Archive of Our Own ^beta

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     Was it strange that he was getting used to this? That about once a week he would dream about a strange human. The dreams were so vivid and real, yet intangible. The dreams were always a bit different but always the same human woman in strange clothes and in a strange home. And the most important thing was that in these weekly dreams she was always drunk.

     Was it weird that he also enjoyed her company? She would mutter things to him. Talking about how much she wanted to strangle people at work for idiotic questions, or about what she should paint next when she had enough money for more canvases. Almost all of the things she talked about were trivial and peaceful but his favorite part was when she got really drunk. She’d start slurring about how pretty his eyes were or try to touch him only to fail and fall though him and onto the couch.

     The first time she did accidental magic though almost made him jump out of his metaphorical skin. It was his third visit and she had a mason jar full of moonshine on her coffee table, taking an occasional swig and was obviously determined that she’d touch him that day, if only so she can steal his cigar. He had to admit that he was a bit disappointed that her tiny little frame just went through him instead of pressing against him as he held his cigar aloft to taunt her closer.

     So when she let out a cute little hiccup and wound up on the other side of the room he understandably jumped. The poor thing looked so confused as she was now sitting on her tiny little mattress. She giggled as she looked back at him, asking him to do it again before another hiccup made a couch pillow fly across the room and smack her in the face. Despite the shock, watching her tumble backward onto the bed from the force of the pillow was enough to send him into a fit of hysterics.

     She had been so adorably indignant about his laughter that she had gotten to her wobbly feet, crossed the room and failed at trying to smother him with said pillow. Not that she could do much while he was standing, she could only be about five feet tall at max, and when you pair that next to his almost eight foot frame she could barely reach his face. Not that it stopped the little lady from trying.

     This had been going on for almost a year now and he found out a bunch of things about her and her home from her drunk ramblings. The most interesting, for him at least, was the year. He knew that for him it was around the year 1922 on the surface, according to all the calendars that got washed down to the dumps. But for his little kitten it was 2019, almost a century into the future. He had asked about monsters and she talked about this funny bunny monster at her job she nicknamed Hops cause she was apparently horrible with names.

     He had asked how the monsters got free but she said she couldn’t remember. She had never been good at history, too many names, she said. He found it hilarious considering she could tell you the scientific name of any fish species off the top of her head and go into deep scientific discussions about the ocean.

     He had a feeling her memory was only good at remembering things that interested her, which was good for him cause unlike with other people she always remembers his name. Though she occasionally calls him Big Red. He had made an innuendo about how if she could figure out how to touch him he’d give her his big red and she had been a flustered mess the rest of that night.

     But tonight he had noticed something new. Again she was trying to touch him, but when she first stoked her hand out he shivered as a small tingle settled in her wake. He had felt her but she didn’t seem to notice, her slightly glazed eyes narrowing in drunken focus. She was using her magic, and with how unpredictable her magic was, this was not a good idea. She had denied having any abilities when he asked, told him, ‘Humans don’t have magic, silly!’.

     He really wished he could touch her right now so he could stop her hands as they reached out to try again, the soft minty color of her magic sparking on her hands. Years of unconsciously suppressed magic bubbling to the surface while her more logical mind was dulled with alcohol. And that worried him.

     “tha’s not a good idea doll. i know ya wanna sit in ol’ sansy’s lap but tha’s not the way ta go ‘bout it”

     She jerked her hand back and looked up at him with wide startled eyes, red creeping across her face and down her neck. Oh he really wanted to know how far that red went. Star’s she was so damn innocent it hurt, with how easy it was to fluster her he was sure she’d never had a sexual partner in her life. But it would seem that teasing her tonight was not what he should have done.

     She stuttered at him for a few moments, turning redder by the second before shoving her hands outwards towards him. “Stop teasing me you jerk!” But her hands didn’t go through him, not this time. He felt her tiny hands impact his ribs, followed by the tingling spark of magic, before he woke up with a jolt in his room. He could still feel the pleasant tingle of her magic on his ribs. She had touched him! Really touched him! He couldn’t wait for the next visit.

XXXXX

     Darkness had consumed her after she had shoved Sans away and it felt like she was being tugged along somewhere but it was just so dark that she couldn't figure out where. For a brief moment it had felt like she was falling, the vague notion of pain as everything stopped and something sweet smelling and soft beneath her. She may have caught glimpses of golden petals but everything faded as she fell into a deep slumber.

Chapter Text

     She groaned, rubbing at her face as she rolled over. The hangover from her once a week solo drinking party hitting her like a brick to the head. She didn’t want to get up, hell she didn’t even want to open her eyes. She just wanted to curl up and be a potato for today but she couldn’t. She had work later today so that meant she had to get up and shake off her hangover before her shift. She moved to push herself up but froze when her hands didn’t meet a mattress, and her eyes snapped open despite her headache. She was not in her bed and a quick glance around proved that she was not in her apartment.

     “Oh, Cthulhu damn it.”

     She seemed to be in a cave of some kind, the only light filtering in from a hole high up on the cave ceiling. And instead of a mattress she was sprawled out on a patch of, now crushed, golden flowers. What did she do last night?!

     She remembers talking to Sans, whom she was very sure was a figment of her imagination brought to life by booze and what’s left of her sanity slipping away. It definitely didn’t help that the monster was not only intangible but he looked, talked, and acted like someone who had stepped out of a time capsule.

     She’s lived in New York City her entire life and not once had anyone ever called her toots. Then tall, dark and smoky shows up one day and now she responds to it like it’s her own damn name. It must be the Elder Ones punishing her for all the nicknames she’s given people over the years.

     But gods did she need to remember what had happened last night. She had finally cracked open the jug of mead she had made months ago and had left to age. The sweet honey wine was her favorite and impossible to find in the liquor stores near her apartment so she made it herself. Two glasses in and half a sketch of a seagull done was around when Sans had shown up.

     She always knew when he popped up simply from the pleasant smell of his cigar smoke. Even if he wasn’t smoking at the time the scent still clung to him like a miasma. It reminded her of black cherries, burning oak, and tobacco. She loved that smell.

     But after two glasses of mead she was already pretty drunk, and her welcome had been enthusiastic. She had tried to hug him again… and failed, again. She remembers maybe drinking a bit more and trying to get her hands on him. Gods she wished she could get her hands on him one day if only to beat him over the head with a pillow. But if she was being honest with herself she really wanted to know what he felt like. If his suit was as nice as it looked and were his bones smooth or rough?

     He had plenty of scars on his bones so she had a running bet that his bones were definitely rougher by the scars and on his hands. But he also had this long crack going from his gold fang and up past his eye socket. Bet anything it had a sharp edge.

     She also vaguely remembers him taunting her, and… Did she really push him away? She can almost still feel the smooth silk of his waistcoat and the hard press of bones underneath. Then everything went dark.

     Oh gods… What if he wasn’t a monster and he was actually Death? She’d had Death as a house guest and when she finally touched him she died. Was this hell? No. No stop that. This wasn’t hell. She hadn’t done anything worth going to hell for other than starting to swear to Cthulhu to piss off the local church. Bastards harassed everyone. They apparently didn’t understand the meaning of ‘live and let live’.

     No, she definitely wasn’t dead. The dead don’t get hangovers. Well at least she hopes the dead don’t get hangovers, that’d suck.

     With a weary sigh she pushed herself to her feet and cautiously started forward. Using her slow pace to allow her eyes time to adjust to the darkness in front of her. There was just enough light to see the path ahead but was still dark enough to conceal obstacles in her way. It was like someone was asking for her clumsy ass to trip and break her neck.

     When she finally got to the next room she was greeted by more light filtering down on a battered looking flower… A battered flower that was crying. Oh dear. It would seem she’s stumbled on a monster that needed some kind of comfort. Her problem? She sucked at comforting people she didn’t know. This was going to suck but damn it all she wasn’t just going to ignore the little fella.

     With a sigh she stepped towards the little thing. “H-hey there… You okay little buddy?” She really hadn’t expected the shriek he let out so she stumbled back a few steps, hands raised in a pacifying gesture. She really hadn’t meant to scare the little thing. “Woah hey. It’s okay.”

     If he wasn’t so beat up he’d be adorable, what with that cute flowery face of his. It also didn’t help that he was looking at her as if she were the devil himself. “Oh no! You shouldn’t be here!” her eyes narrowed at him a bit. “Why’s that?”

     “What do you mean why’s that?! You’re a human!” Was this a racism thing? “Sooo? I mean yeah, I’m a human, obviously. And you’re a tiny flower monster. What’s the big deal?”

     Oh. The blank looks have started already. There was obviously some kind of miscommunication going on here. She hated miscommunication. “You know what monsters are?.... Human never know what monsters are when they fall into the Underground… How long have you been down here?”

     “The underground? As in THE Underground? What are you talking about kid? The Underground has been open for almost a hundred years now. What in Dagon’s name are you still doing down here?” Better question what was she doing down here? Ebbot was upstate. There was no way her drunk ass got upstate by herself.

     “Don’t futz with me you screwy broad! That’s a load of hooey! The Barrier is still there!” Holy batman! There was no need for the little guy to yell! Also, she didn’t appreciate being called a liar. She rummaged in her pockets for a moment before grabbing her iphone. “Look here little dude. The barrier fell in the 1920’s and last I checked it was 2019. Here look.” She lit up the screen of her phone, the background picture of a galaxy, and displayed the large white time and date to the little flower. February 19^th, 2019 - 4:30pm. Oh, well damn, she missed her work shift.

     She was not expecting the kid to snag the phone out of her hand, nor did she understand the starry eyed look he was giving both the phone and her. It was actually a little unnerving. “This is a real… You’re a time traveler.” Oh god kid. Don’t look at her like that. She has no defense for cute things. “What are you talking about kid?” At this point it was easy to slip her phone out of his little vines. “The year is 1922.” She fumbled her phone before her head snapped towards the little monster.

     “Excuse me? What? No.” Ah hell nah. Nope. No thank you.

     The kid looked ready to argue with her again before the sound of footsteps approaching echoed from down the cavern. “Oh no! I’ve got to go! Don’t Die!” Then the flower kid popped back into the earth like he was never there in the first place. Wait. What did he mean don’t die?!

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     He looked around the apartment with a fond smirk stretched across his face. It’s been quite some time since he’d been here, a year to be exact. And now that his pretty kitten had finally left on her ‘trip’, he could stop by and pick up that little toy he ‘accidently’ dropped the last time he came through.

     That didn’t stop him from looking around though, poking through the clutter that had accumulated over time, and maybe even grab that jug of mead still sitting innocently on her coffee table. Her bed was just as disheveled as always, sheets and comforter kicked to a tangled heap at the foot of the twin sized mattress and her hoard of pillows scattered across the top. He chuckled when he saw the life sized sea turtle plush wedged up against the wall. He might snag that on his way out.

     Her games and dvds were neatly stacked under an old tv and several sketchbooks cluttered the top of the entertainment center. He couldn’t help but leaf though one of them and chuckled at all the different drawings of fish and marine life. He knew if he looked all the other sketchbooks would be similar.

     Her paintings were rarely ever of fish though, he stopped in front of the pile of canvas stacked in the corner. There was an occasional ocean painting or flowers but most of her paintings were vivid sunsets with striking silhouettes or fields of stars, galaxies and planets. Several of her favorites had wound up on her walls but so many just sat in the corner piling up.

     He stepped back about to get back on track when something caught his eye. There behind the dingy old recliner was something wrapped in a sheet. That was new. Reaching forward he pulled it out, it felt like a canvas. His soul jumped when he pulled the dusty sheet off it and a wicked grin split his face.

     “oh, doll…” It was a painting of him and it wasn’t a simple, static painting either. He was lounging in a wingback chair, cigar in hand and surrounded by deep red smoke. But the best part was how she had shadowed his eyes with a fedora, the red of his eyelights almost seeming to glow from the painting. He was quick to wrap it back up. This was coming with him.

     He didn’t even put it down when he quickly made his way into her kitchenette. A flair of red magic opened the cabinet under the sink and with a quick reach he pulled the little device from the bottom of the basin. He gave a low chuckle as he pocketed it then headed back to the living room.

     His phone rang as he used some more magic to gather the things he planned on taking and he answered with a smirk.

     “hey…. yeah, i got it…. hehehe, just snaggin’ a few otha things while i’m here…….. aw well now tha’s hurtful, i’m always on mah best behavior…….. hehehehe fair nuff.”

     And with a snap of boney fingers he, and all the things he’d gathered, were gone. The tiny studio apartment once again lifeless.

XXXXXXXXXX

     No this was not real. No. She refused. She was not a hundred years in the past! And she most definitely wasn’t hiding behind an outcropping of stone while an angry goat woman storms past her into the room she woke up in. As soon as it was clear she darted out and quickly ran further into the ruins. If she remembered correctly from her monster history class then this place was full of traps and puzzles. Very unforgiving puzzles. This was going to suck.

     Damn it she should have paid more attention in history classes! She’d bet her xbox that they went over the types of puzzles and their solutions in those classes but noooo, she was too busy doodling anatomy diagrams for her marine biology teacher in her history class!

     She skidded to a halt at a door with seven large protruding stones laid out in front of it and a cracked marble plaque next to it. With a nervous breath she skirted around the room to get a better look at the plaque and squinted as she read it over in her head.

     “Walk not the middle path?” Her eyes drifted to the seven stones on the floor and despite all her logic’s protest looked up. There were large metal spikes hanging from the ceiling. A whine escaped her but she steeled her nerves and approached the puzzle. This isn’t that hard she just had to… Not walk the middle path? So don’t step on the stones in the center. Got it. She could do this! Oh who is she fucking kidding she was going to die! But she would at least face her death with some damn courage!

     With a shaky swallow she stepped onto the first stone to the left… She was still alive! Ok! Step between the two in the middle then step on the first one to the right… Oh boy. Still not dead. Good. Next, top right and she still breathing. This was it. The last stone to step on. If she got this wrong those metal spikes would fall and impale her. Deep breaths. She can do this. One step between the middle stones, then with a swallow, stepped on the top left.

     The sound of a lock shifting and the large stone doors creaking made her jump and her eyes shoot towards the ceiling but the spikes hadn’t moved and the way forward was now open. With a teary laugh she quickly and carefully went through the now open passageway deeper into the ruins. The next room was made of a dark marble, covered in dead leaves and old cobwebs.

     Opposite the door was, an ancient, grand marble staircase that curved around each side of the room and lead up to an impressive archway. She was sure that a long time ago these stairs had held great significance, but now age and neglect have left them cracked and crumbling. It was heart breaking to look at them. She was literally looking at the ruins of a great civilization that had been brought to its knees by the petty fears of humans.

     She was so caught up in the feelings that the ruins brought to her that she had stopped paying attention to her surroundings. So she didn’t hear the footsteps coming back down the hall. Nor did she hear them pick up speed as they approached the still open doors of the ‘middle path’ puzzle.

     So it’s to no one’s surprise when she jumped as a massive furry hand settled on her shoulder. She turned bleary eyes up towards the goat woman, whose expression was stern and calculating. “My child it is not safe to wander down here unsupervised.”

     She felt so small next to the woman, barely came up to her hip. She was definitely a boss monster. Monsters came in all shapes and sizes but all boss monsters were huge. It had something to do with the amount of raw magical power they possessed. And this woman was huge, probably a bit over ten feet tall.

     She didn’t protest as the large white monster started to push her forward. The last thing she wanted to do was try to argue with a magical power house. “Come along child. Let’s get you through the ruins and to your new home safely.”

Chapter Text

     She wasn’t sure if she should be happy to have the boss monster guiding her through the ruins or panicking at the almost crushing grip the woman had on her shoulder. The puzzles and traps were brutal and unforgiving. She knew without a doubt that she would have died if she had attempted some of them alone and without guidance. It would seem that monster’s were very fond of traps that would impale you, should you get the wrong solution.

     But it wasn’t just the puzzles. She had passed quite a few monsters and they did not look happy to see her. She could understand, they were all imprisoned under a mountain for thousands of years. And here she was, some human clinging to the coattails of the local boss monster, bypassing all the traps they had lain.

     But it wasn’t just a simple prejudice she saw in their eyes. No, she could see real hatred on their faces. They were looking at her like she was the most disgusting thing they could ever walk past. But they all seemed to be very afraid of Toriel, at least that’s the name she had given her. One glance from the woman had most of them scurrying away with their tails between their legs, some literally.

     She wasn’t sure if that should make her feel better or worse about the woman. On one hand the other monsters were at the very least not attacking her. On the other hand if everyone was so afraid of Toriel what did that say about her chances of getting away from her should she need too? Who in the pit was she kidding? Her chances of getting away from a boss monster that wanted to hurt her were none. Zilch, zip, nada. She was royally screwed.

     The only reaction she had gotten out of the woman the whole trip so far was when they passed up an overlook of the rest of the ruins. A great stone city, stretching as far as she could see, and it was crumbling. What had once been proud and beautiful feats of architecture, like something out of a fantasy novel, were now lifeless and damaged husks waiting to fall.

     Her breath had caught in her throat and it took everything she had not to cry at the sight of it, hands covering her mouth. But a tear still got through and it seemed Toriel had noticed because the woman had gone stiff besides her before quickly urging her forwards.

     She didn’t know if the woman’s reaction was because she was just as sad and didn’t want to show it or if she was uncomfortable with the emotional human she was leading around. That was all she had to judge the monster by and frankly, it was nothing. She couldn’t gleam anything off of such a small interaction. The woman didn’t talk to her other than giving instructions and guidance. And the only contact she got was the bruising paw on her shoulder.

     She honestly hoped that they would reach their destination soon. Even if Toriel planned to kill her in privacy it was better than letting the anxiety stew around in her head.

     In the next moment a tiny whimsun distractedly drifted right passed them. Obviously not paying them any mind, but it seemed that they had gotten to close for Toriel’s liking because the next thing she knew the monster’s hand clamped down on her shoulder so hard she swore she could hear bones grinding. A forceful tug pulled her back and then there was a small screech from ahead.

     Her eyes were quick to lock onto the now wounded and slowly dusting little whimsun. She didn’t really think at that point, she just acted. She had never really seen anyone die with her own two eyes before and she wasn’t about to let it happen now.

