#papyrus in places he shouldn't be

[papyrus-in-places-he-shouldnt-be]

Papyrus shouldn't be in the backrooms

[carlyraejepsans]

Going off what you said about sans, do you think Papyrus is an extrovert like he appears to be, or secretly an introvert? I've always seen people saying he's an extrovert, but he doesn't hang around people besides Undyne and Sans.

papyrus only appears as an extrovert, and being extroverted shouldn't be confused with the fact that he wants friends.

while it's true that he spends his entire introduction bemoaning his lack of friends, it becomes quickly apparent that this isn't the real conflict of his character. papyrus obviously has some issues with... well not so much his self esteem, as his self image. how to be "someone important" in "the right way". he's built up this idea of what a cool person should be, and that idea includes "having lots of friends who think you're cool" and "showers of kisses every morning" as key elements. which is all fine and dandy, except he... doesn't actually seem to want that?

i mean think about it. you go on a date because he feels like he has to, then he turns you down because he can't make himself fall in love with you. he basically acts as the mayor in town—and sure he's goofy, and ridiculous, but all of snowdin seems to be at least fond of him, if not actively amused by his antics—it would take nothing for him to make friends with them... eeexcept he also hates grillby's, ie the primary hangout spot for his fellow sentires in the area.

it becomes obvious the moment you compare him to his brother. sans, as opposed to papyrus, is depressed to a point that it impacts his energy and executive function, and STILL, where does he spent 99% of his time? at the bar full of people. sans doesn't need to charge his social batteries after interactions, he recharges his batteries BY being in social situations. papyrus, on the other hand, seems at his happiest with a tight knit group of close friends and plenty of personal space as well as private time, either by himself or with his brother at max (he does cite his house as his favorite place to spend time, rather than public spaces, and loves organizing family parties there post-canon)

so nope, not an extrovert imo. though still very much a community-oriented guy.

[punsmaster69]

12/APR/20XX

i think that was my goal.

remember? the one i was mentionin' about twenty nine pages ago? i'd said something like...

"and when i achieve it?"

"...guess i'll finally close this book for good."

so, i'll count that to be my goal.

therapist agrees, so you can't get on me about that.

sharing inner thoughts was never something i'm great at. so much so that you might've forgotten that's what this was for.

can you believe that? s'posed to be a thought journal. daily mental-state evaluation.

ended up talking about my friends instead.

wasn't for me, i suppose.

...after some amount of pages, huh? geez.

[This calls attention to the fact that the book is much thicker than it was when it started. Seems instead of switching to another one, his journal just... gained pages.]

point is.

seems to me like a good place to stop things at.

i'll give you a final update, and we'll call it. alright?

——

breaking the news went as smoothly as if we'd entered the room and broke a vase on the floor instead. (undyne about did just that.)

the second calamity was when mettaton and my bro show up kinda late

holding hands.

turns out my bro is much more decisive than i am.

apparently it was mettaton first, then paps who decided after a few serious dates.

congrats to 'em.

been deflecting questions best i can all day from the announcements, so i was thankful my bro showing up like that took enough of the heat off me n' tori.

i...

can't stop smiling.

well- alright, that's a given.

but i mean this doofy grin i haven't kept up this long in ages.

i'm not even trying for this one.

all this talk about relationships, i think undyne's gotten excited. talking about marriage and all that. alphys has gone beet red.

grillby and the bar gave me a hell of a lot of pats on the back. i'd be bruised if i weren't bones.

if it wasn't that which would've bruised me, it definitely would have been the punch flowey gave me. the comment that earned me it?

"so..."

"this makes me your dad, right?"

he didn't take it well.

despite the petal-haver's apparent hatred... i think he's secretly glad that toriel's happy.

my bro sure took the news well.

granted, since he already thought me and her were dating, he just was happy for the public announcement.

"WAIT."

"DOES THIS MAKE ME AN UNCLE?!?"

"Are we gonna get another sibling??"

"WAIT, are we gonna get a SKELE-sibling?!?"

"whoa, slow down-"

"Frisk, NO??"

"Do not encourage this BONEHEAD to-"

"I think that is quite enough."

tori puts her foot down on that conversation.

living situations shouldn't change much for now, but maybe we'll figure out something else in the future. (staying with my bro. don't panic.)

concerns about my health have slowed down, as i've gotten more used to daily magic usage. noticed way less bad days recently, right? papyrus still insists on teaching me to use attacks better, so i've got that to look forward to. there might still be ups n' downs health-wise, but i'm confident in getting through 'em now.

paps is noticeably still somewhat anxious about it, fidgeting whenever everything is brought up. which is fair, but. still.

i'll get him a therapist like i've been seeing. an in-person one'll work better for him, i think.

not sure what else'll change, really. everything feels mostly the same.

other than (gasp) public handholding. (scandalous.) every time we're beside one another, tori's finding some form of physical contact.

that's different.

...in a good way.

right now, it looks like the aftermath of a wild party. friends knocked out in random spots; dangling half-off the couch or sprawled across the floor. i think frisk and i are the only ones still awake, since they wanted to put blankets on everyone.

"(Psst. Is one blanket enough?)"

they raise a large blanket in gesture with a questioning look.

i speak extra softly so i don't disturb toriel laying at my side, with her head on my shoulder and an arm across my torso; hand met with mine.

"(yep.)"

"(Kk.)"

frisk lays a blanket over me and tori. they stare contemplatively before speaking.

"....."

"Goodnight, Dad."

"...'night, kid."

welp.

guess that's it, huh?

....

i'm happy.

caring is nice.

———��

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐍𝐃

[llamagoddessofficial]

How do the boyos react to a breakup? :3c

Not... great.

I've answered this before, but it doesn't hurt to do it again, does it?

Sans: There's a split second, after she breaks the news, where he stares at her with no expression on his face. It looks lost, perhaps... blank? Totally unreadable. But to someone who knows him very well, like Papyrus, Sans just did his version of breaking down in hysterical tears and begging her not to leave him.

... Just like that, he defaults to what he always does when faced with a deep emotional wound- the mask comes back up. He doesn't even try to resist the breakup. He perfectly plays the part of the understanding, emotionally mature ex, he agrees that they 'just aren't compatible that way'. He doesn't ask how he can change, he doesn't try to come up with ways to make things work. He just rolls over. Of course he's happy to stay close friends. Of course she's still welcome at their place. Of course she should still come over for spaghetti and videogames on Friday evening. Anything to get her out the door as soon as possible.

He seems completely unaffected. They continue being friends... but part of him is now permanently closed off to her. He never gives casual touch, he doesn't text her jokes that made him think of her. Their texts become a repeating pattern of her longer messages, his simple 'ok 👍' replies, then the little grey timestamp of several days passing. Outside of the usual Friday, he never asks to come over, he never invites her anywhere. Even if she can't read him, she'll definitely see how massively their dynamic has shifted- she'll realise just how important she used to be to him.

... And suddenly... she gets the sting of realisation that she'll never see that side of him again.

Red: It depends on how far they are into the relationship. If it's early, he does what Sans pretends to do- he cuts off the romance but remains completely chill with her. Her breaking up with him is the sign his hyper-vulnerable subconscious was looking for to pull his budding feelings for her right out by the roots; now he has the concrete proof he needed that he shouldn't invest his Soul into this. He remains an easygoing, casual friend who's eager to be one with benefits.

If it's later in the relationship... after a long time with one another... if flat out denial that she wants to break up doesn't work, he tries bargaining. He tries promising he'll change, promising everything under the sun in the hopes that she'll stay. He tries begging her not to go. His last-ditch is trying to explain that he loves her, and he doesn't know if he can love anyone else. He can't be alone after he thought he'd never be alone again.

... If all else fails, he pivots to his old friend anger. He thought they were going to be together forever, buy a house, have kids. He genuinely can't handle watching that all slip away from him. He feels like it's all his fault, he fumbled the love of his life; so now she never loved him, now she's a liar, now she's been planning this for months and dragging him along out of pity. Now she's probably cheating- anything he can get his hands on to make it make sense. Nothing can calm him down, not even her, he storms out and gets into vicious fights and spitefully watches the missed texts and calls rack up. He immediately falls back into old addictions- when Papyrus finds him two days later, the stench of whiskey is almost too much.

If we're looking for a silver lining here, it at least brings the brothers closer. Papyrus misses his sister, but he firmly takes Red's side (as he's done his whole life) and wants nothing to do with her anymore. It hurts to watch Red unravel again.

