𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚎

Ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ ７

> ᴏɴᴇ ɢʀᴀᴘᴇ sᴏᴅᴀ

"𝘞𝘌𝘓𝘊𝘖𝘔𝘌 𝘏𝘖𝘔𝘌 𝘉𝘙𝘖𝘛𝘏𝘌𝘙!"

A skeleton walks into a mansion. There was something clearly wrong with him, but only he and the other skeleton could tell.

Why?

Because he could see right through him.

Sans chuckled to himself at the lame joke floating around his skull. He fished out his comfort drink, a red plastic bottle of succulent ketchup as he pressed the nozzle to his teeth.

His brother was doing his usual routine in the kitchen. The clanking of pots and pans ruptured and bounced against the walls as the taller monster shuffled through the pantries and cupboards. Sans dragged himself through the doorway, leaning his shoulder against the frame to observe the scene before him.

"'sup bro?" He pulled at his teeth to Papyrus, and a lazy grin shot back at him.

White eyelights travelled from his brother's back to the stove. Surprisingly the fire wasn't a scorching billion degrees that he could feel the intense heat from across the room. Papyrus would occasionally glance back and forth from whatever was cooking, possibly another batch of spaghetti, to the notepad on the kitchen counter. His sockets narrowed, taking in each scribble like it was gospel. A few "NYEHs" sprinkled in with some chin scratching and low hums of concentration filled the empty air.

Although Papyrus was deemed a culinary master, as well as the other proclaimed chefs in this household, Sans couldn't help but raise a browbone at his younger sibling. It was just past two thirty in the afternoon. Too late to start lunch and too early to prepare dinner. What was he up to?

The monster clenched his jaw for a moment before turning to face Sans. The bottle condiment was still in hand as he took one final swig of it before pocketing the salty. Papyrus held his trusty notepad in hand, flipping through the pages once more as the water boiled in the pot.

"I'M TRYING A NEW RECIPE!" He proclaimed with a finger in the air. Confidence boasted in his voice but it wavered a few droplets of doubt. "HOWEVER THIS DISH IS REALLY TESTING MY ABILITIES TO THE MAX. IT MUST BE PERFECT AFTER ALL."

Sans could only smile back at his insanely cool brother. Always determined to express his passion for cooking. But what intrigued him was the mention of a newfound dish. He was conflicted about whether or not he should look forward to anticipation or a disaster in the kitchen.

Now he never had the heart to say his brother's cooking was... unique. He's slowly improving here and there, progress was still progress after all. And with the newfound cooking materials on the surface, Papyrus had more tools at the tips of his bony fingertips. He was just able to stomach the Italian dish days ago since it was considered edible. Sans was still indifferent if he could muster up another great dish of his. For now, he just smiled and waved.

"NOW WHERE ARE THE STRAWBERRIES?" Papyrus went through the fridge, for what seemed to be the millionth time. Leaning into the opened refrigerator his eyelights scanned the assortment of ingredients. Sans pushed himself off the frame, joining him like a son holding his father's flashlight to help him fix something.

"whatever you're cooking looks berry difficult." He laughed at his own pun as Papyrus groaned to himself.

"I WOULD SAY SOMETHING BACK BUT NOW IS NOT THE TIME! THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT SANS." The said skeleton only shrugged back. Papyrus shut the fridge door shut, sighing to himself as he tapped his foot on the ground impatiently.

"aw c'mon bro, lighten up." He blissfully uttered. "you like my jokes."

"I LIKE THEM WHEN YOU TELL THEM IN A ROOM. POSSIBLY MILES AWAY FROM ME. LIKE RIGHT OVER THERE." His gloved hand pointed to the corner of the room "BUT TIMES A BILLION." Sans' shoulders bounced, doing his icon shrugged pose.

He made his way to the kitchen stove, peering into the contents inside the pot. Half-cooked pasta noodles idling swimming on the bottom. "what are you making, anyway? sounds special."

"SPAGHETTI."

"and the strawberries?"

"FOR THE SPAGHETTI OF COURSE!" He proudly jabbed a finger to his chest, striking a pose as the non-existent wind flowed through his non-existent hair. "STRAWBERRIES WILL BRING IN THE SWEETNESS TO BALANCE THE SALTY GOODNESS OF CARBOHYDRATES. A NEW DISH INVENTED BY YOURS TRULY!" A skeletal beam on his teeth as he basked in the heroic vibe. Although technically not true on that last bit, Sans chuckled to himself as he pulled himself away from the boiling pot.

"ALAS... THE GREAT ME HAS BEEN FOILED OF MY MASTER PLANS. I HAVE TO RUN TO THE CORNER STORE AGAIN FOR MORE INGREDIENTS." His shoulders slumped in defeat, in Sans lightly patted his shoulder, or however high he could reach him, in comfort. He winked his socket at him.

"well, dinner's gonna be interesting." Sans took a seat by the dining table. Slouching on the hard wooden furniture, if he wasn't talking to his brother he might as well doze off. Papyrus glanced back at the scribbles on his trusty notepad before pocketing the item. Muttering himself for a brief moment.

"UM, THE THING IS... ITS NOT FOR DINNER."

The male rose a brow bone in return. Examining Papyrus' stature as he looked away for a split second. Indifference surfaced behind his sockets as his gloves and hands pushed against the fabric.