     She had somehow managed to twist her small shoulder from Toriel’s hand and darted forward. It felt like something was squeezing her chest. It was warm and seem to crackle like sparklers or pop rocks, dancing along her chest and arms as she quickly scooped up the tiny thing. The small monster hadn’t been a threat. It had just been passing by. Why would Toriel do this?!

     She was so caught up in her panic and wrapping herself protectively around moth monster that she didn’t notice the frantic sparks of minty green magic jumping from her skin, or the whimsun regaining its color and looking up at her with wide eyes. Nor did she notice the look on Toriel’s face morph from shocked, to calculating, then finally to cold decisiveness.

     The moment Toriel’s blow landed on the back of her head the whimsun pulled free and flew off as quickly as possible. She barely got a look to make sure they were okay before the world turned black.

     She didn’t know how long it had been by the time she woke up, and considering her new situation, she felt like it may have been better to stay asleep. She was in a dark room and was laying down on a decidedly lumpy old mattress. That wouldn’t be a problem if her wrists and ankles weren’t bound together and a rag firmly gagging her wrapped around her head.

     She struggled and squirmed but the bindings were tight and the only thing she was managing to do was make the bed frame squeak. Oh god. She’s sorry she’s been praying to Cthulhu! It was only to bother judgmental pricks at the church! Please don’t make her die this way! She wants to at least be able to bite them when they cut her open!

     The door was suddenly pulled open and light flooded the room. She was quick to try and cover her eyes with her bound hands, muffled sounds of panic filtering past her gag. Those muffled protests turned to squeals as she was grabbed by a large white hand and pulled up into a sitting position.

     “Be quiet and sit still.”

     Like hell you bitch! She would do no such thing! If she was going to die she was going to do it kicking and screaming. Even if her kicking and screaming was more along the lines of weird squeally noises and squirming around like a slug with salt on it.

     The white monster just huffed before starting to wrap her body up in a dingy old sheet and tying it so tight she could barely even squirm anymore. Then a rough feeling sack was forced over her head and tightened around her throat. Any tighter and it would have blocked her airway, making her shrill whines turn into softer sobs.

     She still tried to squirm away when she felt herself lifted into Toriel’s arms despite the futility of it all. Where ever she was being taken she did not want to go!

XXXXXXXXXX

     Despite the wonderful end to the visit with his kitten, his day had been irritating to say the least. He had been about to go back to sleep, maybe get some more rest before starting the day. Turns out he wasn’t going to get that extra sleep. No, his brother deemed it necessary to kick his door off the hinges and quiet literally pull his boney ass out of the bed in the wee hours of the morning. He had apparently gotten word that there was some two bit goon in town trying to sell contraband on their turf.

     Needless to say that no one would ever find any speck of the poor bastard’s dust. He’d have killed the idiot anyway, but to have him dragged out of bed in the middle of the night? Now that was unforgivable. After that he just went about doing his normal morning routine, he was awake now whether he wanted to be or not.

     He mixed some whiskey and mustard into a tumbler and sat it down next to a plate of his brother’s leftover lasagna. That shit was going to kill him one day but he honestly couldn’t look his younger brother in the eye socket and tell him it was awful. So he ate his breakfast in silence, reading over that day’s newspaper.

     At least it was in silence until Papyrus tuned the radio onto that obnoxious bucket of bolt’s morning broadcast. He’d never understand what his brother liked about it. The music was always the same and the stories were ridiculously predictable and over dramatic. But he’d let his brother have his fun.

     He had gone down to his father’s old lab for some quiet, hoping to finish his newspaper but he didn’t get to. No, cause that damned machine was activated. It was one of his father’s projects before he somehow managed to rip himself right out of the fabric of reality. No one remember the old man but him.

     But the problem was that he had shut that damn thing down the day his dad disappeared. Pulled the plug and covered it up so it’d never see the light ever again. And here it was, tarp blown across the room and the thing was lit up like a gryftmas tree. To say he was quick to try and turn it off was an understatement. He practically scrambled to shut it down before it did anything.

     He didn’t know what the thing was used for but none of his father’s experiments had been particularly safe. If said man’s own fate was any kind of example. He had been tempted to just destroy it but that had its own risks. So once the machine was off he was understandably quick to leave the lab. It would seem he’d be getting an early start on his rounds. Papyrus would be ecstatic.

     The day otherwise had been going normally. Collecting info and gossip, making a few discreet deals, and accepting a new hit contract from Grillby. It would seem some poor bastard had tried to snag his daughter off the streets in the capital. He liked little Fuku, so he’d be happy to bump off some boob dumb enough to go after her.

     The last place on his rounds was always the ruin doors. He had originally used the place as a meeting spot since no one actively went there. Then one day, right after finishing a deal a voice on the other side of the door stopped him. He had been planning on offing the lady until she offered to pay for news and intel form the rest of the underground. She had apparently been in the ruins for a long time and had no plans to leave.

     It was usually a quick affair. He’d slip a newspaper, along with a hand written note on any other info he’d thought she’d be interested in, under the door. Then she’d give a curt thank you and slip the appropriate amount of gold back under the door to him. That’s how it went every day. Every day except today.

     He hadn’t even given her the paper before she had asked to speak to him about a very important deal, told him to meet him back at the door in an hour and she’d give him the details. He’d instantly went to Papyrus about it. If it was some kind of trap he’d want some back up and if it was a deal of such great importance then his brother should be part of making their decision.

     So here they were, both of them standing by the door as the last minute of the allotted hour ticked by. Then there was her distinct double knock from the other side, which he returned.

     “alright old lady. wha’s so important tha ya gotta call us out ‘ere?” He would admit to grumbling a bit, he just wanted to take a nap already.

     “I want to make a very important trade. You know how humans always come through the ruins. I want you to protect them.”

     He froze while Papyrus barked out a cruel laugh. “WHY, PRAY TELL, WOULD WE DO THAT? WHAT COULD YOU POSSIBLY HAVE IN THOSE RUINS THAT WE’D WANT?”

     “I have someone here with green magic. I’ll give them to you if you promise to protect the humans that come through.” Two sets of wide eye sockets stared at the door in silence for a brief moment before his brother broke it again.

     “YOU EXPECT US TO JUST TAKE YOU ON YOUR WORD? GREEN MAGIC HASN’T BEEN SEEN IN OVER A CENTURY AND NOW YOU JUST SO HAPPEN TO HAVE SOMEONE WITH GREEN MAGIC LYING AROUND?” He was thanking the stars he had brought his brother.  This was not the kind of deal he'd expected or should be making without his input.

     “If I’m lying you could just rescind the promise. A false deal has no weight after all. And had I known she could use green magic I would have made the deal sooner. I caught her healing a whimsun. It’s not without its flaws though, she is obviously untrained in using it. But if you want proof just dig your claws in a bit, their magic seems to react on its own when you do.”

     He grimaced, he wasn’t fond of monster trafficking and neither was Paps. Yeah they were far from good people but even they had lines they didn’t like to cross. But green magic was so rare that there hasn’t been a monster seen with the ability in a long time. You needed a lot of kindness to use green magic. It had to be soul deep kindness and he couldn’t point out a single monster that had even remotely that much kindness in them.

     And as much as he hated to admit it, it was too good an opportunity to pass up. His brother seemed to share his feelings on the matter as well.

     “well then. sounds good ta me. send the lil number on through an ya got ya’self a deal lady.”

     The door opened just enough to roughly shove a tightly bound figure through and quickly slam shut behind them. He winced as the poor kid hit the ground with a muffled whimper. They were shaking as Paps grabbed them up and he had to resist the urge to look away when his brother did indeed dig his claws into the figures shoulder. It was one thing to torture for interrogation or simply cause he was paid to but this kid hadn’t done anything other than have enough kindness in their damn soul to use healing magic. But if was at least worth it as, with the muffled scream, came a flash of minty green sparks as their magic set to work on healing the damage.

     “IT WOULD SEEM SHE WAS TELLING THE TRUTH. WELL THEN. WELCOME TO THE FAMILY. WE’LL MAKE GOOD USE OF YOU.” He grabbed his brother’s sleeve before shortcutting back to the house. They couldn’t be seen carrying around a hostage after all.

Chapter Text

His brother sat the small figure gently down onto the couch, obviously trying to make up for the rough handling he had given earlier. His little brother may put up the best cold front he had ever seen in public, but it was all a mask. Granted he still kept most of it up even at home, simply so he wouldn’t run the risk of accidentally dropping it at an inopportune time. But his brother really was a softy deep down, and it was little things like this that reminded him of that.

“IT WILL BE ALRIGHT. HOLD STILL.”

He smirked as the figure just started squirming more. Feisty little kid. That was good, they still had some fight left in them. A chuckle rumbled through his ribs as he sat on the arm rest, watching his brother fumble with the ties around their neck.

Papyrus was quickly becoming irritated with all the fighting the kid was putting up but it was entertaining to say the least. His brother eventually pinned them back with an arm across their chest and his other hand finished picking away at the knot. The muffled sounds of crying hadn’t helped ease his nerves so when his brother finally pulled the hood off them, he froze. Eyelights extinguishing as he stared down at the tear stained face of a human. A human who really shouldn’t be here.

“BROTHER IS THIS A-“ He cut him off.

“a human? yeah paps. tricky old broad, might ‘ave ta go ‘ave some words wit her.”

Papyrus gave a rough sigh as he looked down at the shivering mage, before letting her go to stand back to his full height, scraping the claws of his phalanges over his skull.

“DO NOT RELEASE THEM YET… I WILL BE BACK IN A MOMENT.”

“sure thin’ boss.”

The moment his brother was out the door he was up and moved to kneel in front of his little future human. Stars, what would have happened to her if that old woman had handed her off to someone else?! She was a crying, heaving wreck on his couch. Still bound so tight it looked physically painful. He went to reach for the gag in her mouth but she flinched back and he felt like he had just been punched.

“oh… no toots. it’s okay, I ain’t gonna hurt ya.”

She still tried to pull away but he pushed forward and cradled her small head in his hands. One rubbing soothing circles on the side of her scalp and the other gently tugging off the gag, letting the tips of his claws run over her cheek. He couldn’t even enjoy the fact that she was here or how soft her skin felt because it was damp with tears and she was still letting out quiet sobs.

“there ya go kitten. ya remember yer ol’ sansy, right?”

He continued to rub small circles in her hair as he shushed at her, pulling the gag down farther to inspect the obvious bruising on her neck. He wasn’t surprised, she hadn’t had any control of her magic before. She didn’t even realized she had it, so she wouldn’t know how to heal herself yet. Other than the obvious self-preservation instincts making it flair when wounded or scared.

Her crying was slowly starting to peter down but it was still there, little hiccups lining her breaths. He really wanted to pull the binding sheet off her but he was sure if he did she’d make a run for it.

“W-why?” Her breathy hiccups stuttered her voice. He’d have thought it cute had she not obviously been so afraid of him at that moment.

“why what, doll?”

“Why am I here?”

He had a feeling that it had to do with that damn machine. There was no way it was a coincident, but he couldn’t tell her that. He couldn’t tell her that it very well may be his fault she was now stuck in this hellhole with the rest of them. That it was his fault she had been bound, gagged and traded off like a piece of meat. But she was here now, he had her in his hands and he’d be damned if he looked a gift horse in the mouth.

“i dunno doll. dun worry-“ She cut him off.

“Let m-me go.”

Her voice was still so soft and wobbly. He could hear a small bit of bite in her words but it was pathetically weak.

“i can’t do tha’.”

“D-damn it, Sans! Let me go!”

His eyelights narrowed into sharp pricks as he glowered down at her. While he was happy to see that her spark was still there, she didn’t seem to truly realize what kind of position she was in. If he let her go, she’d die. And he wasn’t letting her go.

“i dun think ya understand, toots. we made a deal wit tha’ screwy ol’ bim. a healer in exchange fer protectin’ da humans tha’ come through the ruins. last i checked, yer a human, doll. tha’ means yer now under our protection whether ya like it ‘er not.”

Her eyes almost seemed to flash as anger crossed her streaked face. Words couldn’t express how glad he was that the Underground hadn’t broken her yet, her soul still pure and vibrant. But her mouth was going to get her in trouble.

“I don’t know why you keep calling me a healer and I don’t care! But the last thing I want is to be protected by the people who, quite literally, just bought me!”

A loud snarl rips past his fangs and his hands grab her harshly by the shoulders, claws digging into her soft flesh, making her give a small shriek of pain. His own anger lashing out at hers in turn.

“ya really dun get it, do ya?! if i let ya go, yer as good as dead the moment ya walk out tha’ door!”

There are tears running down her face again as she tries to desperately pull away from him. A part of him was yelling at himself, but he needed her to understand. He was not going to let her die! She had said they get out of the Underground in the 1920’s and he’d be damned if it was with her soul!

“all we need ta break tha’ barrier is one more damn soul! an’ i ain’t lettin’ it be yers! so yer gonna stop fightin’ me and yer gonna listen!

c a p i c h e?”

She’s sobbing again at this point, her small body trying to curl in on itself but the bindings prevented it. He doesn’t ease up until he gets a frantic nod. His soul shudders at the fact that she won’t look at him now. He knows that he needs to make her understand but having her shy away from him like that hurt.

He was still kneeling in front of her when he hears the door click open and the sound of Papyrus’ dress shoes hitting the floor. He gave a small grunt before looking up to greet him, but his words died in his mouth as his eyelights locked onto the leather subjugation collar in his brother’s hand.

“is tha’ really necessary paps?”

He does his best not to wince as his brother starts pouring magic into the black leather. He didn’t want to think about were his brother got it, he hated them. They were used for horrible things and he tried to keep them out of his turf. He’d personally taken them off of multiple monsters, and now he was about to put one on his little human.

“I KNOW HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT THESE BROTHER, BUT FOR NOW, YES. WE WOULD HAVE PROTECTED HER, AS OUR HEALER, BEFORE. BUT SHE IS ALSO A HUMAN AND THAT PUTS HER AT AN EVEN GREATER RISK. THIS WILL ONLY BE USED TO KEEP HER CONFINED TO THE HOUSE UNLESS ACCOMPANIED BY ONE OF US.”

When Papyrus approaches them she visibly jolts and tries to scoot away her own eyes locked on the offending piece of magic leather. He wants to vomit when his brother passes it to him. He didn’t want to put his magical imprint on it. He wanted to burn it. Yes he wanted to protect her, but not like this.

He didn’t have a choice though and he knew it, Paps knew it, and his kitten knew it. They all knew that if he didn’t restrain her in some way she’d take off into the rest of the underground the moment she had a chance. He starts to let the red magic seep into the cold leather at the thought of her running off, the chances of him finding her alive after that would be so slim he might as well call them nonexistent.

She tried to pull away from him again when he reached forward with the collar, tilting her head down in a sad attempt to hide her neck. It didn’t work though, his large phalanges easily moving her head aside and slipping the leather in place. He tried not to think about the way he could feel the vibrations of her voice as she sobbed.

Just had to keep reminding himself that it was only temporary. He’d remove it when he could trust her not to flee. Once the horrid thing was firmly in place his hands slip up to cup her face. The knuckles of his clawed thumbs trying to smooth away her tears but more just kept coming.

“it’s alright, kitten. ol’ sansy’ll take good care a ya. how ‘bout we get them bindins’ off ya now, okay?”

He ignored how uncomfortable all the crying was making Papyrus. His brother would soon wind up retreating to the kitchen as he slowly ripped away the knots in the sheet, still trying to soothe the young woman with gentle strokes to her cheek. And he continued to try and reassure her as he slowly picked his way through the rough ropes on her wrists and ankles. She had tried to push him away several times but he held his ground, offering soft words of encouragement and rubbing tenderly at the bruised skin.

By the time he got her fully free she was clinging to the front of his suit, face pressed to his chest as she openly wept. And he held her there, keeping his hands gentle so as not to frighten her. He shouldn’t be happy about having her in his arms. Not when she was like this. But he was.

Chapter Text

She didn’t really know when she had fallen asleep but the dreamless darkness had been so comforting. Why had she even been so upset before? Or was that just a dream she was having before her mind settled into a haze of nothing?

But now it seem as if the world was attempting to rouse her from the pleasant darkness. She could feel an unfamiliar chill in the air and the soft feeling of fabric wrapped loosely over her. She cracked her eyes open and gave the strange room a bleary once over.

It was too dark to discern any details but there was definitely a few things she could pick out. The couch she was curled up on was huge and soft beneath her, and there was a rather nice wooden coffee table in front of her. Across the room, sitting on a shelf, there seemed to be large box with dials on it and a strange horn coming out of the top… Holy shit. That had to be the oldest radio she’s ever seen.

That’s when everything starts to come back to her. Waking up underground before the barrier fell. Toriel attacking her and selling her off. Then finding out that the man who had bought her had been the same damn hallucination man from her late night drinking escapades!

It would be just her luck that he wasn’t a figment of her drunken imagination! He seemed to recognize her but it wasn’t as reassuring as one would think. He wasn’t as laid back here as he was back in her apartment. He was intimidating and apparently quick to anger, she could still feel the ache of bruises on her shoulders.

And then he had the gall to collar her like some fucking animal! The other skeleton had said something about it keeping her in the house so she’d be safe. Like she was safe here?!

She could feel her breath pick up as she started to look around in earnest. There was no one in the room. The entire house seemed dark and quiet. It was likely still nighttime then, she could use that to her advantage. She struggled the blanket away from her body before quickly climbing behind the massive couch.

Once she was sure she was hidden her hands went straight to her neck, fingers prying and digging at the stiff leather but it didn’t budge. It almost felt like it was fused to her skin, she couldn’t even get her fingers under it. She did her best not to cry as she clawed at it, even the latch at the back wouldn’t budge.

She needed out! She couldn’t take this! She wanted to go home to her shitty little apartment that smelled of turpentine and popcorn! She wanted her ridiculous mix of organization and clutter back! She wanted to see her overflowing pile of used canvases in the corner and the ratty old furniture she had plucked from people’s garbage.

She doesn’t know when she got to her feet but she did know that she had to get out. She needed to get out. The soft carpet didn’t even register under her bare feet as she moved as quickly as she could, glancing around nervously until she found what she hoped was the front door.

She didn't stop to think about how the collar was supposed to keep her in the house. Nor did she think about how they were so confident in it that they had left her completely unsupervised. Had she thought of that she would have hesitated, but she didn’t. She was at the door faster than her panicked mind could keep up with.