Skull: Skull's concept of a 'relationship' is slightly skewed. He doesn't really understand it, he never has... his mind doesn't work like that, and neither does his idea of love. If he loves her, he loves her, that's all there is to it. Because of that, ironically, there's a chance that Skull would take the breakup the best out of all of them, because to him love is just as sweet regardless of whether they can or can't kiss. He really doesn't care what label is on what they have- if he can still see her, still cuddle her and touch her hair, he doesn't mind. Romantic, platonic, sure, whatever sweetheart says. If she doesn't want to be romantic anymore that's fine. So long as she'll still hold his hand. So long as he can still turn to her when the nightmares are too loud; so long as he can still watch the corners of her eyes crinkle when she smiles.

... There won't, however, be any new lovers.

The thing about Skull is being with him comes with the unspoken agreement that there'll never be anyone else. He's completely attached to her; and now that the affection as gone as deep as it has, no matter what Mc says or how much they talk about it, the sight of anyone else being with her fills him with so much instinctive rage and hatred it just isn't safe. There will be blood.

She can break up with him, sure. That's fine. Whatever sweetheart wants.

But nobody will ever take his place.

[bratphilia]

note ✧.*‎ welcome to my descent into madness aka my first attempt at actually writing something with plot (there will be porn i promise you sickos). anyways this started out as a total daydream bla bla bla yall heard me say this many times before. anyways this chapter is just lore, setup, and foreshadowing for the rest of the story. no mike or william in this chapter bc its really just a flashback.

pairing ✧.*‎ steve raglan / william afton x reader, mike schmidt x reader

cw ✧.*‎ kidnapping, drug use, basically child abandonment, paralysis, manic episode

taglist ✧.*‎ @dilfity @iikyutee @kissingrhi @jen-parker @kathxstuff @papyrus-the-poet @lowballbread @cecelovesbooks @bluebearieally @cybunii @van-van @iamunabletothinkofablogname @1ncidentdropout @ice-echo26 @officially-a-simp13 @all4kura @el-sol-sale-de-nuevo @littlexstarlightx @samlow23 @iikyutee

chapter synopsis ✧.*‎ you're fourteen when fate pushes you over the edge, and fifteen when it gets even worse.

lovelace by hoshikoe ⟶ prologue

you're fourteen when fate pushes you over the edge. freddy fazbear’s pizza, a rinky-dink restaurant geared towards kids, is where you’re forced to occupy one day in july. you’re not here for yourself — far from it — you’re here for your little sister, emmy. she isn’t the type of kid to run up to the creepy, uncanny looking animatronics while they robotically sing and dance, only to be apprehended by a tired employee, but she does love them. she loves them to the point where at least one day, maybe two, is spent at freddy’s over the summer. and guess who has to babysit her since mom and dad can’t make it everyday? that’s right, you!

anyways, back to the present. your eyes burn to stay open. the lack of air conditioning in the restaurant provides for a makeshift blanket. “em,” you say to your sister. her eyes are glued on the stage, humming along to the song the animatronics are “singing” while kicking her feet. she ignores you. “em, if i fall asleep, you need to stay right here.”

“mhm,” she murmurs back, continuing her humming. you roll your eyes. there was a part of you that knew you shouldn’t have trusted her. it was screaming at you internally as loud as it could, but the gripes of tiredness overpowered it with ease.

your eyes open for a second, in complete haze. as they open in the direction of where emmy sat, the chair is vacant. it doesn't immediately raise alarm — you're still halfway asleep — but another glance towards the hallway, the one where the employees seem to be coming from, there's the familiar back of a head walking next to a bright, golden colored character. when you finally wake up, you realize you weren't dreaming. your sister is gone. panicking, you rise up from the table and head off the only direction you can think of: down the hall. you aggressively brush pass other employees, ignoring their remarks, telling you that you can't be back there.

finally, a man forcefully stops you by grabbing your shoulders. "you can't be back here. what are you doing?"

"my sister," you say, not noticing how breathless you are until you start speaking. "my sister — she went back here. i have to find her."

the man raises an eyebrow at you. he's wearing a suit and tie, he must be an owner or something. "no one is back here except for employees, but i can help you find her if you say you saw her go back here." you nod, feeling somewhat assured. you know you saw her back here; she has to be somewhere. the man, who introduces himself to you as henry, tells you to wait back at your table. you do as he says, anxiously anticipating him to come out with your sister.

a flurry of things you would say to her flows through your head, each one more scathing the last. how she shouldn't have run off without telling you, going to a place that was obviously closed off to the public. when henry eventually returned, it was just about closing time. the restaurant was empty of patrons. an employee had asked you to leave, but you explained you were waiting for the owner to return something to you. the sunset cast an orange hue that shone through the windows.

"i'm so sorry," henry had said kindly. "i don't know where she is. i couldn't find her."

your face drops and your heart sinks. your lip trembles. "b-but i can't leave without her."

henry looks at you sympathetically. "let's call up your folks, yeah? don't want you to leave here empty handed, and i'm sure i could help alleviate the situation." you nod, tears forming in your eyes at the thought of your parents finding out about your negligence. you give henry your house phone number and lay your head down at the table. you stare at the abandoned bonnie plushie that sits on emmy's chair. you try to focus on it, its purple fur and red bowtie, instead of thinking about your parents' reaction and emmy's disappearance.

it was your dad that came. he didn't spare you a glance at first, just demanded where his daughter was. it wasn't until a sob escaped your lips that he turned to you. you'll never forget the look on his face, that look of disappointment, resentment even. he grabbed you with a tight grip on your arm and dragged you to the car. the car ride home was silent, your dad's jaw was clenched, white knuckles gripping the steering wheel.

"you useless thing," mom had snarled at you when you got home. "you ruined everything. you wanted this to happen, didn't you?"

you slammed the door and flopped onto your bed. on your side, your eyes were trained on the door to your room. you were waiting for emmy to come bursting through your door any minute now, ready to annoy you about anything she could come up with. but she never came. you stared blankly around your room that night, not sleeping, watching the shadows change and light slowly cast and darken over your room.

you started high school that year. freshman year wasn't anything that special. you actually managed to make it into a popular friend group. it wasn't all it was cracked up to be, though. it wasn't like your friends weren't nice, they were, it's just you felt so detached from reality at times that it was hard to enjoy what they were enjoying. you felt like an outsider looking in your own group. always wondering what the hype was about, wondering what other people could find so funny in the moment.

alicia, who seemed to be the head of the group, asked you what was bothering you so much. she didn't demand it out of you, and she didn't put you on the spot. something about it still put you off. "it's some shit with my family," you had told her, "don't worry about it, i'm fine. really." she looked like she didn't quite believe you, but she left it alone anyways. after that, the group treated you a little differently. you had guessed alicia told them what you said. it's not like they were distant, they seemed to be looking out for you more than usual, actually.

it wasn't until another girl in your friend group, kat, had pulled you aside, that you found a coping mechanism. you followed her into the bathroom. "i'm going to help you feel better," she declared. she pulled you into the larger bathroom stall and reached her hand out after searching for something in her bag. she held out a white tablet in the palm of her hand.

you furrowed your brow, unsure. "what is it?"

"vicodin," she told you, and again, "it will make you feel better."

you spared her a glanced and then took it, dry swallowing it. she smiled. "let's go to class, we have first period together."

it didn't kick in until about when class was over. a woozy, unsteady feeling washed over you. your head felt numb, and suddenly all thoughts about your parents and emmy were gone. that day was the most fun you had in years. you sat with your friends at lunch, completely immersed in their presence for once. you did stupid things to make them laugh, such as asking out a shy boy in your class. you wanted to feel like this everyday. you wanted to hold onto this feeling forever.

it didn't last forever, of course, and it wasn't an everyday thing. which is why you stood in the open doorway of your parents bedroom, age fifteen, in the middle of the night. they had a bathroom inside their bedroom that you planned to sneak into. you knew for a fact your mom had a container of vicodin in her medicine cabinet.

the only thing you could hear as you slipped past their bed, their sleeping bodies, is slight ruffle of your feet against the carpet and the beating of your heart. when you successfully made it to the bathroom, you carefully opened the medicine cabinet, disguised as a mirror, and used a mini-flashlight to search the labels until you eventually found a bottle labeled "hydrocodone." you were slow to take it, not wanting the pills inside to rattle and make a noise, then tiptoed back to your room.

you noticed how breathless you were. your mind raced with "what-if" scenarios. what if your parents caught you with the bottle in your hands? what would they do to you? you could only imagine your mother's harsh words, your dad's look of resentment, and suddenly you're thinking about emmy's disappearance again, and—

you freeze — no — you're frozen. you can't move any part of you. your grip on the pill bottle loosens and it tumbles on the ground. you want to reach out to grab it but you just can't seem to move. it's terrifying. your body horribly leans to the side, too. and then it stops.

you're still out of breath and wondering what the fuck had just happened to you. you abandon the pills, hiding them under your bed, you just can't do this right now. you lay down and stare at the ceiling, that moment replaying in your head over and over. you don't get any sleep that night. in fact, it's a night like the past couple nights, where instead of sleeping, you're ruminating in every little thing, every awkward moment, every mistake.

morning comes sooner than later. you're getting ready for school with your mind still racing. not just about the events of the previous night, or your fault in emmy's disappearance, but about every little thing. it's like your brain is on autopilot, though. you're doing things, putting your clothes on, fuck, even putting makeup on — something that was rare for you. reaching under the bed, you felt giddy. you couldn't wait to go to school today.

before you know it, you're at school, heart racing. you gathered your friends in the bathroom, it's cramped with the five of you in there. it was a little hard for you to get them together, you couldn't necessarily get the words out. it wasn't like you were shy or anything, it's like your mouth tumbled out all the wrong words. your friends look at you expectantly and you present them with the bottle of vicodin. only kat seems to be pleased.

