Bitter Berries

Chapter 6

I had no idea how I was managing to hold down the jobs I have right now but honestly, I deserve some sort of award for it, perhaps some gold would suffice, maybe some rich parents to adopt me and Papyrus so neither of us have to work a day in our lives if we didn't want to. Just a thought.

Wink, wink, nudge, nudge to the cosmic forces to throw me a damn bone.

I mean seriously, like, it's great I was able to get these jobs so I can actually pay to live in my current home and take care of my brother and I, but also, where the hell were the Child Labor Laws??

I'm starting to think Toriel is a secret child-hater.

Mmm...maybe I can bat my pretty little eye sockets at that lady and land Papyrus and I a cushy life as the queen's adopted children.

Perhaps, perhaps.

Anyways, not only am I holding down that job at Muffets', but I'm also working sentry duty which is boring as hell, and I think the only reason I was allowed to have this job was because of the fact that nothing ever happens! Ever. Oh, and the other job is at the nice cream stand, but I don't have a shift today so not my problem. Evaporating it from my thoughts now like a good little monster that got sucked into the life of capitalism early.

So, you know, I'm running myself ragged as one does. How slay of me.

Not saying it isn't worth it, because it is. Without these jobs I wouldn't be able to buy Papyrus those extra snacks he likes or a few new pairs of clothes after the old ones rip apart beyond saving, or little trinkets to decorate his room so it stops looking like something is supposed to be laid to rest in there. Seriously, I think I've seen prison cells look more lived in, it's kind of depressing.

So being another cog of the machine called capitalism was worth it as long as I could sustain both of us without us having to live off of the bare minimum.

It does suck, however, when it makes me so tired that my eyesight likes to play this quirky little game called Shake up, Double up and everything starts getting trippy. I don't enjoy Shake up, Double up. It's horrible and my body should ban it for all of eternity because what the hell. You'd think that not technically having a nerve system or a brain would stop this, but nope! Skeletons have their own version of it, and I hate it so much. Being a skeleton monster is like being a regular human witch except you lose skin and tendon privileges and can play a mean xylophone with your ribs without people being concerned or horrified.

I can think of a really good example of Double up, Shake up, right now. Like, for instance, me stumbling back home hours later through the snow and making my way up the stairs to our porch before playing the pathetic game of 'aim the key in the right spot to unlock the door' and brutally missing until my brother just unlocked and opened the door himself to usher me inside. I hated when this happened, when Papyrus had to be the mature one and maneuver my shaky body up the stairs and into my bedroom, tucking me into bed after helping me get my jacket and shoes off, placing them where they needed to be before crawling into my bed to sleep with me. I hated it because he shouldn't be the one doing this, he was actually a child who should be having a bedtime and doing fun, whimsical child things.

Why couldn't I just be stronger? Why must I be held back by the limitations of this child body? I needed an upgrade and stat.

Sometimes, if we're lucky like tonight, I feel coherent enough to groggily ask Papyrus about his day and he quietly tells me. I would slowly scratch my fingers against his skull as he rested his head on my chest until I couldn't fight back the exhaustion and passed out, him following not too soon afterwards. It was probably the only part of this situation that I didn't mind too much and actually enjoyed.

"UNDYNE AND I PLAYED WITH MY TOYS FOR A BIT AND SHE TOLD ME ABOUT THIS INTERESTING ANIME THING SHE FOUND AT SOME OF THE GARBAGE DUMPS. IT WAS CALLED...MEW MEW KISSY CUTIES? NOT SOMETHING I'D USUALLY ENJOY BUT I'M WILLING TO INDULGE IN MY FRIEND'S INTERESTS."

"...That's...nice, Papyrus. I'm glad you had fun with Undyne today..."

"I DID. I DID HAVE A LOT OF FUN WITH HER. UNDYNE IS AN AMAZING FRIEND AND I HOPE TO BE ABLE TO SPEND TIME WITH HER AGAIN SOON."

"..Me..too, Paps..me too.."

"....GOODNIGHT, BROTHER. SLEEP WELL, I LOVE YOU."

"...'M 'ove you too..."

In the morning, I forced myself out of bed and downstairs to the kitchen to make Papyrus breakfast. I had just finished frying up the bacon when my brother trudged down the stairs and plopped down at the table with a yawn and grumble. I quickly poured a glass of orange juice and set it down in front of Papyrus. "Morning, Paps. Sleep well?" He wasn't much of a morning person and honestly, I probably wouldn't be either, but I suspect the Swap coding just makes me more tolerable to mornings even if I'm still tired. Perks I suppose. Papyrus responded with a soft sound, and I took that as an answer, no need to force him to talk if he wasn't feeling up to it this early.

I make him and myself a plate, setting one down in front of my brother before sitting down with my own. Papyrus lifted his head and gave a soft 'thank you' before picking up his fork and digging in. We didn't say much over breakfast, too early in the morning to have any sort of conversation. Though, I did notice the way Papyrus' brow ridges furrowed, as if he was plopping something. Hopefully it wasn't anything too devious or involved the school in any way. Would be so awkward having to go to the school to chat with Papyrus' principal because he decided to be a little mischievous.

"Grab your coat, I'll walk you to school before I head off to sentry duty again."

Papyrus looked a little upset for whatever reason, probably the instinctual dislike towards going to school as most kids did. "AGAIN, BROTHER? DIDN'T YOU JUST DO SENTRY DUTY LAST NIGHT, WHY MUST YOU GO AGAIN SO SOON AFTER?"

I shrugged in response. "They needed someone to cover that shift and it was extra gold, so I took it." I grabbed our dirty plates and set them into the sink. "Now go grab your coat, I'll meet you at the door." I told him, watching as Papyrus hesitated, looking like he wanted to say something, before begrudgingly walking off to put on his coat and wait by the door.

I quickly cleaned the dishes and put them into the strainer to dry before heading out of the kitchen to join Papyrus, grabbing my own coat and making sure his was nice and zipped up properly before patting his head (which was a little harder to do today, I had to get on my tiptoes to reach him) and opening the door, letting Papyrus step out first before I did, locking the door on my way out before following my brother down the steps of the porch and down the path to where the school was.