"Knockknock," Papyrus beat upon the door with a gloved fist. A simple password, complete with two knocks. Flowey came up with it, though Papyrus thought it was stupid.
This is literally the first thing everyone does when they see a door.
"Who's there?" asked a tiny voice in a sing-song manner.
"Open the damn door," ordered Papyrus.
"You're in a mood tonight."
"No, I'm not."
Slowly the door slid down into the ground, as the sound of stone grinding against stone echoed through the cave.
Papyrus crossed his arms impatiently.
This always took forever.
Finally, the door completely slid into the ground, and a little golden flower greeted him with a smile.
"Howdy Trashbag!" smiled Flowey with a wiggling dance.
"Good evening Weed," Papyrus smiled and bowed politely, his mood already improving. Flowey's silly smile had that effect on him. The urge to kill Mettaton was completely gone at this point.
"Hmph! Wasn't such a gentleman a few seconds ago." scoffed Flowey playfully.
"The Great Papyrus is ALWAYS a gentleman," replied the skeleton with a smile, "obnoxious plants are an exception though."
The tiny flower frowned in annoyance.
"If I'm an exception, why did you bow at all?" Flowey hated it when Papyrus didn't make sense.
"I wasn't bowing, I was merely checking to see if it was really you. Hard to tell from all the way up here, ya' know?"
Flowey crossed his leaves as if they were arms in mock anger and turned away.
"That's no way to treat your best friend!"
"I'll keep that in mind when I make one," Papyrus replied with a smirk.
Sans is my best friend.
"PHBBTH!"
Flowey blew a raspberry in Papyrus's direction and popped back into the ground.
Holding his arms and still smiling, the skeleton made his way into the Ruins.
He knew where Flowey would be.
He would be in their Special Place. The only place he knew of in the Underground that was touched by real sunlight; pure and bright like a spotlight and unbridled by stained glass windows like in the Judgment Hall. Papyrus loved that place, and wondered how close dawn was. He and Flowey used the light as a timer in order to avoid Her Highness.
It was always a risk visiting Flowey. The Froggits were a chatty monster, and more than once Papyrus had to silence them permanently and quietly. It was best to avoid them all together, but with little to hide behind, it was mostly a matter of luck. He could use his font and change his form, (after all pretending to be someone else was a form of deceit) but the only monsters in the Ruins were either slow, equipped with short stubby legs, or had no legs at all. More than once he thought about changing into Sans and teleporting, but it was dangerous to use a power he didn't understand.
Papyrus was not the fool everyone thought he was.
As usual, it was quiet in the Ruins aside from the croaking of the Froggits as they slumbered. Everyone in the Underground was most likely asleep by now he imagined.
Undyne may have been in charge during the day, but when night fell, Papyrus ruled the Underground.
He was the reason monsters locked their doors at night, but he was also the reason crime was almost non-existent.
Papyrus admired the king, but admittedly, His Highness was more than a bit stupid when it came to safety. Not only did he hire monsters that had no business being in the Royal Guard, but he allowed them all to go home after dusk.
No one was watching for humans at night except for Papyrus, and it was always at night when they appeared. Papyrus took care of them like he took care of any other scum in the Underground that he happened upon who thought they could break into houses in his presence or mug him.
Wicked creatures, nasty little things.
The humans always came from the Ruins; and they were always children, vile, violent, deceitful little rats with no respect for anyone or anything. Usually covered in dust and carrying a weapon. They weren't like the girl in ribbons, she had been an exception.
They won't harm my brother...
I'll fight till my last breath if I have to.
Once, a human had had the nerve to attempt to strike down sleeping monsters in order to gain easy EXP. The skeleton smiled at the memory. Papyrus had put a stop to that real quick.
The little urchin was wearing a tough-looking glove obviously used for fighting, and one of the most hideous bandannas he had ever seen.
Who wears abs on their head?
"Goodness, aren't we brave? Attacking someone in their sleep..."
The human didn't respond. They rushed him like a dog, and Papyrus put them down like one.
"UHG!"
