Chapter Text
Dainty, gloved hands gripped at the motorcycle handles.
The only thing you could see through your helmet was the bright headlight illuminating the path in front of you, everything else being a swirl of black and navy blue. A chill made its way down your spine as your clothes failed to provide any sense of warmth to your shivering body. The rapid winds cut through your form, and the chatter of your teeth echoed throughout your eardrums. You straightened your back as an attempt to regain composure, but your panic failed to simmer down.
Seeking to decipher your surroundings, you leant toward the abyss in front of you. Yet the sky denied you any sense of vision, the only thing greeting your eyes being darkness. Not even the moon wanted to give you any light, for it was hiding behind a thick curtain of clouds-- the stars following suit. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think you were driving straight into a black hole.
Seeing as you didn’t have any luck with your vision, you decided to check on your bike. Sadly, it seemed you weren’t going to have luck there, either. A flashing red light was illuminated on your motorcycle, signaling that your gas tank was dangerously empty. There was only enough fuel to keep you going for a couple more minutes.
Driving in the middle of nowhere, in the dark of night, with an empty gas tank.
It couldn’t get any worse than this.
But just as that thought crossed your mind, a sinister crack of thunder rumbled throughout the wasteland, bringing a flash of brightness along with it. A heavy downpour of rain followed shortly after, tumbling against both your helmet and bike.
Okay, now it couldn’t get any worse.
As the storm retched and bellowed, you looked around in hopes of seeing a sign of human life. Luckily, the newly introduced flashes of thunder provided a great light source-- although fleeting. Unluckily, it seemed as if you were stranded in the middle of nowhere. Just miles and miles of grass plains ahead and behind you.
This was why you didn’t like traveling through rural areas.
“Fuck, fuck.” You whispered to yourself, checking your bike once again. Nothing had changed, obviously. That same red light blinked brightly, as if it were mocking you. But this wasn’t the time to hold a grudge against non sentient light sources, you had to figure out what your next course of action was.
Slowing down your bike to preserve fuel, you weighed your options. You could try to find a tree to rest under for the night. At least it would provide some sort of shelter; although sleeping outside during a storm wasn’t something you were excited about. Just thinking about the bugs that would come out due to the wet environment sent a feeling of disgust through your body. It would probably be difficult to sleep with all this thunder, anyway.
Then again, you couldn’t continue driving. But perhaps you could attempt to push your bike to a nearby town? That sounded incredibly tiring, though. Especially considering the fact that you had no idea where the nearest town was
Speaking of towns, wasn’t one located around here? You glanced around the area again, but of course, there wasn’t a sign of civilization in sight.
Huh.
Now that was strange. If you recalled correctly, there was supposed to be a small town around this area; you saw it on your map. Unless you somehow managed to get lost, there’s no way you could’ve missed it. Well, the possibility of being lost did make a lot of sense. Maybe you accidentally took the wrong road, blinded by the dark environment around you.
...
...Wait, what was that?
You squint your eyes underneath your tinted helmet. It looked like... a street light? And a house? It was hard to tell with the combination of rain and darkness distorting your vision, but there was definitely some sort of light source over there.
Well, it was the only lead you had, so you might as well check it out!
You gradually speed up your motorcycle, a newfound hope glimmering in your chest. It didn’t look like a whole town, but perhaps you could ask the people living there for directions, maybe even some fuel.
The sturdy wheels of your bike thudded against the cracked road as you proceeded to get closer to the light source. It was definitely a street lamp, and it illuminated what looked like a two story cabin. From what you could see, it also looked like there was a sign next to it. You couldn’t make out the words, but maybe it was a shop? Or, hopefully, an inn?
Slowing down, you made your way into the building’s parking lot. You maneuvered right next to the lamp and parked your bike, turning off the engine. You highly doubted someone would attempt to steal it; mainly because there was a lack of a ‘someone’ around to do the stealing.
So, you figured it was fine to forgo chaining your motorbike.