"so you're cooking noodles and-" he began.

"STRAWBERRIES YES. WE'VE BEEN OVER THIS BEFORE."

"do we have some guests coming in or somethin'?" Drops of sweat could be seen Now Papyrus wasn't the one for keeping secrets. Sans, and probably everyone in the household, knew that. So it was obvious something suspicious was brewing and it wasn't the strange concoction inside the pot of noodles. Which could have been overcooked at this point from how long this conversation has been going.

He wasn't mad of course, he would never be mad at his lil bro.

So why was he acting so weird?

Papyrus straightened his posture. Coughing into his fist with a more stern look on his face. "WELL U SEE... THE THING IS, IT'S ACTUALLY FOR (Y/N)!"

At the mention of the corner store employee's name, Sans couldn't deny his eye sockets widened just a smidge. Ever since Papyrus had met you that faithful day he's been much more eager to befriend you. That wasn't uncommon for just a cool guy like him, always wanting to be showered with praise and kisses from those around him. But for Papyrus befriending you was his number one goal. Rambling about you before the housewarming party and occasionally dropping your name in passing.

He didn't mind it, of course. If his brother was happy, he was happy. He was just an overly welcoming guy whose arms were as wide as the equator, warming everyone's SOUL who happens to wander into them. Sans, in fact, was glad to find a human who happily gave back that kindness. Even if you were a bit sheepish at first, that could've been Papyrus' extroverted personality overpowering your timid nature.

Nonetheless, he didn't have any reason to dislike you. Let alone hang out with his amazing brother. He's already heard from the grapevine that you've had a few colourful experiences with him and his "relatives". The monster already went out of his way to hint at you to pursue friendships with them.

Why?

Well, at first it was just an overlooked joke. Maybe some meta humour that only he and a few others understood. Yet as a judge, it was still his duty to test and determine what conjured in your SOUL. So that night at Grillby's, he took it upon himself to finally catch a glimpse of the infamous (Y/N).

Checking your stats was child's play. Optioning only one LV, thankfully. Basic stats of a basic human. ATK. DEF.

An average Joe, like himself.

There was nothing out of the ordinary.

You've been through some hardships like everyone else. Moving from the countryside, settling in a quiet yet bustle town such as this one. Away from your parents to pursue a dream. He didn't force you to elaborate further but you hinted that there might be something going on with you and them. Especially with your father.

Despite all that, you were you. Content with everything and where you are right now. Working endlessly at the corner store. It's not everyone's dream to work a minimum-wage job, but that didn't seem to bother you in the slightest regardless of a few hiccups.

You had a creative side. Painting, sketching and whatnot.

Stable job.

Easygoing personality.

Struggles like every human and monster on Earth.

But he avoided checking your SOUL trait. It would be already awkward for you to find out he was literally analysing you that night. Let alone pulling you into an encounter to take a peek at your SOUL.

SOULS were... a pretty important thing in monster culture. But that's another chapter for another day.

Sans was Sans, so he respected your privacy.

They say don't judge a book by its cover, but Sans was lenient to say otherwise.

For now at least.

He's still a judge after all.

The shorter skeleton leaned against his hand which was supported by his elbow. A mellow ring passed through his teeth. "oh right. you were at theirs the other day right?"

Papyrus nodded enthusiastically. "INDEED! WE WERE SUPPOSED TO HAVE A FULL DAY OF PUZZLE SOLVING HOWEVER THEY WERE SUPER SICK!" He then went on to recount in extreme detail all the high jinx and low jinx that occurred that day. His brother listened with a lazy smile as Papyrus began to glow with colour.

"SO BEING THE GREAT ME I NURSED THEM BACK WITH MY EXCELLENT HEALING SKILLS. AND AS THANKS THEY GAVE ME A SLICE OF STRAWBERRY CHEESE CAKE." Papyrus thought fondly of the memory. Although it may have turned for the worse, he managed to flip the script. He enjoyed the day as much as you did. Being the literal definition of pure energy, he began planning more ideas and hang-out sessions to have with you. A sudden pull was latching on his SOUL in a way

"and i'm guessing you wanna give something back in return?"

"INDEED! EVEN WHEN THEY WERE UNWELL THEY STILL PUSHED THEMSELVES JUST FOR ME!" His cheerful mood faltered a little. A small bashful smile grew on the apples of his cheekbones. "I HOPE I DIDN'T STRESS THEM OUT. IT IS MY DUTY TO GIVE THE SAME AMOUNT OF HARD WORK IN THE RELATIONSHIP AFTER ALL." A nervous laugh left his teeth.

Papyrus flipped through his notepad before shoving the contents into Sans' half-opened sockets. In black pen, an amalgamation of jotted notes and doodles were scattered across the small pad of paper.

His white eye lights scanned it. There were some notes about cooking tips. Simple citing styles, temperature checks all that jazz. Sans wasn't like his brother who knew the fundamentals of cooking. He burnt the water the last time he was in the kitchen, which enforces the rule that he, plus Red, were banned from the kitchen.

"THEY LOVE STRAWBERRIES AND I LOVE SPAGHETTI. SO PUTTING THEM TOGETHER IS THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS! TO SYMBOLISE OUR BEAUTIFUL FRIENDSHIP."

Sans hummed in agreement. "yeah, bet they'll appreciate it a skele-ton."