A swift kick to the stomach put the human on the ground faster than they could think. They lay in the snow curled up in a fetal position, trying to regain the breath that had been knocked out of them.
"I'm sensing some hostility between us," said Papyrus, hands behind his back. He rocked back and forth on his heels, waiting for the human to rise.
He was glad he had caught the human, but he wished he had done so before they reached Snowdin. It was only now that he remembered the store owner sold the ugly bandana and glove at her store.
She had quite a large family if I recall...
CRACK!
The human had gotten to their feet and thrown a punch at Papyrus. Luckily, the skeleton's reflexes were a lot faster than their swings, and they wound up hitting a tree instead.
"Oh dear, are you alright?"
"Leave me alone!" cried the human, clutching their hand in pain.
"I was speaking to the tree, you mouthy little cretin."
CRACK!
Another swing and another tree.
"You're liable to break your hand that way, human."
"Shut up!"
"No, really. You may not believe me, but I know a lot about bones."
"SHUT UP!"
The human lunged at Papyrus, earning themselves another swift kick; this time to the head. They fell on their back with a loud thump, the snow doing nothing to soften the fall.
Papyrus grinned widely, clearing enjoying himself. Fighting had always been fun for him. He liked the rush he felt whenever he dodged a close attack, and the conversations during battle were a treat.
"Do you require some assistance?" Papyrus asked, leaning over and looking down at the child.
They were silent; a glare was his only response.
Papyrus picked the child up from under their arms and stood them on their feet. They wobbled uncertainly, putting a hand to their head in an attempt to rid themselves of the pain.
"All better?"
The young child took some candy out of their pocket and ate it, filling their HP; though not by much.
"Could I have some of that?" teased Papyrus, smiling brightly.
They shook their head.
"Why not? We're friends now, yes? Friends share."
"I'm not your friend, Font," said the human angrily.
He knows about Fonts, well, it seems I was wrong about this human. They're quite brave, trying to fight me all on their own. Most humans run away, but not this one...
"You don't wanna be my friend? Why not?" asked Papyrus putting on a hurt expression, "Ahhh, it's because I kicked your ass isn't it? That's why you're upset."
The human swung their fist at him again, and again they missed. They had no chance against someone who'd spent their entire lives training, and even if they did, Papyrus was built to take humans down; all Fonts were.
This human may be fearless, but they're unskilled. Bravery doesn't win battles alone and it won't win them this one.
"If I apologize, can we be friends?"
He was being a bully at this point, but he figured the child deserved it. He was brave enough to fight, but he was lazy to the point where they preferred targeting people who were asleep.
"I don't want to be your friend; you're stupid!" said the child curtly.
Typical child response.
"If you be my friend I'll tell you a secret!" said Papyrus giggling behind his gloves. He swayed side to side, his eyes glowing brightly. If they were going to act like a child, so was he.
The human backed up, feeling suddenly uncomfortable.
"Oh such secrets I will tell! They'll fill your head with wonder!" exclaimed Papyrus, spreading his arms wide to the sky.
"Go away!"
The child backed away from the mad skeleton, tripping over a rock in the process and falling to the snow once more.
"Where are you off to, little human? Don't leave me alone all by myself!"
They wanted to go back to the Ruins. They wanted to go back and forget tonight ever happened, but they found they couldn't go back. The door to the Ruins could not be opened from their side.
"Nyeh heh heh heh heh!"
I want to go back to Goat-Mom...
Papyrus summoned a bone with a pointed end, and walked toward them briskly. He grinned wildly at the human child, his eyes glowing in the dark.
I want to see my real mom...
"NYEH HEH HA HA HA HA HA!"
Papyrus lunged towards the child.
I WANT TO GO HOME!
Papyrus had put the glove and bandanna in a nearby box to sell later.
It was annoying to never know when the humans were going to show up. He patrolled the town every night, but the gloved human had managed to not only evade his attention for a time, but also steal from the shop keep.
The problem was there were two doors that led into the Ruins, and which door a human would come out of was left up to chance.
Until he met Flowey one night.
Now they both worked together scouring the Ruins to gather souls, each for their own reasons.