Getting off the seat, you stood and observed your surroundings. The first thing that caught your attention was the cabin. It was a faded teal color, most likely due to old age. The walls were wooden and slightly cracked, but they looked sturdy- like the thick kind of wood you’d see in a log house. The roof was also wooden, the only difference being its thickness. Also, its color. The roof was a rich, dark brown shade.
You noted the lack of windows.
Satisfied with your ‘investigation’, you decided to glance at the large sign. In big, bold letters were the words “Papyrus’s Wares!” . Other things were scribbled onto the sign, but you were too far away to read them.
This was probably a shop of sorts; judging from the ‘wares’ part. A bit disappointing that it wasn’t a motel or inn, but you weren’t complaining. It was better than being stranded.
Now you should probably stop standing in the rain…
Sighing, you walked to the front door of the establishment. It was certainly home-like, leading you to believe the owner probably repurposed their house to become a shop. You’ve seen quite a few people do that, and it was admittedly a cool concept. You’d consider trying it when you settle down with a special somebody.
A small bell jingled as you pushed the door open, signalling your presence. The first thing you were greeted with was a pleasant scent. It smelt like a newly bought car, or maybe a freshly printed book. It was... satisfying, in a sense.
There were various shelves and racks around the store, and they displayed tons of trinkets. Things like keychains, snow globes, shot glasses, etc. It was certainly interesting. In fact, a cute plush keychain caught your eye. But despite this being a shop, you felt as if you couldn’t touch things without permission. So you begrudgingly ignored the knickknack. Perhaps you could come back to it later.
You weaved through the maze-like store, careful to not damage anything. Soon enough you arrived at what seemed like the front desk. There was a cash register and everything, so it probably was.
There was also a sleeping skeleton. So... that was that.
Monsters weren’t anything new to the world. The barrier had been broken about a decade ago, so they had been integrated into society fairly well thus far. It was a bit surprising to see one living out in such a rural area, though. Most of their population was located in the big city. You understood why, despite the various problems that arose in these concentrated areas. The city just had a certain charm to it. And if you were trapped underground for centuries, you would definitely want to see all the technology you missed out on.
Dismissing your mental rant, you glanced at the skeleton. They wore a tattered blue hoodie and black basketball shorts, along with some fuzzy pink slippers. It looked like a comfortable outfit, to be honest. You would kill to wear that instead of being stuck in wet clothing.
There was a tiny golden bell next to them, probably to grab their attention if they were busy (or sleeping as they were now). But, you hesitated to ring it. It looked like the skeleton was comfortable; they had their head buried into their arms, light snores emitting from their form. Perhaps you should wait until they woke up naturally, it was pretty late after all. They were probably tired, and you didn’t want to be rude.
“I guess I’ll just look around for now..” You mumbled under your breath, turning around on the creaky wood. There was certainly a lot to observe; this store seemed packed full of cool things. Maybe you’d even find a bathroom while you were at it.
“human.”
You jolted at the unexpected baritone voice, instantly turning your head towards the noise.
“don’t you know how to greet a new pal?”
The skeleton’s empty eye sockets stared you down, causing your heartbeat to rise. It was... very unsettling. You knew they- or judging by the voice, he couldn’t control how he looked, but it still sent your nerves into a frenzy. His empty grin certainly didn’t help either.
However, you swallowed the fear building up in your throat. As much as you wanted to run and never come back, you didn’t really have anywhere to run to. So, you had to just suck it up and bite your tongue. Besides, he could be a nice person, it wasn’t good to judge people based on appearances.
But oh, were you scared.
Wringing your sweaty hands together, you opened your cracked lips to speak. “I’m so sorr-”
“shake my hand.” The skeleton extended his arm.
You stared at it for a minute, which turned into two, which turned into three.
And then you decided to shake it.
You took his hand in your own, but before you could continue, a loud phbbbbtttttt~ noise settled through the air. A couple of seconds passed by before you snorted, scrunching up your nose in amusement.
“the old whoopee cushion in the hand trick,” The skeleton pulled his hand back, taking the red cushion out of his glove. A goofy grin sat on his face. “-I haven’t been able to pull that one on anyone for a while.” His voice dropped the intimidating tone, leaving a friendly attitude to fill the air. All the tension had melted away in a split second, and you definitely felt more relaxed.