"SANS!!!" He yelled. "YOU REALLY THINK SO?" His flash of anger was instantaneously washed away as stars lit in his sockets. His brother chuckled at his expression.

"you're the coolest guy i know and i'm sure (Y/N) knows too."

"YOU'RE RIGHT! I CAN FEEL IT IN MY BONES!" A knowing glint was directed at him. "SANS DON'T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT!"

Despite his highball of confidence, Papyrus felt a wave of dread wash over his bones. He slapped both of his hands to his cheekbones in utter horror.

"NORMAL STRAWBERRIES WON'T DO! THEY MUST BE THE HIGHEST THE HIGHEST OF QUALITIES TO AMOUNT OUR HIGHEST OF FRIENDSHIP!" Determination blazed through his eyesockets, formulating a plan in his noggin of his.

"well if you're expecting them to pop into thin air then try concentrating harder."

"SANS THIS IS NO TIME FOR YOUR BOONDOGGLING!" Papyrus ruffled his red scarf. "WATCH OVER THE STOVE! I'LL BE BACK IN A JIFFY." Sans gave a lazy thumbs up as he watched his younger bro gather his things.

Sans sunk deep into the table as the sound of bubbling water filled his nonexistent ears. He let out a small sigh, able to go back to his favourite activity of counting sheep and slacking off. His eyesockets slowly fell from grace, inviting him into the dark nothingness.

Sinking further and further into the void.

"SANS!"

!!

The said skeleton jolted back from the grave.

He whipped his skull to see his brother frantically patting the same pockets ten times in a row.

"HAVE YOU SEEN MY PHONE?" An innocent question like that almost made him jump out of his skin, if he had any at least. The shorter monster shook his head no causing a large frown to spread across his cheeks.

"where did you last put it?"

"I ALWAYS PUT IT IN MY TRUSTY BACK POCKET ALONG WITH MY NOTEPAD AND PEN." His narrow holes then grew tenfold. "GASP! DID I LEAVE IT AT (Y/N)'S?" He dramatically threw his index finger at his older brother. "SANS DIAL MY NUMBER!"

Sans fished out his phone, dialling the number and putting it on speaker. Tension grew as the number was called, then turned into pending rings. Papyrus leaned in, he might as well be biting his fingernails in a comedic fashion as the rings doubled.

RING!

RING!

CLICK!

A familiar voice emitted from the other line.

"Um...hello?"

It was...

you.

"heya, is your refrigerator running?"

Sans' question hung in the air. His plastered grin stretched from ear to ear, patiently waiting for your answer. On the other hand, Papyrus glared at him like he was the most repulsive thing on the planet. Although he silently protested Sans took the lead. He shot a look at him to "trust him."

After what seemed like forever, a jumble of giggles was followed.

"Wh-what?

He repeated the line. "i said...is your refrigerator running?"

Another fit of giggles. "Sans, if you put this phone in my house just to prank call me, you could've called my actual phone."

"you're no fun." He could feel you rolling your eyes.

"I have work in like 30 minutes so-"

"wait don't hang up yet." He interjected, pausing for dramatic effect.

"i'm in the big house..."

Another pause.

"on death row."

"WHAT!?!" You shirked.

"nah, just tuggin' your funny bone. was looking for pap's phone and guess i found it." An audible exclaim of realisation, with a hint of relief, came from you.

"I'm guessing this is his then." You chuckled. "It was under my table. I thought it was my phone until I saw a photo of him with sunglasses on. Even on his biceps...?"

"you think he looks cool in them?"

Confusion laced your voice. "Yeah...?"

"how cool?"

"Super cool! The coolest." Welp, there was no hesitation there. Sans felt his smile grow larger as his eyelights finally landed on Papyrus, teasing him in a brotherly way.

"see bro? (Y/N) thinks you're cool no need to worry about anything."

An embarrassed slur of flustered sputtering echoed followed by a small thud. "W-wait! I'm on speaker right now?" Papyrus finally chimed in.

"SANS WHO'S ON MY PHONE?" He scolded his brother who responded back with a nonchalant shrug.

"nobody."

"OH... CAN I SPEAK TO THEM TOO?" Sans happily gave him his cell. He sank further into his seat with his arms supporting his heavy skull.

You yelped. "O-Oh! Hey Papyrus." You bashfully said.

"CORNER STORE PERSON!" He could feel his SOUL pulsate as you say his name. Clearing his throat he gathered his composure.

"WE AREN'T IN THE BIG HOUSE! WELL, OUR HOUSE IS QUITE LARGE TO HOME SIX SKELETONS. BUT-" His words were cut off with laughter on the other side. Light, airy laughter.

"Hey, don't worry I already figured that out." You paused for a second, unsure how to continue this, somewhat awkward, yet present conversation. "I can probably drop your phone off at your place since we don't live that far."

His face then contorted to a concerned expression. "AREN'T YOU STILL SICK? NORMALLY I DON'T SAY THIS, BUT YOU SHOULD REST! NOT GOING OUT AND ABOUT!" He clutched the phone tight in his gloved hand as his eyebrow bones furrowed.

"I don't mind!" You quickly retorted, a bit too fast for your own liking. "Trust me I'm fine now thanks to you. The soup we made together made me recover faster so I should be alright!"

He could feel his cheekbones burn at your praise. A smile never failed to grace his teeth as he spoke to you more. Often he would hear tiny "tsks" and hums as you prepared yourself for the day.