"are you... okay?" alicia asked, a look of concern growing on her face.

you frowned. "i thought w-we could do this together. y'know? have some fun."

"i don't really do that sort of thing," was her response. she prompted the rest of your friends, even kat, out of the bathroom, leaving you there alone. you sunk against the wall, sliding to sit down on the floor. what just happened? you felt embarrassed, but like it was against your will, you popped two pills, and moved on.

it was as fun as you hoped it was. you were elated, actually. and you made a very important decision. randomly, you had decided you were going to go to freddy's and look for emmy yourself. she had to be there right? if no one had found her? there were big, obvious holes in your logic, but that didn't seem clear to you then in that moment. what mattered most to you was getting your sister back, getting your family back together.

you impulsively decided to carry out this plan in the middle of english class, asking your teacher if you can go to the bathroom. you catch alicia's eye as you leave. she offers you a strange look. as you walk out to the gate, someone calls your name. you turn and it's the guidance counselor on your trail.

"what are you doing?" she asked. "nevermind, come with me."

she leads you to the main office, close by the gate. she has you sit down in the waiting room while she dials your home number and calls your dad to pick you up. you barely pay attention to what she's saying until the phrase, "needs to go to the hospital, as soon as possible."

and that's how you ended up in the hospital, monitored by either a nurse or a tech. it's hard to tell, but at least two days go by in the blink of an eye. you refuse to eat, chewing desperately only at your finger nails and peeling off the dry skin from your lip; two anxiety habits you've always had, worsened by your current state of mind.

it's not until you wake up from a three hour nap, the most sleep you've gotten in at least a week, to the voices of your parents talking to a psychiatrist in the room. "...we think it's bipolar disorder. she's showing most symptoms of a manic episode."

"oh great, another thing for us to take care of," your mom says sarcastically. your dad is rubbing his eyes, looking pained. they barely even notice the fact that you're awake.

[haveyouseenthisskeleton]

Hi! So after rewatching the Coraline movie, I imagined about how fun it would be with the skellies having an s/o who's very adventurous, loves to explore and maybe be an investigator if they have nothing else to do and is bored so running off on their own (or with the company of the skeletons if they decide to join their s/o's escapades) to weirdly successful in wandering into mysterious / abandoned places like a forest then there's a cave that they find, ignoring warning signs as they usually do and dive into danger whenever they see it, just underestimating the consequences that might happen.

Undertale Sans - He doesn't mind as long as you keep calling him every two hours or so to say you're still alive. If you're not, he's coming to fetch you and drag you out from whatever place you're in and lecture you home about survival instincts.

Undertale Papyrus - He's uncomfortable with you breaking the law to get in places that are forbidden to people, but he doesn't want you to get into trouble and goes with you to be the voice of reason. He will try to stop you from going too far in dangerous places and straight up carry you out potato style if you're not listening to him. You're making him anxious.

Underswap Sans - Please stop doing that! You're bad at intruding places, he always has to find excuses for his boss because he's always the one on duty at the police station when it's happening and you somehow always get reported. Please improve your skills or stop doing that. He can't cover your butt eternally!

Underswap Papyrus - He's nervous every time you're going on an adventure because he's scared you might injure yourself one of these days and he wouldn't be here to help. He's always trying to dissuade you, but it's not really working. He's not encouraging your behavior though.

Underfell Sans - He's coming with you and he tries to scare the shit out of you in every dangerous place you're going so you're traumatized enough to not get there again. You're giving him anxiety. Can't you find a normal hobby? Like painting or something. Please?

Underfell Papyrus - The first few times, he came with you to ensure you didn't hurt yourself. After that, he came to make sure you hurt yourself well and learn your damn lesson about adventuring in a place you shouldn't go into. He had never seen someone with such a low survival instinct. What is wrong with you?

Horrortale Sans - He comes with you because he wants to stay by your side, but your little trips are tensing him up. He keeps growling at any weird noise and attacking random things that move because of the wind. He doesn't like it.

Horrortale Papyrus - He comes to fetch you potato style to bring you home when you disappear for more than 20 minutes without telling him what you're doing. He knows that gigantic hole is tempting but you're not going to jump in on his watch so forget about it. He traps the places he caught you into afterwards to make sure you're not going there again lol.

Swapfell Sans - He doesn't care, and he's not going to fetch you if you hurt yourself. You do you, he's sleeping at night. Don't you dare wake him up at 2 in the morning or you're not going to like his reaction. Nox is a grumpy old man when he has to wake up too early in the morning, and can get aggressive about it.

Swapfell Papyrus - Of course he's enthusiastic to go with you and of course you somehow always get into trouble together! Like that time you awaken an ancient mummy monster buried somehow under the city and it got so pissed it threatened to cook the both of you for dinner. You're the worst adventurers possible.

Fellswap Gold Sans - He has cameras in every mysterious place possible and he's sending magic electrical zaps in your body at distance if you dare to put a foot in one of them without him. He's literally training you like a dog to not do it again.

Fellswap Gold Papyrus - He likes the photos you bring him so he can have nice things to paint. He doesn't like you put yourself in danger stupidly to have the best places for him. Please stop. One of those days you're going to break your arm or your leg.

[imtrashraccoon]

This one was crazy fun to write! I love this gremlin man so much already you have no idea!

CW: There is assault with a weapon in this one. No one gets hurt but please be aware of this.

@owl-bones

First Day, Previous Day, & Next Day.

Bad Sansuary: Killer - Caught Red-handed

Word Count: 2,173

Things had been going missing a lot lately.

First, you couldn't find the tv remote and practically tore the whole living room apart to find it, but to no luck. You later found it behind the toaster in the kitchen where you knew you hadn't put it. Then, one of your running shoes went missing and you couldn't find it no matter where you looked. You hadn't worn them throughout the winter months so you had no clue how long it had been missing to begin with.

The last straw was when some leftover beef stroganoff that you'd worked so hard on and had been saving for dinner for after you got off work, straight up vanished from the fridge. You couldn't even find the tupperware you distinctly remembered putting it in.

Axe would never take food from you, if anything he had the habit of stocking up your fridge whenever he deemed it too empty. Dust almost never ate or drank anything unless he was in a good mood and you specifically offered it to him. So that meant only one thing.

Someone else was messing with you.

You had brought up your concerns with both Axe and Dust, both of whom were confused at first. They'd each suggested that there must be a reasonable answer. Maybe you had simply been forgetful and only now had realized a bunch of things were missing.

You didn't like how quick both had been to reassure you and then how quiet they'd become afterwards. Axe had become especially grabby, never wanting to leave your side when he was around, and he'd even been more reluctant to leave than usual. Dust had become more chatty, muttering to himself and Phantom Papyrus more often, and he began poking around your apartment when you weren't looking.

There was no reasonable answer though. You weren't a careless person and you nearly always kept things in a specific place. It didn't make sense at all and you couldn't help but wonder if you were going crazy.

Today, you'd gotten off of work a little early and now that you were home, you were just getting changed into something more comfortable. You were intending to read some more of that juicy romance novel you'd recently borrowed from the library and literally meld with your couch for the evening.

That is, until you heard soft footsteps coming from your living room.

You froze in place, training your ears for the sound again.

Your fears were confirmed when you heard the person scuff their shoe on a piece of your furniture. Great, you had an intruder and they were walking around your clean apartment with their dirty shoes.

It was a good thing you'd invested in a pair of brass knuckles after that creep accosted you that one night. You probably should just call the police, but you really wanted to make sure you were dealing with an intruder and that it really wasn't one of your skeleton friends.

Donning them, you took a steadying breath before tiptoeing to your bedroom door and cracking it open. Your room was situated in such a way that you had clear view of most of the living room.

Sure enough, you could just barely see the shadow of someone slowly poking around in the room. They appeared to be fairly tall and slender; not nearly as tall as Axe but still taller than Dust.

You tiptoed to the living room and peered in. While you really shouldn't have been surprised that there was another skeleton in your house, it was still a shock.

