-balls.

“Uhh. Well, as you and Papyrus have teased about before, humans have organs. And all that, wonderful organic garbage. That’s uh, my pulse. My heartbeat,” you try to take slow breaths so you can calm your shit down.

He slowly drags his eyes away from your blushing face back to your wrist, and murmurs thoughtfully, “is it supposed to be beating that fast?” 

His voice is level, but you detect a hint of …something, under his tone. Dark, and inquisitive. 

You think you like it.

But now you’re back to being flustered, because you have to explain what it means to have a ‘racing’ pulse. 

Fuck. 

You quickly finish off the last of the drink you had been nursing earlier. 

“Well. Humans usually have a resting heartbeat, ‘cause our heart is pumping blood all the time throughout our bodies. I don’t exactly know what mine is, but last time I was at the doctor I was declared healthy and all that jazz.” you ramble, trying to internally think how to best describe this without looking like an idiot, “and during times of uh, elevated emotions, stress, or physical activity, the heart pumps faster to push more blood through the body…”

You hope that’s enough, because if he wants to get into the nitty gritty science side of things, you know a fair amount because yes, you’re a teacher, but you're no doctor. And right now you’re not in the best mindset to give a lesson on blood and human organs.

And more so, you are most definitely not trying to draw attention to the fact that he's … interesting, to you. Tripping your trigger, or whatever you want to call it.

Because, again, those feelings are being shoved into a box to be analyzed later. Or never. You’re not sure.

His eye lights haven’t moved from where he’s pressing his fingers against your pulse, and you’re shifting in your seat in wait for what else he might have to say. 

When his gaze meets yours, his eyes are half-lidded and his toothy grin is wider than you’d like. 

“so in your case, what’s got your heart so…’worked up’?”

You want to punch that smug grin off his dumb face.

Scowling, you finally take your arm back from him with a quick tug and he pouts with giddy laughter. He lets you go easily.

“aww, i’m sorry. bring it back!” he makes grabby hands at your wrist and you huff, protecting your arm by hugging it close to your chest, “i was only ribbin’ yah.”

“No thanks, I think we’ve had enough ‘science’ for the day,” you grumble. 

Sans still looks far too pleased with himself. His bones gently ‘click’ and ‘clack’ together as he folds his arms to lean forward over the table, “shame. here i was, ready and willing to let you fondle away.” 

He sighs, shrugging and pushes himself back against the bench cushion in an over dramatic fashion, “guess not.”

Your mouth drops open because …excuse you?

“you seemed so curious after all,” he raises a hand and wiggles his fingers at you, like he had before. The sound of the bones quietly scraping together tickles in your ears. 

Now, you don’t want to rise to the bait or his teasing, because you think you’ve indulged this skeleton enough for the day. But god, you’re curious.

And …fair is fair, right?

You lay out your right arm on the table, palm up, and make the ‘grabby hand’ motion back at him with a stern look. 

There’s a satisfied glint in those eye lights.

“jeez, you didn’t even ask nicely,” he complains, laying his left hand carefully in your grip; you’re very conscious of how you handle him because holy shit, his arm literally weighs nothing .

“Neither did you,” you bite back, ignoring his answering laughter.

It makes sense, seeing as he’s nothing but bones, yet it is still staggering how little weight there is to him.  It honestly feels like you’re handling glass with how cautious you’re being. 

You start with his hand. You’re slow and careful, and there’s a softness melting away your earlier scowl as you delicately trace his fingers. They move and bend easily, and are soft and rounded at the tips. For some reason you expected the texture to be a bit harsher, maybe rough like eggshells, but that’s not the case at all. 

He’s watching you casually, and trying not to feel awkward. He now understands why you might have felt as uncomfortable as you did, but meh. 

“How come you wear the mittens?” you ask, letting your fingers graze down along the bones that make up his knuckles. There’s little spaces between the bones of his hand that the tips of your fingers sometimes slip between, causing Sans to twitch. 

You smirk.

“me and paps lived in a place called snowdin, down in the underground. didn’t matter what season it was, there was always snow. just became a habit to help keep our bones out of the snow, didn’t want them getting frosty.” 

You turn his hand palm up, and look at the ‘small bones’ that make up his palm and wrist area. He doesn’t have nearly as many as a human does, frankly because you don’t think he necessarily needs them.

“Do you feel temperature changes? Like, do you get hot or cold?” you wonder, because the dude has been wearing a hoodie and it’s summer.

Sans chuckles, wiggling his brow bones at you, “the cold goes right through me .”

You give him a long stare. He waits. 

“I guess that makes sense,” you drawl, not giving in to his antics. It doesn’t deter him, though. Internally, you’re grateful that this…analyzing each other, or whatever it is, has been enough to drag him from that darker mood from earlier. 

You are ready to stop if he tells you, but you carefully push up the sleeve of his hoodie to see the rest of his forearm. He doesn’t say anything, and watches as your eyes widen. 

He can’t help but tap his other fingers idly on the table, “y'know…most humans, they uh, get pretty creeped out by the whole skeleton thing,” 

“Not surprised,” you offer absently. You're busily letting your fingers trace up along his ulna. Your other hand is cradling his radius as you hold his arm steady, “lots of people have this like…crippling fear of death. Of the unknown, of what happens after we die. Mortality is a very touchy subject, and seeing a skeleton walking around just slaps the reminder in everyone’s face.”

His idle tapping is persistent. Sans does his best to ignore how his bones are starting to feel…funny. 

You notice it easily, but don’t say anything. He clears his throat, “how come you aren’t weirded out by it?”

Slowly, your hazel eyes narrow up at him. You wait a beat, and smile crookedly, “Do you really have to ask?”

Your eyes briefly glance at your tattoo, back to Sans to establish your point, and you go back to reaching his elbow, where the sleeve of his hoodie is bundled up. Overall, like in his hand, his bones are much thicker than an average humans. But still so, so light. 

And warm . How is that possible?

Sans scoffs dubiously, “art and all that is one thing, but you can’t tell me that the first time you saw me or paps you weren’t scared. i could see it in-”

He stops himself, and you perk up. Ah yes. The boob-ogling incident. 

You stare at each other for quite some time. Sans lets you keep his arm in your gentle hold, and you decide to turn it over gently to trace along his radius, now. His bones in his arm, you’re noticing, have small, tiny divots or chips in them. You’ve been mentally keeping track and thought it best not to bring it up, at least right now. 

It reminded you somehow of like…defending himself? 

So instead, you shrug, and answer truthfully, “Sans, that day I met you was the first time I met any monsters in person. So yes, when I saw skeletons that looked like humans walking around and talking, it took me by surprise.” 

You reach his elbow again, and notice faintly that he’s been tapping his finger on the table for quite some time. You also see the very faint, blue tint to his skull, again. 

Sparing him, you grab his hoodie sleeve where you had pushed it up and gently pull it back down until it gets to his wrist. You give his hand one last, gentle squeeze before you pull away. 

You meet his eyes, “I don’t really like people in general, Sans. I wing it most of the time. But I got to know you. I took the time, even after our rocky beginning and misunderstandings. I chose to. That’s why I’m not ‘weirded out’ by you.”

He doesn’t put his mittens back on when you both decide it's time to head home. He walks you back to your apartment, tells some lame joke that you don’t remember, and you shoo him away with a shake of your head and a fond smile. Sans remembers his bag of ketchup, and then he’s on his way.

You realize, hours later, that he never told you what he did for work.

Chapter Text

The following day, you’re pretty pleased with how you’ve arranged your apartment. 

You had managed to unpack all the boxes, since you basically worked through most of the night. You got up your artwork, most of it being nerdy or atmospheric. 

You set up two Google home ‘mini’s, one in the living room/kitchen, and one in your bathroom. Along with that, you had a Google Nest that you got figured out in your bedroom. You liked it because it was like a little mini photo frame that filtered through, mainly, pictures of Gandalf. You set up your lamps that were all connected with your Google home set up, so you could vocally tell the AI on high to turn your lights on and off, too. 

Tony Stark goals. It’s legit.

In the bedroom you had fully set up your small, 42 inch tv on a foldable desk. Some nights you liked laying in bed and watching TV, okay? Lots of people do it! You had pushed your dresser and plastic storage shelving into your closet, since there was plenty of space. That way your room didn’t look so cluttered with furniture. You put away all your clothes, dividing them between ‘work’ and ‘casual’ and ‘going out/formal wear’.

Gandalf has the full layout of the land, and as you predicted, he loved the skylight. You often found him lounging on the floor underneath it, so he can bask in the sun to his heart's content. You still got plenty of sun from the patio door and windows, but there was no beating this spot. It lit up the center of the floor and provided ample natural light for the space.

You’d like to consider yourself a creature of darkness, so you aren’t especially fond of all the bright light, but rationally you knew how beneficial it was to your mental health.

The bathroom had been easy to finish setting up. The speaker, your toothbrush holder, soap, etc. Your makeup bag and other goodies were kept under the sink on one side, and you kept the cleaning supplies and toilet paper on the other.

The living room was already mostly set up, thanks to Papyrus. You didn’t feel a need to move anything drastically, just finish unpacking your movies, books, and other various items. Your 65 inch tv sat nicely on your entertainment center, decorated by your little collectables. 

You really liked Pokemon, you’re not ashamed to admit it.

It’s been rather quiet today, and you are relieved. It’s the first day that you’ve been able to just be ‘at home’ in a long while. And feel some sense of calm, and security. Last night, when you had eventually exhausted yourself, you had gone to sleep thankfully dream-free for the first time in ages.

It left you feeling strangely optimistic. 

You had still woken up to another weird text message, but had just ended up deleting it. They’ll give up eventually. 

Lounging on the couch, you are dozing in and out while watching some horror movie. They were your favorite genre, but this one you’d seen many times, so you didn’t feel compelled to give your full attention. 

A part of you was slightly worried living over a business. What if you were too loud? You’d hate to be a bother to Muffet. You had texted her earlier to let you know if you had like, stomping feet or something else that would be annoying, but she hasn’t said a word. 

It was lovely. It was peaceful. 

And then your phone started ringing. 

Blearily you picked up your phone, and felt your gut drop at the Caller ID. You had forgotten to call her back yesterday. 

Sighing heavily, and bracing yourself for the onslaught, you answered the call and held the phone up to your ear. 

Closing your eyes, you rub your forehead distractedly “Hey-”

“Don’t ‘Hey’ me. Why didn’t you call me back yesterday? I left a voicemail. You couldn’t even bother to let your own mother know you were safe? Do you hate me that much?”

Biting your tongue, you decided to push yourself up to a sitting position for this conversation. Huffing, you try to respond but she keeps barreling on, not letting you get in a word. Her voice is heated, and it sounds like the conversation is going to go about as well as you expected.

“You send me a text, you don’t even CALL, that you’re moving out to where all those monsters are and you made me worried sick! What in God’s name are you doing out there?”

Your tone is flat, staring off at Gandalf as his ears perk up at your movement, “I told you in that text, don’t start with that. The monsters here have been pleasant and downright friendly. I’m going to be teaching at a school here. Y’know, doing my profession.”

“You’re a teacher for humans, Skylar. What the hell are you going to teach monsters?”

She sounds downright incredulous and has the gall to be angry. 

“Look. I don’t know why you do this, it’s exactly why I didn’t call. I’m an adult, I can make my own choices. So if you have nothing else to say-”

“You’re just making a mistake and acting all rebellious again. It’s going to end terribly. Do you know that they do blood sacrifices-?”

You bark out a bitter laugh, and roll your eyes. You have to stand now and start pacing, because you can feel the anger simmering under your skin, “Where the FUCK did you hear that?! Don’t bother calling me again. If you’re not going to be supportive, then keep your racist bigotry to yourself.”

Your mother starts screaming something at you on the other end, but you’re already ending the call and tossing your phone on the couch so you can storm off to the kitchen. 

Opening the fridge, you grab a bottle of water and close it a little too harshly. 

Because of course, your day had to have some kind of curve ball. 

Your mother was…a person. Like you had mentioned to Sans, she had gotten cheated on by your dad when you were very small. Hell, your dad had gone so far as to freeze their joint bank account and leave your mom in the middle of the night, with no word. So it was you, your brother, and your mom, left with nothing. 

You had decided to leave out that last detail. Was your dad kind of a shit person? Yes. You couldn’t imagine being in the position that your mom was in. Left alone, heartbroken, with two young kids. You had been two, your brother five. 

And needless to say, things weren’t the same. Pair that with your step-dad entering the picture, she became a very angry, hurt individual that never really healed. 

It’s not an excuse for how she treated you, but it put things in perspective when you felt like putting a hole in the wall. And you still struggled with forgiving her for staying with your step-dad for as long as she did. 

He wasn’t a good man, either.

Glancing at Gandalf, his sprawled out mess of fur is fully awake and watching you. Sighing, you glanced at the clock and saw that it was late in the afternoon. Still plenty of sunlight for a stroll. 

Walking over to the hooks you had installed last night, you grab Gandalf’s leash and harness. Without your prompting he prances over to you and begins meowing happy chirps. 

Chuckling, you lean down and get his harness situated. Were you using taking him for a walk as an excuse for a smoke?

Maybe.

You pull on your shoes and grab your keys and phone, begrudgingly. You make sure to clear off the two missed call notifications before shoving it in your pocket. Your mother hated not having the last word.

Making sure you have your smokes, you put them away and slide on your sunglasses. Gandalf is scampering around your feet, dragging his leash behind him as he goes. You're used to dodging and moving around him but give him a small glare regardless.

“One of these days you’re gonna trip me, and my luck, I’d break my neck. Then where would you be?”

He yowls impatiently. You sigh.

He loves to explore the outdoors, and actually listens fairly well. You grab the small bag of treats from the kitchen and pocket them, finally heading to the door. Grabbing his leash, you unlock the door and the two of you are off. 

It’s amusing watching all of his fluff bounce as he makes his way down the stairs. There’s plenty of folks out and about today, so you make sure to keep him close. Muffet is watering the flowers that decorate the outside of the bakery and she catches sight of you and Gandalf. 

She giggles at your furry companion. He hasn’t gotten to meet Muffet yet, and you had some worry over how he would react to monsters other than the ones he met…

…but it’s for nothing, because Gandalf walks up to give her curious sniffs. You weren’t lying when you had told Sans he was a man-whore. He arches his back as she leans down with one set of hands to gently pet him. 

“Off for a stroll, deary? It’s a lovely day for it,” she grins up at you, but tilts her head. You know your smile is less than genuine.

“Yeah, just letting off some steam. Thought it could be fun to see some more shops and anything else nearby. Do you know if there’s a park close?”

She titters to herself and thinks, before nodding and pointing in the opposite direction that you and Sans had gone yesterday. It’s farther away from the ‘busy’ part of downtown, more towards the mountain. 

“It’s a ways away, but there’s a small park about twenty minutes or so that way. I haven’t been there myself, but I know her Majesty has been there with Frisk numerous times,” you nod to her in thanks and she stops you before you can begin walking away. Her hand is gentle on your shoulder.

“Deary, you seem troubled. Did something happen?”

You appreciate her asking, and you shake your head, “It’ll be fine. Just got an annoying phone call from my mother, they generally don’t end well,” Gandalf starts tugging on his leash. He found some stray leaves that were scuttling in the wind along the sidewalk and was trying to chase them. 

“I better get going. Thanks for the info!” you wave as you pull out a small treat from your pocket. You make small ‘clicking’ sounds to get his attention, and his head perks around to stare widely up at you. Waving the treat by his nose, he takes it easily as you lead him a couple steps forward. Now that you’re finally moving, he follows along easily.

Muffet watches you go with a thoughtful hum. She finishes up watering her flowers when an idea strikes her. She goes back into the bakery with a ‘huhuhu~’ following her footsteps.

You're about ten minutes into your walk before you get out a cigarette.

Wanting to make sure Gandalf would behave, you had waited in case you needed both hands to pick him up at a moment's notice. You’re pleased as he is being a good floof, and walks just ahead of you at a steady pace. He may get distracted by a fellow pedestrian as they ‘aw’ or ‘coo’ over him, but he is trained well and continues on easily. 

You’re a bit shocked at the amount of monsters you pass and he just…doesn’t care. 

Humans could learn a thing or two from your cat. Thankfully, the monsters give genuine greetings and don’t linger too long. Gandalf may have tried jumping after a floating, bug looking monster, but you were able to get him moving away quickly to avoid that disaster.

The walk has led you to a less busy part of town. There’s a road you’re walking along beside, and to your left are random apartment buildings, homes,  or small shops. You can see that the shops are slowly petering out, and the homes more frequent. Nature is also becoming more abundant; there’s more trees and open space. Your eyes drift off to the distance, where Mt. Ebott looms. 

It’s only your second day, so you’re still getting a layout of the land. You feel something inside you curl in interest at the mountain, but ultimately shake it off.

So your cigarette is in one hand, Gandalf’s leash in the other, and you feel the stress of the argument with your mother slowly unwind from your body. Soon enough, your cigarette is finished, and you are mindful about putting the butt of it in a trashcan when you pass. 

It however leads you to thinking about other things. Like, short, punny skeletons. Who felt up your arm. 

Your cheeks warm up remembering yesterday. It was definitely…something. You’re still not sure what, because Sans was…Sans. He had told you outright that he didn’t care for humans, except for a few exceptions. One of them being you. You’re not the sharpest tool in the shed when it comes to picking up cues, at least from people trying to flirt with you, but there was something clearly there. Especially when he was stroking your wrist.

You weren’t crazy. You were watching him closely. It was like he was enraptured by your scar. He didn’t ask questions as to what happened, or why you did it. He was gentle, when looking over your arm. It felt…intimate. 

But after he dropped you off at your apartment, he simply said he hoped you slept well, and that he enjoyed lunch. No witty puns, no caressing of the appendages. It’s like he was putting back on his laid back, lazy exterior. You almost wanted to text him this morning, but decided not to. 

Ugh. Boys. Nevermind the fact that he’s a skeleton, so how would all of that even work? And would he even be interested in something more, ugh, romantic? You’re feeling like a teenager all over again.

But secretly, also, you were a little giddy. It’s been about two years now since your last relationship, and that one ended in a doozy. You can’t remember the last time you felt a pull towards someone, in that sense. 

And you’d be lying if you said you didn’t miss sex. 

You just don’t want to get your hopes up. So, feelings stuffed back into the box, they go. 

Across the street, you see a small building that’s named ‘Mountain Paws’. Curious, you quickly pull them up on your phone, and you feel excitement bubble at finding a local pet store. 

So at the next crossing, you pick up Gandalf in your arms as you wait for the lights to change. Once they do, you carry him across at a brisk pace. You smile at folks in their cars when they shout at you that your cat is cute. 

Your furry companion pushes against you to be let down, but you hold fast until you’re safely across. He gets so ruffled at being manhandled while on his leash. He’s a big boy, after all. He can walk!

“Lose the attitude mister, or we’re headin’ back home,” you scold, but he pays you no mind. He is already looking all around, trying to decide what he wants to get into, but you start walking towards the pet store. Gandalf pouts but follows. His curiosity gets the better of him once he realizes that you are both going inside a building, and he hurries in when you open the door. 

You had checked the windows and door to see if pets were allowed in the store, but couldn’t find anything saying yes or no. You aimed to ask an employee as soon as you saw one, so you kept Gandalf close to you. 

It was a reasonably sized store, nothing grand in size like most big name pet store chains. There was one check-out counter that was decked out in small treats and toys for both cats and dogs. It had that homey, personal feeling to it. The store was divided in half. On the left side there were two long aisles for dogs, and on the right, two similar aisles for cats. At the back of the store you could see crates, litter boxes, kennels, etc. But what caught your eye were an assortment of cat trees. 

“Hello, there! What a handsome kitty you are!”

Startled, you turned to the voice that approached you from behind some of the front displays. He was an elderly man with a kind smile, and was busily leaning down carefully to offer a hand for Gandalf to sniff. 

Pleased with any attention he gets, Gandalf gives a couple of sniffs before allowing the man to pet him. You step forward, “Hi there! I wanted to make sure it was okay if me and Gandalf could take a look around? I didn’t see a sign…”

The man slowly righted himself, and he offers you a wave towards the store as he straightens out his glasses with the other hand, “Please do! It’s so rare to see a cat on a leash, ha ha ha. How delightful.”

You smile fondly at Gandalf, who’s wandered by some nearby pet beds and is hopping in and out of some, as if testing them out. You smile gratefully at the man, “Thanks. We just moved here a couple days ago, and I’m looking to get him a new cat tree.”

“Ahh, I see! Well welcome to Mt. Ebott. The cat trees are all in the back, made by hand mind you, not those cheap looking ones you have to put together out of a box!” He motions you to follow him, and you tug Gandalf gently to get his attention. He throws a bit of a fit by choosing to sit down, so you huff and pick him up. 

“Stubborn, is he?” the man is clearly amused as Gandalf looks disgruntled at being held. You sigh as you catch up with him, and put Gandalf back on the ground. 

You grumble, “He’s great walking outside, but in stores he can become a bit of a brat. Only wants to get into things,” you give the cat a side eye, but he’s now fully enamored at the cat trees in front of him. 

They’re all decently sized, at about 70 inches in height, which is great because it’s what you had back at your old place. There’s a gray colored one that you like; it has several different tiers for a cat to lay on, as well as a tunnel shaped attachment that has a dangly toy in it. And of course, it’s covered in carpeted material, which is what Gandalf prefers. 

And it gets the feline seal of approval, because Gandalf’s pupils are blown wide as he climbs up to the very top with enthusiasm. You can’t help but laugh. You feel guilty though, because there’s no way for you to get it back home unless you go back to get your car. 

“How much longer are you open for?” you ask, glancing down at his name tag. It says his name is Tom.

“We close at five. I close up early on Saturdays, and we’re closed Sundays,” he says, giving you a pleasant smile, “thinking of grabbing this one?”

“How can I not? Feel like I’d break his little heart,” Gandalf peers over the edge at you both. He’s now laying in the top tier of the tree, looking very happy with himself. 

“Problem is I walked here,” you mumble and glance at your phone for the time. It still gives you enough time to go back and grab your vehicle, but you’d be pushing it, especially walking with Gandalf.

You could always come back on Monday…but, looking up at Gandalf, it’s clear that he’s missed having a perch. 

“Heya Tom, I know it’s like, about a half hour til you close, but I walked here…do you think maybe you could stick around for a little bit? It’s like, a fiteen-twentish minute walk back to my place.  I’ll even pay for it before I leave!” 

He hums thoughtfully as he rubs a hand along his balding head. Letting out a good natured chuckle, he glances at your feline, “It would be a shame to part him with it, wouldn’t it? Go ahead. We will get the bill settled when you come back.”

“Awesome, thank you so much!” you give him a bright smile, and he waves you off. Now the tricky part. 

“C’mon, Gandalf, we gotta go get the car!” you have to pry him off, causing him to dig his claws into your shoulder when you finally get him down. His tail thrashes as he tries to get out of your hold, but you wind up his leash and hold him close as you quickly make your way towards the exit.

“Be back in a few!” 

You make a dash once you leave the store, holding Gandalf gently but firmly to you. Rather than letting him walk, you’re just going to carry him. He’s going to hate it, but you’ll be moving a lot quicker. 

Finally the light changes, and you hurry across the street. Thankfully no one tries to talk to you this time and you make it across without distraction.

The entire way back, Gandalf is a mess. He’s turning every which way in your arms to try and get out, and you keep telling him to ‘Just settle down, we gotta get the car! Stop being a brat!’

You only get a few scratches out of it. And it’s not him trying to hurt you, he’s just doing his best to escape your arms. Little bastard. 

Since you’re carrying Gandalf, you’re able to get back quicker than you had expected. You don’t bother taking him up to the apartment. Instead the two of you make it back to your car, and suddenly he’s very excited and changes his tune, not trying to scramble away from you. You open the driver side door and he hops in easily.

You glare at him, “Jerk.”

Shooing him to the passenger side, he hops over and puts his front paws up on the dash, excitedly waiting for you to start driving. You’re mindful, and carefully make the journey back to the pet store. 

Thankfully, you make it with 10 minutes to spare before the store was supposed to close, so you don’t feel guilty. Parking on the side of the street, you’re right out front of the store, so you won’t have to carry the thing too far. You still need to put the back seats down first. One thing at a time. 

Gandalf in tow, you both walk back into the store. The little bell chimes over your heads and you call out, “Hey Tom, we’re back!” 

There’s no answer. And he’s not at the counter. 

You look back at the front windows to check; the ‘Open’ Sign is still on, so he’s gotta still be here somewhere…maybe he’s in the bathroom? 

Gandalf suddenly stills and his head pops up in alert. His ears are pricking forward, twitching this way and that, before he’s crouching low to the ground to start slowly stalking towards the back of the store. 

What in the world?

He’s pulling on the leash though, and your anxiety spikes because you were not prepared for any shenanigans. Gandalf is painstakingly making his pay back towards where the cat trees are, and the closer towards the back of the store you get, you can hear soft cries muffled behind a door. 

A type of cry you are very familiar with, but it has been a long time. Since you had Gandalf, really. 

Kittens.

There’s a door slightly ajar on the far wall labeled ‘Staff Only’, so you hold Gandalf’s leash close to you so you’re not intruding. The kittens cries are definitely coming from beyond that door. You hear shuffling around and so, you clear your throat, calling out again. 

“Uh, Tom? I’m back.”

“Oh good! Just one moment please.” he calls back, and you can hear the sound of a metal cage rattling.

Patiently, you and Gandalf stay by the cat trees that are nearby. Gandalf’s eyes are wide as he stays on alert. He has tried creeping closer to the door, but you are able to keep him back by putting him back in the tree he had claimed earlier. 

Tom comes out a few minutes later, laughing at the sight of Gandalf back in the cat tree. Your cat is more at ease, but his gaze has stayed fixed on that ‘Staff Only’ door. 

“Sorry about that. Was just feeding the little ones,” he closes the door behind him, and gives you a tired looking smile. You frown.

“Is everything okay?” you ask. 

“Oh, they’re fine. It’s just sad is all. A few weeks ago, when I was opening up the front of the shop, I found a box outside on the sidewalk. Someone had dumped them off, the poor things. One of them didn’t make it, sadly, as they were left out in some nasty weather,” he sighed, shaking his head as he came to stand beside you. 

You felt your heartstrings pull along with the burning rush of anger. Humans were so cruel, sometimes. 

“I took them in, and they’ve been doing well for the most part. A buddy of mine is a Vet, and was able to look ‘em over for me. They’re just old enough now that they could be adopted, so I’m taking them to his place tomorrow. They’ll foster ‘em at his office, make sure they get good homes.”

Tom makes his way towards the front to the counter, and you decide it’s safe enough to let Gandalf just hang out in the cat tree. 

You watch him carefully, as you’re able to see him from the check-out counter. Tom is typing up the order for the tree, and you slide him your credit card. 

Your fingers start tapping the counter in thought. The older man gives you a curious look, but understanding quickly dawns his face. He gives you a knowing smile, “Would you like to see them? They’re awfully cute. Just turned nine weeks old, so they’re small little fellas.”

“Yes please,” you gush out in excitement, and he laughs. He first stops at the front door to lock it and turn off the ‘Open’ sign, then leads you back. He eyes Gandalf carefully, “He gonna behave? Just don’t want any stress is all.”

Gandalf hasn’t been around kittens before, but he’s been around plenty of animals. In college you had roommates that also had cats, and he got along with them well enough, as well as dogs that were at your mother’s house when you had visited. It’d been some time, but you had faith in his gentle demeanor. 

“He’ll be okay. If not, I’ll grab him,” you tell Tom, and the old man nods and opens the door to the staff room. 

You can barely control your gasp and internal squealing. 

They’re so tiny and fluffy!

There’s three of them; two white and black ones, and one orange tabby. Tom has them in a large crate on the floor, much like a dog kennel. It gives them some room to hobble around safely on their still wobbly legs. 

Sensing that the door is back open, and that means a person, they all start scrambling towards the cage door and meowing incessantly. 

“My buddy says that he thinks that they’ll all be medium or long hair, judging by how fluffy they are. Won’t know til they’re a big bigger of course,” he chortles, standing idly by and watching you. 

You so badly want to hold one, and Tom must sense it before he adds, “you can go ahead and hold one if you like. They got their first round of shots last week, so they should be okay.”

Now being given the green light, you carefully open the door with one hand while your other hand barricades the little escape artists. You pluck out the orange tabby, because his eyes are so big and blue and curious, and you felt your heart melt instantly at the sight of him.

Oh. You might be in trouble. 

You hold him carefully, and he’s so rolly polly. He’s mewing and flailing his little paws, but settles when you hold him up against your chest. You cup his lower half with one hand as you pet him with the other, and his tiny talons prickle against your skin when he tries to hold himself up. 

And he starts purring. You feel yourself crumbling.

It’s not like you hadn’t thought of getting another cat, especially for Gandalf’s sake. You had always lived with someone else who had other animals, so he was never lonely. 

Until you moved. 

And here you were again, new town, new school. You would be starting work again in the upcoming week. It would obviously be the training you need to do, and prep for the new year, so you wouldn’t be terribly busy…you could do a kitten. 

“Looks like your boy is curious,” Tom murmurs, and you are jolted from your thoughts. Well. This would be the test, wouldn’t it?

Gandalf had slowly made his way into the room on silent feet, watching you handling the kitten in your hands. You smile and call him over, “C’mere, Ganny. You wanna see him?”

Your cat comes over tentatively, with wide eyes and twitching  nose, which is a good sign. He’s showing an open inquisitiveness, which bodes well to his reception of the little one. You turn so that you’re facing Gandalf, and slowly lower the kitten to your lap. You shift so you’re sitting criss cross, rather than on your knees. 

Gadalf hears the little one make his grunts and meows. He sniffs cautiously, poking his nose into the kitten’s face. The kitten in turn leans up towards him, and his tiny mews turn pleading, you think. He’s still very much a baby, and seeing a bigger cat probably is triggering the instinct to seek out his mother. You’re keeping a close watch in case things turn south.

Gandalf chirps in response, because of course he does, the ham. The kitten tumbles out of your lap in his haste to try and get closer to Gandalf, and your boy simply stands there. He keeps sniffing, and the kitten tries to paw at him. His little tail is pointed up in the air, and Gandalf goes in for a couple of forehead kisses. 

“Well now, miss,” Tom speaks quietly, catching you off guard. You were so caught up in watching the two cats. You glance up at Tom and he’s smiling gently, “what are we thinking?”

“Uh…” you trail off, realizing that you hadn’t even asked him yet. Anxiety ripples through you as you hesitate, “I mean, is it… can I adopt this guy?”

Tom laughs heartily at that, “Of course. I already said I’d be takin’ them to the Vet tomorrow. I’m too old to be minding after kittens this young. And you’re so good with your boy there, I know you’ll take care of him.”

“Besides,” he continues, shaking his head, “the two seem to get along, what kind of man would I be to ruin that?”

You feel the weight lift from your shoulders, minor dread evaporating instantly, “Thank you. Sorry, I just didn’t want to assume, I was getting ahead of myself.”

Gandalf is now laying on the floor, his tail quietly twitching on the floor as he watches the kitten explore. You scoop up the little guy and hold him back up by your chest with one hand, and get ahold of Gandalf’s leash with the other before you stand. 

This certainly hadn’t been on your agenda today, but you’re not mad at all. 

So, on top of the cat tree, you now make sure to grab a cat carrier and another set of food bowls. You also pick up some toys, in case Gandalf is stingy back at the apartment. And then of course, you get some kitten food, the same as he’s been eating while he is here. Tom has them adjusted to solid food already, and says that he shouldn’t have any trouble. The fun part will be keeping Gandalf out of the kitten food. You sigh at the thought.

By now you have gotten the little guy set in the cat carrier, and Tom has given you a card that has his friend’s info on it so you can make an appointment. You had needed to find a new vet anyway for Gandalf, so it was a benefit in more ways than one. 

You ask Tom to mind the felines as you get the seats put down in the SUV. It’d be a tight squeeze, but it’ll fit with some rearranging. You might even have to push your front seat forward. It’s not that it’s super heavy, it’s just that it’s big and awkward to carry by yourself. 

You manage to get the cat tree outside and next to your car. Admittedly, that took more effort than you wer prepared for. Gah. So out of shape.

You’re just about ready to try loading it in when a voice calls to you, “Hey there, do you need a hand? Or some muscle? ;)”

Blinking rapidly, you turn and are greeted with a monster that had muscles for days. But, he was a horse…mermaid? His hair certainly made you jealous.

“Name’s Aaron. Saw you strugglin’ carrying this ‘ol thing. I gotchu ;)” Not waiting for an answer, the monster easily lifts the cat tree up over his head. You can only gape. 

You quickly step in, because the last thing you need is your car to get damaged, but the monster listens as you give him guidance on how you want it loaded in the SUV. Between the two of you, it only takes a matter of minutes. 

Hesitantly, you walk up to him, “Thanks…you were a big help.”

“No problem. ;) I heard about what you did for my pal Temmie at the store. Consider this a thank you. ;)” and with that, he bids you a goodbye, flexing and swishing his tail as he goes. 

You have to admit you’re more than a little astonished. 

With that settled, you shake it off and make your way back into the store. Tom is petting Gandalf, who’s sniffing around the kitten’s cat carrier. 

The old man straightens up and grins, “Well, you all best be off now, and get that little one settled in. Have you thought of a name?”

Your eyes sparkle as you take Gandalf’s leash from Tom, and you carefully pick up the cat carrier with your newest family member. 

“Sure have,” you say easily, pushing the door open with your shoulder, “little Bilbo is going on an adventure!”

Chapter Text

Getting home was the easy part. You low-key are dreading hauling the cat tree up all those stairs…

First things first. You park, go over to the passenger side and grab Gandalf’s leash and let him hop out. You then carefully grab the cat carrier where little Bilbo is making quite a fuss. You talk to him on your way to the steps, making sure Gandalf follows you as well. 

“Don’t worry Master Hobbit, we’re almost there,” you chuckle to yourself. Gandalf hops up the steps to your apartment, his fluff bouncing along with each step. 

You have to put the cat carrier down to unlock your door. Once the that’s done, you let Gandalf in first, and he pouts at the threshold. You sigh and nudge him with your foot. Reluctantly he goes in, and Bilbo has gone quiet in the carrier. His big blue eyes are curiously looking around from his prison. 

But you’re caught off guard. When you walk in, you notice a big basket on your dining table full of various baked goods. They smell amazing, and you curiously walk up with wide eyes. You easily recognize the Spider Donuts nestled in the center between some scones and muffins. 

There’s a small note in the basket. You carefully put down the cat carrier and pluck the note from the basket:

I realized I hadn’t gotten you a proper ‘Housewarming Gift’, so I hope you enjoy a bundle of tasty goodies my spiders and I baked, just for you! 

Enjoy, deary. 

xOxO, Muffet 

Minus the entering your apartment without asking, you can’t help the smile that splits your face at the kind gesture. You hadn’t had people in your life in a long time that just genuinely…cared. That showed kindness like it was as easy as breathing. 

Well. Now you didn’t know what to do with yourself. 

Bilbo started mewing loudly from his carrier, causing you to jump. Chuckling you set the carrier down, making sure to give yourself enough space for carrying up all the things in your car. You went ahead and picked up Gandalf and put him in your bedroom, much to his dismay. That way the door could be wedged open without worrying of an escapee. 

Quickly you make your way back down the stairs, deciding to grab all the little things first. You bring the bags up to your apartment with little pep in your step. 

Muffet had heard you arrive back home, with the commotion of you running up and down the steps. She was just finishing cleaning up the bakery before locking up for the night. Carefully the spider monster finished her chores, tucked in any spiders who chose to sleep in the bakery, and made her way out of the building. Locking the door, she spots you barreling down the steps, and going towards the back of the building where your car must be. Tilting her head, she curiously follows. Hopefully nothing bad had happened on your walk…

With whisper quiet footsteps, Muffet made her way back towards the small parking lot that was provided to this building. 

You’re in the process of lifting and pulling the cat tree out of the back of your SUV, muttering curses along the way. With how tall it was, it made carrying it a challenge. It would tip or shift this way or that, and your height wasn’t granting you any favors. Finally, you managed to get it out of car and settled on the pavement. Muffet at this point had walked up to watch the whole thing, giggling softly to herself. 

“Do you need a hand, deary?” the spider tittered, causing you to nearly jump out of your skin. 

“Jesus, fuck-” you gasp sharply, casting Muffet a weak glance, “you can’t be just popping up outta nowhere, give a lady some warning!” 

She bared her fangs in a teasing grin. You sigh, but then look at the cat tree, and glance back at Muffet. Since she offered, and all…

“Well, if you’re serious about helping, mind uh, giving me a hand or two to help me carry this up the stairs? I hadn’t exactly planned this well,” you scratch the side of your head in thought, and only slightly chagrined. 

The spider monsters’ eyes glitter mischievously, “You keep asking for so many favors, human, I’m going to start keeping track…~”

Muffet eyes the cat tree. Walking up to it, she runs her hand along the carpeted surface, all eyes intrigued. She tilts her head, causing her pigtails to bob playfully, “What’s it for? I don’t think I’ve seen human furniture quite like this.”

You chuckle and shake your head, “It’s not for me. It’s for Gandalf! And also, my new fur child.”

Her eyes all take a turn blinking at you, “‘New’ fur child?”

“Yeah! I stopped by a pet store while on my walk, and the owner there had a couple of kittens that had been abandoned. Gandalf needs a buddy, and well, I couldn’t exactly help myself…" Your smile is bright and infectious, and  Muffet smiles back at you.

“Well then, let’s get this up there, and maybe I can see what a kitten looks like~”

You thank her profusely, and quickly shut your trunk door and lock your car. Carefully, the two of you coordinate how you're going to get the cat tree up the stairs the easiest. Having an extra set of hands, or several in Muffet’s case, does wonders. 

You have a sneaking suspicion that if she wanted to, Muffet could have carried the cat tree up the stairs all by herself, but. Maybe she was humoring you. Besides, you wouldn’t dare have her do all the work. 

Once inside the apartment, the two of you take the cat tree into the living room. You can hear Gandalf wailing his distress from the bedroom, and Bilbo’s small cries from the carrier escalate once he knows there are people present.

You take over and easily maneuver the cat tree around the living room until you find the perfect spot. You settle for a space right by the window, so that they are able to look out at the outside world if they so choose. 

Muffet had gone back to shut your door, at your request, and approaches the cat carrier with an air of wonder. She had never heard sounds quite like it before. 

Encouraging her, you nod at the carrier, “You can open it if you like. He might not come out right away. He’s very small, only about nine weeks old, so just watch out for him. I’m gonna let out the old man.”

You wander down the hall to let out Gandalf from his prison (your bedroom), and Muffet crouches down slowly in front of the carrier. She stares at  the tiny, furry face staring up at her from behind the door. 

It doesn’t take her long to figure out the locking mechanism, and in no time Muffet has the door open. Bilbo, for all his fuss, doesn’t hop out right away. He pokes his head out to take in his surroundings, and timidly sets a paw out of the door. 

Gandalf makes his grand reappearance by joining Muffet’s side and casually watches Bilbo. He headbutts Muffet’s leg, causing her to laugh gently. She offers him some pets while watching the kitten make his way out of the carrier. 

“The size difference is quite staggering,” she notes. And it’s true. Gandalf is a big lad, not taking account of his fur. Bilbo looks so tiny compared to him. 

The two felines are sniffing and cautiously moving about each other. The older male follows Bilbo around, keeping a watchful eye as the little guy explores his new home. 

You chuckle, taking a seat on the floor in the living room. You watch the two of them to make sure no squabbles happen, because even though they’re getting along at this moment, moods can change. 

“Yeah. It’ll take a while, but Bilbo will catch up to him. I was told that he will probably be a long hair kitty too, like Gandalf, so that’ll be exciting,” you grin as you watch them. Gandalf alternates between sitting and watching, and then following, as Bilbo hobbles slowly around the room. You mentally cheer as the kitten discovers where the litter box is, and scrambles into it. 

“Oh!” you cry out, turning towards Muffet happily, “thank you so much for the basket of treats. I really appreciate it, that was hella kind of you.”

The spider monster inclines her head, looking amused at your enthusiasm, “You’re quite welcome. You are certainly the most…eccentric human I have met.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” you quip, and the two of you laugh. 

Eventually you offer Muffet to stay for dinner, and to your shock and delight, she accepts. The two of you make your way into the living room to sit on the couch. You scroll for food on your phone, and Muffet casually reminds you that she cannot eat normal human food. 

You’re a bit stumped. 

She chuckles and informs you that there are a small handful of monster restaurants that deliver, one of them thankfully a pizza place, because that sounds fantastic.

You order a Meat Lover's pizza to share, and so the two of you sit and chat and watch the kitten while you wait for the food to be delivered. 

You’re sitting on the floor, pulling a string along the floor much to Bilbo’s delight, when Muffet chimes in from her spot on the couch, “So, I saw  you and one of the skeleton brothers out and about yesterday…~”

At her teasing tone you quirk a brow. Bilbo has finally caught the string, and is wrestling with it under both you and Gandalf’s supervision. The big guy looks like he might step in. 

“Yeah, we went out to Grillby’s for lunch. It was nice,” you supply, not really sure what she’s getting at. 

Well that’s not entirely true. The glint in her eye and cunning smile is giving you some hints. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Sans willingly spend time with another human before, besides our dear Frisk,” she prattled on, all her eyes focused on you. 

You can’t fight the blush that creeps up your neck, and you can feel your spine stiffen. 

“Maybe he’s interested in making a new friend. I’ve been making friends with lots of monsters lately, if you hadn’t noticed,” you mutter, finally giving the spider monster your full attention. 

She hums distantly, “Something tells me Sans is a bit too, how should we say…slothful, in that regard,” she leans back against the couch cushions and Gandalf hops up next to her. She pets him casually, “I’m just saying it’s interesting, is all.”

Bilbo has somehow managed to scramble his way into your lap, batting a paw up at your long hair in excitement. You have to gently move him so that you don’t get any scratches on your face. You narrow your eyes at Muffet, “What’s ‘interesting’ about it?”

You didn’t like where this conversation was going. 

Playing coy, Muffet shrugs and titters, “Nothing deary, nevermind me.”

Feeling flustered, you go back to playing with Bilbo. He really does have the cutest little paws. Ugh, it makes you miss when Gandalf was a kitten. 

Although, he liked to climb curtains. So maybe you don’t miss it all that much.

Your phone vibrates in your pocket. Shuffling it out, you glance at the screen to find out who’s messaged you. You notice that your mom had tried calling you again, but with everything that happened you must’ve missed it. Not that you would have answered. 

The text was from Sans. 

Shifting awkwardly, you angle yourself so your phone isn’t visible to Muffet. The spider monster looks terribly amused. 

From: bonehead…6:35 PM: we were thinkin of having a movie nite tomorrow. wanna join us?

Tomorrow night would be Sunday night, and as of right now you had no plans…except one problem. 

You glance down at Bilbo, who’s all rolly polly and chasing his own tail. You couldn’t leave him by himself, unless he was locked up in your room so he couldn’t get into anything dangerous. 

Tapping open your Camera app, you manage to get a picture of the little guy without it being super blurry, and send a reply to Sans.

To: bonehead…6:39 PM:  So I had a very eventful day…

To: bonehead…6:42 PM: 

From: bonehead…6:44 PM: u gotta b kitten me

From: bonehead…6:45 PM: whats the name?

You can’t help but roll your eyes, and fire him a quick reply. Licking your bottom lip you flick a wary glance up at Muffet, who’s scratching Gandalf behind his ears. 

“Don’t mind me, deary. Take your time,” she giggles at your blush. 

Apologetically, you shuffle up onto your knees and lean back against the couch, “Sorry, Sans invited me to a movie night thing with him and Papyrus, and I’m assuming Frisk…”

“That sounds…lovely. What’s the problem?”

Your face must show your mild distress. 

“I can’t leave Bilbo by himself just yet. I know when I start going into work I can keep him cooped up in my room so he can’t get into too much trouble, but since I just got him I want to be able to watch him and help him settle in here,” you ramble, feeling your phone vibrate again, "but I don't want to not go, I want to hang out with them..."

Muffet rolls her eyes, “So invite them here.”

To: bonehead…6:47 PM: Guess. ;)

From: bonehead…6:48 PM: mr whiskers

To: bonehead…6:53 PM:  That was a shitty guess. I have a theme, my guy.

“Yeah…I could try that.” you trail off, worriedly. 

You haven’t ‘hosted’ any type of gathering at your home in years. Even before all the drama happened at your old place at work, you rarely had anyone over to yours. Since you lived by yourself and your apartment was, well, and apartment..., you had always been the one to go to other’s homes or restaurants, or, whatever the case had been.

The last time you let people into your space, it ended terribly. Young Skylar remembers it all too clearly. 

The spider monster watched your face, and decided to give you time to process whatever thoughts were rolling through your brain. Muffet said, “The worst he could say is no. You won’t know unless you ask.”

The sincerity in her voice surprised you, and you knew ultimately she was right. Sighing, you shove past memories and insecurities out of your mind. 

You had to remember, you were starting over. Starting fresh. 

Returning to your phone, you rapidly start typing before you lose your nerve. 

From: bonehead…6:54 PM:  every1’s a critic. they can’t all b purrific.

From: bonehead…6:55 PM:  gimli?

To: bonehead…7:03 PM: Close!! Think smaller. Red fur/hair is on the right track.

To: bonehead…7:04 PM: Also I was wondering…I can’t really let this little guy be alone yet, and want him to be able to get used to the apartment. Any chance we could do movie night here? Everyone’s welcome of course!

You hit ‘send’ and turn off your phone screen. Stretching out, you lay on your belly so you’re face to face to Bilbo, who’s been dozing after all the excitement has worn off. You gently pet his tummy while Muffet inquires, “I’m curious. You are affable towards the people you meet, but when you’re in closed doors you seem so…nervous. There’s literal lines of panic on your face, and I can smell your unease from here.”

“That’s anxiety in a nutshell,” you breathe, propping yourself up on a hand so you can look at Muffet, and continue petting Bilbo, “worrying about everything, especially things that haven’t happened yet.”

“What are you anxious about?” 

That's a loaded question. You furrow your brows in thought, and let out a quiet sigh. Not really sure where to begin, you start petting and poking at Bilbo’s toes. Cat beans are the cutest.

“I’m not trying to sound like a…I don’t know. Just,” you growl a little to yourself, feeling your brain prickle, “Growing up, I was shut down a lot by my mother. I never learned how to process emotions well, because much of my childhood, and then early adult years, turned into ‘survival’ mode. I used to have really, really bad anger issues,” you trail off, finally rolling to lay on your back and stare at the ceiling -no, wait- your skylight. The setting sun was starting to paint the sky pretty colors.

“I’ve been hurt, many times, by people I’m close to. It kept happening so much, I moved away from all I’d known, to a whole new state to teach! My mom, my family, friends, I left it all behind. Because it was shit, and I wanted better. So instead of continuing to wallow in my grief and anger, I tried to do something about it. And wouldn't you know it, shit happened, again. It’s like I never learned. The anger that I battled with turned into depression as I got older, and THAT festered to have a healthy dose of anxiety.”

You pause again, to gather yourself, and make a gesture of your brain exploding, complete with sound effects, “So I just…think about how things can go wrong, and work myself up about things, sometimes to the point of shutting down, or not bothering to try. Especially when it comes to...relationships. I’m working on it.”

The air is silent, but not oppressing, between you. Muffet seems to be in deep thought, and you’re feeling rather lame at the moment. You probably overshared, or something. Part of you wonders if she’ll just leave, but instead she speaks up. 

“I can’t relate, I'm afraid. But we monsters understand the ‘survival’ mode you are referring to. Desperate times can cause one to act rather…instinctually.” She leans forward in her seat, causing Gandalf to shift. Her head tilts slowly, calculatingly. 

“I can’t speak for all monsters, but rest assured. Any decent monsters are genuine, and true, to ourselves. We do not hide behind shadows and lies. Be honest with us, and it will be returned.”

Well that was rather cryptic…but you think you understand what comfort Muffet is trying to give. Your phone has buzzed a few times during your conversation, and you hesitantly look at it laying beside you. 

Muffet looks at your phone as well, then waves a hand curiously, “Well?”

“I knoooow,” you groan. Bracing yourself, you grab your phone to see Sans’ messages.

From: bonehead…7:09 PM: thats cool. could b a housewarming movie nite, or sumthin. it’d be me, paps, dyne and her girl 2. and the kid. that ok?

Relief washes over you like a much needed drink of water, and you sigh. Muffet chuckles from her perch on the couch and you narrow your eyes at her, “yeah, yeah. Were you paying attention at all to what I was saying?”

“Yes, deary. It sounds to me like your brain buzzes a lot more than it needs to. Let the wings of thought rest for now,” she grins cheekily, “besides, I’m starting to suspect that our funny little skeleton is rather…fond, as you are of him. No reason to get in a tizzy.”

Rolling your eyes, you ignore that last comment. Because the last thing you need to wonder is if it's true. Is he 'fond'?

Were you really considering the possibility?

Carefully, your eyes focus back on your phone and you type out your reply.

To: bonehead…7:18 PM: Of course! I wouldn’t want anyone left out. Thanks for being accommodating for my kitty…whose name you still haven’t guessed correctly. 

From: bonehead…7:20 PM: lol. uhhh gimli’s dad? and if we r still doin lotr, what time shud we b there?

You tilt your head in thought as the doorbell rings. Muffet gets up to go answer it, and you can smell the pizza. Mouth watering, you quickly respond so you can go dive into the food.

To: bonehead…7:19 PM: Haha nooo, it’s Bilbo! And that’s a good question. Maybe around 4? The movie is roughly four hours…

Tossing the phone onto the couch, you give said kitten a couple of pets before you join Muffet in the kitchen. Muffet asks about your aforementioned ‘anger issues’ and you try to steer her off of it, but to no avail. So as you chomp away at pizza, you have the pleasure of retelling some of your ‘scraps’ you had gotten into when you lived back where you grew up. Muffet seemed oddly pleased by them.

And then you started talking about when it all went south, and how you coped (poorly), and how life turned it's path to teaching.

You ended up sharing way more of your past with her than you had planned. But, Muffet took it all in stride. If anything, it was like the two of you became closer friends. She didn't judge. She even told you that if you ever needed anything, she was always close by.

'Bestie' achievement in progress. 

A couple hours later, after dinner and Muffet heading back down to her home, you check your phone to see Sans reply.

From: bonehead…7:21 PM: sounds pawsitively delightful. 

Your smile comes to you easily, and you let out a long groan when you realize why you're smiling. 

What were you gonna do about this?

Chapter Text

The night went as well as it could with a new kitten. 

You slept in fits, often waking to the sounds of tiny paws scampering about. Gandalf remained at your side in bed, not willing to engage and interrupt precious bed time. It was sacred!

You had closed your bedroom door when you went to bed, so that the little rascal wasn’t running rampant all over your apartment. It was what you would be doing over the next few weeks, to make sure that he doesn’t get himself into trouble. Once he’s a bit older, it won’t be as worrisome. 

Morning came along quicker than you would have liked. But regardless, waking up to two furry babies snuggling up with you eased the grogginess. 

With guests coming in the early afternoon, you feel yourself grow tense. 

Opening the door lets your feline companions escape, with Gandalf leading the charge to the kitchen, and you sigh heavily. You have the distinct feeling that he is going to be teaching Bilbo some bad habits. 

Breakfast is easy enough to get sorted for the cats, and you stand by and watch them eat to make sure Gandalf doesn’t try snacking on some of Bilbo’s kitten food. Gandalf was pretty shifty when he wanted to be, and sure enough, you end up having to nudge him away from Bilbo’s bowl. 

The beast. 

It’s Sunday. It’s supposed to be rather hot out today, so you choose to close the windows and start the central air up. 

Deciding to cope with your nervous energy the same way you have been the past several months, you fetch your cigarettes and go to have a smoke on your patio. Last night you had double checked with Muffet if that was an ‘ok’ thing to do, and she had said as long as you aren’t leaving a mess that will affect the bakery’s appearance, she didn’t care.

Although, not without a small comment about how that was probably not the healthiest of habits, to which you grumbled. 

You know that you should quit, but it’s become so ingrained with how you have been coping with your anxiety. The mere thought of breaking the habit makes you jittery. 

So for now you ignore it and slide open the patio door, and lean against the railing to light one up. You remembered to grab your ashtray and bring it out with you as well. You suppose you can start by just…cutting back.

You don’t think you would handle going cold turkey very well. 

The patio is situated on the side of the building, so you’re not in ‘plain’ sight to those passing by. 

The sky is a pale blue where it’s poking out from between some dark gray looking clouds. The fresh air is gentle and humid against your skin, so you check your phone with your unoccupied hand as you work through your cigarette. 

Sure enough, your weather app says it’s going to rain later. You can’t help but grin, because rainy weather is perfect for Lord of the Rings, in your opinion. 

Your phone buzzes in your grip. 

From: Undyne…7:50 AM: YO DWEEB!!! Me and Alphys are gonna be bringing a lot of snacks for tonight. What do you like?!

How considerate. 

To: Undyne…7:52 AM: I’m good with popcorn! Thanks for asking. Awfully kind of you. :) 

From: Undyne…7:53 AM: I’M ONE OF THE NICEST PEOPLE YOU’LL EVER MEET so don’t you forget it!

Snickering to yourself, you finish up your smoke, and make sure to not leave a mess behind you before returning inside.