She shouldn’t have been so quick to grab the door handle, should have stopped to think her decision through. But she didn’t and the moment her hand wrapped around the metal she didn’t even get a spare second to regret her actions when pure pain laced trough her body. It felt like magma was seeping through her veins and the world’s most painful taser was wrapped around her neck.

Her body shuddered as it fell, looking like a rag doll but all the muscles taunt and jumping with the crackle of electricity. Her hands had formed tight fists the moment it started and now she couldn’t let go of the door if she wanted to. But that didn’t even cross her mind, nothing did at this point. All she could think about was the pain, it was all encompassing and she could feel it consuming her as the world faded to black once again.

She was drifting in and out of the darkness once more, her fatigue fighting against the ache that had settled over her like a lead blanket. She didn’t want to wake up if it would hurt, she wanted to stay in the sweet embrace of the inky blank void in her mind.

But little things kept drawing her thoughts away. A sweet, smoky smell that was so close that she felt like she was wrapped in it. It was so comforting but she couldn’t remember why it was so familiar or why it made her want to pull herself closer despite how uncomfortable the hard, lumpy surface she was curled up to was.

She really didn’t want to wake up but with every passing moment the ache got worse and her darkness was fading. She could feel the light trying to penetrate her eyelids, but she stubbornly held them shut and pressed herself further against the hard warmth that was wrapped around her, despite the aches that flared when she did so.

At least until she felt movement. The hard surface her face was pressed against was rising and falling and when she had moved the pressure around her shoulder and waist tightened ever so slightly. There was a faint hum coming from it as well. It was almost like leaning on someone’s chest as they… breathed…

She winced when her eyes shot open, the light of the room piercing her sensitive retinas before they locked onto the glowering face of Sans looking down at her. There were a few beads of red perspiration along his brow and his usual grin had shifted into a hard line.

Then she could feel the rest of him, one of his arms wrapped under her knees, his hand resting at her waist while the other curled around her back and the hand lay over her shoulder, thumb rubbing absentmindedly at the back of her neck. When she met his gaze those hands twitched and she jumped in panic. She tried to quickly squirm away but a low growl rumbled through his ribcage and his grip tightened around her.

“quit fightin’ doll. thought we went ova dis already. do ya wanna tell me why i found ya stuck ta the door this mornin?”

Her breath catches as memories of the pain flashed through her mind and the residual ache made itself known again. The fear and helplessness she felt as he held her made her chest tighten and she quickly shook her head. No she did not want to talk about it. Not to him.

And despite his firm grip she still tried to shy away, curling in on herself and tucking her hands to her neck. The harsh sting of tender flesh greeted the touch, she could feel the shallow gouges from when she had tried to claw the collar off and broke skin in the process.

A rumble rolls through him again but its softer this time and she can feel his thumbs stroke against her before he loosens his hold and relaxes his arms just enough for her to pull away if she wants to. And she doesn’t hesitate as she quickly stumbled out of his arms. He had been leaning back against the armrest so that left her quickly crawling to the other side of the oversized piece of furniture to put as much distance between them as she could. Hell, if she wasn’t in so much pain she’d have crawled over the side and hid behind it again.

When she glanced back at him his gaze had looked softer but it didn’t last long as he loudly scraped his claws over his face and got up with a huff. She was about to bolt again but he didn’t come towards her this time. Instead he turned and headed for an archway on the other side of the room. From her vantage point on the couch she could only make out a table and rustic tile floors. It was probably a kitchen.

She could hear the clatter of plates and glasses after he entered then silence for a few minutes. She was curious, but not curious enough to leave the couch. Was it sad that she was starting to think of the couch as her safe space? A nice place that she could squeeze behind and her overly large, boney captors wouldn’t be able to fit. This would be a good opportunity to hide… Never mind she’s lost the opportunity.

He was back, walking up to the coffee table and placing a bowl of what looked like some kind of soup and a glass of amber liquid down in front of her.

“eat up.” She has a feeling she should be worried about the clipped sound of his voice.

“Wh-hat is it?” Oh god her throat hurt. Why did it hurt so badly?

“it’s soup an’ whiskey.” He was staring her down now.

“Isn’t it too e-early for alcohol?” What was she doing?! Just fucking take it! Oh gods he’s glaring at her again!

“it’s two in the afternoon. an’ last i checked human’s er prone to infection an thas the last thin’ i wanna deal wit. so drink it.”

She couldn’t look him in the eye anymore and quickly reached out with shaky hands to grab the soup. She didn’t even bother with the spoon, she highly doubted that she had the dexterity in her weak limbs at the moment, and brought the bowl straight to her mouth. It was probably the richest tasting vegetable soup she has ever had, like someone just chopped up a garden and put it in a pot to boil for hours. And it felt so good against her sore throat.

She was so wrapped up in enjoying the soup that she didn’t notice the little moan she had made as the liquid soothed her shredded esophagus. Nor did she notice the looming skeleton go stiff, red flushing his face briefly, and his eyelights expanding.

By the time she had emptied the bowl he was back to normal, or well closer to it. His scowl was back to a firm line and his arms were crossed loosely against the barrel of his chest.

She didn’t want to drink the whiskey after that. It would hurt like a bitch and that soup had felt so good. It definitely didn’t help that she had an audience. Normally she didn’t mind drinking with people but this wasn’t drinking. This was an attempt to sterilize her throat. She was going to choke and she fucking knew it.

No don’t think about it just do it! She quickly grabbed the glass and knocked it back, draining the contents with a few large gulps. And once she was done, slapped the glass back onto the table as she hacked and coughed.

“shit doll. ya didn’t need ta drink it tha’ fast.”

It was now her turn to glare at the wide eyed skeleton. By gods, how she wanted to tell him to go fuck himself. Like she’d want to sip it and extend her torture? She’d rather rip off the band aid any day then do it the slow painful way. It definitely didn’t help that he seemed to take delight in her glare. His eyelights brightening and that stupid smug grin slowly sliding back onto his face.

“aw what’s wrong kitten? cat got yer tongue?” That smug bastard.

“Fu-uck you!” His grin only got wider.

“ah. there’s my little kitten. now tha’ ya don’ look like ya gonna faint we can start on yer magic training.”

Holy shit he was coming closer! She huddled back into the couch as he moved around the table and sat down beside her. How does she deal with this? She didn’t know whether she should be afraid or angry. Afraid cause he was most definitely a boss class monster that had strapped a god damn taser collar to her neck or angry cause he was a friend who had strapped a god damn taser collar to her neck! Yeah she was afraid and angry but he really had been the closest thing she’d had to a friend in the last year. The only problem was that she thought he was some weird, adult version of an imaginary friend. What’s the word she’s looking for? Oh right, insanity.

“Wh-aat are yoou talking about? I don’t ha-ave magic.”

She was not happy that she could now feel the rumble of his laughter in the air. It was soothing and she didn’t want to be soothed damn it. She wanted to kick him in his dumb, smug ass face.

“toots ya always had magic. ya used ta accidentally fling it around when ya got really drunk. sent yerself cross the room once.

What? No. There was no way. She’d remember that! There is no way she’s had magic her whole life and never new! All the chances to be lazy! Wasted!

“i’m pretty sure yer magic is the only reason we were able ta communicate at all. ya were always on the hooch when i was dragged from ma dreams.”

Wait so he was asleep when he visited? That would explain why he was always more relaxed compared to now. And if her magic was what had caused his visits to the future then…

“S-so… This is my fault?”

She wasn’t expecting his smile to disappear so fast or for his eyelights to flicker out for a second. So she definitely flinched when his hand gently grabbed at her jaw and forced her to stare straight at him.

“ain’t none of this yer fault, doll. if anythin’ it’s the fault of otha magic users neglecting to tell ya or teach ya to control what ya got. it coulda been a lot worse. ya coulda hurt somebody an not known what ya did.”

“But hu-uman’s don’t-“

“no. most human’s don’t ave magic. mages ‘er rare but their still a thin’. the monsta’s around ya shoulda noticed. maybe not right away but ya woulda leaked the stuff if ya weren’t usin it. they souldn’t ave left it ta fester. so now i’ma fix their mistake.”

She didn’t get much time to think on it as he let her face go and turned so he was facing her. He suddenly made her feel so much smaller now that she knew he was real. Then he was holding the same clawed hand out in front of him and made a small gesture. Just a twitch of his index and middle finger but his hand still laid flat, boney palm up.

She was still weary of him, she still had a collar around her neck. She didn’t really pay attention in her monster history class and now she was regretting it. He had some reason for not wanting her to get out of the house to the point that he’d slapped the world’s cruelest dog collar on her and all but told her it was for her own good. She vaguely remembered him telling her something about souls last night but she could barely remember what was said in her panicked state.

His hand was still there though and if there was any reason to take it, it was so that she could at least no longer be classified as a walking time bomb. So with a slight tremor she slowly slid her hand into his much larger one and when his closed around it, her hand effectively vanished.

“there ya go kitten. now we’re gonna work on focusin fer now. ya can’t do nothin till ya can feel it… well, ya can’t do nothin safely.”

Chapter Text

She didn’t understand the training at all and it was driving her crazy! Sans had made her sit there with her hand in his and told her to focus on it so she could feel his magic. And that, thankfully was easy enough. Once she calmed down and concentrated she could feel something that wasn’t his hand. She could feel an intense heat bubbling to the surface of his hand, like boiling water under a pot lid.

Her real problem was when he told her to try and sense her own magic reacting to his, but all she could feel was the heat of his. His response? To apply a bit more magic to her hand. And when the red glow engulfed it she could see fizzy green sparks jumping from the spaces.

“okay toots. now that ya can see it can ya feel it?”

That was hers? Those soft little sprinkler lights of green? They were pretty, but she couldn’t feel them. At least not over Sans’ magic anyway. So she gave a soft shake of her head as she continued to try focusing on those little sparks.

“All I can feel is your magic.”

“dun wanna hurt ya doll, my magic ain’t gentle so i’m not gonna apply anymore. yers is softer. s’like a cooling sensation but kinda fizzy an tingly.”

So the exact opposite of his then? So what she needs to be concentrating on is cooling, fizzy, and tingly? Like mint poprocks maybe? That actually sounded really nice. She could go for some poprocks right now.

“i know i’ma real keen fella, but if ya keep starin at me like that doll, i might think yer askin fer a good time.”

Embarrassment flooded her as she realized that in the time she had been spacing out she was staring him right in the face. How long had she just been staring?! Her ears felt like they were on fire and with a squeaky stutter, quickly shoved her face right into the couch cushions. She tried to yell that she hadn’t been staring but with the way he chuckled it would seem she failed.

“What was that? Ya need ta move yer kisser off the couch if ya wanna talk.”

The front door opened and shut in the background and she lifted her head to give Sans a piece of her mind but the words choked in her throat as Papyrus walked in. His coat was covered in dust and he had a particularly vicious sneer on his face as he moved towards the stairs. Sans followed her gaze as his brother walked passed and gave a soft huff. Well. He might as well get her mind off it.

“then again toots. there are so many thin’s ya could be doin wit tha pretty little mouth a yers. so why waste it on talkin?”

Her head snapped around to look back at him so fast there was an audible crack witch made Sans wince a bit. But her face was so red and her eyes were so wide he couldn’t help but chuckle.

“My mouth will not be doing anything other than talking, you pervert!”

“aw. not even ta eat? cause i’ve gotta nice bone ya can lick clean.”

She let out a sound that can only be described as a screech before she yanked her hand from his. Then with speed he didn’t know she had, she grabbed the blanket and started to smother him with it. Her indignant shouts continued as he laughed at her attempts to suffocate him. It wasn’t hard for him to pull the fabric from his face, a mischevious glint in his eyelights.

“damn toots, if yer gonna suffocate me a’least use them pretty gams a’yers.”

She made a strangled noise as she quickly stumbled away from him.

“I have no idea what that meant but the answer is no!!!”

They were both cut off when Papyrus’ rough voice rolled through the room.

“HONESTLY SANS! YOUR BEHAVIOR IS HIGHLY INAPPROPRIATE! NO WONDER THE HUMAN WAS MAKING WEIRD SCREECHING NOISES!”

She quickly took Sans’ distraction as an opportunity to scuttle over and behind the couch, taking the blanket with her. Once she was on the floor she buried her beet red face into the blanket and tried to ignore that it smelt like his cigars.

How could she forget he was like this?! He’d done it when she was drunk summoning him or whatever it was called. He’d practically beat her over the head with raunchy flirting, dark humor and the occasional bad pun. It was so much harder to handle now that she was sober.

“HUMAN? WHERE DID SHE- AH! THERE YOU ARE HUMAN!”

With a small jump she pulled her face up just enough to glower at the taller monster peering down at her from the top of the couch. And she put as much heat into her glare as she could. If he reached down here for her she’d- well she’d do something! And it would seem she would have to do something.

“COME ON HUMAN YOU CAN NOT-“

He yanked his hand back with a startled shout that had even Sans jumping and peering over the back of the couch.

“HUMAN! BITING IS NOT ACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOR!”

Sans let loose a loud guffaw as he looked down on the small human tucked firmly between the wall and couch. She looked all fluffed up and hissy. Everything about her posture was saying ‘I’ll bite you again’.

“dun worry bout it paps. let the lil lady cool off a bit. why dun ya go finish dinner so we can ave a bite ta eat.”

“SANS!”

She could hear Papyrus grumble as he made his way into the kitchen and like before she could hear a clatter from the kitchen but it was louder and more aggressive sounding then when it had been Sans in there.

“SANS! DID YOU COOK TODAY?!”

“heh. yeah paps. i made soup fer the dame hidin’ behind our couch.”

Wait. Sans made that? Sans could cook?... Huh. He didn’t seem like the type who even knew what a spatula was. The noise in the kitchen was back at full volume. Why did it sound like things were breaking? By Dagon she hoped he wasn’t that angry over a small bite!

After a while the noise stopped and she caught sight of movement above her again. She looked up to see Sans leaning over her, head resting on the arm he propped up on the backrest. She glowered at his taunting look, trying to keep up the stubborn eye contact. But when his smirk widened and those ruby eyelights shrunk she ducked further back behind the safety of the couch.

“ya got two options, kitten. ya come on out on yer own or i get ya out.”

“Fuck you!” Just fucking try it asshole!

“LANGUAGE HUMAN!”

If humans could hiss, she’d would be. Instead she just scowled at Sans as she sunk further down and flipped him off. If he thought she’d just do whatever they told her to, they had another thing coming!

The only warning she got was his grin stretching into something so impossibly sharp looking that it sent a chill down her spine, before his large hand shot towards her. His claws hooked into the front of her shirt and pulled. While he was yanking her up and definitely ripping her shirt, she could feel seams popping, she was doing her best to bite down on his hand. Like his brother, his bones were rough and covered in small scars. They didn’t have any give but she wasn’t about to give up without a fight.

Her frantic bites turned into a squeal when she felt a large hand wrap around her thigh and she was pulled up the rest of the way. A quick glance up had her nose to nasal ridge with Sans and the bastard looked so proud of himself.

The hand on her thigh gave a slight squeeze as he looked down and to her absolute horror she realized he could see down her shirt like this. With a mortified squeal her hands flew to his face as she tried to push him away, one hand scraping along his teeth while the other tried to cover an eye socket.

“REALLY SANS! DO YOU HAVE NO SHAME?!”

Sans was roaring with laughter as a larger pair of hands scooped her up from beneath her arms and pulled her away from him. She covered her arms over her chest and torn shirt, her whole face felt like it was on fire. Her hopes of being put back on the couch were quickly dashed however as she was carried over to the kitchen like a weird doll.

She didn’t fight it this time though. Too embarrassed to even risk winding up back in Sans’ wandering hands. And when she was placed in a chair at a dinner table she curled herself up to hide her tattered shirt better. She has decided that she needs a few more drinks before she can deal with Sans or ever look him in the eye again without turning into a tomato.

Her eyes raised when she heard the clink of a plate in front of her. The table was huge and it made her feel like a child again, the edge of it coming up to her chest. Papyrus was in the process of sitting down across from her and she finally realized he had cleaned the dust off of himself. His coat was gone and he had on a new shirt that he had rolled up to his elbows. He was a lot leaner than his brother but his height really made up for the difference.

Her eyes quickly locked onto the plate in front of her when Sans prowled into the kitchen after his brother sat down. He was rummaging in a cabinet for a moment before he came to the table and stopped behind her. There was no way she could keep herself from going stiff as he leaned over her to pour something in her glass, the smell of alcohol drifting to her nose. It would seem he either really wasn’t keen on her getting an infection or he wanted to get her tipsy. Granted it had been too long since her last drink for it to really affect her.

So dinner was lasagna and whiskey? It was odd because it did not smell like lasagna. It smelled more like vinegar than anything else. She had a feeling that monsters didn’t know how certain human dishes were made and they went with the ‘fuck it’ mentality and just threw things together. Well. At least vinegar wasn’t that bad. She certainly enjoyed salt and vinegar potato chips and she liked malt vinegar on her fries and nuggets.

She did her best not to look at Sans as he sat down next to her. Slowly reaching out to grab her fork she glanced up to see the taller of the brothers already eating quietly while Sans simply seemed to be nursing his own, larger glass of whiskey. Her eyes quickly went back to her plate when he smirked and glanced down at her.

With a soft sigh she took her first bite and did her best to keep her nose from crinkling. Vinegar and cheese should never be mixed. But all things considered it wasn’t the worst thing she’s ever eaten. That had to go to the one time she was dared to eat surstromming in her first semester of college last year… or should that be the future or… nope not going to try and debate the logistics of it.

The rest of the meal was eaten in silence and when she finished her plate she glanced up to see both brothers looking at her with very open curiosity. Sans was glancing down at her plate then back to her like he couldn’t believe she had finished it and Papyrus looked kind of happy, in a weirdly stern way.

“I TAKE IT YOU ENJOYED YOUR MEAL, HUMAN?”

“Uhh. Y-yeah. Thank you.”

The red lights of his eyes brightened somewhat before he gave a curt nod and started gathering the dishes. Sans was still looking at her like she was some kind of alien he wanted to poke with the nearest stick. It was as unnerving as it was funny. That was a look she definitely remembered from the weird drunk summoning’s. Like the first time she turned on the TV. He had been so enthralled with it and was trying to figure out where the projection was coming from. But after a moment he seemed to shake it off and tapped a claw on the table to get her attention.

