Papyrus wasn't too surprised to find he slept in.
Yesterday had been a very eventful, everything from moving, to their late night chat. It had been taxing on the both of them. Sans was still asleep, skull still resting on his chest. The taller skeleton was careful as he moved the other from him and onto the pillows, to let the other sleep in a while longer. Papyrus headed down the stairs, to the kitchen to help with the chores.
Toriel was sitting at the table, frowning in concentration at her knitting.
" Good Morning, Mother! How Are You?" He greeted, giving her a quick embrace before heading over to the still-full sink. The skeleton began on his duty of finishing the dishes.
" I am well, my child. I do believe this is the longest you've ever slept in. Even Alphys woke up before you" Toriel commented, smiling at the groan the statement caused.
" I do believe you soon will become a boneified lazy bones" She continued. Papyrus's groan became more of a scream in nature at the pun.
" I May Of Slept In Today, But!! I Am No Lazy Bones!" Papyrus protested. The goat monster chuckled at his protests, continuing to knit in a less serious mood.
" Your friend, Sans, he.... is awful skittish. The poor dear" She sighed, " does he have any idea of what he wants to do? have you two talked about a possible leg prosthetic?"
" Sans...... Has Had A Hard Life. He Said That, For Now, He Wants To Stay With Us" Papyrus informed, hoping she wouldn't catch onto the fondness in his voice. It was bad enough that Undyne and Alphys were teasing him, he would prefer it if his mother didn't tease him as well. If the knowing chuckle heard behind him meant anything, Toriel did catch onto it.
" As For The Bone Replacement? It Hasn't Come Up Yet, But I Will Be Sure To Tell Him About It! What Are Undyne And Alphys Doing?" Papyrus changed the subject to avoid a potential talk of feelings. She let it slip for now, thankfully.
" They are bringing in the boxes. Undyne said that you do not have to worry about helping them, seeing as they left you to do all the dishes. Are you and Sans hungry? I could begin making dinner"
" D-Dinner? Did We Really Sleep In That Late?!" Papyrus was briefly panicked, but the grin on her face answered his question. He sighed dramatically at her antics.
" I'm sorry dear" she chuckled, " would you like to help me when it is time? It was been quite awhile since we've cooked together. Perhaps you can convince Sans to join us, too?"
" I Would Love To! I Will Ask Him. Speaking Of, I Suppose I Should Go Wake Him, We're Going To Explore Dad's Garden" Papyrus informed, she gave a nod. With the dishes done, the tall skeleton headed back up the stairs to the room the two were sharing.
Sans was still curled underneath the blankets. He looked more rested than he had before, which was good. Sleep would help with the healing process, after all. Papyrus was gentle as he shook the other awake, Sans frowned up at him in confusion.
"Good Morning. Are You Hungry?" He asked. Sans shook his head, still denying food. Papyrus would let it slide this time, seeing as they would be having dinner in only a couple of hours. Maybe he'd be able to convince the other to eat a snack, later.
" Remember How You Said You Liked The Surface Flowers?"
Sans frowned in thought, attempting to recall the day before. He nodded, confused still.
" My Dad Has A Flower Garden. I Thought That, Maybe, You'd Like To See It? Only If You Want To, Of Course" Papyrus offered. The taller had wanted something to put the other in a better mood, and it seemed he succeeded, seeing how the other's eyelights grew brighter at the offer. Sans nodded and pushed himself into a sitting position, Papyrus handed the crutches to him. He was impressed at how well the siren was getting used to using them to walk, and though he lacked the stamina to go very far, Sans rarely ever tripped.
Papyrus carried Sans down the steps before he set the siren down to walk with him to the backyard.
Asgore met them outside, towering over the two. He wiped dirt on his pants and jolted when he noticed the two skeletons.
" Oh my! Hello, Papyrus, Sans. It is good to see you are awake. Did you come to see the garden? It has changed much since you left, son" Asgore spoke, voice slow and comforting as it always had been. Papyrus smiled at his dad and nodded. Sans moved closer to him in an attempt to hide behind him, a move the goat dad didn't miss.
" Ah, I should go get cleaned up. Perhaps I will give you a tour later?" Asgore questioned, knowing of the smaller's fear. The taller skeleton was grateful for that.
" Sure! Sans And I Are Going To Look Around" Papyrus informed.