You go about doing the typical thing anyone does before they have company; you clean. Seeing as how you moved in only a couple days ago, there’s not much to fret over. You put away the clean dishes in the dishwasher, and load it with the beginnings of the next dirty load. You make sure the living room is presentable and clean up some of the random cat toys laying about.

Breakfast for yourself is a simple enough affair; you love peanut butter, so you make yourself some peanut butter toast. Bilbo is busy doing…kitten things, much to your amusement. He chases around the little springs that you bought, pouncing and skidding along the hardwood floors. 

Gandalf is high up in the cat tree watching the small one lazily. 

You took to playing with Bilbo once you had finished your breakfast. The little guy had boundless energy, when he wasn’t running into walls since he couldn't stop himself on the floor.

Once two o’clock rolled around, you decided to take a shower before everyone arrived. Your day was spent playing a farming sim game on your laptop, and trying to distract your brain from its ever nagging thoughts. 

Like…you had already had several pleasant interactions with all of them. They seemed to enjoy your company. No reason to second guess yourself. They were your friends.

They wouldn’t be coming over if they didn’t want to. 

Feeling like you’re setting yourself up for failure, you rub your eyes and get up to wander to the kitchen for a snack. Your shorts you’re wearing come to about mid-thigh, and worriedly you consider going to change but fuck it, you were decent! 

And didn’t have time to debate on it for long, as suddenly there were loud knocks at your door. 

Snack forgotten, you take a breath in and shake yourself of your nerves. You pad over to the door calmly despite the increased pounding at the door. It certainly had the cats scramble for the bedroom.

You had a feeling you knew who it was before you opened it. 

“JEEZ, TWERP! What took ya so long?!”

You were right. And if the thunderous knocks didn't do it, Undyne's loud entrance caused both your felines to head for cover. 

Poor things.

Undyne pushed past you, dragging along a shorter, yellow reptilian looking monster behind her into your home. You could make out some quiet, nervous stuttering, and furrowed your brow quizzically, closing the door behind them. Undyne was also carrying a couple of shopping bags filled with various snacks and goodies.

The lizard, dinosaur?... was about half of Undyne’s height, wearing an anime t-shirt and some casual sweatpants. There’s a pair of circular glasses resting on her nose, and she has a blush tainting her scales as she tries to speak.

“S-sorry, i–i-f we’re early!” she frets. Her hand is still in Undyne’s grasp, and it clicks.

This is Undyne’s girlfriend! 

And now that you’re done staring, you hastily chuckle and shake your head, “Nah, you’re good! I’ve just been bumming around,” you extend a hand to the nervous monster, “I’m Skylar, by the way.”

The shorter monster seems surprised, but grateful, that you’re taking the first step. She quickly takes your hand in her own with a gentle shake, and you note that her hand is a little clammy.

She must be more nervous than you.

“U-undyne has told me a lot about you! I’m A-alphys,” she stutters quietly, but happily. You offer her a small smile, and Undyne grins razor sharp as she bellows.

“AAAAAND, she’s going to be youuuur…~” Undyne has both her hands on Alphys’s shoulders now, looking over her head at you with palpable excitement. Alphys wrings her hands together in the sudden shift.

“Uhh, s-sweetie, I’m not s-sure if T-t-toriel wants to…”

“PFT! It’ll be fine babe, if not I’ll take the heat from Goat Mom. Sides, the human is gonna find out either way!” Undyne puffs out her chest with an eye roll, and Alphys sighs in defeat.

You’re a bit lost.

Alphys seems to be having an internal battle with herself. Finally she takes in a deep breath, and looks up at you with determination, and rushes out in a single breath, “i’malsogoingtobeyourcoteacherinthefall,”

You could have heard a pin drop at the lapse of silence that followed. 

Mostly because you are blinking rapidly to process what Alphys said, because she spoke so fast, but eventually the light bulb goes off in your brain with realization. 

“OH! Oh cool, that’s awesome!” you grin at her, and you can’t help but feel relief that fate has decided to bless you with someone so close to the circle of people you were starting to get to know. 

Alphys appears relieved at your enthusiasm, and is about to speak, when the bags slip out of Undyne’s hands and clatter to the floor. 

The both of you turn to the fish monster in surprise. Undyne is gaping at you, no…at your arm, and suddenly it clicks. 

You chuckle and bend to pick up the bag of snacks, “C’mon. Let’s take the bounty to the kitchen, the others should be on their way soon. I’ll tell you about all the tattoos.”

As you had promised Undyne before, and really it feels like ages ago, you show her all your ink. Your arms, your forearm, your wrist. With your shorts on, you can show her your LotR tattoo of the One Ring’s inscription that wraps around your thigh. The tall fish monster is thoroughly raptured at all the different designs and colors, and makes sure to ask which one hurt the worst. 

Alphys is looking about your living room, taking in some of the artwork you have framed and such. She also stumbles upon your cats, because they are nosey in general. 

The three of you end up chatting on the couch, and Undyne sends a text to Papyrus to see where they are. She relays that they just picked up Frisk and are on their way, so it wouldn’t be too much longer. 

As the weather app predicted, you can hear the faint sounds of raindrops pitter-patter on your skylight. Your living room is cast in an eerie, cloudy afternoon glow.

Undyne at some point had wandered off to give herself a tour of your apartment now that you were officially all unpacked. You shake your head with a wry smile, and Alphys squirms awkwardly. 

“I-I hope that h-h-having us over i-i-isn’t a, uh, bother. We know y-y-ou just moved i–in,” she squeezes out, and you hurry to assure her otherwise.

“No! I actually wanted to say thanks for agreeing to come over. Kinda feel like I’m stepping on a tradition, or something,” you say, and Bilbo takes that moment to pounce at your foot from behind the couch. The little guy can basically get into most any space, and likes to try and be sneaky. 

You grin and grab a small laser toy to help distract him. Alphys giggles, “It’s n-no problem! Besides, the m-m-more the m-merrier, r-right? I’ve heard s-s-o much about y-y-ou, and s-s-ince we’ll be, um, working together…”

Casting her an understanding smile, you nod, “It’s nice to meet this way, less formal and more casual.”

Alphys nods to agree, and then suddenly Undyne bursts into the living room carrying the last thing you expected. Gandalf is trailing behind her curiously. The older feline seems unfazed by her boisterous behavior, while little Bilbo scrambles and wiggles his way under the couch. 

You feel your cheeks burn incredulously, “Did you-, did you REALLY go through my closet?”

Her razor sharp fangs sparkle, “Secrets don’t make friends, NERD, YOU PLAY THE GUITAR!!”

Above her head she’s holding a banged up fabric guitar case like it’s the Holy Grail. You narrow your eyes at her, and she plops down on the floor. Gandalf sits beside Undyne as she unzips the case and reveals your acoustic guitar.

“S-s-sweetie, it’s still i-i-mpolite to g-go through people’s t-t-things…” Alphys trails off. Undyne sighs, looks up at you and takes in your unimpressed expression, and shrugs. 

“Sorry. Was only curious, and the fur ball was poking his nose around the closet, so I opened it.” To her credit, she takes out your guitar gently and holds it in her lap carefully. 

You roll your eyes, “Sounds like Gandalf. He just likes to get into all the clean sheets.”

Said cat doesn’t meet anyone’s gaze.

Alphys smiles as Undyne plucks a few notes. And then, as if stumbling upon a great idea, she gets up and shoves the instrument into your lap, “You should play us somethin’!”

You catch the guitar so it doesn’t fall to the floor and reprimand the fish woman, but she ignores you as she sits by Alphys and curls up next to her with a grin.

“C’mon, dweeb. It looks well used. I’m sure you know some songs,” she wheedles, and you sigh. 

Truthfully, it’s been a while since you played. You weren’t like, crazy amazing or anything, but knew a handful of songs through enough internet videos and practice. 

“Fine. One song. But just, don’t expect anything crazy. It’s been a few months since I’ve played.”

So your fingers find the strings; you tune the instrument until it sounds just about right. Alphys and Undyne watch you, one much more anticipatory than the other, and you wrack your brain for the right thing to play. 

And what else could you do, but play the first song you learned. The song your dad had taught you how to play, the first summer you had gone to visit him since the divorce, and he gave you this old thing. You must have been six years old.

You sigh, pushing memories aside, and start strumming and plucking along the strings. The song is ingrained and familiar, like a long lost friend. 

Your lips part, and your husky voice sings out along with the gentle notes of the guitar:

“ In my eyes, Indisposed, In disguises no one knows.  Hides the face, Lies the snake, And the sun in my disgrace…”

The two monsters sit and listen as you play, and sing, through the song. 

Eventually you get lost in it, because it’s one of your favorites and comes back to you naturally. 

Memories win out, and you picture a much younger you with stinging fingers, sitting beside your father on his back porch. The two of you painstakingly go through the notes together in the summer heat. Tall glasses of sweet tea sat between you. He would correct you as needed, making you run through the sections that gave you the most trouble, over and over, until by the end of the summer you knew the song by heart. He'd even get out his violin sometimes, and play along with you.

You didn’t notice the front door opening when you were about half-way through the song, as you were so focused and self-conscious about messing up. 

" Black hole sun, Won't you come, And wash away the rain? Black hole sun, Won't you come, Won't you come…"

You finish slowly, and carefully, letting out a long breath as the last notes trickle from your out-of-practice fingers. You think you only messed up a handful of times. There’s only a small beat of silence, then your eyes fly open at the sound of applause from more than two sets of hands.

Papyrus, Frisk and Sans had quietly wandered in at some point and you flush with embarrassment. Papyrus and Frisk bound up to the group on the couch, and the tall skeleton monster gushes, “THAT WAS SO LOVELY! YOU NEVER SAID YOU COULD PLAY AN INSTRUMENT LIKE UNDYNE!!”

Undyne grins from her corner and suddenly her intense interest makes sense, so you wonder aloud, “Huh, what do you play?”

“The piano!” the fish monster boasts, and you smile, “taught myself. We should totally find a time to jam out together, it would be AWESOME!!” She flexes her arm that’s wrapped around Alphys, causing the yellow monster to blush brightly. 

Okay. They were cute. Ugh. 

"YOU DEFINITELY SHOULD. UNDYNE ACTUALLY LEARNED HOW TO PLAY PROPERLY AND DOESN'T SOUND TERRIBLE ANYMORE. SHE COULD SURELY BENEFIT FROM YOUR TALENTS!!" Papyrus grins cheekily as Undyne launches a throw pillow at him. He dodged it easily, and it skids across the floor.

Frisk is signing at you, and you gather the gist of what they were saying. Suddenly you felt uncomfortable, because the last thing you wanted to talk about was you, or more so, your childhood. 

It wasn’t full of many good things, and you hated the pitying looks people gave you.

So you shrug a touch dismissively, “Eh, my dad taught me when I was younger. I don’t really play that often anymore.”

Frisk tilts their head curiously at you, but when you point behind them and Papyrus, it’s thankfully an easy distraction. Bilbo had crept up from behind the couch, and managed to sneak around the group to make his way to Gandalf. Poor thing was probably overwhelmed.

“Let’s not rush him, but you can see the new fur baby over there,” you murmur, causing everyone to turn towards the cats huddled around the cat tree. Gandalf is languid in his majesty. His long puffy tail is flicking against the floor where he lays, while Bilbo is poking his head up from behind him. 

You can feel the two of them vibrate with excitement. If you stare hard enough, you coulda sworn you saw actual sparkles around Papyrus's eye sockets. 

It does the trick, and you suggest that Papyrus and Frisk sit on the floor so as not to startle the poor guy. You give Papyrus the laser pointer, and after a careful few minutes of getting Gandalf to play, Bilbo can’t resist for long. Soon enough his tiny, orange body is racing across the floor to try and catch the light.

You lean your guitar up against the side of the couch so it’s out of the way. You’ll put it away in a bit, when the two aren’t playing with the cats.. Sans has chosen this as the perfect time to plop down on the couch as well.

Right next to you.

You’re startled, ‘cause it’s been about a day now since you’ve seen him last. At the bar. With the arm fondling. 

He’s dressed as always; blue hoodie, black gym shorts, pink slippers.

However, when he takes a hand out his pocket to give you a little nudge, there’s a distinct lack of mittens.

“was a good song. lookit you, so talented,” he teases. His eye lights are bright and focused, and you find yourself struggling to look away. 

This is the most …awake, you think, you’ve seen him.

Shaking yourself out of it, you shrug awkwardly, and turn to watch as Frisk has gotten little Bilbo to come close enough to sniff their hand. The child encourages Papyrus to stretch his hand out as well, and the kitten timidly pokes out their tongue to give his glove a lick. 

The two are giggling and you can’t help but chuckle, and Sans settles back into the couch cushions with a contented sigh. 

Now that the skeleton’s leaned back, you feel new eyes on you. Glancing over at the other side of the couch. Undyne and Alphys are watching you, and Sans. They look at each other, then look back at you, with a glint in their eyes that you DO NOT like.

You clear your throat, and get to your feet to wander over to your entertainment center to get the movie set up. You tread lightly as you hop around the cats, and say, “I’ll get this set up, and then feed the felines. This movie is quite long, just preparing you all, so…get cozy?”

“A BRILLIANT IDEA! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, SHALL SET UP OUR MOVIE STATIONS, FRISK!”

With that, he brings out a large backpack that he must have brought in with him and you just hadn’t seen. He pulls out blankets and snacks, and moves the coffee table off to the side after checking for permission that that was ok. He also carefully moves your guitar case with it, but honestly the thing was so beat up, he could have just chucked it across the room. 

You motion to Frisk, “If you like, you can get some extra blankets from my stash by the couch too. And you’re welcome to the pillows on my bed if you need some extra cushion.”

Frisk beams at you, and sets off to your bedroom. Putting in the first Blu-ray for part one of the Fellowship, you make your way to the kitchen to get the cats sorted. 

They bound after you once Gandalf realizes what’s happening, meowing impatiently. Bilbo thankfully hasn’t picked that up yet.

Undyne must have followed you, and the fish monster watches you idly get the food arranged for each cat. Bilbo has his special kitten food, and Gandalf has his own separate food designed for hairball care. 

You pointedly ignore her as you set both bowls on the ground and do your usual watch over them both. Your tactic doesn’t last long, because Undyne was quite like a bull in a china shop.

“So. You and the bones?” she jeers. 

“We’re friends, yes.”

“JUST friends?”

“Yup.”

She cackles and you groan, shaking your head as you scratch the back of your head tiredly, “We’re friends, Undyne. We managed to get over our rocky start and, well…yeah. That’s all.”

“I dunno, ‘ol skelly seemed mighty interested in your performance back there, makes me think-”

“Oof, thinking. Let’s not and say we did, hm?” at that, you skirt around her and she growls as you pass. Grumbling, Undyne folds her arms and follows you back to the living room. 

You can’t help the smile that forms at what’s become of your living room floor. Papyrus has blankets on top of blankets, along with your pillows from your bedroom, set up to be the coziest cuddle pile you’d ever seen. Frisk is almost lost in all the fluffy comfort, but they’re snuggled up by Papyrus as the large skeleton stretches out on the floor. 

Sans is where you left him, and Alphys has managed to gather the bags of snacks that she and Undyne had brought, passing a few around to everyone. They even brought some kind of soda, but it's definitely not one you're familiar with. 

Makes sense, being a monster beverage and all. 

It’s settling into your shaky brain. You’re about to have a movie night, with friends. You’re about to have a LORD OF THE RINGS movie night, with friends. 

That hasn’t happened in years . 

Movie nights, sure, you’ve had your fair share. Before things turned sour back in your old town you would meet up at the movie theater or go to someone’s house for movies and drinks, sometimes. You had plenty of times during your childhood, with having had sleepovers and all that jazz. Any chance you could get, you’d be out of your house and away from all the drama. Then there was your phase when you didn’t even know where home was anymore, and you were bouncing from couch to couch of various people, most you wouldn’t even call your friend.

That part of your history was a lot more fuzzy, and a lot less fun, so you didn’t care to think of it often.

So yeah. Movie nights. You’d had ‘em.

But never with Lord of the Rings. This was going to be amazing.

Well, you hoped. You know it’s a long movie. Hell, and it’s only one of three. And, as you demanded, the extended version. So that was…four hours?

Undyne brushes past you, this time, and snags an unclaimed blanket from your side stash beside the couch and gets her and Alphys all snuggled up and comfortable. You quickly grab the remotes needed, and settle back into your spot by Sans. He’s been watching the menu screen thoughtfully, taking in the music and ambience. Undyne locks eyes with you briefly and mouths ‘We’re talking later’.

Whatever.

Ugh, THE SHIRE. They’re about to experience the Shire for the first time. You’re kind of jealous.

“SANS SAID THAT THIS MOVIE WAS BASED ON SOME BOOKS? AND THERE ARE WIZARDS AND DWARVES AND ELVES, WHATEVER THAT MEANS?”

Oh, sweet summer child.

Grinning, you nod at Papyrus, “It’s the first movie of the trilogy. It’s pure fantasy, a whole world with different languages and races, all made up by one guy. It’s my favorite series.”

You cast a glance down at Frisk, “Now, there are a lot of action and fight scenes and some of it might be a bit scary. Let me know if it gets to be too much?”

The child waves off your concern and cuddles up by Papyrus. The tall skeleton assures the tiny human that yes, he will protect them, if the movie becomes too terrible. You cast a look at Sans, who shrugs with a wink.

“eh, they’ll be okay. take us to middle earth.”

“I’m going to do my very best to not quote everything.”

Fuck, you love this movie. You know that the third one is the most ‘epic’ of them all, but nothing can compare to the magic and wonder at the start of the journey, and the fellowship itself forming. The movie holds up so well, especially all their practical effects.

And much to your delight, it’s a good pick all around for the group.

You answer some questions as you go, because it’s a lot of information and names to take in, but overall everyone is mostly quiet at the grandeur that is Peter Jackson’s movie magic.

Everyone adores Gandalf, who ends up being Sans’ favorite character, but he’s got a soft spot for the hobbits. You suppose that makes sense, seeing as the skeleton enjoys the 'comforts of home' himself. Thankfully, he only had small gripes about the big differences between the book and the movie (“why did they leave out tom bombadil?? why are the elves so…grim, where’s the singing and jokes?  why is there so much arwen? isn’t pippin supposed to be a kid?”) 

You answer him as best you can while Undyne bellows at him to be quiet from her side of the couch.

Overall, he enjoys it quite a lot. Especially the scenery and music.

Papyrus adores Samwise, and then Aragorn, saying that they both have such noble and brave qualities to help keep everyone together! He especially admires how dutiful Samwise is to Frodo, especially at the end, when he swims out to join him in the boat. Papyrus shields his face with blankets whenever the scenes get too scary for him, and consequently shields Frisk’s view at the same time.

Frisk loves Merry and Pippin. You can hear them giggle at the hobbit’s antics. And to your surprise, they watch the movie in all its entirety, only shying away from a couple of scenes where the battles got a little “intense”, or forcibly when Papyrus hid them both under the covers.

Undyne crows over Gimli and Legolas, finding their skills amazing and their competitive banter a good laugh. She teased that it was like her and Papyrus, in a way, and you couldn’t help but agree with chuckles of your own. And you didn’t miss the sparkle in her eye when Arwen did the cool water-horse spell at the river scene with the Nazgul.

Alphys was enamored by the elves, and really loved the lore that the story built and was developing as the movie went on. She gushed about Aragorn and Arwen and how they were so beautiful and perfect together, and their story so tragic. She really loved listening to all the elvish dialogue and had asked you endless questions about it; you promised that you’d give her the hook-up, later.

And you. You’re so happy, so content. True to your word you did try not to quote the movie in all its entirety. You slip up every now and then, but manage to whisper the lines to yourself. Sans clearly hears you though, and you feel his shoulders shake in silent laughter. He gives you a lazy smile, and you poke your tongue out at him.

You cackle, like always, when Merry and Pippin slip in on Elrond’s meeting. Elrond’s face always makes you laugh. 

You hum along with the music, and somber at Gandalf’s fall. The room was deathly quiet at that point, Papyrus being the most upset. Both of your cats had ended up in the cozy pile on the floor with Frisk and the tall skeleton; Papyrus wailed and gave Gandalf many pets at his namesake’s sacrifice. 

You give Sans a knowing look, and he winks at you.

Then of course there's Galadriel, and Frisk's eyes widen at her scene with Frodo, when he tries to give her the ring. The powerful elf witch has beauty beyond compare, and you think Frisk has a little bit of a crush on her. Not that you blame them.

And, as always, you get water-y eyed at the end, when Boromir falls. 

You’ve read the book several times, and can’t even count how many times you have seen the movies. But it still gets you, every. Single. Time.

Throughout the movie, much to your unawares, you and Sans had somehow managed to turn in towards each other and tuck in close, where you’re sitting on the couch. It made it easier for you to whisper answers to his questions, and with the A/C blowing, and you still in your shorts, you find yourself getting chilly about halfway through.

The skeleton noticed, clearly, because he stealthily is somehow able to confiscate a blanket from the nest on the floor without Papyrus or Frisk knowing. He is about to throw the blanket over the both of you, but catches himself and gives you a hesitant look. 

You’d shared blankets with friends before, in a total casual manner. This is silly. 

Gesturing with grabby hands, he hands the blanket to you, ultimately leaving the decision up to you. Sparing no second thoughts, and before you chicken out, you quickly arrange half the blanket over yourself and then fan out the rest of it over the skeleton’s lap. 

You steadily ignored the growing blush on your cheeks. Undyne didn’t. Especially when you and Sans scooched just a smidge closer together.

Not quite touching, but close enough. A Proximity Snuggle.

After the credits start rolling, your group officially gets up and stretches while raving about their favorite parts. You can’t help but be pleased. 

“WELL NERD, I hope you know now the next two movie nights are gonna be Lord of the Rings themed. I hope you're HAPPY. I GOTTA KNOW WHAT HAPPENS!” Undyne shouts, and you nod easily. Alphys is almost jostled off the couch with Undyne’s enthusiasm, but the fish monster catches her happily in her arms. 

Frisk looks at Papyrus and Sans, signing quickly. Sans checks the time on his phone, and you’re able to sneak a peek, seeing that it’s almost 9:00 PM. Frisk has big, giant puppy eyes. 

“hold on a sec, kiddo. gotta check with your mom first, and you gotta ask our host, too.” 

Curiously, you look from Sans to Frisk. They scramble up to their feet, and sign slowly at you.

“Can we watch another movie?”

You’re shocked, only because you all just sat through a four hour one, but you supposed it wasn’t that late. 

“I mean, sure, if you want… as long as everyone else is cool with it too. I don’t want to hold any of you up.”

“I WOULD LOVE TO WATCH ANOTHER MOVIE! MAYBE ONE WITH SOME GOOD LAUGHS, SO WE CAN FEEL UPLIFTED FROM SEEING DEAR BOROMIR FALL AT THE HANDS OF THE URUK-HAI!!” Papyrus cries, and picks Frisk up in his arms, causing the child to giggle in delight.

“I-I-I c-c-could watch another, t-too. If that’s okay.” Alphys chimes in shyly, and you smile at her reassuringly. Undyne obviously is in for it too, if Alphys is staying. 

Finally, Sans’ phone buzzes with the final verdict, and he hums, “cleared with tori. prob only time for one more before we gotta get you back home, though, squirt.”

You sit in thought for a few moments. A couple of ideas pop into your mind, because really, the possibilities are almost endless. 

But ultimately, you can’t help one that keeps coming back to you, and you think the group will enjoy it. And, it’s a classic.

So you shuffle over to your movies and scroll through until you find the one you’re thinking of. 

Turning back to the group, you grin as you wave the movie case at them, “time for some culture, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle style.”

And yes, it’s the 90’s live action one.

Chapter Text

Sans was tired.

The past year had been far more than he, and all monsters, had bargained for. He wasn’t blind to the possibility of the struggle that could await them, but like with anything, he was willing to approach it with an open mind and a dash of hope, as Toriel liked to say.

When he, Paps, Frisk, Tori and the King, ‘Dyne, and Alphys, had all finally stepped through the barrier and onto the cliff, he could hardly believe that it was actually happening. That it was real . That they were actually out, and free. That this wasn’t some sick prank, that there wasn’t some foreboding presence ready to toggle with another hiccup in time and fuck it all up. 

The stars were countless in the sky. The sun rose. He felt the warmth on his bones, unlike anything he had ever experienced. It was raw and all encompassing, and made it easy to forget all the struggles and difficulties to come. It was a beacon of light that burned brighter than any lamp or candle, and was comforting and healing rather than sweltering and unbearable, like Hotland. 

It was addicting. The sun. And the stars, the clouds, and the wind. The sound of birds stirring, coming alive at the morning’s dawn. 

Sans didn’t hate the Underground. After all, it was his home for as long as he’d been alive. But now that he knows what he’s been missing, what Paps had been missing, there was no way that he was going to give it up. If he didn’t deserve it, his brother did, above all else.

It wasn’t bad, in the beginning. There was shock and fear from the humans, of course. He didn’t necessarily blame them. It had been decades since monsters have lived on the surface; they were long since a forgotten memory, myth into legend, or some other bullshit. Scary stories to tell in the dark. 

He’ll never forget the look on the face of the man they had stumbled upon in the forest, when they had begun making their journey down to the base of the mountain. 

The man had wet himself. Right there, on the spot, in absolute fear. Toriel had tried to calm and reassure him, as well as Frisk with their kind eyes and quick hands, but to no avail. The man bolted, screaming for his life, and that’s when the first change of perspective came. 

Because sure enough, what followed was to be expected, he supposed.

News reporters, police, the military, lines and lines of yellow tape. He, as well as any of the other monsters nearby, could have easily gotten through their silly attempts to keep them on the mountain. 

But Sans hadn’t done anything that day, because Toriel asked him not to. So he didn’t. He stayed back, kept Paps busy, while the royals got to work negotiating and communicating with the humans ‘in charge’ to bargain for their freedom. 

Ridiculous. 

It was a slow, arduous process that involved countless meetings and press conferences and interviews and speeches and, ugh. It was enough to make him almost debate just saying fuck it, and going back to the mountain, but no. He couldn’t leave Paps behind. 

And Paps wanted to live with the humans. He wanted to be with Frisk, and Undyne, and be free on the surface. 

So where Paps went, Sans went. As was the way of things, just like how they ended up on Snowdin. 

Eventually, monsters were given access to the base of the mountain and the city, and that turned into protests of various magnitudes. Not just around Ebott, but the country, which was highly influential to the overall success of monsters in general. It turns out, as Toriel had hoped, not all humans were terrible.

But the ‘good’ ones weren’t the loud ones. 

Protests had turned to riots, at some point, and he will never forget the day when he heard that a fire had broken out at one of the monster camps that was farther up the mountain, near the summit, where the Underground’s opening was. Apparently some humans had managed to sneak up the mountain using some unmarked trails, and had attacked a camp by setting nearly all their tents on fire. Screaming and shouting the whole time, causing those monsters there to hurry and scramble back to the safety of the Underground’s opening. 

The humans were all captured and arrested, but the damage had been done. It had sparked something in those that felt similar, but maybe didn’t have the push they needed to do something about all their hate and anger. 

And so countless other incidents happened, until finally there were casualties, and Sans could only sit and watch as dust billowed in the wind from atop the mountain.

King Asgore demanded some kind of cooperation from the human’s military, or monsters would be forced to defend themselves. The national guard was deployed and has been here since, keeping track of everyone who comes in and out of Ebott, especially near the mountain where monsters primarily reside. They even agreed to work alongside members of the former Royal Guard, with Undyne fiercely reminding them every day that they did not work FOR the humans, they were working for MONSTERS.

Despite all this, and the months to come, Papyrus was never deterred in his goals. He still wanted to find a house for him and Sans to live in, he wanted to buy a bright red convertible to drive around, he wanted to make friends and help everyone get along. Popularity wasn’t necessarily at the top of his list, like it had been back in the Underground, but he still had that lingering need to feel accepted and wanted by people. And no matter how much Sans tried to encourage him and reassure him that he WAS accepted and wanted, by the many friends he had, it was like a cloud of doubt hung over the head of the tall skeleton that refused to dissipate. 

So. Sans and Papyrus found a house, when they were allowed to about six months after they arrived on the surface. It was in a bit of rough shape, but with how much gold the two brothers had saved up between them, and the exchange rate being particularly in their favor, they had enough money to fix it up. Shocking no one, they created the inside to replicate their home back in Snowdin as much as possible, along with ‘quality of life’ upgrades.

And then Papyrus started to take culinary classes at the local community college, which honestly had frayed Sans’ nerves with worry about having his brother away all the time, and for so long. But Papyrus told him about how the university was a very welcoming place, and there were several other monsters going to school there as well. He wanted to heighten his cooking skills, and this seemed like the best option.

Turns out there was a process of how to translate monster degrees into human degrees, but they managed it all, somehow. Alphys was able to get several of her degrees she had earned Underground validated and accredited, though she chose not to go the University route of things. After Toriel had ‘let her go’ of her official position as the Royal Scientist, well…

The reptile monster had some SOUL searching to do. 

Sans didn’t bother getting any of his degrees validated. It didn’t matter.

Very few things were starting to matter. 

He kept up a good front with his brother, like always, but Sans rarely ventured from their new home if he could help it. In the beginning, sure, he would go and be supportive at all the presentations and press conferences that Toriel and Frisk were a part of. But it was so draining. And aggravating. Having to listen to all the questions, all the snide and hateful comments. What’s more, they couldn’t leave Ebott anyway, and Sans wanted to explore and see the world. 

It was like being in the Underground regardless. They were just trapped, in another way.

Reporters asking if they hunted humans for sport, back when monsters were living above ground with humans in the past. Were monsters planning on taking over the human race? Did monsters want to make their own jobs, or were they planning to take all of the humans? 

When faced with the truth and reality of what humans were like, were REALLY like, well. Sans lost a lot of compassion for them. 

Because they were greedy, and selfish. In his time up on the surface he had managed to find a library, and browse all the books in the science section to his SOUL’s content, and he was enraptured and thrilled at all the discoveries and inventions that had been made. Humans made it to the moon .

And then he had gotten to the history section. 

All it took was one history book, and he was done. He didn’t want to know more.

It only brought new anxiety and hopelessness to him, because it was clear that humans as a species, over and over, would hurt and destroy each other at such unbelievable levels. 

If life was so easily expendable, what was the point?

And that was just scratching the surface of the skeleton’s pesky, damning thoughts. Because he could see LVLs. 

Each and every one. On every human. 

Now, in the grand scheme of things, no. Not every human had accumulated XP, because that would be terrifying. No, what was most concerning, was the humans who DID have LVLs. 

Police Officers. Military folks. The country's leaders. Mainly people in charge of keeping the vast majority of the population safe, had LVLs. 

It made sense, he guessed. If they had to protect others and keep them safe, yeah. But after reading that history book, it put it all in a new light, and Sans was having a difficult time just…digesting, all of it. 

This just proved how much stronger human SOULs were than monsters. Because their intent to be cruel, or violent, could never be matched. 

It was too much, and too heavy. Why were they all trying so hard?

Days dragged. On, and on. Sans watched the news, and did his part as a supportive, older brother. Protests continued, both bad and good. He personally has never had a …physically bad interaction with a human, since Frisk in those …certain timelines. But even then. With his 1 HP, he felt on edge near constantly when out in public, because all it would take is one slip up. Just one moment, where he wasn’t paying attention. 

The months continued, and the nightmares would come and go, causing the skeleton monster to suffer from his usual lapses of insomnia and everything that followed. He tried his very best not to let it effect his home life, like it had in the past. The last thing he ever wanted to do was worry Papyrus.

But some mornings he would wake up, panicked, that there was another reset. And as hard as Sans tried, there were split seconds of staring at Frisk and fearing the worst.

He was just waiting for the other shoe to drop. And existing was exhausting.

And then he met you.

You were contradictory in all senses, because where you give off this sort of, almost cold exterior, you were uncannily kind in the ways that were genuine, and mattered. You showed that kindness after being a nervous wreck with a side of anger issues, but still. 

He’d been debating between a couple different colors on what your SOUL color could be.

You were certainly the most unique ‘teacher’ he had ever met. Certainly, you don’t come up as the first idea in his head when he’s meant to think of one. He thinks of his own teachers growing up, in the Underground. All smiles, happy dispositions. Sure, sometimes there were a handful who had been in the profession too long and didn’t have the same spark anymore, but that didn’t fit your description either. 

When Sans had first seen you, and knew he had to Judge you, he approached you as he had any other human. His usual, laid back and chill self. You hadn’t responded, at all, to his jokes or puns, but that in itself wasn’t super abnormal.

What was abnormal, is how you had reacted to his ‘Judging’.

Sans knew of course, that you had no idea what he was doing and yeah, on the surface, sure. He was looking at your boobs. Not his fault anatomy worked that way, and that your SOUL was centered in your chest, just like any other monster or human.

Tch. 

What he couldn’t tell you, or anyone for that matter, was that something wasn’t…normal, about your stats. He didn’t want to cause any trouble, or freak anyone out, because all data pointed to 0 XP and LVL 1. Nothing to worry about. You had a ‘clean record’, as far as violence goes.

The peculiar thing was that when he went to ‘Check’ your stats, the numbers…flickered. 

As if glitching on a screen.

They don’t do that normally. 

For Sans, and his skills, he doesn’t need to be in a battle or encounter to see these details. It’s like a little pop up menu on a video game that lets him see the information he’s looking for. 

So when the numbers flickered, he was confused. That hasn’t happened before. Ever, as far as he knows. It’s always been very straight forward, and little things like that don't happen without some kind of ulterior meaning.

So he checked again. And again, it flickered. But the display still said 0 XP and LVL 1. 

Having no other evidence, Sans puts it to the side briefly, and lets Toriel know that you ‘pass’. 

On the surface, anyway. He decides to keep tabs on you, because if you’re going to be working around monster children, as well as his brother, well.

He wasn’t going to take any chances. 

So he decides to go for a walk with you, the night after your interview. You did a terrible job hiding the fact that you didn’t want Sans to join you, and he knows he didn’t give you much of a choice, but eh. You were getting very close to his friends, his family. 

Toriel wasn’t lying when she said that monsters were a good ‘judge’ of character. Sans was just a bit better than his peers. 

It had gone well enough. He had used a couple of moments to ‘Check’ your stats again and sure enough, even under the starry sky, your numbers flickered in his face and he didn’t understand why.

He didn’t tell you that was his real motive for going out on that walk with you. Do some more ‘Checks’, see if it was just a mistake. The skeleton figured it wouldn’t go over very well, seeing as how you were so…bothered by it the first time. And he didn’t even want to start trying to explain his ‘skill’ to you, or touch the SOUL territory. 

But then you had a panic attack, and Sans couldn't help but see past his walls and suspicions, because at the root of it you were someone who clearly had been hurt and was struggling mentally in a way that he could connect with in some fraction. Especially after he felt the scar on your wrist.

It was like tilting a scale in his perception of you.

Sans had thought of just letting it all end, before. Especially on the days when the resets happened so close together, that it made it feel like he was going crazy. Snapping awake over, and over, and over, not clearly remembering all the details, but knowing enough that he was reliving the same week with such an intense case of deja vu that it was suffocating. It was bad enough being trapped under a mountain, with no escape or expectation of something better. And then a child, a human, comes waltzing through with the power to reset time? 

Frisk told him some things about what happened with their time Underground. The whole codeword scenario between them confirmed his theories about time traveling, and it was a lot to absorb that a human child had the power to manipulate his world on a whim. They dodged certain questions, and Sans wasn’t enough of a bastard to keep pestering them.

Sans would catch the kid out of the corner of his eye sometimes, though. Looking at him with a hidden layer of nervousness, or fear, maybe. It eluded that something had happened between them, and he could only guess why anyone would be afraid of him. 

They made it to the surface. That’s what mattered. Not knowing everything that Frisk went through wasn’t important.

Right?

Your scar was addicting. 

It plagued him enough that he knew, somehow, he had to touch it again. It was like getting a taste of what he had imagined, for himself. You had come close enough to try and do it. He had been there, but was too much of a coward to leave his brother. 

He’s gotten to know you more. You both had been texting each other while you were gone, and he helped you move in. You were sassy, and didn’t fall for his shenanigans easily, which he found enjoyable in its own way. It made it more of a challenge, figuring out how to ‘crack your code’. 

And then Grillby’s happened.

A lot happened that Sans hadn’t planned for. He hadn’t planned on opening up to you, that’s for sure. In part he blames it on quickly going through four glasses of monster liquor. Another part is that he doesn’t exactly have anyone to vent these thoughts to. 

The skeleton was worried, at first, that he’d ruined your budding friendship somehow. He had verbally trekked down a path that made him more…intense, he supposed. You didn’t know if he scared you, or disgusted you, or…whatever variation of the word for ‘fuck up’ fit the situation. 

But then you surprise him. You gave him your hand. 

And then you took off his mittens. 

And then he learned your secret name. Well, that's what he's referring it as. He doesn't think a lot of people know what your wrist tattoo means, or covers. 

His boney fingers trailed and skimmed along that precious mark. The raised flesh that held more questions than answers. This is the spot you cut, where you hurt yourself, where you attempted to hurt yourself for good . 

Sans wanted to know why. He wanted to know what drove you to it. 

But that wasn’t his place. 

And when the roles were flipped, and your soft, warm hands held his arm so gently and kindly, he was quickly realizing something. 

You were warm, and soft, and he liked the feel of your skin. You carelessly pressed your fingers into the spaces between his bones, and it was so fucking rude and intimate by skeleton standards but he KNOWS you meant nothing by it, because how could you?

He remembers how his spine shivered regardless. 

And now he’s sitting here, next to you on the couch, cuddled up under a blanket while watching a movie about mutated turtles that are somehow ninjas, of all things. 

Papyrus, Frisk and Undyne are having a blast. They think the turtles are hilarious, and definitely want to try martial arts for themselves. Mickey has managed some laughs from him. He can admit the humor was silly enough to be up his alley, on a good day. 

You admitted that you were more of a Raphael fan, and that didn’t surprise him one bit. 

During the Fellowship, the two of you would lean close so you could whisper back and forth since he was disturbing Undyne’s experience of the film. 

Your eyes would light up, and even in hushed tones your voice was passionate. You clearly loved these movies more than you let on, and he has to admit, it’s kind of adorable. 

The cool, “hard rocker” vibe was a cover up for all your nerdiness, and it was fascinating. 

Eh, maybe not a cover up. There was just more to you than he expected. 

Sans doesn’t know if you’ve noticed it, but you’re leaned up against his side now. You’re warm, and soft, and he’s trying very hard not to lean back. He doesn’t want to ruin the moment, because he’s not even sure if this is one? 

But he likes it.

He can feel your body shake when you laugh, and your hair is falling over his arm and shoulder since there’s just so much of it. 

It smells nice. You smell nice.

Is he being creepy? Probably.

This is a calm, happy space. He hasn’t felt like this in a long time. He’s surrounded by good friends, his only family, and you.

What are you ?

He can sense eyes watching him. He turns and sees Undyne staring at the two of you, but more so, she's giving Sans a slow smirk and a brow waggle. He rolls his eye lights and goes back to watching the TV. 

Gandalf suddenly appears from nowhere and hops into your lap. He's rather large for a cat, he thinks. The skeleton still doesn't fully trust him. But the effect he has on you is hilarious.  

Sans watches the way your whole posture melts and you scratch under his chin,accompanied by small cooing noises. The cat looks like he's in heaven, the way his face mushes together and his purrs somehow can be heard amongst the action on screen. He quirks a bone brow at you when you kiss Gandalf on the nose obnoxiously. 

He recognizes the jealousy coiling in his theoretical-veins, and over a fucking cat.

The fluffy bastard curls up against you, and you shift and move him so he's cradled in your arms, like a baby bones. It's something Sans has never witnessed before, and he can't help himself from laughing. 

Secretly, he's pleased, because you're leaning more of your weight against his side that he has an excuse to move his arm up and behind you, to rest on the back of the couch. This only makes your side rest more comfortably against his side and partially, his chest. Your hair brushes against his collar bone and vertebrae. Just barely.

You glare up at Sans playfully, either unaware or ignoring the new position the two of you were in, and he wasn't sure what he preferred, "Hey, I told you he's my son. You better not be makin' fun of him, bonehead."

Gandalf stretches contentedly in your arms, and extends up a paw towards your face. It ends up settling between your breasts, and his little claws are digging into your shirt, so it stays resting up between your…cleavage. 

It's distracting. Sans thinks he's doing it on purpose. You're entirely unphased.

Sans can feel his skull sweat as he grins wryly, “paw-lease, i wouldn’t dare.”

“Weak,” you hum, and Sans shrugs. His movement jostles your body and damn it, he can see realization come over your features. It does let him see the pretty blush dust on your cheeks up close, though.

“Sorry, I wasn’t- I didn’t mean to get in your space,” you say quietly, thankful that the movie is loud and fun and distracting the others. You attempt to move to give Sans more space, but the skeleton stops you.

He settles his arm across your own shoulders gently, not applying any pressure. It still gives you a chance to escape if you want, and he feels you stiffen. He’s stupid, why did he do that, that was so weird-

Carefully, your body moves, but not away. You are still holding the giant fluff ball in your arms but the cat doesn’t seem bothered in the slightest. You lean back over, tucking fully into Sans’ side, and he feels his own awkwardness melt away.

It’s nice. Sitting like this. 

Before long the movie is over, and you had taken the chance before the credits rolled to fully sit up so you were no longer snuggled up with him. The skeleton tilts his head thoughtfully to himself before pulling his arm back.

It was a test, and experimentation of sorts. The last thing he ever imagined was being attracted to a human in any way. He still wasn’t sure if that was the case, but this…that, the cuddling or whatever you call it. He liked it.

More data would have to be gathered for an accurate result. 

Sans wrangles up the band of monsters and Frisk, once the movie is officially over. Papyrus lets out a loud yawn, and despite his excitement over turtles that know ninjutsu, his brother is ready for his own bedtime. 

“THANK YOU FOR SUCH A WONDERFUL TIME!! THAT LAST MOVIE HAS THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS REMEMBERING HOW HE NEEDS TO KEEP UP WITH HIS TRAINING!” he ends up lifting your body off the ground with the enthusiasm of his hug, and Sans chuckles at your flushed expression.

He hadn’t missed the way you avoided eye contact with him after he stood up off the couch. 

Undyne and Alphys bid their own farewells to you, with Alphys exchanging phone numbers so that the two of you can start planning for your school year in the fall. Sans liked Alphys well enough, and knew that she was smart despite her social awkwardness. He thinks the two of you will make a good team.

Frisk is the next in line for hugs, and it’s a very sleepy one. Sans hasn’t gotten to see Frisk interact with other humans much, and it’s interesting to note the differences between the two of you. You’re not that tall by adult standards, he knows, but you’re obviously bigger than Frisk. He is grateful that Frisk is bonding with a human closely, that will be able to help them as they grow up and fill in the gaps that the monsters can’t support. 

Like puberty. 

He’s only read about it briefly, but knows it’s coming soon, and he doesn’t like the sound of it one bit. Hormones…yikes.

The group makes their way to the door, with Undyne giving both Sans and you looks every now and again. But the two of you aren’t standing close together, and Sans has to watch his step because Bilbo had bolted between his feet in his haste to run down the hallway. You scoop up the little kitten easily while the door is being opened.

Goodbyes are said all around, and they head out. Sans casts you one last look and gives you a quick wink before he closes the door, and he narrowly misses the small smirk on your lips. 

Trotting along together, the group chatters about how amazing the Lord of the Rings is, as well as the turtles. Papyrus and Frisk are practicing ninja stances on the walk back, with Alphys giggling along. Sans was traveling towards the back of the group and Undyne decided to take a moment to hang back by him.

He knows Undyne well enough, but he still feels wary. He gives her a friendly smile regardless as his eye lights flick up to her. 

“what’s up, boss?”

“HA. I’m not your boss anymore, not that it mattered much anyway,” she shakes her head, and then let’s her smirk widen teasingly, “you were gettin’ awfully cozy with our new human friend, huh?”

Sans hums good naturedly, “dunno what you’re talkin’ bout, ‘dyne. we was just watchin’ a movie.” 

Undyne whispers harshly, “I got one good eye still, numbskull, I saw you putin’ on the moves!! Muffet also said you guys went to Grillby’s the other day-”

“grillby’s is a great place for a burger.”

“-AND tonight, you are all close and snuggled up under a blanket, what gives? I have never seen you interested in anyone before, let alone a HUMAN-”

Sans shrugs and shoves his hands further in his pockets, ignoring the giddiness in the fish woman’s tone, “nothin’ to get all worked up about. we had to whisper and get all quiet cause you was yellin’ at me.”

Later at night, tucked in his own bed, he misses the warmth of your body against his.

Chapter Text

It’s Monday, your first official day of training. 

You wake up a little discombobulated because of a dream that you had. It was more emptiness, but the entire time it felt like you were being watched. For some reason you couldn’t remember key details, like always. Waking up was kind of a shock to the system. 

So you go through your routine; shower, get the cats fed, feed yourself. There was no big rush since you didn’t have to be at the school until 8:30 AM, but you can’t help but feel a little antsy.

After all, you were going to be learning about monsters today. And not just the generic info that the normies knew. 

Toriel had told you that you would be going over your contract and signing all the appropriate paperwork, but also that you would be signing off a Privacy Agreement on how you would not be spreading information about the things you would be learning.

Apparently it wasn’t for public knowledge, yet. 

It made you excited, and nervous, because woof. It only made you imagine the kinds of things you would be getting to learn about. 

And you were absolutely not going to be thinking about all the events that transpired between you and a certain skeleton monster. At least, not right now. You blush to yourself as you gulp down your coffee. Ugh. Feelings. Were there feelings?

Before long it was time to go, and you got Bilbo situated in your room so you could make sure he was safe. Gandalf sat by the closed door and gave you a withering look, and jeez, now you felt like a jerk. 

Thankfully it was only a “half” work day, but you may stay longer, you’re not sure. 

Arriving ten minutes early, you take your personal belongings to your new classroom and let out a small sigh. The desks and tables had been pushed up along one side of the wall, due to the cleaning crew of the past year. Thankfully you had two windows, but they were not as big as the ones in your previous classroom. You could make due. 

It made it feel less like a prison for the students if they could see outside. 

You don’t want to start arranging things without Alphys’ input, so you make your way towards the office to see if Toriel is in yet. 

The office itself is empty, and that made sense. There wasn’t really a need for a receptionist yet. You could hear movement from one of the back rooms, so you make your way down the small hallway until you see the sign for the Principal’s Office. 

You see Toriel at her desk, typing away at her computer with delicate focus, and it makes you grin. Politely you knock on the frame, causing her to look up in surprise. 

“Oh, goodness, is it that time already?” she looks at the clock with worry, and stresses briefly by tugging on one of her ears. 

“I’m a little early, no worries. Sorry if I spooked you,” you say, and go to sit across from her. Her office is neat and tidy, with several picture frames up on the wall of Frisk and their friends. Her office has a window which lets in some natural light, and it has a small plant on the sill. It makes you remind yourself that you want to look into getting plants back at your place. 

Toriel starts shuffling things around on her desk and pulls out a manilla folder with your name on it, and passes you a pen with it, “Would you mind reading over your information and contract, and signing where needed while I finish up this email, dear? It should only take a few more moments.” 

“Sure,” you open the file and start reading away, making sure to note anything that needs to be corrected. You sign off on your employment contract, and also sign the Privacy Agreement that’s tucked in the back. 

“I met Alphys yesterday, she seemed really cool,” you say absently, and you miss the way that Toriel briefly pauses in her movements. When she doesn’t reply immediately, you glance up and see her pinched features. 

It vanishes quickly as it came, and she smiles warmly, “Yes, Frisk had mentioned that. Sounds like the movie night was a success. Thank you for letting my little one join you all.”

You nod, smiling quietly. That was odd. 

Deciding it best to let her finish her work in peace, you pull out your phone. There’s a text notification that you missed, so you unlock it to check it. 

You feel your cheeks darken. 

From: bonehead…8:15AM:  good luck with the trainin stuff 2day.

It was a totally normal text, very supportive, good friend vibes. But Sans never texts you this early, which meant that he must have been thinking of you, and that’s. 

Well, that’s something. 

“Are you feeling okay, dear? You look a little flushed,” you jump in your seat and quickly lock your phone, staring up at Toriel like a deer caught in headlights. The goat monster only looks more concerned, and you hastily clear your throat and shove your phone back in your pocket, willing the blush to go away.

“Yes! Yes, everything is fine. Sorry.”

Toriel stares at you carefully for a few more seconds, but then smiles lightly, “All right. Then let’s get started, shall we?”

You hand Toriel back all the paperwork, and she puts it away diligently. The two of you decide to move back to your classroom. It’s roomier and there’s a dry erase board for Toriel to use if needed. She had carried with her a large drawing pad, but you didn’t have a clue what could be in it. 

Yara was waiting for you when you both got there, much to your surprise.

“Good morning, y’all!” the other human grins at you both, carrying a notebook of her own. 

Huh. That probably was a good idea. Maybe you can borrow a few pages to write on.

“Good morning to you as well, Yara! Thank you for agreeing to your training to join Skylar’s. It will certainly make things easier,” Toriel sets the drawing pad up against the dry erase board. You and Yara go and grab some ‘adult’ sized chairs for you to sit on. Since it’s just the two of you, you’re able to sit close enough that it didn’t feel so impersonal. 

“Haven’t you already started your training, though? Since you were hired before me?” you wondered, and Yara shook her head. 

“You and I got hired only a couple of weeks apart. Toriel figured this way, we could both be on the same track,” she explains, and it makes sense. 

Toriel is looking through a small notebook, looking deep in thought, as you and Yara get yourselves situated. 

You wouldn’t call the Queen’s expression nervous, but she’s definitely considering her notes thoughtfully. Yara casts you a curious look, and you can only shrug. 

Finally, the silence is broken with a sigh. Toriel sets down her notebook, seems to give herself a mental pep talk, and turns to the two of you with a bright smile. If she was worried about anything, you think she hides it well. 

“Well. I suppose there’s nothing for it but to dive in, ladies. I do want to start by saying how grateful I am, again, for the two of you taking the chance and deciding to come work at our school. This work is imperative, as I know you both know, for not only human children but also monsters.”

Toriel smiles at Yara, who gives her two big thumbs up. She continues, “I confess, I have a lot of information I want to share with you two today. It’s going to be a lot to…take in, and I will answer all of your questions as they come. I want to consider this an open dialogue between us, rather than me standing before you and lecturing.”

You and Yara both agree, because that seems best. You tilt your head as Toriel wrings her paws together once, twice, before she folds them together. She takes in one deep breath, her soft ruby eyes close, and she lets her shoulders relax on her exhale.

“Forgive me. Let’s begin.”

She wanders over to the dry erase board and uncaps a marker. She begins writing as she speaks, “So, in monster culture, there are a few key details when it comes to taking care of our children…”

And so it begins. Turns out your school will have a uniform policy, but it’s very simple. All monster children, and human children attending, will be wearing striped shirts. Striped shirts are how the monster population identifies children, because monster children and adults can come in all various shapes and sizes, depending on the species. For instance, a tiny bird monster that can fit in the palm of your hand could very well be over 50 years of age. So, striped shirts in the Underground let everyone know if a monster was a child or not.

Didn’t matter the color, or sleeve length. For monsters like slime, or gelatin related, they would figure out how to create some kind of method of representing stripes. 

All monsters are sentient. It’s important to note, because there are many anthropomorphic monsters. Dogs, cats, rabbits, lizards, dinosaurs, fish, alligators, mice, goats, etc. Treating them as domesticated animals would be rude, so it’s best to err on the side of caution. Even though they may have some tendencies that mirror the “domestic” animals of the human world, such as dog monsters loving to be petted, first and foremost they should be treated as citizens. 

Monster children are born with the ability to use magic, though it may come in waves of various growth. School-age children will have a stable hold on their magic, especially since there will be adult monsters around them at the school. Most magic accidents happen when there are no adults present, but it’s always best to be mindful and careful. If there are any magic related incidents or educating, Toriel expects the two of you to leave that to your monster co-teachers. 

Which is to be expected. She makes a note to assure the two of you that you will be fine. She must see the concerned looks crossing both of your features.

There is a diverse range of monster species. While there are many anthro-type monsters, there are monsters that resemble unorthodox things, or simply magical creatures. Some are even humanoid. Some are ghosts. They are easy enough to identify, and Toriel lists a few examples. You mention meeting Temmie at the grocery store, as well as Aaron, Woshua, and Froggits. Yara talks about her encounters with Veggitoids and Vulkins, and your eyes widen. Toriel gathers you both back to her, seeming to square her shoulders.

“Now, my friends. We’re about to talk about the core fundamentals of monsters…and consequently, knowledge that humans have lost,” she goes to her drawing pad, and flips open to the first page. Yara had been taking notes the whole time, to which she agreed to make you copies of. 

You’re so incredibly thankful, because you don’t know if you could have multitasked well with the next part. 

On the paper is a drawing. On the left, is a cartoon outline of Toriel herself, and on the right, an outline of a human looking child. In the middle of the Toriel outline, near the chest, is the shape of an upside-down heart. It has a black outline, and is left uncolored. 

In the middle of the human child outline is a drawing of a crimson red heart. 

Your brow furrows, “I thought monsters didn’t have organs?” 

“Correct. We do not have organs,” Toriel places her hand over her chest gently, “We have a SOUL.”

There’s a long pause where the three of you stand in silence. Toriel seems to have expected this. She waits, observing as you and Yara go through your own processes of…digesting this. 

“I’m sorry,” Yara says slowly, narrowing her eyes up at Toriel’s drawing while tapping her pen against her notebook, “a what, now?”