His back was turned to you and while he wore similar clothing to your friends, it was slightly different. He had on a light blue jacket with a fuzzy hood, a black turtle neck, black fingerless gloves, white shorts with a black stripe on the sides, and a pair of expensive looking sneakers.

He reached for your coffee table where you'd left your book. The moment his phalanges brushed across the cover, you knew in your gut that he was the one who'd been messing with you.

"What do you think you're doing?" you asked sharply as you stepped out of hiding.

The skeleton jerked his skull in your direction and you were immediately unnerved. Not only did he have a much too wide grin plastered across his face, but his eye sockets were completely blank, save for a pitch black oozing liquid slowly seeping from them. He also seemed to have a glowing red target floating where his sternum was.

"aw... i was only curious about your choices in literature," he purred in a sickly sweet tone. "i haven't read anything by this author yet, are they any good?"

You narrowed your eyes at him and grit your teeth. "I don't know you... You need to leave right now or I'll call the police," you stated firmly.

He made a small clicking sound with his non-existent tongue and slipped his hands into his jacket's pockets. "wow, you're feisty too. i can work with that i suppose..." He began to walk towards you as he continued speaking in that same tone of voice.

You immediately squared up in case he was planning to try anything. His body language was completely relaxed though and didn't seem hostile in the slightest, which was setting off all kinds of warning bells.

"Hey! Don't come any closer!" you shouted.

He thankfully listened and stopped just out of arm's reach. "shh, it's okay... i'm not here to cause trouble...unless..." As he trailed off, his tone of voice grew quieter, like he was hinting at something.

It was hard to tell where he was looking, but the way he tilted his skull and squinted his eye sockets slightly, you got the impression he was actually trying to flirt with you.

To say you were stunned was a bit of an understatement. All of your meetings with skeletons so far had taken everything in you to calm them down so you could escape unscathed. Yet here this guy was, acting all charming and friendly, like he'd known you forever and hadn't just been caught stealing.

"Dude, really? What about this situation makes you think you can try and shoot your shot?" you asked incredulously once you'd recovered some.

You took a deep breath and clenched your fists, the cool metal of your brass knuckles pressing reassuringly against your palms. Taking a step closer to him, you brought yourself up to your full height, which considering he was at least six inches taller than you, wasn't much.

"Cut the crap and get out of my home..." you growled.

He said nothing for a long moment and just continued to smile at you.

He moved faster than your eyes could follow.

The next thing you knew, he had you pinned against the wall with his arm across your collarbone, dangerously close to your throat. His other hand was holding something long and sharp against your stomach.

His permanent smile never faltered.

Your eyes widened and your heart was frantically drumming in your chest. You'd experienced similar terror from the confrontations with Axe and Dust, but this guy... He was another level of unhinged.

You had no idea anyone's demeanor could shift from friendly to hostile that quickly before now.

He sighed and the corners of his smile finally dropped a little. "too bad..." he murmured. "it's no fun when they don't freak out even a little. don't tell me you're broken or something?"

What the hell?!

"i mean, come on, nothing? usually humans scream and most even cuss me out." He leaned closer to you and hummed softly. "...but you're completely frozen...like a deer in the headlights..."

You shuddered and tried to move, although you were immediately stopped when he pressed the blade against your gut again.

"ah, ah... none of that now. i'm not done with this conversation yet, human..."

You took a shaky breath and tried to remain as still as possible. "Wh-what do you want then?" you whispered hoarsely.

He chuckled and smiled sweetly at you. "me? i'm just bored..."

It suddenly occurred to you that he must know your other skeleton friends. There was no way he didn't, what with the similar outfit and how he was very obviously crazy. So what did he actually want?

"Okay... Do you...have a name...?" you asked quietly.

"killer... now what about you? do you have a name or can i call you mine?"

The flurry of emotions you went through in a split second nearly knocked the breath out of you. The skeleton in front of you was the very one Dust strongly disliked.

He'd also just hit on you and had been openly flirty from the beginning. Normally, you'd be slightly flattered as he wasn't bad looking, just really scary, but you also knew that he hadn't meant a word of it. He was toying with you for his own twisted amusement.

You stammered as you tried to respond but ended up just giving him your name. His smile widened slightly as he leaned back to give you some space again.

"interesting..." he murmured but made no further attempts to back off.

You swallowed nervously and decided to try to talk him down like you had with the others. Your brass knuckles clattered as you slipped them off and let them fall to the floor. You moved slowly so as to not seem threatening and did your best to maintain eye contact, despite him not having visible eyelights.

"Are you...concerned for your colleagues?" You touched the arm he was holding the knife with as you spoke, ignoring how he tensed as soon as you did so. "They're my friends and I would never dream of hurting them. Honestly, I'm pretty harmless as far as humans go..."

Killer raised a bonebrow and looked down at the ground. He quickly kicked your brass knuckles across the room so they were far out of reach.

"harmless, huh? most humans wouldn't own weapons like those and then confront a home invader if they were actually harmless..."

His voice was low and devoid of all pretenses of emotion now. A chill went down your spine but you tried your best to keep a brave face.

"i know what your deal is, human... unlike them, i'm smarter and i have you all figured out... if you think you can just talk me down, well, that won't work."

"Killer... Are you...jealous that your colleagues met someone new...and didn't think to introduce you?" you asked.

He seemed taken aback for a moment. "what...?" he muttered.

"I don't know what reasons they would've had, but I understand the feeling..."

"stop." His face hardened and he shushed you with a finger, which meant he wasn't pressing you against the wall as much now. He was still holding you at knife point though. "stop doing that..."

You realized he must be referring to your Intent and you closed your mouth with a click.

"you don't understand a thing about me. you can't...no one can."

"What's wrong with trying?" you asked quietly.

He said nothing and seemed to be staring through you. Slowly, he stepped back and pocketed the pretty vicious looking knife he'd been holding against your stomach.

You took a shaky breath and ran your hands over the sides of your face. He'd actually backed down and you'd barely said anything. It wasn't over yet though as he was still in your apartment.

"I can tell you've been through hell in the past," you started to say in a soft tone of voice. "I don't need to know why you and your colleagues do the things you do, and frankly, I'd prefer knowing as little as possible. However, I can't help but feel for you, same as I do with them..."

He was still disturbingly quiet but it only spurred you to keep talking.

"I never meant to make friends with Axe and Dust, it just happened... They sort of gravitated to me and I gravitated to them as well. I only showed them basic empathy like I would with anyone in their position."

He narrowed his eye sockets and studied you intently for a moment. Then with a shrug, his too wide smile was back.

"i'll be the judge of that..." he muttered quietly. He turned to leave but paused and glanced back at you over his left shoulder.

"i don't like deceitful people and if i find out you've been lying this entire time... well, i'm not afraid to do what my colleagues couldn't..."

You opened your mouth to respond but he disappeared before you could get a word out.

You slid down the wall and brought your knees up to your chest. Burying your face into your arms, you could feel the familiar sting of tears at the corners of your eyes and tried your best to calm your rapidly beating heart by taking deep breaths.

You didn't know how much more of this you could take.

[karmaspidr]

Desert Sanctuary AU pt.2

Due to how many people liked this idea, I decided to develop it further. Here are the roles for the rest of Yellow's main cast as well as the cast of the original game.

UTY:

Feisty Four: Special Forces.

After the Sanctuary was established, Starlo told his friends that they would no longer be 'playing around' and that things were about to get very dangerous. He told them they were allowed to back out at any time they wished. They refused.

They are now essentially Starlo's five-star generals, in charge of training and leading new recruits. They each also have unique roles, important to the security of the Sanctuary.

Ed - He's Clover's primary bodyguard. Whenever the only human in the Underground is out in the open, Ed is almost always the one to accompany him.

Moray - They oversee the prisoners. Prisoners may include mercenaries sent to assassinate Clover, extremists, general law breakers etc. They are basically the warden and treat their prisoners fairly. However, it's been noted that those who attempted to kill Clover received slightly less food.

Ace - Head of investigations. He's the one who finds patterns in places patterns shouldn't exist. Uses his playing cards in his conspiracy boards because Clover told him about a character in a TV Show who did that and he liked the idea.

Mooch - Reconasince and Scavenging. The Dunes aren't all that plentiful in terms of natural resources. That is where Mooch's kleptomania comes in handy. She leads teams into the Greater Underground to gather materials they can't trade for and generally nobody would miss. She also steals information, using her innocent appearance and small size to get people to tell her things or find her way into their darkest closets. She sees the Lab as her greatest challenge.

Dalv: Scholar

He still lives in Snowdin and tries to avoid the conflict. This doesn't mean he's not doing his part. He, like many people on both sides, doesn't want these tensions to spiral into something everyone would regret. So he spends his time shifting through history books, diaries, personal recounts and human myths and legends to figure out exactly what happened during the Human-Monster War.