"But, I've been meaning to ask," Papyrus quirked an eyebrow. "are you still free anytime soon?" He could already imagine that cute darling little face of yours behind the screen. Fingers playing with a strand of hair while chewing the inside of your lip. An adoring habit he had to admit.

Was it normal to feel jittery and anxious on the phone? Papyrus didn't know why but he could feel his SOUL thumping as you spoke. He didn't know why or what he was feeling right now, but the more he spoke the more anxious he grew.

He finally let out a stern "YES." trailing off as he pressed the phone closer to him, albeit still on speaker.

"G-Great!" You exclaimed cheerfully. You halted in your tracks, rebuilding your cool structure. "I wanna make it up to you. Since we didn't get to do puzzles like we planned to." A pang of feverish delight lit in his dark eye sockets. Finally, he discovered another puzzle-loving company to share his interests.

"I'm not sure exactly when I'm free but I'll definitely text you." You paused. "I-If you want to though, no pressure!" Your voice lit up again, however, a pebble of realisation struck you then and there. "Wait, your phone! I should get to your place now before I'm late for work."

"H-HEY, I'LL JUST SEE YOU AT YOUR WORK TO COLLECT MY PHONE."

"I don't want to bother you-" He immediately cut you off.

"DO NOT FRET (Y/N)! FOR I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL MEET YOU THERE SO YOU'RE NOT LATE."

"yeah, it gives him an excuse to also buy those strawberries for you," Sans murmured loud enough for only the taller skeleton to hear.

Papyrus felt his SOUL jump right out of his ribcage, forgetting that his brother was listening into the conversation. He heard a distant utter of confusion from the phone, but he was too busy trying to wipe that knowing grin from his brother. He yelled his name once more but to no use as Sans sunk deeper into his seat, pretending to sleep.

"What are you planning Papyrus?" You laughed only causing him to deny such allegations.

"I AM PLANNING NOTHING BUT GOING TO YOUR WORK. RIGHT! NOW!" His obvious lie flew over your head. He hoped he could still have his special dish remain a surprise. He could feel beads of sweat roll down his skull. Resulting in you reluctantly agreeing with him. Papyrus looked at his imaginary wristwatch, excusing himself.

"SUDDENLY I HAVE TO DO SOMETHING IMPORTANT THAT DOES NOT INCLUDE BUYING ANYTHING AND JUST MEETING YOU TO PICK UP MY PHONE. YES. THAT'S IT. BECAUSE I DIDN'T LEAVE IT THERE ON PURPOSE." If it wasn't already suspicious enough, he hoped you'd get the message and play it off.

"Did...you leave it here on purpose?"

"NO."

"I see..." You reluctantly replied. "I guess I'll see you soon?"

He grinned, nodding as if you could see him.

"YES! I'LL SEE YOU SOON! NO PLANNING MENTIONED WHATSOEVER! BYE NOW!" He ended the call with a click, the room now filling with the bubbling of water and soft snores. He lingered in that moment, a second went by. Then a few minutes. Still clutching Sans' phone close to his face.

Looking at the said skeleton he was defiantly knocked out like usual.

Typical Sans, albeit he still cared for him.

He wasn't a smart skeleton but Papyrus knew where Sans had gone earlier. Back to Alphys, back to the LAB. The TRUE LAB. That line of work he abandoned years ago.

He wasn't mad at him, of course, he praised his knowledge of quantum physics and the whole sciencey stuff he indulged himself in before. His history with Alphys was when he mentioned her once or twice back in the early years of the underground.

He knows that he and the others were trying their hardest to crack a case in this weird timeline, alternate universe jumble. It was already hard enough to learn about multiple timelines but he had somewhat of a grasp of it like his other "cousins."

He just wishes that his brother wouldn't keep everything to himself.

Papyrus knew the moment he walked in that something was bothering him.

He could see right through him, after all.

Ever since they moved to such a quaint and quiet town he's been bustling himself with work not even Sans himself could understand. He just looked so lifeless behind his usual skeletal grin, more empty than before. Just as empty as it was in the Underground.

He wanted Sans to let him truly believe in him. To fully help him and not let him carry out such a burden of finding all the answers in one day. It's already been two years at this point with nothing and Sans is still working himself down to the bone.

Papyrus smiled before placing the phone next to Sans.

As bad as it was right now, he still held his head up high to look forward to a brighter future. Monsters finally reached the surface. He's met and made such amazing friends. Even moving here with his alternate selves wasn't half bad, he wasn't alone anymore.

Dare he say, he'd include you in the picture?

Papyrus put a hand on his ribcage, his SOUL was doing that thing again. Like it was attached to a string, pulling him into the unknown. That certain pull was troublesome to deal with sometimes, however this time it felt...

...warm.

But that's enough boondoggling about.

Finalising everything he had this time, triple-checking before running out the window, he left with a smile on his face.

✧༺♥༻∞

"Ugh! Why did Dad roster me for the graveyard shift?"

That's the tenth time you've heard her complain on the job in the past hour.

It was a typical night at the corner store. That same old routine of a complaining Jessabell with the main character, you, by her side.

Working the usual nine-to-five job was the norm for any civilian. However, being stuck in a small humble corner store for the graveyard shift was another. A ticking time bomb was about to set loose if she stayed in her bright fluorescent light prison.