Toriel looks nervous. She shifts from foot to foot briefly, and turns back to her drawing. She points at the small, upside down heart, “Monsters are made of magic. The more connected you are with your magic, the more you are connected with your SOUL. Humans have SOULs too, but are far…far stronger than monster SOULs.”

The two of you must be slack jawed. 

Toriel rushes to continue, licking her lips, “Sorry, let me-let me start over. Monster SOULs are made of hope, love and compassion. Our magic is the core of our very being, hence, being attuned with our SOUL is very natural, much like breathing is to humans. Monster SOULs are colorless, always a pearly white light. Nearly translucent. Human SOULs are colored, based on their strongest trait.”

“So, wait wait wait,” Yara drops her pen, rubbing her eyes briefly, and then fixes her glasses. She looks at you, and you’re just as bewildered. You look at your chest, and suddenly the ‘boob incident’ makes a lot more sense.

That must have been what Sans was looking at.

But why?

“...so humans have SOULs, uh. In a not, like, religious, existential crisis kind of way?” Yara fumbles with her words. You don’t blame her. It’s certainly…a lot to wrap your head around.

With a patient and kind smile Toriel nods, “Yes, my friend. Human SOULs are colored, compared to monsters, as I said. SOULs are a very private affair, so most monsters won’t talk about it with you since you are human. This SOUL,” she points at the drawing of the small, cartoonish child with the red heart, “is a representation of Frisk. With their permission, of course. Their SOUL color is red. For Determination.”

You rub an index finger against your bottom lip in thought. A kid, alone, falling down a hole in a mountainside then proceeds to have some kind of crazy adventure, make it out alive, and then takes up duty as an Ambassador for monsters? Determination seemed about right. 

You wonder what color your SOUL is…

“Is there a way for us to know our SOUL colors?” the woman beside you pipes up. Looks like you were on the same page.

Toriel shakes her head, “I’m sorry, dears. I knew that that would have come up, but unfortunately, as I said…SOUL sharing is very private. It is rarely shown to friends, let alone family. It’s mostly done with romantic partners. The only way you could view your SOUL in a different way would be to be in a monster encounter, and that is something that is forbidden unless absolutely necessary.”

“What’s an encounter?” you ask, and Toriel replies with, “A fight, in simple terms.”

Both you and Yara look at each other carefully. It made sense, granted, that monsters would know how to fight. How could they not, since they had magic. 

“Encounters are forbidden, now, because we want to have the greatest chance for success here on the surface,” she breathes, letting her shoulders sag, “apologies for the disappointment.”

“So…” you trail off, your brain moving a mile a minute, now, “...does that mean Frisk got into these ‘encounters’ in the Underground? Did they get into fights?”

A beat passes. Toriel nods briskly. You stare blankly.

“Frisk had many challenges that they went through, while in the Underground. I taught them how to navigate these encounters, and my child succeeded by not gaining a single amount of XP. They showed MERCY to all in the Underground,” she speaks proudly, and you quiet.

That meant that monsters attacked Frisk, surely. 

You can’t help the feelings that are rolling in you, because Frisk would have been what, ten years old at that time? A child, regardless of the time passing. Monsters attacked human children.

Realistically you knew this. When monsters first arrived topside, they had been confronted by government officials about the humans that had fallen down over the years. 

King Asgore took the risk of open honesty. He talked about the human children that had fallen, and their demise. By his hand. He hadn’t mentioned anything about SOULS, then, but alluded to that monsters were trying to get stronger to break the barrier that humans had trapped them in.

That’s when the hate escalated to such drastic levels, and monsters started to get attacked from the riots. There were several other talks and negotiations that took place, and the monsters were kept under an intense watch, unable to leave the mountain, while the humans decided how to proceed.

And yes, you were appalled at the time. Because these creatures, these monsters, had admitted to hurting humans, human children. But throughout that specific conference, Asgore goes on about how they were trying to break the barrier that was trapping them Underground, which was made by humans. You had hemmed and hawed, as much of the population of the world had. 

You have to admit. Hearing Toriel bring it up, again, that monsters would fight humans, gave you pause just like it had the first time. That these species that you would be teaching, could easily harm you, with a snap of their little...fingers. 

There's layers to this, like there are layers to everything. You could take a look through any history book and make claims about how humans were terrible to each other, over and over again, children or not. Millions had been wiped out at a bomb dropping. Who was good? Who was evil? Was there a difference, when a race was facing a food problem, an environment/living space problem, all done by humans? 

How would humans react, if the roles were flipped?

It was just...complicated. 

This conversation got heavy very, very quickly. 

Toriel held her head up high, but she’s reserved. Or maybe, she looks like she's expecting some kind of backlash, and is preparing herself for either of you to have an outburst. 

So you sigh, shifting in your seat. There’s clearly more to it that she’s not telling you, but you suppose that’s fair. You and Yara only needed to know information that will help you take care of monster children. SOUL’s would of course, come up in conversations. It’s such a crucial part of the make up of monsters, and their culture. 

“I think Yara and I will probably just need…time, Toriel. No offense. This is a lot. Finding out that SOUL’s are kind of a real, and...just, what happened Underground...” you eye your human companion, and she’s nodding along absently. 

Toriel agrees quickly, “Of course, dears. I know. Frisk was so easily accepting, but I know children tend to be more open minded.”

It’s true. Children don’t overthink things, usually. Your fingers are tapping against your knee absently. 

"I will leave you with this final note. SOULs are… so very, very beautiful. They are precious, just like our children are. And of course, all monsters, and humans. They are what makes you, you . Human SOULs are intense, even without having mage abilities. So just be wary, it's not polite to ask about one another's SOULs, even with monsters. To see a SOUL of another person is a special gift," Toriel places her own paw on her chest. And her voice dips towards a sad, empty whisper, "and I wish so terribly that things had played out differently, for those children who fell. Most monsters do."

You need to change the subject.

“What other SOUL traits are there?” You can’t help it. You’re so fucking curious.

Toriel smiles. 

She elaborates, saying that it’s much like the colors of the rainbow. Each color represents a different main ‘trait’, but a human SOUL is powerful. It has all the traits in different levels. So; red was for DETERMINATION or love (she didn’t seem overly sure), orange screamed for BRAVERY, yellow fought for JUSTICE, blue was true with INTEGRITY, cyan was calm for PATIENCE, green glowed with KINDNESS, and purple stayed steady with PERSEVERANCE.

As far as she knew, that’s the colors that their records showed. There was the possibility that there was more, especially so far into the future, but now that there were no more human mages, it was left undiscovered.

The Queen gives you both a very quick, abbreviated version of the War that was waged between humans and monsters. Long ago, a War broke out between the two races, and the humans were victorious. They had made quick work, and mages had sealed monsters away to the Underground with a powerful magic spell. She tells you of how they had struggled, since that day, to try and find a way to break the barrier that imprisoned them. That, ultimately, was the reasoning behind the demise of the fallen children. Monsters were scared, angry, and didn't know what to do. The King (she speaks with a detached voice, now) promised his people he would free them, that not all hope was lost. 

You remember this from the King's formal press release, last year. When speaking to the President, and the branches of government, and pleading with humans to let his people prosper. 

It had worked, much to your shock. You were rather proud of the human race, that day, even though everything about the situation had been up in the air at the time. 

She didn’t outright say it, so you asked, “Toriel…I’m sorry if this is, presumptuous or anything like that but…were you there?”

It goes without saying what you were asking about. The War.

It grows quiet between you all once again, and you feel extremely guilty for even asking. But with how much she knew, and how she spoke of the War, you had wondered. It was fair, you think, because how did monsters age?

The goat monster has a haunting look that crosses her delicate face, but she doesn’t back down. Yara watches and waits, just as anxiously as you do.  You had a feeling she was wondering the same. 

“Yes,” she murmurs, her eyes far away, remembering another time. She shakes it off, and follows up with, “I am what is considered a ‘Boss Monster’, among my kind. I am both blessed and cursed to live an extended life. Boss monsters age differently than average monsters,” she says softly, almost in pain. 

“Sorry, Toriel, I didn’t mean to-”

“It’s quite alright, child. It’s what we’re here doing, is it not? Learning.”

You look dubious and feel like you still crossed some kind of line, and Yara picks up the thought for you. The other woman has less tact than you, “So how do Boss monsters age?”

That painful expression morphs to one of distraught, but Toriel does an admirable job of holding herself high, “Boss monsters age by having children. Our magic is fed into our children, which helps them grow, and us age. It’s the only way, unless we are killed.”

Feeling uncomfortable, you decide to try and switch the subject, but Yara is persistent. You cast her a scolding look but she ignores you. 

Thankfully, she merely takes a different direction with the conversation, “so how do monsters have kids then? Since they lack organs and all that, because with humans it’s all cells and biology and exchanging of DNA, from having uh, intercourse.”

Toriel doesn’t seem bothered by this like you expected her to be. In fact, she looks amused. 

“I didn’t know we’d be having ‘The Talk’ today, dear Yara,” she teases, and the tension in the air breaks. Yara grins unabashedly and shrugs, and you only shake your head.

“What? A girl’s curious, that’s all!”

You huff, “Why? Do you got your eye on someone?”

She guffaws, and Toriel chuckles along. The goat monster surprises the two of you, somewhat conspicuously,  “In the past, before our kind had strife with each other, there were interspecies relationships. It wasn’t all that uncommon.”

Your eyes widen comically while Yara looks elated, “NO WAY! C’mon teach, gimme the birds and the bees! That’s crazy amazin’.”

Toriel sighs good naturedly, and takes a seat on the desk in front of you both. You think the goat monster must be grateful for the subject change, even if it was turning a corner no one expected it to.

“Well, if you insist. Skylar, dear, are you okay with this topic of discussion?” she checks in with you, and you shift in your seat (again). 

You feel your phone burning in your pocket. It’s a heavy weight of curious possibilities, and damn it all, it feels like the universe is trying to mess with you.

You're three adult, grown women. This was fine. It was only your future boss explaining to you how intercourse with monsters works. 

Everything's fine.

“Well, I mean…” Yara is looking at you with big, pleading eyes. You slump in defeat, rolling your eyes to the ceiling, wanting a break from all this eye contact, “yeah, Toriel. It’s fine.”

Toriel hums and gives you a knowing look, and you ignore it fiercely. 

Turns out, it really was a common practice. Toriel explains that there were monster couples, human couples, and interspecies couples that lived together in harmony before opposing ideas and sides were even a thought in anyone’s mind. It’s what she’s hoping they can someday return to, but she’s not naive. She knows it will take many, many years.

Monsters have children by sharing parts of their SOUL. Meaning, a small part of each monster’s SOUL comes together, to make a new one. It tends to happen during intercourse, yes, because strong emotions can lend a hand in the process, but it's not necessary.

One monster is considered the ‘host’ or ‘carrier’ parent, since gender doesn’t really apply to monsters in the grand scheme of things. The monster child will combine features of the monsters if they are of similar species, like a Froggit and a Froggit. But, if the monster is the offspring of two different kind of monsters, the child will favor the species of monster that the ‘carrier’ is. There can still be a blend of features, on the rare occasion. Magic is magic, after all.

So, with humans, it was tricky. The monster would be the one doing all of the magic production, and SOUL combining, since the vast majority of the human race wasn’t able to use magic. If a human was a mage, and could use magic, it was easier. The same rule applies as before, though. The offspring would be a monster, rather than some hybrid. It would heavily resemble the monster parent, even if the human was the carrier. 

That just…blew your mind. And subconsciously, something curled pleasantly in your lizard brain that you didn't want to think about.

“Holy shit, I mean, gah,” you flush, embarrassed, and Yara has stars in her eyes. She is writing things down and nodding along with Toriel with a wide, excited grin. 

Toriel chuckles, “I do not expect this to be a problem, as of right now. The monster population is very delicate in regards to children, and I do think we will see many more in the years to come, as long as things progress as they are.”

She means, as long as humans don’t fuck everything up for them.

Goes without saying.

“So…monsters have sex. With what, exactly?” Yara queries, and you nearly choke on your spit. You whip your head around to her, narrowing your eyes.

“Jeez, Yara, why do we- why do you want to know-”

She gives you an innocent look, but you saw the sinful layers under there. 

Toriel flushes herself, but answers dutifully, “Yes, Yara. We are magical creatures. It aids us in many ways. It depends on the species of monsters, because we are all …different, so. Magic affords many opportunities for monsters and intimacy, in the physical sense. It depends on what the partners are looking for, and generally, they can make it...um, pleasurable, for all partners involved.

However, I must stress a point that for monsters, emotional closeness is much more intimate than the actual physical act. Our relationships strengthen the more honest, and open we are, as this goes hand in hand with SOUL sharing. Having your SOUL exposed to another requires trust, love, and closeness, which down the line would be necessary for creating a child."

Yara stares fascinated, and honestly, you can't help but feel a little disheartened for reasons you can't explain. To be with a monster you'd have to be emotionally close with them, above all else… 

You sigh through your nose. 

Toriel  clears her throat and shakes her head, “I think that’s enough on that, for now. Satisfied?”

The Queen eyes the other woman, and Yara grins sheepishly, “Haha, yeah! Sorry. Just, finding out we used to coexist that closely, it’s …crazy.”

Toriel chuckles. Tilting her head, she then sighs, “I think that’s enough for today. We can continue this conversation later this week. For now, I would appreciate the two of you taking what you have learned today, and reviewing in a manner that pertains to us taking care of our children. Monster children, especially.”

She gathers up her things, and looks back at the two of you. She makes her way to the door, “I know the end of the conversation got a little…silly, but I hope it was all helpful information. Please let me know if you have any questions. Feel free to head home when you like.”

With that, the goat monster leaves. 

You and Yara sit in silence for a moment, and you can only imagine what’s going through her head. Today was…well. Way more than expected. 

Actually, you didn’t know what you were expecting, so. 

The chair beside you squeaks as Yara stands, stretching her arms up over her head. She turns to you with a bright smile, “So? What did you think?”

You couldn’t quite figure her out. You had a feeling she was definitely an extrovert, and your introverted tendencies were screaming at you to shrink away to  recharge your battery. And just, y’know, deal with the idea that you had a SOUL.

It was a tangible, real thing. The agnostic in you was rolling with laughter.

But, you know that monsters didn’t mean SOUL in any kind of religious sense. It was hard to separate that, though. Was going to take some re-calibrating in the mind vault.

Sensing Yara’s lingering gaze, and remembering you hadn’t replied, you begrudgingly look towards the other woman, “I mean, the SOUL stuff is a lot to take in. And the whole, uh, War thing. But, y’know, I feel…fine.”

“Crazy, for sure! It’s just,” she places a hand over her heart, and stares down at her chest, “I wish we could see it. I wanna know what my SOUL color is, so bad.” 

You quirk an eyebrow at her, and she rushes to continue, “But like, also HELLO! Monsters and humans used to like, date and mingle and all that, how awesome is that!” she enthuses, and you suddenly realize how much she’s in your space. You make your way out of your seat and give yourself a step back. Her excitement is coming off her in waves.

“Do you uh, are you…” you fumble your words, curse inwardly, then try again, “are you interested in a monster?”

“Huh?” she blinked owlishly at you, and shakes her head, “No, at least not right now. I was just curious. It’s just hard to imagine humans and monsters, in that sense. And also, in a way, kind of relieving, ya know? To know that we weren’t so awful to each other, once upon a time.”

She trails off, looking a bit disheartened. 

And in retrospect, from that point of view, yeah… it was kind of nice. 

To know that there wasn’t all this hate. That long ago, humans and monsters were close. Neighbors, friends. Lovers. 

You’re startled as Yara shouts, “I KNOW! We should go out!!"

You stare dumbly, and she laughs, “Y’know, go out for some drinks or something. Have a nice night out, get to know each other? As coworkers! Maybe we could invite Papyrus!” 

You think of Papyrus and alcohol and feel an immense sense of dread. That didn’t sound like a great idea. In fact, that sounded downright awful. 

“Uhh, maybe not. No offense. I’m pretty burnt out and am looking forward to just chilling at home.”

She deflates and puffs out her cheeks in a pout, then whines, “Well if not tonight, how about this weekend? Maybe we can invite more than just Papyrus too, like Undyne, and Toriel, and maybe Lillith would wanna join. They have karaoke night at Grillby’s on Friday nights. It’d be so fun!! C’mon, say yes!”

You haven’t been to a karaoke night in lord knows how long, and groan, “...fine.”

She gives a loud WHOOP, and asks for your phone number so she can keep in touch. You have been adding so many people to your contact list lately. 

It’s not that you don’t want to get to know Yara. She seems very nice, and after all, she’s here for the same reason you are. She wants to help monster children succeed, just like you do. 

You just…don’t like going out much. It’s still taking some getting used to that you won’t have people staring or whispering about you, behind your back.

Or you suppose, you still might, but not for the same reasons as before. 

That small town was behind you. 

After you get home, it’s nearing 3 PM. You are lounging on the couch when you finally open your phone back up and text Sans back. 

Bilbo is resting on your chest while you text. Poor little guy didn’t appreciate being cooped up in your room all day, and was a little clingy. You didn’t mind.

Gandalf was resting by your feet, ever the dutiful watcher. Seems like the both of them were still in need of sleep.

You wish you could sleep all day. 

To: bonehead…2:47 PM:  Found out I have a SOUL. That’s going to take some getting used to.

From: bonehead…2:56 PM:  figured it might stress u out. try not to worry 2 much bout it. 

To: bonehead…3:01 PM:  How can I not worry about it? Humans have SOULs. Not like, a soul, a SOUL. Toriel had it written out and everything. And monsters have SOULs. There’s colors and meanings and everything.

From: bonehead…3:10 PM:  but u have always had 1. 

From: bonehead…3:10 PM:  that’s all i meant. wasn’t tryin 2 make u upset.

To: bonehead…3:12 PM: I know you weren’t. Sorry. Things just make a little more sense, now, I guess. And when I first met you… Were you looking at my SOUL then?

From: bonehead…3:15 PM:  kinda

From: bonehead…3:25 PM:  i have a diff skill set compared to most monsters. i can tell if u have hurt people b4. 

You frown in thought. That was…vague. But, it added up to the explanation you were given before. And after today, well. You took it in stride.

To: bonehead…3:29 PM:  That’s good. I’m glad that Toriel has you to help her keep the community safe, and all that.

He doesn’t reply. 

So much for getting "emotionally close".

A desperate heat, panting breaths, and clawing hands fill your dreams. But it’s different from other ‘sex dreams’ that you’ve had.

A body is pressed flush up against yours, and you're struggling to find purchase on them. Pinned to the bed, there are hands dragging down your sides in careful exploration. You whine as your legs part willingly to those wandering hands, curious and tactile and patient compared to your bucking, demanding hips. 

“Please,” you gasp, sweat beading on your forehead. Your fingers reach down, and meet something smooth, and solid. It’s warm, like skin, but has no give, and your nails scrape hesitantly against the surface. There’s something buzzing in the air, the sensation of energy swirling against…skin? and it gives you pause.

Confused, your eyes finally pry themselves open, and blearily you look down.

A skull. Bones. A skeleton. Sans. Your hands are grasping his head, where he’s leaning over your most vulnerable areas. Two piercing white eye lights meet yours as the figure sits up, giving you a calculated but heated glance. You squirm, and your vision is filled with a smirk so wide it gives the Cheshire cat a run for its money.

“shhh,” he purrs, and your body trembles while your fingers fly up and cling between his ribs. His low baritone makes your insides melt sinfully, and you’re flushing scarlet as his eye sockets darken. Your body is tight like a spring, waiting for release, and the bastard laughs.

“didn’t know you were so eager to jump my bones ,” he leers, and his hand dips low, sliding between your folds-

Your room is dark when your eyes snap open. Laying on your front, your chest is heaving, and you squirm as you roll over to face the ceiling. Face flushed, you groan as you drag your hands down your face in a silent scream. Your core throbs frustratingly below, and you give in, growling to yourself as you lower your own hand to take care of yourself.

He makes puns in your sex dreams, fucking hell.

Maybe finding out that monsters and humans used to fuck wasn't a good thing, fucking FUCK.

Your orgasm crests, and you sigh in relief, but fucking...it's not that satisfying. It never is, by yourself.

"I'm in so much trouble."

Chapter Text

The days go by rather quickly. 

You suppose it’s the rush of starting a new job. You’re exhausted at the end of each day, because you’re going through so much planning and learning. Thankfully, there were no other ‘naughty’ dreams starring a certain short, punny skeleton. 

Just, normal naughty dreams. Because damn it all, you were going through a dry spell .

You went through the motions of acceptance; yes, you found Sans…attractive. You’re still not fully sure how, and why. The talk with Toriel seemed to strike some kind of inner cord that you were unaware of. Even with the knowledge that monsters and humans used to be a …”thing”, in the past, you still didn’t know if it would work out. Besides, Sans was Sans. Who were you kidding?

So, you put the thought in the far corner of your mind along with the box labeled 'FEELINGS', to dispute at a later date.

And besides, people have sex dreams about people they know all the time, it wasn't THAT big of a deal.

Anyway.

After your ‘monster orientation day’, you, Toriel, Yara, and Lillith had gathered together to work on some general school operations and policies for the new year. Toriel needed assistance, because of how unfamiliar she is with the human education system. 

So it was a lot of heavy documentation writing. Yara, and yourself, referenced policies and operational paperwork from where you had previously worked. But then there was submitting it to the education board, getting approval, and everything in between. 

Running a school is harder than one might think. And unfortunately, a lot of steps need to be taken to get the school up to ‘operation standard’ to meet the needs of the national education requirements, but having your own tweaks, in regards to the monster children you are serving. That means everything needs to be fine tuned, since the school will be under a lot of surveillance by the public eye.

This took place over several days, but you were feeling like you were finally contributing something helpful. Toriel had done more than you could ever express, giving you this new opportunity. Scary, sure. But you felt like you were doing something right. Something that mattered.

With Alphys’ help, you begin setting up your classroom this week as well when you weren’t typing away at your laptop. The two of you had a tentative roster of students. There were only going to be one classroom per grade level, this year, as the school demographic was going to be a mixed bag. To your pleasant surprise, each classroom would have about a 60/40 ratio of monsters to humans. You had been expecting barely any humans.

By next year, Toriel is hoping to double the total number of students. Things were going to be slow going, but you think that it’s for the best for the first year. The school will be able to figure out what works, what doesn’t, and make changes as needed. 

Each class would be roughly 20-25 students, depending on the grade level. Kindergarten will have 20 students, since the recommendation is 10 children per one adult professional. Your classroom, in 4th grade, will have 23, with a higher number of monster children.

According to Toriel, there are still many monster families who are keeping their children home this first year of the school opening, out of nervousness. You can’t necessarily blame them. 

So, you and Alphys get your desks situated, with Alphys’s guidance on how many larger or smaller ones you would need, depending on the monster species. You also take the chance to do some small decorating; various posters, some plants to hang in the window. Alphys is setting up your work computers, and taking care to get the laptops from the library labeled for your classroom to use. They were simple Chromebooks left behind from the previous school year, but still worth something. 

Alphys tells you about how impressed she was with the human internet service, when she had first come to the surface. She had learned so much, it was nearly addicting. She also told you about in the Underground, she had found a handful of anime series that had fallen down in the ‘Garbage Dump’. You remember Sans mentioning it, and that being how he found out about The Lord of the Rings books. 

“H-have you seen any a-anime?” Alphys nervously asks, pushing the teacher desk up along the far wall, by the window. The desk was a nice size, with enough space for the two of you to be sitting and working, if needed. 

You can’t help but laugh, memories playing around in your brain, “Haha, yeah, I used to watch anime a lot when I was younger! Not so much anymore. Not its fault, I just got absorbed into other things.”

The reptilian monster brightens happily, and eagerly asks what you have seen. You scratch the back of your head in thought, rambling off a few titles. 

“Awh, so you h-haven’t s-seen Mew Mew Kissy Cutie, huh?” she seems crestfallen, and you shake your head. 

“‘Fraid not, sorry. Sounds very Sailor Moon-esque, though,” you reply, and you stretch your arms up. You’re gonna be sore tomorrow from all the moving around you’re doing.

“OH I’ve seen trailers for that show!! It, it really does look a lot like Mew Mew Kissy Cutie, andthetransformationsaresoepicandamazing-”

You’re a bit dazed from Alphys’ rambling, only because she did that thing again where she went into overdrive and talked super fast. You attempt to clear your throat to gather her attention, but she just keeps going.

“-andnamingthemallafterplanetsissuchaneatidea-”

There’s a ‘BANG!’ as your classroom door is thrust open, followed with, “GREETINGS, IT IS I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS-”

Alphys shrieks loudly, and is snapped back to reality while falling out of the chair she was sitting in. You rush over to check on her, and Papyrus looms in the doorway with his jovial fist frozen in the air.

“OH. OH DEAR. I’M SORRY, ALPHYS. I DIDN’T REALIZE YOU WERE IN ONE OF YOUR FANTASY-MOODS.”

He walks into the classroom gingerly, despite his booming voice. Papyrus is dressed in bright, neon pink clothing that screams the 90’s. You can’t help but grin at his ‘Cool Dude’ crop top. 

If he wasn’t already standing out because of how tall he is, and being a skeleton, well. His outfit matches his loudness. 

“I-it’s okay, Papyrus. I haha, ha, just got a little distracted,” Alphys waves away your concern as she pulls herself back onto the chair, looking clearly embarrassed. You get the feeling this isn’t the first time something like this has happened to the poor monster. 

You get it. Social anxiety sucks. 

“That outfit is hella rad, Paps. What’s up?” you look up at the tall skeleton with a small smile. You realize that you called him the nickname that Sans and Undyne use, and your face freezes in mild panic. You wait for him to correct you, or something, because that’s clearly something that his close friends or family call him-

“NYEH HEH HEH. OUR FRIENDSHIP HAS GROWN TO NICKNAME LEVELS OF GREATNESS, I SEE!! HOW FANTASTIC!” he beams down at you, and you're lifted off your feet in a gentle but crushing grip in a matter of seconds. You squeal at the sudden shift of height; you don’t think you’ll ever get used to it. You feel like a ragdoll.

“Ha-yeah, I hope that’s okay, sorry-”

Suddenly, he holds you at arms length. His hands are under your armpits, letting your feet dangle above the ground. His black sockets narrow at you and he tuts. 

You feel like a child.

“IF I HAD A PROBLEM WITH IT, I WOULD HAVE SAID SO! YOU DO NOT HAVE TO FRET SO MUCH. YOU DO THAT TOO OFTEN.”

He sets you down gently on the floor just as abruptly as he picked you up, and you wait for the vertigo to pass. So. Much. Movement. And really, were you that obvious?

Shaking his head, the tall skeleton strikes a pose as he puts his fists on his hips, “I HAVE BEEN INFORMED BY LADY YARA THAT THERE IS A GATHERING AT GRILLBY’S TOMORROW EVENING FOR SINGING AND CELEBRATING. WHILE I DISAPPROVE OF THE UNHEALTHY, GREASY FOOD, IT SHOULD BE FUN TO ENJOY A NIGHT OUT TOGETHER! YOU ARE COMING, YES?”

You nod slowly, then clear your throat, “Ah, yeah. Not really my scene, but I plan on hangin’ out for a bit. Friday night out, and all that jazz.”

Alphys tilts her head curiously as she joins the two of you, “A-are you still o-okay with picking up me and Undyne, Papyrus? It’s not too out of your way?” 

“NYEH HEH HEH!! OF COURSE. THE AMAZING, CHAUFFEUR PAPYRUS WILL GLADLY PICK UP HIS DEAR FRIENDS FOR A NIGHT OF PARTYING!” He straightens up proudly, and both you and Alphys share a grin. 

Papyrus’s energy is so infectious. 

“I HAVE TO ADMIT I’M EXCITED TO HEAR YOU SING AGAIN, SKYLAR. DO YOU HAPPEN TO KNOW WHAT SONG YOU WILL BE CHOOSING??” 

Your mouth pops open in surprise, and he continues slyly, “MY BROTHER FOUND THE SONG YOU HAD SANG BACK AT YOUR APARTMENT ON THE INTERWEBS, AND PLAYS IT SOMETIMES DURING THE NIGHT. HE THINKS I CAN’T HEAR, BUT THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS A MASTER AT EAVESDROPPING!”

Alphys’ face brightens and her eyes twinkle in glee. You struggle to find your words as your face flushes. You lick your lips and shake your head, “Well, I mean, it’s a really awesome song so I’m glad he enjoyed it…”

Papyrus and Alphys share a look, before both break up into giggles and snickers. You scowl and cross your arms haughtily, “What’s so funny?”

The reptilian monster withers behind your narrowed eyes, but Papyrus has grown too comfortable around you, you think. 

“NEVER YOU MIND! I DO HOPE THAT SANS AGREES TO JOIN US, THOUGH,” at that, his entire body slumps in annoyance. Alphys’ expression grows worried.

“Oh, dear. I-is he s-still in his r-room?” her glasses slide down her nose, and she carefully pushes them back up as she regards Papyrus. The skeleton nods sadly. 

Huh. Again? 

“HE’S BEEN IN HIS ROOM THE PAST THREE DAYS! THE LAZY BONES. I’VE TRIED TO GET HIM TO COME OUT, BUT HE INSISTS THAT HE’S FINE. I’M NOT EVEN SURE WHAT SPARKED IT THIS TIME!” Papyrus wails, then sighs. He pulls out his phone and fires off a quick text, before giving the two of you a jaunty wave. From who-knows-where, he also gets out a big pair of sunglasses that somehow stay on his face, despite him lacking a nose.

“REGARDLESS, I MUST BE OFF! I HAVE SOME SHOPPING TO DO BEFORE DINNER. SEE YOU ALL ON THE MARROW ! NYEH HEH HEH HEEEEEH!!” he cackles as he runs off, and you find yourself chuckling in his wake. Huh. Maybe Sans was right, and Papyrus really does love his jokes. 

You and Alphys get back to work, and before long, it’s nearing 4pm. Feeling like your room is finished as much as it’s able, you both decide to call it a day. Alphys heads home, and says that she’s looking forward to tomorrow night. Earlier that day, she had suggested the two of you work from home tomorrow, since you got your room organized and put together. Toriel had approved it, so you get a cozy work from home day. You were going through the curriculum and adjusting it to fit your needs, while also staying in the state requirements. 

Truth was, you were most stressed about Social Studies. There were a lot of things about human history, Hell, world history in general that weren’t…pleasant. You weren’t one for sugar coating things, either. You’d make it age appropriate, sure, but you weren’t going to gloss over the truth. 

It was just a tricky area. Civil War, Civil Rights Movement, World Wars, even Thanksgiving…yeah. 

You shake off the creeping headache on your drive home. No use stressing about things you were going to be working on tomorrow. You’re going to write up notes about how to handle holidays in general. You’re not sure if there were any that the monsters had, either. 

Once home, Muffet’s is already closed. The bakery was open from 6:00 AM - 3:30 PM, which was nice, because then you wouldn’t feel like you were stomping around upstairs when she had customers.

You had been hoping one of these nights to catch Muffet and see if she wanted to have dinner together again, but maybe another night. Perhaps you could extend the invitation for tomorrow’s shenanigans at Grillby’s. 

Humming to yourself, you let yourself into your apartment and go to let out Bilbo. He’s more than likely going to be spending most days locked up until he’s big enough not to get himself hurt unsupervised. 

The kitten prances out of the bedroom and skids across the floor, as usual. You laugh as he barrels into Gandalf, who hisses at him pointedly in warning. They both follow you around the apartment as you start to get yourself settled in. 

You shower, make some dinner, and get the cats fed. Before long you’re cozied up on the couch reading a book. Gandalf has curled himself up at your waist where you have propped yourself against the armrest, letting your legs stretch out against the seat cushions. You’ve been trying to find some hobbies for yourself that aren’t dwelling in thoughts you can’t control. 

Which is, of course, when you slowly begin to nod off. Your eyelids fight to stay open, but eventually, they dip close. The book slips from your hands and slides down to your lap, and your head tucks against the back of the couch. 

Your eyes peel open, and it’s pitch black. 

Dream time, then.

Carefully, you test your arms and legs, and it seems you’ve been granted the privilege of movement, this go around. You take what wins you’re able to get, and start slowly walking forward. 

You’re not entirely sure what direction it could be, because any way you look, it’s the same. A vast, empty space, with nothing in sight. 

You walk for what feels like hours. 

Sometimes you break into a jog, or a run, to see if the space will react differently to changes in your speed, but no. There’s no mocking or belittling words, no invisible weight toying with your body. 

It’s starting to affect you. The desperate feeling that claws up your spine clutches at your nerves, and you can feel yourself lose composure. You hate it here, you don’t understand why you keep dreaming of these vacant halls. It’s worse when there’s nothing. 

“Hello?!” you shout, and thankfully, you can hear your call reverberate around you. At least that’s something. Your senses aren’t completely snuffed out. 

But nobody came.

So, you continue walking, feeling your legs get weak and heavy. You raise your hands experimentally in front of your eyes, and sure enough, you can’t see through the space. There’s no light here. You can touch the tips of your fingers to your face, so you know that you are physically aware of yourself. 

You’re still alive. It just seems like you're walking around with your eyes closed, when you know that's not the case.

Biting down on your bottom lip, you push yourself to change course, and you turn to the left and start walking. Aimlessly. 

But, not for long.

You were walking, and tears were beginning to shamefully burn in your eyes. You hated that this place broke you down so easily. You felt so pathetic and small, it was agonizing to be alone here, with nothing. Knowing that the only way you woke up was from some form of shock. It was never peaceful.

Suddenly, there’s a change in pressure in the air. Static ripples along your skin, and inside your ears. You can feel the heavy-ness around you spark, prickle and come to life around you. Glitches of tiny, electric sparks start to dance in your vision, and you don’t know why. The air grows hot, yet cold at the same time. It’s a shock to your, well, everything, as you feel hot air ghost the back of your neck. 

Your entire body clenches. Where there was nothing but black emptiness, now there’s a searing hot light that illuminates behind you. A shadow casts itself along the floor thanks to the blinding light, and you feel yourself fall to your knees.

The shadow looms over you. It’s the shape of some kind of monstrous head, but you don’t know what…

Every survival instinct screams at you not to turn around, but you have to. You have to know what this is.

Things in this place have only ever been a threat, and you don’t care to have your back to it.

Not feeling an ounce of bravery, your dry throat clicks as you try to swallow. You shakily turn, your eyes squinting in the face of the harsh light. You raise a hand to try and shield your eyes and get a look at what’s behind you, at what’s summoning such a piercing light in a dark place.

It happens in a split second. You see towering, floating bones of a skull. Its giant maw is pried open, and a ball of light is swirling between its jaws.

A dragon. That’s what it reminds you of. But, it has no body; it’s just a levitating skull in the air before you and charging some kind of attack. It’s a bit overkill, in your opinion, because this thing could easily tear you to pieces with those fangs it has.

Your skin already feels like it’s on fire. 

“Wait…please…” your feeble protest is lost in the deafening sound of swirling energy. You close your eyes tightly, and as a last ditch effort, scream past the fear that’s crippling you.

“PLEASE STOP!”

Darkness engulfs you once more as the light extinguishes itself. 

Panting heavily, you blink rapidly, trying to adjust to the abrupt change of light to dark, but thankfully there’s a small glow to help ease your sore eyes.

Or maybe, not thankfully. The massive skull is still there; its eyes swirl a pale blue color that illuminates its features from within. The white bones are neon-blue in their highlighted structures, like someone was taking an airbrush to define the glow.

At least the jaws are closed. You’re not sure if that helps. 

It’s staring at you. 

You don’t dare move. 

The need to wake up is suffocating.

Slowly, it lowers itself closer to your still form. Paralyzed, you do nothing but hold your breath as the hulking skull is now inches from you. The skull bows, as if inquisitive, and to your shock, it inhales .

Your hair swirls about your face at the violent rush of wind. The force of the…creature’s?...inhale nearly makes your body lurch forward and off your feet.

You watch as its swirling blue eye lights turn fuzzy, and then pale to a soft white hue. It tugs at your memory, somehow feeling so familiar, but you just can’t place it at the moment.

It fucking growls at you, and you nearly piss yourself. It doesn’t seem angry, or threatening, like it was when it first appeared. Tilting itself to the right, and then to the left, you’re feeling bewildered. 

The growling reminds you of the sound of a furnace, but like…way scarier.

Must be that fluctuating energy that it’s keeping locked away behind its teeth.

It seems to grow impatient with you, and you shriek as it forcefully nudges you with its snout. 

Is it a snout? It looks like a snout. 

It knocks you over, but you manage to scramble up to your feet. You don’t want to be caught unawares by this thing. 

Except now, the sparks and terrifying energy blast thing it was cooking up is gone. The skull is huge, granted, but…it reminds you of a dog with how it’s behaving. Behaving…does it have intelligence? Is it sentient?

You don’t think it can talk, otherwise it would already, but its white eyes bore into you as if waiting for you to do something. The closer you look, you see that it has black pupils now, too. 

Deciding to approach it like you would any other …animal, and with your better judgment screaming at you internally, you slowly raise your left hand towards it, palm up. 

Self-preservation be damned. But what else are you supposed to do?

The skull zeroes its focus on your hand, and once again inhales deeply. It’s hard to describe the vacuum-like space you are in, but somehow this creature is able to manipulate its surroundings easily. 

It’s almost like it’s part of this space. This…emptiness.

Then, much like a dog, it quite literally bumps itself gently against your hand. You feel like that one kid in that dragon movie.

The surface of the bone is sharp, but smooth, and buzzing with energy that makes it pleasantly warm to your clammy skin. 

Bones that are warm…blue glow…bones…

Sans.

You gasp as you launch yourself off the couch and narrowly miss cracking your head against the corner of the coffee table. The floor greets you with an unyielding thud, and you wildly flail to take in your surroundings. Gandalf has dashed off the couch in surprise, and Bilbo arches his back up in distress and makes himself big, fluffy and intimidating.

Clothes soaked with sweat, you push yourself upright quickly and can’t calm your racing heart. 

Air, you need air.

You stumble towards the patio door and rip it open, and throw yourself to cling to the railing as you take in the sweaty air of the  summer night. 

Tears trickle down your cheeks as you gather yourself. Shaky breaths leave you, and you try to take in steadier ones. You don’t know why, but you’re terrified, or you were terrified? Like always, you don’t remember anything you had dreamed. It’s maddening.

Either way, it felt like you had run a marathon, and the adrenaline was rushing through you and clogging your veins. 

Seconds tick by. Slowly you’re able to pry your hands off the railing, and they feel numb from how tightly you were grasping it. You slide down to sit, letting your back rest against the bars. Your legs now trembled, as if exhausted from holding you up. Gandalf and Bilbo had creeped up to the open patio door, but didn’t dare take a step out. They simply sat and watched you with big, wide eyes. 

Guess you spooked them good, too. 

The stars are bright and twinkling above you. Your phone is still in your pocket from before, so you sluggishly take it out and check the time. 

1:47 AM.

You must’ve been sleeping for a while now, at least. It wasn’t even nine o’clock by the time you zonked out, you think.

There’s a couple of memes that Alphys sent you, and a reminder text from Yara about meeting up at Grillby’s, and you close out of them all weakly. 

There’s a tug in your subconscious. A growing sensation, a need, that you can’t explain. Your brain even ignores the flailing in the background, that pesky corner hoarding your attraction and ‘FEELINGS’ boxed that’s shut tight.

As if on autopilot, you go to your contacts, scroll, and press the call button over ‘bonehead’. 

You pull your knees up to your chest, letting your head fall forward to rest against them. 

The rings continue aimlessly. You're honestly not sure what you were expecting, or why you tried to call him in the first place, but-

“ uh … hello?”  

Eyes widening, you clutch your phone tightly. You weren’t expecting him to pick up.

He sounded awful.

“Ha. Hey, Sans, sorry, I know it’s really late-”

“heh. more like real early, buddy. shouldn’t you be sleepin’?”

But even so. You needed to hear his voice. 

Your eyes close tightly. With stiff movements, you push yourself to stand. The cats were trying to tiptoe their way out, so you shoo them away from the sliding door. Your cigarettes and ashtray were on the little end table inside your apartment. You quickly snag them while cradling your phone in between your head and shoulder.

“I. Uhm, well, I was. Doing that. Sleeping,” you mumble, a cigarette precariously hanging from between your lips as you speak and fumble with the lighter.

The clicks can be heard through the phone as you fight with your lighter. Finally successful, you take a long inhale from the cigarette carefully. You lean against the rail, staring off to the stars as you exhale the smoke.

“Had a nightmare,” you croak.

There’s some shifting around on Sans’ end of the line. It sounded like the rustling of papers.

“ah. i’m sorry. i know how that goes. must have been a rough one.”

One thing’s for certain. You don’t like how this Sans sounds. There’s little cadence in his words. He sounds exhausted, but you’re not entirely sure it’s from lack of sleep. 

Bitterly, you inhale deeply once more, and exhale, “Woke up terrified. Don’t remember it at all, though.”

“ that’s rough, buddy. you ok?”

“I will be. You sound bone-tired yourself, Sans.”

He chuckles, letting out a sigh, “good one. yeah. like i said, i know how that whole nightmare thing goes. wanna talk about it? i’m told i got a good listenin’ ear.”

A wry smirk pulls the corner of your lips upward, “You don’t have ears.”

“and yet h-ear we are, talking to each other and havin’ a conversation over the phone.”

“All right, smart ass,” you snark, flicking some ash into the little tray you brought out.

“...y’know, i don’t got one of those either, if you wanna be all technical…”

You can’t help the weak laughter, and shake your head as you take in another inhale. This is it. This is what you needed.

“ah ha, another point for sans,” he boasts quietly, and you hum amusedly in response. There’s a beat of silence between you. You’re staring into space, letting your body relax and come back to itself. 

You’re here, in Ebott. You got your cats. Cool new job. You are gathering a pool of pretty awesome friends. 

You’re okay. 

“Thanks for uh, answering, I hope I didn’t bother you,” you breathe, squashing the butt of the cigarette into the tray. You’re debating lighting a second one. 

The skeleton rustles some more, and it sounds like sheets this time. Good.

“no worries, skye. i wasn’t doin’ nothin important. i, uh, hope that it was helpful?”

You smile and take the ashtray back inside, making sure to lock the sliding door behind you. One cigarette was enough. 

Skye, huh?

Sounded nice. 

“Yeah. I wanted…” you bite your lip, and the cats are now twining about your feet as you make your way to your bedroom. You make sure to shut the lights off as you go, “Just needed to hear someone’s voice. To know that I wasn’t alone.”

It sounds so ridiculous, but it’s true. Waking up from nightmares, much like the ones you have, where you barely remember anything from them but still have all the wonderful side effects from them? It leaves you feeling so hollow. 

You quickly tap the speaker icon so you can set your phone down on the nightstand. You quickly strip out of your sweaty clothes that are now cold and disgusting against your skin. 

“well, if you ever need to uh, call again, or whatever. i’m here.”

He sounds so awkward, and you don’t fight the smirk that grows. You crawl under the sheets and sigh; the softness against your bare skin feels so sinfully wonderful. 

You gently grab your phone and put it on the pillow beside you. Your cats have now come to bed as well, with Gandalf hopping up in a poof of grace and Bilbo scrambling up the side with his little claws. 

“Thank you, I appreciate that, Sans,” you say softly. Gandalf comes up to try and snuggle his way under your chin, but you nudge him away for now while you’re on the phone. He looks severely put out, so settles for cuddling up against your waist instead.

Before Sans can respond, you murmur softly, “Paps is getting worried.”

The silence is tense, but he manages to reply roughly, “i know.”

“We’re all meeting up tomorrow night around sevenish at Grillby’s for karaoke night. You should come,” you sleepily yawn, and burrow yourself in the sheets. You can hear Sans breathing clearly through your line. You wonder if he’s doing the same, having his phone on speaker, laying next to him while he talks to you. Subconsciously, your own breathing starts to match his own. 

“i don’t know if i’d be very good company right now. been skulking about the past few days, i’m not…”

His low voice rings out in the darkness of your room. You feel your eyelids grow heavy. You don’t know how, or why, but Sans’ voice is definitely magic. Nothing has ever calmed you like this. 

You’re not sure what to do with this new revelation. You ignore it, for now. 

“Please?”

…

“okay.”

…

“you still there, skye? need me to go?”

“Don’t hang up?”

…

“...okay.”

You blearily remember Papyrus’ words from earlier. About how Sans liked your singing. Well, that was presumptuous. He liked the song you sang. 

Maybe you could try helping him, too. 

Without asking, and thankfully you’re tired enough now that you can’t second guess yourself, you nestle yourself down to let notes play in your head so that the words come naturally. 

You sing the first song that pops into your head.

Without prompting, your gentle, raspy voice rings out quietly as Sans’ line remains silent. 

“Waiting for the end to come, Wishing I had strength to stand, This is not what I had planned, It’s out of my control…  Flying at the speed of light, Thoughts were spinning in my head, So many things were left unsaid, It’s hard to let you go…

I know what it takes to move on, I know how it feels to lie, All I wanna do is trade this life for something new, Holding on to what I haven’t… got…”

Your voice quietly fades as you fight the losing battle with sleep, and as you continue to the next chorus of the song, your breathing has evened out. Gandalf finally succeeds in curling up against your chest, and shoves his way under your chin with purrs and meows at your sleeping form. Bilbo has tangled himself behind your head, somehow in your mess of hair. He’s content in the nest he’s made for himself.

And Sans’ breathing crackles from the phone as sleep finally pulls him under, too.

Chapter Text

You woke up slowly. 

Something had finally prodded you from your deep sleep, and you felt a touch delirious.

You hadn’t slept that hard in a long time.

Gandalf was still snuggled up against you, but as soon as you started waking and moving around he felt the need to move, also. He stretched out his paws and yawned widely, stepping out and jumping off the bed. You felt Bilbo scrambling out of your hair from behind your head. You narrowed your eyes at the small ball of fur as he pulled your hair every which way.

You weren’t quite sure what had woken you until a loud, rumbling snore echoed from your phone. Eyes widening, you see that your phone was still on the line with Sans. 

The skeleton must have fallen asleep not long after you. 

He didn’t hang up.

Your cheeks warm, and you smile softly. You’re glad that he was able to get some sleep. For not having lungs or anything like that, hell. He sure was sawing logs. 

Carefully, you hit the ‘end call’ button, feeling a touch sad as you do. You were going to start your day and make all kinds of noise. Hopefully he'll get as much sleep as he’s able. 

As you put on an oversized t-shirt, and some comfy shorts, you can’t help but wonder how much Sans struggles with sleep. Papyrus had said that Sans hadn’t done this since they were all back in the Underground, and that had been over a year now. And since you’ve known him, he’s locked himself away twice now. Hopefully it doesn’t become a habit.

You had wanted to talk with the skeleton about it, since he admitted to having nightmares, too. But, eh. Maybe not. You know that YOU don’t like talking about your own dreams. It’s unlikely that Sans would want to, either. 

Thanks to the call lasting the rest of the night, and it being almost 9:00AM, you have to plug in your phone before the battery caputs. It’s only got about 10% left. 

Before you let your morning fully begin, you toy with your phone before tapping open the messages app. 

To: bonehead…8:53 AM:  Thanks again for last night. I hope you are able to get lots of sleep. See you tonight. :)

There. That was friendly, right? Not weird at all. 

Grumbling to yourself, you sigh and start your chores before you dive into more paperwork.

Shockingly, or maybe not so much, the day flies by. You take small breaks now and then to eat, and play with the cats. Bilbo is so energetic, you want to be sure he gets some good exercise so that energy is burned in a good way. You grin as you watch him and Gandalf tag team the laser pointer. 

Little did they know, they would never win. 

The two bonded so well. You were honestly shocked, almost expecting Gandalf to be jealous of the new little guy after the novelty wore off. But Gandalf still has a lot of spunk of his own, and gently plays with Bilbo when they wrestle and chase each other. Bilbo can be a bit on the rough side, since he’s a kitten and not entirely in full control of how intense he is. Gandalf will openly hiss and growl if Bilbo gets carried away with biting or anything like that, which you think is fair. You trust Gandalf not to hurt him. And by locking up Bilbo most of the day during the work week, it gives Gandalf a break, too. 

Paperwork was mind-numbing, but such an important element to the process. You had worked on several documents with Yara and Toriel, all sharing the Google Docs so it was easy to edit and adjust as needed, between the three of you, as well as the other staff of the school. 

It felt like you were all building this school from scratch. And in reality, you guess you were. Intimidating, yes, but it felt so good. 

The documents and policies will have to be sent to the school board, and then have the state approval as well. You had until August, so really, it was only six weeks left. You felt antsy but knew that between all of you, you could get it done. Toriel had set up another handful of interviews next week, which you would be a part of. The Queen was adamant that everyone who was currently employed got a say in the hiring process.

She said you were creating a community, a family. Toriel wanted a staff that could rely on each other, in the face of adversity. Each of you were your own important piece of the puzzle. 

You can’t help the needling thoughts that bite in the back of your mind. Reminding you of how your last job had ended so terribly, and how could you think you would do any better here? 

You wish it was as simple as ignoring them, but it’s hard. It’s difficult, when you were left stranded from people you thought cared about you, or at the very least, respected you. Your phone call with your mother didn’t help things either. It picked at the scab of an old wound that will probably never fully heal.

Like any teenager, you had made a lot of mistakes. Consequently, a lot of shit happened because of those mistakes, and it nearly caused you to end it all. You were awful at managing stress and emotions, and succumbed easily to the self-deprecating and mental abuse brought on by not only your mother,  but your ex, and yourself. 

You had gotten better after getting out of the hospital. And then you graduated college, and moved away from that fucking city with nothing to hold you back. Your therapists had advised against it, only because you didn’t have any kind of support system in place. But that only cemented your reasoning, because why would you stay?

And for the next couple years, it was great. You had felt more alive, more centered, than you had in ages. You got to teach, you lived in a beautiful little rural town. Through natural events, you had built that support system those therapists had badgered you about.

And then, of course, the house of cards was poked by something out of your control, and it all came crashing down. 

So was it stupid, to try again? To give all of yourself, to these people. People…no, monsters, who were fighting for their rights, for the chance at a life they were robbed of? Monsters spent hundreds of years waiting for this moment. What could you possibly do, in all of that? 

Being just one person. A human.  A teacher, who sucked at communicating in normal conversation, but was great with kids. What worth did you have?

You hadn’t wanted to admit it, but it was a struggle, now and again, to think of an answer. 

Subconsciously, your thumb grazes over your left wrist. 

Drinks sounded like a fantastic idea.

You had sent Muffet a text during the day about the night out at Grillby’s, and she said that it sounded like a great opportunity to see ‘people act ridiculous’. 

Muffet certainly was an interesting character. You loved her ‘Schadenfreude’ energy. 

So, pushing all negative thoughts out of your head, you scroll through your closet to decide what to wear. You got out a white, sleeveless hoodie that had some yellow-orange accent stripes on it. The back was exposed, so you wore a black tube top under it. You debated it for a minute, before saying ‘fuck it’, because it was super cute and you were all adults. It’s summer time, it’s hot out. And besides, you thought you looked pretty good in it. 

You pair it with some black shorts, and put on some eyeliner and mascara. A little fun, for some drinks and time with friends. 

And singing, you guessed. You had actually never done karaoke before, so you were not sure how this was all going to play out. Having frequented many bars, you have certainly watched others do karaoke. Just…never tried it, personally. You don’t like people. So why would you sing in front of them? It sounded like torture.

You’re sure once you’ve had some alcohol it’ll make everything easier. 

You lock up your fur baby.. Gandalf tries to get in the way of you leaving, so you have to nudge him gently out of the way. He goes to sulk at the top of the cat tree.

Muffet meets you at the bottom of the landing, and you offer her a grin. You don’t want to seem too over eager at her acceptance of wanting to hang out, in such a social setting. She’s wearing an outfit similar to her work one, but it’s more of a skirt than a romper. She looks adorable, if a touch menacing with those sneaky fangs and squinting eyes.

“Hey, pretty lady,” you greet, and the two of you set off towards Grillby’s. If Muffet was uncomfortable, nervous or anxious at all, she didn’t show it.

She smirks at you, “Good evening, deary. You seem awfully chipper~”

You groan as you stretch your arms over your head, “The promise of alcohol can lift any spirit. Uh,” you move to scratch the back of your head awkwardly, “Do you mind if I have a quick smoke?”

The spider monster tuts, “If you must. Isn’t your poor human body compromised by doing that?”

You had asked her to be polite, and didn’t need the reprimand. She was just voicing her opinion. 

Lighting one is easy, and you make sure to stay downwind of the monster and hold the ciggy away from her. She stares at you, unwavering. Guess she expected an answer.

You blow the smoke up above the two of you and bite out, “Yes, Muffet. But I’m a step closer to death with each breath I take regardless of the fact if I smoke or not.”

She picks up on your…disgruntlement, and huffs in response, “If you say so.”

Silence falls over the two of you, and you can’t help the guilt that claws at you. You know that she didn’t mean it as an attack on you, if anything, Muffet was expressing concern. 

Didn’t give you a right to be snappy.

Blowing out more smoke, you sigh, “Sorry. Didn’t mean to get all defensive, just a touchy subject. I know it’s bad for me. I’m figuring out a plan to quit.”

The spider monster's eyes give you a once over, and she waves a hand, “Then let’s move on, shall we? I’m also looking forward to some monster alcohol. Was a very busy work week, which is wonderful of course, but…”

You smirk at her, and end up finishing off the cigarette sooner than you liked. Grillby’s was in sight, and from the looks of things, it was packed.