Original Game

Toriel: Caretaker of the Ruins

Her role hasn't changed from the original game. She heard about the movement and has made contact with them. However, she remains in the Ruins take act as the the first line of protection for any human that falls. After all, the Sanctuary is far from the main path.

Flowey: Observer.

When he realised that Clover wouldn't be going to the castle, he was furious. He believed that this timeline was another dud. However, he had the patience to wait, perhaps because of something Clover said under that Cherry Blossom tree. He realised that this 'Cold Civil War' was the most interesting thing to ever happen in the Underground, and has only ever Reset to save Clover from an assassin. He also believes this conflict to be the key to him getting the souls.

Sans: Royal Judge

Sans doesn't change much from the original game either. He doesn't really care about the conflict. Although, due to his promise to Toriel, he would point any human that leaves the Ruins in the direction of either Martlet or the Dunes.

Asgore had sent him to the Dunes a handful of times to 'judge' the residents. He always comes back with good things to say. He never mentioned the anger buried deep inside Clover's soul.

Papyrus: Member of the Royal Guard.

Due to rising tensions between the two sides, Undyne decided to recruit Papyrus into the Guard because of the increased need for soldiers. He's still a loveable goofball but now takes his role much more seriously. Has a close friendship with Martlet. Capable of killing Frisk depending on the route.

Undyne: Captain of the Royal Guard.

She is much more aggressive than in the original game and is the primary reason the two sides haven't made peace yet. Her anti-human views are stronger than ever she sees the Monsters in the Sanctuary as traitors and has compared them to a cult. Wants nothing more than to skewer Clover. The only thing holding her back is her dwindling respect for Asgore and Gerson's warning.

"Men like Clover can be an ally just as easily as an enemy. The key is not giving them a reason to see you as an enemy. You do NOT want to be their enemy."

Alphys: Royal Scientist.

She is not having a good time. She's under more pressure than ever, is watching Undyne slowly destroy herself and has blackmail hanging over her head. Martlet doesn't know everything in the True Lab but she has seen enough to make people ask questions. Ceroba used this knowledge to get Alphys to provide the Sanctuary with the minimal resources to sustain itself.

Mettaton: Entertainment Robot and Wild Card.

Mettaton isn't aligned with either side and is surprisingly neutral when reporting the conflict. He doesn't want humanity to be destroyed but also sees Clover and his allies as a threat to his own agendas. Has sent multiple mercenaries to collect Clover's Soul.

Muffet: Head of the Spider Colony.

Let's be clear. No one likes her, at least as an ally. Everyone knows that the moment you trust her with something she'll sell it to the enemy.

Asgore: Tired King.

Asgore is probably the only one having a worse time than Alphys. He wants this conflict to end. He doesn't want to watch his people tear each other apart. He truly believes that the Sanctuary is in the right. But he can't bring himself to surrender. There are still so many Monsters who genuinely believe in what he is doing and believe that giving in to the Sanctuary's demands would escalate the conflict further. He is too tired to give any grand speeches or to confront his mistakes properly.

After the first diplomatic meeting, he told Clover, "I should have taken back what I said that night immediately, no matter how many people cheered."

[friisans]

hey yall, what's up? i've been silent about this since it first started several years back, but there's been some ruckus going on that has been brought to my attention as of late. namely, the numerous misconceptions floating around which i'll be clearing up:

1) AT Frisk x Gaster is similar to UT Frisk x Asriel. in Altertale, Gaster is the same age as Frisk because he's swapped with UT Asriel. they're both children or teenagers.

2) AT Undyne x Asgore is similar to UT Undyne x Papyrus. in Altertale, Asgore is swapped with Papyrus. so AT Asgore then became Undyne's bestfriend, rather than UT Papyrus. they're also similar in age.

3) AT Sans, AT Papyrus, and AT Gaster are all brothers. AT Asgore (brother), AT Toriel (sister), and AT Asriel (father) are all related.

4) there's also been alotof animosity towards a religious post I made nearly a decade ago. it was an impulse post that has long since been deleted, that's it. please stop reading so much into it.

i'm disappointed in the amount of hostility that's been transpiring for so long, and I do apologize for the conflict that occurred; it shouldn't have happened in the first place. but i've learned alot over the years, and i'm not here to add fuel to the fire. instead, we should all just calm down and let it go.

lastly, to my fans and followers - thankyou, always! everyone of you has my sincerest gratitude for your continued support of me and my AUs. ❤️

[papyrus-in-places-he-shouldnt-be]

Papyrus shouldn't be with Ingo

[wishing-stones]

How would the star sanses react to a reader who's done some pretty bad stuff in their childhood, out of necessity, and now the reader is an adult and they still feel guilty about it?

All of them know that terrible circumstances tend to make for terrible decisions becoming a necessity. If you were forced into stealing, cheating, doing whatever you had to do to survive, they aren't going to hold it against you.

The same as Nightmare is not the Font of All Evil, Dream is not the Font of All Good. None of their hands are completely clean, and if you travel long enough... you have to make some pretty awful decisions sometimes, too.

Dream especially knows this. He tries to be good and do the right thing, but believe it or not, he's been put in situations where he had to kill in order to get out alive himself. He isn't proud, he agonized over it and ripped himself apart for it, but over time has accepted the necessary evil it was. He also had to beg, borrow, and steal in order to survive when he emerged from the stone statue, so he understands that sometimes you must do questionable things in order to survive. He is, in fact, your biggest advocate for overcoming your guilt. You did what you must. Survival has no morality. Ink couldn't give a shit less. Despite the company he tends to keep, he's no paragon of goodness himself. He's got a similar outlook, though; it was necessary for your continued survival, so you did what you had to. No sense in wallowing in the past when your present is better. He's extremely casual about your supposed past sins. It's not a big deal, and hey, you probably picked up some pretty neat life skills form it, too. Blue understands-- he's had to do some shady things in order to keep a roof over he and Papyrus' heads. He might look like a good, upstanding royal guard, but... he's not above fudging some paperwork or misplacing things if it means he continues to be able to ensure a comfortable life for he and his brother. Don't get him wrong-- he firmly believes in doing things by your own merit, but... if the choice is 'play by the rules or die', he knows which one is the better option.

None of them will hold your past against you. In their opinion, it's a total non-issue that you shouldn't agonize over. Life isn't fair, and sometimes you have to do things that are frowned upon in order to continue living. Those who look down on people for it have the means to support themselves without worrying. Not everyone is so fortunate. It's no moral shortcoming of yours, and even if polite society thinks ill of it, they really aren't polite society. Your guilt is ill-placed with you-- you should instead be focusing on those who drove you to do what you did.

[apupp3tw0-strings]

Everything is coming to a head.

Where the sky is set to tear, and the ground is primed to scorch

Four fools shall slice the wound from which a cancerous blight shall emerge

The first is the Beacon, his anger guiding the path

His name once brought awe to all, now he leads us into a sea of wrath

The second is the Eye, his vision soon to be plucked

His faith was not enough to prevent his self destruct

The third is the Voice, she who set the pieces in place

She’ll watch the world she loved so deeply be reduced to nothing but a waste

The fourth is Death himself, the broken father of three

He will be the only one quick enough to turn around and flee

The beast of the depths is mere steps from his profane feast

And with every voice he silences, another scream he will release

He will drown the world in flesh, recruit all its people to his legion

The dawn of blood is coming, a whole Dark World set to be eaten

. . .

PAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPA!!!!!!!!