The corner store never opens this late, except on Thursdays, but lo and behold her father came rushing to her with news of the new opening and closing hours. A devilish glint behind his old beedy eyes with the knowing smirk on his lips his daughter knew a bit too well. In his words, it was an opportunity to "increase business" and capitalise on the growing market and demand. But deep down she knew he just wanted everyone down to the bone.

So now the store was open until three in the morning.

Every.

Single.

Day.

At this point, just make the corner store twenty-four-seven!

Jessabell internally screamed, chewing the inside of her lip impatiently. Her arms crossed against her chest while her newly manicured nails scratched lightly against her dark skin.

Has her Dad not seen those low-quality CCTV clips online? Random junkies and drunk teens usually stir some sort of hellfire in places like these.

Just for the fun of it!

And worst of all...

THIS WAS THE PERFECT TIME FOR A CLASSIC ROBBERY!

Some person who's daring enough can waltz right in here with a knife to her face. Angrily demanding money from the cash register Jessabell would scream and cry the entire time.

The nineteen-year-old was visibly distraught at the made-up situation. It was a haunting fact it was a possibility, albeit very slim, the odds were low but never zero.

Sinking her frame behind the counter, she hung her head low. "I should be home! Wrapped in my blankets eating ramen while watching the new Mew Mew Kissey Cutie episode! Not here as living bait for hostile robbers!" She exclaimed in defeat, holding her head. "Doesn't he care for his darling daughter who could get attacked?!"

Despite her efforts to shake her fist to the universe, you remained unfazed. The same poker face and calm attitude untouched like a statute.

Unlike your....friend... here, you were pretty neutral about it. In fact, you knew you didn't have the heart to say no to Mr. Ahmad when he asked to work overtime with his star daughter. That workaholic side of you bustling to the extra hours for cash, like a moth to a flame.

Money was money after all. You had bills to pay and a sweet tooth to feed with any strawberry-flavoured treat you could find after your shift.

And it's not like it would be hard either since the store was dead at this time. So you were free to just walk around or stare into space to your heart's content. If you could get paid to do absolutely nothing then you'd take it without a second thought.

Perhaps this was another father and daughter bonding moment to discipline her attitude.

Now you loved Jessabell, maybe to the point you'd die for her. But there were times Jessabell was a tad bit irresponsible. Especially during working hours as you hate to admit. You never hated the small mistakes she made during business hours, she was still freshly out of high school after all. The young woman still needed to find her footing in adulthood so adjusting was understandable. However, even if she did work at her family business for as long as she could remember, she still had her own struggles transitioning from a kid to an adult.

Today she came an hour late to work because she had to "walk her goldfish". You sighed at her excuse, as her Dad exploded like an active volcano. It was to the point he dragged her to the staff room for an educated talk. More like strings of endless amounts of muffled scolding from behind closed doors.

You tried to maintain your worker persona to the rest of the customers. Sweating a bit with a crooked smile as the uneasy air filled the room for the next hour.

Thus leading to tonight. Whether this was Jessabell's punishment or a learning moment you were, of course, dragged into it.

This was good for her, you believed. Still unsure of his methods of doing her work with you in the dead of night, but you had faith in him. It must've helped her slowly flourish into being more accountable for her future actions.

You could have interjected from a co-worker-to-boss situation, but somewhere deep down in your gut told you it was something more personal.

Nonetheless, you weren't Jessabell's father.

You turned to your co-worker, smiling to brighten up the gloomy mood. "Don't worry Jess. I'll be here to protect you." You placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, giving it a small squeeze. Although your words were genuine, she looked at you with a pout. Her dark eyes pleading at you.

"(Y/N). Please call my Dad and say I got sick or something and you'll cover for both of our shifts!"

You raise a brow as you pull away. "Why do I need to call him?" A tinge of reluctances traced your words

"Because he trusts you more than he trusts me! You're his star employee!" Her sudden exclaim caused a sheepish look to bloom on your features with a hint of embarrassment on your cheeks. The words died on your tongue in an instant. Only a few filler words sprinkled with the classic "um's" and "uh's" flew into her ears.

You respected the man, but his star employee? Either that was gospel, which you highly doubt, or that Jessabell is trying to butter you up to go along with her scheme. The burning sensation in your chest was hard to ignore.

Along with the said girl's expression on her rage-filled face.

A burst of hot energy shot through her veins as she almost threw the register at your head. She gave it a few tugs but ultimately gave up. It was a cycle of bursting into flames, trying to throw the machine at you then giving up. Strings of every curse word imaginable spat from her lips. Either directed to you, herself, her Dad or the universe was a mystery. Along with the new made-up words she used in her fit of fury.

At first, it was amusing but now you weren't sure to laugh at or with her. Was it too awkward to say something to her now as you sat in silence watching her charade of comedic gold for the past ten minutes?

At least the entire shop was showing some forms of life, some angrier than others.

She looked at your calm expression, panting in heavy breaths. You had to give it to her, she was determined to throw the cash register at you.

"You done?" A frustrated groan revealed the obvious answer to your teasing question. Your lips curled for a second, watching her puff out her cheeks. Ultimately, she nodded in defeat, slumping her shoulder to the ground. All the ballistic energy was now evaporated into the buzzing lights of the corner store. Her dark eyes wandered around the store, sucking up any ounce of motivation and a sliver of relaxation for her nerves.