And not just with monsters, much to your surprise. 

There are many college aged students roaming about, filing in and out and being rowdy like they are. It gives you some kind of flare of hope in your chest. You know that not all humans are racist assholes, and it makes sense that the younger generation would be more open and accepting. You spot a handful of ‘older’ humans as well, that appear to be amenable with monsters. You recognize the large, bear monsters and a few of the humans that were at the moving company where you had dropped off your trailer. 

You smile. Muffet acts aloof, leading the two of you into the bar. Nearly all the tables are occupied, but a piercing whistle cuts through the air. You both look towards the source of the sound and see Undyne waving her hand like a madwoman, grin and all. 

Thankfully she’s tall enough that it’s easy to spot her regardless of the noise and crowd. Especially with Papyrus beside her. 

As you are making your way towards your group (your group, you have a group now, huh), you can see a space on the far wall that has a small stage and a microphone, along with a monitor and speakers. Guess this karaoke thing must be a big deal, you don’t remember seeing them from when you were here with Sans. 

Speaking of which. 

He’s propped up in a little corner of the large table occupied by your friends, perched on a bar stool. You can’t help yourself, and take quick stock of him; he definitely still looks tired, but his shoulders are relaxed, and he’s chatting with Alphys who’s sitting by him. In the middle of his conversation, his eyelights sweep over to meet your own gaze, and you can see his smile widen.

Ignore them. The stupid, dumb butterflies in your tummy. IGNORE THEM.

Yara and Undyne bound up and get you and Muffet settled. Undyne makes sure to nudge you bodily into the stool next to Sans, and you glare at the fish monster for being so handsy with you. Muffet gingerly takes the seat on your other side, and she and Undyne snicker together at your disgruntlement. The fish-woman grins razor sharp and heads off to the bar after getting both of your drink orders.

“Woohoo, I’m so glad you made it!” Yara beams and hugs you from behind, and you feel your skin prickle. 

Ugh. Extroverts.

You smile wryly, but before you’re able to mutter out a word, she freezes and her face scrunches up. She sniffs once, and then gives you such a scolding.

“YOU SMOKE?!” she says, outraged, and you scowl at her. She didn’t have to make a big scene. Lots of people smoke.

You turn and face her, with your back leaning against the edge of the table now. Sans and Muffet blink at each other before looking at you, then at Yara. They clearly don’t understand the other humans outburst, either.

Folding your arms, you quirk an unamused eyebrow at the other woman, “Yes. Didn’t know I’d have to be dealing with the fun police tonight.”

She matches your pose and crosses her own arms, huffing, “Smoking isn’t something fun , Skylar! CANCER isn’t fun!”

There seems to be a cord struck somewhere, because this is more than a friend telling you the “smoking is bad” type speil. And she whipped out the ‘cancer’ word, so now you feel fucking guilty. 

Ugh.

You’re ping-ponging responses in your mind, because clearly this is a sensitive subject, but Sans has his eye sockets narrowed in thought.

“dunno if i’ve heard of that before. what’s cancer?”

He sounds so curious. 

You feel an immense amount of dread coil in your stomach. 

Undyne comes back with your beverages. You had asked for a rum and coke, because it’s simple and easy and not straight alcohol like you had grown accustomed to, but damn it all if you don’t snatch it up and knock it back in a few gulps. You hear Yara speaking and Undyne squawk. 

“Cancer, in the medical sense, is a disease , a sickness,  that happens when abnormal cells multiply in the body. There’s no cure for cancer, just treatments that are also VERY PAINFUL and NOT ALWAYS successful!”

She’s glaring daggers at you, and your own hackles are raised in response.

You didn’t come out for a lecture, you came here for …fun? 

Whatever. It certainly wasn’t this. 

“NOT ALWAYS SUCCESSFUL…DO YOU MEAN THAT CANCER, KILLS HUMANS???” Papyrus gasps, and Yara nods seriously.

You feel your fingers dig into your arms as all eyes swivel to you, “Yara, I get it, okay? I’m sorry for calling you the ‘fun police’, and everyone knows that smoking is bad. I’m planning to quit.”

“Good,” she says quietly, and it’s hard to hear over the rest of the bar, and you’re severely uncomfortable and hop off the bar stool. She doesn’t move out of your way. You turn your body and prepare to walk past her, but she makes a point of stepping in front of you again. Teeth clenched tight, you remind yourself, everything’s fine.

Yara takes some breaths, and shakes herself, before speaking again, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t…I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that. My mom died last year from lung cancer, so I just…”

Tears are trickling down her cheeks and she wipes them away quickly, and you sigh heavily. Putting on a fake, reassuring smile, you tell her it’s all fine, and you maneuver your way to the bar without another word.

You manage to shove your way to the counter and wave at Grillby. He’s serving some other guests, some mice monsters and one other human, who are all laughing uproariously. To your surprise, the rabbit monster you had met the first time you were here was behind the bar, cleaning some glasses. She blinks at you and tilts her head.

“What can I get you?” she asks, and you eye the shelf. 

“Can I get a shot of Black Jack?” you pray that the monster knows what you’re talking about. 

She blinks at you again, and pulls out a small ‘recipe card’ from beneath the bar. Her eyes scan down it and they light up in recognition, and she gives you a nod.

“Sorry about that, love. I’m still getting used to the human drinks,” she chuckles awkwardly, and you wave off her concern.

“It’s all good. Take your time.”

Your fingers are tapping irritably against the counter as you wait, when you feel another body amble up beside you. 

“huh, thought you were into whiskey business, ” Sans teases, gently nudging your side. He watches as the rabbit bartender mixes your shot carefully. You don’t meet his gaze.

“There’s whiskey in it,” you grumble, and the rabbit slides it over to you once it’s finished. Without hesitation you reach for it and knock it back. The rabbit waits for your approval, and you give her a thumbs up. 

Sans watches you quietly, feeling the anger that’s radiating off of you. 

“she meant well, but i’m sorry either way,” he says carefully, and you scowl. 

“I know. It’s fine.”

“you lookin’ like you could spew some fireball .”

“Ugh. That’s the worst whiskey. Don’t ever drink it.”

“then how come so many of the human college kids rave about it?” his eye lights flicker to the large group of students doing shots of their own, with the liquor in question. The bottle is orange and bright, standing proudly at their table. 

“Because it’s cheap.”

“ah.”

There’s silence between you as you wave to the rabbit monster again. You ask to see the ‘recipe menu’, so you can get an idea of what they can and can’t make. 

Your eyes linger on a certain shot on the list, and you look over at Sans. He’s looking at the cabinets himself, eyeing the monster side of the liquor wall. He’s relaxed, and you feel that fluttery feeling again at the idea of him coming to check on you. 

You’re not sure…what, if anything, is stirring between the two of you. But. 

Last night, and the movie night, and the first time you both came to Grillby’s. You think of Toriel, and how she explained monster and human relationships, from the past. “Emotional closeness” and all that. 

You can’t help but feel a touch impish.

The alcohol is making its way through your veins. You’ll chalk it up to liquid courage. And it beats focusing on the anger, and Yara.

This is supposed to be a fun night. 

“Sans,” you say lightly, and his skull turns to look at you. He’s lounging against the counter, one elbow propping him up. 

“‘sup, skye?”

That nickname again. The butterflies are flapping harder.

Smirk sliding along your face, you lean into his space just a little. He blinks, eye sockets widening. You feel your eyelids lower playfully. Your tone dips towards downright sultry.

“Want a blowjob?”

His skull lights up the brightest blue you had ever seen and he chokes on air. Now a neon blue, he nearly stumbles off the stool in shock as he coughs. 

“wha- what, i mean-”

You let him squirm a second before you grin, tapping the recipe card against your cheek innocently, “It’s a shot. Baileys, amaretto. A dollop of whipped cream.”

You wink. 

His skull is burning furiously.

You can’t remember the last time you flirted so blatantly. 

“...don’t think i’ve had one of those before,” he mumbles.

Your eyes are locked for a long minute, and your brain is revving. That… obviously he meant the shot, right? Right.

…Right?

You see his skeletal fingers wave over the rabbit, and she does so with a ‘hop’ in her step.

Sans has managed to get control over his embarrassment, because now his demeanor has visibly shifted. His eyes trail over you, almost calculatingly, and he gazes back to the rabbit monster.

“What can I get you, Sansy?” she flutters her eyelashes at him. 

He grins, falling back into his leisure-like stance. His low voice rumbles easily and you feel your skin prickle with goosebumps at the sound.

“heya, buns. can you give me and my friend here a blow job?”

Her face turns scarlet and you snicker. You save her as you hand her back the recipe card and point to the one in question. 

She takes her time reading it, looks at Sans, then you, and goes to get the right bottles. 

“That wasn’t very nice, Sansy ,” you chide to him softly, giving him a side eye.

“never claimed to be a nice guy,” he tilts his body back towards you. Now that you’re facing the bar, your body is in a profile view to him, and you can feel his eye lights linger on the exposed skin of your back. Your body is quite on display, with the hoodie being both sleeveless and backless. He’s able to see how the intricate tattoo of roses, vines and skulls start at the back of your shoulder blade and curl down along your arm, as well as winding down over your ribs. Your black tube top covers enough so you’re not indecent.

It had been a long time since you had dressed in this kind of get up. It would usually be when you went out to concerts or rock music festivals. 

You notice his sockets flicker strangely, like his pupils are fluctuating in brightness. Your skin feels hot.

‘Buns’ returns not long after, carefully placing one shot in front of you, and the other in front of Sans. You are able to see tiny little sparkles dance above his, which would be the magic, you supposed. 

She looks at you two and double checks the recipe card. Clearing her throat, she shrugs, “Well, enjoy, I guess…y’all should just get a room.”

Thankfully Sans and you seem to be on the same page and ignore that last little jab. Turning towards each other, you both raise your shot glasses, and then knock them back. You can’t help the pleased hum that leaves you, and Sans seems to be contemplating the drink. 

You lean towards Buns and give her a wink, grinning cheekily, “That was the tastiest blow job I’ve had, so thanks!”

Sans barks out a laugh and nearly drops his glass. 

You leave her a good tip so you don’t feel too bad.

Chapter Text

You order a rum and coke to take back with you, with Sans getting some whiskey, and the two of you make your way back to your group. Thanks to that little excursion, you’re feeling…less angry. Yara immediately approaches you and apologizes profusely, but you shake your head. 

“Don’t worry ‘bout it, let’s just enjoy the night, okay? We can talk later if we have to.”

Muffet notices you and Sans, and how close you are. How you both have a little pep in your step. You both return to your original seats, so she’s able to gently nudge you. She pointedly meets your gaze with her own and folds her many arms, and you ignore it along with her expectant gaze. 

Sure, you had just treaded on whatever line was between you and Sans, and it went well. At least, you think so. You got goosebumps, for fucks sakes.

Or are you just that down bad?

Whatever. You can’t stop repeating the “i’ve never had one of those before” over and over in your head. 

Thankfully the college crowd has started karaoke night in full swing, because the caterwauling of ‘Don’t Stop Believing’ rings out over the crowd. Of course. Lots of other voices join in, because let’s face it, it’s basically the commoner’s national anthem at this point. 

Undyne and Papyrus are busy debating with each other on what they should sing, and Alphys sips on her drink while watching Undyne intently. You can see a rosy tint to her scales, so she must be enjoying herself. You can’t help but wonder what songs they know that would be on a karaoke machine. 

Grillby is certainly kept busy and makes his rounds throughout the bar. He has various monster workers and two other fire elementals like himself, but they are much shorter than he is. You wonder if they are a different gender, or if it just means that they are younger, or maybe a different kind of element altogether!

“prob shouldn’t be starin’ so intently,” Sans’ voice startles you, and you huff. Quirking an eyebrow at him, his grin stretches and it makes his eyes squint, “might make ‘em burst into flames.”

You’re starting to think that this might be your favorite Sans expression.

“Uh huh,” you say, and take a drink from your glass. Muffet titters beside you.

“Ahuhuhu,” she grins, leaning so she can see the skeleton. Sans shifts in his seat, giving the spider monster a nod. 

“been a while, how’s it goin’, muffet?” his tone has changed, and you’re unsure why.

Her eyes blink in quick succession and she hums, “Oh just fine, deary. I was just thinking to myself the other day how nice it is that the two of you have become such good friends. It’s rare to see you out and about~”

The skeleton monster isn’t phased by her teasing, like you are. You can feel the heat rush to your cheeks and you give her a glare, but the spider lady merely bats her eyes at you.

“could say the same for you. i don’t think i ever saw you mingle with us plebs back in the underground like you are now. certainly never at grillby’s .” he says while waving a hand around the bar. There’s a loud ‘WHOOP’ as the man on stage has finally finished, causing a roaring cheer from his fellow peers. Muffet cringes at the sound, but leans against you firmly and weaves an arm through yours.

“Seems our new human has quite the charm about her~” she purrs, and you bodily do your best not to flinch, because Muffet has never been so forward about touching you. You can feel her get uncomfortably close and her chest push against your arm; and you're so busy looking at her, that you miss the mildly irritated look that crosses Sans’ face. 

He recovers quickly, and Muffet seems rather smug as you gently pull your arm from her grasp. Thanks to her pressing up against you, you definitely know she has boobs now. 

Weird thought to have, but. Y’know. 

Suddenly there’s a clatter and a rush of footsteps, and it’s Papyrus launching himself to the stage. Deciding to break out of whatever was happening between the three of you, you start clapping loudly and give him a cheer along with Undyne. 

“Go Skeletor!!” comes from some corner of the bar, and you know it’s a human. You can’t help but snort. 

Thankfully Papyrus isn’t phased by it and is so focused on going through the machine to find what song he wants. Undyne is bouncing in her seat and sloshes her beer on the table. Alphys puts a gentle hand on her shoulder, but she can’t be tamed. 

“YOU GOT THIS PAPS! JUST LIKE WE TRAINED FOR!!”

Trained for? How do you train for karaoke?

Sans chuckles and drinks from his glass, his eyes looking proudly, and fondly, at his brother. Papyrus finally finds the song he wants, makes the selection, and poses for the crowd while carefully moving the microphone off to the side. 

“I HOPE YOU ARE ALL PREPARED FOR THE BEAUTIFUL BALLAD I HAVE SELECTED FOR YOU TONIGHT!!”

His voice is loud and booming, like always. He doesn’t even need the microphone. Thank god. You shudder to think about your ears if he had went for it.

You don’t have a clue what he picked, and you wait with baited breath.

You can’t keep it together once the familiar notes ring out from the speaker and Papyrus starts singing, loudly, oh so loudly:

“ TONIGHT I’M GONNA HAVE MYSELF A REAL GOOD TIME, I FEEL ALI-I-IIIIIVE,  AND THE WOOOORLD, I’LL TURN IT INSIDE OUT, YEAH!  I’M FLOATING AROUND, IN ECSTACY,  SO, DON’T. STOP. ME NOOOOW…

‘CAUSE I’M HAVIN’ A GOOD TIME, HAVIN’ A GOOD TIIIIIME~!”

As Papyrus sings, the crowd cheers wholeheartedly, because for what he lacks in tone he makes up for in enthusiasm, and he puts on a great show. He gives it his all, like he does everything in his life, and you cheer and shout with the rest of them.

Fucking Queen. It was perfect. Sans was laughing so hard, but you could tell how pleased he was. At the ‘Sex Machine’ line, Papyrus had changed it to ‘Cool Machine’, which you thought was hilarious and fitting. 

It still begs the question of how skeleton monsters have sex. Funny how much that thought has been popping up in your brain lately. 

Before Papyrus had wrapped up, Yara shyly approached you and tapped your shoulder. 

She had to lean forward by your ear so you could hear, and she asks, “I was wondering if you would sing a song with me?”

Confused, you think your face speaks for yourself, and she looks embarrassed as she continues, “It would be fun?” She tells you what song she had wanted, and said that she hoped that you would do it as a duet…meaning she’d sing a verse, and you’d sing the next. 

You admittedly were still sour over the incident the two of you shared, but you’ve had plenty of alcohol now, and you eye her closely. For whatever reason she really wanted to sing with you, and you ended up shrugging.

What’s the worst that could happen?

“Sure,” you supply, and she looks so relieved and pulls you from your seat. You scramble to follow, with Sans and Muffet giving your retreating body amused glances. 

Muffet slides into your vacant seat, so she’s next to Sans. Papyrus had finished and is bowing, and chats with you and Yara as you approach the stage. He even goes as far as to take you both by the hand and help walk you up onto it. The spider monster watches idly as she sips from her own drink.

“My dear Skylar doesn’t have anyone in her corner, around here, so to speak,” she says softly, and Sans shifts bodily in his seat. Neither of them move to make eye contact, but the air grows ever so tense.

“i think she’s got plenty of friends,” he taps his fingers against the wooden table with soft ‘clacking’ sounds, watching as Yara goes through the machine to find the song she wants. You’re enraptured by it, because you hadn’t known that Alphys had been the one to build Grillby’s karaoke machine. It was able to look up any song you wanted, and make it a sing-a-long, karaoke thing. 

Your genuine fascination with magic was …cute. 

Sans waves at a wandering Grillby, and he holds up his near-empty glass. The fire elemental nods, making his way back to the bar to make Sans another drink.

Muffet sniffs, giving Sans a narrowed off look, “Of course. She has taken the time to explain some things to me, is all, and humans have not been kind to her.”

The skeleton’s bony hand tightens idly on his glass. He can’t explain it, but he hadn’t known you and Muffet were so close, and that…bothered him. 

Was he jealous?

“Let’s not resort to incessant banter,” she finishes off her own drink, and her voice takes on a dangerous lilt, “be good to my dear human. It would be a shame to have to invite you over to meet my pet, Judge.”

Sans stops tapping on the counter and hums, “you’re sounding awfully arachneedy .”

Muffet’s poster relaxes as she listens to the next song play. You and Yara both have your own microphones, and cheers come from all sides of the bar, particularly male ones. Muffet watches you on the stage fondly. 

She looks at you the way that he looks at Papyrus.

“I’m not sure how, or when, but I’ve grown rather fond and rather not see her hurt,” she titters innocently, and Sans feels his own body relax now that Muffet’s intent wasn’t so on edge.

His toothy grin widens as he listens to the lyrics, and watches the two humans on stage. A quiet “likewise,” is murmured under his breath, and Papyrus rejoins the table. 

Yara played you for a fool. She used the ‘shy card’ just to get you feeling bad, and dragged your ass on that stage.

The song she picked wasn’t the problem. You even know all the words, cause what 90’s baby doesn’t? But she was just putting on such a performance for her first verse, and now you felt obligated to try and attempt something similar cause fucking hell.

She bleeds confidence as her body sways and dances along with the beat, and even fucking flirts with the people nearby:

“Here I go, here I go, here I go again ,  Girls, what's my weakness? (Men!),  Ok then, chillin', chillin', mindin' my business,  Yo, Salt, I looked around, and I couldn't believe this,  I swear, I stared, my niece my witness…~”

Yara has the gall to wink at you as she ends her portion, the two of you singing the chorus together since it was fairly repetitive, and you look out at the crowd of bar-goers and try desperately not to feel as nervous as you did.

But you wanted to rub it in Yara’s smug face, and give it your best go show-man wise, and to your surprise it was fairly easy because Shoop is such a fun song. The alcohol surely had a hand, too. 

You feel your body move in much the same way that Yara had, though not as skilfully because you were a shit dancer. But with an easy sway, and playful mannerisms, you sang your part without having to look at the screen once,

“Ummm, you're packed and you're stacked 'specially in the back,  Brother, wanna thank your mother for a butt like that (thanks, Mom),  Can I get some fries with that shake-shake booty?

If looks could kill you would be an uzi,  You're a shotgun - bang! What's up with that thang?  I wanna know, how does it hang?"

There’s loud whistles and catcalls, with Yara providing the background lyrics much like you had for her. The crowd was very interactive with this song, as well. 

Well, the humans. The monsters were very supportive regardless of some of the confused faces. 

The rush was addicting, because at the end of it some of the college kids ended up buying both you and Yara a round of shots. And sure enough, it was Fireball, and you shake your head after you knock it back.

Gah. Fucking cinnamon-shit-tasting-piss. At least it was free.

And you think you understand why so many people like karaoke.

You’re met with applause as the two of you make it back to your table. Undyne cackles as she tries to give you a noogie, but you manage to pry yourself away before she’s successful.

“WOWIE, I NEVER KNEW WHAT A ‘SHOOP’ WAS UNTIL TODAY!” Papyrus enthuses, causing you and Yara to cackle wildly. Not at his expense, it was just so fucking funny . Sans looks so incredibly amused and you poke your tongue out at him. His eye sockets narrow intently.

Oof. Maybe you need to trade out some water. 

Apparently not yet, because Undyne went ahead and bought a round of tequila shots for the table. Yara cheers and Alphys sighs. Sans takes one easily, as does Muffet, as you all raise your glasses in a toast. Even Papyrus, to your surprise. He hadn’t been drinking all night, but you think maybe for Undyne, he would take one. 

Sure enough, after it’s over, Paps rants about how disgusting alcohol is.

Inspired by you and Yara, the next singer that ambles up there starts singing “It’s Tricky” and you can’t help but bob your head along with the groove. 

Even though it started bumpy, this night was just what you needed. Undyne had gotten up on stage and belted out ‘Don’t Go Breaking My Heart’ with Alphys, and you could feel yourself rotting on the inside at how sweet it was. 

Drinks flow freely, and you’re mindful not to overdue it. You begin to drink water between other beverages, and push water at the monsters as well. You weren’t sure how it all worked, them being magic and all, but you can’t help that caring instinct. 

Hard exterior and all, you have your vices. You don’t want anyone to end up puking.

To everyone’s shock and delight, Sans had even gotten off his stool and shuffled his way up to the stage after Undyne and Papyrus badgered him enough. You couldn’t imagine what he would pick, and watch with baited breath. Muffet teases you endlessly for it.

Then the fucking song starts playing, and you and Yara roar with laughter. There’s cheers that go loudly amongst the college crowd, because of course they would.

Sans just stands there, letting the music play for-fucking-ever. He nods along, mimes looking at his wrist for a watch that isn’t there while the intro plays. Rounds of shots start going around quickly at the bar to match the enthusiasm of the song choice. It gets everyone dancing, since all the humans know it, but all the monsters at your table are so confused because Sans isn’t singing at all .

He then gets close to the microphone and utters one simple word at the appropriate pause in the song:

“ tequila.”

The skeleton is radiating smugness as he swaggers his way back to the group.

“SANS, THAT WAS THE LAZIEST SONG YOU COULD HAVE EVER PICKED! IT…FIT YOU SO WELL…” Papyrus screeches begrudgingly when Sans returns to your table, looking like a cat who got the canary.

“heh. thanks, bro.”

Yara had gone to the bar and gotten burgers and fries for the table, and you couldn’t imagine what that had cost her, but you were thankful nonetheless. She insisted, with this night out being her idea. 

You and Sans are sitting by each other the entire night. Even though you don’t get much time to talk one-on-one, like you had at the bar, it was still nice to be beside him. You could watch and see how his expressions shifted, and jab at him for his terrible jokes. You’re proud to say that you only laughed at a couple. 

Someone is singing “Hold The Line” and you pointedly ignore it. 

Undyne acts quickly after whoever finishes so she can belt out a solo song of her own. Her blue scales glisten under the lights of the bar, and she has a cute rosy tint to her cheeks thanks to the alcohol flowing in the group. You can feel her energy vibrating off of her as she scrolls through the machine. A small dance floor has opened up as the night went on as well, which has added to the shenanigans. You and Yara had gone out to dance several times, especially when one of the college men put on a hell of a show for “Man, I Feel Like A Woman”. 

Finally satisfied with her choice, Undyne starts up the music and the cheers have her feeling pumped. She snickers and bobs her head along with the beat, and you can’t help but let out a loud ‘WHOOP!’ for the fish monster’s choice because who doesn’t love P!nk?! Undyne has a natural talent for it, and her sharp, gritty tone makes the song more edgy and fun. 

“So raise your glass if you are wrong, In all the right ways!  All my underdogs,  We will never be never be, anything but loud,  And nitty gritty dirty little freaks!  Won't you come on and come on and raise your glass,  Just come on and come on and raise your glass!~”

Needless to say the monsters cheer heartily for her and all in the bar gather around the small stage, listening to Undyne belt it out for them. It dawns on you what an important figure Undyne must be for everyone. You know that she was, and kinda still is, the head of the Royal Guard. She must have been such an inspiration to all the monsters, when they were all trapped. For all that she’s loud and stubborn and impulsive, you know that under it all, she has a kind heart and will do anything for her friends and family. She certainly has a stronger spirit than most people you know. No...not spirit. SOUL.

Your chest swells for her. For all the monsters, tonight. Watching her have so much fun, and seeing all the monsters bounce off of her energy. It’s nice to see the monsters in the bar hyping each other up. And thankfully, the humans in the bar know to give the monsters, space, too. Let them have this. Papyrus stands tall and proud in the group surrounding the small stage, with Alphys up on his shoulders so she can see her girlfriend’s performance.

They all wander back afterward, and Undyne is bright eyed and proud and chats with monsters all around the bar. She gives Alphys a big kiss right on the reptilian monsters lips, causing her to turn bright like a lamp. It’s adorable. You smile, and feel Sans nudge you gently. You had almost forgotten he was there. 

He smiles at you, and it’s relaxed and gentle and just…happy. He’s happy, in this moment, and you think that that’s all anyone can ask for. To take joy in the small moments. You smile back at him, and you can’t help but feel grateful for how life has played up and brought you here.

Ugh. Alcohol makes you more mushy too, it’s terrible. 

Finally, Papyrus turns his pleading eye sockets towards you. You feel your nerves spike, because you had been dreading this. 

You were still riding a buzz. Papyrus wheedles himself between you and Muffet, nearly knocking over the spiders’ drink, which she glares at him uselessly since he’s fixated on you.

“PLEASE!! YOU SANG SO PRETTILY LAST TIME WE HEARD YOU, AND EVERYONE HAS TO DO A SONG BY THEMSELF, IT’S THE RULE OF THE KARAOKING!”

“Yeah, Muffet,” Undyne sneers, and the spider monster makes some kind of gesture back at her, causing Undyne to nearly launch herself out of her seat if not for Alphys holding her back. You pointedly ignore that as Sans chuckles beside you.

The shorter skeleton gently pokes your arm, making you turn to him warily. 

He nods up towards the stage with a wink, “you got this, skye.”

Welp. You are now aware of a new weakness.

Scowling at him, he beams at you as you take one more shot that’s leftover on the table. Papyrus cheers with a loud “YAY!” as you push your way through the crowd, eventually getting back to the stage. 

You think carefully, trying your damn-dest to ignore the many eyes watching you. Wiping your hair from your face, you finally decide to just tie it up in a messy ponytail. Someone wolf whistles at you and you shoot up a middle finger absently as you scroll through the machine. A bunch of ‘Oooh’s’ echo in the bar, and you roll your eyes.

Finally you pick your song. It’s one of your very favorites, and if you were to ever have a ‘theme song’, well…you’d like to think this one would be yours. 

Ever since you heard it, it spoke to you. 

You were no Lizzy Hale, but you have had a lot of shots this evening, and you fucking LOVE this song. 

It was go big or go home, you guess.

The music starts, and with a quick glance out at the crowd you don’t see many folks recognize it, if at all. With Alphys’s machine (which was hella fucking cool, by the way) you could pick any song you wanted, and it would make it a karaoke song on the spot. It was wild. 

You feel the beat flow through you, and your brain comes alive. You feel your foot start to tap along with the drum, and you let your husky voice ring out among the crowd:

“Some like beautiful, perfect and pretty,  I see the good in the bad and the ugly. I need the volume one louder than ten,  Put the pedal to the metal needle into the red.  If the windows ain't shaking making my heart race,  If I can't feel it in my chest,  I'm in the wrong damn place~”

Your hips move from side to side, and your arm goes up behind your head. Getting lost in the lyrics, and in the guitars, your passion behind the words grows stronger:

“Got a demon in my soul, and a voice in my head,  Saying go, go, go, I can sleep when I'm dead.  There's a sonic revelation bringing me to my knees,  And there's a man down below that needs my sympathy.  I got a ringin' in my ears gettin' ready to burst,  Screaming hallelujah mother fucker, take me to church~”

The crowd starts clapping and stomping along with the drum beat, since it's steady and simple, and you can hear Undyne and Yara screaming somewhere along with Paps, but you're truly getting lost in the song. Now that the beat has dropped, the patrons of the bar all start some form of headbanging, and you grin. Eyes closing, you feel a rush as you get to the next verse, letting your hand thump along on your chest as you go.

Your voice gets more heated as you match the vibe of the song, letting your anger and love of metal music come alive through your body:

“I like it louder than the boom of a big bass drum,  I need it harder than the sound of guitar grunge.  I like to crank it up,  Make it thump,  And lead on to the chord,  Head bangin' in the pit and throwin' my horns.  And just like old school Sabbath, Zeppelin and Lemmy,  I need to drop it down low and make it heavy…I LIKE IT HEAVY~!”

It was the first hard rock/metal song chosen of the night, and thankfully the crowd was matching your energy. Or, at least, they were game for it.  Before long, you’re getting to the end of the song. Sweat is beading on your skin, and you don’t realize how out of breath you are before you start to slow down for the last verse.

Because the song slows down. No instruments, just your voice carrying out the last segment. You grow quiet, for some reason. Your hazel eyes fly across the sea of faces before they land on Sans; and you nearly forget the words.

His eye lights are transfixed on you, and you lick your lips nervously. Ugh, why now, do you feel shy?! Sans’ posture may seem lax to others, but you sense that there’s a tension lining his shoulders, along with the way he is idly toying with the glass on the table. 

You’re not an idiot. It looked like he wanted to pounce.

You try to pry away your eyes, but fail, since those butterflies have pretty much gone to outer space now. Your face is flushed as the words tumble from your lips:

“Take me home tonight, I'd do anything with you. Buy a bottle of whiskey, We'll get matching tattoos. Tell me that you love me, Oh, let me drive your car. We can sit 'til morning light, Just countin' every star. 'Cause if there's a Hell, I'll meet you there. And if there's a Heaven, They're serving beer. And if you're an angel, Then I must be high~!”

There’s cheers and whoops, and you are finally able to let your lashes flutter and close to escape from his gaze.

But even behind your closed lids, you see white pin pricks boring into you. Something in your chest feels alive, but you’re not sure how to explain it. It feels like your world is centering itself, finding your core, and you thrum with an energy you have never experienced. 

“Oh, if there's a church, It's rock 'n roll. If there's a devil, I sold my soul. And it's alright whatever we do tonight.  'Cause if there's a God,  Dammit she won't mind.  If there's a God.  Baby, she won't mind…”

There’s loud cheers all around as you make your way off the stage. You brush people off, refusing any more drinks. You don’t think it’d be the best choice right now. The high from the song, and whatever…happened inside you, is leaving quickly and you’re feeling…weird.

Making it back to the group in one piece, you’re met by more cheers and compliments. You are diligently avoiding a certain pair of eyes as Papyrus and Undyne are all up in your space.

“NYEH HEH HEEEH~! THAT WAS AMAZING! YOU KNOCKED MY SOCKS OFF, IF I WERE WEARING ANY!”

“YEAH NERD! That was an awesome song, you’re gonna have to tell me the name. I totally wanna jam to that when I work out!!” Undyne gushes, and she and Papyrus are both suffocating in a way that you weren’t expecting, after all that. It was sweet and endearing, but you felt…off.

Helplessly you smile, and wave to the group, “Ha, thanks guys. You all are amazing too, so don’t-”

Yara hops in, poking you in the side, “Yeah girl, we may be out there just jokin’ around and having fun, but you can sing! And all that dancin’ too, where did that come from?!” 

All this attention is making you feel closed in, and you take a careful step back and nearly run into somebody else. Swallowing, you scratch the back of your head, and take another step back carefully and rush out, “I’m gonna step out for a minute, I’ll be right back!” 

You beeline for the exit, ignoring the calls behind you. 

Chapter Text

The door to Grillby’s opens easily, and you brush past a group of folks that’s hanging out by the front. Your heart is hammering in your chest as you make your way to the far side of the building, away from the noise and lights and people. There’s an alleyway between Grillby’s and the next building, and you’re not stupid enough to go in the alley…just like, barely past the corner.

Somehow, you had gotten in a bit over your head. Your breathing has quickened and you’re running your hands over your face, feeling tears prick at the corners of your eyes.

Ugh. Why. Why were you freaking out so bad? Nobody else had a meltdown over doing a stupid song.

But it felt so much more than that. It felt like you were prying a part of yourself open, and exposing it to the world. A part of you that was lost from your childhood. Something in your chest has been sleeping and is now awake. Or…maybe waking up would be a better way to see it. 

Singing, and dancing. You truly did love it as a kid. Why did it feel so wrong, now? And the praise and compliments felt…well. It just felt like you didn’t deserve it.

Scrambling in your pockets, you fumble for your cigarettes and lighter. You find the cigarettes, but fail to find your lighter, and you curse as you feel your fingers tremble in panic. 

You had it, you know you had it, where did it go-

“Hey pretty mama. Need a light?”

Nearly jumping out of your skin, you hadn’t noticed that there was another person nearby. He was tall and lanky, and wearing a rather large hoodie. Ripped oversized jeans, he looked pretty rough with how scarred up his face was in the dim light. In his hand he’s clicking a small lighter, and your eyes lock onto it.

You need a lighter. You don’t know where yours went, but you needed it. 

“If, if you don’t mind, that’d be great,” you manage to stutter out. However, instead of handing the lighter to you, of course, of course , he steps into your personal space to flick it to life and hold it up to you. The orange light casts ugly highlights over his oily skin. 

But it’s hard to think right now. You are on your guard as you carefully let him hold the lighter up to your cigarette that’s resting between your lips, but you are also hindered in your goal. Once it’s lit, you inhale it quickly, blowing out some smoke in an attempt to get him to give you your space.

He doesn’t move.

Of fucking course.

So you take a step back, causing him to cackle. It’s ugly and moist sounding, like he’s sick, and you pointedly ignore him. 

There’s silence as you can feel the motions of smoking calm your nerves, whatever that means. Your heartbeat slows, and you feel less manic. You feel a buzzing in your pocket, and you distractedly recognize it as your phone, but you don’t have the mind for it just now. 

“Not even a thank you? That’s fuckin’ rude, lady,” the slimy voice drawls, and you hadn’t noticed him get into your space again. The next time you try to step away, you hit the wall of Grillby’s. Because why not add the stereotypical “shady guy” outside of the bar scenario in Ebott, too. 

He’s staring at you, and in the low lamplights that are across the street, you can see the way his eyes are glossy in the light. 

Not a great sign. This definitely isn’t something you wanted to deal with.

“I’m sorry,” you begin, and rub your face as you continue nursing your cigarette, “I wasn’t, I’m, gah. I wasn’t in a good mood just there, I’m sorry. Thank you, for your help.”

His shoes drag across the asphalt as he ambles closer to you. Your eyes narrow, and you take another pointed step away from him, this time closer towards the bar’s entrance. This involves skirting around him, since he’s in front of you, but the guy fucking grabs your arm because why not.

Thankfully you’re able to yank it out of his grip, and be within view of all those people that are hanging out in front of Grillby’s. Now that your panic-induced state has dwindled, anger was ready to jump into the forefront of your mind.

“Knock if off,” you bark out loudly, which grabs the attention from the people out front like you had hoped. They watch and grow quiet;  it’s a handful of those college kids and a couple of aquatic looking monsters. The slime ball thankfully isn’t that stupid, and raises his hands up in defeat.

“Alright, kitty cat, alright. I’ll remember your face,” he mumbles like some kind of threat, and you glare at him. 

Momma may have raised an anxiety ridden, depressive mess, but she didn’t raise no bitch. 

You snarl at him, “Fuck off with that shit, dude. I don’t owe you a damn thing, don’t act like you’re entitled because you let me borrow a fucking lighter!”

This seems to trigger something in the man, because suddenly he has a hand latched out around your neck. For being so lanky, he moves with purpose, which raises your hackles even more than the hand around your neck.

It means that he is very much aware of what he’s doing, and he’s most likely hurt people before. You know, because for a while, you hung around a lot of people like him.

“Filthy mouth you got there,” he breathes, and his breath smells god awful. He’s managed to drag you back and slam you against the brick wall of the building. The alcohol has made you sluggish, and the rough handling certainly hasn’t helped, but you hear stampeding feet coming your way. You manage to stomp on one of his feet, because you will be damned if you ever let a man abuse you again, which earns you a sharp cry of pain from him.

And then suddenly there’s a slap, and in the next instance no pressure around your neck at all. His hand is yanked from you, and the college boys have him off you and pushed off to the side.

“Back off pal,” one of them mutters, while a monster comes and helps you steady yourself. Your cheek is burning fiercely. 

You’re embarrassed, because you hated having people come to your rescue to begin with, but fucking. Really. During a panic episode? 

That oily hand around your throat had successfully wretched open another box of memories you’d rather not think about, and you hear the boys distantly shout and chase off the creep. There is a monster who’s at your side, carefully helping you to the ground, because when did everything get blurry and your chest start getting tight?

Fucking hell. 

Sans plays with the lighter he had plucked from your pocket in his hand as he waits for you to come back to the bar. He puts his phone back in his hoodie after sending you a quick text.

He had thought of chasing after you, or at least following you to make sure you were okay like he had earlier tonight, but something told him that you were feeling overwhelmed from all the attention. At least without your lighter, you couldn’t smoke one of those damn things.

Probably very much ‘not appropriate’, but he’s struggling to care. He wanted to talk to you privately about it, because it really freaked him and Papyrus, as well as the other monsters out. 

Cancer. He was going to look into it more when he got home. 

Sans feels annoyance crawl along his skull. The night had been going so well. Drinks with friends, good laughs and banter. And the singing. 

Your singing.

It’s been a while since he’s been fascinated by someone. Since Frisk, probably, but that was not in the same capacity as to what he’s thinking about right now. 

And Sans has had partners before, both romantic and intimate, contrary to popular belief (Undyne). He just wasn’t vocal about it. Romantic relationships were attempted, and at first he thought something was wrong with him. They just didn’t seem to last. Feelings. In the beginning sure, it was always fun and light and the rush of new energy but…eh. And well, he liked sex as much as the next guy. He just didn’t have a big drive for it. Some ex’s would wave a flippant hand at the fact that he was a skeleton, even though he could damn well make whatever he wanted to please a partner. And all monsters KNEW this, because hello, magic , but even so… 

Those arguments always got rather heated.

Needless to say, it’s…been a while. 

And then there’s you, who has managed to stir something within his core, within his SOUL, and he can’t put a finger on it.

He knows it didn’t just suddenly manifest itself tonight. It’s been happening slowly, over the weeks he’s known you.

The teasing at the bar was bad enough, but then you had to go and get up on that stage and sing a song that literally brought you to life . He could see your SOUL pulsing within your chest, a gentle glow that he knew all monsters could sense in that room. It may have been invisible, but monsters were more connected to SOUL’s in that way.

You were radiant, encapsulating all your feelings and emotion into one simple action, and it was intoxicating to watch. You were a warm flame…no, spark? He wasn’t sure how to properly describe it. You reminded him of electricity. Strings being plucked on a forgotten instrument. A plant that has been wilting, finally getting a drink of water. 

For someone who had come so close to death, even wanted it, you existed in this plane so fiercely and brightly. Rebelliously.

In a way, it felt like the monsters in the room were feeding their magic into you, making your natural aura more vibrant. He thought he could see flecks of green mist float about you, but he wasn’t sure. It happened naturally of course, but he can’t help the stab of jealousy. He’s not even sure if he understands why yet.

Last night had been…something else. He’s never slept on the phone with someone before. He’s also never answered a phone call when he’s been locked up in his room, trying to battle his own demons. But he had seen your name light up on his caller ID, and had debated it before answering. 

Waking up that morning, or should he say afternoon (he had slept close to 14 hours, he thinks), he was glad that he answered your call.

You were different. And with your outfit you were wearing, and how much skin you had shown…he can’t help but wonder what it felt like.

“SHOULD WE GO AND LOOK FOR HER, BROTHER?” Papyrus asks worriedly. 

Jarred from his musings, Sans turns to his brother slowly, seeing the concern across his features. Sans’ reply dies in this throat at the sudden appearance of one of those college dorks. He can tell, because well, no humans just walk up to a group full of monsters so easily. And he’s young. And wearing one of those letter jacket thingies. 

“Hey!” he starts, panting, “Hey, you guys are friends with the uh, the one lady with the black hair?”

Awfully vague, but everyone at the table is at attention. The panic in his voice sets off alarms and makes all monsters on alert. 

Muffet is already out of her seat and heading towards the door, and damn it, Sans doesn’t wait for the kid to continue as he follows her. 

The group follows not long after, and Muffet has run off to the left as soon as she’s out of the bar. Sans can see why, because there’s a small group of people not too far off in a huddle. 

Muffet pushes her way through gently and easily, and Sans watches helplessly as he approaches. He takes in the scene instead. 

You’re hunched on the ground, sitting against the wall with your knees up to your chest and breathing erratically. You don’t seem physically harmed, at least from what he can see. He can smell the cigarette smoke in the air, and he grinds his teeth together angrily. 

“what happened?” Sans asks one of the humans nearby, who’s dressed similarly to the one that came to get them. Papyrus and the others are soon joining him, and Sans feels more anxious. 

Sans stares as Muffet whispers to your shaking form, and the guy speaks, “She was over here only for a few minutes. There was this guy, real shady looking, he ended up grabbing her by the neck. We came and chased him off, but she fell and I think she’s uh, having a panic attack?” his voice raises in his uncertainty and Undyne quickly pulls him and the other witnesses aside, to get a description and more information from them. She looks tense, and has her phone out, presumably to call L.D. or G.D.

Papyrus wrings his hands together, and Yara carefully approaches Muffet and you. Sans wishes it could be him, but gets the feeling that wouldn’t go over well. He can’t see that clearly in the dark, but there’s a glassiness to your eyes that speaks volumes. 

And all the monsters here can feel you spiraling. Your distress is palpable in the air. 

Sans turns, and finds the guy who gave the statement. He’s still by Undyne. Sans walks up calmly, but his shoulders are a tight line.

“which way did the guy go?” he asks calmly. 

Undyne snaps, “Sans, don’t go acting all stupid! The dogs and I will handle it so we can get the scumbag booted out-”

“which. w a y?” Sans repeats, and this time there’s ice to his words, causing Undyne to snap her teeth shut. 

The shorter skeleton doesn’t handle feeling ‘helpless’ very well.

Alphys tries when Undyne doesn’t speak up again, “Sans, p-please, we know it’s upsetting. B-but we s-should-”

Blue magic begins to swirl in his left eye, and it clams up the reptile monster quickly. The human who spoke before is a bit enraptured at the magic display Sans’ body is giving off, and he’s about to speak, when Papyrus steps in.

“SANS”, he puts his large gloved hand gently on his brother's shoulder, startling him, “WE HAVE TO LET UNDYNE DO HER JOB. WE ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO FIGHT ANY HUMANS!”

Sans fidgets, clearly struggling internally. Finally, his magic peters out, and Papyrus gives him a reassuring squeeze. 

He doesn’t like it. He hates it, in fact. He wants to go find the person who did this, and bury them with his bones.

Undyne nods gratefully to Papyrus, and she finishes taking notes and quickly rings up someone on the phone. She walks off, not before giving a kiss to Alphys, and starts barking orders to whoever picked up. 

He knows that Undyne is good at her job. It’ll get resolved.

Sans just can’t explain this need he has for it to be him to do it. 

That’s a lie. He knows why. He’s started to open up, to let someone in, and he hates the fact that you got hurt. And he’s unable to help.

Caring, after all, is so terribly reckless.

Muffet is taking care of you right now. He’s unable to go after the person who did this to you in the first place. 

He’s helpless. Irrationally he feels guilty.

He loathes it.

Your breaths are quick and pained. Where you had been clutching onto your knees, you’ve managed to grab on to Muffet as she continues to whisper to you. Yara is also sitting close, and attempts to reach out and rub your back, but your whole body flinches away and closer to Muffet.

He wrestles with his inner thoughts, but steps closer tentatively and clears his throat.

Muffet shushes you, and then has to gall to glare up at Sans. He grins tightly.

“just wanna make sure she’s okay. i’m not doin’ nothin’.” he says quietly, and the spider monster strokes your hair gently. 

“Give us a moment, please,” Muffet answers stiffly, and Sans can feel his lower half of his eye socket tick. 

“Deary,” the spider monster says softly, “You’re safe. You need to breathe.”

“I-I’m fuckin-fuck, I-I’m trying ,” your voice is hoarse and strained, the words clawing their way out of your throat. Sans feels his fists tighten at his sides. 

He needs to do something. He has to. He can’t bear the thought of not being able to help you.

And that terrifies him.

“count, maethril. you got this.”

Chest heaving, your eyes blink rapidly at the sound of Sans’ voice. His low timber snaps you out of your spiral briefly, just long enough to focus, and you take in one staggering breath and let it out.

Muffet hums encouragement, counting out loud with you. Yara starts counting softly as well, and Sans can feel you come back to yourself. Sense it, in a way.

Something is clearly still wrong, and his boney fingers itch to hold your hands.

Your SOUL is aching fiercely.

Papyrus looms over Sans, watching closely. He, and Muffet, can probably feel that pain in the air too. This is more than whatever just transpired. It’s an old pain, flaring to life. Sans knows that feeling all too well. 

Worry is still painted across Papyrus’s features, and Alphys is typing away rapidly on her phone. She says she’s just informing Toriel of the incident, to give you some time at home and not worry about coming into work. Probably a good thing.

Slowly your head raises from your curled position, but your hands remain gripped on Muffets arms like a lifeline. A military vehicle is approaching from down the road, its headlights bright beams light up your features briefly.

Sans catches sight of your cheek, through your mess of hair. It’s inflamed, swollen. 

His eye sockets go black.

Sergeant Jameson arrives with two other military officers, and Undyne gives them the details of what happened. Greater Dog is in the vehicle with them, and he bounds out of the car to join Undyne’s side. He barks a few times, letting Undyne pat his head. The officers do their part, and interview the witnesses that have helped you out. Three human men, and a couple of wolf monsters.

Heavy boots crunch against the ground as Jameson approaches you and Muffet. Sans stands off to the side, silent. Listening.

“I’m sorry,” Jameson says, and he sounds genuine, “but ma’am, I’m going to need your statement as well. Do you think you can talk for a bit?”

Muffet glares pointedly at the human, and before she can say anything, Yara chimes in, “She’s really out of it, Sir. It’s more than just from the incident. We believe she’s having a panic attack.”

“I see,” he frowns. Sighing, he rubs the back of his head, then whistles for G.D. to come over. The dog hops out of his hulking suit of armor, approaching on all fours.  

“If you’re unable to give a statement at this time, I would appreciate it if Greater Dog could have a look at where the subject touched you. With the scent, Greater Dog will be crucial in helping to  find them.”

Greater Dog waits by Sergeant Jameson’s side, his gentle eyes watching you. Muffet squeezes your shoulder gently, to get your attention. You had been staring into the distance, and jolted to awareness with a sharp intake of breath.

“Skylar,” she says slowly, “Greater Dog wants to sniff your neck, where that nasty human touched you. So that we can find him. Is that okay?”

A beat passes. You nod, jerkily. 

Muffet beckons the dog monster over, and he does so carefully. For how dopey the ‘Dog Squad’ can be, they are always mindful and careful in the situations that need it. 

Greater Dog’s big, furry face gets close to yours. You hold your breath as his big nose nears your neck, and your cheek. He’s sniffing, and huffing, with his body still. The seconds drag on before he finally backs away, bounding over to Undyne, to hop back in his armor. 

Jameson nods to you, and your group, before he calls his officers and heads back to the jeep. Greater Dog is already on the hunt, his nose leading the way, and Jameson plans to follow in his jeep. 

Undyne shouts, “I’ll see you back at home, sweetie! I’m gonna help them!” the fish woman jumps onto the side of the jeep as it takes off down the road, and Alphys waves back at her girlfriend. 

As the sound of the jeep grows distant, Yara stands up tiredly from her spot beside you. She has guilty lines written all over her face, and Muffet starts to gently prod and pull you to standing. You're not meeting anyone’s gaze, and your hair is obscuring you. Sans hasn’t moved an inch, and Papyrus tries out a feeble, “Uhm, Shall We Get Her To A Human Doctor?”

It’s been some time since Paps has consciously lowered the volume of his voice. 

It makes Sans even more enraged at the situation. 

One thing’s for certain. Sans should have stayed in his room today.

Chapter Text

Your entire body is sore, from head to toe. Curling onto your side, you burrow under your blankets to hide from the sun as it glares through your windows. 

The incident at the bar happened about five days ago. Nearly an entire week, and you haven’t left your apartment.

Alphys had informed Toriel of what had happened, and the goat monster was understanding. From the sound of it, she had wanted to come to your apartment to check on you herself, but someone must have advised her against it. Good. Toriel told you through text to feel free to work from home as long as you needed, and you were so thankful. You were embarrassed, and felt so fucking pathetic about the whole thing. You needed time to lick your wounds, and find yourself.

Because now you were being haunted by nightmares from one of the darkest periods of your life.

After Sergeant Jameson had left, Muffet, Sans and Papyrus had all escorted you back home. You hadn’t said a word to any of them, only nodding or shaking your head. It took you hours to properly recover from this panic attack, and it’s been a long time since one had hit you so heavily. 

You would peek quick, timid glances at Sans but he was stiff in his movements. He didn’t say anything, either, and poor Papyrus was chatting away at Muffet. To your pleasant surprise, the spider monster was patient with the taller skeleton, and reassured him that you would be okay. There wasn’t anything a human doctor could do that they couldn’t, at least for this. 

You weren't entirely sure about that, but didn't provide a counter argument.

Once they got you home, Muffet motioned for Papyrus to go down into her bakery and get some day-old baked goods from one of the display cabinets. You didn’t think that you could eat.

“Monster food is good for the SOUL,” she tuts at you, and once the tall skeleton returns with several different donuts and muffins, he puts them all on the kitchen table. He picks a blueberry muffin and hands it to you. Muffet watches you wordlessly, and with a heavy sigh, you shakily starts tearing pieces of the muffin off to put in your mouth.

Silently you’re able to eat it, more like pecking at it, like a bird. But wondrously you feel your cheek pleasantly warm, soothing away the ache that was there. You poke at your swollen cheek delicately with your free hand. 

You can feel the muffin working; your body’s aches and pains were fading away with each bite. Panic attacks were exhausting, on top of everything else that happened.

Your throat cooled and was soothed, too. But you’d rather not think about that. 

It was all terribly awkward silence. The skeleton brothers stood by, with Sans being a stoic wall and Papyrus biting at one of his gloves. Muffet finally sighs and stands, walking to them both. 

“Thank you both for helping us back, but I assure you that everything will be fine,” she nods towards the door, and neither brother moves. 

Papyrus is now wringing his hands, “I CAN STAND GUARD THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT, IF NEEDED!”

Gracefully Muffet takes his giant hand, causing Papyrus to cease his rambling. She knows he means well, but there isn’t anything for them to do right now. 

Sans slowly approaches you, now that Muffet has finally left your side. He’s considerate of your space, watching you for any sudden moves that you didn’t want him near. 

Blearily, through glassy eyes, you look up at Sans from your spot on the couch. Your hair is a mess, but you make no move to fix it. You didn’t know what to say, or how to explain anything, and feel your cheeks burn. You’re fighting so hard to fight back the tears, and you can feel the anger tumbling in your gut. For some reason he’s triggering a stronger emotional response from you. Why do you want to cry in front of him?

Or maybe…is it because you feel safe with him? It’s all so terribly confusing right now. 

“i’m sorry,” he murmurs. Watching him, you can tell that the cogs are turning in that skull of his. The eye lights in his socket are fuzzy, but bright, training his focus on you. All you can offer is a shrug, and clear your throat after finishing the bite of muffin that you had in your mouth.

“It’s not your fault. It’s fine. I just, I’ll go to sleep. It was still a good night,” you mumble, closing your eyes heavily and wiping at your face.

He turns rigidly towards the door, but hesitates. Lowly so only you can hear, he says, “text me if you need anything.”

And then he’s making his way out, carefully nudging Papyrus along with him. Papyrus looks back at you sadly, and you manage a small wave. He waves back, and closes the door behind him.

You’re fine. It’s all fine.

Muffet stares at the door a moment, before walking back towards you. She uses a set of hands to carefully grasp you under your chin. She tilts your head up so she can see your face properly, and she moves your hair out of the way, tucking it behind your ear. You don’t put up a fight. 

You just want to be alone. 

She must sense this, because she makes her observation quick but thorough. Her hands drop away from your face, and you let your head fall forward tiredly. 

“It’s been a long night. I imagine that you want some privacy,” she says, and you jerkily nod. 

Humming, she goes to the kitchen table and picks up a spider donut. She walks back over to you and places it on the coffee table. 

“Be sure to try and eat one more pastry. I think it will help heal up the rest of your body, as much as it can, so that you can rest. I’ll be in my apartment if you need anything, deary,” she is about to reach out and pat your head, but thinks better of it. 

Back when she had stayed for dinner, so many nights ago now, you had told Muffet bits and pieces about what had happened to you with your ex. It didn’t take a genius to connect all the unspoken dots. It’s why the spider monster was so protective of you. 