" Have fun you two" The goat dad chuckled warmly before entering the house. The duo headed toward the flower garden, which, was most of the backyard. It had changed quite a lot since the last time he was here. Asgore had used to only plant a single type of flower, the kind he used to make a naturally sweet home-made tea. Golden Flowers, the strand of buttercups infused with magic, which made it less deadly and more edible.
There were far many different kinds of flowers now. In all sorts of vibrant colors, even a few echo flowers that grew near the fish pond. Sans perked up at the sight of the flowers, eyelights bright and curious. Papyrus was glad to answer any question he had, which was a lot, considering Sans hadn't much chance to be outside on the surface. They explored the outer edges of the garden, before heading towards the small fish pond to take a rest.
It, too, was well taken care of. The fish inside swam languidly, carefree of the world above. Sans leaned forward to watch them, looking almost hungry. Papyrus briefly wondered how he'd explain that the smaller skeleton ate their fish, but to his luck, the siren turned his attention to the trees.
' those are?' He questioned. The taller followed the other's gaze, which was trained on a finch.
" That Is A Bird, A Finch, To Be Accurate" Papyrus shared.
Sans looked puzzled, ' i thought that birds were black?'
The only other bird he had had the chance to show Sans was a crow, it did make sense that the other might assume all birds were the same.
" That Was A Bird Too, But It Was A Crow. Just Like Fish, There Are Many, Many Different Kinds Of Birds" Papyrus explained in a way the other would understand. Sans nodded, watching the bird fly off.
' are they colorful too?'
" Mhm! There Are Very Colorful Birds, Birds That Are As Colorful As Parrot Fish." Though, in his opinion, Parrot fish were often more stunning. But maybe he was just biased toward sea-life. Sans nodded, smile falling briefly at the thought of the ocean. Papyrus couldn't help but wonder if there were things the other missed. Not the people, but the sights. The vibrant fish, the endless blue.... Homesickness hurt. He couldn't imagine not having a place to go back to.
Movement caught his attention once more. Sans looked concerned, and repeated his question.
'are you okay?'
" Yes! Sorry, I Just Got Distracted" Papyrus smiled, soul feeling a bit warmer at the other's care. Sans didn't look like he quite believed him, but let it slide. The siren gestured toward the echo flowers in question.
" That's An Echo Flower! If They Pick Up A Sound, The Flower Will Repeat it!" Papyrus informed, scooting closer to one of the flowers to demonstrate. Sans looked awed when the flower echoed the taller's voice. After a few more demonstrations, the two continued on the tour of the backyard garden. They made their way through the remaining rows slowly, for Sans's sake.
When they returned inside, the house was surprisingly not chaotic. Had Undyne and Alphys gone somewhere? Toriel was still knitting in the kitchen, though Asgore had joined her now. It was one of their many hobbies they shared. The love birds would knit together on their days off from work, such as today.
" If you are wondering why nothing has been burned down, I asked Alphys and Undyne to go grocery shopping. I do hope they do not cause too much trouble there, however" Toriel sighs, most likely recalling all their interesting tales of being kicked out of certain stores.
" Would you like to help me cook? We have enough ingredients to make another meat pie" Toriel asked as she stood, ditching the scarf she was knitting for the moment. Papyrus turned to his smaller companion.
" Do You Want To Sit On The Counter To Watch, Sans?" Papyrus offered, he remembered that Sans had enjoyed it last time. Maybe it would provide a way to see that the two goat monsters didn't mean the siren any harm? Sans's eyelights flickered over to the other two before he hesitantly nodded. Papyrus rested the crutches against the counter before lifting Sans and putting him on the counter next to where they would be working.
While the smaller skeleton was tense for the first few minutes, he slowly began to relax. His curiosity was winning over his caution, and soon he openly watched the process.
" Pie see you are interested in what we are doing" Toriel joked. Sans jumped, looking startled at the sudden attention, before he thought over her words. And huffed a small laugh.
" Noooooo How Could You Like Puns??? I Feel Betrayed" Papyrus joined in, earning another laugh from the smaller.
" It seems our guest just has good 'taste'" She continued. Asgore let out a long suffering sigh, in an attempt to pretend he wasn't just as amused by their antics.
" I Do Believe You Meant Your Jokes Are Tasteless, Because They Are"
" I think it is 'Meat' that sans enjoys my humor" Toriel returned, challenging him with her expertize of puns.