A chuckle slipped past your lips. You pat her back in reassurance. "Hey, c'mon Jess. We only have," You glance at the clock, "two hours left. I'll even close up for you and do the remaining check-ins while you can sit here and relax."

Wow, who knew you had to almost throw the cash register to your co-worker's head to make them do everything for you?

Jokes aside, she woefully stole a glance at your generous irises. "Oh no, here comes Mx. Meth Head. Was that fix of a daily dose of hard-earned labour in the morning with a cup of coffee not enough for you?"

You snorted at her sarcasm. Her figure leaning close to you with her arms securely across her chest in a confronting manner. "This is an intervention (Y/N). We need to stop your workaholic antics and we must stop it from the source. The evil man I call my father."

You furrowed your brows but managed to pull a sly smile of your own. "I'm not addicted." A slap was followed after your words. Her hand met her forehead as she shamefully looked at you.

"What? I'm just being honest. Money makes the world go round."

"(Y/N)! Fight the system! You gotta free yourself! We need to team up and overthrow my Dad! This isn't about me being home right now doing nothing. This is about me being at work and doing nothing! It's unjust and not a good business ordeal!" The unimpressed look on your face caused her to falter for a second." A-And you! This is about you as well! You and your...working habits...?"

She coughed into her fist, regaining her composure. "We can't be working long hours every night because my greedy Dad says so. This is where I put my foot down and say no more!" Her voice phased away from your peripheral hearing as your legs happened to find interest somewhere.

Which was the drinks section.

It's been two minutes since you've started checking the dates of each soda pop and the female has yet to notice your lack of response. Scanning through each row your eyes landed on a can of grape soda. You shudder, one of the worst fizzy drinks known to mankind. It taunted you with its bright purple letters and haunting "All natural flavours" label. You knew your asshole had more natural flavours than this shit.

You reluctantly clutched the tiny beverage in your hands. Your eyes furrowed as you turned the tin cylinder around. You read the expiry date, it had about a week left before it was gone for good.

Thank the universe.

You scooped as much grape soda as you could carry. Using the tip of your foot, you closed the glass door with ease, the cold sensation from the fridge and drinks made you shiver. Your feet shuffled through the floors, making your way to either dispose of or relocate the death drinks to the pit of hell, also known as the discounted area.

"He can't keep me trapped here with all the weirdos!" Her voice snapped you back to reality. Your head whipped around to her as you blankly stared at the scene before you.

You were only gone for two damn minutes yet Jessabell has already managed to gather an army of little jelly babies on the ground. Ripped straight from the packet, and unleashed to the floor in perfect formation, with her being their leader on top of the cash register. Her foot rested on a sudden chair that spawned out of thin air. Her knee bent at a ninety-degree angle as she held up a page of this week's sales like a flag.

Instead of the usual deals of food in black bold lettering, the phrase "FREEDOM MARKED DOWN TO FREE NINETY-NINE!!" was scribbled over in ruby red marker.

"I think they'll be more scared of you than you are of them." She shot you an indescribable look. She was almost offended by your comment. Almost.

"Maybe you can actually fend off the knife-wielding maniac this time when you get home."

"(Y/N) TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY!" You force the laugh back into your throat.

"I am."

She didn't look too convinced as she stepped down from her throne.

"I mean, you can talk to your Dad tomorrow to change your schedule. We have other workers too you know." The coily-haired woman stuck by your side. It was a sudden action that almost made you drop the cans onto the army of jelly babies still by your feet.

"But I wanna work with you! But you always have the long hours!"

"Then work with someone else."

"You don't get it, big bro!" You weren't sure if a headache was forming or perhaps a parasite decided to eat away at your brain but you weren't in the mood to banter with her. Perhaps it was the late-night buzz, finally getting to you like it did Jessabell. Or the curse of working long hours plus overtime since again you were dragged into this, with the perpetrator complaining by your side. In all honesty, you should be overthrowing Jessabell since it's her fault!

But of course, you couldn't lift a finger.

Literally.

She kept whining and rocking your arms side to side as she called you her older brother. An annoying younger sibling asks their elder one to play house with them.

So in this situation, you had to do what older brothers do best for their younger siblings.

"Hey, these grape sodas expire in a week. You want me to get rid of them?"

And that was to ignore them.

In a split second, your face was yanked down to meet her fiery gaze.

Should have seen that coming.

You hesitantly smiled back at her stoic expression. Her dark-skinned hands forcefully forced you down to her level by the cheeks. Your spine bent at an awkward angle with the cans of soda in between the two of you. She studied your eyes, the shade mirroring her studious expression.

Sometimes you walk by each aisle to pretend to be working. Sometimes to get you active for at least a minute or so. For some reason that made her more tired. And she hadn't moved from her station when the last customer of the day left hours ago!

Which was Papyrus.

Now she didn't hate the guy, she was in fact just as energetic and welcoming as she was with Blue. She even picked up their similar mannerisms and tendencies they often do. You were able to properly introduce the troublemaker to your friend.

However...

"Here's your phone, make sure you don't lose it this time" You replied with a chuckle. As you handed him his phone she couldn't see a glimpse of his gloved phalanges twitching. "I JUST HAPPEN TO BE FORGETTFUL AT TIMES... NOTHING MORE..." A small bead of sweat rolled down the side of his skull.