“Thanks, Muffet. For everything.” you take the spider donut in your hand under her watchful eye, and tear off a piece to pop into your mouth. 

“You’re welcome. Just…” she stops, not sure what to say, and sighs. She then shifts towards the door, “I will message you tomorrow, please be sure to reply so I know you are well. Otherwise I’ll be sending up my spiders.”

With that, she leaves. The door clicks with such finality that it takes the warmth in the room with it. 

Yes, you needed space, but God. The loneliness is tearing you apart. 

Gandalf has hopped up beside you on the couch. He had stayed hidden with all the noise and bodies in the room; animals tend to feed off of energy, and you are far from acting normal. You reach out a shaky hand and start petting him. 

You dreaded sleep, but knew you needed to try. You’re run down, and just want the day to end. 

So now here you are, days later, fighting the desire to just stay in bed all day. You had dragged your laptop into your bedroom, so you could lay in bed and work. The only times you have gotten out of your bedroom is to feed the cats and take care of the litter box, grab a snack, smoke your cigarettes like a chimney, or use the bathroom. You haven’t eaten a proper meal for yourself, and can feel your body struggling because of it.

Muffet, Papyrus, and Undyne have all texted you randomly to keep you in the loop, as well as check on you. Turns out they found the guy, thanks to Greater Dog. They had processed him and got him evacuated from Ebott entirely. You had given your statement to Jameson over the phone the morning after the incident. 

Small wins, you supposed.

But thanks to that bastard's hands on you, you couldn’t help the myriad of memories that plague you both while awake and asleep. Memories of a dark, run down apartment that smelled of alcohol and smoke, and powerful hands pinning you against the floor while another set of hands fumbled with your pants. 

Memories of a man you loved, you trusted, and him hurting you in one of the worst ways imaginable. 

It plagued you for months, changed who you were as a person. And after it happened, you had to return to your mother’s house because you had nowhere to go. And your mothers house was the last place you wanted to be. Because where most mothers would be caring, and nurturing, yours offered nothing but reprimands and snide comments, even after what you had been through. 

Your arms are sluggish and tired. Rolling over in bed, you fight back the tears as you rub your face. Gandalf hops up on the bed, followed by Bilbo. The two never stray far from each other. You reach out to give them both some pets, because on top of everything else, you feel guilty for wallowing in your bedroom and not giving them proper attention. 

Turning on your TV that’s in your bedroom, you waste the majority of the day watching random shows and movies on Netflix and Hulu. Night time creeps closer, and even though your eyes are heavy and your mind exhausted, you don’t want to sleep.

You don’t want to keep seeing that face. The face of the one who broke you.

Anything but that, you couldn’t take it. 

You had chugged through your cigarettes like a chimney over the course of the week. You’ve been out for the past two days, and it’s been fucking awful.

You’re aware of how weak and pathetic you’re being. All it took was one greaseball getting handsy with you, and for some reason your mind decided ‘hey, remember the LAST TIME a guy decided to put his hands around your throat?’ and you haven’t been able to shake the weight of it. The forgotten pain, the heartbreak that you experienced, could never be replicated. At least, you hope not. 

Rubbing the inside of your left wrist, nail digging against your scar, your eyes find their way to your phone. It’s been resting on the bedside table. 

Subconsciously you have been noticing your heartbeat pick up again, desperate to get your mind into another wave of panic, and you can’t help but hear Sans’ words echo quietly through the rush of it. 

“text me if you need anything.”

You wanted to, so badly. But. 

You’re ashamed. It’s bad enough he had to calm you down once, back when you first met. This somehow felt different. Muffet had held you up, and you could hardly spare a look at the skeleton monster even though you know he had been watching you like a hawk that whole time. 

Because you had crumbled in front of them all. And you couldn’t help wondering what they thought of you now. You had tried to hold yourself tall, and aloof, but all it took was one moment to remind you of what a piece a shit you really were. How you couldn’t manage a simple task without shaky hands, because effort was exhausting, in any capacity. Paranoia was prickling your brain like static.

You’re driving yourself crazy, but there’s comfort in this old behavior, and you don’t know how to stop.

You missed Sans. 

You were afraid that whatever connection the two of you were starting to form, was shattered, in the wake of your weakness. 

So you didn’t text, you didn’t call. He didn’t text you either, and you didn’t know what that meant. Maybe he didn’t really care, after all. He’s probably got better things to do, anyway. He’d certainly be happier.

Gandalf purrs as he squirms his way into your arms, blinking his wide blue eyes up at you. Bilbo has been playing and chewing on your hair, and you shoo him away. 

It doesn’t matter. Whatever happens, happens. Everything’s heavy.

Your eyes close against the weight.

The clicking is back.

Motionless, you lay against the dark emptiness. 

“‘Course I love you, baby. You don’t gotta ask all the time.”

“Hey, my pal Reggie doesn’t have a place to stay, so I told him he could chill with us for a while.”

“Tch, c’mon. For me? Please? Let’s try it. It could be hot."

“Y’know, you don’t have to be so on edge. Reggie ain’t going to do nothing, he’s just a teasing bastard. He wouldn’t dare touch what’s mine.”

The clicking stops. Well, pauses, because it picks back up after the walls stop echoing words at you. You don’t bother trying to get up, even though you know that you should. 

This place was dangerous. 

But the memories leave you numb. Your hands barely twitch, your chest starts heaving. 

You realize that you can’t get up. 

“How come you never wear what I bought you anymore? That ass should be on display.”

“What are you so hung up about? I pay the rent, Reggie can stay as long as he damn well pleases. Fuck off.”

“Here, drink this. It’s a new beer that’s come out, from that brand we like. Reggie got ‘em for us.”

Your ears are ringing with how loud it’s getting. Frantically, adrenaline roars in your veins, but your arms are pinned up above your head.

It’s all becoming so familiar, and an invisible weight settles on your shoulders, while your legs are pried apart by invisible pressure. It's like you're reliving it, and fuck, you can't-

You’re naked. You’ve never been naked in this place before, what’s happening, why-

“PLEASE!” you scream, and thankfully you hear it, you’re not muted, but you can’t move as your chest rapidly tightens. 

The clicking escalates in tempo, and tears stream down your face. 

“I can't, I can't do this again. It’s been so long, I got better, I CAN’T DO THIS AGAIN!”

Your lips fuse together, and no matter how hard you try you can’t pry them apart. A silence scream echoes in your head as the memories flood you to your core.

“Shh, just lay down. It’ll be over soon, baby. We gotta do this. Reggie just wants a go, I owe him some money-”

You’re sobbing, your heart breaking all over again as fear cripples your efforts. 

He was your everything. Maybe that was your first mistake, loving someone more than you loved yourself. 

It ruined you, more than the assault ever did. 

Something's watching you. You can feel it. 

Your eyes fly open. 

The mask is back. It’s leaning over your head, upside down. You can see it shift, almost goop-like in appearance. The clicking sound resembles hissing now, and you can’t focus on it entirely. 

This is the most vulnerable you have been, in this place. The weight shifts, you can feel your throat tighten- 

“♓︎⧫︎🕯︎⬧︎ ⧫︎♒︎♏︎ ❖︎□︎♓︎♎︎📪︎ ♍︎♒︎♓︎●︎♎︎📬︎ ♓︎ 🙵♏︎♏︎◻︎ ⧫︎♏︎●︎●︎♓︎■︎♑︎ ⍓︎□︎◆︎ ⧫︎♒︎♓︎⬧︎📬︎.”

Symbols imprint in your vision, flying across your gaze in rapid succession like text on a computer. You freeze in your struggles, the memories ripping away from your mind. The voices stop. It's like the presence of the symbols has caused everything else to just...not exist. You stare up at the face, confused and hyperventilating. The symbols are like words, and your mind is struggling to make sense of the two clashing senses...

You didn't understand it.

The face shifts, and blinks, before its empty smile widens in manic glee.

“⚐︎♒︎ ⬥︎♒︎♋︎⧫︎🕯︎⬧︎ ⧫︎♒︎♓︎⬧︎ ■︎□︎⬥︎📪︎ ♍︎♋︎■︎ ⍓︎□︎◆︎ ♐︎♓︎■︎♋︎●︎●︎⍓︎ ♒︎♏︎♋︎❒︎ ❍︎♏︎✍︎ ☟︎⚐︎🕈︎ ✋︎☠︎❄︎☜︎☼︎💧︎❄︎✋︎☠︎☝︎”

You can move your arms again, and frantically you peel yourself off the ground and scramble away from him. Wait. It. Him? Where did that come from?

There are tiny white eye lights in those black sockets of the mask. It has a shape now, a black, blob looking outline where he’s hunched over where you had been.

Sans. Somehow, whatever -whoever- this is, it reminds you of Sans...

“☟︎❍︎📬︎ 👌︎□︎❒︎♓︎■︎♑︎📬︎ 🕆︎■︎⧫︎♓︎●︎ ■︎♏︎⌧︎⧫︎ ⧫︎♓︎❍︎♏︎📬︎.”

He fucking waves at you, and the next thing you know, you’re gone.

A sob rips its way from your throat as you wake, and you have to move, NOW-

A thud, scrambling paws, you flail and run to the bathroom. Tears make your eyes bleary, and you turn on the shower violently as you get in it. The shower curtain is nearly torn down in your haste.

Thankfully, you don’t fall. You stand there under the freezing spray, and it helps ground you back in this reality. 

You hate your brain, you hate that things aren’t slowing down. Why do you have to keep thinking about it, why can’t you just move on like a normal person-

Sobs wrack your body as you finally sit down at the bottom of the tub. The water keeps streaming and your body starts shivering, but fucking hell, you feel so gross and dirty. You’re filth, you’re ruined, it was too much. You run shaky hands through your hair, gripping tightly at the roots to try and distract yourself from the lingering feeling of phantom hands on your body.

Not sure how long you sit there, you can hear the inquisitive mews of your cats as they linger in the doorway. They aren’t chancing the possibility of getting wet, but can see you in the tub.

Your cell phone’s ringtone cuts through your internal spiral, and you swallow past your pinched throat. 

The ringing stops. 

It starts up again.

With wobbly legs, you stand, and carefully turn off the water. Your bathrobe is hanging on the back of the door, so instead of drying off you put on the robe and loosely tie it around you. 

Sniffling, you push your dripping hair from your face, and make your way back to your room. 

‘PAPYRUS’ is blinking up at you.

Your heart sinks. Hope is so fucking stupid.

The cell phone feels heavy in your hand as you answer it. 

You clear your throat, and murmur, “Hey-”

“GOOD EVENING, DEAR SKYLAR! HOW ARE YOU DOING ON THIS FINE THURSDAY NIGHT?”

Is it really Thursday already? You have been in such a funk that time was irrelevant. 

“Uh,” you desperately try and think of a good response, but thankfully Papyrus doesn’t exactly wait for an answer. He seems rather excited. Or nervous?

“SO, I WAS CALLING, BECAUSE UNDYNE AND I WERE TALKING ABOUT HOW MUCH WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO WATCHING THE NEXT LORD OF THE HOBBITS MOVIE, AND THOUGHT-”

The nerd in you has to cut in, “Lord of the Rings, Paps.”

“LORD OF THE SWORDS, RIGHT. WE WANT TO WATCH THE NEXT INSTALLMENT, AND WE WERE THINKING OF HAVING A MOVIE NIGHT TOMORROW AT OUR PLACE, AND IT’S PERFECT BECAUSE THEN YOU CAN SEE SANS AND I’S LOVELY HOME, AND I CAN COOK YOU A DELICIOUS MEAL!”

Heart betraying you, it perks up in interest at the prospect of seeing Sans. 

But would he want to see you?

“Um.” you stumble out, sitting down on your bed heavily, “I don’t know, Paps, I’m not…”

He’s surprisingly silent on the other end of the phone. 

“...I don’t think I’d be much fun to be around right now.”

You were getting a serious sense of deja vu. It feels like someone else told you that recently. 

“NONSENSE! YOU ARE ALWAYS VERY PLEASANT TO BE AROUND, AND WE DON’T WANT YOU TO BECOME A LAZY BONES LIKE MY BROTHER! I WON’T FORCE YOU, BUT, I…”

His voice tapers off, and you hear him moving about, almost like he’s going to another room. Your brows furrow as you wait.

“...YOU DESERVE TO BE AROUND PEOPLE WHO CARE ABOUT YOU! AND THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS A GOOD HUGGER, THE VERY BEST MAYBE!”

Choking back a laugh, you feel your eyes brim with tears again. 

“Haha…a hug, uh. Sounds nice,” you whisper, and Papyrus gasps.

“DO YOU NEED ONE RIGHT NOW?! I CAN COME OVER AND GIVE YOU A SQUEEZE!”

Real laughter escapes you now, and you shake your head, even if he can’t see. 

“It’s okay. Uh, just…save a hug for me tomorrow. I’ll be there,” you say and the tall skeleton screeches in joy.

“OH HAPPY DAY! HOW ABOUT 2PM THEN, HM? TORIEL SAID WE DON’T HAVE TO WORK TOMORROW, SO MAYBE WE CAN START THE MOVIE NIGHT REALLY EARLY! WE CAN GIVE YOU A TOUR OF OUR HUMBLE ABODE, MAYBE PLAY SOME BOARD GAMES-”

He continues rambling in his excitement, and you feel a smile cross your face. 

You anxiously try not to think about how you have been crumbling apart. But, maybe a change of pace could help you. 

And you love Lord of the Rings. If anything, you get to watch one of your favorite movies and just…be around people. Not alone. 

“I’ll be sure to bring the movie. Should I bring anything else?” you say softly. Papyrus says you shouldn’t need to, he will have everything else ready. 

Ending the call, you dump your phone on your bed, and exhale slowly. 

Maybe it’s a mistake, but you know you need to try something. And besides, it was Papyrus, he was reaching out to you. He said he cared. If all else, you don’t peg Papyrus to be a liar. 

Hopefully they can put the situation behind them. Feeling overwhelmed, your trembling hands rub up and down your face, and you steer yourself out towards the kitchen. You feed the cats, and you attempt to play with Bilbo a bit afterward. It wasn’t fair to him to keep avoiding him. 

He pounces and runs about like a mad-kitty, and you smile softly. He also keeps prancing up to you and batting at your robe, or your leg as you walk. It makes the guilt heavier in your chest, but at least he’s happy to see you. 

You force yourself to eat something, and settle on some cheese spread and crackers. You take your meal back to your bedroom, where you can get back under the covers. You eat slowly, pushing and shooing the cats away as they try to get at the cheese. Little gluttons. 

Your phone rumbles beside you on the sheets. You wait for the episode that you've been watching to end, then do your best to shake off the crumbs from your fingers before picking up your phone.

Eyes widening, you quickly unlock your phone to read the text, and ignore the mocking ‘pathetic’ that rings in your skull. 

From: bonehead…8:33 PM: its ok if u dont want to come over. i told paps to leave you b.

Licking the crumbs from your thumb, you carefully type out a reply. It’s stupid, and you can’t help it, but your anxiety is amped and you’re second guessing everything. You just want clarity, and well. 

You’re not sure anymore.

To: bonehead…8:35 PM: Do you not want me there?

Silence follows. Minutes pass.

Great. You probably insulted him, or something. Why’d you have to put your fucking foot in your mouth-

Your phone starts ringing. 

Heart leaping into your throat, ‘bonehead’ stares up at you from your screen.

Hesitating, you finally answer, worry making your heart beat faster than it needs to.

“did i say i didn’t want you here?”

He doesn’t sound angry, but he doesn’t sound normal, and you sigh heavily. You force the lid back on the cheese spread, and close the box of crackers that are beside you.

“No, you didn’t, I know you didn’t-” you mumble, trying to figure out what to say, but words are hard right now. Especially with him. 

“hey, it’s okay. i ain’t mad. just wanted you to be sure that you knew you had an out, i know it’s probably been a rough week,” he soothes. His low voice rumbles in your ear. 

Your left wrist itches. 

“I’m fine,” you lie, letting your voice sound more confident than you felt, “It’ll be nice to, um. Get out. And the Two Towers! We’ll get to see Eowyn. She’s cool.”

There’s rustling, and you can hear Sans sigh. You huddle down under your covers, sniffing quietly. 

“...yeah. she’s no man, after all.”

Your lips crack at how wide you smile, and you hum in reply. 

The silence is stretched, leaning towards awkwardness. Panic ripples under your skin as he coughs.

“ well. i guess i will see you tomorrow-”

“Don’t go,” you plead, hating how your voice raises in pitch, how timid you sound, but you can’t help it. You don’t want to be alone right now, but you can’t say that, because then you’ll start crying again.

Silence again, and you bite your bottom lip, “please.”

“yeah,” he breathes, and you can hear how his bones shift and clack together with each movement. Your brain instantly settles, a calm washing over you, “okay, maethril. i won’t.”

Him saying that word, that ‘nickname’, causes your heart to skip a beat. 

That’s right. Warrior. 

You look down towards your left arm. Letting the robe slip off, you see the top part of your koi fish tattoo. 

It might not be right now, and you may never be fully, but. You’ll be okay. 

“i can’t sing for shit, but i can read. wanna hear a story?”

You giggle, and murmur an ‘mm-hm’ in reply. You can hear him shuffling about, grabbing something and the sound of pages turning. Fuck, no one has read to you in ages. Not counting your students.

“i been tryin’ to educate myself, and read some more fiction shit and who knew you humans had a whole science-fiction section. this one seems like a real spine-tingler.”

He’s certainly more swear-y than you’re used to. You can’t help but ponder, and softly ask, “Is that supposed to be a good thing or a bad thing?”

“heh heh heh. i’d patella if i knew.”

You can hear his wink through the speaker, and roll your eyes. 

Yes. This. Him.

Clearing his throat, Sans hums idly before he begins, “the time traveller (for so it will be convenient to speak of him) was expounding a recondite matter to us. his grey eyes shone and twinkled, and his usually pale face…”

And so the night went, you quietly listening as Sans read to you. You set him on speaker, right beside you. His low voice helps ease your brain, and relax your body. Your eyes fight against you, and you only last about 40 minutes before you’re asleep.

Sans doesn’t end the call. He does, however, put in a bookmark to continue the reading later. He mutes himself on his end of the call, and goes back to working on a small project while drinking from a tumblr of monster liqueur. Your breathing helps calm him.

The lighter is a heavy weight in his jacket pocket, and it's burning guilt right through him. 

Chapter Text

Slipping on your favorite band t-shirt, you fan out your hair and look yourself over in the mirror. 

With heavy bags under your eyes, you grumble and brush your teeth. You ended up sleeping in rather late, so you’re behind on getting ready for the day. You had fed the cats and took a quick shower, and are now trying to make yourself appear somewhat ‘fine’ and not a ‘disaster’. 

Your dreams came back, again, much to your dismay. When you had woken in the middle of the night, your phone had died, and you fought hard not to freak out like you had before. 

So you waded in and out of sleep, never fully resting, and it left you feeling like you had been hit by a truck. That had been the theme all week, so you shouldn’t be too surprised. 

It feels like you could be making a mistake by going over to the skelebros house. You’re hoping that it will be different enough to help shake your brain from it’s path of replaying ‘Skylar’s Top 10 Most Miserable Life Experiences’. Not a good album, if you could offer any critiques. 

Pairing the shirt with your favorite sweatpants, you feel as ready as you’ll ever be. You spend the rest of the time you have playing with the cats, because you’re going to have to lock up Bilbo soon. You turn on your TV and set the sleep timer, letting a random show play for a couple hours so that the little guy has something to listen to. 

Doing the same for Gandalf, you get on your shoes, and are about to go to the door, when you’re suddenly stopping yourself.

Where the hell do they even live?

You’ve been so out of it, the thought barely crossed your mind to ask. Pulling out your phone, you bite your lip as you go to your contacts. It’s silly, you don’t know why it’s so difficult for you to choose who to ask. 

Hesitating only a second longer, you press Papyrus’s number and hold up the phone to your ear. You have a small tote bag that has a rolled up blanket and the movie tucked in it in your other hand. 

He answers quickly, “NYEH-HEH-HEH! HELLO, FRIEND! ARE YOU ON YOUR WAY? IT’S ALMOST TIME!!”

With a rueful smile you shrug, “I was about to leave but then, I sorta realized…I don’t know where you live.”

“EEK GADS!! YOU’RE RIGHT, I NEVER TOLD YOU, HOW SILLY OF ME!” there’s a scrambling sound as you hear him move about, “SANS, SANS?! WAKE UP!!”

You hear a door opening, and Sans’s groggy baritone can be heard faintly in the background, “what is it, dude?”

He sounds vaguely ruffled, and you can’t help the small chuckle that escapes you. 

“I HAVE BEEN A TERRIBLE PRE-HOST, AND FORGOT TO TELL OUR HUMAN FRIEND OUR ADDRESS!! GET DRESSED, I WANT YOU TO GO GET THEM SO THEY DON’T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT GETTING LOST!”

You try cutting in, “Paps really, I will be fine getting there by myself, just tell me-”

“NONSENSE!” he cuts you off, and you sigh, but also are able to hear Sans’ response, “good thinkin’ bro. tell her i’ll be there in five.”  

“EXCELLENT. HUMAN!” you jump, holding the phone further away from your ear. You can hear him just fine either way due to the sheer volume of his voice, “MY BROTHER WILL BE THERE FASTER THAN YOU CAN SAY, ‘WOWIE, THAT PAPYRUS IS ONE COOL DUDE!’”

To be contrary, you start to repeat the phrase back at him, but he’s already hung up the phone. You can’t help the small scowl that paints your face. 

If it was only going to take Sans five minutes to get here, surely they must live close by? Why couldn’t Papyrus just tell you where they lived? You’re not incapable of walking down the street. 

The more you thought about it, you guess it would make sense. You remember Papyrus’s face after they helped Muffet bring you home that night. He looked so scared and worried, for you. 

You suppose you could let this coddling slide.

And suddenly there’s two knocks at your door, which snaps your attention, because surely-

“knock, knock.”

It’s hasn’t been five minutes…it’s been more like two?!

But there’s no mistaking that voice. You squish down the anxious, self-conscious riot that decides to try rearing it’s head, and step up to the door.

You unlock the deadbolt, and go to grab the handle, but stop at hearing him protest, “hey buddy, i know you ain’t a big fan of the jokes and all but c’mon, throw me a bone here?”

He sounds giddy, and you roll your eyes. 

“...Who’s there?” you drawl, crossing your arms expectantly. 

“nobel.” 

You furrow your brows, “Nobel who?”

“no bell. that’s why i knocked.”

Looking towards the ceiling, you ask for patience. 

Finally, you turn the handle and open the door, looking down at the short skeleton. He grins cheekily, which causes his eyes to squish at the edges. You quirk an unimpressed brow at him.

He seems oddly happy compared to his tone earlier from talking with Papyrus. 

“heh heh heh. couldn’t waste an opportunity for a good 'ol knock knock joke."

“Uh huh,” you notice his eye lights flick over your face, and you try your hardest not to look away.

He hums, his smile falling just a touch, “you okay?”

His voice turned gentle, and you can’t help how your inner self riles up at it. You’re not a delicate flower, you’re fine. Everything’s fine . 

“Yeah,” you say instead, shrugging. Gandalf makes an appearance at your side, and you have to gently push him back away from the door. You narrow your eyes at the feline, “Nope, you gotta stay, bud. Get back.” Sans chuckles as you step out beside him, closing your apartment door and locking it. 

It brings the two of you closer together, since there’s not a terrible amount of space from the small outcrop that leads to the stairs. Awkwardly you shuffle around him, and he does the same to you, so that you have a little bit of distance between you.

Sans scratches the side of his skull with a boney finger, and the scraping sound sends tingles down your spine. It kind of reminds you of using chalk on a chalkboard. 

And then your fleeting thought from earlier comes back, and you can’t help but ask, “How’d you get here so fast?”

At that, Sans straightens up and he gives you a wink, “i know a shortcut.”

Well that was vague as all get out. 

He laughs at your expression, and waves a hand for you to follow him as he starts making his way down the stairs. 

“c’mon. i’ll show you, as long as you promise not to tell,” he teases, and your curiosity wins out over making some kind of smart remark. 

He leads you down the stairs, and then back towards your parking lot behind Muffet’s Bakery. There’s nothing back here besides a small alley that leads to the other buildings, and the dumpsters. And then there’s your car, of course.

Confused, you watch as Sans stops and takes a look around. Deeming the coast clear, the skeleton hums, pleased, and looks back toward you with an easy grin. 

Then, he holds out a skeletal hand, and beckons you forward. 

Carefully, and with a degree of caution, you walk the remaining few steps toward him and take his hand. You can’t help but mutter, “Y’know, taking a girl behind a building, making it so you’re both alone, awfully suspicious and sends up those red flags, bonehead.”

This takes him off guard, and his skull pales if that was even possible. Firmly giving your hand a squeeze, he pulls you closer to himself so that the two of you are almost flush against each other.. His eye sockets stare up at you widely, and with an earnestness from his core, Sans speaks gravely, “you…you have to know, i would never, ever hurt you.”

Blush creeping along your cheeks, you stare worriedly. Your comment was meant to be teasing, in a dark humor kind of way, but yeah…not your best moment. Sans looks at you now with concern, and you clear your throat, then shrug as you gently squeeze his hand back in apology.

You can see how his shoulders rise and fall, with each breath he takes. Being this close, the dips and grooves of his bones are easy to see in the natural light. You don’t think the two of you have been this close before, ever, and with your small height advantage on him, you’re able to stare down into his eye sockets. 

It’s…no. He’s amazing, in a way you don’t know how to describe. 

The two of you stand quietly a moment longer, with air that’s heavy with words unsaid, but neither of you are willing to break that wall just yet. 

Carefully, he slides his other arm around your waist and you squeak. He chuckles and gives you a small squeeze, “make sure you’re holding on. don’t want you getting lost.”

“What-” you stutter, and now you are flush up against his side, like you were at the last movie night. The tote bag you’re holding is squished between you. Your mind is rapidly taking stock of how his body feels up against your own. His ribs, his arm–you can feel how hard the bones are underneath. 

Being this close, it’s easy for him to turn his head so his teeth brush up against your ear, his words a low rumble, “close your eyes, it might be easier.” 

Your body doesn’t mind that at all.

The air grows hot with magic around the two of you. You let your eyes fall close just before you blip from existence; Sans leads the two of you through darkness that's black, almost like…it feels like-

Well THAT was agonizing. 

Once you feel your body has settled once more, you can’t help but yank yourself out of Sans’ arms. He looks hurt, but the expression fades as he notices you coughing. God, it felt like you needed to puke, but couldn’t.

That sensation, as he "teleported" you two from there to here…the in-between…it was so familiar .

Blearily, you try and look around through foggy eyes, and you’re in a living room. 

“sorry! sorry,” he mildly panics. Sweating, he holds his hands out to you as if he wants to help, but you hold out your own to keep him in place. You’re hunched over, feeling your gut roll.

You’d rather not puke all over him.

“I’m an old woman ,” you groan, and he sputters out a laugh, “I can’t do theme park rides anymore man, what the hell was that! ” you gripe. When you think you aren’t at risk for upending the contents of your stomach, you slowly straighten up. 

“you’re not that old,” he teases, and you growl at him. He chuckles nervously as he finally steps up to you. “it’s like i said, i took a shortcut.”

Narrowing your eyes at him, you cross your arms below your chest, “Teleporting, you mean?”

“eh, something like that. more like, with my magic, i can poke holes in space and just…get to places faster.”

He wiggles his fingers at you, whispering ‘magic’, and you huff. 

You’re really getting tired of that answer. He isn’t.

Sans doesn't offer anything else, and you don't have the energy to pester him. That niggling familiarity slips away. 

Sans seems awfully pleased with himself, “you uh, feelin’ ok? i guess i should have warned you better. the kid got used to it pretty quickly.”

You wander to the nearby couch, which is fucking HUGE, and sit carefully. Most of the vertigo is gone, but damn. What a loop. 

“I’m fiiiine,” you insist, setting down your bag beside you on the floor. You take your time looking around the place, and just…absorb it all. 

The floor is wood paneling, but there’s a large throw rug with a purple and blue zig-zag pattern covering most of the living room floor. There’s an end table, a couple of book shelves, and their TV/entertainment center set up. You spy a rock on the far table, that’s pressed up against the wall, and have no idea what that’s about. 

There’s photos lining up on the stairway, and you can spot two doors on the upper level. There’s a large painting of a bone at the center of the wall, and you can't help but grin at it. 

Sans was busy looking at his phone, and you look over to see the skeleton’s face evens out.

“looks like paps stepped out for a bit to get things for dinner,” he says after checking his phone. He pockets it, and turns to you. 

Welp.

Your hands tap anxiously against your knees, unsure what to do with yourself now that the two of you are alone. The sunlight streams in through the windows, giving the place a natural glow. Sans also seems slightly nervous, and rubs the back of his skull. 

“...should I,” you say quietly, and he perks up. You shrug, “should I take off my shoes?”

“oh!” he blinks, and nods while gesturing for you to follow. There’s a small shoe rack by their front door. “you can put ‘em here. sorry about that.”

“It’s okay,” you slip off your shoes, noticing that he is a touch more anxious than you were aware. He’s not quite meeting your gaze, so you walk over and set your shoes on the rack so they’re not in the way. Their living room is sparse. You get the feeling that Papyrus likes a tidy house. 

To save yourself and Sans from this tense situation, instead of going back over to the couch, you quietly wander over to their book shelves. 

There’s endless movies on one shelf, which contain many classics that you are aware of. A shocking amount of old Disney VHS tapes, as well as various action movies and whatnot. There are several copies of the old Titanic VHS tapes, and you can’t help the smirk as you imagine the skelebros attempting to watch the movie. All the cases look pretty beat up, and you wonder where they found them all. It's been ages since you've seen a VHS tape. 

There’s also a lot of movies you don’t recognize, and carefully you pull one off the shelf. 

MIDNIGHT SUMMER OF METTATON~ is bright and bold across the case, featuring a rectangular looking …monster? Wearing a dress? With a shit ton of rose petals flying around?

Mettaton sounds vaguely familiar. 

“my bro is a big fan of mettaton,” Sans says almost begrudgingly from where he’s walked up beside you, “i can’t stand the guy myself.”

“Oh?” you wonder, and put the case back on the shelf. There are so many Mettaton movies. 

“ehh, he just beeps at me the wrong way, what can i say?” he shrugs, and makes his way over to the couch. He sits, and it’s pretty funny, because the couch engulfs the poor dude. 

You wander back over to him and decide to stop being so nosey. You sit in the middle of the couch, since Sans is taking up one side of it. You didn’t want to be rude and make it seem like you were sitting far away from him on purpose, so…middle it was.

Blah. You hated how awkward it felt. Minutes were dragging past, again.

You feel the cushions dip and shift beside you as Sans moves. He had gotten up from his lounging, and shifted forward, to gently touch your shoulder. Maybe the silence was bothering him too, but you didn't take him as the touchy feely type.

Hesitantly your body turns towards him, and he reaches out a bony hand to your cheek. You’re proud of yourself for not flinching away, but you can’t help feeling a little uncomfortable.

He’s checking the side of your face that had gotten hit. 

Sans’s eye lights are like laser points. They scan your face slowly, and his hand gently brushes your hair away from your face so he can see better. The muffin and spider donut you ate that night had healed up the swelling nicely. The morning after there was no pain in your face, and no signs of bruising. 

You don’t think you’ll ever get used to that. 

Satisfied with that, his eyes flick up to meet yours, and your breath catches. 

You feel his thumb skim across your cheek. Bone against flesh, you're surprised at how careful he's being with you. His voice is low, and sounds sad.

“you look real tired,” he says, and you avert your eyes with a shrug.

“It uh…” you lick your lips out of nervousness, and he still hasn’t taken back his hand yet. You don’t notice his eye lights track the movement of your tongue. 

Sighing, you finally admit, “that night at the bar, it brought back a lot of memories that I haven’t thought of in a long time.”

You don’t know why you’re battling so harshly with yourself. At home, you were so lonely, and you admitted to yourself that you missed Sans. And here he is, right in front of you. But you still struggle so much with lowering your walls. 

It wasn’t easy. It never was. You didn’t want his perception of you to change. 

You didn’t want your history to affect your present. To ruin your chance at whatever…this could be. 

But since that guy slapped you, and you fell apart, you know somewhere inside you that Sans would want to know what happened. It was more complicated than that singular instance, outside the bar. With how many fights you have been in, that wouldn’t have affected you so heavily without other reasons behind it. 

“i can feel your SOUL hurting,” he whispers, and that causes your eyes to snap back to him. He’s watching you carefully. Finally, he lowers his hand from your face, but before he can pull it back all the way, your own hand reaches out to grasp at his own tightly.

He’s surprised, and you can feel your throat tighten. His boney hand holds your hand back, and you feel relief. You loosen your own desperate grip and clear your throat, trying to calm your racing heart.

Emotional closeness, right? Open, honesty? That's what monsters want. Or…maybe needed? You aren't sure at this point. It feels like you're driving yourself crazy from overthinking. 

What were you doing?

“That guy, back at the bar? He was nothing but a piece of shit, right? Normally that whole thing wouldn’t have, uh, made me freak out like that. I have dealt with plenty of his types before,” you begin, and Sans’ body straightens. 

“you shouldn’t have to. no one should,” he grinds out, and you put your other hand over the one you’re already holding onto. You give him a strained laugh, and he narrows his eyes, “it never makes it ok, what he did. what people like him do. ”

“I know, I know,” you ramble, shaking your head, “you’re right, it’s not okay. That’s not what I meant. I was just, explaining, with like…where I grew up,”

Pausing to collect yourself, you can feel a manic sort of energy fill you. Suddenly you tear your hands from him and stand up, starting to pace around the room. Nervous energy is pumping through you, and you can’t meet his eyes.

You can feel him watching you. He stays sitting, waiting. 

Exhaling heavily, you just start speaking, not sure where you’re going to end up. But you had told Muffet most of this already, so it can’t be too hard, right?

It’s Sans.

“...you don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to, skye.”

You …you trust Sans. 

And it fucking scares you. Even though your walls are up, he’s managing to sink in through the cracks, and making you want…

Want something you hadn’t had in a long time. 

You hope this doesn’t ruin things between you. The words start spilling from your mouth 

“Back when I first graduated High School, I took the very first fucking chance I could get to move out of my mother’s house. She wasn’t the best person to be around. We fought all the time, would scream and shout at all hours of the night. She was with this guy I absolutely hated, and still do, because growing up he was the biggest shit stain on the planet. He would beat her, and take her money, and all  things. We would fight about it all the time. I couldn't stand seeing her hurt, and she just didn’t understand. My step-dad never laid a hand on me, but that doesn’t make it any better. After years of that kind of abuse my mother grew angry with the world. She treated me like shit, and my brother, and it made us all so toxic and angry in that house, Sans, it was no way to live. I had to get out,” you rasp, feeling a headache forming already, and you haven’t gotten to the hard part yet.

Sans listens quietly, putting his hands together in his lap to keep himself still. He watches you with intense focus, absorbing every word you say. 

So you continue, spacing out, your mind transporting you back in time, “I know now, now that I’m older, that she stayed with that bastard because she was terrified of being alone. My dad hurt her, and she was struggling to find love. She had two kids to raise, she needed support. So she found that bastard, and put up with his abuse, to provide for my brother and I. Even though most mornings I had to wake up, and see her covered in bruises. She was dealing with her own demons, and as a kid I didn’t understand.”

“Anyway…I left. I took what feeble belongings I had, and started staying over at various friends' houses. Couch hopping, if you wanna call it that. Sometimes, they weren’t even friends. I started drinking way earlier than I should have, but I never did anything crazy. I went to music festivals, and concerts, went to every show I could. By hanging with certain …people, and doing various…favors, they would pay my way in. I’m not proud of it, but it’s what I did at the time.”

You rake your hands through your long hair, “I got into a lot of fights, hung out with the wrong crowds. It wasn’t all bad, I just didn’t have a place to call home. I kept getting into situations that put me in danger, and beforelong, I got hurt pretty bad in a scrap. I had crawled my way into an alley by a restaurant, and stayed there for like, two days until someone noticed me.”

A bitter smile pulls at your face, “Fuck Sans, I must have been disgusting. Caked on blood, bruised beyond belief, I hadn’t showered in days. But this guy was passing by with some of his friends, and noticed me, and he…he helped me.”

Your voice cracks. Sans still hasn’t said anything, but he can feel your SOUL rolling through different emotions. Grief was the heaviest. 

“I had run out of places to stay at that point. I know it wasn’t the smartest decision, ‘cause at this fucking point I certainly was shit on the decision making front I let him take me to his place, and to my surprise, he cleaned me up, dressed my wounds, fed me,” you shrug, picturing the place of your recent nightmares.

“His apartment was in the rough side of the city, so it wasn’t well taken care of. It leaked often, smelled like garbage on a good day. Smoke from the city clouded the skies, we couldn’t see the sun much either. But,” you quietly murmur, “it was home. I hadn’t had a home before.”

You walk over to the window, staring out at the street and blue sky. Watching people pass, you can’t bear to look at the skeleton now. You swallow past your dry throat, and wrestle with the thought that you’re making a huge mistake, but fuck it. 

Fuck it, and damn it all to hell.

“I fell in love with him. How could I not? My knight in shining armor,” you hesitate, feeling your right hand go to your left. The nail of your thumb starts scraping against your scar. 

“It was good, for a while. Nearly a whole year and I thought I was on top of the world. I had Trent, and we didn’t have a lot of money. We had a similar taste in music so we went to all the concerts that we could. I knew…I knew that he was doing things he shouldn’t have. Things that could have gotten him in trouble, but got us money,” you shrug, “I ignored it, because I loved him.”

Sans is behind you now. You’re not sure when he got up. You can see his eyes in the reflection of the window and he’s starting to reach out a hand to your shoulder.

You manage to bite out, “Don’t.” 

He freezes.

You can feel your own body starting to tighten, but you press on, “I’m going to keep talking. If I stop now, I probably won’t ever talk about it. I’m going to pretend that you’re not here. Please,”

Your breathing has escalated, and you focus your gaze away from his torn expression in the window.

The skeleton monster backs away a few steps, and you’re thankful. His reflection is gone.

You count in your head, and it helps to slow your racing heart. You’re almost there. And then he’ll understand. And then he won’t think you’re pathetic. Maybe. 

“About a year and a half into our relationship, he started getting more…I dunno. Verbally abusive? He’d tell me that I was too needy, too overreacting to things. Started making me feel bad for saying what I was feeling, for confronting him about the bills piling up. He just…he started to not be as affectionate with me. Like he was closing himself off from me. Called me paranoid, controlling.”

You close your eyes, fighting the urge to panic, you won’t. You’re just talking. Talking was a good thing.

“One night, he…he told me that a ‘friend’ of his was going to be staying with us. He seemed really anxious about it, said the guy’s name was Reggie, but I had never once heard about him before. I knew Trent’s friends. We would hang out, smoke, and drink together. Reggie wasn’t on the list of people I knew. 

I couldn’t argue, though. So then we had a new room mate, who bummed on the couch for weeks. He would…fuck,” you hiss, and feel your anger spike. 

“He was just a creep. And he was super big; like, very muscular. It was intimidating. He’d watch me, all the time. Make shitty comments about how I looked, how I could be happier with him. How he would treat me better, fuck me better. I wanted to punch his dumb fucking, gross face, but Trent would back me off and tell me to stop acting crazy. It was my home, my safe space, and that guy was just…ruining it.”

You feel your pulse racing, and your chest tighten, and you a pained laugh escapes you, “Fuck, I was such an idiot.”

It’s silent to the point you could hear a pin drop. 

“...skye-”

“ONE NIGHT,” you say loudly, to talk over him, because you can’t stop, you have to keep going, “one night, Reggie brought some beers from some stupid distillery that Trent and I were both a fan of. I fucking hated beer, but I put up with the taste for Trent’s sake. Felt like it was kind of our thing, y’know? And I told him that I didn’t want any. But Reggie acted all offended and kicked up a big fuss, and started threatening Trent, something…something about money, and then Trent started sweating and getting angry at me, and I ended up just drinking the damn thing to shut them both up. All the posturing and testosterone in the air was nauseating.”

“I should have paid attention better,” you whisper, voice thick with regret, “who serves bottled beer in a glass? And Trent, he was so nervous. He was acting all nonchalant and angry to cover it up, and I fucking knew that something was wrong.”

“It was drugged. I got super sluggish, I couldn’t stand, couldn’t speak. I remember Trent grabbing me, and laying me on the ground,” you tear yourself away from the window, now pacing, because you need to do something with this crippling anger and sadness that’s now clouding you. You speak faster, angrier, while tears fall from your eyes and your voice cracks, “Trent, the fucker. He, he fucking-”

You scream in frustration, stop in place, and turn so you can press your forehead against the wall while you warred with heaving breaths, because you couldn't bare the thought of Sans watching you, “my, my boyfriend …HE HELD ME DOWN, and then he let that bastard fucking touch me, he let him rape me, use me, like I was some, some TOY-”

Arms come circling around you in a crushing grip, and you’re fighting back the sobs that are trying to break through. The week’s weight is pummeling you down to the ground, reliving your worst nightmare, the night when you felt everything ripped away from you. 

“I, I don’t know-” you choke, and cough, “after. After, I couldn’t stay there. Trent tried talking to me, tried to apologize and say he owed Reggie money, but I fucking ran. I left the next morning, once I was…I wasn’t affected by whatever they gave me.”

“Trent said he loved me,” you whisper, your eyes fused shut, just letting your body go through the waves of grief, “but who, why, if you love someone, why would you hurt them like that?”

You’re mumbling rapidly, your entire body broken from the pain of it. You turn your face into the chest of who’s holding you, and the smell is familiar and safe, and Sans, and you cling to him tightly. 

“I’ve never been so hurt…so angry,” you breathe, not making sense now, but Sans has a hand on your back and is stroking gently.

He lets you calm, and you don’t know how much time has passed. This certainly wasn’t what you had planned on doing when you agreed to a movie night. 

You feel your body unwind, eventually, but you want to stay curled up against Sans. You don’t want to meet his face, see his eyes. You don’t want to see the pity, or worse, the disgust that could be there. 

“Ha…probably a lot more than you planned to hear. Sorry.”

He doesn’t move. He’s like a statue, standing there with you, holding you carefully. 

“I went to my mom, after. I had nowhere else to go,” you croak. He carefully runs a hand through your hair. Your voice sounds empty.

Sans listens.

“But, that was also a stupid mistake, because of course she said it was all my fault that it happened. I was too reckless, what did I expect? I should have known better…” you sigh through a stuffy nose, and wipe at your face. 

“After a few weeks of that kind of mental and emotional abuse, after everything that happened with Trent, I just, I couldn’t,” you pause, raising your left arm shakily. You turn your hand, so your left wrist is exposed. Sans’ looks at it, as you do. 

The scar is glaring at the two of you, but where your eyes are vacant, clearly replaying memories from that event, Sans’ eye sockets are pitch black. He’s been able to keep his composure, as his magic crackles along his bones. 

You fail to notice it right away. Huffing, your voice is thick when you speak again, “I tried uh…tried calling my dad, before I did it. He never called me back. I hadn’t heard from him for years, as it was, but I so badly wanted him. I wanted it more than I could ever admit to myself. Even though I knew, I knew , that he was a pretty shit dad, all things considered And so, with that, I just said fuck it and cut. Deep.”

You joke tonelessly, “Funnily enough, it was my mom that found me in the bathroom, and she called the ambulance. She even got a towel and sat with me, gripping my wrist while I stained her pristine white tub. I was in the hospital for a while after that. Had therapists, had to make some life choices.” Shrugging, you come back to yourself slowly.

Embarrassed beyond belief, you worriedly flick your eyes up to Sans, and shrink back at his pitch black, empty eyes. 

Blinking rapidly, you’re noticing that his body is trembling against you. Hesitant, you reach out and touch the side of his skull, “...Sans?”

He inhales sharply, and remains solid and steady. With more strength than you thought possible, he easily lifts you into his arms, all princess-style. Gasping, you scrabble and grab his shoulders, so you don’t fall.

But you’re worried for nothing. Before you can say anything, he blips again, and you’re slipping through darkness and ending up somewhere completely different in the blink of an eye.

Heart hammering in your chest, you try to gain your bearings faster than you had the first time he teleported, but are struggling.

“Wha-” you see clothes strewn about, paper balls crumpled and thrown by a knocked over garbage can. Was that…is that, a treadmill ? 

The only light is what’s cracking through the sides of a blind-drawn window; it’s very dark, and honestly, kind of musky smelling. 

Sans walks over to the edge of a nearby bed, and it clicks that this must be his room-

Your face flushes scarlet, and you snarl viciously at him, “If you think- this better be some kind of fucking joke Sans-”

He blinks slowly at you, seemingly in some sort of trance, before snapping back to reality and dropping you unceremoniously onto the bed. Sans is shaking, and scrambling away from you in a panic. It was like his hands were on fire.

“ shit shitshit, no! fuck, i’m sorry, i just- i heard paps-”

Sure enough, there’s a loud BANG downstairs, and Papyrus’s loud voice calls throughout the house. 

“SANS?! HUMAN?? I WOULD LIKE TO THINK YOU’D BE BACK BY NOW!”

Sans rubs his hands over his skull, letting out a frustrated groan, and mumbles, “i didn’t think you’d want paps to see you, like that. i’m really sorry,” flustered, he berates himself internally before walking back up to you slowly.

You’re clearly rattled, and not fully recovered from what you just told him; your face is red, blotchy and wet, and your head hurts along with your heart. Or from what Sans was saying, maybe it’s your SOUL that’s hurting.

The skeleton stands before you, and you scramble to a ‘normal’ sitting position. He carefully takes one of your hands in his own, and rasps, “i’m gonna go check in with paps. i’ll be right back. take a breather, sorry for the uh, the mess,” he shrugs, not seeming apologetic about it at all. It’s like he said it because he knew it would make you feel better. 

Your head jerks in a nod, and it's like he has to pry his hands away from you. And then he hastily walks out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him. 

Now, left in the privacy of his…bedroom, you wipe your eyes and work on calming your breathing and just…settling yourself, overall. You’d have to see Undyne, and Alphys, and fuck, Frisk in a while. You needed to get it together. 

Sans hadn’t pushed you away. He held you, even.

Maybe he didn’t want to look at you, and that’s why he left you in here. 

One night, during a girl's night with Muffet, you had had enough drinks to tell her this same story. She told you that you wore your scar well. She had even told you that she was proud of you fighting through, and she's glad to have you in her life. You nearly cried that night, too. 

But Sans hadn't said anything. 

Closing your eyes, exhaustion slams into you. The little sleep you have gotten this week is really working against you, and your body rebels and caves in. You end up falling over, head landing on his pillow. It smells like Sans, under all the stale air and …B.O.? 

It feels…safe.

You nuzzle against his pillow, and before you know it, you’re out like a light.

Chapter Text

Sans had managed to dissuade Papyrus from running up to check on you. Sans said that you were extremely tired from this week, and had needed a moment to compose yourself. Papyrus wondered if you should return home to rest, but Sans wasn’t going to let that happen. Not after what you told him. He can't properly explain without feeling like a creep.

The short skeleton slowly walks up the stairs. He uses this time to calm himself, because as much as he’d like to find this ‘Trent’ person and send them into the Void to rot, he had no idea what he looked like or where he was. He had this ball of fury that’s licking flames along his bones, and he had no outlet, and yes…he was struggling.

He had held you carefully as you broke apart. It let him be so close to your SOUL, the closest he’s ever been, and it was crying out in pain and agony and wanting relief, and comfort. He didn’t know what to do. Human SOULs were so different and complex, and he was shocked that your SOUL was as ‘active’ as it was around him. 

Sans has been around Frisk a lot. He hasn’t felt the kids SOUL like he can yours. It’s like a black hole, dragging his attention and focus. That night you were singing, he could barely take his eyes off you, and the glow about you was terribly distracting. It was your SOUL vibrating and coming alive, without even seeing it. 

He wanted to know what color your SOUL was. He thinks it’s beautiful already, but…

Fuck. You scared him. He doesn’t know why he cares so much, and it fucking terrifies him. And you’re not, he’s not…

Slowly, he turns the doorknob to open his door. His slippered feet whisper across the floor. He’s about to call out your name but stops at the slow, steady sound of your breathing. 

Hardly believing it, he closes his door to just a crack. Walking up to his bedside, he sees your still form laying out in his bed. Your burrowed against his pillow, and stars, he knows that it must all smell at least a little gross. 

But there you are. Sleeping. Clutching his pillow delicately in your hands. 

The whites of his eye lights are glowing in the darkness. They flick down, towards your chest, and Sans ‘checks’ your stats. 

Sure enough, your numbers flicker to life, 0 LVL and 0 XP.

After what you described to him, he’s rather shocked. He thinks he would have killed him, had your roles been reversed. 

Sans and Papyrus had a father, but he doesn’t remember the details. No one does. He just…knows he was a thing, that he was the royal scientist at some point. Alphys doesn’t even remember him, directly, just remembers his brilliance and inventions. 

Point being, it had been Sans and Paps for as long as he can remember. He doesn’t have strong connections outside of that. He has his friends, of course. But he doesn’t think they were ever his friends first, more that they are friends with Papyrus, and consequently, they brought Sans into the group with him. The only exception would be Grillby, he supposed.

And he knows that Paps loves him. He’s not stupid. 

But this…his past flings and failed relationships don’t compare to what looms over the two of you. The possibility of what this could be. And after everything you told just told him, about how you've been hurt, he's now more aware at how delicate the situation is between you. 

He doesn’t do relationships. Sans is the aloof older skeleton brother, cracks the jokes, falls asleep during work. Runs multiple, perhaps sketchy, side hustles. 

He can’t deny that there’s…something, between the two of you. He’s not oblivious, he’s just been letting things happen…organically. But he can feel the pull. The tension, the invisible cord that’s being plucked. He's been riding the current of the wave happening between you, but it's getting harder to simply ignore. And now he's terrified of hurting you, too. 

Sans isn't anything amazing. Hell, he actually is pretty pathetic, in the grand scheme of things. Apathetic, lazy, weak, he's heard it all. His glaring 1 HP haunts him on a good day.

The skeleton can certainly hold his own in an encounter when necessary. Very few monsters knew, because he didn't like to boast or brag, that wasn't his style. And even though he'll never bring it up with Frisk, sometimes, he has very specific nightmares that leave very little details...but. He's woken up plenty times in a cold sweat from it, even if he doesn't understand why. He knows he's had blood on his hands, in some timeline. 

Bottom line, Sans isn't special. He doesn't have anything going for him, really. 

And he doesn’t know what he can offer you at this point, because what you went through…he doesn’t understand how you’re still so kind . He knows that you had gone through your own healing (whatever that entailed at the 'hospital' you mentioned), but still, you had seemed so "normal". Anxious, sure, but he could get that. You were a human who drug up your home and decided to plop it amongst monsters. 

But now he knows. It's almost too much. Like he's getting in too deep, and he's going to have to make a choice of how far he's willing to go. 

Secretly, he’s twistedly pleased, because he found out the secret behind the scar on your wrist. He’s just not sure if he can transition to any semblance of peace when all he wants is justice for you. It's going to be a reminder for him now, too, of what happened, and of what he wishes he could do to that pathetic excuse of a human.

Carefully, he brushes your hair behind your ear. His bones graze along your cheek, and you don’t stir. For the sake of not being any creepier than he is, he shifts on his feet, and makes his way back towards the door. He’ll let you sleep. 

Your body feels heavy when your eyes finally flicker open. Consciousness comes slowly, taking stock of your aches and pains, as you warily take in your surroundings. A rush of panic hits you as you lurch upright, not immediately recognizing your surroundings. 

But your breaths even as you take a moment to think. You remember the movie night, and then Sans…

Fuck. You fell asleep.

Rubbing your eyes, you slump against the wall from where you’re now slouched. Thankfully, this nap helped you feel more…alive. Sometimes, a nap would make you feel worse. Your general lack of sleep must have desperately needed the charge. 

With a shaky hand, you wrangle your phone from your sweatpants, and check the time. You also have a text notification.

From: bonehead…2:48 PM:  we r all hanging out in the living room. join us when u r ready.

That was an hour ago. It’s roughly 4:15 PM now. Guh…you slept for like an hour and a half. 

You can hear faint shouting and exclamations from somewhere in the house, and you let out a weary sigh. Feeling like a mess, you’re sure you also look like one, but fuck it all anyway.

Terrified of facing Sans after your …talk, you can’t just hide away either. You’re okay. This is fine. It’s just Sans.

It’s just Sans.

You’ve come this far. That was the whole point, right? You were just…explaining your mental break down. The reasoning why you were acting so weird. 

If nothing else, you thought the two of you were friends. Surely things would be fine.

Nothing would change. 

Taking in a deep breath, you slip off the bed and tip toe through the bedroom. It was sure messy, not that it should surprise you. Still.

The voices get louder. You can definitely hear Undyne, from somewhere down there. Here goes nothing. 

You turn the knob and open the door, squinting to adjust to the brightness of the rest of the house. Fuck, his room was dark.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU WON’T TRADE YOUR RAILROAD FOR MY PARK PLACE?!”

“that would be givin’ you too many railroads, can’t have that.”

Undyne snarls, “BUT then you would have a Monopoly, you NUMBSKULL! This benefits YOU more than it does ME!”