" Please Desist! This Is Not Humor!" Papyrus groaned. Now, he did have a love of puns, but if he was to encourage her, she would never stop. Not that she ever stopped, anyhow. But she gave in for now. With the pie crust and other ingredients ready, they set the pie into the oven to cook.
The front door slammed open, " We're Back! And we didn't get arrested this time!"
Undyne and Alphys joined them in the kitchen, setting the grocery bags on the empty areas of the table.
" W-we ran into the Dogi, They were surprised we were in town" Alphys shared as she took a seat beside Asgore. Papyrus helped Undyne put the grocery's away, a task that didn't take too long with their combined effort.
" We haven't told anyone that you three have returned, yet. It... Is better to be safe than sorry. We know our neighbors mean well, but if others outside our community hear of this..." Asgore trailed off, trying to think of how to phrase his words.
" What you mean is, some punk might connect the dots? A missing siren and a few employees who just quit, only for said employees to show up with a new stranger? It'd be suspicious to anyone" Undyne frowned, looking displeased by the conversation.
" T-thats true, but... I don't think theres been anything in the n-news about us, y-yet? I haven't seen anything" Alphys commented, the lizard monster looked nervous.
There wasn't anything in the news yet? That was.... odd. Or maybe not. Perhaps they had realized the amount of trouble they would be in if they did try to pursue them? With the sheer amount of malpractice, their charges of "theft" and hacking would be forgotten or punished very mildly.
" I have not heard anything either, but that does not mean they will not put something up. You four should lie low for a while, who knows whom might be looking for you?" Toriel looked to them in concern, fearing for their safety as she always did. Sans frowned at the news, just as off put at the last statement.
" If someone comes after us, Paps and I will kick their ass! Don't worry so much, goat mama" Undyne grinned, her brash nature was comforting in it's own way.
" B-but, w-what if someone comes after T-toriel and Asgore? Or s-sans? Or me?" Alphys wrung her clawed hands anxiously.
" Toriel can kick ass, Asgore can just, like, hug them unconscious, Sans nearly drowned someone and bit someone else's finger off, so I'm pretty sure he's fine, and you've taken self-defense classes with us! Plus, we never go alone. We always have backup! It'll be fine, Al. I promise, hun" Undyne comforted her lover, and pressed her lips against the other's muzzle in a quick kiss. One that made the lizard monster's face flush red with embarrassment-- she squeaked out a "thank you."
" I know you can take care of yourselves, but I cannot help but worry about my children. But let us dwell on this matter at another time, this is no talk for dinner" Toriel sighed, but she seemed a bit more at ease from Undyne's words. Sans didn't seem any more assured. Papyrus wouldn't let anything happen to his friend, reaching out to offer a comforting pet, one that was accepted gladly.
It wasn't too long before the timer rung, signaling it was time to eat. Papyrus brought Sans over to the table, where the group of monsters ate dinner in a relatively peaceful mood. After they had finished, and did the new dishes, the two skeletons headed upstairs to do some reading before bed.
It had been awhile since they had had the chance to do so. It would be a relaxing before-bed activity, as well as a chance to share a few of his favorite books with the smaller. Papyrus chose the first book on the pile, one of his favorites, " The Adventures Of Fluffy Bunny", to begin with. Sans leaned against his side as he read, sockets closed as he listened.
The other soon slipped into unconsciousness. The taller continued reading until he felt his own tiredness. He ditched the book on the floor, shifted Sans into a more comfortable position to sleep, before he got up and turned off the lights.
Today had been a good day.
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It had been about a week since they had moved back to their hometown.
Papyrus and the others had taken Toriel's advice about laying-low. No one yet knew Papyrus had returned as well, but it couldn't stay that way forever. After a week of no activity outside of the home, they were beginning to feel restless. Nothing had happened, there was no one who came after them, nothing on the news of their "theft", no sign that the business would be coming after them at all. It had been a week of nothing, and after a brief discussion, they decided it would be alright to go out into public, long as they never went alone.
They had a few fun activities planned today! Such as clothes shopping for Sans. While the smaller was comfortable in the baggy clothes, it would probably be easier to walk if he didn't need to stop to pull his shorts up every now and then. The other thing they had planned was eating out at the local restaurant, Grillbz. They were not going to eat inside, as Papyrus could hardly stand the place, but they were going to pick something up.
While Sans was uncomfortable around strangers, he had agreed to go out, his own restlessness winning over his fear. Papyrus planned to keep an non-existent eye on him though, to make sure he didn't get too overwhelmed.