"And thank you again for the other day, you really didn't have to do that."

"OF COURSE I DID! ANYTHING FOR A FRIEND IN NEED!" His tone made you blush as you averted your gaze. "IF YOU NEED ANYTHING ELSE YOU CAN CALL ME." He stopped in the middle of his sentence, his eyesockets grew into large saucers.

"P-PLATONICALLY! THAT IS!" He seemed to have said that a bit too loud, surprising you. But the same patient and understanding beam made its way to its rightful place. The heat still glowing on your skin. You nodded with a lighthearted laugh. But he didn't mind the comforting atmosphere as you both smiled at each other. He seemed to be staring a bit too intensely for you to even notice.

The small staring contest was cut off however when Jessabell finally finished packing the monster's items. He seemed rather eager to snatch the plastic bag from her, quickly paying for the items in the blink of an eye. He did a small salute to you, waving goodbye as he ran out the door. Leaving the two of you to stare where he once stood.

Jessabell pondered back to the interaction. A million ran through her mind as you remained frozen in her grasp. She stared back at you as you owlishly blinked back at her. It was obvious from a few dialogue options ago that this was getting her nowhere from escaping this hellhole. So instead this was time for a subject change.

"So what's up with you and Papyrus? He seemed to give you the stink eye earlier. Did you piss him off or something?" Her question caused you to tilt your head fifteen degrees to the side. Your eyes slightly narrowed at her.

Pulling yourself away from her, you walked to the discounted area. Placing each can of drink into the pile with the other goods. "Nothing happened. He didn't give me "the stink eye." He was just being polite." You explained as you placed each item into the discount basket.

"I dunno. He just acted strange when I gave him his stuff." She pondered for a while, a finger to her chin. Oblivious to you, and most social cues, you shrugged it off. You went back and forth from the fridge and discount pile as Jessabell followed you like a stray puppy. Her endless small talk and murmuring fill your ears.

"Well, he's a busy monster. He's got placed to be." You said nonchalantly.

"And you had his phone?"

"He left it at my place."

"HE CAME TO YOUR HOUSE!?" You whinced at her volume. Turning your head around when you finish up your nightly duties. Her eyes shot out of her sockets, jaw to the floor as if it was the most shocking thing she'd heard all week. Suddenly her eyes welled up with tears, taking your hands in hers as she gushed over you.

"I'm so proud of my big brother finally opening up to people! You managed to finally find friends and come out of your shell."

You awkwardly chuckled. "You make me sound like a total loner."

"But you are."

...

...

...

She did have a point.

"But still! We just hung out for a bit. However, I was unwell and the hang-out did turn into him nursing me since I was also sick. So kind of ruined the whole thing." Despite your growing regret in your chest, your friend here gushed even harder. She put her hands to her cheeks as she swayed back and forth. Animated hearts flew above her head, you had to take off the sparkly filter from your eyes if you stared at her any longer.

"Still that was so nice of him! He didn't have to do all that but he did!" Your heart skipped a beat. She wasn't wrong about that, but then again, he was just being polite. And you being polite you wanted to try and make it up to him. You could feel your senses blend into one another. All this chaotic talk from overthrowing your boss to your newfound friendship was making your head spin.

"First you go on a date with unholy hand-holding. Then you invite someone to your place only for them to nurse you. Then coming back for his phone he forgot to see you. It's all coming together." Jessabell connected the dots, but you knew she didn't connect shit. More like she connected them in a jumble of scribbles and misdirection to whatever delusions she had. Living for the drama to torment your life.

But that's what little sisters do best.

Being annoying.

The young woman thought for a moment, muttering to herself. A smirk slowly formed on her lips as she eyed you.

"Hey stop with that look. Drop it." You demanded. Your expression turned stone cold, but your intimidation was ineffective to whatever was brewing in her mind. She innocently teased you, putting her hands up in defence.

"Look what look? I naturally look like this." You were going to strangle her. "I didn't even say you like him and you're already defensive."

"I don't like Papyrus like that!" You quickly butted in.

"I never said who, (Y/N)." She stated.

Oh.

Shit.

Your cool composure cracked under her teasing gaze. She was irritating you. Once you get irritated you get frustrated. Once you get frustrated you get irrational and blurt out the first thing that comes to your head. A distant grumble ruptured from the back of your throat. You could have done anything to snip off the tongue of hers. Maybe you could lock her in the store as you happily walk home, you rather have that maniac jump you in the streets than have this odd conversation.

Perhaps you would call her father. Persuading him to let her live in her own personal hell you've created for her.

Forever.

Just anything to stop how your cheeks were bright with embarrassment.

But you being you, you never let her overpower you. Instead only putting up that stoic mask you wore so well.

"Please, Jess. Let's just end one of our conversations without you meddling with my personal life." You blanked responded, returning to behind the counter.

"Who me? I didn't say or do anything! Who is Papyrus? Like the font?" She raised her brow in suspicion to answer the real questions society deserves to know.

"Are you seriously gaslighting me right now?"

She eyed you with a dumb expression on her face.

...

"Maybe."

That's it..!

In an attempt to get her back, you held her head between your armpit. She yelped struggling under grip but you were too strong to budge. Her feet centimetres off the ground as her tiny body swayed left and right. She yelped in both terror and excitement, yet her eyes grew wide when a flash of your hands began to manoeuvre to the sides of her waist.

