Chapter Text
You’d been jobless for a year and a half now. And that meant you were on your last speck of savings and desperate.
Desperate enough to take a job in the woods from a literal skeleton.
Sans was your coworker, once, but you’d lost contact with him after your boss decided it was time to downsize and both of you’d been fired. With the gold exchange, monsters like Sans were already sitting pretty and didn’t need jobs. But you were on your own.
So now, so many months later you were following your good natured, punny acquaintance into what he was calling “danger times twelve.” You would have laughed had he not been entirely serious, his ever-present grin pulled taut over his skull. Now he was talking again. “I know it’s a lot to take in, but just remember that these guys are…out of towners. Very distant relatives, and hopefully going home soon.”
“Sans,” you murmur, feeling your legs begin to ache from the walk, “I told you. They could be nightmares incarnate and I’d still be saying yes. Adults, who can take care of themselves, and I just have to make sure nobody leaves the woods? Do a little shopping and cleaning?”
“it’s not that simple, cuddles.” Sans looked back at you, and you noticed how deep the gray bands under his eyes had gotten. Also, he used that blasted nickname you’d garnered at work when you’d first gotten close to Sans. You had been so tired that day and Sans had offered to make you some tea to wake you up. It’d been heaven and you’d held onto him for a solid minute in gratitude.
“Then explain, Sans. I’m not going to say no, no matter what you tell me.” You were getting tired of him doubting you.
He rubbed his sockets and sighed, “how about you’re taking care of man eaters, murderers, and literal demons?” The skeleton in front of you was exhausted, clearly, and you found yourself worried for the fourth time today. “well? You still ready to meet these ‘relatives’ of mine?”
His air quotes made you nod, “Yeah. Sans, if I don’t do this, I’m on the streets and probably dead in a year if not sooner.” You, with your anxiety medication and thyroid issues, easily tired and socially inept you, would not survive homelessness. Your chunky self would not last long alone without air conditioning in the summer or heating in the winter.
Sans gave you a look of hopelessness, “right. Those odds are still better than your odds with these guys. But I can see you’ve made up your mind.” He took out a set of keys and headed to a wall of ivy in front of you that was apparently in front of wherever he was taking you, “come on in, cuddles. And I’m sorry you got drug into this.” You were surprised when he inserted the key into a lock you couldn’t make out, then turned it and opened it with a handle covered in moss.
You step inside with Sans, a heavy aura around the…surprisingly normal looking entry hall. There were about six doorways off the hall, and then it turned a corner. Sounds of voices, soft and deep, were heard, and Sans called, “I’m back.”
Suddenly a pounding of someone running down the hall came and you felt yourself scream before you realized it. A gigantic skeleton was barreling down the hallway toward you, yelling at full blast, “YOU!” You barely had time to hide behind Sans (not effective since he was only about three inches taller than you) before the creature screeched to a halt.
“hey, papyrus, easy, I have the new human here. They’re gonna take care of all of you guys while I work,” Sans’ voice was gentle and soft, but you could feel the power of his magic for the first time through his jacket. He was TERRIFYINGLY powerful, and you realize you know nothing about how Sans really is.
What have you gotten yourself into?
This was…his brother? You’d heard him talk about Papyrus, and this was not who you’d pictured when Sans said he “has a smile worth protecting”. This guy….his smile looked like something you needed to be protected FROM. It was jagged and his long teeth were crooked and broken in places, and his sockets were tiny, giving him a very unnerving asymmetrical look.
“BUT!!” the creature in front of you drew up on himself, bones creaking worryingly, “OTHER SANS, YOU KNOW MY SANS WON’T LIKE IT…NO, NOT AT ALL.”
His Sans? What was going on here?
“he’ll just have to deal with it, paps. C’mon, cheer up. This means you won’t be alone when me and your brother go to work, right?” Sans was more focused on comforting this other skeleton than you, and if he wasn’t his brother, then this must be one of those relatives he had been talking about…who also happened to have the same name as his brother.
“YES, I SUPPOSE YOU’RE RIGHT…” the massive monster knelt down, more on your level now that he was on his knees, and smiled in a way you could only qualify as shy and lowered his voice, “Hello, human. I know my full magnificent volume is a bit much for first impressions. My apologies. I am the great Papyrus! Or…well, one of them anyway. The others tend to call me Chompers or Crooks, whichever you like.” He was fidgeting with his stained red gloves, seeming nervous as he searched your face.
It…it wasn’t right for someone so intimidating to suddenly be so vulnerable. And you felt your heart break. He was absolutely adorable, even with the disturbing absence of lights in his tiny sockets. Ugly cute, but not even that ugly. Sans turned to look at you and gave an awkward, but encouraging smile. You found your voice, “Hey, Papyrus. I’m y/n but um..." you sigh and shake your head, "Sans calls me Cuddles.” Blast your nickname, but you wanted this new skeleton to realize you weren't a threat or mean or anything.
He brightened at his name, and you swore small sparkles glinted in the air for a moment. “Oh, how wonderful. I like your name almost as much as my own.” Some distant hope lingered in the upturned corners of his mouth, “Maybe my brother will like you, too. This Sans certainly seemed happy you were coming.”
San coughed a bit, looking away and rubbing the back of his skull with a dull scratching noise, “uh, well, it’s nice to have someone besides me, you, and my brother who’re reasonable.”
Papyrus, or you supposed Chompers was a cute enough name for him, sighed and stood, “Yes, well…I do realize my own brother isn’t exactly keen on abiding by rules, especially…um, especially with our former home life. I do hope that isn’t too bothersome.”
You realized you hadn’t been fair to judge him by just a glance, and by his loudness and clear excitement. You recognized that he’d just been running to greet Sans when he scared you. “I’m sure we’ll be able to handle it together, Chompers. And um…sorry for screaming.”
He shrugged and began walking away, “Oh, it is quite alright. I’m used to hearing humans scream.”
Wait what?