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Life wasn’t all that bad after they were freed from the barrier and let into the surface. The Underground held good and bad memories to them all but it was time to move forward. A new horizon awaited them, one that had been much expected.
In the beggining, it hadn’t been easy. Understandably, there was much distrust and weariness from the humans and monsters were forced to struggle their way into their hearts, having to rely on their own species even more. From time to time there were good souls around, humans that weren’t so afraid and sometimes lent a hand in solidarity. Frisk, their ambassador, would often hold meetings with the leaders that cared to hear them and made a commendable effort to explain their situation.
As time went by, they were deemed harmless. A lukewarm peace had been finally estabilished between the two species.
Sans couldn’t really ask for more. Him and his brother had managed to find a place for themselves, a modest apartment that they quickly made their home. He still worked multiple jobs, small errands now and then too, but it was honest work and it was enough for them to lead a comfortable and humble life.
Papyrus had been relatively lost after they came to the surface -his lifelong dream of being a part of the Royal Guard had been forfeit- but he adapted quite well and him and Undyne would still have their cooking lessons, giving him motivation to start aspiring for the life of a Chef, one day. Sans never protested agaisnt it, in fact he was relieved to know his brother had found something to dream of once again. Seeing the light never dim in his brother’s whole presence was all that he wanted.
Everything was so different in the surface. Sans would chuckle fondly at the way Papyrus ‘awwed’ at every little thing, eyes wide in wonder and tugging at his brother’s hand in excitement, sometimes pointing and coercing Sans to go check it out. To Sans, it was the weather that made the most difference. And the sky. Whenever he looked up, Sans was always surprised, always wondering if this was reality. The magnificence of a natural sky and the beauty of the real stars was breathtaking.
For someone like Sans, who didn’t mind slowing down and just stay still for a moment (or perhaps a few hours, he he), it was easy to notice all the beautiful things. And for the first time, he felt like he finally had all the time in the world to do so.
It was nighttime -real nighttime- when Sans opened the door to their bedroom. Papyrus was already dressed in his pajamas (a cute set of light orange cotton pants and button down shirt littered with tiny cartoonish femurs) and sitting on their bed, snuggled underneath the covers. Sans’ grin twitched, giving Papyrus a loving look before changing into his sleep wear (a simple worn down white shirt and his striped blue boxers). It was raining heavily outside, the strong wind rattling the windows now and then and the faraway roar of an oncoming thunderstorm was making itself known. He saw Papyrus tense up as a strong flash of light could be seen through the window near the bed and a louder roar sounded right after.
“hey, paps?”
Papyrus blinked, smile wavy but tender as he directed his attention to Sans, who was looking at the few books that filled their bookshelf. He seemed to be looking for a specific one and found it, pulling it out. He turned around with the book in his hand, waving it.
“how about we try this new one i got yesterday?” He squinted his eyes at the cover. “it’s called ‘sleepy time with cuddly puppy’.”
The very much used and worn down ‘Peek-a-boo with Fluffy Bunny’ was still there but Sans thought his brother would like something else for a change. And as so, Papyrus’ expression lightened up, nodding.
“I SUPPOSE THAT WILL BE FINE!!”
Sans’ grin widened, making his way to the bed and plopping down, getting under the covers as well. He thumbed the brand new ridge of the book and cleared his throat, flipping it to the first page. He felt Papyrus shift closer to him, his fingers gripping the edges of the covers closer to his chest. Sans was about to begin when thunder roared once again, the booming loud and the flash of light bright and strong. The thunderstorm was pretty nearby.
Papyrus gave a tiny squeak, trembling slightly visible as he huddled even closer to Sans, shoulders and ribcages brushing. Sans blinked, before frowning. It’s been a while since he has seen his brother this scared. Papyrus could be naive and silly sometimes but he was also actually pretty brave. His adventurous and ambitious nature made him so. There wasn’t much that made him tremble.
Admittedly, he understood that the violence and strength of thunderstorms, something that they were experiencing for the first time, was rather intimidating. His grin and gaze softened, closing the book and wrapping an arm around Papyrus’ shoulders, tugging him down closer to his chest.
“it’s alright if you’re afraid, paps. i’m here”
Papyrus seemed to sputter in outrage, hand raising to push agaisnt Sans’ chest.
“THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS NOT AFRAID!!!”
Sans leaned closer to the other’s face, gaze half lidded in sleepiness and a slight orange glow tinted Papyrus’ cheeks, betraying his embarassment.
“between you and me…i don’t like thunderstorms either.” Papyrus blinked, smile widening a little. “they’re a bit too ‘flashy’ for my tastes, don’t you think?” Sans winked at him.
Papyrus’ expression quickly turned to unamused -well, he tried, his mouth still twitched- as he rolled his eyes, burying his face on Sans’ chest. He felt his brother’s body vibrate with his deep low chuckles, laughing at his own joke like always.
“SAAAAAANS!!” His protesting voice was muffled, stuck in a half groan, half giggle. Leave it to Sans to make a terrible pun even now.
He felt a hand caressing the back of his skull and he hummed, wrapping his arms around Sans’ waist and cuddling him closer. In the background, the thunderstorm still went on but it didn’t seem as scary now. He looked up and bumped their mouths together in a lasting skeleton kiss as a silent thanks while also silencing Sans’ chuckles.
Sans was more than happy to hold him for the rest of the night, legs intertwined and souls glowing, energies mixing in harmony. They were quick to fall asleep, scary roars and intimidating flashes of light forgotten.