"DON'T TICKLE ME!" She wailed as you let out a massive gafaw. The empty store was now filled with screams of bloody murder as you tortured your victim. Tears streamed down her face, gasping for air as both of your hands tickled and poked her sides. No matter how hard she kicked or wriggled, it only increased the punishment tenfold.

What's done is done you supposed.

After a tremendous time of torture, that only lasted three minutes, you decided to give her some mercy. Letting her go as she stumbled out of your grasp, wobbling as she tried to catch her breath. She leaned on the counter, holding her chest as she blinked away the tears.

"I... hate you...so... so much." She spat huffing in between her words. As raged filled and vexed as she was, that hidden smile never failed to flash before your eyes.

"Love you too, Jess. Glad you learned your lesson."

"That next time I'm getting a taser."

You rolled your eyes, glancing at the clock.

2:30 AM.

Just thirty more minutes before you can dive back into bed. You might as well crash in the middle of the road if you stayed up any longer.

After the whole fiasco, your coworker was not in almost tip-top shape. She turned to you, her hand pressed on the staff-only door. "I'm gonna be in the staff room for a bit, call me when the shift is over." You nodded, sending her off to do who knows what in the backrooms. The door echoed as it swung, leaving you here to your own devices.

Suddenly you nearly forgot how peaceful the store can be. It was almost too quiet that only the buzzing of the fridge greeted you. A yawn overtook your senses. Jessabell really knew how to knock you out like that, but in a good way of course.

She always meant well. She was still young after all, still in that awkward teenager but technically an adult but not twenty-one adult phase. So obviously, there would be some instances where you couldn't see how she perceived the world like she does. She puts on that rose-tinted glasses of hers as she ventures out into the world.

You'll never understand her true intentions. Either to playfully mock you or to actually encourage you? You'll never know. Perhaps she was some lazy plot device the universe cursed blessed you with to finally get the ball rolling to whatever was in store for you. As ridiculous as that sounds.

But seeing her overjoyed over your small achievement of making friends made you realise something.

You are kind of a loner.

You felt a sigh leave your lips as you admit that. You always hated it when she was right.

And you only had yourself to blame for that.

You don't really remember the last time you've seen yourself hang out with anyone other than Jessabell or anyone outside of this corner store. Either you were here or... at home. Don't get me wrong. You do know how to talk to people "normally". You know how to hold up a conversation when you try, and you really try your best! Perhaps this was a point in your life where adults "don't have friends" they just have a bunch of people they know. Like your landlord, your boss, heck even Ms Klein!

Plus seeing six new faces in town you might consider them in that category too, right?

Those were just people that you know in this town. They were your friends.

You felt like you needed a distraction, so you decided to wander the aisles one more time. Anything to take your mind off these brian itching thoughts that plagued your mind. Your legs dragged themselves from the pet food all the way to the snacks alies. Your eyes trailing each product with a lazy gaze. You muttered under your breath, naming each packaging out loud.

You didn't know why or how, but your empty mind suddenly wandered off to that skeleton monster who came in today. You left your palms growing sweaty with your line of sight jumping to each corner of the room.

"Papyrus." You uttered the name off your tongue. It felt so.. familiar to you. Like you've known the guy for years that saying his name aloud sounded so natural.

Was Papyrus also grouped with just someone you know? Since you've also interacted with him and his relatives with, roughly, the same amount of time together it sounded plausible. He was just as friendly as the other encounters you had with them. Things just seemed to branch out the moment you went to the housewarming party and now you were here. Even if it's only been a couple of weeks, why did it feel such a long time with them?

With Papyrus?

You barely even know the guy!

Yet your SOUL desired that sense of harmony.

Of UNITY.

Why did your chest suddenly feel lighter after thinking that?

You didn't notice how you've zoned out so much you found yourself back at the discount pile. The grape soda cans stared at you as you stared back. The same bright letters that read 'All new grape floured fizzy drink! With Natural sugars and flavours.' printed on the can. Everything seemed to always come full circle, huh?

You glance back at the clock.

2:45 AM.

You better start closing all the switches in the store by now and probably pop in the staff room once you're done too.

Maybe you just couldn't stop yourself from picking up a can of grape soda. The thoughts never left your buzzing mind as you popped open the tab. Bringing the carbonated drink to your lips. You can smell the mountain of sugar waft underneath your nose. It was slightly cold by now under your grasp. The can was so small in your hands that you could crush it if you weren't gentle.

Tonight was... interesting to say the least. And here you are trying the death juice you swore to not like.

This development of yours, this change that you seek was finally sinking in? Happening everywhere all at once in a flash?

Could you handle it?

Could you accept it?

Dare you say, you'd include him in the picture?

You pressed the can against your lips, the flavour swimming from your tongue down to your throat.

Sweet yet salty, you wondered why.

...

...

...

Change is...weird, you ultimately concluded.

Again, that's ridiculous.

But it is a possibility, nonetheless.

...

...

Disgusting.

Yet, you didn't spit it out this time.

> ᴏɴᴇ ɢʀᴀᴘᴇ sᴏᴅᴀ ʜᴀs ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴀᴅᴅᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜʀ sʜᴏᴘᴘɪɴɢ ᴄᴀʀᴛ!

(Edited!)