“drink up.”

She glowered at the whiskey with a groan. She wasn’t even that big of a fan of whiskey. Rum, vodka, tequila, gin, sweet corn moonshine, and mead were her choice poisons. But she was not going to risk asking if he had a different alcohol. She was lucky he had alcohol at all, wasn’t the prohibition soon or already started. Did that even effect the Underground?

So with a huff she grabbed the glass and yet again, knocked it back. It didn’t hurt as much as it had earlier but it still hurt and she pushed the glass away from her with a rough cough. The rough gravely chuckle from besides her informed her of the boney asshole's amusement.

“come on, toots. i’ll show ya where the bathroom is an then ya can head ta bed.”

Her eyes narrowed up at him and it only made his smirk wider.

“calm yer bubs. i ain’t gonna follow ya in er nuthin… should probably get ya some new clothes though.”

When he glanced down she turned red and covered her chest again. This skeleton was going to be the death of her and it’s going to be death by embarrassment.

Chapter Text

Her soft groan filtered through the living room and she rolled over in a vain attempt to smother herself back to sleep. She didn’t want to get up! It was still dark and quiet, damn it! But she couldn’t fall back asleep no matter how long she laid there and all she was doing was inviting unwanted thoughts to invade her mind.

When she caught herself starting to claw at the collar again she sat up with a huff, and leaned over the couch to dig around in her discarded pants. After a few moments of fumbling and nearly falling off the coach twice she let out a laugh of triumph as she pulled out her phone. It probably had barely any battery left and she wouldn’t be able to use the internet or calling features but she could listen to the music she had in her itunes library! She’d just have to be quiet about it.

With a happy sigh she got up off the couch and the oversized black sweater fell down to her knees. It was soft and well worn, but its huge size made it a bit awkward. The sleeves fell a ridiculous length past her hands that had her rolling them up and the neckline was so wide it kept falling off one of her shoulders. She felt like a kid playing dress up in her father’s clothes.

Her bare feet padded softly across the carpet as she made her way towards the kitchen. She figured there was no better way to get her mind off of the damned collar then to start making breakfast. And if it also meant no one would have to eat leftover vinegar lasagna then so be it.

A shudder left her as her feet hit cold tile but she quickly made her way to the table and started to pull a chair towards the stove. This was honestly so humiliating. The very fact that she would need a step stool or a chair to be tall enough to cook was like pouring salt on the wound she called shortness. She was always short, even by human standards, but now she just felt puny.

When she got up on the chair she glared at the old appliance with the hope that it wasn’t a coal stove. Laying her head to the side she glanced inside the burner and gave a breath of relief. There was a pilot lite! That meant this ancient beast was a gas stove! Old as shit? Yes. Something she could handle? Also yes!

She grabbed up her phone and looked at the battery but her brow scrunched in confusion. She didn’t remember what exactly the battery had been on when she had fallen but it was definitely hadn’t been full. And it most definitely shouldn’t still be full. Was it broken or glitching out? She’d have to poke around with it later but for now she was going to get some music playing. With a few clicks she’d set the volume for low and picked her favorites playlist. This could very well be the last time she heard modern music so she was going to enjoy it.

She clicked shuffle before jumping down and heading to see what was in the pantry, sighing as the song ‘A Thousand Years’ softly trickled through the tiled room. With a firm tug she started pulling the chair along with her, there was no way she’d be able to reach anything without it. She opened the pantry door open then propped it there with the chair and climbed up.

Monsters were lucky that their food doesn’t spoil, because she was sure refrigerators haven’t been invented yet. A quick search yielded a wide variety of ingredients, a lot of monster produce, which she secretly loved because crab apples were the best. Several bags of dried lasagna noodles, Papyrus must really like lasagna. A large carton of eggs, she grabbed those right away, and a slew of seasonings.

She quickly scrambled down and pushed the eggs onto the counter next to the stove before going back to the pantry. There was a bag of rock potatoes, the name was misleading they were very fluffy when cooked, and she grabbed that as well. The name of the potatoes came from how heavy they were, so getting them to the counter was much more difficult than the eggs. She went back and grabbed up a stoic onion and some oregano and rosemary before she stopped. Did they have butter?

Yet again she emptied her arms on the counter before she went back to the pantry. She didn’t see any obvious sticks of butter but she did find a jar of olive oil, so she grabbed that and pulled the chair back towards the stove before climbing back up to glare at the pots hanging above her. With a grumble she got up on the counter and with a bit of a stretch she grabbed a large pan. She wobbled a bit as she got it off the hook but managed to get it down without falling.

She placed the pan on the stove before she reached up again to grab a spatula, at least this this time she didn’t have to get up on her toes. She steadied herself as she looked around. She still needed a knife and a cutting board.

“HUMAN?”

She let out a small shriek as she spun on the counter, the spatula flying out of her hand before she could even think about it. As her back hit the wall with a thump her spatula hit its mark and… Oh. My. Gods. It’s in his eye socket! Her hands went over her mouth with a gasp as she quickly started scrabbling down the counter and towards the skeleton.

“Oh Cthulhu! Are you okay?! Please tell me you’re okay!”

She was clutching at the fabric of his pants when there was an odd pop of heat in the kitchen and what smelt like burning ozone in the air. But Papyrus didn’t seem fazed. In fact he actually seemed to be laughing. Why was he laughing?! He had a spatula in his eye! A second chuckle made her jump in fright and she nearly fell as she whirled around, saved only by her back hitting the taller skeleton’s leg. Sans was in the kitchen! How did he get in the kitchen?!

“heh. and here i thought someone was bustin in. but it was jus a little kitten cookin up trouble.”

“SHE HAS IMPRESSIVE AIM. GOOD TRY HUMAN. NEXT TIME, IF YOU INTEND TO STAB SOMEONE, DON’T USE A SPATULA.” She went pale as she stared up at him.

“I wasn’t trying to stab you, I promise! I just threw it out of reflex!”

Her wide eyes narrowed into a glare as Papyrus’ hand mussed up her already unruly hair and she quickly shoved away from him. She couldn’t watch as he pulled the utensil from his socket and turned her head only to get an eyeful of spine and lower ribs. Sans had come up behind her and his weird state of half dress made her fluster. He was wearing sleep pants and a long sleeved button up that was completely undone. Hell, it looked like he had thrown the shirt on at the last minute.

“i ain’t got no problem wit ya havin fun in the mornin, doll. but dun make it sound like ya bein killed in the kitchen. capiche?”

A clawed hand came up and straightened her sweater, covering up her bruised shoulder and making her face turned even redder. He just chuckled as she gave a rushed nod.

“heh. attagirl.”

“HUMAN? WHERE IS THAT SOUND COMING FROM?”

The color drained from her face again as she remembered her phone still playing on the counter. The tones of ‘Jailbreak’ flowing out softly. She watched with panic as the stern brother picked it up with narrowed sockets, and started to run his phalanges over it.

“It’s ahhh… Something from home! It’s really fragile! Please be careful!”

She sucked in a breath as the screen flickered to life when he hit a button. He stared at the lit screen in bewilderment before his gaze narrowed into an even tighter frown.

“FEBUARY 21^ST, 2019?... HUMAN? WHAT IS THIS? AND BE LEVEL WITH ME.”

Oh god she is so dead. Maybe Sans will let her hide in his ribcage?

“It’s ah… It’s a phone from home. The um- the phone part doesn’t work here but uh… the music still works.”

She was not slowly creeping behind Sans as the taller skeleton stared her down. That would be ridiculous. He wouldn’t make a good shield at all. When Sans gave a rough sigh his brother’s glare shot up towards him and she quickly put herself completely behind him.

“really doll? if ya can’t keep tha shit hidden then i’ma take it away.”

Was he- was he covering for her? There was obviously no way she could keep it a secret anymore, Papyrus had seen the date on the lockscreen. Her hands fisted the back of his loose shirt as she looked up at him in surprise. He was giving her a disapproving look over his shoulder and she at least had the sense to look sheepish.

“WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THIS BROTHER?”

“i found it on her yesterday afta the collar incident. i may ave pressed some info outa her bout it, but i forgot ta bring it up. sorry boss.”

She shuddered at the thought of Sans actually trying to corner her for information. He was scary enough and she hasn’t really seen him trying yet. Yeah she’d seen his temper flair but she had a feeling that was just the tip of the iceberg and she never wanted to see the rest of it. She heard a low growl from across the kitchen before it was interrupted by a disapproving sigh.

“I SEE… VERY WELL. HUMAN. FINISH WHAT YOU WERE DOING. I WILL HAVE WORDS WITH YOU LATER.”

She put up some resistance when she felt a boney hand on her back pushing her further into the kitchen, not wanting to leave the relative safety of Sans’ shadow. She just wanted to listen to music and make breakfast, and that did not include giving the larger skeleton a reason to interrogate her.

“go finish cookin. me an the boss are gonna go ave a little chat.”

She gave a meek nod and headed back to stove, trying to ignore the feeling of Papyrus’ gaze burning a hole in her. When she climbed back up on the chair both brothers left the kitchen quietly and to her dismay they took the phone with them.

xxxxxxxxxx 

He followed his irate brother into the living room, watching him as he paced by the couch. This was going to be a weird conversation. His brother had a piece of future tech clutched in his fist at this very moment so he would have to tell him about her being a time traveler. There was literally no way he could keep that a secret now. But he was definitely not going to tell him about the dream visits. Those were his and he wasn’t keen on sharing them.

They kept silent until they could hear the human starting to rummage around in the kitchen again. He had panicked when he heard the commotion this morning but maybe it was a good thing he had teleported to the kitchen. Had the kitten actually been interrogated by Papyrus she may have had a broken bone or two by the time he was done. It would have honestly depended on how fast she gave in.

Yeah humans could survive more damage than a monster could but they are also surprisingly fragile. They may live if they lose a leg but they would never be able to walk again, at least not without help. And they had a lot of power and durability but it came with the price of having to suffer through everything. They wouldn’t fall down or dust if it became too much. They’d still be there and they would continue to be there until someone lands a killing blow.

So he’d taken blame for her slip up. Had he known she had the damn thing he would have confiscated it earlier. He walked over to his brother and slipped it from his hands, turning up the strange music a bit for privacy.

“BROTHER WHAT IS THIS THING?... AND HOW DO YOU KNOW HOW TO USE IT?”

He sighed as he placed it on the coffee table and waved his hand towards the couch as he sat, his brother joining him soon after.

“look paps. i dun wanna spend all day beatin the bush. tha there’s a piece of swanky future technology. and fer how i know how ta use it? made the dame show me. dun ask me ta do much though, half’a it makes no sense.”

“SHE SAID IT WAS FROM HER HOME SO THAT WOULD MEAN THE ONLY POSSIBLE EXPLANATION WOULD BE SHE IS FROM THE FUTURE AS WELL. HOWEVER THE REAL QUESTION IS HOW?”

He gave a rough sigh and slouched back into his seat.

“doll ain’t got a clue. apparently she dipped the bill to many times tha night an when she woke up she was ‘ere. got a hunch it’s cause she’s a mage. neva learned ta control er magic and it just blew up on er tha night.”

“THIS COULD BE DANGEROUS SANS. IF OTHERS FOUND OUT SHE’D BE AN EVEN BIGGER TARGET THEN SHE ALREADY IS.”

“yeah, i know paps. probably shouldn’t a let er keep the damn thin but i didn’t see it bein an issue if it stayed in the house. an she pretty useless fer knowing the future. only thin she knew tha was important was tha we break the barrier within the next few years.”

Papyrus was on his feet faster than Sans could blink. Towering over him with a look of frantic hope on his face.

“WE WHAT?! DOES SHE KNOW HOW?!”

“nah. was the first thin i asked too. appears the lil lady didn’t pay attention in history class.”

He had to admit, his brother grabbing his face with both hands and groaning in defeat was just a bit funny to watch. It was just so ridiculously over dramatic. He looked like he was going to fall to his knees at any second. But when his brother went stiff and snapped his head back down to look him in the eye socket, hands still on his face, he went tense as well.

“SANS…”

“yeah?”

“SHE WENT THROUGH THE RUINS…”

“…yeah?”

“WHO ELSE KNOWS?”

He felt his soul freeze in his ribcage. Oh stars. What if she told someone?! Or someone else saw the phone?! Woah. Calm down now Sansy. She would of told him if someone else knew right?... Actually she probably wouldn’t have. He’s not blind. He knows she’s weary of him now that she knows he’s real. That was actually a smart move on her part, if not annoying for him.

“shit. didn’t think ta ask er tha… she’s too wound up now though. i’ll ask er when she’s calmer. works better an she’ll put up less of a fight.”

His brother gave a final, exasperated huff before he stalked back towards the kitchen and he reluctantly got up to follow. Picking up the noisy little doohickey and tapped at the weird duel lines that apparently meant stop. Once it was silent he slipped it into the pocket of his sleep pants and walked through the archway as well.

The sight that greeted him was amusing though. His tiny human timidly offering a bowl to his brother while trying to hide behind a chair at the same time. It was a strange looking meal. Browned potato cubes and onions with two eggs on top. It looked really simple, like a small family recipe.

“looks good, kitten. got some fer me?”

Chapter Text

Breakfast was beyond awkward. She was quick to start making a bowl for Sans after Papyrus took her peace offering, the larger skeleton moving to sit at the table. There was a short pause and a few muttered words between the brothers when Papyrus started to eat but she was too preoccupied making the last two bowls to notice it. She also didn’t notice Sans come up behind her as she set the last bowl on the counter until his hands were wrapped firmly around her waist and were lifting her down off the chair. It nearly made her heart jump into her throat as her hands scrambled to latch onto his phalanges.

“heh. easy, toots. dun need ya fallin fer me jus yet.”

“BROTHER, LEAVE THE HUMAN ALONE! THERE WILL BE NO PERVERSION OR FLIRTING AT THE TABLE!”

Yeah! She agrees with that statement whole heartedly! Now if only Sans would let her go! He had placed her back on her feet but instead of removing his hands, they slid up to wrap around her lower ribs. And she had tried to worm her way out but whilst the grip felt soft it was in all actuality the world’s gentlest bear trap.

No matter how much she tried to squirm or pry at his fingers they wouldn’t move! But come hell or high water she wasn’t just going to stand there and take it. The squirming only increased and her fingers dug into the small gaps in his fused metacarpals in her attempts to pry them off. A deep chuckle rumbled behind her as his hands lifted from her sides and he raised them in mock defeat.

“alright alright kitten, put away the claws. i ain't gonna bite ya… anywhere tha would show.”

Did he just waggle his fucking brow bones at her?! Gods damn it Sans, it is too early for this crap!

“SANS! WHAT DID I JUST SAY?!”

His deep laughter only grew an octave louder as he grabbed their bowls off the counter and right before he turned back to the table he smirked down at her with a wink. She on the other hand stood there like a tomato for all of ten seconds before starting to pull her chair back with a huff, all while muttering under her breath.

“Mother fucking cheeky ass son of a bitch.”

She had said it so quietly that she wasn’t expecting Papyrus to choke or the now sitting Sans to bury his face in his hands in an attempt to stifle his mirth.

“BY ASGORE’S BEARD! LANGUAGE HUMAN!”

To say her face was even redder then before would be the understatement of the century. She could feel the heat of her flush going down past her bruises at this point, but it didn’t stop her irritated grumbling as she sat herself down in front of her own bowl.

The rest of the meal was eaten in relative silence. The only time the brothers spoke was to each other and none of it made any sense to her. Things like, ‘Needing to fill a grifter with daylight’ or how ‘That palooka wound up in the pen’. She was feeling a bit salty over the liberal use of ridiculous slang and it made her want to return the favor, but she needed to be the bigger person here. That and she didn’t want to start anymore shit after earlier this morning.

Papyrus had cleaned up the table again, not even giving her a chance to do it herself. He had even gone so far as ushering her out of the kitchen when he noticed her pushing a chair back over to the dirty counter. That left her standing awkwardly in empty living room with nothing to do.

She was sure that Sans was probably in his room somewhere getting dressed, so she definitely wasn’t about to go looking for him. Not only would he never let her live it down but after that first night she was afraid to touch any other doors aside from the bathroom. Who knows which ones will activate the horrid collar around her neck?

Then Papyrus left after he finished in the kitchen, tugging on his coat and tossing a rather patronizing, “BEHAVE HUMAN” at her. Damn it all, what was she supposed to do now? Sit here and twiddle her thumbs? Why couldn’t he have let her clean the kitchen, it would have taken her longer but it would have been something!

She was about to just start straightening up the already clean living room when she felt large hands wrap around her middle again and she jumped in fright.

“Sans! I swear on Ghatanothoa’s amorphous ass if you don’t stop it, I’ll kick the shit out of you!”

She could feel his laughter against her back. God his voice was like a low thunder.

“heheheheh… kitten’s feisty today. calm down, i’m jus getting a quick measure of ya.”

Heat rushed to her face as his hands ran up her ribs, stopping just below her chest, then smoothed downwards until he was gripping her hips.

“A measure of what?! How handsy you can be before I dig my heel into your groin?! Let go of me you pervert!”

It didn’t work this time as he just pulled her backwards until she was pressed against him, his pelvic bones digging into her back.

“nothin like that doll. jus tryin ta figure out wha size clothes ya wear. can’t ave ya runnin around in my sweater all the time… and… heheheh… i’d like ta see ya try an kick me toots, but i dun think ya can reach.”

His infuriating laughter only got louder as she turned redder and upped her efforts in trying to squirm away. It really didn’t help that he was right. In this position, her short legs would not be able to reach their prime kicking target. But after a few moments the rumble of his laughter petered off and his grip on her hips tightened as he leaned further down over her.

“i need ta ask ya who else saw tha phone a yer’s since ya been down ere.”

She was about to tell him off again but the words died in her throat. The little flower kid. He had seen the phone. She couldn’t possibly tell him after she saw Papyrus come home covered in monster dust, Sans hadn’t even bat an eye socket at the gruesome sight.

“N-no one else saw-“

She didn’t get any further when one of his hands clamped down on her hip whilst the other grabbed her roughly by the jaw and forced her head back to look him in the eye. And his sockets were black, a nerve wracking scowl pulled across his face.

“d o n ‘ t  l i e  t o  m e.”

