Chapter Text
Papyrus stared intently at the digital clock on the microwave.
23:59
23:59
23:59
23:59
23:59
23:59
00:00
Yes! He hugged himself, squeezing his joy in tight where it wouldn't disturb Sans' sleep (it was still so new, Sans being able and willing to sleep instead of relying on catnaps and dozing off at his station every time - Papyrus cut the thought off and breathed deeply, the way that book Frisk-the-human had given him recommended, until the anger faded). It was tomorrow! It was the most important day he'd experience since Frisk-the-human had freed all monsters from Underground!
It was the day Undyne and Alphys were getting married!
He had so much to do!
Alphys' dress was at her house, clean and tidy and ready for her to get into. Undyne's dress was at her house, shiny and frilly and she'd probably need help getting into it, but not yet.
Papyrus' bridesguard outfit was ready to wear, but he shouldn't put it on till it was closer to time, to make sure it didn't get dirty or torn or something similar. The other bridesguards' outfits were securely locked away where accidents or pranks or similar tomfoolery couldn't damage them - he'd need to make sure the other bridesguards met up in time to get everyone properly dressed, but that could wait till later; it would probably go a lot smoother if the Sun had risen to provide light, for one thing.
(The Sun, the Sun, they'd see the Sun again, they saw the Sun so often they planned their days around it! He had to hug himself with glee again just because he could be so confident they'd see the Sun!)
So! What was there for him to do before the Sun rose?
...Prepare the emergency kits, for one!
Sewing kit. Transparent thread. Patches of cloth that suited the bridesguards' outfits. Patches that suited the brides' outfits. Patches that contrasted the outfits in cool and impressive ways!
Emergency candy, in case of scuffles - it wouldn't do for either of the brides to look anything less than their best! And the bridesguards shouldn't be scruffy, either! - And on that note, the brides' makeup bases should also be included in case touch-ups were needed. One pot gold shimmer, small. One pot turquoise shimmer, small. One fresh-blood lip gloss (and that colour's name made much more sense after seeing how humans bled) for them to share, since they'd be kissing it onto each other's lips anyway.
Papyrus surveyed his efforts with narrowed sockets. What else, what else... Water! Dehydration was nothing to scoff at (even if he had, sometimes, as part of being as Terribly Great as he could) (as a way of reminding Undyne to be careful without losing his plausible deniability, but he'd never admit it and she'd never bring it up and he'd never even know if she realised that was why he'd made such a point of laughing at her for it). Skeletons were immune to such flesh-based weaknesses, of course, so he wouldn't need any, but the Dogi didn't have any such protection, and - hmm. The dragon guard might be resistant, since it was a heat-based weakness, but his partner wasn't, and after all those shifts in Hotland Papyrus felt fairly sure a second bottle of water wouldn't go amiss.
They could share it. After all, where could you be romantic if not at a wedding?
Romantic - dancing - Alphys' extra shoes! No, wait, she'd decided to have them in her own inventory, to spare her from having to ask him for them, they were officially Outside His Jurisdiction. And Undyne had already declared that if her boots weren't up to dancing then she'd go barefoot.
Which meant there was a high chance that his preparations were complete!
He considered, then partitioned his emergency kits into three parts. It meant they took up three slots in his inventory, which was a shame, but it also meant he wouldn't have to dig through everything to find the supplies he was after. Apparel, appearance - he couldnt think of a word for the third option that would be apposite, and defaulted to 'health'. The candies were split evenly between appearance and health, the water went into health, the makeup went into appearance, all the patches and needles and threads went into apparel.
Packing done, he looked around for the nearest clock, and noticed that the world was brightening. The Sun was rising! Perfectly timed for him to have a break and watch!
The so-called 'dawn chorus' was much more noticable outside, reminding him - again - that he needed to arrange for the bird-beasts in his neighbourhood to have singing lessons, so they could properly harmonise with each other instead of each attempting to shriek loud enough to drown the others out! (Sometimes it was a bit hard not to be reminded of the more crowded areas Underground, threats and bragging and pleas and no way to escape the sheer volume of it all...) (He didn't entirely understand his neighbours who talked about the beauty of the dawn chorus. It was a sad thing to think so many people had such a poor understanding of true musical beauty!)
Papyrus jogged up to take his usual early-morning perch on the chimney. When he first moved here, he'd tried to pretend that he liked the position for its unequaled view of the surrounding area - but in reality it wasn't the best spot to keep an eye out for potential enemies from; the other roofs blocked most of the streets, and identifying anyone he did see was very much hit-and-miss.
But the chimney was the best viewpoint for looking at the sky. The sky, and the horizon.
Papyrus basked in the early morning peace as he watched the Sun rise.