Every once in awhile they would gather at the Special Place to simply take a break from patrol.
Tonight was Break Night.
He eventually reached the area where everything started to go purple, and shuddering happily, quickened his pace. Whoever decided to paint these dark ruins purple was a bloody imbecile, but it looked super cool. The torches flickered and cast shadows onto the purple walls that made the place feel and look like an evil lair of a demon or creature too frightening to imagine. Flowey once laughed at him for saying so out loud and Papyrus had to shush him.
"Aren't you supposed to like creepy stuff?" asked Flowey a bit more softly.
"Who said I was afraid? Maybe I wanted to scare you..." replied Papyrus in his most disturbed voice. He loved scaring people and making them feel uneasy. He wasn't sure if it was because he was a Horror Font or what, but he loved jumping out at people with a big smile on his face. He usually got away with it too, seeing as he was the Great Papyrus and all. He liked it when people called him creepy, or disturbing. It made sneaking up on them all the more fun.
"Picking on a cute innocent little flower...what would your dad say if you hadn't murdered him?" asked Flowey with a twisted smile.
"Watch your mouth, Weed..." Papyrus's eyes started to glow. It was a warning that told Flowey to back off; however he seemed to have missed it.
"Do you think he'd be disappointed in you?" He asked, still grinning horribly.
"Wowie Flowey, it's like you WANT me to tear the petals off your empty little head," said Papyrus feigning amazement.
Flowey giggled and continued their patrol in silence. Papyrus was the only person capable of destroying him for good, but he was also the only person who was willing to put up with his shit. Flowey had to act nice with all the other monsters, but he could relax around Papyrus. He could be his sarcastic, hateful little self without fear of judgment. They had the same sense of humor and they both hated most of the Underground. Not because they enjoyed acting like cliché super villains, but because they could see through everyone's self-righteous bullshit. Even with the constant resets he had to do whenever he started to wilt and die, Papyrus was hard to tire of.
Rounding a corner, the pair suddenly heard footsteps echoing loudly through the corridor. Fast footsteps.
They both knew what that meant.
A human.
A soul.
Showtime.
"Howdy! I'm Flowey! Flowey the-OH MY GOD!"
The human child swung down at Flowey on sight; however their knife, instead of carving through his frail body, ended up bouncing off a bone.
Papyrus had blocked their attack.
"STAY YOUR HAND HUMAN! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM HERE TO ASSIST YOU!" called Papyrus striking a heroic pose.
"You just shushed ME for yelling; why are you doing it?"
The human swung again, this time at Papyrus. They clearly weren't interested in chatting.
"CALM YOURSELF HUMAN!"
"KNOCK IT OFF BRAT!"
Papyrus dodged each swing of the blade with ease, and continued to try and calm the child whilst Flowey began pulling his vines up from the ground.
"WE MEAN YOU NO HARM!" cried Papyrus as the knife came down.
Slash...
Miss...
Slash...
Miss...
Slash...
.........
Nothing.
The child's knife dropped from their hand to the ground as Flowey's vines tightened around them.
"What's wrong buddy? Having trouble brrrreeeathing? HAHAHAHAHA!" The vines tightened around the child as the deranged plant laughed manically.
CHOMP!
"AH!"
With the last of their strength, the human child had bit into one of the vines holding him in a desperate attempt to get free, earning himself a free trip down, down, down, into the Old City.
Whoops.
"Well that one's dead," said Flowey nonchalantly as he peered over the edge and into the dark abyss below.
"Way to go," replied Papyrus sarcastically.
"We needed their soul anyway," said Flowey, as he rubbed the spot where the child had bit him with a leaf.
"I'm not fetching it for you."
Flowey shrugged. "I'm sure there's some monsters living there that'll find it and take it to the old fool. Sucks for me though. Reeeally could've used that soul."
"You could use some self control too," Papyrus teased.
"It bit me!" exclaimed Flowey loudly. He glared at Papyrus as if he were the most insensitive prick in the world.
"Three souls down, five to go."
That was then but this was now.
Now they only needed TWO souls.