*Please Stand By*

Papyrus: NYEH HEH HEH! WELL WHAT DO WE HAVE HERE? THIS IS QUITE THE CONFUSING MESSAGE, DEAR FRIEND. EVEN CONFUSING STILL WHY YOU'D SEND THIS TO CHICAGO. i- WAIT A SECOND WHY DO YOU HAVE A TUMBLR? Chicago: I was- I was using it as a diary and to record my occurrences and experiences s-since meeting Spamton? D-Dadaton let's me have a Metagram. Papyrus: ... OKAY FAIR. HOWEVER I BELIEVE THIS IS AN OPPURTUNE TIME FOR ANOTHER INTERNET SAFETY LESSON! Spamton: H-HEY HEY HEY! R U [Guys ] & [Guys] D0ING A [[Internet Safety PSA]] W./0UT [Your Old Pal]!? Papyrus: JUST BECAUSE YOU'VE BEEN THE PRIMARY REASON I'VE HAD TO TEACH MY CHILDREN ABOUT INTERNET SAFETY AND SCAM PREVENTION, THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU'RE THE SOLE CAUSE. Spamton: STILL APROX. [99.9999999999999999] PRECENT 0F TEH {[Well look at the time!]] Papyrus: ANYWAYS! CHICAGO, ON A SOCIAL MEDIA SITE LIKE METAGRAM, YOU WOULDN'T RESPOND TO OMINOUS MESSAGES THERE, WOULD YOU? Chicago: W-well on Metagram I don't respond to really any messages. (It's all either scammers or people being weird...) Papyrus: PRECISELY! THEN WHY SHOULD YOU RESPOND TO WEIRD TUMBLR ASKS? Chicago: I... shouldn't? Papyrus: CORRECT! WHEN IT COMES TO TUMBLR AND IT'S ASK FUNCTION THOUGH, PEOPLE CAN ASK ANONYMOUSLY, MEANING YOU CAN'T SEE WHO THEY ARE. THIS FEATURE CAN BE HELPFUL FOR THOSE WITH ANXIETY WHO MAY NOT WANT TO REVEAL THEIR IDENTITIES, BUT IT CAN ALSO BE USED BY PEOPLE TO SEND HATE OR STRANGE MESSAGES LIKE THIS ONE! REMEMBER THAT ANON MODE IS A PRIVELEGE AND IT IS UP TO YOUR FOLLOWERS TO USE IT RESPONSIBLY! Chicago: O-okay. So that means I should turn anon mode off? Papyrus: I'LL LEAVE THAT UP TO YOU, HOWEVER I'D ADVISE IT IF YOU DON'T WANT MORE WEIRD MESSAGES LIKE THIS ONE. EVEN IF YOU DO GET ANOTHER MESSAGE LIKE THIS, AT LEAST WITH IT OFF, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO EASIER BLOCK THEM. Chicago: A-alright then. I think I understand that. Papyrus: SPLENDID! NOW, IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND, MIGHT I HOLD ONTO YOUR PHONE FOR A MINUTE? I SHALL RETURN IT AS SOON AS I AM DONE, BUT IT'S COME TO MY ATTENTION THAT PERHAPS I SHOULD TAKE A LOOK AT YOUR CHILDREN PRIVACY AND PROTECTION SETTINGS. Chicago: Okay. I'm gonna head to my room. Come on, Spam. Spamton: RIGHT BE H1ND U [Lil City]! Papyrus: ... (OKAY, NOW TO ACTUALLY MAKE SENSE OF THIS. LOOKS LIKE YET ANOTHER THING TO ADD TO THE PILE OF NOTES ON "THE MYSTERY"...)

[skeletonsfortea]

VBPS/NSB Part Twelve

Previous or next

What a nice moment. In...Horrorfell.

As the days pass, you keep to yourself. This Papyrus doesn't bother you, doesn't speak to you. It’s…off putting, how quiet he is. You have no idea where to even start with him, though “Sans” isn't much better. You work downstairs as the day begins, and just when you shut off the vacuum, “Sans” appears in the center of the room. He tips forward and hits the ground with a thud.

You’re at his side in an instant.

“Sans!" You struggle to turn him over, and once you do, you see both of his eye sockets are shut. You haven't seen him so much as blink for longer than a second around you before. “S-sans?” You shake him, anxiously looking for any sign of injury, when you see it. His legs…are shaking. They almost look…blurry. That can’t be good. You look back into his face. How do you fix this, you can't- should you fix this? You glance back at his legs. This is no time for moral questions. You put a hand on his forehead and shut your eyes. Taking deep breaths, you focus on your soul. Its slow hum becomes apparent easier than ever, so you reach for Sans’s soul.

You’re met by resistance. You shouldn't be surprised, but it's a shocking feeling, to reach out and be met by a wall where you expected open air.

“Come on, Sans," you mutter, pressing anyway, "I’m trying to help you.” His hand meets your arm, and he tries to push you away, but he’s so weak you barely even feel it. “Seriously? You’ve seen my soul, I think it's only fair we trade places.” Even though bonding is very different from looking. You focus harder, reaching out anyway. The bond snaps into place, and you nearly jerk away from that alone. His grip on your arm gets tight. Cold rushes through you. Fear and anger. Pain. You can hardly breathe- it's comparable to jumping into a cold lake after having been cooped up inside all day.

Still, you persevere. You try to remember what you did with your Sans and focus on all of your positive feelings. His LOVE comes with more force, your head aches as your soul nearly ceases to move. I’m not giving up on you. His fear has you shaking. What if something goes wrong? What if he hurts you? What if he doesn't like what there is to see? But those are not your thoughts. They’re his. I won’t hurt you. You deserve empathy. Anger blazes through you, hot enough to make your head spin. You hate everything you see. It's all bad, and there isn't a speck of good- the world is a complicated place. There is good everywhere. Disbelief. Sadness. Hopelessness. There’s no point anyway. It's all over. You can't change anything, you’ve fucked everything up. You can be better. You’re hurt, and you can heal. It doesn't have to be this way.

“Please stop,” he begs.

I’m sorry.

The bond opens up, and you huddle closer to him, seeking warmth in the cold. You’re shivering. Emptiness pools in from every side. A numbing wave that threatens- promises- to take everything away. You ignore its call. You focus your intent. Sans’s soul matches yours, pulse for pulse. Strength. Your soul weakens. Bravery. His soul gets brighter. Hope. You focus on the moment you left the Underground. You focus on eating fast food for the first time in months. You focus on the stars, trees, and the heat of the sun. You can do this. There's more to be seen.

The bond snaps just as his soul gets strong enough to pull away. You fall backwards, gasping, your heart pounding painfully in your chest.

“F-fuck,” Sans mutters, already having sat up. He pulls his jacket in front of his chest, as if you can still see his soul.

You’re shivering, feeling your soul struggle for rhythm. It hurts. The suddenness of it all is too much. You imagine he must feel the same, because he doesn't try to get up, doesn't even try to acknowledge you. Instead, he stares at the floor, his eye- which seems bigger than it was- shaking. You pull up your knees and hug yourself, taking a moment to focus on your own soul. You take deep breaths, trying to coax it into settling. It takes a while, but eventually it manages to relax into a hum.

“You shouldn't have done that." He says after a moment.

“I shouldn't have? You shouldn't have! You nearly killed us both, asshole!" You snap, looking up at him. His eye doesn't move from the ground.

“You’re the one who thought it would be a good idea to mess with my soul.”

“I was helping you!”

“I was fine.”

“You were dying!”

“Stop shouting.”

“Stop shouting? Stop shouting? I should be fucking screaming! That fucking hurt!”

He flinches, and you have to take a second to slow down and get yourself under control. Which isn't easy, because somebody just gave you the emotional equivalent of whiplash!

“I’m sorry," he mutters. Your breathing halts.

“What?"

“I said I’m sorry," he hisses, looking at you, “you’re right, ok?"

You sigh slightly, “great. Glad we're on the same page. I forgive you.”

He flinches harder. “Right. Ok.”

[punsmaster69]

27/NOV/20XX

returning home, the first thing i noticed is that the place is.. impossibly clean.

even the couch stopped jingling with loose change.

oddly, my bedsheets are also on the couch, folded neatly with my pillows on top.

"OH! SORRY. I DIDN'T GET THE CHANCE TO MOVE THEM BACK BEFORE LEAVING."

"why were they down here to begin with?"

"BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE YOU WERE."

"thought i... remembered being in my room, but maybe i shouldn't rely on my memory there."

"THAT'S ALSO TRUE."

"I DIDN'T WANT TO JUST KEEP YOU IN ONE PLACE THE WHOLE TIME."

"...."

"you lugged me around like a corpse?"

"DON'T PUT IT LIKE 𝘛𝘏𝘈𝘛..."

"...I APPRECIATE IT, BUT WHY THE SUDDEN HUG?"

"don't look at my face for a minute, ok?"

"...?"

he didn't listen, and quietly moved to see my face.

"..?!"

"WHAT DID I DO??"

"make me feel like a big crybaby, 's what."

"I'M SORRY. I DIDN'T MEAN TO-"

"i know."

"I'M SORRY."

"stop apologizing, paps."

"SORRY."

"I MEAN- NOT-"

"........."

silently, he just tightened his embrace.

"IT'S BEEN... HOW MANY YEARS SINCE THIS LAST HAPPENED?"

papyrus answered himself.

"MANY."

"THIS ONLY BEING THE SECOND TIME IN SO LONG.. AND YOU WEREN'T EVEN AWAKE FOR THE FIRST."

i touched my face. a few pathetic droplets were the extent of it.

"..hardly counts, does it?"

"I'M COUNTING IT."

"ok."

"AND I'M GOING TO TELL EVERYONE HOW MUCH YOU CRIED AND CRIED, FOR HOURS..."

"you picked up sarcasm while i was out, huh?"

"..REALLY? DID I?"

"a little."

"OH, NO!"