" Sans And I Will Be Waiting In The Car For You Slow Pokes!" Papyrus called into the house before shutting the door behind him. Sans followed him to the car. In these past few days, the siren had had plenty of time to practice using the crutches. It was good for him, he no longer needed as many breaks while walking.
It didn't take too long before the other two joined them in the car, and they headed toward the mall. It was a new expansion, finished being built a year after they had left for college. There was bound to be a store that had clothes that were stylish, and that fit, for all of them.
The minute they were out of the car, strangers had noticed them. Those who recognized them were curious about their newest companion, those who didn't were either curious about monsters, or were curious on why Sans had to walk with crutches. Papyrus couldn't blame them too much for being curious, he just wished they weren't rude enough to unapologetically stare. Sans walked as close to his side as possible in an attempt to be out of other's sights. Undyne's well-aimed glares helped drive some off, at least.
It wasn't too busy inside the building. It was a Tuesday afternoon, so most people were out at work. Most people only sent a glance their way before continuing on, thankfully. It took a while, but eventually they found a store that had all of their sizes. Papyrus and Undyne were a bit taller than the average tall human, but monsters tended to have a much bigger range for heights, so there were plenty of clothes. They bought clothes for Sans first, a few pairs of shorts and sweatpants they found that fit in the child's section, as well as a blue, star-patterned skirt that Alphys had picked out. Alphys had bought a dress for herself, Undyne had decided she didn't want anything, and Papyrus had bought jean shorts, simply because they were on sale.
It was while walking to the car when they spotted monsters they recognized. The rabbit family, in other words, the biggest gossips around. They briefly took a detour to avoid them. With the shopping done, they headed to Grillbz.
Sans was beginning to look tired, overwhelmed by the amount of new people and things. It must of been very odd, to see these things. Before coming to the surface, the siren had never worn clothes before, stores such as these probably weren't even a concept. Undyne seemed to pick up on the smaller's distress, as she took a few extra turns to make the drive a bit longer. Papyrus made a note to thank her later.
They pulled into the parking lot.
" D-do you want to stay in the car with me? Undyne and Papyrus can p-pick up our orders" Alphys offered Sans, who hesitated before he shook his head. Papyrus wasn't sure if it was a good idea for him to push himself, but he wasn't going to argue. Alphys followed them in too, not wanting to be alone in the car.
The chatter grew a bit quieter when the local monsters noticed they had entered.
" Papyrus! You're back as well? It's been so long dear!" Dogressa spoke up the moment she saw him, getting to her feet to pull him into a hug. The officer Dogs would take lunch breaks here, so he wasn't too surprised that he ran into them here. Dogamy, Greater, Doggo, and Lesser all offered their own greetings from their shared table. The dogi noticed their newest member of their group.
" Oh, hello there. My name is Dogressa, what is your's, pup?" She questioned, offering a smile toward Sans. Sans tried to sign a reply, but after seeing how his hands shook, the smaller gave up and looked to Papyrus for help.
" This Is Sans. We Moved Back Here After Something At Work" Papyrus shared, hoping that he didn't sound mean. There was just... quite a lot they couldn't share about their situation.
" Oh, yes, I heard that something had happened. Well, I won't keep you any longer. Have a nice night, lovebirds" Dogressa smiled at his blush as she returned to her seat. Was he really that obvious? He sent a glance to Sans, flushing harder at the grin across the other's skull. Did... Did Sans know? Maybe he should confess... or maybe not. Papyrus decided to worry about that later, and attempted to shake off his embarrassment as they approached the register.
The fire monster seemed glad to see them, he had most likely overheard their conversation with the Dogi.
" It has been awhile since you three have been here, far too long. How are you all faring?" Grillby questioned, setting down the glass he was cleaning to give them his full attention.
" We've been doing well, how are you and Fuku? I think she's in high school now, isn't she?" Undyne asked.
" Yes, she is in her second year. Fuku has been doing well, as have I" The bartender answered, before he turned his attention to the smaller skeleton, "You are... Sans, correct? It is nice to meet you."
Sans nodded shyly under the attention. Grillby understood the other's shyness all too well, being the quiet type.
" What would you like to order?" Grillby shifted the attention off of the siren.
" Four Burgers And A Side Of Fries, Please."
They were also picking up dinner for his parents. Papyrus didn't like fries, but he felt the siren would, since they could be slathered in ketchup and not be overly disgusting.
"... For here or to go?"