It felt like her insides had turned to lead and she could feel herself bruising under his crushing grip. Everything about him was terrifying at that moment. With the positions they were in he could snap her neck with one quick twist and she was having a hard time doubting that he would. It didn’t help that small tremors ran through her as she tried to rein in her fear.

“No one-“

She cried out as his grip tightened and he grit his fangs with a growl.

“d o n ‘ t  l i e  t o  m e.”

A small sob pulled past her lips.

“H-he’s just a kid! Please! D-don’t hurt him!”

His grip eased back and he started to stroke along the newly forming bruises on her chin and hip. The soft touches to the tender skin making her shudder.

“his name?”

“I don’t know.”

He started to growl again.

“I promise I don’t know! He ran off when we heard someone approaching! I didn’t get a chance to ask!”

“wha does he look like?”

“Please, Sans! He’s just a kid! Promise you won’t hurt him!”

Sans actually seemed to pause for a moment his scowl softening into a stern frown as his clawed fingers continued to lightly caress her now bruised jaw and along her throat. But his eye sockets were still black and they left her feeling unsettled.

“tell ya what. i dun do promises, but i’ll do deals. so, toots, i’ll give ya my word tha i won’t hurt the kid if ya officially join our lil organization. it’s a bit of a rough crowd but wit tha mouth a yers, ya’d fit right in.”

Oh dear gods. Please don’t let this be as bad as she thinks it is. Please.

“What k-kind of organization?”

He let out a cold chuckle. She didn’t like it, there was none of his usual playful mirth in it.

“me and paps are the dons of the serif family. Fair warnin, once ya in there ain’t no getting out.”

She nearly choked as she stared up into those blank eyes. Oh gods. What has she gotten herself into?! She didn’t care for history that much but even she knew that this was sounding scarily like a gang. Shit what were they called in this time period?

“A-as in a gang or something?”

“callin us somethin as petty as a gang is insultin doll. we ain’t some group a hoodlums, we’ve got rules.”

Oh great! Rules! Because organized crime was so much better! So what, was this some kind of mafia or- oh gods. It was wasn’t it? Mafias used to refer to themselves as families right?! She didn’t know much about gang culture in the past but she did know about gang culture from her time and the thought almost made her gag.

“Sans I- I can’t- I couldn’t hurt someone, I-“

She was silenced by a large thumb pressing over her lips, the rough, scratchy surface of his fingers stilling over her neck. The red lights were back in his eyes but they were dim and sharp, and focusing on her with an intensity that she wasn’t sure she liked. And despite her panic and inner turmoil she followed the silent command, if only so he wouldn’t snap again.

“no kitten. i know ya ain’t got it in ya ta hurt nobody. i wouldn’t put ya in tha position. ya somethin special wit tha green magic a yers. but i'ma fair monster. i’ll give ya some time ta think it ova.”

Then he was gone. It was like he had never even been there in the first place, and the only proof she was left with was her sudden loss of balance and new bruises to add to her collection. He had told her to think it over but two thoughts stuck in her head like a nail in wood. One, she was completely screwed. Even if she didn’t join, she was already in too deep to ever get away. And two, the universe needs to forget all her past complaints. She’d take pervert Sans over scary Sans any day.

Chapter Text

A small figure lay in what was left of the now pulverized flowerbed. It was a young boy with messy, outgrown hair and dirty, threadbare clothes covered in dark stains. The old stripped sweater was faded and tucked under a pair worn out, hand me down overalls and the toes of his shoes were starting to peel up from the soles.

He rolled over with a grunt and squinted through a pair of shattered old spectacles. They hadn’t been perfect and they were too big for him, he had gotten them from an older girl at the orphanage, but they had helped him see somewhat. Now that they were broken everything was fractured and distorted, and he didn’t know if that was better or worse than just seeing the world as blobs of color.

He finally pushed himself up to a stand, deciding that fractured and blurry was always going to be better than vague blob shapes. Not even bothering to pat down his dirty clothes he stepped forward in hopes of finding his way out. Not seeing or feeling the dark tendril creep from the flowerbed as it wound itself around his leg, before seeming to seep into him, like it had never been there to begin with.

If he was lucky this wasn’t a one way sinkhole and there would be an easier exit further up, because he really didn’t want to tempt fate twice and try to climb up to the hole he fell in from.

xxxxxxxxxx

She had spent a few hours fussing around the house to try and clear her head. It didn’t work. No of course it wouldn’t! Who was she kidding? The house had already been almost perfectly clean when she started and with her frantic attempts at trying to distract herself it was now spotless, not a single smudge or speck of dirt was left. So that meant there was nothing left to occupy her mind other than her mind itself, and that was a very dangerous thing on a normal basis. And this was not a normal basis.

Now she was just sitting on the couch staring down at her hands and wishing she were stronger. If she was stronger she could have pulled herself out of Sans’ hold. If she was stronger she would have been able to resist him as he put this damn collar around her neck and she wouldn’t have crumpled like wet paper from just one hit when Toriel had attacked her in the ruins.

But she wasn’t stronger, she was small and weak, the only strength training she'd had were the Latin dance classes she took in her high school years and those wouldn’t help her any. She couldn’t tango or salsa her way out of this situation and even if she could she hadn’t been very good at it, it had just been a fun way to stay fit.

Her fingertips traced the edges of the new bruises along her jaw, her breath shuddering as pain pinched along the tender flesh. Why was he so different here? What had happened to her laid back drinking buddy? One moment and it would be just like back at her apartment but with them able to touch each other, and then in the next he was cold, domineering, and hostile. She was afraid. Of him, of his brother, and what he’d do to others, like the little flower kid, if she didn’t cave to his demands.

She choked on a sob before quickly grabbing her blanket and wedging herself behind the couch again. She couldn’t stop the flood of tears as she curled up against the cold wall, the blanket clutched in her lap.

He wanted her to join his ‘family’ and the thought made her sick. Weak women didn’t survive in gangs. They wound up dead or used as live drug containers or sold off. The only women who survived in gangs were women who would kill any bastard that tried to touch them and she wasn’t sure she could even bring herself to raise a fist towards anyone with ill intent. Despite all the jokes and threats, she knew she couldn’t. Not even to Sans, even though he quite literally had her on a leash and collar.

Her fingers were digging at the leather again and her crying finally turned to full sobs. Her nails biting into the already raw flesh and drawing droplets of blood to the surface. This wasn’t what she had wanted from her life. She had wanted to study the oceans and make new discoveries. She wanted to buy a house in the suburbs one day and paint murals in every room. Hell she wanted to adopt a dog, get married, and maybe have a kid.

She may have wished for magic as a child but she never wanted this. To be sent back in time to an era were women were still treated like objects and domestic abuse was the normal way to discipline a misbehaving wife. To a time were economic depression and war where right around the corner. And if that wasn’t enough she had gotten herself involved with a monster crime syndicate.

Sans said he’d never make her hurt anyone but that didn’t mean no one would hurt her. What if this magic he’s so invested in doesn’t work the way he wants it to or she never figures out how to control it? Would he grow tired of her? Would she just be disposed of once she no longer had a use?

But her mind just kept drifting back to that battered little flower kid with the torn petals. What kind of person would she be if she let him get hurt because of her? No. No she couldn’t. She wouldn’t let Sans hurt him. If that meant giving up what little was left of her freedom to her captors then she would. She would not let harm come to a child if she had a way to prevent it.

She stayed behind the couch after finally coming to a decision, laying against the wall for what felt like hours just staring blankly at the carpet. Her fingers were still tugging and clawing weakly at her collar but she just felt numb. Her panic and stress had drained her to the point she could barely care anymore. She didn’t stop her clawing even when she heard the front door open, and she didn’t even seem to register the footsteps traveling through the house. And the sudden shadow looming over her was studiously ignored.

“HUMAN?”

She didn’t respond. She didn’t want to. She just tugged harder, ignoring the dulled sting. But she also didn’t fight back when two large hands reached down and slipped beneath her arms, gently lifting her up from her hiding place.

“HUMAN YOU ARE HURTING YOURSELF. YOU MUST STOP.”

Maybe it was some kind of deep seated spite that managed to shine through how numb she felt but she just dug her nails in harder, drawing a few more red pearls to the surface. And the next thing she knew Papyrus had sat down with her on the couch, sitting her sideways in his lap as he arrested her hands in one of his. His other hand reached into a pocket pulling out a bandana sized handkerchief and started to dab away the blood on her neck.

“I KNOW YOU ARE SCARED AND I KNOW HOW MUCH THIS COLLAR MUST BOTHER YOU BUT YOU MUST UNDERSTAND THAT JUST KEEPING YOU ALIVE IS A CRIME OF THE HIGHEST ORDER.”

His hand was gentle as he tilted her head back, looking over the damage with an unusually soft gaze. What did he mean that keeping her alive was a crime?

“SHOULD YOU LEAVE THIS HOUSE UNPROTECTED THEN YOU WOULD QUICKLY BE KILLED BY OTHER MONSTERS AND SHOULD THE AUTHORITIES LEARN OF YOUR EXISTENCE ME AND MY BROTHER WOULD FACE CHARGES OF TREASON.”

Her gaze became a bit more focused on his face as he spoke and her fingers wound into his metacarpals. She didn’t understand. Why?

“WE NEED SEVEN HUMAN SOULS TO BREAK THE BARRIER. WE HAVE SIX AND YOU WOULD MAKE SEVEN BUT WE MADE A DEAL TO PROTECT YOU AND WE HONOR OUR WORD.”

They needed her soul to break the barrier? So her continued existence is what was keeping everyone trapped down here? Maybe it was fate and time really couldn’t be altered. She’d die in the Underground and the monsters would go free. It wasn’t what she wanted or had dreamed about but… she couldn’t bring herself to hate it. She’d at least do something worthwhile right?

---

“HUMAN?”

Oh. Is Papyrus back already? It felt like he was just here. He couldn’t have been gone for too long then.

 “HUMAN YOU ARE HURTING YOURSELF. YOU MUST STOP.”

He was right. Maybe she should stop. It did hurt after all, and the ache will definitely bother her later. Oh when did he get her on his lap? When did he even pick her up? His presence was calm and soothing though so she didn’t fight it.

“I KNOW YOU ARE SCARED AND I KNOW HOW MUCH THIS COLLAR MUST BOTHER YOU BUT YOU MUST UNDERSTAND THAT JUST KEEPING YOU ALIVE IS A CRIME OF THE HIGHEST ORDER.”

Hmm… That sounded familiar. Might have something to do with her old history lessons.

 “SHOULD YOU LEAVE THIS HOUSE UNPROTECTED THEN YOU WOULD QUICKLY BE KILLED BY OTHER MONSTERS AND SHOULD THE AUTHORITIES LEARN OF YOUR EXISTENCE ME AND MY BROTHER WOULD FACE CHARGES OF TREASON.”

Why wasn’t this bothering her more? Was she still numb? Was she in shock?

“WE NEED SEVEN HUMAN SOULS TO BREAK THE BARRIER. WE HAVE SIX AND YOU WOULD MAKE SEVEN BUT WE MADE A DEAL TO PROTECT YOU AND WE HONOR OUR WORD.”

Ah that’s right. Something about souls. Maybe they covered it in her history class and she just forgot? That’s a sucky way to have to free your people. Like humans were such assholes that they made a barrier that could only be broken with murder. Humans suck. She hates humans. And she is a human. Maybe that is what will happen to her when she’s no longer useful. She’s surprisingly okay with that.

“ALRIGHT HUMAN. LET US GET YOU WASHED UP AND THEN YOU CAN COOK WITH ME. I AM INTERESTED IN YOUR STRANGE FUTURE RECIPES.”

A very small smile crossed her lips as she was carted into the bathroom, being cradled in one oversized arm like a toddler. She couldn’t help but think that in the end she will help them be free and that will at least be worth it. The monsters deserve to stand in the sun.

Chapter Text

How many times? How many fucking times was he going to have to kill this rat?! What in Asgore’s name was going on?! Why was time fluctuating like this?! He gave a vindictive snarl as he plunged the sharpened bone into the man’s chest, not caring the slightest when the bastard’s dust got all over him.

Was it his kitten? No, it couldn’t be. He was sure that time had been warped by the machine. Even if it was linked somehow to her magic the machine would need a lot more power to be doing something like this, and while it was extremely rare and useful, green magic was one of the weakest energy wise.

And so far it seemed he was the only one to remember, as his target never changed tactics. No matter how many times time reset he could still wait around the corner and strike just as he passed by. The only thing that showed any sign of change was his patience, and it was very quickly running out.

He huffed as he waited and pulled out his pocket watch, the world was resetting but it seemed to last just a bit longer each time. Usually just a few minutes difference but it was getting ridiculous, he had literally killed the same man twenty damn times! Well okay twenty one now.

The minute hand on his watch ticked by the time of the last reset and he kept waiting, anticipating the cold shudder and flash of darkness that was eerily familiar to his shortcuts. But after another ten minutes passed, nothing happened.

Was it over? No he shouldn’t assume anything. Whatever was happening was completely unknown. For all he knew it could happen multiple times before having a lapse in activity, then it could start up again without warning. Like an earthquake. He needed to get back to the old lab just to make sure nothing else turned on.

He should probably get cleaned up while he was at it. Giving his kitten an unnecessary scare just wouldn’t do. He wanted her to submit to him but he didn’t want to break her, she had this fire in her that he wanted to keep. The thought made him laugh but you could call it an almost aggressive amount of kindness. It was no wonder her magic was green. He’d nearly choked once when he’d overheard her threaten to tie a sick coworker to their bed if they didn’t rest, and she had spared no detail on how she was going to do it either.

But that same fire would make her hard to tame, so he had to be careful with how he pressed his dominance, like this morning. He wouldn’t tolerate her lying to him and it was best she learned that now. She still didn’t completely comply with him though, despite the obvious pain and he wasn’t sure if he should be proud or irritated.

It didn’t help that she doesn’t truly seem to realize what kind of world the underground is. Even if she did pay attention in history class he highly doubted that the law to kill all humans that fell was public knowledge on the surface. It was his job to protect what was his in this hellhole and she was his, the sooner she realized that the better.

With a quick shortcut he was in the lab, mind still on his kitten, and he went straight for the covered machine. He yanked the tarp up as he glowered over the still inactive machinery. If it wasn’t the machine that meant that whatever was causing the time jumps was an unknown. He didn’t like unknowns. The anomaly having an unknown source meant he couldn’t control it and what couldn’t be controlled within his territory needed to be eliminated. He just needed to find it first.

Well he wasn’t going to get an answer just by glaring at the cursed piece of scrap metal so with a sigh he started towards the back of the lab. There was a small bathroom that only consisted of a sink, a mirror, and what could barely pass as a shower head hanging over a drain. He tended to use this room if he needed to clean himself up discretely and he kept a supply of clean clothes on standby down here as well.

He shrugged his coat off as a smirk slid across his face, his thoughts drifted to how cute and absolutely vulnerable she had looked this morning in only one of his old sweaters. His waistcoat fell next as he imagined that innocent flush that crossed her face as his hands slid along her sides. She was so soft and fragile and so damn small.

He could just imagine it was her tiny hands undoing the buttons of his shirt. Hands shaking with nerves as she tried not to look up at him but flustering as his shirt slid from his shoulders. Oh fuck she was so cute. What he wouldn’t give just to pin her to the wall and-

Crap. He needed to cool down before he actually followed through with thought. It was just so tempting though with how easy it was to turn her into a blushing mess. All he would have to do is corner her against a wall and run his claws down her neck and she’d start turning that wonderful red color. And stars was it a pretty neck. He just wanted to sink his teeth into it and feel her pulse jumping under her skin.

Fuck, shit. When did his pants get so tight? He really needed to stop. With a groan he relieved himself of the rest of his clothes and turned the shower onto its coldest setting. Studiously ignoring his growing erection as he stepped under the spray. The icy temperature made his bones rattle slightly but he needed this.

His forehead hit the wall as he growled to himself. She wasn’t his mate. He couldn’t just fuck her into the nearest surface anytime he pleased. Oh but stars did he want too. She made it so hard for him to ignore her. Everything about her was so foreign. From the way she talked, her words lilting ever so slightly, to the way she walked with that slight bounce to her step, like there was music everywhere she went. She had this innocence to her but always seemed to be aware of how horrible the world around her was. And yet she managed to maintain that kindness in her soul.

He’d be lying to himself if he didn’t admit that he wanted to be the one to corrupt that sweet innocence of hers. To give her a real reason to be flustered.

Damn it stop thinking about it!

Fuck it! The shower wasn’t helping and he needed to get this out of his system. A low rumble left his gaping jaws as he wrapped a hand around himself, the glowing red shaft now at full mast. If he closed his sockets he could just imagine it was her, pinned between him and the shower wall, hands timid as they grasped him.

She’d be quiet and unsure as she slowly rubbed them along his length, and he’d watch her like a hawk, drinking in the slow destruction of her purity. Fuck that wouldn’t last long. Oh he’d have her up on that wall with her legs over his arms and he’d relish in every cry she made. She’d be nothing but a mewling mess, clawing at his bones as he pounded her into the fucking tile.

He came with a snarl, his red seed splattering on the tile wall as he huffed and growled. That fucking sweet little kitten. When he finally gets his claws on her he’ll make sure she won’t be able to walk out of his room the next day. That was a promise he’d be happy to make.

XXXXXXXXXX

She had finished cooking with Papyrus not too long ago and was now up on the chair again, wiping down the counter as he set the food on the table. She had a feeling he’d like something more Italian, since he seemed to like lasagna, and had shown him how to make some garlic and parmesan pasta. It was one of her mother’s recipes and was easy to imitate with monster food since it didn’t involve meat. It was also really simple and easy to remember so it became a staple meal for her after she left home. Papyrus on the other hand, seemed perturbed by how simple it was. He hadn’t tried it yet and he had been eyeing it skeptically since she’d finished.

She hadn’t been paying attention to her surroundings though, as she was busy making sure there was no oil or cheese crumbs left on the counter, so she nearly jumped out of her skin went she felt a large hand wrap loosely around her neck. The pungent scent of a cigar hitting her nose and the heat of breath hitting her ear made her turn her head ever so slightly to see Sans leaning over her, closely examining the new bandages around her throat.

“wha’s wit the wrappin’s?”