"NEXT THING YOU KNOW, I'M GOING TO BE MAKING TERRIBLE PUNS WITH WORSE TIMING!!"

"nah, probably wouldn't go that far. i don't 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬 you as the type to do all that."

"HOUR-NESTLY, WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH YOU?"

"...EGH."

"NOT GOOD."

"it was alright."

"puns take a 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 to get used to making."

"careful, though. once you start, it's hard to stop."

"I THINK I'VE HAD ENOUGH 𝘈𝘓𝘙𝘌𝘈𝘋𝘠.."

——

"........"

"uh."

ok.

papyrus had off-handedly mentioned that i sleep on a floor mattress to tori once, right?

which is good enough for me, but tori promptly gifted me a bedframe that gyftmas.

christmas? gyftmas?

hell if i know what to call it anymore.

anyway, this was at least last year or so.

and last i knew, i still hadn't put the frame together.

putting it under my mattress like a platform worked all the same.

another un-built box i've had since snowdin is this nightstand/dresser thing i got one time.

it also works the same in-box, y'know. why bother?

...they're assembled now.

my room is clean.

there's no trash tornado.

even the clothes i normally toss about with disregard are neatly tucked away and folded into appropriate drawers.

"..wow."

"....."

"why?"

"NO RECENTLY-HOSPITALIZED BROTHER OF MINE IS SLEEPING ON THE FLOOR! ESPECIALLY NOT THE FLOOR THAT WAS COVERED IN TRASH."

"it was-"

"DON'T SAY IT."

"NO MORE SAYING THINGS ARE 'FINE'."

"ok."

"looks nice though, paps."

"thanks for doing all this."

"although..."

i re-checked the living room.

...

ok, nevermind. there's one non-clean thing.

the sock is still there.

——

we got my stuff from the couch, and set everything back on my (recently-assembled) bed.

"ISN'T IT MORE COMFORTABLE?"

"don't think i can get back up."

"SEE HOW MUCH NICER ACTUALLY-"

"i'm like a bicycle."

"I-"

"WHAT??"

"...i'm two-tired."

papyrus just sighed and clicked the lights off.

"GOODNIGHT THEN, SANS."

"night, bro."

the lights being off made papyrus appear as nothing more than a silhouette.

a silhouette that remains in the doorframe for a bit longer than usual.

"..PLEASE WAKE UP TOMORROW."

with that, he shut the door, darkening my room to the only light being what little spilled in underneath the door.

my soul has felt like a big bruise since waking up today, and that...

felt like someone punching said bruise.

——

..i think he's realized my lights are back on.

welp. wanted to stop writing, anyway.

—

heya papyrus.

- sans.

—

—

SLEEP, SANS.

P.S.

WHY DID YOU BOTHER WITH A NOTE? I'M NOT HANDING THIS BACK TONIGHT. YOU WON'T EVEN SEE IT UNTIL TOMORROW.

- PAPYRUS

—

[undertale-writing-times]

What is their biggest fear? For as many as you'd like!

Sure lol

Sans: To be put into the underground again. He hates the idea and tries to not think about it.

Papyrus: To be alone forever! He wants friends! ;3;

Blueberry: To be found out and have to talk about all of his emotions that he's been trying to keep a secret.

Stretch: He would be scared of being judged while he's doing stuff that he likes. He can't bring himself to do a lot, so people judging him for it makes him upset and scared to do it.

Red: Dying.

Edge: Being the one to kill his brother. He has come close before, and it made him feel such panic once he calmed down.

Axe: Being put into the underground again. He doesn't think that he would be able to handle it.

Noodle: I think… they'd be scared to end up alone.

Mercy: They're having to live our their biggest fear.

Lord: I think that his biggest fear is to fail. He has so much resting on his shoulders, that if he falls, he's gonna take so much stuff with him. And the biggest joke is that this was all his fault.

Mutt: Losing themselves.

King: Doctors >:(

Alpha: He has long since out grown fear.

Overlord: His fear is Pup learning and getting hurt after leaving the house.

Pup: Never being allowed outside.

Commander: Hound dying! Even if he doesn't admit it.

Hound: They aren't really sure if they're able to feel fear?

Chief: Hmm… I guess he would be afraid of being replaced.

Wolf: Getting lost! He hates the idea of getting lost.

Royal: To lose control of himself, or lose his ability to make the swords and stuff. It feels like that's the only thing he's good at.

Fang: Getting stuck in the caves. Cave ins are scary.

Prince: Getting above ground. He knows that he shouldn't be scared, but he is. It feels worrying, and wrong!

Canine: The kool-aid man >:(

Leader: Losing all of his color!

Beast: His brother dying(Something that he had to face often)

Grandeur: mmm I think losing his ability of taste. It's a really important thing to him because of his job.

Behemoth: Something happening to Puppy :(

Tycoon: Being killed. Honestly, getting hurt even! It triggers fear.

Brute: Just like Tycoon, his fear is Tycoon dying. He's the protector! He's supposed to keep Tycoon alive, so at least he would never have to face the fear of him dying, because Brute would have to die first.

Cloud: Admiting to herself that she's the bad one.

Bat: Cloud.

Superior: Forest fires! They freak them out.

Exo: I think that their fear is to have to leave the forest. They know that the rest of their friends are trying to get out but… Exo doesn't want to.

Brillance: It might be ironic, but he's afraid of the dark.

Werewolf: He is also afraid of the dark! But for a good reason. He cannot control himself in the dark.

Vivid: Getting caught in the sun again. It burned them the last time and really messed with their ability to see.

Lycan: Mice.

Ruler: I think he's afraid of not being able to have his own emotions ever again. The kindness in his soul is always going to be there.

Pooch: I think he's afraid to just die, even if he'll end up coming back.

Sheriff: he's afraid of tight places.

K9: Gunshots! They scare him.

Crowned: To not get the queens approval! It was something that he's always been trying to get.

Whelp: To get out of the underground. He doesn't believe that they'd be able to make it.

Dynast: He hates photos! They make him feel really freaked out and he isn't really sure why.

Mongrel: Having to deal with the queen forever.

Rebel: Being alone ;3;

Shards: Staying alive.

Regicide: Seeing his brother again. He doesn't want to see Cur ever again.

Cur: Getting hurt again by someone that they thought that they could trust.

Luce: Freezing! The idea of that sounds so scary to him… or drowning?

Hellhound: Getting a job that he knows he can't complete.

Baron: Fire scares him.

Pawls: He's scared of falling into the water because he would freeze and he doesn't know how to swim :)

Palace: Dying alone tbh

Cad: Learning that everything he's done was wrong. Everything he's done was for nothing too.

Duke: His Exs lol

Bull: Random people trying to flirt with him.

Captain: Getting rejected by his crew! It scares him.

Dogfish: Falling off his ship. He doesn't know how to swim all that well.

Regent: Sea monsters! They're out there, he's telling you!

Coyote: Storms.

[frostedclock]

Strings to Hold You Down

Underfell!Sans x Monster!Reader

(Soulmate Au)

Chapter 1: New Customers

You sat in your small shop, only the of dripping water filled your ears. Its been like this for a while now, and the lack of customers was beginning to drain on your gold. You picked gently at the stitches that were on your wrist, a bad habit you never really thought much of. Even when you would pull and tug till you felt your pitiful HP go down a few points. You drummed your fingers against the work desk. You almost snort.

Work desk huh? When was the last thing you made?

That dress the scary fish woman forced out of you for her friend. At least the lizard girl seemed kind of nice, or nicer compared to the red haired fish monster who made you give them a Royal Guard discount.

You rubbed your eyes and stood up to go lock the front door and just curl up in the room above the shop you called home. But, just as your fingers touched the knob, the door slammed open. Right into your face.

The ringing in your ears almost made it hard to hear the loud yet gravelly voice that followed the prompt door in the face.

"STUPID WOMAN! YOU SHOULDN'T STAND BEHIND DOORS! "

You rubbed your nose, hoping no blood was dripping out of it. "Um yeah sorry... I guess" you muttered as you stepped back from the doorway. Your eyes come back into focus and to a hulking figure in front of you. More tall then large, you were surprised he could fit in the door without bending his head. A tall skeleton clad in black stood in front of you, it made you feel even shorter then you knew you were. He made a grunt in response to the apology, and his eyelights looked around your dusty shop. You were about to ask what he wanted when he slammed some gold onto the neglected work desk.

" I REQUIRE A HOODIE. MY FILTHY BROTHER HAS RUINED THE ONE HE WEARS WITH DISGUSTING HABITS. GREASE AND MUSTARD. I SIMPLY THREW IT OUT AND NOW HE REFUSES TO STAND AT HIS POST WITHOUT IT!"

You hummed gently as he continued speaking about his brother. When he stops, you finally speak up. " Well I can easily do that .. But I dont know his size. Is he shaped like you?"