Papyrus wheedles close to Sans, “BROTHER, MAYBE SHE’S RIGHT, YOU WOULD BE AHEAD IN THE GAME AFTER ALL-”

Sans crosses his arms with a shake of his head, “nah bro. if she gets all the railroads, then that makes all my plans go down the train. ”

“UGH!” both Papyrus and Undyne screech, causing Frisk to giggle endlessly on their side of the coffee table. They had dragged the table that was along the far wall to the middle of the living room, giving them ample space for their board game. The rock was still there, just carefully postioned between Sans and Papyrus. Papyrus, Sans and Frisk shared one side/corner, while Undyne and Alphys take up the other side. 

You can’t help but smirk and fold your arms along the railing. Content to watch them play, you keep quiet, leaning over just a little to get a good view. Looks like Sans and Undyne are the ones with the most properties, but you see Frisk raking in a lot of money from their random spots on the board. 

The empty feeling that has made it's home in your chest is still there. You're good at faking the "I'm fine" vibe, as you've been doing it for as long as you can remember. But watching your new group of friends banter with each other over a board game makes the emptiness not feel so consuming. 

That memory. Trent. It's been years, now. You have healed as much as you can from it, and you didn't come this far to let it beat you down again. He wasn't in your life anymore, and for the better. 

He must have felt your eyes on them, because Sans skull tips up so his bright eye lights meet yours, and you feel yourself pause in thought. 

There was no disgust on his face. In fact, with the way his head tilted just a smidge to the side, and his smile twitching at one corner… he looked, hm. Concerned? 

Frisk notices Sans' attention has shifted from the game, and the child follows his gaze up to you and they gasp in delight. They quickly stand up and run up the stairs, which of course shatters the intense bickering that's happening between the group and everyone's attention zeroes in on your presence. 

You don't have time to feel self conscious. Frisk made the stairs in good time, and flung themselves around your waist in a hug. You're nearly knocked over, and have to grab the railing to steady yourself with a soft chuckle. 

"Heya Frisk. It's good to see you," you say, and return their embrace briefly before they're pulling away from you to sign. You pay careful attention, even as Undyne and Papyrus shout greetings at you from downstairs. 

Frisk's hands move with excitement, but they are able to be clear and not jumbled in their movements. You've been practicing your signing, much to their delight. 

"Mom and Sans said you weren't feeling very good. Are you okay?"

You hum in affirmation, and lead the way down the stairs to join the others. You ignore the pestering knot that's tightening in your tummy. Everything's fine. There's no reason to start overthinking again. 

This is the hardest part. The letting go, and moving on. You get fixated on things and worry to the point that you panic. Just take deep breaths, and everything will stay fine. 

"Hey nerd! We were waitin' for you to wake up!" Undyne gripes, and you give her and Alphys a strained smile. Papyrus and his booming volume cause you to blink rapidly in adjustment. 

"I'M SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU ARE ALL RIGHT! MY BROTHER SAID THAT YOU FELT UNWELL. DID THE POWER SNOOZE HELP?" he asks while hopping up to his feet. He approaches you carefully and you look up to give him a small nod and smile. He sighs happily, then says cheerfully, "I BELIEVE THAT YOU REQUESTED THAT I SAVE A HUG FOR YOU, AND I HAVE BEEN PATIENTLY STORING UP ALL MY SNUGGLE ENERGY!!"

Remembering your phone call yesterday, your smile becomes more soft and genuine, and damn it all you can feel your eyes moisten. He leans down and thankfully doesn't pick you up off the ground like he usually does. But his large arms circle around you in a comforting squeeze. With him being all bone, you're still suprised at how cozy his hugs are. You return the hug with the same care and are able to keep your composure. You whisper a quiet 'Thank you' to him, to which he lets out a loud 'NYEH HEH HEH!'.

After he lets you go, Papyrus returns back to his spot. However, he not so discreetly makes space between himself and Sans, and you feel your nerves spike. 

Frisk goes to return to their spot on Sans' other side, and they grin and wave you forward. You can't quite meet Sans' gaze up close, but with stiff movements, you manage to not totally be awkward as you sit between him and Papyrus. 

Thankfully you think that Sans is avoiding looking directly at you as well. You try not to imagine what he’s thinking about. You’re already doing enough negative thoughts for the both of them.

“I’m okay,” you reply, once you realize you hadn’t actually responded to the blue fish woman. She raises a doubtful brow, but Alphys thankfully taps her arm gently. The smaller monster smiles at you kindly.

“It’s good to s-see y-you,” Alphys says quietly, “I’ve m-missed chatting with you at w-work.”

Here comes the guilt. You rub your arms as you sit, shifting awkwardly to settle in at the table, “Yeah, sorry. It’s just been a lot on the brain. I needed to not…be around people, to recharge, if that makes sense.”

“totally.” Sans assures you, and his voice makes you jump only a little. He carefully tilts his head towards you, and you can feel his eye lights on your person. Deciding to not be a child, you look over to him cautiously, and his smile is small, but genuine. 

You tentatively smile back. 

“AHEM,” Undyne cuts in, causing you and Sans to startle. The imposing woman’s teeth fill up her face with how big she’s smiling, “Now that we’re done being all cute and whatnot, LET’S WATCH THE NEXT LORD OF THE RINGS!! I'm about ready to flip this damn table.” 

There’s a cheer around the group, with Papyrus adding, “WE HAVE TO SEE WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THE SMALL HUMANS!”

A wave of calm washes over you. You’re thankful that your friends have decided to just play it cool and not overly question you. That probably wouldn’t have ended well. 

At Papyrus’s call, you get up and follow him over to their TV set up to help him get the movie started. Meanwhile, Frisk starts setting up the nest of blankets and pillows, and to your amusement you catch sight of a bright red blanket with spaghetti noodles all over it. 

Undyne and Alphys take up their side of the couch, as they had previously at you place. The comfort and ease between the two women makes you smile, if not a little envious. They clearly love each other very much. You wonder if the two of them had shared SOULs before? How long do monsters wait to do that?

Papyrus places a gentle but giant hand on your shoulder and steers you towards the middle of the couch, which of course puts you right next to Sans. Said skeleton is getting lazy and comfortable against the arm rest of the couch, and quirks a bone brow at you and Paps. The much taller skeleton is anything but subtle.

Even less so when he leaves you with, “PERHAPS YOU AND MY BROTHER WILL ENJOY SHARING A BLANKET AND GETTING ALL COZY AGAIN, HM?”

Your face flushes as you hear Undyne cackle from her side of the couch. You glare heatedly at her, which does nothing of course, but even Alphys is giggling so you huff as you sit on the couch. Papyrus is pleased and stalks off to the kitchen to check on some things. 

“hey,” Sans says, and you feel your shoulders hunch. You watch as Frisk dives into the blankets, testing out if they need more on the floor or not, before their small body squirrels away underneath the pile somewhere. 

You hum questioningly, and glance at Sans. Your hair falls and covers most of your face, so you push it back behind your ear so you can see him. 

His skull tilts at you slightly, eye sockets shifting to concern as his smile ticks upward briefly. Conscious of his movements, he gently nudges you arm with his own, causing your brows to furrow in confusion. 

“why don’t you ask a hobbit for money?”

“Uh…” you draw a blank, wracking your brain for any and all Tolkien knowledge you know, before Sans winks at you.

“they’re always a little short.”

Groaning, you feel your body relax at his quiet snickering. Huffing, you lean back so you can get comfortable in your spot, and the skeleton smirks at your half-hearted glare.

“No thank you,” you say politely, and he shrugs good naturedly.

“c’mon, that one was a real rib-tickler , you gotta admit it.”

You can’t help but wonder why you’re attracted to a punny, short skeleton monster of all people, but here you are fighting back a smile. 

Papyrus returns with an announcement that dinner will be ready at about the same time when the first half of the movie will be over, which will be the perfect time to get food and settle in for the second part. Ohhh. Éowen, Helm’s Deep, the Ents. Rohan! GANDALF THE WHITE. The fall of Isengard. And best of all, Gollum. The Two Towers may drag on a bit, but it has some gorgeous battle scenes and thematic elements. 

The crew settles in as Papyrus hits play on the remote. He and Frisk get all snuggled and cozy on the floor in their nest, like before, and a fond smile cracks along your features. Sans is prepared this time, and already brandishes a blanket that you had brought from your place. You take it and get yourself situated, and make sure he has part of it, too. 

Sure enough, there are so many questions and fascination about Gollum, but you tell the group that everything will be explained in due time. Papyrus is creeped out by him, saying that he reminded him of some monster named Jerry, which caused everyone but you a good laugh. Wisely, no one trusts Gollum, especially Undyne. You think she gets more on the edge of her seat each time Gollum is on screen, like she’s ready to fight him for Frodo and Sam. 

Alphys really enjoys Éowen, and says that Undyne could cosplay as her easily. The reptilian monster also can’t help but squee at the love triangle that forms between Éowen, Aragorn and Arwen. She mutters something about fanfiction under her breath. 

Papyrus shrieks with joy at the arrival of Gandalf the White, but that leads to many more questions, to which you smugly get to reply with “magic” and a wiggle of your own fingers, causing Sans to laugh loudly at your side. You can’t help but feel proud at that one, even if Papyrus looks severely put out. 

The healing of Théodon is always one of your favorite scenes. He is such a powerful character, and you love his growth that happens over the course of the two films. It’s also fun to watch Legolas, Gimli and Aragorn ban around Gandalf to protect the wizard while he makes his march to the cursed king, before healing him. It’s all so beautifully shot, and it’s powerful, to watch Théodon reclaim his senses by grabbing his sword. 

And of course, the battle of Helm’s deep is intense as always. Papyrus had made a delicious lasagna for you all (“IT’S LIKE SPAGHETTI BUT IN CASSEROLE FORM!”) so you get a tasty meal while watching the forces of Men and Elves fight back against the orcs and Uruk-hai. Undyne and Papyrus marvel at the fight scenes, with Frisk bouncing in their seat as well between having to casually hide behind their blanket now and then when things got a little too intense. 

Then there comes the fall of Isengard, and the Ents fighting back and taking down Sarumon’s forces. There are cheers all around, and you chuckle as Frisk and Papyrus share high fives. Papyrus comments on how the Ents remind him of Sans, to which the older brother acts mildly offended. You giggle quietly, which seems to placate him a little. 

Throughout the movie, you notice yourself leaning towards Sans slowly. You’re still super tired, and with a tummy full of tasty lasagna, you feel your eyes grow heavy along with the rest of you. You stay awake, though, because you have never fallen asleep watching Lord of the Rings before and you won’t start now. 

From under the blanket, you feel bony fingers gently wrap around your wrist, and you stiffen. Carefully, and without looking your way, Sans reaches out with his index finger and finds your pulse. It flutters dangerously under the gentle firmness of his bony fingers. 

Feeling your cheeks flare up, your shoulders hunch up which causes your body to slide down on the couch. This in turn makes your side flush more with Sans, and as you try to pull away and apologize, he tightens his hold just enough so it’s firm. 

Like he’s asking you to stay. 

So for the last hour of the movie, his hand remains gently around your wrist, while the rest of you rests against his side. You want to just wrap around his arm so you can …you dunno, hug it? Cuddle against him? What do people do? Who knows.

For now this is good enough.

You don’t pull away this time, when the credits start rolling.  The lights flicker back on and the group chatters about the movie, trying to predict what happens in the third one. You and Sans share a small smile, and thankfully, no one comments on the two of you being so…close. Familiar. 

Frisk declares they should watch one more movie before bed, and they go over to the bookshelf with Papyrus to find one. Sans and Undyne groan loudly as they decide on a Mettaton movie, and you can’t help but your interest spark at the opportunity. 

“don’t get your hopes up,” he grumbles, propping up his skull by resting his other arm on the armrest of the sofa. Him slouching like that only causes your body to follow along with his movement. He keeps hold of your wrist. 

“C-c-c’mon, it’s not s-so bad and he’s…he’s our friend!” Alphys chimes in, mostly to Undyne you thank, because the fish woman looks more put upon than you’ve ever seen her. 

Frisk grins brightly and sneakily looks towards you, waggling their eyebrows which causes your face to turn scarlet. The child makes a point to make a kissy face of all things, and you narrow your eyes at them sharply. This is enough for them to scramble under the blankets in a bout of giggles, and you sigh heavily. Sans squeezes your wrist, causing you to turn to him, and he looks amused.

“What?” you huff, embarrassment clouding your tone, and you hate it.

He shrugs a little, which jostles you, and you scowl at him which only makes him laugh more. But it’s a quiet laugh. You can still see that his smile isn’t fully…genuine. But, you think he’s getting better. 

You’re sure he has things he wants to say to you. About what you told him. The tension is there, under his clothes with the way his bones are holding themselves together. He’s careful with you though, and that does…funny things to your heart. 

Internally sighing, you hear Papyrus shush both you and Sans as the next movie starts. You can feel Sans’ tolerating energy coming off of him, but Frisk and Papyrus are enraptured with what starts playing on the screen. 

It’s like…Romeo and Juliet kind of, but all done with one character, and there’s rose petals everywhere, and you know you’re not high but you feel like you’re under the influence with how trippy and confusing it is and it just…lasts forever. 

You keep your thoughts to yourself, of course. But this Mettaton guy is very over-the-top, reminding you of old classical plays with a late-night TV show flare. It’s not your taste, but you never ‘yuck someone’s yum’, so to speak. Papyrus seems overjoyed. Were there…hearts in his eye sockets? You’re not sure. 

So you listen as Sans grumbles things under his breath, and snicker to yourself unnoticed by poor Papyrus. You feel Sans fingers trace along your wrist, and you feel your eyelids flicker and droop as you let yourself relax. Before you know it, with your guard down and your tiredness clutching you now that LotR is over, you subconsciously slouch and nuzzle against Sans’ shoulder. He freezes as he feels your body grow heavy against him. Your hair is a mess, tickling up against his vertebrae and under his skull. He’s growing used to the smell of you, and the way he can feel your SOUL when you’re this close. It’s a little maddening. 

But he can feel it curling in relief, like your inner energy has been carrying a heavy weight and it’s now able to rest. He still feels his own inner struggle of wanting to act out some kind of …revenge, on your behalf, but he knows you wouldn’t want that. 

He takes his own comfort and selfish pride in the fact that you identify him as safe, because you fall asleep again, but this time snuggled up close to him. He can feel Undyne and Alphys giggling on their side of the couch, but he ignores them. 

Carefully, with the aid of his magic, he’s able to help you lay down fully so your head is on his lap. He remembers how you got that neck pain before, when you were traveling in your car, and he doesn’t want you to get hurt again from that on top of everything else.

That’s what Sans tells himself, anyway. Sans adds a little more magic 'cushioning' on his thigh, so you're not laying on his bones. That wouldn't be comfortable, probably.

He makes sure that the blanket is covering you, and while he suffers through the rest of this terrible movie, he at least knows that you’re able to get some rest. He can't deny that it helps ease something within him to know that he's …taking care of you, in some way.

Sans isn’t sure what to do with these feelings, but knows that he can’t keep avoiding it…that neither of you can. Your SOUL is starting to get familiar with his, and his SOUL is apparently open to the idea of getting to know yours.

Sans doesn’t do relationships. He'll say it over and over again. He didn’t…he really struggled, opening up to people. About being honest and forthcoming. He doesn’t want to advertise more of himself than he has to. But with you, he can feel it, he can feel the want that he’s never had before and he doesn’t know what to do with it. He couldn't do just a simple fling with you, his SOUL doesn't want that. Especially after what happened to you.

He knows he’s getting ahead of himself. But after your talk today, and after that m i s e r a b l e excuse for a partner, he can feel his own SOUL wanting to respond, and tap back at the knocking that your own is doing to his. 

It’s fucking terrifying. Has he mentioned that?

His bony hands tremble as he gently scratches your scalp. The movie lasts for about two hours longer than it should. He makes a mental note to wake you at the end of it, even though he doesn't want to. He wants to keep you here, in his home, with him. It just feels right. He doesn't want to lose sight of you. He wants to know that you are safe.

But he knows you'll be upset over not being at your place, with the kitten. He has enough common sense that you'd feel terrible about it. 

So after the credits thankfully start rolling, and enduring the teasing from both the ladies and Paps and Frisk, he forces his blush away to gently help you wake. Frisk is staying over at their place tonight for a sleepover, as is Undyne and Alphys. Hopefully you don't feel like you're being kicked out. 

Your eyelids flutter blearily. You lick your lips, and he has paid special notice that that's a 'tick' of yours that he rather likes. 

Anyway. 

"hey," he says softly, and you roll so your eyes squint up at him. You're still half asleep, and his SOUL tugs at how pretty you are. It makes his SOUL twitch.

Fuck.

Sans can see the moment you realize the position you're in, but thankfully you don't freak out. You look nervous, so he tries to be as comforting as he can. 

"figure you would wanna head home to take care of your beasts. the movie just ended, we were all getting ready to turn in."

Papyrus comes back in the living room with a plastic container of leftovers. You rub your eyes as you slowly sit up, and Frisk starts signing at you about their sleepover. He feels relief when you smile.

"Nice, that's really special. I hope you guys have fun," you say, and Undyne tried to badger you into staying since you were so comfortable anyway. 

Despite your blush and grumpy expression, Undyne grins unabashedly as you reply, "Maybe another time, I can't leave Bilbo by himself just yet. It would be terrible if something happened and I wasn't there." 

"MAYBE NEXT TIME WE CAN HAVE THE SLEEP OVER AT YOUR PLACE! THAT WAY WE CAN ALL KEEP THE KITTIES SAFE!" Papyrus enthuses, and Sans chuckles. He gets up off the couch as you do, except you stretch your arms up behind your head when you stand. 

There's several loud 'popping' sounds as your spine relieves some pressure, which causes both Papyrus and Sans to straighten up with bright, respective flushes on their cheekbones. Sans sweats as Paps whips his head towards you with wide eye sockets. 

"WOWIE WOW-WOW, AHH…HUMAN. SKYLAR." he fumbles with his words, and you look confusedly up at Papyrus before finally taking stock of his expression. Orange blush and sweat drops are painted over his skull, and for the first time ever his eye sockets have blown wide with tiny, black pupils. His hands tremble while trying to hand you the Tupperware of lasagna. 

You're a smart one, and after glancing at Sans and noticing him in a similar state, with Undyne roaring with laughter behind you… you blink as it clicks in your brain. 

"...Is that, uh, popping thing bad? I'm sorry…"

"ERM. N-NO, EH, SANS!" Paps snaps over to Sans, and the shorter brother is already hunched forward with his hands shoved deep in his hoodie pockets. He glares as he passes Undyne and heads to their door, motioning you to follow. 

"we'll talk about it on the way to your place, ok? you didn't do nothin' wrong," he soothes. Undyne takes great joy at piping in. You're giving Frisk a goodbye hug when you overhear her leering at Sans.

"Who knows, maybe after your talk you guys can have your own sleepover at Skylar's place!" 

She laughs maniacally as Papyrus says he'd be very jealous if Sans got to sleep at your place and he didn't, and you groan. That fish woman was evil, you swear. 

Goodbyes finally done, you and Sans are able to escape mostly unscathed. Your brain feels heavy, still gripping with the leftover sleep. 

You’re both standing on the sidewalk after walking down the steps of the skeleton brother’s home. It’s dark out; the stars are twinkling in the sky. They aren’t as bright and visible thanks to the city lights, but still. It’s beautiful.

It reminds you of the night at Toriel’s. The two of you, walking under the stars. 

Brain being a terrible thing that it is, it starts poking at you that you should have a cigarette. You had gone out that morning and gotten some. 

But the air still felt…tense, and awkward, and suddenly the weight from earlier returns in full force. Sans wordlessly leads you around to the backyard of their house. It dawns on you that he’s probably going to be doing that…teleportation thing again. 

You hope you don’t get sick. 

After taking in a quick look around, he waves you over with a twitch of his fingers. Clutching your small bag, you step up close to him and gently take his hand with your unoccupied hand. 

He surprises you by pulling you close; he’s got an arm wrapped around your waist tightly, while his other hand cups your other elbow gently. Your front is pressed up against his side and you flush, suddenly feeling much more awake than you were a few seconds ago. 

His grin is tight and restrained. Your eyes are searching over him, to try and figure out what’s wrong, but it could be a multitude of things. You don’t know what to say to him. Inside, and during the movie, you were saved from having to acknowledge the conversation. About what had happened to you.

Your heart starts thumping heavily as you breath quickens. But before your anxiety can get away from you, Sans squeezes you gently.

“shh,” he murmurs, “i can feel you getting uneasy. it’s okay.”

“But-”

“no buts,” he cuts in, then finally his smile eases into something familiar. He winks at you with a weak laugh, “ain’t got one of those, remember?”

Blinking, your brain takes a moment to register the joke and the call back from last week, and you chuckle tiredly. He hums, leaning into you carefully.

“missed that sound,” his face turns to the crook of your neck, and he’s staring at something…but you have no idea what, as his eye lights flick to yours, “let’s get you home, eh? ‘member, close your eyes.”

Doing as he suggests, soon enough the two of you are tearing through a dark rip in space, and ending up outside your front door in no time at all. 

Stomach only turning uncomfortably, you sigh in relief as you take in your surroundings. You try to step away from Sans, but he holds you just a moment longer. You quirk a weary brow at him, but he says nothing as he nods towards your door. 

After his arm finally drops, you can’t help but wonder what he’s thinking. 

It’s probably a terrible idea, and you bite your lower lip as you fish out your keys from the bottom of the small bag you’re carrying. Steeling yourself, and knowing that the two of you need to talk. You’re not exactly sure about what, because it seems like there’s so much and nothing at all…

Turning the lock, you glance over at him from behind a curtain of your hair. You lick your lips, “So uh…you still gotta explain that whole deal with the, spine popping thing,” 

The intensity of the moment is broken by his skull turning a bright blue…kind of like how it did that night at karaoke, with the whole blow job shot thing. A smile ticks up at your lips as he scratches the back of his skull nervously. 

“heh. right. uh…lead the way?”

Chapter Text

“Ugh, OH MY GOD, I’m so sorry, FUCK-”

Sans is sweating profusely while trying to calm you down. He’s got a cup of coffee nestled in his hands, and had just finished telling you why the spine…or, just, bone popping in general, was a uh… “thing”. For skeletons. 

A sexy thing.

You felt mortified. 

“it’s not like you knew, it’s fine-”

A high, manic whine-laugh-cry escapes you as you flop onto the couch. Your own cup of coffee is resting on the coffee table, thankfully. 

You had invited Sans inside so he could explain things to you. Gandalf had greeted the two of you loudly with his displeasure of being left alone for so long, and you had gone and granted Bilbo freedom from his bedroom confinement. 

So you would be somewhat awake for the conversation, you had the poor idea of making coffee for the two of you. You were almost getting ready to make it when Sans cleared his non-existent throat to remind you that he wouldn’t be able to drink it unless he was the one who made the coffee. So you went to the couch and he went about making coffee using your french press. He wordlessly went through the process, and you wondered how he knew to make coffee…

Did they have it in the Underground? 

But you hadn’t gotten a chance to ask. After Sans had handed you your cup, he had decided to just dive in like ripping off a bandaid, and told you that you were basically flirting with the two skeleton brothers by popping your spine in front of them. 

They found it attractive. And you guessed that made sense. Fuck, who knew?

Sans is chuckling awkwardly into his mug, “we got thick skin, skye, no worries.”

Glaring at him, you straighten yourself up so you’re able to reach for your own mug, “Not funny. I was being inappropriate, in front of Papyrus! I was like, flashing him or something-”

Sans' brow bones furrow in thought, "what's 'flashing' mean?"

You stare at each other for a long minute. It hadn't crossed your mind that he wouldn't know what that term meant. For fuck sake's he knew what a blow job was, but flashing-? 

Maybe, are … are boobs a normal thing for monsters? You know Undyne, Alphys and Toriel had them, at least it looked like it-

Fucking fuck. This is getting so complicated. Fair is fair, you suppose. 

You start gesturing as you speak, because the anxiety is amped and you need to move somehow, "Flashing someone means like… showing private areas of your body to someone, but real quick-" you vaguely point to your chest, and then your lower half, but avert your eyes because the awkwardness is killing you.

Understanding dawns briefly along his skull and he doesn't seem at all bothered by it. 

Shrugging, he slurps at his coffee, quirking an amused brow bone at you. He must decide to fall back on the earlier topic, now that you explained what 'flashing' meant, “well, now you know. and how come you ain’t as upset ‘bout me hearin’ it? that’s rather humerus of you.”

You’re about to make a snide comment, but you pause, because…

With twitchy hands, you avert your eyes from the skeleton sitting beside you. Gandalf is lounging in the cat tree, while Bilbo has made his home in Sans’ lap, much to the skeleton’s surprise. Sans has been idly petting the small fur baby throughout your conversation. 

Drinking from your own mug, you close your eyes to escape briefly. It’s been a long day, hell, a long week and you have been doing a great job not reflecting back on everything you had confessed earlier to him. But it’s hard now. With that question, it implies you both are treading back towards acknowledging this…thing between you. 

And you don’t know what to do with it.

Your eyes blink open at the sound of a soft ‘tap’, and you see Sans’ mug now on the coffee table. His body hadn’t moved at all, because Bilbo was still in his lap. You wondered how he managed that without Bilbo being moved at all-

“hey. i uh…” there’s a scraping sound of his boney hand rubbing his skull, and he sighs. It sounds tired. It sets you on edge. 

He’s gentle and careful as he pets Bilbo. The small kitten is purring away, nuzzling close to his ‘belly’ area which still doesn’t make much sense to you, but you finally shake yourself to look up at him. But Sans’ eyes are cast to the side, looking at some random point on the far wall. 

Brows furrowing, you mentally brace yourself. You’re unsure what route the conversation was going to take-

With the hand that’s not petting Bilbo, Sans quickly dives into his pants pocket. Bilbo looks mildly offended at the jostling, but doesn't move, and you are only growing more confused. 

“i…i just, i need to tell you something,” he begins, and he’s gripping something in his hand. He looks torn, and there are heavy lines along the bottom of his eye sockets as he stiffens. 

“you can be mad. i’ll understand. but after today, and just-everything that happened outside the bar,” he closes his eyes tightly, and Bilbo must sense the growing frustration in the skeleton because his tiny body hops down to give him space. 

Sans seems to slump, letting most of the tension go from his shoulders. He holds out the closed fist towards you. Like he’s trying to hand you something. 

He seems very uncomfortable, so you decide to just…stretch out your own palm to take whatever he was trying to give you, and when your hand is close enough his hand opens. And your lighter that had gone missing drops into your waiting palm.

Your eyes widen, then narrow, because how could he have found it-?

“i took it.” he admits. His own eye sockets are now narrowed, but not at you. It’s like he’s angry at himself. 

“i took it outta your pocket, when you had gotten up from the table to go sing with yara. i saw it poking out, and nicked it easily. after she…after the whole cancer talk thing, it really freaked me and everyone out-”

Slowly your hand closes tightly around the lighter. You sit and listen to him speak. 

Because you’re not sure how to handle the rolling emotions coursing through you at the moment. 

“-so i took it, in the hopes to talk to you later about it, y’know. i’d help you quit or something, if you needed it, but then. then you went out, and maybe if you had your lighter. if you had it, then that scumbag wouldn’t have touched you-”

You can hear the composure of his voice slip, and a tight urgency build within. Under the baritone there’s a tremor, but not of sadness. It’s anger.

You recognize it, because you’re very familiar with it. 

Anger tinged with regret. There’s a sound that’s distinctly familiar, and you recognize it as his bones shifting and rattling together as he continues to force himself to sit there, waiting for some kind of response from you. He’s shaking.

“Sans,” you begin quietly. You’re going slow, and being careful with your words. He’s clearly distressed, and still refuses to look at you. 

You can’t have that. 

“Look at me,” you say softly and are mindful to keep your voice even, “please.”

The seconds tick by at an agonizing pace. Finally, you see his bright white eye lights glance your way. His skull is still turned away from you for the most part, but you’ll make do. 

It’s like he’s waiting for your judgment. 

Kind of ironic. 

“I’m…” you stop, lick your lips, and tread carefully. You’re an honest person. And frankly, you’re kinda fucking pissed.

But not for the reasons he thinks.

“That was…very much, not cool. Taking this from me. Hiding it. Do you get that? It’s like you were trying to control me-”

His eye sockets widen, and now he turns towards you panic, “no, i swear that wasn’t it-”

“Stop,” you say sharply, and thankfully he listens. You breathe out, and then in. He looks so fucking guilty. 

Reigning it in, you purse your lips, “I realize that’s not what you were trying to do, but deliberately taking my lighter meant that you were trying to stop me from smoking. And yes, it’s awful, cancer is fucking awful and that’s an understatement, but it’s my choice and you were trying to stop me from doing it.” 

Your words are harsh by the end of it, and you regret it just a tiny bit. But there's layers and weight behind your meaning, considering the events with Trent and what 'control' meant to you. And it must click in his skull, because Sans looks a mess. You’re willing to bet that he’s been beating himself up about this, and rightfully so. 

But, still.

“I…appreciate you telling me, and giving this back to me. Please don’t ever do that again.”

His head shoots up, his eye lights tiny pin pricks in his distress, “i won’t. i’m sorry. really… i wasn’t tryin’ to uh, control you, but…” he curses under his breath, “but it looks like i fucked up more than i thought, huh?”

He grows solemn, but you can’t have him falling into more guilt from this. It won’t do either of you good. 

So you scootch a little closer to him, so your knees are just barely touching. He blinks, and hesitantly looks at you in confusion. 

“Sans,” you sigh, and the bags under your eyes feel like weights. Carefully, carefully. 

With a shaky hand, you tentatively reach out a hand towards his own. This seems to be a ‘thing’ between the two of you. Hands and arms and all that. 

He eyes your offered hand, and he waits a beat before putting his hand in yours. Your grip is gentle and you give it a squeeze. He’s staring at your joined hands as you speak.

“Even if I had my lighter, odds are that asshat would have been there and it still would have happened. We don’t know all the what-ifs and all that bullshit.”

He scoffs like he doesn’t believe you, so with narrowed eyes you give a sharp tight squeeze. It does what you wanted and his gaze snaps back up to you, and he wilts a little under your intense gaze.

“Stop that,” you snap, and he shrugs half-heartedly. You sigh.

Trying again, you lean forward, so your faces are inches from each other. You’re looking into his eyes, and the tiny voice in the back of your head starts screeching about how beautiful they are. Endless caves of darkness with small, bright star lights.

You can see his eye lights flicker every which way across your face, now that you’re closer. Doing your best you push the anger away, and out of your voice, so it comes out sincere.

“I mean it. I don’t blame you. It wasn’t your fault. It was no one’s fault but that bastard’s, who thought it would be cool to try and assault someone,” you shake your head, “that’s it. Only him. And if it wasn’t me, odds are he would have gone after someone else either way. He’s gone, out of Ebott, off the mountain, whatever you wanna call it.”

His hand is trembling ever so gently in your own. Bringing up your other hand, you turn over his skeletal hand in your palm, so it’s facing up toward you. 

Just like that first time at Grillby’s, you feel yourself entranced. With one hand cradling his own, your other hand is gently tracing the bones along his carpels, down to his metacarpals, and eventually his phalanges. 

He’s quiet across from you. You have a small lamp light turned on, so the room is cast in a dark shadow with the golden light illuminating the finer features of his bones. 

Your hair has fallen in a cascade along your shoulder, and face. Sans reached up with his other hand to gently push the hair behind your ear. 

Your traitorous heart starts picking up the pace. 

“i’m sorry,” he says, quietly. You hum in response, and look up at him briefly. But you aren’t expecting him to look so distraught.

Oh no.

“just…” he stops, tries again, and you can feel your chest tighten in panic. You shake your head as he presses, “no one should have gone through that, what happened to you- with your partner-”

“Please,” now it’s you cutting him off, and you can feel the desperateness in your voice and you hate it, but really, you can’t do this. It’s what you were dreading. 

“I don’t want, or need, pity,” you strain to get out, and his face shifts. Shaking his own skull, he turns his hand over and grips your hand back, now, in a careful hold. He pulls just a little, so your closer. 

Breathing out heavily, you watch as his shoulders rise and fall with it, because now you can’t bear to look at his eyes. Funny, how the two of you are such a mess. 

His low timber is soothing, “that’s not what i meant,” he rubs circles into your palm with his thumb. His bones are still smooth, and warm, against your skin, “it’s not pity, skye. you’re so strong…i don’t think you realize how strong.”

Your left wrist is burning. 

“I don’t know about all that,” you shrug, feeling your body slowly slump. Fuck, you’re tired.

His hands slowly slide up the underside of your arms, until he’s cupping your elbows. This causes your torso to be pulled towards him. You gasp.

Sans is careful, and gentle, and he shifts his skull to the right so he can rest his own cheek to yours and he rumbles, “well if you don’t know, then i’m telling you. i can feel it, in your SOUL. even through all that pain, your SOUL is still bright and vibrant.” 

Tears prick at your eyes as you listen, and your brain registers his cheek rubbing against yours warmly. He’s…nuzzling? 

Your heartbeat jumps under your skin, and your eyes fall close. Tentatively, you nuzzle back against him nervously, hoping that you don’t mess it up… whatever that means. His skull is the same texture as his hands were, and it still surprises you. The bone is smooth, and not at all unpleasant against your cheek. You wonder what he thinks of your skin.

That sounded fucking creepy. 

A satisfied thrum of…something, passes between you, and your breath catches. Sans pauses, then curiously, he asks, “...did you feel that?”

Unsure, you nod timidly, and you find yourself letting your own hands trail up his arms until they rest on his shoulders. 

And it’s …it’s nice. He nudges you softly, and you blink rapidly. Oh. Maybe he wants more of an answer.

“I …I think so? It was soft, like, the fluttering of…butterfly wings. But in the air, between us, I don’t…”

Sensing your growing anxiety, he hums and nuzzles against your cheek again. What’s his called, the zygomatic bone? Eh, you’ll just keep calling it his cheek. It’s easier. You blush fiercely and can’t stop the smile that finds its way to your lips. 

He’s cute. It’s infuriating. 

“it’s okay, i was just curious. it’s…hell, heh, kinda a good thing?” he begins, and you can hear his words trail towards uncertainty, as if he’s unsure how you will respond. His hands now slip from your elbows, to your waist, and he seems to brace himself for your rejection.

But you don’t. You don’t know why, but the two of you are going about this all weird and just-

Leaning forward, you press up against his chest, so you can wrap your arms around his neck for a proper hug. His body sags in relief and it looks like he was waiting for some kind of go ahead on your end, because he finally pulls you close and wraps his arms around your waist fully to return your embrace.

That thrumming feeling is back. You can feel a stirring in your chest, and don’t fully understand what it means. But he said it was a good thing?

Whatever. You’re getting a hug, and it’s different from the ones from Frisk or Papyrus. This is Sans. All the muddled and mixed up feelings are thankfully easing into the background, and your exhausted mind is buzzing pleasantly. 

It seems crazy. You don’t really know Sans that well, but…

You feel safe. 

Your fingers grip into his hoodie, and you hide your face into his shoulder. You’re able to feel his rib bones pressing against your chest; how there’s bumps and dips. This close, you can look over to your left, and get a full view at his cervical vertebrae and bits and pieces of his clavicle and scapula, with a gentle pull at his black t-shirt.

“am i missin’ anything?” he muses, and you snort a quiet laugh before fixing his shirt. Thankfully he isn’t able to see how red your cheeks are. 

“Sorry,” you close your eyes, and breathe slowly. He has a very unique smell to him; it’s not a bad thing. You’re just cataloging it…yeah. 

Sure, he was holding you in his arms before, when you were telling him about what had happened to you. But that was different. You weren’t able to really take in the moment or appreciate it.

It’s been years since you have had an…interest in someone. A potential romantic interest, you should say. You still don’t know where to even begin with this, and it’s terrifying. Especially since you just opened up and told him what happened with your LAST partner. 

And he’s a monster, a skeleton to boot…does he even like you that way? Are you reading things wrong? Toriel had said that monsters are made of compassion and all that, what if he’s just being a good friend? 

Ugh. You need to just buck-up and talk to him like an adult. But you’re so fragile right now, at least mentally, and don’t think you can handle that kind of rejection. 

Unaware of your inner turmoil, Sans chuckles. He’s slowly rubbing your back; you can feel him taking care over your spine. He may be trying to be subtle but he sucks at it; you can feel him taking his time over each bump that he feels. You can’t really be mad; he’s doing exactly what you were moments ago. 

You can’t imagine what he’s thinking; that under your skin and muscles and all that, there’s a skeleton, too. 

“it’s okay,” he rumbles, and he’s mindful not to let his hands stray too far down your back. He stops just about midway, being respectful of your body and your overall state of being, “i probably look pretty weird to you. i get it.”

It’s hard not to appreciate the way his low baritone tickles pleasantly against your neck; this close, it rumbles throughout your whole body, and you could melt.

However, your brain finally seems to register what it is that he’s saying, and your brows furrow at that. You pull away so that you’re able to look at him. He has an easy smile on his skull, but you can tell it’s not real. Frowning, you move and poke him gently in the sternum. He blinks, eye sockets widening with a small touch of sweat on his skull.

“You’re different, yes, but I don’t think you’re weird. I think…” your voice catches, and you look away and bite your lip. Sans patiently waits. Helplessly, you groan inwardly, and look back at him nervously, “you’re amazing, Sans. You don’t…you don’t creep me out, or gross me out, or whatever you may be thinking. Okay? Don’t ever think that.”

His eye lights flick over your face, as if searching for something. You can feel your pulse racing, and he watches as your cheeks flare in response. He lets the moment stretch far longer than you’re comfortable with, before his smile finally stretches into something more genuine, more real.

Voice filled with a touch of mischief, he waggles his bone brows at you, “amazing, huh? what else?”

Rolling your eyes, you huff and push him gently in the shoulder. He chuckles easily as you chide him, “Don’t let it get to your head.”

“hm,” he teases, tilting his head at you, “i dunno. i could get used to the compliments coming from you.”

You groan and he cackles. You pull away so that you can get comfortable on the couch; and he follows suit. Hugging while sitting upright is just kinda uncomfortable. Too many knees.

His hand finds your wrist, and he gently holds it. Bone presses up against your pulse; and you quirk a brow at him. The two of you are snuggled close to each other, unspeakingly not wanting to leave each other’s space. You were more than fine with that. The two of you sit together quietly, letting the new air between you settle. 

Sans is watching you with an air of calm, and you can’t help but feel the same. He’s been doing a lot of…flirting, right? You’re not crazy.

You should just…ask. Because you’re getting a bit tired of all the dancing around it. But what if he’s just being playful? 

“hey,” he murmurs, and your thoughts halt at his voice. Sans presses his fingers softly against your pulse point, and is able to feel it fluttering. 

“i can feel your pulse doing that thing again. what’s wrong?” he asks quietly, and you don’t know what to say.

“I…” you pause, and squirm briefly, and then look over to meet his gaze. He tilts his head. 

You can’t. You can’t ask. 

So instead, you think back, and can’t help but question something that you were wondering, anyway, “Uh, well…what was that thrumming, thing? That,” you take your free hand and wiggle it between the two of you. 

Amused, he mimics your hand movement teasingly, and you narrow your eyes at him. He laughs, and then sighs. You expected him to answer quickly, but he looks like he’s thinking. 

He scratches his skull nervously, but his other hand doesn’t stray from your wrist, so you take that as a good sign. 

“so…” he looks uncomfortable, and you turn your body towards him fully so you can give him your full attention.

“so.” he coughs, and grumbles, before finally turning his skull towards you. He has a blue tint to his skull, and you can feel your own amused smile tick at your lips. 

“tori taught you about SOULs, right?”

Ooooooo. SOUL talk?! Now you’re even more curious. 

You nod, “Just that, y’know. I have one. That all monsters and humans have one, and that um,” you pause to think, then continue, “and that monsters are more connected with theirs? ‘Cause of your magic. Or, that you’re made of magic?”

He looks amused but nods, seemingly pleased by that. He rubs your wrist gently as he speaks, “monsters are more connected to their SOULs because we are made entirely of magic, yes. our SOUL is our very being; as it is for you. humans just have a lot of organic matter that keeps them functioning, without relying on magic.”

Sans is speaking softly and carefully, choosing his words with purpose; it reminds you of gentle thunder. You certainly don’t mind listening to him talk. Hell, you’d even listen to him read a phone book. 

But he doesn’t need to know that.

“and humans, well… normal humans don’t have much of a sense of it, but that doesn’t mean it’s not there. and when monsters start to…ah,” he starts rubbing gentle circles into your wrist, now, as he grows quiet. He seems to be struggling with this next part. 

Your eyelids lower as time goes. You’re still so tired, and the day was more emotional than you had planned. And now you’re here, you’re home, and Sans’ voice is even more clear and relaxing now than over the phone.

Sans is clearly having difficulty explaining this, and you wonder why. 

“when monsters are…familiar with someone and grow…uh, interested,” your eyes widen, and your body stills. All motions of tiredness are zapped from you. He refuses to make direct eye contact with you as he stammers, “our SOULs are able to tell if there’s, uh, compatibility. that flutter-y feeling…i think, that’s, that’s what that was.”

“You mean…” you whisper. Watching him closely, you can see that his shoulders are rigid. The skeleton is bracing himself, and you can feel your brain connecting the dots.

Your SOUL and Sans’ SOUL were…like, testing out each other? How does that work?

“I’m confused,” you admit quietly. Sans lets out a strained laugh as he gives your wrist a gentle squeeze. You hasten to continue, “I thought that since I don’t…I don’t have magic, or whatever, that I wouldn’t be able to feel SOUL stuff?”

“your SOUL is reacting to my magic,” he clarifies, “to my SOUL magic, specifically. it’s common practice among monsters. SOULs are serious business; we monsters function more on an emotional connection, or, bond…” he trails off, shrugging stiffly, “it’s also something that happens naturally. just…a pull, an inquiry of interest. our SOULs are responding to each other, since you think i’m ‘amazing’ and all that,” he teases, and you scowl at him. 

Regardless of his joking, your heart is hammering again. You lick your lips warily, thinking. You notice his eye lights track your tongue. 

“So…”

“...so.”

“What…” you mumble, unsure, and his eye lights watch you quietly. You huff, feeling like a teenager all over again. This is ridiculous. 

“hey,” he gives you another gentle squeeze, and you look up at him worriedly. You didn’t know what to do with all this information. ‘Cause from the sounds of it, he must like you some fraction…right? 

He shakes his skull, giving you a reassuring smile, “don’t stress about it, okay? it’s all good. we can just…y’know. forget about it, we’ve been spending a lot of time around each other, so odds are my magic might be having more of an effect on your SOUL because of prolonged exposure. we don’t really know a lot about how exposing magic to humans will affect them in the long run, ha…”

Wait. What? That’s not-Didn’t he say…something about actual interest-

Sans is putting up a blank smile again. You can’t get a read on him, because why would he just suddenly say that, when he had admitted that your SOULs were trying to communicate. He said that was a good thing. Right? Is he trying to convince himself otherwise?

Your confusion must show, and he nudges your shoulder with his own in an attempt to deflect, “you’ve got enough to worry about right now. this'll...it'll go away.” he murmurs, now letting his hand trail down and interlock his fingers with yours, rather than holding onto your wrist. He doesn't sound like he believes it.

You can feel something pinch and twist sharply in the air, and you watch as Sans’ eye socket twitches a moment after. He now is the one who looks confused, and you huff lowly. 

Figures. You were crazy to think he actually liked you. He just isn’t able to control his SOUL’s subconscious interest, or whatever was happening. Maybe it’s your SOUL that’s messing with his. You lower your head, and your hair fans out around you. 

“ skye ,” he presses, and you hum in silent question, “look at me.”

Bitterly, you look up to meet his eyes for what feels like the hundredth time tonight. He looks concerned, his smile strained on one side. Finally, he lets out a heavy sigh, and raises a hand to cup your cheek. He cradles it gently in his palm. He murmurs, “i don’t…i don’t know what it all means. i can’t,” he stops and shudders, seemingly just as lost as you. He lets out a strained whisper, "not yet."

You can’t help but lean against his hand, and close your eyes. You don’t understand what happened. The low lighting casts various shadows along your face, and Sans’ breath catches in his own throat. You furrow your brows as you open your eyes slowly, and you meet his eye lights. 

The thrumming is back; a melodic buzz that you can feel, but not hear or see. It’s something new and inquisitive, small and frightening. Tenuous and gone in a matter of seconds, before either of you realize. 

Sans’ expression is guarded; you can see the lines and edges that are holding him together. His hoodie is shrugging off of one of his shoulders, or really, it’s the shoulder you had snuggled up against earlier. 

This back and forth, wishy-washy mess between you is exhausting. And you can feel the coil in your chest responding to Sans touching you. It was like he was ready to finally talk about whatever this is, but then backed out. You didn’t know what to do with that. 

He removes his hand from your face, and doesn’t put it back on your wrist.

It’s all happening so quickly. This shift. One moment he was…he was the Sans, that you knew. The version of Sans that you had gotten to know and, well, develop some kind of feelings for. But now…he’s so different. It’s hard to explain. He’s so quiet and closed off. Not angrily, just...reserved. 

The air isn’t warm between you anymore. And you...you shared so much of yourself with him. How did it go wrong?

The SOUL aspect of this was terribly confusing. 

Did you actually like him, or was it your SOULs fabricating something between you two without either of you having a say? What kind of morbid shit is that?

And why is he pulling away from you? Maybe this was just…flat out rejection.

So you don’t say anything else, and Sans is gone.

Phasing back into his room, Sans feels his body sag in frustration and guilt. 

The look on your face was painful; but as your conversation dragged on, it just...it didn't feel like the right time. It was moving quickly, and though he knew he liked you, you were terribly exhausted physically and emotionally. He could sense it. You had just confessed to him about being raped and about trying to kill yourself, in the same day. All that rage and agony he felt for you still stood. 

He felt how your SOUL reacted to him saying the feelings would go away. How could he not, when it wasn't what he really wanted, either? Even though you hadn't said anything verbally, your SOUL certainly communicated it's distress. He drags his hands down his skull, letting his body slump onto his bed with a heavy 'thump'. 

The skeleton wasn't stupid. He could feel it; your SOUL wanted to try connecting with his, on some superficial level. It wasn't 'SOUL Sharing', just...the stage before. Like two streams slowly merging to a singular river. It was perfectly normal amongst monster couples. He shouldn't have been surprised that human SOULs would be any different. He just wasn't expecting it. It caught him off guard, that you were interested in him.

Well. He kinda knew you were. You both flirted, and cuddled together while watching movies. He wasn't blind. SOUL interest was just different. More serious. His SOUL hasn't 'thrummed' with another before. It had the potential for so much more.

Sans...Sans wanted. He was only trying to be respectful, though he explained it terribly. He knows he messed up, when he was only trying to save it for another time. Time. He needed time. 

Funny how time was always somehow his enemy.

He hurt you, even when he said it was the one thing he'd never do. He really was shit at this.

Chapter Text

Anger is something you’re intimately familiar with. It’s been a while since you’ve been this heightened. More than the incident at the grocery store, more than that bastard hitting you at karaoke night. More than an entire town deciding that you were to blame for something that wasn’t your fault, and the fallout of your well being from that.

Because MEN, you will never, ever understand. And it looked like it didn’t make it a difference between human or monster in that regard. 

You spend the rest of the weekend refreshing yourself up and not spending the majority of it obsessing over the fact that Sans had basically shut the metaphorical door in your face of potentially starting something. After quite literally, baring your soul (not monster SOUL, you’re aware of te difference) to him, he had held you, comforted you. He gave you such gentle looks and would make you smile, to try and make you happy. 

And then an a little inkling of acknowledging the shit-storm that was between you, he flat out just…bailed. 

You had wanted to text him, or call him, and just give him an earful but decide against it. Because if he would actually just TALK to you, instead of acting all disinterested, you could come to terms with it easier. So instead, you shut your phone off, and had the weekend to yourself to try and lick your wounds, and get ready for the work week ahead. You couldn’t stand being in your apartment anymore, it was feeling stifling, and reminiscent of your time back at your previous school when you only left your apartment for work and nothing else. 

So everything Sans related gets put to the side, for now. No matter how badly it's itching in the back of your mind.

On Sunday morning, you open your phone to find another mysterious jumbled text from a random number. You must have dreamt last night, because you're feeling disheveled and overall a little hollow. The text didn't help you any, either, since you were secretly hoping it was Sans.

From: xxx-xxx-xxxx...6:57 AM:  ✡︎⚐︎🕆︎ ☠︎☜︎☜︎👎︎ ❄︎⚐︎ 👌︎☜︎ ❄︎☟︎☜︎ ⚐︎☠︎☜︎ ❄︎⚐︎ ☼︎☜︎✌︎👍︎☟︎ ⚐︎🕆︎❄︎📬︎ 💣︎✡︎ 💧︎⚐︎☠︎ ✋︎💧︎ ☼︎✌︎❄︎☟︎☜︎☼︎ 👎︎☜︎☠︎💧︎☜︎📬︎

You are anxious and frustrated over getting these frankly weird messages, but have no idea what to do about them, so you end up deleting it like the rest. Thankfully, the rest of your Sunday is filled with playing farming sims and playing with your cats to help distract yourself enough from real life's problems.

Grateful for the arrival of Monday, you head back into work. You catch up with Toriel, of course, because you haven’t seen her since the incident at Grillby’s. After chatting and reassuring your boss that you’re okay, you get to work. After all the appropriate hugs and reassurances that yes, you are fine, it’s alllll fine.

You gather with Yara, Lilith, Toriel, and a large handful of other monsters who will be teaching at the school. You decide to start with an easy one first, the school calendar; you need to work in Professional Development days, holiday breaks, and so on. This required you and your fellow human to educate monsters on human holidays, as well as take into consideration those that the monsters celebrated.

So Christmas was a resounding yes, as it turns out monsters had something similar called ‘Gyftmas’ back in the Underground. It’s very similar to what Christmas is, so you and Yara go ahead and make note of it. Monsters didn’t celebrate New Years, but were amiable to it since it would be happening over ‘Winter Break’. 

Halloween popped up, and after the explanation of the holiday in regards to the children, the monsters were…iffy. They could see if being very fun for human children, but perhaps troublesome for monsters. Which was fair. 

You and Yara came with a compromise, since human children attending the school were going to talk about Halloween whether or not your school decided to partake in the holiday. You were going to make the last school day in October ‘Costume Day’, so children could still dress up if they wanted. You thought of maybe having teachers in the hallway to pass out candy to the kiddos for a sort of ‘trick-or-treat’ experience for the monsters for this first year. Next year, maybe monsters would be willing to try trick-or-treating in Ebott in general. 

The main goal was to make sure everyone was safe, and felt safe.

Thanksgiving was the next ‘big’ one, and even though the history behind the holiday wasn’t great, the monsters really liked the family aspect of it. It was one you were kind of dreading. But, better to be upfront about your country’s shit history than pretend it didn’t happen. 

Much like the monsters sitting with you in the conference room. 

It was decided there would be a ‘Spring Break’ in March, like there is in most cases around schools nationwide. Then there came the topic of the overall length of the school year. Toriel had mentioned that she liked the idea of the school year running longer to benefit human parents; in a lot of controversy talks about the education system, the three month break for summer is really long for most families who may not have proper access to childcare when they need to still work. 

It made sense, and you were for it. Lots of countries around the world had longer school years. So the compromise was that there would be a week long break in June, and the school year would go until the end of July. That way, the children would have a whole month off of school before September rolled around. Fourth of July was another holiday tacked onto the list, in that regard. The monsters hadn't celebrated their first year of coming back to the surface due to the unyielding stress brought down by trying to simply coexist in the human population, so Toriel also circled July 22nd. She was currently working on something with King Asgore to help their people celebrate this monumental moment in their history. 

The school calendar needs to be approved by the board, but you don’t see any issues popping up with it. A longer school year would definitely appeal to human parents. 

You push to ensure that you all have plenty of outside time/big body play. With the longer school year, it’s imperative that the children will get as much body exercise as they are able. Toriel is in full support of this, and you end up coming up with the school day being stretched to end at 4:00PM rather than 3:15PM. This way, that last chunk of the day can be used for the children to decompress before going home. School will also be starting at 8:10 AM, which you are excited about. You’ll get to sleep in! 

It’s kind of bananas that you’re really helping this school start from the ground up. You feel a spark of purpose, and get into the next chunk of schedule building with Alphys. 

The both of you end up satisfied with your daily schedule by the end of the work day. It’s a healthy balance of back and forth between the two of you; Alphys will be leading Science, Math, and Magic supplemental lessons for the monsters in the classroom. You’re in charge of English, History, and Music. You haven’t been able to hire a music teacher yet, so each classroom will be in charge of the extracurricular. You don’t mind it at all. You had taken courses in college to teach music classes, anyway, with your Elementary Education Major. Elementary School teachers were considered a jack-of-all trades. It was decided that the humans would have an option of a secondary extra curricular course, in place of the time taught magic to the monster students. 

It was still to be determined what exactly the courses would be, because they didn’t want the monster children to miss out on opportunities. Yara offered that it should be an extra P.E. class. It was important to get those muscles moving, and the magic classes for the monster children was a special kind of P.E. in it’s own way. You thought that was fair. 

The school was able to hire an art teacher, so art was thankfully covered and gave the children a chance out of the classroom. There was a P.E. teacher in the works, but from the sounds of things, it will be a dragon monster alongside a human, which was super cool. 

You couldn’t wait to see a real dragon! It was something you had wanted to do ever since you were a little girl. 