When his sharpened eye lights met her eyes she quickly averted them and kept quiet. That was apparently not the answer he was looking for as a low growl rumbled off him and his claws roughly pulled down on the edge of the bandage. A whimper pulled unbidden past her lips as he pulled her head back against his chest to get a better look. That at least got Papyrus’ attention.

“CAREFUL BROTHER! I DO NOT WANT HER TO START LEAKING AGAIN!”

“leakin? wha the fuck happened?”

“WHEN I GOT HOME SHE WAS ATTEMPTING TO CLAW THE COLLAR OFF. SHE DID QUITE A BIT OF DAMAGE IN THE PROCESS.”

Oh no. Please shut up Papyrus! Shit see! That look he’s giving her right now? That look promised she was going to have a bad time. It was a look she has quickly come recognize as the ‘I’m going to kick your ass’ face. His eye lights were gone, his grin was strained, and the grip he had on her was getting tighter by the second. When he lowered his mouth to her ear she shuddered, somewhat because of how it felt but mostly out of fear.

“we’re gonna be talkin’ bout dis later, kitten.”

He released her after that but his hands still lingered a bit longer then they should have, running the clawed tips over her neck and collarbone. The fact that his lighter touches felt so good bothered her deeply. This was the same man who left bruises on her, she shouldn’t enjoy his touch at all. Damn it all, what in the nine hells is wrong with her?! She was quick to finish cleaning after that, doing her best to ignore the now glowering skeleton sitting at the table.

---

How long has she been cleaning the counter? It feels like she’s been doing it forever but it was still dirty. A quick glance towards the stove showed her Papyrus just starting to scoop servings of her pasta onto dishes to take to the table. But hadn’t he done that already? She could have sworn he did. Right? No. She’s just imagining things now. Maybe she needs to drink more water, she hasn’t had much since she woke up here and it’s probably messing with her head. Yeah that was it. She was just dehydrated.

And Sans should be back soon right? She didn’t really want to face him right now. He’ll be angry when he sees the bandages and she wanted to stay as far away from his temper for as long as possible. Wait. Why did she think he’d be home soon? It’s not like she’s been here long enough to pick up on his schedule.

But something was itching at her. Telling her that he’d be here soon and he wouldn’t be happy with her when he got here. She wanted to ignore it, it was all in her head after all, but it was just so incessant. And it kept poking and prodding in the back of her mind, it was driving her nuts. So when the thought to turn around flashed through her mind she gave in with a soft huff only to freeze when she saw a chest covered in a maroon dress shirt instead of the rest of the kitchen. Her eyes were quick to look up towards Sans’ own slightly shocked face.

Holy shit how long had he been behind her?! After a moment though his widened sockets narrowed down at her and she tried to take a step back only for her hips to hit the counter top. His hand was still able to reach out and gently wrap itself around the column of her neck, pulling her back towards him. His other hand reached down to smooth over her waist as he leaned into her shoulder. The feeling of his teeth moving against the exposed skin sending an unwelcome tingle down her spine.

“wha do ya remember, kitten?”

“Remember?”

“do ya remember me comin inta the kitchen before?”

“I-… No? Just kind of had some déjà vu earlier but-“

“so ya jus remember a bit then.”

She squirmed a bit when his grip on her waist tightened slightly, his teeth tickling along her neck and shoulder, and his hot breath making her shudder. She was probably blushing but that seemed to be a default state of being for her so she wouldn’t be surprised.

“jus a reminder then. we’re still gonna be talking bout those wrappin’s later.”

Chapter Text

They had replayed this kitchen scene about 5 times now and he was quickly finding his ire and irritation falling to the wayside. She now turned almost instantly when he entered the kitchen, eyes wide and wary as if she expected him to lunge across the room at her. He even heard Papyrus muttering about good response time.

He’d come to realize that she really didn’t remember much, just vague feelings and small flashes of memories that faded as fast as they came. But she was adapting subconsciously, her pattern changing every time in a way that left her at a bit of a better vantage point.

But his anger at her self-harm had finally faded and all that was left at this point was the worry. They never got far enough to talk about it. In the last reset they had just finished eating when the world shuddered around him and he was back in the lab, just about to shortcut up to the living room.

He almost chuckled when she tried to scamper off the chair as he approached her, but a careful application of his magic slowed her enough that he reached her first. He didn’t really want her to notice him doing it but he also didn’t want to chase her around the kitchen either. When he was close enough he stilled her with a hand on her hip, pulling her back up and closer to him then he was sure she wanted to be at that moment. His other hand coming up to trace the bandages around her neck and obscuring the collar, they had a few small red spots on them where some blood had seeped through.

“ey, paps. i’ma be stealin’ the kitten fer a lil talk after dinner, so yer gonna be cleanin’ up on yer own tonight.”

Oh that wide eyed look was cute, like a cornered mouse. He could feel her shifting her weight, looking for an opportunity to pull out of his grasp.

“VERY WELL BROTHER BUT IF YOU ARE GOING TO BE STEALING THE HUMAN THEN YOU WILL BE THE ONE TO CHANGE HER BANDAGES TONIGHT.”

Papyrus threw a rather fond glare at the both of them.

“AND DON’T YOU DARE THINK OF LOLLYGAGGING ABOUT AND LEAVING THE OLD ONES ON. I DID SOME READING AT THE LIBRARY AND I DON’T WANT TO DEAL WITH AN INFECTION! AND I FEEL LIKE SHE’D BE THE TYPE TO LET IT FESTER OUT OF SPITE.”

There was a brief flash of interest on the girl’s face at the mention of the library but it quickly turned to a rather salty looking glower. He couldn’t hold in the snort of laughter when she stuck her tongue out at his brother’s now turned back. There was his little spitfire.

Xxxxx

He was being oddly calm and it was setting her on edge. Why wasn’t he angry? She was so sure that he’d be angry, furious even, when he saw the bandages. She had been so worried about his arrival that she had somehow even known when he had entered the kitchen. She was chalking that down to weird magic shit she didn’t understand. Now they were finishing up and she had this pit of dread that had settled in her chest, cold and heavy.

“HUMAN! I TAKE BACK WHAT I SAID ABOUT THIS RECIPE BEING TOO SIMPLE. WHILE IT INDEED DIDN’T TAKE MUCH IT WAS ODDLY DELICIOUS. I DO HOPE YOU PLAN ON SHARING MORE OF YOUR HUMAN RECIPES IN THE FUTURE.”

“O-oh uhhh… Sure. But to be fair, most of my recipes are like that… didn’t have a lot of money for food so… The simpler the better… I’ve got lots of potato, pasta, and onion based recipes.”

The pause Papyrus made was so brief that she didn’t really notice, to busy fidgeting with her hands in her lap. She also decided not to bring up that what little extra money she ever had went straight to art supplies and booze. She was quite sure that the lanky skeleton would greatly disapprove of her vices of choice. It was when Papyrus had left the table with the plates in hand that Sans got up, and she honestly wanted to bolt. He was always huge but she was suddenly feeling like a tiny child about to get the worst scolding in history.

And he must have noticed how she tensed up because in the next second she was in his arms and given no room to escape. He had her tucked into his arms in a way that was firm and restrictive but not painful, one arm wrapping around her back and under her thighs while the other went over her shins and held her waist. He quite literally made it so she couldn’t buck or kick her way out of his hold.

“ya didn’t think i was jus gonna let ya fade off on me did ya, toots?”

“… Was kind of hoping you had forgotten.”

He gave a derisive snort at that, already heading towards the bathroom and she could hear the beginnings of Papyrus making his usual racket in the kitchen. Once there she almost sighed in relief when he placed her on the counter but she quickly swallowed it when he closed the door.

Oh shit. No she did not like the idea of being alone with an angry Sans. Just thinking about those blacked out eye sockets sent a shiver down her spine and she was doing well to keep her eyes down so she wouldn’t have to see them again. At least until he pinched her chin between his thumb and index finger, tilting her head back. But thank the void, his eye lights were still there. They were sharp and focused on her neck but there were still two red orbs floating in that darkness.

It was hard not to jump or squirm as his claws scraped around looking for the end of the wrapping but his touch remained gentle. Once he had the end loose he slowly unwound them, pausing once or twice when she hissed as the gauze got caught on a fresh scab. Once the bindings were off he grabbed a rag and held it under the running faucet.

“i’d ask wha the hell ya were tryin to do, rippin tha pretty lil neck a yers up like tha, but i dun think yer gonna answer me, are ya doll?”

He wasn’t wrong and her glancing away was all he needed to answer his question. He let a rough sigh and gently started to dab at the raw, swollen skin. His other hand holding her head in place so she couldn’t pull away.

“well if yer not gonna talk bout yer attempt ta rip yer own throat out then we can talk bout tha deal i offered earlier.”

If she hadn’t been tense before she sure as shit was now! Of course he’d bring that up when he had her pinned on the counter. The damn bastard didn’t want to give her any chance of avoiding the subject, did he? She knew she was going to agree to his terms but that didn’t make being cornered feel any better.

“I… I have a condition.”

He gave a snort but waved the rag holding hand for her to continue. His other hand was still keeping her head still, phalanges tangled in her hair.

“When you’re… done with me. Use my soul to break the barrier.”

She hadn’t been able to meet his gaze as she said it, looking down at the deep red buttons of his dress shirt. And she was glad she hadn’t cause no sooner than the words left her mouth he went stone still, the bubbling heat of his magic practically radiating off of him in waves.

“is tha what ya think i’ma do to ya?”

His voice was nothing more than a quite growl, rumbling low from within his ribcage.

“Papyrus told me you just need one more soul …and-“

He didn’t let her finish, both of his hands grabbing her head and forcing her to look up at him. The red lights of his eyes were burning pinpricks, like two molten embers that were staring down into her soul.

“do ya really think i’m the kinda man tha’d bump off a dame jus cause i got bored? i gave my word i’d protect ya.”

“You’re a fucking criminal Sans! How am I supposed to trust that?!”

Snapping at him may not have been the best choice but she was sick and tired of feeling so weak. The embers of his eyes were gone and she was left staring up at black voids but she was done backing down.

“an’ wha the hell would ya know bout criminals? huh?”

“What do I know?! How about half my fucking family being a bunch of fucking crooks?!”

She pulled his hands from her face. Even knowing that if he didn’t want them to they wouldn’t have moved, the space made her feel a bit better. But not better enough to stop yelling.

“But they were my family so I fucking trusted them! And you know where that landed me?!”

He didn’t answer, just continued to loom over her. His eye lights had returned and his face was set into an impassive mask. She hated that look. Like he was judging her.

“Three god damn years, Sans! Fresh out of high school and thrown into jail! Used like some kind of scape goat! S-so don’t you dare tell me I don’t know shit!”

Her voice had started to crack and waver as she tried to rein in the tears and anger. When his hands came back up and smoothed across her cheeks she tried to pull back and swat them away. But he wasn’t having any of her dramatics and pulled her head against his ribs as he let out a comforting purr.

“D-don’t you fucking purr at me you- you overbearing twat!”

He held her firm through all her struggles and with every passing second she could feel the vibrations making her muscles relax.

“No! C-cut it out! I’m mad at you, stop it!”

Why? Why couldn’t he just let her be angry for once? Especially now? Now that she was stuck in this hellish time period where she couldn’t drown the world and her thoughts out with easily accessible distractions. No television, no movies, no internet, no stash of booze and art supplies. And then Sans took away her music! She had nothing! So let her be mad damn it! It was something!

Even when all the fight had left her he continued his low purr, his claws raking slowly along her scalp. It wasn’t until she finally gave in and fisted her fingers into his shirt that the soothing rumble started to taper off. When she felt him trying to lift her chin she pulled back and bit his finger out of spite but the bastard just used it to gently grab her bottom jaw. She nearly gagged at the thumb in her mouth but even she had to admit that this was her own damn fault.

“look ‘ere kitten. i aint gonna kill ya. pap’s aint gonna kill ya. and as far as i’m concerned yer under my protection. i’ll be honest an say i dun know nothin bout what crime is like in yer time but me and my family aint some two bit goons… i dun know wha they taught ya bout the underground but it aint a nice place. the fuzz can only do so much an tha’s where we come in. ya see, ya can’t stop people from wantin ta get gowed-up when they ave ta live in this shit hole. so we control it. make sure people aint buyin what they can’t afford, an aint buyin tainted shit that’ll dust em. an we protect our territory.”

He gave her jaw a soft yank, making her look up to meet his eyes. He was much closer than he had been before, his nasal ridge only inches away from her own nose, and the sudden proximity made her gasp around the offending digit in her mouth.

“accept my deal er not, yer still mine. but if it’ll make ya feel better than fine. if anythin happens to ya, i’ll take yer soul to the barrier. so now yer gonna tell me yer answer and give me a description of tha kid.”

She stretched her jaw when he finally released her and she couldn’t help but shy back from the small gap between their faces.

“You won’t hurt him… right?”

“i need ta know what the kid looks like ta make sure he aint gonna get hurt.”

“O-okay… Fine. I-… I accept. Please… Please don’t make me regret this.”

A pleased rumble left him, his frame still hunched over her and his hands tailing over her shoulders.

“attagirl. now give me somethin ta work with. can’t protect the kid if i dun recognize em.”

“He’s a flower. A uh golden flower with ripped petals. Has a cute little face in the center.”

He gave off a small hum as he pulled back to his full height and she couldn’t help the sigh of relief she gave at the sudden breathing room. The hands on her shoulders traveled up to her neck and tilted her head back.

“now tha’ tha’s settled, we should finish wrappin ya up.”

He made quick work of her bandages after that, his touches to her neck still light and careful. Part of her wanted to ask if he’d take the gods forsaken collar off of her now but she knew he wouldn’t. He trusted her not to run off just as much as she trusted him not to lose that ridiculous temper of his. And once all the cleanup was done, he ushered he back to the couch and all but told her to go to sleep. Papyrus had her pegged though. She was nothing if she wasn’t spiteful. She wound up staying awake for a few more hours, glaring at Sans’ door before sleep finally claimed her.

Chapter Text

The morning was just starting and it was already a strange one. He was used to his brother yelling at him to get up, maybe kicking down his door or using magic to drag him out of bed. Having him tap incessantly on his cranium until he woke up was a new one and he wasn’t sure how he felt about it.

“i’m up, i’m up. what’s with the silent wake up call, boss?”

“The Human Is Still Asleep. I Do Not Wish To Rouse Them. Now Get Your Lazy Coccyx Out Of Bed, We Still Have A Job To Do.”

He gave a groan as he rolled out of bed, the bones of his bare feet clacking softly against the wood floor. His brother must really like the human if he’s letting her sleep in. Hell, he had even lowered his volume, a rare occurrence outside of more sensitive discussions. He didn’t even get to his closet before his brother spoke again.

“I Heard The Argument You And The Human Had Last Night.”

“eaves droppin on me now? wha bout it?”

He pulled the door open and picked the first pair of pants his hands came across before dropping his old worn sleep pants and slipping the dress pants on in their place. Ignoring his brother’s groan of protest.

“You Have A Union Suit Sans! Wear It!”

He just scoffed as he pulled out a white button up next, and smirked at his brother’s resigned sigh.

“What Was the Deal You Made With The Human?”

“wha, didn’t listen in on tha too?”

He turned a teasing grin at him as he did up his buttons. The glare he received made his shoulders shake with repressed laughter.

“a’right a’right! dun get yer knickers in a twist! turns out someone in the ruins found out ‘er little secret as well.”

His brother’s posture went ramrod straight, eyelights flaring, and claws flexing ever so slightly at his sides.

“lil kid apparently. kitten’s got some moxy though, wouldn’t give me anythin till i swore not ta hurt em.”

“And Did You?”

“ya really think i’d ignore such a golden opportunity, boss? i’m offended!”

“Sans, I Swear!”

Papyrus looked about ready to wrap his hands around his throat to squeeze the life out of him and he’d be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy driving his brother up the wall.

“Please For The Love Of The Angel. Please Tell Me You Informed Her Of Our Rule To Never Harm Children.”

“nah.”

He took a shortcut to the other side of the room when Papyrus made a grab for him, snickering under his breath.

“made a deal wit the lil dame instead. i’d protect the brat if he eva crawled outa the ruins, an in return she stops fightin us an swears herself to the family.”

He snatched his tie off of his bed post as Papyrus seethed in his general direction, smoothing out the rumpled fabric as he wrapped it around his neck.

“Don’t Expect Me To Save Your Sorry Coccyx When She Finds Out You Conned Her. That Is Far From A Fair Deal.”

“c’mon paps, since when ave i eva turned away a good opportunity for profit? sides the kid’ll be under my protection. lot better than gettin a shake down if ya ask me. an i get ta keep the kitten under my thumb.”

Papyrus gave an exasperated scoff and narrowed his sockets down on his older brother, his gaze calculating and judgmental. Geez and people called him The Judge.

“I Know Your Stuck On That Little Frail, It’s Hard To Miss. So Take My Advice And Stop Treating Her Like A Game.”

He watched his brother straighten his tie and stalk out the room with wide sockets. How the hell did he figure it out so damn quick? It was scarily easy to forget how observant his little brother was when he’s normally so boisterous. If he wasn’t family he’d be terrified of the guy.

He scratched idly at his cervical vertebrae after he finished knotting his tie and looked around the room for where he tossed those supplies. He had made a quick run last night to get his doll something to keep her preoccupied and managed to find a few blank books and pencils at the local shop. They were nothing compared to the quality of the ones she had in her own time but he had a feeling she’d appreciate them none the less. Maybe if he could get his hands on some paints then he could get her to paint him some starfields again.

He pulled on his waistcoat as he looked, spotting the paper bag sticking out from under his coat in the corner. He was not looking forward to dealing with that old crone at the cleaners again but if he left his coat looking that crumpled then Paps would have his non-existent hide. Good thing he had another or he’d be walking around in the snow without one.

His phalange pulled on the heel of his nice wingtips, slipping them on with a small smirk. He remembers how the dame had pointed them out once, and in her drunken stupor had called him ‘Mr. Fancy Feet’. She was definitely strange but that’s what drew him in, although he could do without the defiance. Meh, it was probably a generational difference, she’d learn.

He slipped on a fresh coat and settled his fedora atop his skull before grabbing the bag of art supplies, kicking the old coat to the wayside. He’d leave these on the coffee table for her to find before he heads out.