The tall skeleton scowled, making the scar down his skull seem deeper. " YOU MEAN TO TELL ME I HAVE TO BRING THAT LAZY- " He snarled under his nonexistent breath. "THEN I THE TERRIBLE PAPYRUS WILL RETURN WITH MY BROTHER"

He whirled in his red boots and stormed out of your shop, leaving you a little confused if not excited about finally having something to do. Even if it was just a single hoodie. Papyrus was the tall skeleton's name you assumed, with a slight giggle on your lips. It wasn't long before you could hear voices coming through the echo field outside your shop. One was definitely Papyrus, but one you didn't recognize.

The other voice seemed to rumble in a deep baritone, one that made your SOUL tremble in your body. You couldn't even tell what was being said, and yet your body felt like it was about to be lit on fire. The closer the baritone voice got, the more your body seemed to sake. You had to get ahold of yourself, otherwise these monsters might think your weak.

And in this world you can't afford to show weakness.

Not again.

Pulling and tugging on your stitches, deep shaky breaths. And you were back.

The door opening without a block this time, two skeletons stood in your shop now. If Papyrus was large in height, the other skeleton -his brother you guessed- made up for it in width. You stared for a moment, before Papyrus filled the warm tingly silence that stretched between you and the unnamed skeleton.

"THIS IS MY BROTHER I WAS SPEAKING OFF! NOW SANS GET YOUR HOODIE AND STOP USING IT AS AN EXCUSE NOT TO WORK!"

Sans, you caught the name even more then the rest of what Papyrus was saying. Sans shoved his boney hands into his black shorts and you watched him look away from his brother as Papyrus continued his little rant, small red beads of.. Sweat?... Went down his skull in places.

Then he spoke, and it made your soul clench. "Yea, sorry boss. I just can't stand around in the snow without my jacket. Ya' know?"

"NO I DON'T . YOU HAVE NO SKIN TO GET COLD"

"Well.. Maybe he doesn't want to be chilled to the bone?" You said, a laugh behind your words.

The face Papyrus gave you made you freeze in your mirth and it turned to nervousness. He didn't say anything though, to you at least. His attention was fully on Sans as he spoke. "I NEED TO GO BACK TO MY PATROL. FOR ALL WE KNOW A REAL HUMAN HAS SNUCK BY MY TRAPS ALREADY. "

And with that the tall skeleton left your shop. Sans stood for a moment, you taking notice he had been staring now. It would have normally made you nervous. Most monsters aren't very friendly and most would rather use you to raise their own LV and EXP. Doll monsters were never big fighters, and you were no exception so most saw you as an easy kill. And some stupid monsters mistook you for a human from time to time.

You clear your throat after a moment and produced a bit of magic making a tape measure with it. " Um.. I guess come over here and we can get started."

-------------------

Sans Pov

 

Sans had really liked that hoodie. So what if it was covered in stains? Papyrus had no right to just fucking throw it away! Sans dug through the cabinets as he let his angry thoughts consume him. Those stains were almost like children to him!

"Fuck! Stars be fucking damned! " he slammed the cabinet door shut. The mustard bottle he had stashed was no where to be found. He wanted to drink his anger down with what he had left but Papyrus must have thrown that out too.

Sans drug his slippers across the floor as he headed to his room upstairs. Maybe he could sleep away his irritation. He could almost laugh. Like Papyrus would let him do that. He's lucky to even have the house to himself right now and he had already wasted an hour tearing the kitchen apart .

Papyrus used to not be so bad. He used to hold onto the end of Sans' shorts and cry, and want to be read stories and for Sans to cook for him. Now all Papyrus does is run around doing what Undyne wanted, and yells at Sans at every chance he gets about being lazy and not caring about anything. Sans remembered the week before when Papyrus had gotten angry at him -when wasn't he angry anymore at Sans- and told Sans something that had sent him to Grillby's in the first place.

"KEEP BEING THIS LAZY BROTHER AND NO MONSTER EVEN YOUR SOULMATE WOULDN'T WANT YOU"

Those words stung more then Sans wanted to admit. It wasn't like he thought similar things over the years. If his soulmate was out there she had probably been dusted or worse knew she was his and as avoiding meeting him. It was his luck anyway.

His skull barely touched his unmade bed when he heard his brother come home. He cracked back open his eyesockets, listening to his brother walk up the stairs. He silently wished on the stars he's never seen, that his brother just forgot something and was going to leave without bugging him.

No such luck.

Loud knocking in the door forced Sans to sit up and get back out of bed. "yea yea what's up, boss?" He said trying to keep his tone level. No use in making his brother any more upset.

He just wanted his happy little brother back sometimes.

"YOU ARE COMING WITH ME. NOW."

Sweat beaded on Sans' skull. " now now? "

"YES NOW. YOU WON'T GO BACK TO WORK WITHOUT THAT CRUSTY HOODIE SO I HAVE ARRANGED TO HAVE YOU GET A NEW ONE TO STOP YOUR INSUFFERABLE WHINING"

Papyrus took ahold of Sans by his shoulders, and began to push him out of his messy room. He could have easily shortcuted away to Grillby's where he the the oh so great and terrible Papyrus wouldn't step foot in. But the words registered in his skull. Papyrus was actually getting him a new jacket? Now that was surprising. Sans started walking, grumbling about how he can still walk on his own.

The two walked in what felt like a nice silence for a while. But something was itching at his skull.

"Why ya doin' this boss? Ya havent bought me nothing since you were a baby bones."

Such as his last hoodie. But it seems that didn't matter to Papyrus like it did to Sans. Papyrus scoffed at him as he strode through the marsh of Waterfall. Sans shoved his hands in his pocket and he ground the tip of his gold tooth against his mandible. He should have kept his mouth shut.

"YOU AREN'T DOING YOUR JOB WITHOUT. USELESS. SO WILL BE THE GREAT SKELETON THAT I AM AND FIX IT AND YOU CAN GO BACK TO YOUR POST!"

"right yea.... gottcha' " Sans grumbled. Then he spoke up the last part. " thanks boss."

Papyrus grunted and Sans wanted to believe he saw a flash of the little brother he used to be for just a second but it was gone as soon as Sans thought he saw it. Echo flowers began to pop up one after another and then in thicker patches as they made their way across the thin bridge that lead to a small purple building in the midst of cyan. It had a pair of scissor on the door in yellow and it said in bold enough for Sans to read from this distance. The Stitched Strings? He couldn't help but laugh to himself.

Everyone in the Underground was horrible with names it seemed, not just the human-hunting King.

"WHAT IS SO LAUGHABLE SANS?"

"uh nothing boss " Sans said with a shrug as they approached the little shop. The echo flowers echoing back their words after they pass by them.

Papyrus pushed open the door, and Sans noticed it was like he was expecting something to hit but didn't. He stood behind his brother a bit as they walked in. The smell that filled his nasal cavity and he relaxed the tension he had been holding in his shoulders that he had forgotten he had even been doing. Why was he angry earlier again? The old shop smelled of lavender and some other sweet scent he couldn't place right now. Mocha? Maybe.

Oh shit. His brother was gesturing to him and talking to a little doll monster. She had lovely locks that framed a simple yet pretty face that usually graced her kind of monster. If it wasn't for the stitches that littered her skin he would have first mistaken her for a human maybe.

Stop its prolly' just a nice candle.

Sans shifted and felt sweat running down his skull. Damn his brother was yelling about his coat again, he shoved his hands in his shorts.

" Yea, sorry boss. I just can't stand around in the snow without my jacket. Ya' know?"

"NO I DON'T . YOU HAVE NO SKIN TO GET COLD"

"Well.. Maybe he doesn't want to be chilled to the bone?" It was the first words she spoke aloud and it made his bones nearly rattle at the honey tone of her voice and the fragile laughter that followed. He swore his brother must have heard his SOUL thumping around in his ribcage. He wanted to laugh at the pun, yet the cold gaze from his brother quieted the room more then before.

Sans swore Papyrus used to like skeleton based puns. He used to smile at them at least. He used to smile.

Sans looked away from the harder gaze his brother gave him before he spoke. "I NEED TO GO BACK TO MY PATROL. FOR ALL WE KNOW A REAL HUMAN HAS SNUCK BY MY TRAPS ALREADY. "

The door slammed shut behind Papyrus as he left Sans alone in this little tailor shop? Seamstress? He didn't know and kinda didn't care. What his main focus on was the monster woman in front of him.

He almost didn't hear her speak after she cleared her throat. He watched her magic glitter in the air and a fabric-like measuring tape appeared in glittering yellow.

He watched those lips part and ask in that voice that was driving him insane. Because it shouldn't be possible.

Someone as useless as him getting this Doll as a SOULmate.

"Um.. I guess come over here and we can get started."