The next day you continue to ignore the way your heart is rolling over what had happened with Sans. Even with a full work day, you couldn’t escape lingering doubts about what all that SOUL talk meant with him. He had said that the ‘thrumming’ was happening because it’s when SOUL’s are interested in each other…but then he said to ignore it? 

There was more he wasn’t telling you. You don’t regret sharing your past with Sans, but you had somewhat pathetically and selfishly thought that if you were as honest as possible with him, wouldn’t that be a good thing…? In regards to your connection with each other?

And shit, damn it all, you were growing so annoyed about the entire thing. WHY would he say to ignore it, if monster SOUL stuff was so serious?!

You’ve been chilling in your classroom, typing away at the Welcome Letter that you had planned to send out to families next week. You have music blaring from your laptop, and are tapping away to some KoRn while working. 

Alphys ambles in, and you think what you appreciate the most about the monster is that she is very accepting. She barely bats an eye about the lyrics of “Narcissistic Cannibal”, and you see her bobbing her head every now and again from her desk as she works on her own tasks. 

Suddenly a thought pops into your head, and maybe it’s a little shifty, but fuck it. You wanted answers.

Pausing the music, you push yourself over to Alphys’ desk with a couple obnoxious scootches of your chair. The scaly monster blinks at you in surprise, and pauses her typing. A few nervous sweat drops form on her muzzle, but you give her a tame smile.

At least you hope it’s tame. You’re feeling a bit manic. 

“Hey, Alphys! Can I ask you somethin’? About SOUL stuff?”

“Uhm…” she blushes, and nervously wrings her small hands together. Her eyelashes flutter nervously and she shrugs, “I-I’m not sure. T-toriel m-might be the better person to ask.”

You wheedle closer so you're able to rest your folded arms on her desk, which causes the poor thing to shrink back from you. 

“Can I ask my question first before that? I just thought since we were gonna be spending so much time together anyway, you’d be a trustworthy source…” you trail off, and give her a small shrug. It’s true, you’re not lying. You’d be teaching together, spending roughly 40 hours a week together. After all that, you can’t help but get to know someone. 

Well. That’s not entirely sure in your past experience, but monsters are different. 

This seems to fluff her up, and she finally gives you a small nod. Score!

Well, now you have to debate how much you are willing to tell. You know that Alphys and Undyne have been teasing you and Sans during movie nights to varying degrees (okay, mostly Undyne) but she’s been keeping an eye on the two of you in her own way. Her eyes would always get all sparkly, and she’d have this far off look in her eyes.

Clearing your throat you spin in your chair a little, and then ask, “Toriel mentioned that SOUL’s are like…really important to monsters. In all senses, even relationships,” you tread lightly, and Alphys nods slowly. 

“M-monsters thrive on an emotional c-connection with their partner,” Alphys confirms, and you feel your eyebrows furrow in thought. 

“So…” you lick your lips, “let’s say, there’s like, a connection between SOUL’s. What is that like? Does anything…happen?”

She’s staring at you with laser focus, but you’re super confident in your poker face. 

Seconds tick by and she has a growing flush to her scales. She twists a little in her own swivel chair, looking at a picture of herself and Undyne that she keeps on her desk. You smile absently at her as she replies.

“I-I didn’t have a l-lot of friends in the Underground,” she begins quietly, “but one day I met U-Undyne, and she was SO COOL!” she gushes, letting her eyes pinch shut in excitement. You chuckle alongside her and wave at her to continue. 

“S-s-sorry,” she turns more towards you again, then tilts her head as she thinks back on it, “uhm, well, it starts off like you would think with two people. I-I met Undyne in the garbage dump, in Waterfall, back in the Underground. She was tearing through piles of garbage, searching for swords.”

A fond smile tugs at her lips, “I was so enamored by her bravery and courage. We started to hang out more, always meeting at the dump. She w-would listen to m-me talk for hours about a-all kinds of things! My work, anime…” she blushes, and you grin. The two really do make a cute couple. 

Poking her paws together, Alphys has small sparkles along her eyelines, which makes you wonder how magic really does work with monsters. She shyly says, “And then one day, it was like we were connected in a different way. Being close to her, there was a pull that neither of us could explain. I never thought I would get to experience a Rapture before I met Undyne…”

There’s a bit of drool now occupying Alphys’ rambling, and you snort. However you get stuck on that term she used, and wonder what it means in full. It was new to you. In the context of monsters, at least.

“What’s a Rapture? To monsters.”

This snaps the monster from her day-dream, and she startles at your question. She suddenly seems very uncertain about what she should say, when all of a sudden there’s a throat being cleared at your classroom door. You and Alphys jump in your seats, and you both turn to look and find Toriel standing at your doorway.

Alphys looks terribly guilty, or maybe embarrassed, and you feel bad about asking the poor monster questions. You hope you haven't gotten her in trouble. 

“Sorry for the interruption, dears, but I was just stopping by to tell you that Papyrus has finished making lunch,” she folds her hands in front of herself, and from what you can tell she doesn’t look terribly bothered on the conversation she walked in on. 

“Your M-majesty,” Alphys tries, and Toriel waves her off with one paw. 

“Please, Alphys, we’ve been over this. Toriel is quite all right.” she chides, which causes Alphys to duck her head even lower. You decide it’s time to save the poor monster.

You stand and make your way to stand before Toriel, and smile awkwardly, “I hope that I wasn’t stepping over any boundaries or anything like that, Toriel. I was just asking Alphys about how SOUL attraction works for monsters…”

The Queen, contrary to refusing the title, looks quite regal as she quirks a dainty eyebrow down at you. You brace yourself for any kind of reprimand, but Toriel ends up giggling. You stare wide eyed up at her, as does Alphys, who has now carefully joined your side. 

Toriel motions for the both of you to follow her to the lunch room. You see Yara and Lillith down the hallway, along with a couple other monsters, heading the same way. 

The tall goat monster hums lightly, “There’s no need for apologies. Our dear Yara has been badgering monsters much the same on all manner of questions, I would say you asking something as simple as SOUL attraction is fairly tame to what Yara has been wondering.”

You snort a laugh, and roll your eyes. That doesn’t surprise you in the slightest. Girl has no tact whatsoever. 

Toriel glances down at Alphys, and tilts her head, “Would you like me to explain, or do you want to take the reins, Alphys? I stepped in before letting you finish your explanation.”

Alphys blushes fiercely. Turns out lots of attention makes her uncomfortable, and you can understand that. To your surprise, she straightens up, and nods towards Toriel. 

“I-I can explain, no problem!” Toriel has a small smile at Alphys’ enthusiasm, and the reptilian monster turns back towards you with determination in her eyes. 

“S-so Rapture is what we call when two SOUL’s start connecting with each other,” she explains, and the gears in your head are already turning. She continues, “it’s n-not something that can be forced by either person…it’s like, the SOUL’s are testing if there is compatibility between the two. It’s…” she pauses, with a faraway look in her eyes, “it’s like, subconscious. Uncontrollable. Like sparks igniting, to see if you are able to l-light a m-match.”

She squirms while she walks, seemingly back into her ‘trance-like’ state that you’re becoming accustomed to. Toriel chuckles as she picks up where Alphys left off. 

“Take it like the beginnings of getting to know someone,” she says softly, her gentle voice calm and collected, “except, your SOUL is the one controlling the experience. Sometimes, two people will end up in a Rapture, but it won’t last very long. Other times, it works, and it brings the two people closer together in a connection that’s hard to explain. It’s feelings of bliss, a rush of emotions, to find out if you are a good match. Monsters don’t tend to have ‘failed’ relationships, once they become established. A Rapture is the first part of that process.”

Your mouth pops open in awe. You remember Sans getting upset over the subject of your mom and dad getting a divorce. This must be why. 

“So like…is it like a fluttery feeling? Like, a string being pulled tight and you can uh, feel the vibration that makes if you pluck it? But…it feels nice?” you ask warily. It takes you a moment to realize that the two monsters had stopped walking. You pause and look back at them worriedly, only to find them staring at you with wide eyes. 

Toriel and Alphys look at each other, before looking slowly back to you with wide smiles. You feel your face darken instantly, and Alphys screeches as she does a little dance mutter ‘IknewitIknewitIknewit!’ under her breath. 

“It can be described like that, yes,” Toriel muses while giving you a teasing smile. Damn it, you didn’t want it to be so obvious, but it can’t be helped. You’re looking for help, and this was your best chance, you suppose. 

Embarrassed, you push your hair behind your ear with a small scowl, “So it’s definitely like, a good thing, right? The other person can’t fake it…or anything like that?”

“Goodness, no. That would be awful, trying to manipulate someone’s feelings. Your SOUL is the truest version of yourself. It’s not capable of faking something like a Rapture,” Toriel shakes her head at the mere notion of that thought, and leads the two of you to the lunchroom. She pushes open the double doors and holds them open for you and Alphys. 

It smells like alfredo, and you’re going to have to start going to the gym with how many carbs you’re going to be eating with Papyrus’s love of pasta. Not that you’re complaining, because pasta is fantastic. Papyrus is prancing around the room making sure the staff all have their utensils and broccoli and breadsticks, along with their heaping plates of alfredo. Your stomach grumbles. 

Toriel leads you to a table where there’s enough space for the three of you to sit. Papyrus wastes no time serving you all plates with all the fixings. 

“Thanks, Paps! This looks amazing!” you smile up at the tall monster, and he beams down at you. 

“NYEH-HEH-HEH! EAT AS MUCH AS YOU LIKE! IT’S A NEW RECIPE THAT I AM TRYING OUT FOR THE SMALL ONES!” he gushes, and you and Toriel and Alphys all take bites under his nervously waiting eye. You all give him praises and compliments, because really, it’s SO good. 

“Wonderful as always, Papyrus,” Toriel exclaims, and Papyrus blushes a bright orange under her words. You nod and he’s off to the kitchen again, and you can’t help but laugh at his …well, everything. He has so much energy. 

Turns out there’s more to be said about all this, now that you’ve opened up this can of worms. 

“There are certain stages that monsters go through, in regards to relationships,” Toriel says between bites, and you settle in for another lesson eagerly. You’re able to hide behind your own intentions, thankfully, because of course Yara appears out of nowhere and squeezes in next to you and Alphys. You growl at her and she cackles, while Alphys slides to make room. 

“Y’know, you could ask, instead of just forcing yourself in the conversation,” you say dryly, which makes your fellow human groan exaggeratedly. 

She bats her eyelashes at Toriel and Alphys, which causes both monster women to chuckle. Yara whines, “Pretty please can I be part of the conversation about monster relationships ?!”

“I-I don’t mind,” Alphys says softly. Toriel accepts with a nod of her head as she chews through some broccoli, and Yara grins cheekily at you. 

Huffing, you roll your eyes, “Just remember, consent is sexy,” you drawl. Yara nods sagely while Alphys blushes. 

You double check with yourself inwardly that you’re okay that you made that joke, and yeah…looks like you are on the upside of things, all things considered. 

“Anyway…” Toriel says, and the two of you settle in with food to listen. Yara is practically bouncing in her seat. 

“A Rapture is the beginning of a romantic relationship. It’s the two of you getting to know each other, like you humans would I imagine. You spend time together, go on dates and such. However, a monster’s SOUL is also uh…’flirting’, I suppose, with the other monster’s SOUL. A person’s SOUL will know in due time if it’s a good potential match or not. As I said earlier, some Raptures last a while, and sometimes they are rather short. If it's short, odds are it isn't a good match, and the SOUL declines its interest. It’s all happy, good energy, that will give you butterflies in your tummy and a skip in your step. There is no such thing as a 'bad' Rapture.”

Yara is mulling this around, and then adds, “So basically it’s NRE, but for SOULs?”

Toriel and Alphys look confused, with Alphys following with, “Uhhm, what, uh, is that?”

“New Relationship Energy,” you answer, swallowing a bite of your food. You shrug, “basically it’s all the super sappy feels of a new relationship. It can be physical, emotional, sexual responses…can last for a few months or sometimes real long, depending on the people.”

“Ah! Yes! What a wonderful comparison,” Toriel elates, and you and Yara share a smile. Seems you all weren’t so terribly different. Toriel continues, “however, even though physical attraction can happen with monsters, as I said in our original training, a Rapture much more focuses on the emotional connection. If two monsters have a strong emotional bond, then the Rapture will strengthen to the point that the monsters will be able to gauge certain feelings and responses of the other monster, without even needing words or actions between them. It’s quite beautiful,” the former Queen sighs wistfully, and Alphys is all heart eyes and pink scaly-cheeked. 

You and Yara share another look, and you both chuckle. Odds are Alphys and Undyne must still be in that phase. Though, it is wrong to assume things…

“So what’s after a Rapture?” you ask curiously, and Alphys stutters so abruptly. She starts stuffing more food in her mouth. 

Toriel titters under her breath, reminding the monster to slow down so they don’t hurt themselves. Alphys nods shyly under the Queen's gaze. 

Coming back to the conversation, Toriel’s eyes grow soft in thought. She hums, “Well, it depends. The ‘Rapture’ phase lasts for some time if the SOULS are compatible…I suppose how you humans date for a while. However, the only difference is with the Rapture, monsters are getting to know each other on a deeper level, almost developing a new way of communication. And when the two monsters are ready, the next step is, well…Soul Sharing. There’s no fancy name for it, but I explained it briefly before. It’s a very private affair between two monsters. You may only share your SOUL with someone else once, maybe twice, in a lifetime. That’s how personal, and intimate, it is.”

Yara’s bright eyes widened in awe, taking a break from her food. Papyrus pops in again to check how you are all doing. He moves things as needed, taking plates and such, while listening in to the conversation. He decides to add his two cents as well, which you smile fondly at. 

“SOUL SHARING IS WHAT EVERY MONSTER DREAMS OF! TO FIND ANOTHER MONSTER TO CONNECT WITH, TO TOUCH SOULS! NOT ONLY TO SEE THEM, BUT FEEL THEM!!” he gushes, suddenly starry eyed and whimsical. You chuckle while Yara seems to be doing some mental categorizing. 

Touching SOULs, huh? That…no wonder it sounds so private. 

“Soooo…” the other woman ponders, stabbing at a piece of her pasta. Papyrus snaps to attention at that, “like, I guess I’m struggling a bit. What happens when you share your SOUL with someone?”

Papyrus is about to speak, but Toriel clears her throat. He grows bashful and lets out a nervous laugh of “NYEH-HEH-HEH” as Toriel gives him a comforting smile. 

“I have no problem with you answering Papyrus, I just want it to be clear that our customs and culture are still not common knowledge. I ask that all this information goes under the blanket of the ‘Privacy Policy’ that we had you two sign at the beginning of your training. I hope you understand.”

She eyes you both to make sure you nod, and then waves at Papyrus to continue. You don’t think the vast majority would just casually take this information at face value, anyway. 

The skeleton monster grows enthusiastic once more. So he’s not towering over you all at the table, he chooses to sit on the floor at the end of the table. The table comes up to his lower chest, so you’re all able to still see him clearly. 

Damn, he’s tall. 

“WHILE THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAS NOT EXPERIENCED A SOUL SHARING INCIDENT BEFORE, ALL YOUNG MONSTERS ARE TAUGHT TO BE GENTLE AND CAREFUL WITH THEIR SOULS. ONE DAY, YOU WILL FIND A MONSTER WHO HARMONIZES WITH YOUR SOUL IN SUCH A WAY THAT IS INDESCRIBABLE TO OTHERS!” he sighs, and you notice Alphys blink slowly at him as he talks, while Toriel looks guarded. Not angry or upset, but…remorseful? You can’t help thinking again, what had happened between her and the King. 

She seems to step in, however, as Papyrus is speaking from a daydream. You can’t help but wonder if he’s ever had a crush on someone before. 

The goat monster speaks with a forced note of neutrality, “The monsters will know each other inside and out; their feelings, their hopes and dreams,” she pauses, as if debating how to explain, “they essentially are trusting that other person with their very being. It is not taken lightly. Doubts can be reassured, for instance, because you will truly know the other person's intentions. There is no way to hide. Your very SOUL is bared to them. It's incredibly intimate.”

You nod in understanding, and feel yourself shift a little in your seat. That’s…that’s a lot. It sounds way more complicated than marriage, at least in human standards. 

Yara must be thinking something similar, because she then asks, “So is that like…getting married? Do monsters have weddings?”

Toriel brightens, “Of course we have weddings! Our customs are not so terribly different. However, SOUL sharing is not like a wedding. That…that would be a SOUL Bond. ”

Alphys could quite possibly be foaming at the mouth, but you’re not sure. You had thought of maybe asking her if she and Undyne had SOUL shared, but stopped yourself, figuring the poor thing might faint. And after all, if it’s so private, that’s probably hella rude. 

Wasting no time, Yara grins and grasps onto this new information like a fish on a hook, and she pops open her mouth to speak but Toriel hushes her in amusement, “I will elaborate, child, give me patience to finish my meal.”

Properly chastised, Papyrus sighs dramatically as he thinks aloud, “OHHH, I LOVE WEDDINGS! THEY’RE ALWAYS SO FULL OF LOVE AND HAPPINESS, AND THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS BOTH OF THOSE THINGS!”

You laugh and finish your food, watching Papyrus stand back up from the floor, “I MUST TEND TO ALL THESE DIRTY DISHES! THEY WILL NOT WITHSTAND THE WASHING SKILLS OF THE MIGHTY PAPYRUS!”

Bidding him farewell, your group calms a bit while everyone finishes eating. There’s idle chit chat between you all, but your brain can’t help screeching at you mentally about all that you learned. More so…Sans, for whatever reason, lied. Or ignored your whole…SOUL Rapture? 

You’re not sure, but it definitely makes your anger feel more justified. The hurt isn’t easy to ignore anymore, and you’re hoping at the least it doesn’t show.

Because it made sense. There have been a handful of times now, when it’s just been you and him, and he’s been so …you don’t know how to describe it. He compliments you, teases you, flirts with you, and it made your insides feel all abuzz in content. He even admitted that a monster had to be interested to have the ‘thrumming’ (now dubbed Rapture), and it seems like a big deal. And also, a good thing!

Maybe it’s because you’re a human… you keep overlooking that problem. It’s quite possible that even though your SOULs are ‘vibing’ together, he doesn’t want to actually commit time and attention to you because you’re different species, and all that would entail. 

It’s…fair, you guess. A new, hollow feeling is carving itself into your chest. Probably for the best. It would be a hassle for everyone. Let alone what the media, and rest of the world, might think if it ever got past Ebott.

A monster and a human, dating?

You let out a heavy sigh.

Toriel cuts through your thoughts with her gentle voice, “Now. SOUL Bonds are…well. Monsters who SOUL bond share each other’s magic; they…they fill in the spaces, in the other’s SOUL. It’s like becoming whole. You are connected on a primal, core level. In the process, you share memories, emotions, life. It’s…it’s beautiful. You exist on a singular wavelength. For instance, when one is under great emotional distress, the other will know. If the other is in pain, or in danger, the other partner will know. It can be overwhelming, at times, but partners adapt and learn how to live with this new connection.

It seems so fantastical trying to explain it, but just know that Bonded Pairs are considered “married”, from a human standpoint. But it’s so much more. Monsters do not break bonds, unless absolutely necessary. And even then, it can sometimes be fatal. That’s why a SOUL Bond is such a special, rejoiced occasion. After a SOUL bond is when monsters have children. It is much easier to spend the magic and transfer it to the carrying partner, and to create a new SOUL.” 

She has spoken with a careful choice of words, and you don’t blame her. Yara smirks at Alphys. The poor monster is beside herself with shyness. 

To your surprise, Alphys shares that she’s been thinking about how to ask Undyne to share her SOUL with her, and Toriel gasps in joy and Yara whoops. The smaller monster had waited until Papyrus was out of ear-shot, because she doesn’t want the surprise ruined with how close he is with Undyne. 

The other three women brainstorm date ideas on how Alphys could spur the topic of conversation with Undyne. Your own mind wanders to stubborn and confusing skeletons, much to your frustration. 

Well. If anything, you now know that he chose to play it off like nothing happened. Hopefully your ‘Rapture’ would fade on its own, if that’s really what he wanted. You had fretted before that you didn't want your friendship to be affected by any of these feelings , but it looks like that may have already happened. 

Ultimately, despite your anger and confusion, you wish he would talk to you. 

That afternoon when you got back home from work, instead of heading straight back up to your apartment, you hesitated only a moment before making your way down the other set of stairs towards Muffet’s basement apartment. 

She’s never invited you to her place before, but you don’t think you can wait. You need to let out some of your clouding thoughts, and Sans might have been an option before, but he isn’t right now. 

You need some validation, or something, to know that you’re not crazy. You needed a friend.

With a couple of knocks, you stand waiting outside her door. It doesn’t take long for the door to creak open, and Muffet stands before you with curious eyes. Remembering that monsters can feel intent, and all that, you try very hard to stamp down on any strong feelings you have at the moment. 

A strained smile flies across your features, “Hey, pretty lady. Sorry for just stopping by randomly but, I could really use- uh. Can we talk?” you finish lamely.

The spider monster blinks slowly at you, and tells you to wait a moment. She steps back into her apartment, leaving the door open only a crack. It only takes a few moments for her to come back and let you in, not before taking off your shoes. 

“I have a pet of my own, dearie, just wanted to be sure they were kept away for right now. Introductions can be saved for later,” she says lightly. You suddenly feel guilty for intruding on her evening, but she hushes you and demands that you tell her what’s bothering you. 

The two of you settle in at her small kitchen table, and you tell her everything. At some point you get up and start pacing, because you hadn’t realized how much this whole thing HAS been bothering you. You had been so focused on work, and not trying to think about it, that after today you come to the realization that Sans…Sans really hurt you, in monster culture. And a culture that you’re slowly starting to adapt into your life, too. 

Muffet listens quietly, and grows annoyed on your behalf, but instead she helps you come sit back down because at the end of it you’re a teary mess, and it’s hateful. You hate how your emotions have been so out of whack lately, even though you know rationally that it’s okay to “feel the feelings” and all that. 

“I just…” you grapple with yourself, using a tissue to wipe at your face, “I know now that it’s-it’s a Rapture, right? That was happening? I’m not crazy.”

Muffet nods rigidly. She is watching you carefully, but you can see something else behind her eyes as she muses things over in her head. 

“So after all that…why,” you breathe, anger seeping into your tone, “why would he say ignore it? He basically admitted to liking me, and blew it off! I was too upset just, with everything that day, and it hasn’t fully sunk in but fucking- our SOULs were trying to connect, and he said ‘ thanks but no’? ” you growl lowly to yourself and rub your eyes. No more crying. 

You feel arms wrap around your shoulders as Muffet comes to stand by you. You’re surprised, but quickly return the hug you’re given. Your mind is running a mile a minute, trying to come up with some kind of theory as to why, but nothing makes sense to you.

“I cannot possibly fathom what that nitwit was thinking,” Muffet says lowly, and you give pause in the way her tone has shifted to something darker. Your eyebrows pinch together, and pull back to see her pointy fangs looking rather…sharper, than normal. And longer?

Confused, and tired, you shake your head to try and gather yourself, but Muffet’s hold on you tightens, “Let me make this clear, lovely. That skeleton is a moron. As soon as the two of you are in any kind of distance again, the Rapture will make itself known. It only ‘goes away’ if your SOULs come to the conclusion that you aren’t a good match. And that’s not something that even that numbskull can change, or influence.”

Her tone is icy and cold, and honestly worrisome. You put your hands over her own that are on your shoulders, and you warily ask, “What…I just don’t know what to do,” you say, and Muffet growls.

“It’s his own fault. I do not want you to suffer, my dear, but trust me when I say that he is going to be more of a mess than you are since we monsters feel Raptures much more…intimately than humans do,” she pats your head gently, despite the way her entire body is screaming otherwise at the moment, “his idiocy will be his undoing. I do not know the skeleton brothers well, but everyone in the Underground knows of Sans’ …position,” she grinds out, and you’re more confused than before, “SOULs cannot lie, but the owner can omit truths. I suspect that the skeleton is battling things of his own, but it’s no excuse. It’s downright miserable, in fact, what he has done to you, deary, considering his duties. I hope you understand that. And your anger is justified. You can reach out to him if you like, but I say let him come to you.”

Before you can ask, she tuts dismissively, “That’s a discussion for another time, and between the two of you. Another one of those pesky monster customs, I’m afraid. Not my place.”

That’s annoying. But, understanding, so you nod regardless. Muffet hums and lets out a long sigh, before declaring, “In the wake of this distastefulness, I must insist on you staying for dinner. We can watch more of those ghost story documentaries you enjoy. I’ll get started on the food, hm?” she titters, seemingly shaking off her aggressive aura. You’re a little blindsided by it, but grateful at the same time. Dinner sounds amazing. 

Later that evening you get to meet Muffet’s pet, and it’s a giant, spider-looking muffin, and one of the most adorable things you have ever seen. 

Your dreams that night are dark and empty, with the traitorous clicking sounds gleefully ringing in your ears. 

Chapter Text

You stuff any thoughts about skeletons and feelings back into the tiny, cramped box that was labeled ‘Emotionally Compromised’. 

The days continued like that. Work was demanding and kept you busy, and before you knew it July was almost at a near end. School started in September, so soon enough, you would be fully back in the classroom. You were terribly nervous, but excited.

Bilbo was growing rapidly; the little guy could confidently climb up the cat tree, even though it made you anxious still. He was putting away food like nobody’s business, but you’d like to think he was living up to his namesake. Little Bilbo did not get seven meals a day, however. 

Gandalf was ever your loyal companion. He could sense your distress, now and again, and would dutifully be at your side when you sat home at night watching TV after a long day. 

There’s been a sudden stir of media attention at the school. A few days ago there were news vans parked outside, along with a handful of military personnel sent by Sergeant Jameson, to keep the peace. With the media presence also came general human attention, and sure enough, a crowd had formed in the parking lot. 

And they weren’t friendly. 

There were signs and shouting all around as you walked into the school building. Those against the merge of monsters and humans were making their voices heard, which is their right, you guessed. You had forgotten that you would be in the thick of it, with how smoothly things were progressing. 

The crowd was held back far enough, but you heard the slurs and angry things said your way. It took everything in you not to respond, because that would only cause more problems. You simply ignored them as best you could, but you’re sure you sent angry glares their way somewhere in there.

Toriel was doing an interview with the local news channel to promote the school and all the progress that they have made, and how they will be ready to open in the fall. You admired the way that she held herself, even when the reporter asked things like “How safe are the human children going to be around all these monsters?” and “Your human child must be relieved to be able to be around their own kind. How have they been tolerating existing with monsters?”

You had decided to look into the history of Frisk and the monster media and almost wished you hadn’t. They were the Ambassador after all, but also, a ten year old child at the time when all this began. Apparently there were multiple attempts to take Frisk back under ‘human custody’, after Toriel had tried to explain that they properly adopted them, since Frisk had told officials that they were orphaned. Monsters didn’t have ‘rights’ or ‘citizenship’ yet, officially, especially at the start of things. There were even records of Sgt Jameson having to shadow the small family for three whole months, practically moving in with Toriel, to supervise and observe the care that Frisk was receiving. 

You wouldn’t be surprised if that issue is going to continually happen. 

So. Needless to say, the past few weeks have been rather heavy on the brain. And there has barely been word from Sans. 

Not that you were keeping a tally, or anything. 

You were trying hard not to be annoyed, or upset, but it was difficult. It was like a flip switched under the realization of the ‘Rapture’ that was happening between you. He didn’t outright ignore you or anything like that, but there hasn’t been a movie night invite, and there’s barely any jokes through text. It just screamed like something was wrong, you felt it in your gut. 

Or…maybe you felt it in your SOUL? 

If nothing else you didn’t want to lose his friendship over it. And you can’t help feeling like sharing your ‘dating’ history somehow pushed him away from you. Maybe he really didn’t want to deal with your baggage. 

Ugh. That’s not fair to think. But what were supposed to do with his one-word assurances that everything was okay?

Men.

Left with little else, you didn’t want to push it. It was the weekend, and it was beautiful outside. Birds singing, flowers in full bloom and all that. Summer is supposed to be fun. 

You have been looking around your living room, and decide to go to a garden center. You had wanted plants to liven up your place, and with little else to do, you decided to have an adventure.

Chewing on your bottom lip, you find yourself hovering over ‘bonehead’ in your phone. Part of your brain thought that maybe you could ask if Sans knew of any garden stores around, but maybe that was a bit desperate for his attention. And overall, you don’t have to always need someone around. 

So you open up ‘ol reliable Google and search for any nearby stores, sulking to yourself. 

There were a handful nearby, so that meant it wouldn’t be too out of the way at least. Living here at the base of a mountain, you wondered what kind of plants would be available to you. Feeling a small trickle of excitement, you get your things and head for your car. 

You catch sight of Muffet on your way down the stairs. She’s serving some customers at one of the few outside tables she has. You recognize one of the monsters (how could you not, with those bulging muscles and mermaid tail) and he flexes your way with a haughty grin. 

“Hey ;). Fancy seeing you here ;).” he flexes at you while munching on a spider donut, and you give him a friendly smile. Muffet titters curiously, and you fill her in on how Aaron had helped you with the cat tree. 

“You really did me a solid, so thanks again,” you say kindly, and he waves you off with another wink. 

“It’s no problem, babe. ;) You’re doing more than you know for all us monsters, so it was the very least I could do. ;)” your brow furrows in confusion, and he adds, “Been seeing all that stuff on the news with our Queen and the school. ;) I know you’re working there. ;)”

Ahh. Made sense. 

Shaking your head, you say, “Really, I’m just doing my job. Monster children deserve the same opportunities as human children. Good education is important.”

Muffet and Aaron share a look, and Muffet purrs at you, “Ahuhuhu, oh deary, you really are precious~”

“Uh-huh,” you say doubtfully, and decide to be on your way. You wave goodbye, and make your way behind the building to your car to save yourself some embarrassment. You’ve never done well with compliments or direct attention. 

You set up your phone so you can see the Google Maps directions clearly. There was a large greenhouse/flower shop just past where you had gotten the cat tree from, so it would be a quick enough drive. 

Selecting your ‘Rock Mix’ playlist on Spotify, you slide on your sunglasses and roll down the windows for your journey. July heat is no joke, but it’s not completely unbearable. 

The drive is uneventful, and you make good time. The garden center is fairly larger than you expected, and you can’t help the giddy feeling bubbling in your chest. PLANT BABIES!

You never get anything that’s difficult to take care of; you certainly don’t have a green thumb. But, you’ve been missing having plants in your home, and are happy to finally correct it. 

There’s plenty of plants outside the center as you approach the door. They’re all typical seasonal flowers and vegetables. You smile as you slow your stroll, taking in all the plants. With the cats you basically can’t have anything with flowers, to stay on the safe side. You know there’s a handful of flowering plants like sunflowers and roses that are fine, but you wouldn’t bother growing those indoors anyway. 

You’re busy smelling some of the small purple flowers(African Violets, you’re pretty sure) you stumble across and you miss the sound of someone approaching behind you. There’s a gentle tap to your elbow, which nearly causes you to jump out of your skin because why is someone touching you-

Frisk’s bright grin greets you as you look down to find the source of whoever it was, and you can’t help the ‘huh’ that escapes from your mouth. They of course find that hysterical and giggle. Their small hands go to cover their mouth to no avail. 

“Hey Frisk,” you say, once you’ve gathered yourself. There’s a rush of scampering feet, and suddenly a small, yellow lizard monster appears beside Frisk. They’re out of breath and whining about how much faster the human child is, to which Frisk starts signing to them.

You notice that the lizard child has no fucking arms. You manage to catch yourself to stop staring when their eyes blink up at you. They have big pointy teeth that glitter when they smile. You can’t help smiling back. 

“HEY! I’m Monster Kid! Is it true that you’re gonna be our new teacher?!” they exclaim, hopping up and down a few times. You think if they had arms they’d be waving them around. Frisk laughs at their friend’s antics, and you can only nod. 

“Uhm, yeah,” you wrack your brain and think you remember seeing the name ‘M.K.’ on your roster. You guess Monster Kid would fit the initials. Feeling your ‘Teacher mode’ click on, you offer both children a warm smile. Frisk tilts their head at you. 

They start signing, “We’re really excited for school to start! I told MK all about your cool tattoos and how you know all those awesome songs, and our Lord of the Rings movie nights!!” 

You laugh at their dual enthusiasm, and hum thoughtfully, “I’m flattered. What are you two doing at a greenhouse?” you wonder. 

“We’re hanging out with Frisks’ Dad! His Majesty works here on the weekends. He’s been preparing some plants to transfer to our school garden, too!” MK grins at Frisk. He smooshes his cheek up against Frisks’, causing them to giggle again. “Me and Frisk are besties!” 

You want to reply but your brain had stuttered to a halt at the whole ‘His Majesty’ thing.

Frisks’ dad…The King. King Asgore, monster royalty. Made sense. Toriel being the ex Queen. 

Ahhh. Oh, lord. You’re not ready for this today. 

Monster Kid watches Frisk sign for a moment before looking back up at you with a joyful, and rather contagious, smile. 

“We can go introduce you if you want!! He’s inside the store watering some seedlings!” MK shouts, and before you can protest Frisk gently grabs your hand to tug you toward the store. They give you a reassuring smile but it does little to stop the anxiety spike. You don’t put up much of a fuss, even though internally you’re panicking. You’d know you’d have to meet him sooner or later, especially because you’re Frisk’s teacher. 

Toriel insisted that she wasn’t royalty and she was your boss. She’s calm and level headed, so what is Asgore like? You try to think back on videos you had seen, and the monster king looked rather large if you remember correctly. Bigger than Papyrus, and Toriel, for sure-

You thank the stars above that you dressed decently and your hair wasn’t a complete mess today. 

A small bell chimes as the three of you push past the door of the main storefront. It’s your standard looking garden/plant store; there are various plants hanging, and plenty decorating a variety of shelves. You hadn’t noticed outside, but the ceiling of this building was primarily glass, which allowed all the natural sunlight in for the plants. 

You aren’t able to appreciate it for long, because Frisk and MK lead the way towards the back where there are several work tables and countertops. There’s a large open bag of soil in one corner, and several planter pots of various sizes. Working at the counter with his back facing you all must be Asgore, and he’s nearly as tall as the ceiling with those horns! 

Easily over seven feet. God damn . 

However, a gentle voice rings out before he turns around, “Sprout, is that you? Do you need something?” And then he’s turning, and his bright Hawaiian t-shirt surprisingly compliments his kind features on his face. His eyes are gentle, and you can pick up some kind of Southern twang in his voice that perks your curiosity more than anything. 

Reminds you of your own father. 

He’s got bright golden hair to match his beard, but those massive horns are awfully distracting. When you really stop and take in his facial appearance, he must be the same type of goat monster Toriel is. You remember that Toriel has horns too, but hers are much smaller. 

His eyes widen as he sees you, and he apologizes, “Golly, I’m sorry! I thought it was dear Sprout. Well, I suppose they are here with you; ahem,” he straightens and oh, you didn’t realize he was hunched over. Fuck he’s tall. His shoulders are also a mile long. 

Frisk lets go of your hand to sign rapidly at Asgore, to which he lets out a hearty chuckle of laughter. Frisk’s cheeks went a touch pink, supposedly at that nickname. You can’t stop your own smile. You feel your nerves settle, just a little. 

“King Asgore!!” MK shouts, and the king turns to give his attention properly to the other child, “This is Ms. Hart! She’s gonna be me and Frisk’s teacher when school starts!”

Recognition lights up his features as he puts down the tray of seedlings he had been holding. His smile turns pleased, “Ah! I’m so happy to finally meet you, miss. I have heard so much about you from dear Frisk and Undyne,” he wipes his giant paws on a nearby towel, before extending it out on to you. Not wanting to be rude, you hastily extend your own for a short handshake. Shouldn’t you bow or something, though?

You opt for a small nod, and smile tentatively, “It’s nice to meet you as well, King Asgore.”

“Please,” he says gently, “you’re going to be dear Sprout-erm,” MK laughs loudly as Frisk flushes pink again, casting pleading eyes up at the tall monster. He chuckles, “Frisk. Sorry. It only comes from a place of affection.”

Frisk still looks a bit put out. You wonder if it’s because MK is around, and maybe that’s why the nickname is embarrassing? It’s rather sweet. 

“As I was saying. Please, call me Asgore. I will be seeing you as Frisk’s parent, and I’d rather it not be so formal.”

You nod again with a light smile, and honestly it’s hard to picture him formally in a t-shirt that loud. It kinda suits him, you think. Bright pink with white flowers. 

“Is there something that I can help you find?” he asks, and you blink. Oh yeah. Plant shopping. 

With a small shrug you gesture around the store, “I’m just looking around, really. Before I moved I had some plants, but I didn’t want to risk them in the move. So I’m on the hunt for some new ones to liven up the living space.”

“Ohh, can we help you look?!” Frisk signs, and you pretend to think long and hard, even folding your arms with a long sigh. 

“I dunno…” you say. Frisk looks up with you with a big, hopeful expression. It doesn’t take long for MK to tag alongside them and copy their face, quivering lip and all. 

Goodness.

Asgore’s rumbling chuckles echo your own, and you finally give in, “Oh, I suppose. I’m looking for some Pothos plants. D’you know what those are?”

Frisk nods excitedly while MK shakes his head no, and Frisk quickly starts signing at them. With a couple of head nods, the two of them finish their conversation and begin their search. You watch them with some amusement, when Asgore suddenly speaks. 

“I wanted to personally thank you for standing up for Temie. I had heard through the grapevine what had happened at the grocery store. You are certainly a kind human,” he speaks softly, and you turn to him with a small shrug. 

“It’s no big deal-” you try, but his solemn face gives you pause. Well. It probably was a big deal, for him. For monsters. 

He turns his attention back to the children as they begin making their way towards the hanging plants. They eye some ferns, and philodendrons. Hmmm. Philodendrons would work too, you supposed. 

“My heart is with my people,” he says quietly, “I did not think that I would have a child in my life again. And when I learned of Toriel’s efforts of starting up a converging school of human and monsters, my SOUL surged with pride, but also it quivered in fear. I sometimes do not know if we are moving too fast, or too slow.”

Turning towards him again, you see shadows cross his face. This…this is the king. He’s standing tall and stoic, his eyes lost in another time. He and Toriel were there, after all. They had both been through so much. 

Wait…again? Did he and Toriel lose a child?

You keep that to yourself, but it clicks in your brain that it would add up to some of…whatever had happened between the two royals. Your heart aches for him. The pain is easy to see. 

But Asgore watches Frisk with love, and adoration, in his eyes. He follows their movement around the store, smiling ruefully. 

You don’t know what to say. So you say what comes from your heart, or maybe it’s your SOUL. 

“I will do my best to ensure the safety of your children,” you begin, matching his quiet tone from before. He looks down at you slowly. You bite your bottom lip, averting your eyes as you continue, “Children, no matter the species in this case, are our most precious gifts. I’m not blind to the struggles you have all endured. You deserve a life here, like before. I want to help you all get there, however I can.”

And you mean that. Life has thrown you many curveballs. But being here, finding this new sense of purpose. It’s helping ground you. And you can’t help but wonder, if maybe, you’re finding your own home. 

It’s almost too much to hope for. 

Asgore places a gentle paw on your shoulder, snapping you from your thoughts. You look up towards him with a small amount of embarrassment.

“Thank you,” he murmurs. He then grins, “It’s clear to me that Toriel made the right choice. You have a good SOUL.”

And. Well. You had nothing to say to that. 

While the children are distracted, there is a certain thought that pops into your head, and you think Asgore won’t be too offended by your question.

“I honestly don’t know any way to say this without coming across as, uh, ignorant,” you begin, causing the large monster to give you a worried glance. You hurry to explain, “it’s nothing bad! Sorry. Probably phrased that wrong, but, ah-”

You pause, grumbling to yourself. Asgore blinks.

“Every monster I’ve met, when around Frisk, just…understands sign language. Completely.” 

“Ahh,” he smiles broadly, “I understand your confusion. I have learned throughout my time on the surface that humans are rather complicated, in the ways of language, that monsters do not fully understand. You see, language to us comes from the SOUL. We can read intent very easily, as I’m sure you’ve learned. There is no barrier to us when it comes to communicating. I’ve spoken to humans here who speak, hmm, Spanish and French, I believe? As well as your common tongue,” he strokes his beard thoughtfully, “we monsters simply just know what you are saying, and are able to communicate back in the same language you speak, thanks to intent. Our SOULs and magic are mainly to thank for that. So when dear Sprout signs, we monsters simply watch and the words…uh, translate in our head, and we speak in the verbal language they understand.”

“That’s…” you breathe out, feeling rather flabbergasted, “That’s, so cool. ” You finish, rather lamely, but had to bite your tongue on letting a swearword slip in front of the King. 

“It is rather cool, isn’t it?” Asgore chuckles warmly. 

After joining the children, you’re able to decide on a few plants. You love the Marble Queen pothos that MK found, and Frisk had pointed out the Brazil Philodendron. The leaves on both plants were beautiful, and in six in pots, so they were pretty well established. You think these two are enough to start, but Asgore surprises you by bringing out a plant from the back. 

He places it carefully on the counter between the two you selected. It’s got large, green and silver leaves trailing leaves that are velvet to the touch. Your mouth pops open in awe as you brush your thumb along one leaf. 

MK pipes up from your left side, “Ooooh, it’s so fancy! Can I touch it?” 

Looking down at him, your head tilts in thought before you gently hold out a leaf to the small monster's cheek. The vine is trailing down along the counter, so MK only had to stretch up on his tippy toes.

“Here, give it a little nuzzle, just remember to be gentle,” you direct. And with a careful cheek rub, the little monster giggles in delight. 

“Wow! I didn’t know that plants could be fuzzy! It’s so soft,” he exclaims. You smile and let Frisk have a turn stroking the leaves. 

“It’s called a Silver Satin Pothos. We had a handful of them delivered a few weeks ago, but they were in poor condition. I’ve been nursing this one back to health,” Asgore says as he rings up the other two plants. When the total is lower than expected, he gives you a wink, “Consider it a ‘Housing Warming Gift’.”

“Thank you,” you say warmly. It really was a beautiful plant, and along with your other two that you purchased, you also got a few wall hooks and macrame plant hangers. You’re already plotting in your head where you can put them up.

Asgore and the two children help you take your plants out to your car. You tried telling them all there wasn’t a need for so much fuss, but they insisted. You could only watch in mild panic as MK wobbled and balanced the Marble Queen on top of his head. Surprisingly, he didn’t fall or trip or anything. 

Frisk signs something at him, and MK puffs up once the plants are stowed away in your trunk, “I’ve been working on my balance! At home mom lets me walk around balancing books so I don’t fall over so much. Soon enough I’ll be able to train with UNDYNE!!”

Frisk grins with two big thumbs up directed at MK, and you chuckle at the young monster’s attitude. High hopes and big dreams. 

He looks up at you with his large eyes, and smiles, “It was nice meeting you Ms. Hart. You’re the second human that I’ve met that’s been so nice to me, so I’m super duper excited for school! You seem real bad a-uhh…” he timidly looks up at Asgore’s warning glance, and you snicker to yourself as Frisk also wilts. 

“...anyway,” MK rushes out, “I gotta get headin’ home. Mom is makin’ cinnamon bunnies for dessert!” 

Frisk nods, and then signs to you, “I’m gonna help MK home. We have to have another movie night soon to finish Lord of the Rings! Can it be at your place, so we can do the sleepover we talked about?”

It takes you a long minute to digest the words. Frisk even repeats a couple gestures for you, and you get the gist of what they are saying. Hopefully soon you’ll be able to translate those longer sentences quicker. You feel bad that the kiddo has to repeat themselves. 

But you hum in thought, and nod slowly, “We can figure out a time before school starts to have that sleepover, okay? I’ll reach out to Toriel and the others to figure out a time. Don’t pester her about it though,” you say with a smile, and they pout. They sign at you quickly and you clear your throat pointedly. 

“Sorry, Ms. Hart ,” they sign cheekily, and you roll your eyes at them. You and Asgore watch them scamper off down the sidewalk. You wonder if it’s safe for the two of them to be traveling alone, but then again, this part of town is primarily monsters. If Asgore hadn’t spoken up about it, it must be okay. 

Hopefully. 

He must notice your worry based on your pinched brows, and he says calmly, “Do not fret. The children will be safe. They have walked together many times. And I will be going over soon to pick up Frisk from MK’s house, and then we will go home.”

“Sorry,” you say bashfully, “Just…wanted to be sure. Want everyone to be safe, y’know?”

“Indeed,” he replies. He smiles, “Thank you for looking out for them. You are going to be a fantastic role model for them. I can already tell.” 

You blush as you look away, and he hums good naturedly. He quirks a brow of his own in thought, “Pardon me if it’s rude, but you are very good with children. Any thoughts on your own one day?”

“Uhh…” panic seizes you and he lets out a big bout of laughter. Shaking his head, he assures you, “Oh I do apologize, I was only curious. I guess it’s from my own joy of having a family again. That is all, Ms. Hart.”

You feel your heart slowly start to calm, and give him a timid grin, “It’s uh, that’s complicated I guess. It would have to be with the right person and all that, and honestly…it’s not something I’ve thought about a whole lot.”

He nods in understanding. His voice is low and steady, “Very reasonable. I meant not to cause offense, or worry. Like I said, it must be my newfound joy of having Frisk around. Anyway,” he says softly, and casts a quick gaze towards the lowering afternoon-sun, “I must begin closing up the shop. It was wonderful to meet you, Ms. Hart. I hope you have safe travels back to your home.”

You smile and give a small wave, “If I can’t call you King Asgore, then please, call me Skylar. At least until school starts.”

He smiles warmly in return and gives you a nod. Bidding a final goodbye, you hop back in your car and make your way back towards home. 

That was certainly a good distraction from your relationship troubles. Who knew the King of the Monsters loved gardening?

Chapter Text

From: bonehead…2:33 PM: i heard that undyne is planning another outing

You pause in your typing and raise an inquisitive brow. Picking up your phone, you read over the message properly rather than the notification that popped up on your home screen.

Alphys had approached you this morning with an invitation from Undyne. Apparently, there’s a new ‘human/monster fusion’ dance club thing that has been in construction for a while. It’s going to have its grand opening this weekend, and Undyne wants to make it a big night of it to support the business (but also you think to keep an eye out for her fellow monsters). 

“Undyne i-is adamant that we all go out and have f-fun, but I wasn’t s-sure if you would w-want to after last t-time…” she trails off hesitantly, and continues, “she thinks that it w-will help, uh, replace the bad time with a g-good time?”

Makes sense you suppose. You weren’t ready to jump on board right away, but you got a slew of texts from Undyne, Papyrus, AND Yara about it all morning after Alphys dropped the idea. The monsters were insistent that they wouldn’t let anyone wander alone, and it’s especially important to not let things hold you back, yadda yadda.

You knew all that. And it’s not like you were…severely traumatized over what that scumbag did. You were fine. It only triggered some really shitty memories. 

Dance clubs just…weren’t your thing. Really. It was different from a concert venue, which is where you spent the vast majority of your "going out" years at. 

Alphys points out that it wasn’t hers either, but she was excited to be with friends. Damn it. 

So you had reluctantly agreed, and the monsters were ECSTATIC. Because apparently this place was being run by humans AND monsters, had human AND monster food, and was super inclusive. It was the first establishment to truly be focused on humans and monsters, together. 

You had insisted that when the opportunity came up, you’d all go to a rock concert, because you hadn’t been to one in forever…and you think that they would all have a good time, too. Undyne said it was a deal.

And now it’s the afternoon, and Sans is texting you about it. He has been rather quiet the past week and a half, or maybe it's been even longer now. But you suppose you have been, too. It’s just …awkward, between the two of you now, and you didn’t know how to fix it. You weren’t known for your ‘emotional’ skills, and Sans was the one who said he wanted to ignore the Rapture. 

And honestly you were digging in your heels and waiting for him to approach you about it. Since he was the one to start all this. 

So logically, you thought space between you was the best course, even though your chest felt tight at the mere thought of staying away from him.

Ugh. 

Not sparing much thought, you reply back casually enough. 

To: bonehead…2:37PM:  Yeah. There’s a new dance club thing opening that everyone’s really excited about. Could be fun. 

You’ve barely set your phone down before it rumbles in response. 

From: bonehead…2:38PM:  r u sure its a gud idea? after last time?

It’s difficult to stop the flare of annoyance in your gut. Frowning, you message back quickly. You try to be mindful, because it’s Sans…but also the guy hasn’t reached out to talk to you in days, and now he wants to give his opinion on what you should do?

To: bonehead…2:39PM:  If I let every single bad thing that has happened to me affect my decisions, I wouldn’t leave my house. I’m fine. It’ll be fine.

From: bonehead…2:40PM:  i dont think its a gud idea.

To: bonehead…2:41PM:  Why?

From: bonehead…2:43PM: cuz last time u got hurt? n then u had a panic attack? n u had terrible nightmares?

You let out a long, deep breath. It causes Alphys to perk up worriedly from her desk. She had been typing away at some emails to parents. 

“Uh…Skylar?” she says quietly, and you wave her off. 

Everything’s fine. Just dealing with a nosey skeleton. 

To: bonehead…2:45PM: It’s exactly as I said before. I’m not letting that one instance dictate what I do, Sans. I’m not some delicate flower. 

From: bonehead…2:46PM: never said u were. u have been thru a lot. ur my friend. dont want u getting hurt again.

And for some reason, that twists something harsh and ugly in your chest that you don’t fully understand. 

Friend. Right. 

To: bonehead…2:50PM: Then as my friend you should also be supportive of me and my choices. I won’t get hurt. Bit late for that whole caring lark.

From: bonehead…2:51PM: ur really stubborn.

To: bonehead…2:52PM: Yup.

You put your phone down far away from you, and growl lowly to yourself. God, you want a cigarette. But you can’t do it here. Besides it being school grounds, there’s still groups of protesters fading in and out every day outside the building. The last thing you need is to give them more ammo to bitch about.

Your fingers fly across the keyboard as you continue with the lesson plan you were working on. Alphys is nervously typing on her phone, and you ignore your own phone as it rumbles on your desk. He can wait. 

“Uhm, Skylar…?” she calls out weakly. You pause your typing and give her your attention, and she looks so incredibly nervous. There’s small sweat drops on the side of her muzzle, and she looks from her phone back to you several times. 

“What’s up, Alphys?” you ask calmly. You have a sneaking suspicion of what’s getting her all nervous, if the second rumble of your phone is anything to go by. 

“U-uhm,” she stammers and looks back at her phone one last time before peeking at you from her desk, “I just, I-I want to d-d-double check that you are, are sure that you’re c-comfortable with going out this w-weekend…?”

She doesn’t sound confident in her question and in fact, looks severely uncomfortable. You contemplate your answer, and briefly wake up your phone’s screen to see a new text message.

All right then. 

“Alphys, I’m totally fine with it. Tell Sans to stop messaging you,” you say curtly as you open your own phone. You hear the poor monster fumble with her phone, and mutter worriedly under her breath. Her phone must have slipped out of her hands at some point because it clatters to the ground.

You unlock your screen, tampering down on the irritation that’s now simmering under your skin. However, you’re not able to manage completely, because the messages that Sans has sent ruffle your feathers more than you had liked, and not in a good way. 

From: bonehead…2:54 PM:  n what do u mean caring ‘lark’? of course i care, otherwise i wouldn’t b telling u to rethink this.

From: bonehead…2:57 PM:  its 2 soon n might end poorly again, becuz there r tons of humans like the 1 who attacked u that night. it’ll get even worse the more u become affiliated with monsters.

From: bonehead…3:00 PM:  i felt ur SOUL. it still needs time 2 heal. im worried.

As calmly as you can, you stand up and walk out of the classroom. Alphys tried calling your name, but you ignore her for now. 

You had debated trying to call and talk to him, since he suddenly has so much he has to share with you, but you hold yourself back that much. This way you are able to reread and rephrase things if you need to. With a fire burning in your veins, you pace outside in the hallway as you type out your reply to the short skeleton. 

To: bonehead…3:07PM  Texting Alphys is uncalled for, so I’ll ask you to leave her out of this. Look. I get that you care, and that you’re worried, but you made it clear the last time that we spoke that you were wanting to ‘not worry about’ what has been happening between us and I respect that. What I DON’T respect is you once again trying to ‘control’ me. I know that you’re not trying to, but it’s what it’s feeling like. You want to be my friend, then okay. You’ve said your concerns and I have responded to them. I’m a big girl, and contrary to all that I’ve shared with you, I can handle myself. Please stop trying to tell me what to do. 

To: bonehead…3:10 PM:  What’s more, you haven’t even messaged me all that much the past couple of weeks, let alone you keep telling me you can’t hang out even though Paps has told me that you’ve been wallowing in your house, SO DON’T even start with me on all this!! I care about you too. I know what a Rapture is, now, and honestly I’m super upset with you and haven’t figured out how to talk to you about this, but here we are. If it’s friendship you want, then fine. I can handle that. But you can’t do this whole…back and forth, thing, Sans. That’s not fair. 

You’re fuming by the time you’re done writing out those messages to him, and instantly feel regret but damn it all, it’s true! You had texted him a handful of times if he even wanted to go grab dinner or lunch, with Paps, and he always had some kind of excuse or reason not to go. What other kind of impression are you supposed to gather, other than he doesn’t want to see you? And that’s…fine. You can manage that. You just don’t want to be lied to. 

Bringing up your phone again, you feel yourself grow vulnerable, and it manages to wash the anger away if for a moment. Slowly, you type out one final message, since he hasn’t decided to reply to what you sent. 