He would say that the day had been a laid back one, nothing really interesting or new along the grapevine and the boys didn’t have any trouble with the distribution today, but if there is anything that would make a day really annoying it was having to repeat it over and over. When he finds that damn anomaly he was going to throttle it then turn it into a fucking pin cushion!

Most of his men were giving him a wide berth. He couldn’t really blame them seeing as he had already slammed his fist into one poor shmuck’s head. There wasn’t any real intent behind the blow so he got off with just a nasty lump. But if he had to sit through that idiots ramblings one more time he was going to punt him across Snowdin.

When the time shenanigans started to slow down he was already headed towards the ruins. He hadn’t been back since he had gotten his human from the crazy old lady and he wanted to have a few words with her. He wouldn’t hurt her, after all his kitten was safe in his clutches now. But the idea of what could have happened to her had the broad traded her off to someone else practically made him see red.

He was taking a more discreet path, winding between the trees and keeping well out of sight should anyone be on the main road. The last thing he needed was someone snooping on him whilst he discussed anything remotely sensitive, especially if it involved his girl. His steps faltered however when he heard a loud bang coming from the exit of the ruins and he didn’t bother walking the rest of the way, teleporting into a shady nook by the door.

There, panting and disheveled, was a young human boy who was pushed up against the door as if he needed to hold it shut. And perched upon his shoulder was a ratty yellow blossom. A blossom with a face in the center. Shit. That meant he needed to own up to two deals in one day.

“Hey! Hey Frisk! Are you okay?”

The human boy gave a soft hum and a small nod before trying to straighten out the broken glasses on his face. His eyes were still squinting though, as if he was having a hard time seeing.

“Come on, we need to get out of here before anyone finds us. Just take it easy and maybe we’ll find you a new stick along the way.”

A new stick? The hell is the kid going to do with a stick? He decided to watch for a bit, to judge whether he’d be locking the kid up for his own safety or for everyone else’s. But as he watched the kid stumble forward, tripping over clumps of hardened snow and being guided to stay on the path he really couldn’t see the brat being much of a threat to anyone. Hell he even watched as the kid struggled to break a branch off a fallen log, the flower coming to his aid and breaking it for him. His mind was made up however as he watched the boy start using the stick to feel the ground in front of him, using it to avoid any tripping hazards in the snow. He didn’t know how broken those glasses were but he wasn’t going to let a blind kid walk through this forest on their own. He didn’t really feel like wasting time so he simply teleported behind the boy as he reached the bridge.

“human.”

“Run Frisk!”

The human nearly jumped a foot into the air before attempting to take off but slipped on a patch of ice, tumbling forward and right over the edge of the bridge. He tried to grab the kid with his magic but was just a fraction of a second to slow and he watched with wide eyes as the kid plummeted into the ravine.

Then the world went dark and reality shuddered and he was back in the shady nook, staring at a shaking boy who didn’t wait for the flower to ask if he was alright. The kid was already stumbling forward with a tremor in his step.

It wasn’t an anomaly, it was magic. Of all the things he needed to deal with another untrained mage was not something he was looking forward to! And of all things, time magic! One of the most powerful and dangerous kinds of magic there was!

After a calming breath he scratched at his skull and really thought about it. The kid didn’t rewind time when he was cornered, he rewound because he fell to his death. Does that mean that every time reality rewound itself these past few days was because the kid had died? As he thought about it he felt his marrow chill in his bones. He had stopped counting but there had easily been over fifty rewinds so far and if the kid had to die every time…

He didn’t even let the kid get to the log this time, porting himself to the kid’s side and grabbing him by the back of his torn overalls. Geez he didn’t know a lot about human kids but he was sure they should weigh more than this. He also restrained his little flower friend with a bit of magic as well, to ensure he didn’t attack.

“Let us go you boob!”

“ah, i dunno kids. looks like yer both behind the eight ball. ain’t in much’a position ta be givin orders.”

The flower continued to squirm whilst the kid just hung there. He could feel the kids tremors but he still seemed to be trying to put on a brave face. Good. He wasted no more time on talking, he needed to get the both of these little idiots somewhere safe. With a flash of magic all three of them were gone, leaving behind a patch of melty snow and the smell of burning ozone.

Chapter Text

The house was quiet when she woke up and a glance at the wooden clock across the room told her it was around ten. Not really wanting to get up she groaned but rolled off the side of the couch anyway, landing on the floor beneath with a muffled thump. Hell she even laid there for a few more minutes wallowing in all her aches and pains. It felt like she deserved them though, after caving in like that. She had quite literally sold her damn soul to Sans and now she had signed on for a life as a criminal. Something she had never wanted to ever truly be.

Pushing herself up with a huff she got to her knees, scoped out the room and relaxed when she saw no signs of any skeletal assholes. What she did see however was a rather large paper bag resting on the coffee table along with a folded note.

She wasn’t sure if she wanted to read it or not. If it was from Papyrus it was probably just a stern letter reminding her to behave and to stop swearing. Not going to happen by the way. They can take away all she has but they will never silence her. But if this letter was from Sans… Then what was in it could be just about anything and if they were orders or instructions then she’d technically have to follow them. After all, as of yesterday, Sans was now her boss. She was now regretting all life choices.

She probably sat there for half an hour, head propped on the side of the table and glaring at the offending note, debating whether or not she should even touch it. After a while she just gave in and snatched up the horrid piece of paper, crinkling it in her hand a bit before unfolding it and reading the small note inside.

‘looks like the boss likes you. seeing as he’s letting you sleep in after all. was hoping to give this to you while you were awake but i guess this will have to do. hopefully now i won’t have to come home to trying to carve up you’re pretty neck again.’

Well at least his spelling wasn’t as atrocious as his accent, despite his utter disregard for capital letters. Who is she kidding? She puts capital letters everywhere when she writes for no real reason. So who was she to judge his lack of capitals?

And she was now also really curious as to what was in the bag. Curious and extra suspicious. Knowing Sans there would be a price to pay for it later. But the need to know was itching at her mind so badly that she couldn’t stop fidgeting until she gave in and lunged for the paper parcel.

Pulling it down to the floor with her she carefully opened the top and peered inside before giving a squeak of pleased surprise. Without a trace of her former hesitation she quickly pulled out one of the books and flipped through the blank white pages, nearly bouncing in her spot. No scratch that, she was definitely bouncing a bit.

She wound up pulling out three more blank books of varying sizes, as well as a bunch of old pencils and an eraser tied together with twine. When she looked back in there was an old crank sharpener and a bundle wrapped in paper at the bottom.

Carefully moving the sharpener to the table seeing as it looked like you could take someone’s finger off with it, she pulled out the bundle. It felt soft and light but had some volume to it. Pulling the twine loose and removing the paper revealed a neatly folded piece of canary yellow fabric. She could feel her face starting to burn at the memory of him ‘getting a measure of her’.

Okay! It’s okay! That just means he wasn’t lying when he said he was getting her measurements… With his hands. No! Don’t think about it! It’s just clothes! Clothes that Sans picked out… Shit. Please don’t let this be something skimpy.

Taking a deep breath through her nose she slipped her fingers into the surprisingly thick fabric. Pulling it out of the package she was relieved to see a modest box neck with very thick shoulder straps. It even had some cute white lace over the chest. Rubbing the soft fabric between her fingers she stood up and pulled the rest of it free.

The dress was fairly long, it would likely come down to mid-calf and ended with three tiers of flowy white, ruffled fabric. It was actually really pretty and the exact opposite of what she had been expecting. She was actually smiling at the nice outfit despite herself and gently laid it out on the couch. When she turned back to clean up the paper she froze, staring down at some frilly white fabric and she could feel her heart drop to her stomach.

She should have known this was too good to be true. Gods she didn’t want to look at it. It was going to be something weird. Everything in her was screaming that it was going to be something weird. And something that should have never been bought by Sans of all people. With a sigh, she reached down and picked up the fabric. It was actually two pieces. One was a pair of… what looked like loose fitting, frilly shorts and the other was… oh gods. It was a bra!

She tossed it down as if it had burned her. It was mostly just a band of fabric with straps, it definitely wouldn’t offer any support. It looked more like it was what she would call a modesty layer. If that was a bra then that meant… She looked down at the shorts in her other hand and quickly dropped them with a squeak. They were underwear! Sans had-! He had bought her underwear! How did he know her sizes?!... How the fuck does he know her bra size?! When did he “get a measure” of her chest?!

She could feel her face heat up as she racked her brain for any time he may have felt her up until the roulette wheel in her mind landed on when he had pulled her out from behind the couch, and had looked down her shirt. Her face felt like it was about to explode with how hot it was getting now that she knew he had gotten a good enough look to guess what size bra she needed.

She wound up grabbing her pillow and screaming into it. Hoping to all the gods and demons that she’d suffocate and die at that very moment. After collapsing backwards onto the couch she huffs and peaks a glare out from behind her failed attempt at fluffy suicide, narrowing her gaze down at that damned piece of cheery yellow fabric. How dare it be so- so pretty! And him! Just how… how dare he- ugh!

She rolled back up to her feet with a frustrated grunt and grabbed the dress, stalking towards the bathroom. The undergarments left where they fell, she absolutely refused to wear them. She’s been going without this long and was more than happy to continue.

Making sure to firmly lock the door behind her, she hung the dress over a towel rack and quickly turned the shower onto the hottest setting. The first time she had showered she found out that their water really didn’t get as hot as she was used too, which shouldn’t be surprising considering how chilly the rest of the house was. It took a few tugs but soon the massive sweater was successfully pulled over her head and made a puddle of black cotton on the floor, leaving her staring at her nude reflection.

Small fingers brushed along the dark bruises on her shoulders and chin, her body scrunching in on itself as if she were trying to hide the wounds from her own eyes. Maybe she was, they were gross and painful… and she let them happen. Had she been stronger, been able to pull away from his grip they wouldn’t be there. A shudder ran through her as she quickly turned away from her own image and climbed into the tub to stand under the spray. Though it took several minutes of just soaking under the water to give a soft curse, she had left her bandages on. Wet fingers scrambled and tugged until she pulled the bindings off, hissing as the hot water trailed down the sores and scabs.

The brothers didn’t have any shampoo, obviously, just a piece of bar soap. She was not surprised in the slightest, using the bar to scrub away her sins until the water eventually ran cold. Even then she stood there, ignoring the way she started to shiver as she let her mind wander into its own dark recesses.

She didn’t really care if she got sick from the frigid water now pouring over her shoulders. Her skin felt disgusting even after she had scrubbed away at it, the soap suds still swirling in the drain below her. The ache of her bruises felt like his hands were still there, touching her skin long after he had left and the thought of phantom hands made her shudder.

Why? Why did she just give in to him? She may as well have bent over the counter and let him do what he obviously wanted to do… If she was being honest then she was surprised he hadn’t pressed his advantage and forced her back to his bed. It wasn’t hard to figure out, he was always making those horrid lewd jokes and his eyes were always trailing over her body in ways that were far from innocent curiosity. She wasn’t sure whether the chill she felt was from the cold water or the thought of him ordering her into his room.

The rattle of the pipes drew her attention right before the water pressure started to trickle off. Grumbling she turned off the water and stepped out onto the old rug that was by the tub, not really caring that she was soaking it as she pulled a towel free from the rack. It was an admittedly nice towel. Soft, fluffy, and absolutely massive. The fact that the towel was cold didn’t subtract from how much she loved it… If she ever went back to her time she was taking this towel with her.

The fog had already faded from the mirror at this point, glaring at her bruised complexion as she rubbed down her hair and body till she was mostly dry. She had to fight the desire to dig her fingers into the disgusting marks and make them her own, needing to turn away from her reflection as she ran her fingers through her damp hair. She kept the towel draped over her shoulders as she slowly picked out any knots and snags.

Her skin was still pebbled with goosebumps and shivering slightly when she reluctantly hung the towel back up, folding it neatly so it would dry evenly. It was one of the few nice things in her life right now so she was going to take care of it accordingly. She even went so far as to make sure the edges were lined up perfectly.

With one more sigh she finally turned back to the offending… nice… pretty… absolutely gorgeous fucking dress. She swears she hated it!... Or at least she hated it’s association to Sans… Okay she just hated the fact that he was definitely imagining her naked when he bought it! Damn it! Can’t even properly lie to herself anymore!

She carefully picked up the soft fabric, probably with a bit more reverence than she felt it deserved, before carefully pulling it over her head. It had a comfortable loose fit and she loves the way the tiered bottom shifted when she moved but even though she was used to going without underwear it was much draftier in this dress then she had been when she was wearing Sans’ oversized sweater. Maybe she should go get those underwear. At the very least the shorts. They would help keep her a bit warmer.

With one more run of her fingers through her damp hair she left the bathroom and cautiously stalked back into the living room. Keeping a close eye on her surroundings until she felt safe in knowing that she was alone. She reached the ‘barely passes as a bra’ first, scooping it up then heading towards the couch to grab the shorts that she had been looking for.

She held them in her hands for a moment trying to bleach her mind of the image of Sans picking them out at a store. It’s just a pair of frilly shorts. She can do this! A sudden wave of heat rolled through the room along with a slightly acidic burning smell and her instincts screamed at her to run. Instead she whirled around with a shriek and threw the shorts she had in her hand at the first thing she saw.

…It was Sans. She threw her underwear at Sans and they were draped over his face. She could feel the heat of her blush quickly consuming her face as he raises his hand to pull the offending garment from his head. There was a low rumble in his chest as he spoke.

“normally i’d be all fer ya droppin yer panties when i enter the room but we ave company today.”

In her embarrassment she had made a quick dash for the couch to hide but halfway there she felt the heat of his magic engulf her and pull her back. She kicked her legs frantically as she dangled in the air, bare feet making a desperate attempt to reach the carpet.

“quit struggling. i brought ya a lil friend an everythin.”

There was a small cry that wasn’t hers as something green smacked into her face, her hands quickly prying it loose and looking down at the obviously panicked flower in her hands.

“Flower kid!”

Her hands were gentle but frantic as she checked him over, not even realizing Sans had put her back on her feet and she turned and inspected every petal and vine for fresh damage. The flower had squirmed through most of it until he actually looked up at her, freezing in his spot.

“You’re the future broad!”

“Yes, yes! I am but are you okay? Did he hurt you? Do I need to pour hot sauce in his eye socket?”

Sans growled before dropping something else onto the couch and with a quick glance up she nearly dropped the flower monster in shock. It was a young human child. They were small and thin and looked like they had lost a fight with a cave bear. She whirled on Sans with a glare and for once in her life fully intended to sock him one.

“What the fuck did you do to them?!”

“dun cast a kitten at me toots, I found em both this way. kid’s blind as bat.”

“Bats aren’t blind you ignorant slut!” (Thanks discord chat!)

There was a moment of silence as Sans slowly blinked down at her, his brow furrowing and teeth baring. Inside she was panicking, cursing her decision to even open her mouth in the first place but she kept her stance firm and her glare in place even as she had to crane her head back a bit to do so.

“wha did ya ju-“

His words were cut off by a loud burst of laughter from the small flower monster that has managed to coil his vines around her arm and shoulder. His face was red and tears of mirth were streaking down his dirty cheeks. Sans for his part just growled louder before stalking past them towards the kitchen but he did say a few words as he passed.

“i kept my end of the deal toots, ya best remember yers.”

She shuddered as his words drifted past the laughing child in her arms and as soon as Sans disappeared into the kitchen she quickly ran to the couch. Her hands gently cradling the child’s face, the flower monster vacating himself to her shoulder.

Chapter Text

She was currently wiping the small boy’s face with a damp rag, having quickly fetched one from the bathroom once she was sure Sans was preoccupied in the kitchen. There were several bruises that she had to be careful of, dabbing the rag over the discolored skin. Though having him squint at her, all full of suspicion, was actually kind of cute.

“There we go! All clean! Now we just gotta wait for the bruises to clear up and you’ll be back to your squinty glory in no time!”

There was a bit of grumbling from the boy but she could still make out a small blush on his tanned cheeks. Looking at him he may have been of American Indian decent with his russet skin tone and thick black hair that had been cut in a poorly done bob. She was sure that he’d be even cuter if he didn’t have his face scrunched up all the time. Flowey, hilariously lazy name for a flower, had wrapped himself around the boy’s arm and was tapping away at his head with his leaves.

“Come on Frisk! They’re fine! I told you! They’re human just like you!”

A low laugh left her as Frisk continued to glower in her vague direction, ignoring Flowey’s attempts at persuasion.

“It’s okay kid. I’d be more worried if he trusted me just because I was human. Humans can be horrible people. Alright now flower boy! Your turn!”

“NO!”

“Come on! It’s not that bad!”

Her laughter bounced around the room as she lunged for him. Flowey trying to skitter away on his vines and roots while Frisk attempted not to laugh himself. Squeals of ‘never!’ and ‘you have to catch me first!’ echoed around the room as she jumped across the couch and managed to snag the flighty flower.

“Let me go ya hag!”

She snickered even as Flowey twisted around and chomped down on her forearm.

“Aw, come on. I’ve had puppies bite me harder than that!”

As she started to dab away at the small growling face she failed to notice the looming shadow of Sans walking back into the living room. His sharp red eyes boring into the now frozen flower monster.

“i’d suggest ya remove yer teeth ‘fer i remove ‘em for ya.”

She jumped as the sudden bass of Sans’ voice reverberated next to her, Flowey quickly letting go and darting to hide behind Frisk. Her own glare leveling on the glowering giant.

“Don’t you dare, Sans! He wasn’t even hurting me!”

“he bit ya!”

“Oh for-“

She held up her arm, it barely even had indents where his teeth were.

“I’m fine! I’ve had baby animals bite me harder than that! Look! He didn’t even leave a bruise!”

“tha’s not the point-“

“Cthulhu’s ass Sans! I’ve had a table bite me harder than that! Don’t play dumb I know you were there when it happened!”

He leveled her with a deadpanned stare.

“ya were drunk off yer ass an toppled ova the coffee table. it didn’t bite ya, yer just a clumsy boob.”

A faint red flushed her cheeks as she crossed her arms over her chest.

“W-what the hell do my boobs have to do with any of this?!”

Sans’ response died behind his teeth as his eyelights quickly glanced down to where her arms were being held as shields. Realization dawning on him and he quickly turned his head away with a low growl.

“tha’s not wha i meant.”

The sound of muffled snickering leaked from Frisk as he tried desperately to smother them with his hands. A little petaled head poked out just long enough to say his piece before ducking back into cover.