" To Go, Please!"
They sat at the bar while waiting for their order, which thankfully didn't take too long to be finished. After they had paid for their meal, the group left the rather noisy establishment and finally headed home to enjoy their horribly greasy meal. At home, Papyrus was equally as disgusted as he was pleased that Sans had found another food he liked.
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It had been two days since their big outing.
To their relief, no one had come after them. They were beginning to believe the company was avoiding the inevitable lawsuit on their hands if they tried anything. It was a major relief to Papyrus, that his friends and family were safe.
Unfortunately, the outing could only hold back his restlessness for a short time. The taller skeleton was already itching to go outside, to the park or something. Sans's curious nature was also making the smaller restless.
" Papyrus, my child, If you and Sans are looking to get out of the house, there are some groceries that need to be picked up" Toriel informed, a folded paper list in hand. The goat monster had planned on asking Asgore, but the two skeleton monsters seemed rather energetic. She had figured the two would appreciate the task more, anyhow.
" As Your Child, It Is My Duty! We Will Be Back In A Jiffy!" Papyrus exclaimed, giving her a mock salute before he grabbed the paper. Sans was laying on the floor of the living room, uninterested in the anime Alphys was introducing both him and Asgore to. Undyne sat on the couch's armrest, like a barbarian.
" Hey, Sans, Do You Want To Go To The Grocery Store With Me?" The taller questioned. Sans sat up, a confused expression across his skull.
' where?' he asked.
It took him a moment to realize that was another thing that probably didn't exist under the sea.
" Oh, It's Where You Buy Food. Sort Of Similar To Grillbz, But... Also Very Different? It Is A Bit Hard To Explain" Papyrus attempted to explain. How did one explain the differences? One serves food, the other sells ingredients, perhaps? Luckily, Sans didn't seem to mind his lack of proper explanation as he nodded, already moving to use the couch to stand.
" O-oh, uh, are you sure it's a g-good idea to go with just you two? N-not that you couldn't hold your own, but... you know? J-just in case?" Alphys frowned in concern, bringing her hands up to her chest anxiously. Papyrus hesitated, maybe it was better to have someone else go with them? Undyne scoffed, non-rudely, from her position on the couch.
" I dunno, I think they'll be fine" Undyne shrugged. Asgore nodded his agreement, though it didn't serve to make Alphys any less worried.
" I Think It Will Be Fine, It's Just A Quick Stop. We'll Be Right Back! Are You Ready, Sans?"
At the siren's nod, the two headed for the door. The drive there wasn't long at all, distance wise, they probably could've walked there. Realistically, the distance was far too long for the smaller, not to mention they would have to carry groceries. Once inside the store, they paused to check out the list. The list wasn't too long; milk, eggs, cereal, and a few brands of pasta. The two monsters made their way around the store, pausing occasionally to point things out to Sans, or to answer any questions. It was nice, most people were too busy with their own business to bother staring.
' are these eggs 'egg-actly' what you were looking for?' Sans asked. Papyrus stared at him for a long moment, attempting to decipher what the other was saying. The siren had to repeat it twice before he understood the terrible pun, and snorted in laughter. Mortified, the taller slapped a hand to his mouth.
" I Can't Believe That Made Me Laugh! Have My Joke Standards Fallen So Low?" He groaned. Sans grinned and nodded, gesturing to the poorly hidden smile on his skull.
" Don't Remind Me" Papyrus sighed as he picked up the last item on their list.
The worker behind the register was kind, but almost uncomfortably conversational, up until they had asked if Sans was his "Son." Did he really look that old, or was it because Sans was so short?? But at least the siren found the mistake hilarious, which was better than offended he supposed.
They were headed towards the car when it occurred to Papyrus that they might of forgotten to pick up cereal. The taller skeleton turned toward Sans to ask whether or not they had picked a box.
There was a loud ringing.
When did he get on the ground?
The near-blinding agony in his skull hit him next. His body felt heavy, even his thoughts were sluggish. How did he get to the ground? How did he get hurt? The skeleton brought a shaky hand to the source of the pain, flinching away when he made contact. Papyrus's phalanges were stained red with his marrow.
Someone unfamiliar was knelt by his side, blurred face panicked. He couldn't make out their words over the ringing in his skull, but he could make out that they were talking on a phone. Was sans okay? Did he get hurt too? Papyrus glanced around, searching for his friend.
Sans was nowhere to be seen.