To: bonehead…3:16 PM:  I’m not someone who needs rescuing, or protection, or whatever. I didn’t tell you what happened with Trent for you to treat me differently. I told you because I trust you. And it felt right. To my SOUL, I guess. 

To: bonehead…3:17 PM:  There’s only four people, not counting the hospital staff that helped me, that know that story. And you’re one of them. 

With that, you pocket your phone and return to the classroom quietly. Alphys doesn’t make any comment, and actually looks relieved when you start playing some of your music to fill the silence. Your phone stays quiet the rest of the day, and the next few to follow. 

The night you are all planning on going out to the ‘Aboveground’ dance club, you and all the teachers/staff at the new school are doing your CPR training in the morning. Normally, human staff are trained every two years that work in any kind of child care. 

You had brought it up to Toriel last week that monsters should probably do the training in case they have to aid in any of the emergencies that could happen to a human. And it would help steer the general population's attitude towards monsters teaching human children, knowing that they would be learning how to help them in emergencies. The CPR course also included First Aid/Blood Pathogens training… so it was going to be a bit heavy. 

The funny part was that Toriel had also gathered Undyne and the Royal Guard to be part of it, since they will also be around much of the human population when working with the soldiers at the checkpoint. 

You grinned evilly as the fish woman muttered curses under her breath. 

“HOW LONG IS THIS SUPPOSED TO TAKE?! I want to be able to have plenty of time to get ready for tonight!!” she groaned. You, Undyne, Papyrus, Lilith, Yara, Toriel, the librarian monster, and L.D. and G.D. were in the first group to go. With smaller group sizes, the training would be easier for the coaches. They had managed to book it directly with the American Heart Association, so you were relieved. 

You hum, “Well. It depends. I’m sure you all will have a bunch of questions, so probably…three hours? If we’re lucky?” Yara nods alongside you, petting the dog monsters sneakily. Your eyebrow quirks as it looks like L.D.’s neck grows…longer? What.

Undyne groans even louder than before, and pushes open the doors to the cafeteria with enough force that they bang against the wall. Toriel chides her immediately, but it is overshadowed by Papyrus’ screech of terror.

The monsters all jump back in horror following the skeleton’s shriek. Both you and Yara look towards the middle of the cafeteria, where your trainers have set up, and they look just as alarmed  from the sudden commotion. 

There’s a circle of foldable chairs set out, and in front of each chair, is a half-human mannequin that they use for any general CPR lesson. 

“WHY ARE THERE HALF HUMAN CORPSES ON THE FLOOR?!” Papyrus yells, shielding his eyes from the ‘gruesome’ display. You try your hardest not to laugh, while Yara full on bursts out laughing in glee. 

Toriel looks uncomfortable as does the other monsters, but is able to contain her composure. Undyne, however…

There’s a snap and a crackling, sizzling sound, and in a split second there’s a bright teal spear materializing in the fish woman’s grasp. The entire cafeteria is buzzing with her electric-like magical energy, and if it wasn’t such a dire situation, you would have been freaking out over seeing her use her magic for the first time.

“WOAH woah woah!” you yell over the frantic noise, and Undyne’s growling. She is poised to throw the spear if needed, and you rush in front of her while waving your hands, “Guys, they’re mannequins! Not real humans! Like…like-”

“-like practice dummies,” Toriel calmly states, her eyes coming back to focus. She places a careful paw on Undyne’s shoulder. “Come now, dear. Let’s not act rashly.”

You’re locking eyes with Undyne, and you feel yourself stand up straighter as her eyes narrowed to slits. It takes her a few minutes of speculation, but she finally twitches her wrist and the spear vanishes in an instant. Effortlessly, just as quickly as it had appeared. 

Undyne gives you a once over, and eventually smirks. You offer her a small smile back, and she claps her hand on your shoulder with enough force to almost bring you to your knees, fuck that hurt.

“You’re pretty brave to stand between me and an attack, dweeb!” she grins, and you rub your shoulder with a scowl. Alphys comes up by you to check on you, but you wave her off. No harm done. This time. 

You trail at the back of the group and offer Papyrus a reassuring nod towards the group from the AHA. He wanders over while still giving suspicious glances at the mannequins on the floor. 

“UGH. THERE’S …NO EYES, AND THEIR MOUTHS ARE JUST HANGING OPEN! AND THE NIPPLES ARE EXPOSED!!”

“They gotta be bare skinned for what we’re going to be learning. Don’t worry, it’ll make sense,” you say as comfortingly as you can, because really, you want to just break down into giggles.

“SOMEHOW I DOUBT IT. HUMANS MAKE LITTLE SENSE.”

Despite the rocky beginning, thankfully the AHA trainers are able to gather themselves and get ready to teach you all. Your group each takes seats in the chairs provided, while both dog monsters opt to stay sitting for this one. And you suppose it made the most sense for them. 

“Good morning, crew…” a broad shouldered black man stands tall and proud in the center of the group. He turns now and then to meet all your eyes as he speaks, “My name is James Adler, and I will be your head instructor today. I’m also joined by Isabelle and Monay Adler, who are my two beautiful daughters that decided to follow in their Daddy’s footsteps!” both women behind him roll their eyes as he grins at them, causing many of you to chuckle. 

“We will be going over the National Heart Association's procedures for CPR - does anyone know what that stands for?”

Bless him, he’s going about this like he would for a group of all humans, and you’re incredibly thankful for that. You wait a beat, to give the monsters a chance, and sure enough Alphys raises her hand quietly as well as Toriel. Undyne huffs with her arms crossed. 

James nods at Alphys, and she stammers out, “U-uhm, cardiopulmonary resuscitation…?” 

Pleased, James grins widely while many of the monsters with you look dumbfounded, “CORRECT!” he booms, causing Papyrus to startle, which was hilarious. 

“CPR is a procedure that can help save a human’s life if their breathing or heart stops,” he begins, and waves to the mannequins on the floor in front of you all, “Today we will be watching an informational video to help you all learn the basics of human functioning, and we will also be practicing CPR on our lovely dummies here.”

Undyne perks up in interest, “You mean, kinda like battle dummies?”

You snort. The fish woman shoots you a heated glare. 

James however quirks an amused eyebrow, “Indeed. I ask that you all be careful with my dummies, as I don’t get as much funding as I used to. Now!” He clears the space so you all have a nice view of the TV. One of his daughters has it all set up, and you can see the menu screen clearly. “We’re starting from the top, after the demo video ends, we will practice on our dummies. I’m all about having fun, but I ask that you all take this seriously as it can help save a life one day. We clear?”

With a unanimous ‘Yes, sir’ from your group, he nods and plays the video. 

While watching you can’t help but roll your eyes at the god-awful acting on screen. Some dude is waiting in line for a coffee with his coworker and suddenly falls, clutching his chest. The whole scenario plays out with the coworker shouting for help and the bystanders stepping in to call 911, get an AED, and so on. 

The monsters, however, are enraptured. 

When the segment ends, before James can begin your next lesson, Papyrus raises his hand quickly in the air. Patiently, James nods at the tall skeleton. 

“DOES THAT REALLY HAPPEN? A HUMAN’S HEART CAN JUST STOP BEATING AND THEY FALL TO THE GROUND, NO MATTER WHERE THEY ARE?!”

One of the daughters behind James steps forward to answer calmly, “Yes. It’s not a common occurrence, so please don’t be too alarmed, but it can happen. There are many different reasons that a person could fall under cardiac arrest, but most commonly is a heart attack.” 

Papyrus blinks a handful of times in discomfort, but she presses on with a smile, “Before my dad begins, I’d like to remind you all that there’s one important fact in any emergency scene - can anyone tell me the most important person in the room?”

Toriel hums in thought, “The person in the state of a medical emergency?” 

“Close,” the woman says, and from this angle you can see her name tag says ‘Isabelle’, “it’s actually you . If the scene isn’t safe, or you are in danger, you should not attempt CPR and instead call 911 right away. It doesn’t do anyone any good if you are also putting yourself at risk.”

“Beautifully said,” James nods. You can see confusion paint themselves among the monsters faces, and so James continues, “You will be certified to perform CPR on a human after completing this program, but I’m telling you all now the same thing that we tell all the humans we teach - you are not under any rule or law to have to perform CPR on someone if you are not comfortable, or if the scene isn’t safe. The video shows that chummy actor guy looking around all dramatic to see if his surroundings are safe, and it’s true.”

It grows quiet and slightly uncomfortable, but you think that James and his daughters are handling this well. You’ve been in several CPR trainings, and it’s going as expected. There are a few more questions on how human biology actually works, and James and his crew go through the basics of the circulatory system: human heart pumps blood through your body and carries away waste, blood carries oxygen to all the organs, the lungs provide oxygen to your blood cells, arteries, veins, and so on. It’s like a speed course, and the AHA team is very patient with the monsters. Papyrus is more confused on humans than before, but you admit it’s a lot to understand so quickly. 

“Well. We can talk more about that if needed. Let’s get this rolling so we aren’t here all day, huh?” James muses, and suddenly he looks at both you and Yara with a smirk and critical eye. Ugh. You already know where this is going.

“Alright my fellow fleshlings, let’s go. Find a dummy and let’s see what you remember!” 

Both you and Yara share a look, but Yara looks excited whereas you look resigned. You both get on your knees in front of the dummies on the floor and wait for further instruction. James speaks to everyone else, “I’m going to have your human comrades here demonstrate for you how it’s all done, before I let you guys have a turn. Sound fair?”

“YOU CAN DO IT, LADY HUMANS! SAVE YOUR BRETHREN FROM THEIR DEMISE!” Papyrus shouts, and you and Yara share a laugh. 

“All right,” James nods, and then barks out, “Begin!”

You and Yara go through the motions. You check and look around to make sure everything is safe, and start tapping on the dummies shoulders shouting ‘Are you OK? Are you OK?’ to see if there is a response. James leads you through the ‘scene’ and says that they aren’t responding, so you and Yara duck your head to the side to hold your ear over their mouths so you’re looking down the dummy's chest to check for ‘breathing’. James calls out that they aren’t breathing, so you start the chest compressions. There are little light up lights on the shoulder of each dummy that will either light up red, yellow or green, depending if you are doing the compressions correctly. James starts clapping to start you off, and directs you both not to count out loud, but stop when you get to thirty. You’re allowed to count out loud once you get to 25. 

You lock your hands over the dummy’s chest and start the compressions, playing the theme of ‘Staying Alive’ in the back of your mind. James actually tells the monsters a moment later about that little technique as a way to keep your compressions on track. Once you reach thirty, you tilt the head back on the dummy to do the two rescue breaths. 

“GOOD! Good, beautiful job ladies. Stay there for a moment and we will go through it again. Does anyone have any questions?” James ask, and you’re panting slightly. Woof. You’re so out of shape. 

Undyne lets her arm fly up, and wonders aloud, “What’s with the breaths at the end? Do we really have to put our mouths on a human’s?” 

Both you and Toriel give Undyne a glare, and she barks out ‘WHAT?’ before James laughs loudly in response. The two women behind him look amused as well. 

Undyne crosses her arms in a huff, “I’m JUST SAYING, some humans are gross!”

“S-sweetie, that’s not polite…” Alphys murmurs, and Undyne rolls her eyes in frustration. 

“It’s okay. I needed that laugh,” James chuckles, and nods towards Undyne thoughtfully, “The rescue breaths help push air into a human’s lungs. For instance, if someone is choking and ends up on the ground because they cannot breathe and something is stuck in their throat, your rescue breaths help make sure air flow happens. However!” he splays out his hands wide, “No, the rescue breaths are not required. You can simply do compressions until an ambulance or other emergency personnel arrive on the scene.”

And so the hours go by of your training. The monsters all take turns practicing CPR, and it takes them all a few tries before getting the hang of it. Papyrus and Undyne challenge each other to see who can go through it all the fastest, to which they get polite scolding and redirecting from of the instructors. After all, it’s not about doing it quickly to ‘get it over with’, it’s about keeping pace with a person’s heartbeat. James does his job really well, and makes sure that all the monsters present are comfortable the whole time. The AED segment was a little spooky to some of them, since they realized it involved electricity. But much to your relief, they all take it seriously enough and pass…well, mostly. L.D. and G.D. struggled a little bit with some of the procedures. 

It made for a long morning, and you cannot wait to go out tonight. You decide to turn your phone on silent when you get back home, and turn on some music to pump through your rooms. Hopping in the shower, you go through a mental checklist of all the things you need to do. 

It’s been a few years since you’ve dolled yourself up properly.

Chapter Text

Bullet for my Valentine is blaring throughout your apartment as you’re getting ready for the evening. It’s one of your favorite bands, and right now, you need it. 

It’s the end of July, school is a month away from starting. You aren’t going to let past instances hold you back, you’re gonna go out and have fun because damn it all, you wanted to.

That was a new, refreshing outlook on life. Huh. You're belting out the lyrics, resisting the urge to not head bang too much and make your hair a mess. This song in-particular has such a sexy vibe to it, and you feel your hips swaying as you're going through your mental checklist. Fuck, you feel your skin buzzing. You're excited.

"Pushed hard to breaking point,  And I'm ready to overload.  No limits and no regrets, It's time to sell my sooooul~!"

You had torn through your closet, trying to figure out what you had wanted to wear. Ignoring all potential thoughts of annoying, nosey short skeletons, you find clothes that fit your overall mood and vibe. They cling snugly to your body's dips and curves nicely, and it's exactly what you wanted.

Because you loved getting to dress up for things. You know what you looked good in, and had perfected your makeup to go along with the outfit. So you pulled on a pair of white capris, but were able to roll them up into shorts just above your knees. You complimented the pants with some dark purple and black straps that hooked at the front by your button fastening, and looped back behind your thighs and connected to the back of your pants in one of the belt loops. Your top was made of leather and a touch of black accenting fabric so it didn’t make moving terrible, but was like a crop top that left your stomach bare, and zipped up the middle, and was sleeveless to boot. It had a large ‘peek-a-boo’ hole for your cleavage, and fastened around your throat in a snug grip. 

You’re pairing your outfit with some calf-high combat boots, and doing your make-up dark and smoky. Certainly heavier than your night out on karaoke. Feeling even more daring, you throw on a dark, midnight blue-black eyeshadow to accent the blue underlights of your hair. You debated on what color of lip stick, but ultimately chose a dark navy matte color to go with your theme. Eyeliner and mascara are the last of your ensemble, and you apply them quickly and effortlessly. Old movements come back to you easily; you used to get ‘punk rocked-out’ for all your concerts you went to, and this was much the same. 

It was a dance club. It was gonna be dark and all flashing lights, anyway. But this helped lift your spirit in a way you hadn’t predicted because damn… 

You don’t like your looks often, but with your final once over in the mirror, you’re pleased. 

The cats have been watching lazily in the background, and you spin around once for them and ask for their opinion. You get some slow blinks, so you’ll take that as a good thing. 

You don’t think you’ll need a jacket with it being the middle of summer, and it’ll be such a hassle to deal with inside the club anyway, so you decide to leave it. Papyrus had told you all after the end of CPR training that he would chauffeur you all to the club, seeing as he will be ‘THE GREAT AND RESPONSIBLE DRIVER, PAPYRUS’ and not have any alcohol. 

Doing a couple spritzes of your favorite perfume (that you rarely use), you slide your phone in your back pocket. The cats are settled and tucked into their respective places, and you lock up your apartment to join Muffet down at the landing. 

You had messaged her once again, last minute, if she would like to join you and the others out for a night of fun. The spider monster agreed, and it thrilled you to your core. 

The sun set about 30 minutes ago, and the stars are winking carefully in the night sky as you make your way down the stairs. Muffet is waiting for you, once again, and she’s dressed much like she was for karaoke night. You wonder if monsters’ vary their wardrobes often?

Her five eyes blink in succession upon looking you over, and she purrs, “My, my, my~ Lookit you all dolled up!”

Smirking, you give her a gentle shoulder bump once you’re close enough, causing her to chitter teasingly. You hum, “It’s fun to go all out once in a while. Felt like it needed to happen.”

“Mmhmm…” her eyes squint in glee, and her tiny fangs poke through her grin, “wouldn’t be for any reason in particular? OR should I say, someONE in particular…? It’s an awful lot of…blue.” 

In answer to her teasing you roll your eyes with a shrug, causing Muffet to tilt her head.

“Nope, just for me. And that’s all that should matter anyway,” you grumble, and the spider woman looks to be in thought for a moment. She doesn’t get to reply, as soon enough, there’s a bright red convertible pulling up along the curb. With the hood down, you can see Papyrus’s towering skeletal figure in the driver’s seat. He’s wearing another one of his rather loud get ups that reminds you of a Lisa Frank coloring book; a crop top saying ‘Let’s Cuddle’ on it, with cuddle being in apostrophes and you can’t…can’t fully address the meaning behind that. He looks so happy in it.

Undyne and Alphys are in the back, and you’re delighted to see that Undyne has let her hair down and curled it ever so artfully so that her fin-ears are poking out of the sides nicely. She’s also rocking some make-up and a black leather jacket, paired with her own black jeans and combat boots. Alphys is wearing something different too, but much more subtle and modest. The reptilian monster has on a cute, plain black dress to match Undyne’s outfit, and is wearing a little make up of her own. Her nails…er, claws are done up prettily. 

The fish woman wastes no time and lets out a long wolf-whistle at your outfit, to which you shush her. You decide to get upfront with Papyrus, so that Muffet can join the monster ladies in the back. 

“DAMN, you clean up good, kid! Who you tryin’ to impress?!” she cackles, and you feel a spike of annoyance. 

“No one, actually, I used to dress up like this all the time when I’d go to rock concerts and whatnot.” you say flippantly, which causes Alphys to shrink in her seat. 

Papyrus chimes in, “I THINK YOU HAVE A VERY 'SEXY' LOOK ABOUT YOU AND IT SUITS YOUR OVERALL PERSONALITY! CERTAIN PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE TURNING THEIR HEADS AT THE SIGHT OF YOU THAT'S FOR CERTAIN! ” 

Huh. That makes you smile. “Thanks, Paps. You look amazing yourself.”

“NYEH-HEH-HEH! OF COURSE I DO! WHEN A GENTLEBONES SUCH AS MYSELF SHOWS UP ‘TO THE CLUB’ WITH HIS CREW OF 'HOMIES’ HOW ELSE SHOULD I HAVE DRESSED?! NO LESS, THAT’S WHAT!!”

Oh fuck. Your gut hurts from holding in that laugh.

You don’t miss how Papyrus keeps glancing at you from time to time, as if he wants to say something, but the overall chatter of the drive leaves little room for him to step in. The tall skeleton does his duty and gets you all there safely. 

“Oh. My. GOD! Hell yeah, that’s what I’m talking about, you all look fuckin’ sick !” Yara greets you and the others with the enthusiasm of someone already a few drinks in, and you are correct in that assumption when she latches onto you in a hug and you can smell the alcohol on her breath. 

“Aaaaand no cigarettes, thank youuuuuu~” 

Well now you shove her off of you and she cries while stumbling into Papyrus, who isn’t phased at all when he reaches out to catch her. Yara whines, “Why’d you have to go and do that?!”

“Reasons,” you mutter, and Undyne starts pushing and prompting your group up to the main doors. Papyrus had parked the car about three blocks away due to the sheer amount of vehicles, because damn, this place is PACKED! 

You shouldn’t be so surprised. It’s out far enough that it’s technically in the downtown area of Ebott, where a lot of the ‘college crowd’ has centralized anyway. Monsters have been slowly moving their way towards this part of town, it’s just hard to open up businesses there because so many were already established. Thankfully, this club was simply remodeled to help bring in the pull of ‘all species’.

Your group had to all wait in line of course. It was moving along at an easy enough pace, and you were able to hear the music playing from the outside of the building. So far it’s been a playlist featuring 2000’s greatest hits, which you can’t be too mad at. A lot of pop and hip-hop hits, and hey, you love nearly all music, so soon enough as you’re all standing there waiting you can’t help singing along to some tunes in passing. 

Muffet links one of her many arms with yours suddenly, and you are knocked from your dazed thoughts. You look at her questioningly, and she coos, “Just want to keep you company, lovely. All these wandering eyes about us, making me feel rather territorial~.” 

Her voice is teasing and light, and so you can’t help but take quick stock of the people waiting in line with you. You’re not surprised to see many humans looking over all the monsters with a critical eye, but a few men glance your way and linger far longer than necessary. One even winks at you. 

Yara meets you at your other side, winking back at the guy for you. He laughs, and you give Yara an unimpressed look. She grins, “Aw c’mon, I’m just bein’ polite!” 

“FINALLY!” Undyne screeches over the pulsing music as you all enter the club. It’s immediately hot, dark and loud, and ugh. Now you remember why you didn’t like these kinds of places. And then all those bodies dancing and rubbing all against each other…sigh. 

To your pleasant surprise, the ratio of humans to monsters is about half and half. There are some familiar types of monsters, such as the aquatic types that all cheer at the arrival of Undyne. There’s a lot that you haven’t seen before, such as a small group of monsters that have …shapes for faces? And tiny human looking bodies? Some anthro-looking bear and wolf monsters, a cat and alligator pair chatting in the corner, some vulcins and froggits hopping about. It’s hard to keep track. 

But it leaves something happy rolling in your chest, to see this kind of unity and familiarity among humans and monsters. Music and dance is as good a place to start as any. 

So Yara finds you all a nook; the dance club is huge. And dark, lit up by criss-crossing LED lights that are on the ceiling and pillars. They pulse and change color depending on the music playing. Not so much as to be distracting but it certainly gives it a different kind of energy. More mysterious. Sexy. There’s a long bar that takes up the entire back wall, with nearly ten or fifteen bartenders working behind it. You notice ‘Bun’ working behind the counter, just like she had a Grillby’s. 

There are nooks of tables and booth seating shaped like little half-circles, while the entire rest of the club is open floor, concrete dance floor area. There’s even a DJ booth, and it’s a monster in charge of the music. He’s feline looking in appearance and a pale, blue color.

“Let’s get some drinks, and go DANCE!!” Undyne yanks off her leather jacket, and you catch Alphys staring at Undyne’s rather defined muscles with hearts in her eyes. You snicker. The reptilian monster catches you watching her, and she flushes a bright pink. ‘Maneater’ by Nelly Furtado starts playing, and Undyne drags Alphys out to the dance floor. You chuckle and watch as Papyrus goes to follow with a skip in his giant step. You decide to hang back, and watch them.

There’s not terribly too much coordination, but much like with karaoke night…They’re all here to give their all, and just have fun. They don’t give a shit who’s watching, or who could be judging. They get right in the mix of the dance crowd that’s already there. Papyrus easily has nearly double the height of many of the other dancers, but it doesn’t stop him. He does something that looks like the ‘disco’ and the ‘sprinkler’, and you smile while shaking your head. There's various monsters that are flying above the crowd too, taking advantage of their abilities and magic to show off some unique dancing of their own.

Muffet reappeared at your side with a glass of dark liquid. You take a sniff, and recognize the scent as rum, and give her an appreciative grin. She clicks her own glass with yours, and the two of you keep off to the side for now to enjoy your drinks and just…take everything in. 

It’s a lot. The lights, the volume of the music, the crowds. But thankfully it’s just an overall good vibe, between humans and monsters alike. You can feel your body sway and rock to the music while you work on your drink. Yara reappears as well soon after, setting a small ‘taken’ sign up on your table. Apparently you could reserve seating without having to be present? Seemed odd, but handy. 

“Monster security keeps tabs and will make the rounds throughout the night!” she shouts over the music, and points. Following her finger, you see several tall, beefy looking reptilian monsters with black t-shirts on standing against the walls or mingling near highly crowded areas. Yara continues, “They’ve been training with the military and Royal Guard. The club owner wanted to be careful with the grand opening and all that. So we will be taken care of!!” she grins at you, with a tinge of regret behind her eyes. 

Deciding to just go along with it, you nod and she looks so relieved. Looks like she’s been harboring some kind of grief over the whole karaoke night incident too.

So deciding to change topics, you smirk at the other woman as the next song plays, “You got your eye on anyone tonight? All that SOUL education sparking something in you?”

The other woman gives you a near-feral grin, and suddenly tips up your glass while you’re drinking from it, nearly making you spill it all over yourself. She cackles as she scampers off to the dance floor, and you growl after her between coughing. Muffet wordlessly hands you some napkins. 

Thanking her, you look the spider monster over carefully. She looks like she’s fine, but you get the undercurrent that she might not be as comfortable as she’s letting on. And you can’t blame her. It was hard enough to get her to agree to a weekly dinner with you. And that’s not because she doesn’t like you, she’s just not a …people person. 

This must be torturous. 

“Hey,” you say suddenly, getting her attention. She’s been watching the way people, monsters and humans alike, have been dancing together. Looking back at you, she gives you a wordless quirk of her head, signaling you to continue. You lick your lips before speaking, “If you really don’t want to be here, it’s okay. I don’t want you to feel like you have to.”

She stares at you a long moment before giving you an almost pitying look, “My dear human, you worry too much. I’m fine. It’s…” she thinks carefully, before grinning, “a learning experience. Besides, a woman has needs, you know. I plan on throwing out some threads tonight and see what I can wrap up for myself.”

You nearly spit out your drink at that, and she giggles evilly beside you. Right. 

Monsters probably have a…sex drive of some sort? SOUL stuff aside, they probably have one night stands... You're not sure.

Deciding not to pry, you merely agreed enthusiastically. Fuck. It’s been a dry spell for you, too. You had tried, back in the midwest at your previous home, to start something with one of the locals. He was very kind, and worked on a farm and all that. Totally not your usual type but you thought that would be good for you.

It wasn’t. It was awful. And so, so disappointing, considering it was your first jump back into the fray after the whole Trent incident. 

And now with Sans being…Sans, well. You weren’t even sure how that was going to work, with him being a skeleton. And he clearly isn’t wanting something more personal with you than friendship, so…why not throw out your own webs? You did get all dolled up, after all.

“So,” she finishes her drink, and you follow suit. You both set your glasses down at your reserved booth alcove-nook-thing, and she meets your gaze with an uptilt of her chin, “let’s go scout the land, shall we?”

You think you’d make a fantastic wing-woman. With a wild grin, you grab Muffet’s wrist and drag her to the dance floor. For being a mixed drink, you think it was much more alcohol than anything else. Not that you were complaining. 

‘Yeah!’ by Usher starts, and the dance floor grows packed with bodies as the two of you join in. The sound of several Lil John 'YEAAAAAAH's' echo loudly amongst the crowd, and you get lost in the throng of bodies.

Fuck, it’s HOT in here. And no, it’s not Nelly singing it. 

Your body is slick with sweat. Maybe wearing the leather top was a bad idea, but eh. It was worth it for how it made your tits look. 

Regardless, the night was way more fun than you were expecting. Yara knew A LOT of dance moves, and was good at them, so she would take some time to show you and the others how to properly do them when certain songs came on like ‘One, Two Step’ and the ridiculous ‘Stanky Leg’. To your group's amusement, Papyrus was REALLY good at that one. 

You’d trade off for hours simply dancing under the bright lights and deafening music, to transition back to the table for drink and snack breaks. Thankfully you could place a food order on the little iPad like device at your table, and time it to go out and dance and come back for some food and bev without having to try and push your way through the crowds too much. Pretty genius and effective by the staff, since they were spot on timewise, despite how busy it was. 

Undyne was a force to be reckoned with out on the dance floor. She must treat dancing a lot like her fighting, because she has such a presence that it’s hard to ignore. Alphys would dance with her for a few songs before having to retreat, because the crowds were really overwhelming and you couldn’t blame her. She’d scurry over to your group’s booth and watch contentedly and pitter away on her phone. 

You and Yara were really getting into it, more than you had thought you would. Sure, there was a lot about her that triggered some of your ‘anti-social’ qualities, but she was certainly energetic and passionate about things. ‘Buy U A Drank’ by T-Pain came on and she screamed in the middle of the entire dance floor, and thankfully no one freaked out too badly. You laughed along with Undyne at her theatrics, but danced along with her enthusiasm none the less. With the steady flow of alcohol, your hips became a lot looser, and your body more confident.

Papyrus was something to admire. He had eventually migrated to a group of guys with half their shirts off, and was learning dance moves from them. One of the human dudes had called him ‘Skeletor’ again, just like at karaoke, and he very well could have been the same guy. He was…getting really close with Paps. Lots of…grinding and touching, and you nearly wanted to die when Papyrus' loud voice cut in clearly between music breaks, “BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO ‘POP LOCK AND DROP IT’? DOES ONE OF MY JOINTS HAVE TO BE LOOSE?”

You are able to catch Muffet dancing closely with a woman that looked about your age. She was taller than you, and had long blonde hair that was tied up in a high ponytail. What was most striking was her bright red lipstick against her pale skin, and her bright blue eyes glittered under the fluctuating lights. You’re sitting back at the nook, going through your fourth drink and taking a breather. You watched how the spider monster would casually brush a stray hand up along the woman’s thigh, while another was pulling her close. With that many hands, you wonder if it gets complicated, or just…well. Best not go down that train of thought. 

Their lips are awfully close together, and the human woman is blushing brightly at whatever Muffet is whispering to her during ‘Disturbia’. Even though the song is more upbeat, the two of them are dancing slowly and intimately, and you can’t help but give Muffet mental praise with a small smirk. She certainly knows how to charm people from the looks of it. 

It makes sense, you guess…spiders luring prey into their web and all that…

So you spend a little time chatting with Alphys, and she tells you that she wants to try and plan a day to hang out with just you, her and Undyne. A proper girls night. You’re pleased that she says you can invite Muffet if she wanted, and you tell her you’ll pass it along, but warn her that it probably wouldn’t be her thing. Alphys kind of figured. She hints heavily at anime being part of it, and you laugh heartily in agreement. A round of shots gets delivered, and you start shouting out names to the crowd of folks to gather your people back to your table.

‘Rock Your Body’ starts up loudly over the speakers and you grin, alcohol making your body move more confidently than you ever would sober. You were totally an *NSYNC girl growing up, so Justin Timberlake easily called you back to the dance floor. You had tried getting Alphys to come back with you, but she had started to look really nervous near the end of your conversation and was timidly looking around the dance floor. There’s a fleeting thought of yours to find Undyne to send her back to Alphys, just in case, but after this song!!

Your skin is glistening under the bright flickering lights as you move, sweat dripping down your neck and curves. It’s about having fun, right? So it’s why you don’t stop or cringe away when some random human guy joins your side. He touches your arm and elbow, a gentle pull towards him in askance, and you give in and have a very…close dance full of grinding, wandering hands, grasping hips, and lips at your neck. It starts slow and careful, before his hands are purposeful and heated in their movements. It doesn't take long for your body to move in sync with his. 

Eyes closed, you take pleasure in the way your body's lighting up for different reasons other than alcohol or the fun of dancing. You can feel the long-lost familiar stir in your lower abdomen as his fingers and hands grip and drag along your waist and ass. It’s more than the heat of dancing, it's the heat of something primal. Fuck, it’s been so long since someone’s been interested in you like this. 

♫  So you grab your girls  And you grab a couple more,  And you all come meet me  In the middle of the floor.  Said the air is thick, it's smellin' right.  So you pass to the left and you sail to the right~  ♫

Blood rushing in your ears, you let yourself get lost at the feeling. Your back is to his front, and his hands sensually explore up the front of your body as his mouth nips at your neck, causing your breath to catch and your eyes flicker open. His fingers are barely dipping down the hem of your pants, toying sinfully at the seam. Awfully brazen, but he’s not downright shoving his hands in your pants, just teasing your skin, and it’s doing wonders for you right now. He breathes hotly in your ear, singing along with the song, “Bet I’ll have you naked by the end of this song~”

A tiny, impish grin spreads along your lips, and you turn your head in an attempt to look back at him. Your eyes are fluttering as you get your first proper glance at your dance partner since you were so distracted by his hands, and right before your lips meet his your blood turns to ice.

It's fleeting, like flashes in your sight, but there's no mistaking it. You jerk your head back in shock, missing the confusion flickering over your dance partner's face.

It’s like time stops, and your heart plummets to the floor, because all the way across the dance floor in fits of passing bodies, you’re able to see Sans sitting with Alphys at your group's table. And, of course, his piercing white eyelights are locked onto you. Your body grows stiff and rigid in your random partner’s hold, not at all melting against it like moments ago. There’s a twisting, tight pain in your chest that makes you gasp. It’s…it’s so, so different, like a douse of cold water. This wasn’t a thrumming, like before. It was…almost painful?

But just as quickly as it happened, the feeling is gone, and your dance partner is asking in your ear if you wanted to go back to his table for a drink, and you can’t find it in you to answer or even look at him, because your feet are carrying you to Sans. 

Why do you feel guilty?

Is common sense not a thing anymore? Why in the Stars would you all think going out to a dance club was a good idea, so soon after what happened the last time you all “went out”?

ESPECIALLY you!

Sans can feel his magic prickling annoyingly across his bones as he’s texting you. Granted, he tried coming at it as neutral as possible, but apparently he struck a cord with you, again.

The ‘karaoke incident’ was a few weeks ago now, but the point still remains. 

The skeleton will never forget the way your SOUL had cried out to him in pain, as he felt you crumble apart. It’s a vivid memory that he can’t shake, no matter the long nights he grinds out working so he can distract himself from his current round of insomnia. 

He has barely spoken to you. He replies to your texts every so often, because he’s not sure what he’s trying to do, exactly. He didn't mean to cut off nearly all contact with you, but it's the consequence of him being a coward, he supposes.

Either way.

Sans cares. About you. 

He tells you this. He thought that would be enough to bring him back into your good graces, because damn it all, he's not trying to control you; he just can't bare the thought of you getting hurt again. But your next few onslaught of texts leave him frozen in shock. 

And your last two make him tighten his grip on his phone until it cracks.

From: maethril…3:16 PM:  I’m not…I’m not someone who needs rescuing, or protection, or whatever. I didn’t tell you what happened with Trent for you to treat me differently. I told you because I trust you. And it felt right. To my SOUL, I guess. 

From: maethril…3:17 PM:  There’s only four people, not counting the hospital staff that helped me, that know that story. And you’re one of them. 

You trusted him. Why did that fill him with a rush of excitement, but a flood of guilt at the same time? Was it because he was deliberately distancing himself? Or is it because he’s somehow hurting you again?

Sans can feel his SOUL poking out through the nether between you, trying to get some kind of response from your own, to no avail. You’re too far apart, and it’s been driving him a little mad. 

Because his SOUL has clung to the idea of it, of you, and Sans had thought some distance between the two of you would help calm down the surge of interest, but no. It hasn’t. He keeps thinking about you, and your face, and how it fell when he played it all off nonchalantly. He remembers the way your cheek had felt nuzzled up against his, and how warm and soft your body was pressed up against his own when he was finally, finally able to hug you.

But does he do anything about it, to try and fix it? 

No. 

So time goes on, ever constant. He catches Papyrus for breakfast before he leaves for work in the morning. And in the afternoon, Sans listens to him talk about all the progress the school is making, which also includes stories of you and Yara and Lillith and Toriel hanging out and talking about more SOUL things, so he’s even more 100 percent sure you know the full details of a ‘Rapture’ and how he shoved a big ‘ol pin in that. 

It’s part of why he keeps dodging any attempts to hang out with you right now. 

He’s still not sure if he is ready to take the plunge, and tell you that he is open to…trying. A Relationship. Capital letters and all.  

And that seems stupid, because he’s a smart guy. Just emotionally constipated, according to Papyrus. 

He can’t seem to fully shake off his doubts and fears that he’s going to end up ruining it. He already has in some capacity, and Papyrus keeps screeching about he's letting opportunity pass through his bones. A chance of happiness, because his younger brother thinks that he isn't.

He has this inkling that crawls up his spine. It has nothing to do with what you had revealed and shared with him, it’s just all his own failures that have piled up in the past that are glaring at him. For some reason, he can't bring himself to admit it out loud. Or more importantly, to you.

And you’ve been through enough. That was the whole point of it. He didn’t want to hurt you, or add his own baggage.

Or worse...what if, you hurt him? He can't imagine that happening. But, there's always a chance. A chance for anything. Life is funny like that.  

He’s slumped over on the couch watching some show called ‘Monty Python’s Flying Circus’s’ and for the most part, he’s not a fan. It’s just…too out there for him. He had heard some human college kids talk about it at Grillby’s one time, after they had bantered some jokes back and forth. Must be the style of humor that just isn’t hitting him. 

Or maybe it’s the fact that he’s been listening to Undyne and Papyrus shriek from upstairs the past hour over how to coordinate their outfits for going out dancing, and whatnot. 

He can feel his teeth grinding together. Alphys has carefully joined him on the couch, looking him over. Sans blinks, thinking that the reptilian monster would rather be upstairs with her girlfriend and his brother to plan for their night out. Not wasting her time with him sulking on the couch. 

Sans eyes her thoughtfully, and decides to start the conversation since she’s been casting him timid glances, “you look real nice, alph.”

“O-oh!” her scaly cheeks turn pink, and she smiles at Sans softly, “Thank you. T-that’s kind of y-you to say.” She needs to move her hands, so she starts flattening out her dress against her knees.

The skeleton hums in reply, and once again the two of them are stuck in an awkward limbo. Sans is usually very chatty and fills the silence with puns and jokes, but he isn’t in the mood.

He refuses to acknowledge why. 

“Y-you know, y-you can still come w-with us if you want,” Alphys says under the ruckus of the TV. Sans feels his eye socket twitch.

“nah. i got two left feet, i wouldn’t be much for dancin’.”

“Undyne says that there’s booths and chairs, t-too! Y-you wouldn’t have to d-dance, you could still be with all of us,” she tries, and discreetly Sans’ hand tightens on the armrest of the couch. 

Oblivious to Sans’ mild irritation, Alphys continues, “M-Muffet even agreed to come w-with. I think it’s n-nice that she and Skylar are such good friends.”

Sans starts tapping a bony finger against the couch, now. 

“A-and, you know, I thought that you and I w-were still friends…even after-” 

Finally Sans cuts in, “alph, it’s all good, ok? we’re friends. i thought we talked about that back when we got to the surface.”

Withering a little under his stare, she presses on, a small spark in her eye, “S-so come out with us! I’d like to have you there, I know S-skylar would too!”

Hearing your name makes him feel itchy. He sighs, “i told paps earlier, i haven’t slept much the past few weeks. i’m not really feelin’ it.”

Thinking that was the end of it, Sans rubs a tired hand along his skull with a small scraping sound. It’s true, after all. He’s exhausted. He had even once debated texting you for a late night phone call, like the two of you had done before, but he didn’t think that would go over well.

Always contradictory to himself. 

“...If you don’t try, Sans, how will you know?” Alphys words make him jump and widen his sockets, because there’s enough genius between the two monsters that it’s not hard to figure out what she’s hinting about. Let alone the fact that Undyne teases him constantly about it. Even more so, Alphys insists, “Wouldn’t it be better to try, than do nothing at all? Skylar likes you, I think.”

Maybe it’s because Alphys didn’t stutter at all, this time, that it leaves him without a remark. He stares at her quietly, and she offers her a small toothy smile, and a shrug. 

“You’re allowed to be happy, Sans. You should give yourself that chance.”

He knows she’s speaking from experience - about all the things that happened in the True Lab, and her own journey of being with Undyne. Sans watches as she slides off the couch, and leaves him with a small nod. Papyrus and Undyne have both vaulted themselves down the stairs in their excitement, and Sans puts on a winning grin at Papyrus’ outfit. 

Sans bid them all farewell, ignoring Undyne’s pestering about being a ‘weeny’. He hears Papyrus’s car leave the garage and tear off down the street. He doesn’t move from his spot on the couch. The hours drags on.

It’s not until he gets a message from Muffet that Sans feels his SOUL lurch in his chest. It’s a selfie of you and her, and he can only stare wide eyed at your…everything. He thought you were pretty without all the make-up, but...huh. It really adds something...

He had slowly come to an understanding of why human men are obsessed with boobs. He had done his own ‘research’, of course, after hearing some wild stories from a human bar. He was riding on the 3rd night of no sleep, and was curious, deciding to make the not at all wise decision to go to a human bar. They let him in, and nothing that bad happened besides some racist slurs. Whatever.

A group of drunken men had caught his interest; holding a loud debate of being an "Ass Man" or a "Boob Man". And after he had realized his growing interest in you after your first movie night together, he had looked up…resources. Because monsters were attracted to SOULs, first and foremost, and humans were…complicated.

His first conclusion was that humans were addicted to sex. At least it’s what it seemed like. It wasn’t hard to find ‘porn’ on the human internet. That wasn’t a thing in the Underground let alone monster culture, and needless to say, Sans fell down a rabbit hole that he wasn’t entirely proud of. His scientist brain was just fascinated with the many…avenues that humans took, in their sexual appetites. 

That’s how he found out what a blow job was. He wasn’t lying that night when he told you he had never had one before. And consequently, after his exploration into his own human anatomy lessons, (both textbook AND video format, respectfully) Sans had locked himself away in his bedroom experimenting with his own magic to see if the two of you could even be…compatible, in that way. He knew that it was an important part of a romantic relationship for humans, and could admit that he was nervous that you would find him unappealing in some way, if he couldn’t connect with you. Tab A into Tab B, so to speak. This was before Sans, of course, shot everything down the drain with you, but still. He had wanted to be prepared.

Sans and Papyrus were the only two skeleton monsters he had ever known, in the entire Underground. He had already had to get creative with other monsters in his past intimate relationships. Magic was a very useful tool. Ecto-magic, specifically. 

Heh. It wasn't that difficult to manifest a human looking penis. And since it was all magic and a direct link to himself, it felt… good, when touched . After a practice “session” with himself, he found his little experiment a roaring success. 

He still repeated it several times, to be methodical about it all. Sans can definitely see the appeal. Especially when he imagined your hands touching him.

ANYWAY…he can admit to himself that your physical appearance had grown deeply interesting to him after his deep dive into human intimacy. And with how your dressed in the photo, he feels a stirring in his bones at the sight of you. You look good.

And now, the texts keep coming. Different snapshots of the night, from not only Muffet, but Undyne and Yara as well. All these women will be the death of him. 

Sans ends up needing to get up and walk, and do something with himself, because he wants to work things out with you but hasn’t the faintest idea of how to go about it. 

The skeleton takes a deep breath, and consequences be damned, he stares at the far wall of his bedroom that he’s wandered into, and breathes out “i want her.” 

He stands still, apparently bracing himself for whatever aftermath may happen from the stars above from his confession, but…nothing does. He’s just sitting on his bed heavily, letting his body slump forward with his elbows on his knees.

Shakily, he grabs his phone from his hoodie pocket to check the new message he’s gotten.

And he freezes. Because it’s from Alphys, and it’s a blurry photo of you and some human man dancing together close enough to be touching. Sans stares vacantly, and his phone buzzes again with a message from Alphys. It’s the club’s address. The place isn’t too far from Grillby’s.

Something ugly curls inside his chest, and his left eye flares a bright blue and yellow. He bustles around his room quickly for a clean black t-shirt, and fresh shorts. He even decides to slide on a pair of black converse shoes, even though he hates wearing them. Deeming this acceptable, the skeleton blips out of existence to reappear in the front of Grillby’s. He’ll make his way to the club from there. 

Chapter Text

You hate the fact that the sight of him has you nervous. And it’s near instant, when you finally arrive at the table, that something sparks to life like a pleasant hum throughout your body. That’s not quite right; the sensation has always been there you think, just muted, and Sans being in your presence has jolted the Rapture back into full swing.

Sans is leaning against the table, seated by Alphys. He looks the same as ever, except there are deep, dark shadows under his eye sockets more prominent than you’d ever seen before. There was a rigidness to his body that immediately had you on edge, but…it could be any multitude of things. The unspoken elephant in the room, the texts from yesterday, the fact that being physically near him again is making you feel like you’re in your teens and talking to some cute boy for the first time. 

The Rapture was making itself known, and making it difficult to remember why you are so upset with him. SOUL stuff was something else…

And likewise, Sans body seems to soften the longer you’re standing there staring. He hasn’t said anything yet, either, and the music is so loud and the lights flickering and switching to a dimmer lighting to fit the mood to a slow song that starts playing. 

His eyelights soften the longer he looks at you. There’s a layer under the surface you can’t quite put your finger on, and it’s causing your skin to tingle faintly the longer his gaze sweeps over your body.

‘My Boo’ starts playing, and you can’t help but flick a glare up towards the ceiling, because fucking really? Usher?

“L-look, Skylar!! Sans decided to s-show up a-after all!!” 

The sound of Alphys’ voice cracks like a whip in the silence straining between the two of you. Both your heads snap towards the small reptilian monster, who is shifting and sweating where she’s seated at the booth. Your smile is forced because you feel so awkward, and you pray that your voice comes out normal, “Yeah, I can see that, Alph. That’s awesome.” 

Sans’ bone brow raises. Soon enough a handful of drinks are dropped off at the table by a large polar bear monster, giving you all a nod, and a jaunty hello to Sans before wandering off. The skeleton waves good naturedly at the polar bear as he wanders off. He then pulls one of the new glasses towards him, and it’s filled with a bright red liquid that has sparkles dancing out of the top of it. 

The silence thickens. Alphys coughs. Sans takes a long drink from his glass. His bony hand suddenly pushes the other glass towards you. It’s some kind of mixed beverage, and you can see some small sparkles coming out of it. Different in color to his, but it’s definitely monster liquor. You’ve not had monster liquor before.

“look like you could use a drink,” he says casually, letting his eyelids fall closed as he nods his head along to the music. 

You don’t understand what he’s doing. 

With only a brief moment of hesitation, you take the offered glass and give it a small sip. It’s strong, but you’ve had several drinks tonight already, so you adapt to it fairly easily. It reminds you of whiskey, so you give a pleased hum. The added magic makes something inside your chest twitch pleasantly.

“Thank you,” you say calmly, and he nods. 

Alphys is sweating bullets. 

“I-I’m going to go and d-dance with U-undyne!!” she stutters, sliding off of her seat. She looks at Sans pointedly before she goes, but the skeleton has his eye sockets still closed in that lax looking state. Sighing, she gives you a small wave and a smile to boot, and she’s gone in the throng of bodies slow dancing in the dark. 

So now once again you are left standing, holding your drink. You don’t want to just be staring at Sans, so you stare off to the side, watching people dance and mingle and such. 

Anxiety clawing up your spine, you feel your hand tighten on the glass and the panic settle faintly under your skin. What were you supposed to do now? He must have came for a reason, and he hasn’t spoken to you since you laid into him through those text messages-

“hey,” Sans voice cuts in through your panic. Your eyes shoot up to meet his, and thankfully his low baritone is gentle when he speaks, “you don’t gotta stand there lookin’ all bonely. have a seat.”

He shrugs towards the booth, which has plenty of space in it since he’s the only one sitting. It’s the weird ‘C’ shape, with a square table in the middle. He’s sitting in the middle part, and so you carefully sit on the right of him. 

Chewing on your bottom lip momentarily, you take another drink from your glass, as does Sans. 

“It’s a really nice club they’ve made,” you try, because the silence is killing you. He looks over at you slowly, tilting his head so his chin rests against his palm. His eyes are half lidded, slowly trekking over your body. You can’t stop the blush that forms on your cheeks.

Sans’ smile stretches up on one side, “seems to be really ‘poppin’, as the kids say.” 

“Ha,” you give him a small smile, if a touch doubtful, “ is that what the kids say?”

“eh,” he shrugs, waving a hand around the general space, “human college kids say a lot of shit.”

With a sagely nod, you smirk at him and take a long drink. Your glass is almost gone.

How much alcohol have you had tonight?

It’s quiet again.

“never been to a place like this before,” he continued after a beat. That doesn’t surprise you. You can barely picture Sans taking out the garbage, so a dance club seemed like an impossibility. 

And yet. 

“So why are you here?” you ask slowly. He didn’t respond right away, which made you wonder if he was able to hear you over all the noise around you, when he locked his eye lights back to you. 

Instead of saying anything, he takes a long, slow drink from his glass. It thunks against the table when he sets it back down, with sweat dripping along the outside of it. He leans back against the seat, letting one arm hold himself up on the table as he leans towards you. 

His voice dips low, taking a serious tone on top of its already deep baritone, “i think you already know the answer to that.”

Your cheeks flare much to your annoyance, because damn it all, he isn’t getting off the hook that easily. 

“Not really,” you bite out, unable to stop a little venom creeping out, “You haven’t told me anything, Sans, and that’s the problem.”

Slowly blinking at you, he has a few sweat drops appear at the side of his skull, but it’s unnoticeable thanks to the lighting. He taps a finger against the table in thought. 

He lets out a frustrated sigh which startles you, and Sans downs the rest of his drink in one go. You wait for him, because you don’t want to let the mounting anger fully surface. 

Intent. Monsters feel intent. 

So you keep it reigned in. You’re out in public. And you care, despite it all. You don’t want to create a stressful situation for the two of you.

He stares at the table for a long moment, when his shoulders slump heavily. His voice is tired, “i told you before, i never wanted to hurt you.”

Eyes narrowing, you feel your hands clench from where they’re resting in your lap. 

“Kinda late for that,” you say sarcastically, and he freezes. Finally he nods, and he tries to speak again, when suddenly both Yara and Papyrus pile into the other side of the booth with Papyrus ambling up to his brother. 

Damn it all. 

Sans must share the same feeling if only for a small moment, because you can see his expression go through a couple phases of disgruntlement before once again that bland, fake smile is back. It’s startling how you’re able to tell the difference now. 

“BROTHER, WHAT A PLEASANT SURPRISE! I’M SO GLAD THAT YOU DECIDED TO DRAG YOUR LAZY BONES OUT OF THE HOUSE AFTER BEING SO BROODY!” Papyrus beams at Sans and Yara snickers on the older skeleton’s behalf, because now Sans is blushing and flickering a nervous glance your way. 

“heh, yeah. i thought about what you said, decided to get out and air out the ‘ol skull,” Sans regroups easily, and you only watch with an unimpressed eyebrow. 

“Suuuure it isn’t because you wanted to seeeee someone?~” Yara sing-songed, and Papryus suddenly notices you. 

You know the taller skeleton hasn’t had any alcohol tonight, but he must be riding some other kind of high. Maybe he’s high on life?

Cause he reaches over and suddenly grabs your face, smooshing your cheeks gently as he cries out, “SKYLAR! MY BROTHER SANS IS HERE! WHO HAS DEFINITELY NOT BEEN A BIG BABY BONES AT HOME ABOUT WHATEVER RELATIONSHIP SQUABBLE THE TWO OF YOU ARE HAVING!!”

“bro-”

“A baby bones, huh?” Yara coos, causing Sans to grind his teeth with a small tick to one of his eye sockets. Papyrus nods gravely. 

You’re not sure you’re able to handle all the whiplash, because now Muffet has sidled into the booth as well, and she’s pressed right up against you. You give her a small glare and the spider monster grins, baring her fangs at you cutely. You scoot closer to Sans so Muffet has space. 

You pointedly ignore how you and Sans are nearly touching now. You cast him a wary glance, and he does the same to you, which makes the two of you blush. 

This is so STUPID!

Growling lowly, you open your mouth to speak, but Muffet cuts you off, “Look who decided to come out and play~” she purrs, and Sans suddenly feels colder next to you.

It’s like a little shift in the air, and you remember back to your lunch at Grillby’s when something similar had happened. It was when he was opening up to you, about his dislike of humans. 

You feel him twist next to you, so he’s facing Muffet, to which he then says idly, “‘sup, Muffet?”

“Oh nothing, deary. Been a while. Was wondering why you hadn’t joined us in the beginning, is all, is something bothering you?” Muffet titters, letting one of her many arms link with yours. 

You give her a small nudge, and whisper at her to knock it off, because you know that the spider monster had been angry on your behalf when you told her everything that happened with Sans. She chitters placidly at you. 

“you know how it is,” he says offhandedly, “bein’ a skeleton and all, i got nobody to dance with, so it’s not really my thing.”

Papyrus shouts, “TERRIBLE JOKE ASIDE IT IS TRUE. I’M AFRAID THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS THE ONE BLESSED WITH ALL THE ARTISTIC SKILLS IN THE FAMILY.”

Yara pats Papyrus’ shoulder consolingly. Her dark cheeks are warm and peakish; the woman has been dancing near nonstop along with all her drinks. You kinda hate how effortless she makes it all seem. But you carefully nudge a glass of water along the end of the table towards her. She pouts but takes it under your narrowed gaze. 

“it’s why i couldn’t compare, bro,” Sans smiles at Papyrus, and you were right; he can’t help but let his mask slip when it comes to his brother. He looks much more like Sans, when he’s talking with Papyrus, “you got all the talent, i got the looks.” 

And then that little bastard turns and winks at you.

Muffet hums, “Well, one would hope you have some redeeming qualities~” She daintily picks up the iPad at your table, presumably to order something for herself. 

That cold tinge is back.

“Alright, alright,” Yara says loudly, and you’re thankful for her ability to interject herself into any and all situation. She stands and stretches, and gestures towards you specifically, “I gotta pee! Will you come to the bathroom with me?” she smiles sweetly, and Papyrus stands dutifully. 

“I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, SHALL ESCORT THE HUMAN LADIES TO THE RESTROOM SO THEY ARE SAFE!!” Yara coos up at the tall skeleton as he puts on a grand pose, and you sigh. You look at Muffet and nod, to which the spider monster stands up to let you out of the booth before retaking her seat. 

Secretly you’re thankful, but you’re anxious about leaving the two of them alone. You open your mouth to speak, catching Sans eyes briefly, but Yara is already pulling you along with Papyrus saying how she can’t hold it much longer, or something.