“He called you an idiot.”

…

……

She sat there quietly for a moment before she grabbed the pillow off the couch and swung it at Sans’ face. The monster just barely managing to dodge the fluffy blow.

“Oh I’m the idiot?! Is that what you think, Mr. Tough Guy Thug Man?! Okay then if you’re so smart how bout you tell me what a mitochondria is?!”

Okay yeah. He’s had enough. It only takes one of his long strides to reach the couch and grab the small woman, tossing her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. His red eyes locking onto the now silent children.

“dinner’s on the table.”

“Put me down you brute!”

“nah.”

The kids were quick to vacate the room, hoping to put some distance between themselves and the currently hostile adults. She however could feel her panic slowly starting to bubble up now that she was alone with him. Her hands fisting into the cotton of his shirt and attempting to dislodge herself with her legs. Hoping that she could get a foothold on a rib or maybe throw him a bit off balance. Neither worked, as he just grabbed her ankles with his other hand.

“SANS?”

They both paused. Looking over to the door they could see Papyrus gingerly placing a snow dusted hat on the entryway hook. Taking the god sent opportunity, she kicked her legs out of his grasp and started to squirm again, pushing at the back of his shoulder in an attempt to slide off that way.

“WHY ARE YOU MANHANDLING THE HUMAN?”

Papyrus was pinching his nasal ridge as her attempts failed yet again. A large hand wrapping around her thigh.

“we just need ta ave a lil chat bout insultin people is all.”

Papyrus saw the human freeze, the panic in her eyes visible for just a second before it morphed into a scowl.

“Put me the fuck down you imbecilic mass of osseous matter! You insulted me first!”

Sans growled as his brother gave a huff and stalked forward.

“ALL RIGHT ENOUGH! IF YOU TWO ARE GOING TO ARGUE YOU WILL DO SO LIKE CIVILIZED PEOPLE!”

Black gloved hands reached up and plucked her form Sans’ shoulder. Gently pulling her over and placing her back down on the couch.

“SANS YOU WILL NOT GRAB AT THE HUMAN.”

She didn’t even get a chance to feel relief before Papyrus turned his eyelights on her, pinning her down on the couch with his glower.

“AND YOU. WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE!”

She couldn’t help the way she bristled at the command but wisely kept her mouth shut. The both of them watched as he turned on his heal and stalked towards the kitchen, Sans’ glare snapping back down at her once Papyrus walked through the threshold. But the moment his mouth opened His brother’s shout of surprise had his fangs snapping shut.

“shit.”

“SANS?!”

Both of them stared wide eyed as Papyrus stormed back into the room. In his clawed hands, held in front of him like a doll much like he had done with her, was the kid. A very squirmy kid and his flower friend.

“CORRECT ME IF I’M WRONG, BUT I DON’T BELIEVE HUMANS REPRODUCE THIS FAST.”

The snort that had left her couldn’t have been held back even if she wanted to. Her shoulders shaking as she tried to contain her mirth. Judging by the look Papyrus was leveling her with he was not amused. Sans on the other hand had a bit of red sweat dripping down the side of his skull.

“eheh. sorry boss, forgot ta tell ya. found a lil straggler by da ruins.”

There was a twitch of a socket before the kid was promptly deposited on her lap, a small oomph leaving her as her arms reached out to steady him.

“VERY WELL. IF WE ARE GOING TO HAVE YET ANOTHER HOUSE GUEST THEN I WILL PREPARE A PROPER DINNER AND NOT THOSE DISGUSTING SANDWICHES YOU LIKE SO MUCH.”

Four pairs of eyes watched the lanky skeleton stalk back into the kitchen before she turned an incredulous look to Sans, tension forgotten.

“What’s his problem with sandwiches?”

Chapter Text

Sans groaned as he shifted out of bed, the dull scrape of bone on bone as his claws scratched sleepily at his skull. The floor was cold on his bare feet even for him, hopefully the humans stayed warm on the couch together. He hadn't wanted to leave the plant brat alone with them but his kitten had snapped at him again. Can't say he blamed 'em. The kitten had a real soft spot for the kid.

With a final huff he reached for the cleanest looking clothes in his room. His brother would have his coccyx if he knew he didn't have any clean clothes left. He found a fairly neat pair of pants, no excess wrinkles or lingering dust, and he grabbed a jacket that was hanging off the post of his bed. He paused though as the coat felt a bit off. It was heavier on one side and a quick dig through the pockets revealed his kitten's little light phone dohicky.

Well it was a good thing he hadn't taken his clothes to the cleaners yet then. Imagine this thing going off on the old hag and having to explain that? Sounded like a good way to make his day shitty.

It only took him a few minutes to pull on his clothes, time saved by ignoring the union suit his brother was always telling him to wear. Too much hassle if you asked him. He was just slipping on his shoes when a sudden crash jolted him. But it was quickly followed by a stern female voice and the muffled sounds of children chattering. He relaxed with a sigh, it was just his kitten and the kids. Probably in the kitchen from the sound of it. When had anything in his life ever been this oddly domestic? This was definitely going to take some getting used to.

He ambled downstairs, not concerned with rushing things now that he had pieced together the commotion. His magic, hissing with hunger, wet his mouth. Something smelt good. He purred softly as he thought of his adorable kitten whipping up a breakfast just for him, and though he may be embellishing the probable reality, he certainly liked the idea of her in an apron.

Though the sight of bare legs poking out of his, much too big for her, sweater was just as delicious. She was singing something softly and he was quick to pause just out of her line of sight, behind the archway. The human kid was attempting to hum along but failing. His pretty doll only laughed a bit as they missed a note. He chanced a peek around the awning. He hadn't seen her smile like that since before she fell. He missed her smile, when she would smile like that at him. Granted it was always a much more tipsy smile every time he saw it. Unfortunately it seemed he had been detected as the singing was cut short. It pained him to see the stoney wall that his doll put up once she saw him. But with a sigh he stepped in and sat at the head of the table as usual.

"wha's fer breakfast?"

"Pancakes." She answered tersely, turning her back on him as she added the final doughy disk to the finished stack. Despite the warm room, the atmosphere was practically frigid as she set a short stack in front of him, the plate coming down on the table with a little more force than necessary. Frisk seemed oblivious to the battle of wills silently passing between the adults. He had already demolished his pancakes with nary a shred of decorum, if the syrup painted across his cheeks was any indication.

Flowey was still curled around Frisk’s arm, though in his little leaves he held a pancake that had been wrapped into a burrito and was happily nibbling away, a content fanged smile softening his face. 

Sans let out a chuckle despite her bad mood, arm reaching out to pull her against his side. She huffed, making an attempt to push herself off him but she knew it was fruitless. She was unfortunately all too familiar with the sturdiness of his iron grip.

“where’s yer plate doll? surely ya worked up an appetite cookin' all mornin'.”

“I’m fine. I already ate.” She lied through her teeth, hoping he wouldn’t notice.

"No you didn't! You said you'd eat once everything was done!" Flowey interjected, his leaves reaching for another sweet treat from the communal stack.

Betrayed by cuteness! How dare!

The rumble that left Sans was both amused and just the slightest bit displeased. She didn’t get even a moment to think of a way out of the situation before she was hoisted up onto his lap. Since he had already polished off his plate he dragged the still steaming communal plate over, much to a certain flower child's dismay. Spearing a couple onto his fork he held them up, his face broaching no argument.

"Jesus Sans." She snickered, pushing his hand away. She couldn't help laughing more as the overly large pancakes jiggled and flopped precariously on his fork. 

"At least cut them first, how big do you think my mouth is?" Sans chuckled as he dutifully complied, slicing a more manageable portion off.

"i don't know doll, yer mouth seems plenty big to me with the way ya be gabbing."

“Hey-!” She didn’t get a chance to yell at him as he shoved a bite of dough into her mouth. His laughter sent a pleasant rumble through her entire body. Damn even her own body was betraying her today.

Breakfast continued, with many attempts to escape Sans’ lap, all thwarted by his stupid rock like arms. 

"Can I see the star box again?!”

She was midway through another bite when she choked at flowey's request. She shot a glare Sans' way. She had almost forgotten about her phone and she was still pretty ticked about the whole affair.

"Sorry, maybe later. In the meantime you two need to wash up. Sticky fingers, or leaves, isn’t a good look." Flowey pouted, looking ready to argue.

"Oh, and Frisk? Make sure you wash behind your ears, I wouldn't be surprised if you got syrup there too." Frisk flashed a wide cheeky grin at that but ran off without complaint, taking the petulant flower with him.

…

“Are you going to put me down anytime soon?”

“i dunno, i kinda like havin ya warm my lap toots.” Sans leered down at her, hand sliding down to settle on her hip.

“Ughh. You’re disgusting.” He didn’t stop her this time when she shifted and slid off of him. She walked a few steps away, arms crossed and back once again turned to him. He always seemed to make her blood boil with just a few words. Goodness, she'd hate to think what her blood pressure is like nowadays. How the hell did she deal with this bastard when she was drunk? Ugh, she could feel a headache coming on just thinking about it. No no, let's not think about that any longer. She sighed heavily.

"Alright, hand it over." She demanded, turning to face Sans with her hand out. He raised a single eyeridge. Well, she certainly ain't lost her moxie, he'll give her that.

"wha' er ya gonna give me in return?"

"Give you? It's mine to begin with!" She said indignantly, barely keeping her voice from raising in volume. She scowled before taking a deep breath to calm herself, schooling her features back into a calm mask.

“as i see it, i confiscated dis lil toy of yers ta keep ya from gettin in trouble. dis things been impounded. so wha do i get in exchange ta give it back to ya?” He grinned evilly as he slipped the very object from his coat pocket.

"what's it gonna be doll?" He taunted waving the phone just out of reach. Chuckling as she made a jump for it.

“how’s bout a kiss? seems a fair price.” His grin got even sharper as she froze like a deer in headlights, her face dusting with red. Maybe that was a bit too much, but he can't deny he loved to see her flustered. He leaned back with a heavy, overexaggerated disappointed sigh. He was gonna hand it over anyway, but why not make a show of it.

"guess it ain't tha important to ya." He sighed making a show of putting it back in his pocket. Before it could make it though he felt his coat lapels yank downwards with a level of force he wasn’t expecting. She had used all her weight to drag him down to her level, lips crashing hard against his skull in a frenzied kiss to his fangs. He barely had time to enjoy the warm silky touch of her lips before she had snatched her phone from his slackened hand and scampered off. 

“Mine now sucker!” She called, a gleeful woop of victory shortly following. Little vixen after his own soul. He smiled fondly after her, basking in the lingering tingle on his teeth. He'll let her have that one, besides, she paid him fair and square. Absentmindedly he glanced down at his watch before he swore in alarm. Oh he was gonna be in so much shit for being late. After a quick pat down to make sure he had everything he popped out of existence, only the faint scent of ozone left lingering in the now empty kitchen.

Chapter Text

She only admired her phone for a moment, quickly stashing it into the safety of her bra. He can’t get it there…. Okay he could but she’d scream bloody murder if he tried. Walking down the hall her ears perked at the sound of childish (and was that mischievous?) laughter. Well this can't be good. Welp at least they aren’t being too quiet. That’s always 100 times worse. With a soft rap of her knuckles on the door she peeks her head into the bathroom. 

“Oh stars, what are you doing?”

There in the tub, was a still fully clothed child… Well at least she can see his shoes in the corner. Thank the stars for small mercies. The children were splashing and giggling, Flowey had vined himself up high where he couldn’t be reached and was taunting his human friend. Frisk looked over at the door as she stepped in a bit and with an evil little laugh, sent a splash her way. Unfortunately for her she hadn't expected such audacity from the kid and took no steps to dodge, taking the faceful of water head on. There was a moment of pause before a wicked grin stretched across her face, pushing the oversized sweater sleeves up as she stalked towards the tub.

“Alright ya little shit. Time for a proper bath!”

Frisk made a high pitched squeal as he made a piss poor attempt at escaping. Her hands grabbing him about the middle and plunging him down into the water.

“Didn’t even use any soap you little gremlin. And what’s this behind your ears, huh?”

She noogied into his wet locks as he giggled.

“Okay soap time!”

“Nooooo!”

He tried to run again but she just pushed him back down, and started scrubbing the bar of soap into his hair. After she had built up a good lather she grabbed a nearby jug, filled it with bath water and poured it over the kids head. After a few more dunks all the soap was gone. 

“There, all clean… well aside from your clothes…. Maybe my old night shirt would fit you?”

Frisk didn’t say anything but rapidly shook his head like a dog, splattering more water across the already drenched room. With a groan she picked him up and put him on the floor. She was gonna have to mop this.

“Alright brat, I’ll go get my old shirt, so you get out of those wet clothes before you get sick.”

She dropped a large towel over his head and he disappeared, a terry cloth ghost in his place. He was still struggling with the sans sized towel as she left the bathroom. It only took a moment for her to wiggle behind the couch where she had stashed her old night shirt and pajama bottoms for safekeeping and quickly took her prize back to the bathroom. Frisk had freed himself from his towel prison and had stripped most of his sopping clothes off. 

“Okay kid. This should be good enough to cover you till your clothes dry.” 

She gave his already messy hair a ruffle and one more wipe down with the towel to make sure he’s dry. It didn’t pass her notice how frail he looked without all the layers. She could even see his ribs thin as he was. Once she was sure he was dry enough she pulled her tee-shirt over his head, the fabric falling around his knees like an oversized dress.

“Alright that’s one gremlin down.”

She looked up at Flowey.

“Are you gonna come down or am I gonna have to turn on the shower head?”

He hissed but still lowered himself down from his high perch. 

“There’s a good boy~”

She quickly scooped him up and smothered his face with a damp rag. He squirmed in her hold, pushing at her hands with his leaves but she could tell he wasn't putting his all into it and after a few moments she had two squeaky clean boys to usher back into the living room.

“Okay, If you two behave I have a surprise for you. But I need to clean this up first.”

It took a bit but she hung Frisk’s clothes on the towel rack, the unused towels folded on the counter, and used the dirty towel from earlier to sop up all the water on the floor. After all was said and done she draped the dirty towel over the sink to dry. She didn’t want to put it in the hamper and create a colony of mold.

She was surprised to see frisk sitting cross legged on the couch. He actually looked well behaved. As well behaved as a little gremlin could be. Flowey huffed from his place on frisks lap.

"Hurry up! We've been good. We want our surprise already!" He grumbled. Ah, there it is, the impatience of youth. She did promise them, so she couldn't really fault them for their excitement.

"Okay okay, I suppose you've both been so very good that you've more than earned this." She tucked her hands behind her back and leant forward for the dramatic reveal. 

"Now which one of you wants to watch a movie?" She grinned down at them like the Cheshire cat himself.

"But we're not supposed to leave the house, aren't we?" Frisk asked, wondering if he had been mistaken.

"Yeah! And only fancy folk go to the theatre." Flowey added, folding his leaves and glaring suspiciously. 

"That might be true in your time," she said mysteriously with a knowing smirk, "but through the power of technology anyone can hold the power of the theatre in their hand!" She dramatically raised her phone to the sky while the kids clapped impressed, oooing in amazement. She quickly composed herself with a small eh-hem before setting the phone on its side, choosing a movie she just knows they'll love. One of the best mixed cast movies of its time, The Lord Of The Rings!

She plopped down on the couch, the boys quickly scrambling onto her lap as she held the phone in front of them, close enough that Frisk didn't have to squint too hard.

"Gonna have to get you some new glasses." She said, giving his head a gentle pat as the music started.

Flowey gasped in delight when he saw all the froggits hopping around the hobbit village, finally seeing proof of monsters living on the surface. And then Gandalf was revealed, a wise old gray cat monster who towered over the hobbits and froggits. 

"He's so cool!" He squeaked, leaning forward on his petals, stars in his eyes.

"I know! Gandalf is the coolest!”

Not long after starting the second movie she had drifted off to sleep, the two boys still curled in her lap and holding the movie playing light box in their hands. Or leaves in Flowey’s case.

They were so captivated that they didn't hear the door or notice the red glow of eyelights till Sans was standing over them. Frisk nearly jumped out of their skin when the first rumble of Sans' voice drifted down. Snapping their head up to squint at the boss monster.

"easy kid. was jus curious bout whas got ya so preoccupied."

His voice was unusually soft as his gaze drifted over to the sleeping woman, her arms still loosely wrapped around Frisk. She was leaning back against the couch, head lolled to the side and leaving her soft neck exposed. He barely managed to bite down a purr at the sight, thankfully the sound of fighting broke him out of a dangerous line of thinking. It seemed to come from the device, leaving both kids utterly entranced by the screen.

With a drawn out tired sigh he sat down next to them, casually looming over them to see what they were watching so intensely. The movements on the screen and the battle taking place were momentarily drowned out when his weight caused the couch to squeak and his doll to slip to the side, coming to rest against his arm. He smiled, more than happy to let her stay.

The house was dark and quiet when Papyrus came home, entering through the back door after shaking off a thin layer of dust from his person. He'd sent sans home an hour earlier to start prepping dinner. He would have gone himself but he unfortunately had a few loose ends to tie up… as well as a hostage. So he was quickly developing an aggravated tic in his brow when he discovered the kitchen to be empty and as clean as he'd left it this morning, cleaner in fact. It was obvious his layabout brother had not done as instructed. He made quick strides, crossing the kitchen swiftly as he stalked towards the rest of the house. A few choice words rising to rest behind his teeth. It had been a while since he'd felt the need to scold his brother. However his anger abbated rather quickly when he came face to face with the predicament his brother was under.

Sprawled atop him, their three newest guests were sleeping. Papyrus sighed, his agitation cooling. He prided himself on his hospitality and could not bring himself to wake them. Before he could absorb much more of the scene, especially for blackmailing purposes, he was distracted by a flickering light. The humans doohickey was the source and lay discarded on the table. Curious, she always seemed protective of the tiny thing. As such, Papyrus had never gotten a good look at the strange device. Never one to waste an opportunity he carefully picked it up, casting a quick nervous glance towards its owner. He would never admit it but she could be quite intimidating, especially whenever her possessions were threatened. Satisfied that she was not going to wake up and shriek at him he took a seat and inspected it. Imagine his amazement to find a film in progress. An actual film! Before he knew it, hours had passed, his attention captivated by the fae-like throes of modern entertainment.