Huh, you can’t believe you were intimidated by this guy for a second!
Deciding to take off your helmet, you reached upwards and pulled it off. The skeleton continued his bit whilst you attempted to tame your frizzy hair. “it’s an oldie, but a goodie.”
Holding your helmet by your hip, you decide to humor him. “Yeah. It never stinks, no matter how many times I hear it.”
His grin stretched wider.
“heh.” He sat straighter in his chair, taking a second to observe your form. It seemed your soaked clothes were the first thing to catch his eye… socket? Eye light? He manifested some sort of white pupil after he finished his joke, so you were just going to call it an eye light.
“looks like you got caught in the storm.” You sighed at that statement, running a hand through your hair. You probably looked like hot garbage. Minus the hot part.
“Yeah, unfortunately.” You clicked your tongue. “Didn’t think it’d rain today. Just my luck, I guess.”
“why’re you driving around this late anyway? it’s dangerous, ‘specially since you’re in the middle of nowhere.” The skeleton took one last glance at your attire. “doesn’t look like you’re from around here, either.”
“Maybe I am from around here.. How would you know if i’m not?”
“Well, I dunno if you noticed, but the only people ‘from around here’ are me, myself, and I. so…”
“I know, I know. Just trying to tickle your funny bone.”
“sorry, ‘guess I didn’t find it very humerus.”
You smiled, deciding to confide in this nice stranger. “I’m actually heading to visit a friend of mine. They live in the mountains, near Mount. Ebott.”
“makes sense,” The skeleton hummed, leaving you to continue your story.
“Yeah, I’ve never been to this area before, so I guess I got lost or something. I was supposed to stop at a town tonight, but obviously I didn’t find it.” You blew a raspberry with your lips, leaning against the wooden counter. “By the way, you wouldn’t happen to know where the nearest town is, would you?”
“there is a town around here, but you won’t get there by following the road. it’s a couple of miles behind the store. they like their privacy.”
“Oh.”
“Well,” You continued. “-do you know if they have a motel of sorts? I don’t think I can do much driving in this weather.”
“I don’t think they do. it’s a real small town, sorry.”
Now that was just great. What were you going to do now? You really didn’t want to sleep outside. Like, at all. Who knew how sick you were going to be if you even attempted that. In fact, you’re probably going to wake up sick tomorrow anyway, considering the fact that you’ve been in soaked clothes this whole time.
That is, if you wake up tomorrow.
“Ah..” You pinched the bridge of your nose. “Well, thanks for your help. I guess i’ll be on my way now.” That was a lie, you were practically out of fuel. But he didn’t need to know that.
“luckily, this shop doubles as my house, so I wouldn’t mind having a guest.” Your head perked up at that sentence.
“-if you’re willing to stay.” He quickly added.
You thought about it for a moment. There weren’t a plethora of options for you to choose from. Either you sleep outside during a storm, or you trust a nice skeleton and sleep inside, where it’s nice and comfortable.
Looks like you were trusting the skeleton.
Listen, listen. If you were going to die, you were going to die warm. Besides, this guy seemed kind enough. He liked puns, and ran a little shop in the middle of nowhere. That was about all you needed to trust someone.
Giving people the benefit of the doubt has helped you in the long run, so why stop now?
“Sure, why not.” You shrugged, to what seemed like the skeleton’s surprise.
“really? not even a bit of caution?” His eye sockets seemed to.. widen..? You weren’t going to question the physics behind a piece of bone stretching. “I mean, for all you know, I could be some serial killer.”
“Accepting help from others is what has gotten me this far.” You nonchalantly stated. “And why would a punny guy like you harm me?”
“huh.” He paused for a second.
“I guess i’ve got too many funny bones to be considered a threat.”
“Hey, I expect a fee for stolen puns.” You crossed your arms, smiling.
“consider it your rent for the night.” The skeleton stood up from his chair, pushing it into the desk. He then proceeded to lead you to a staircase.
“oh, right.” He took his hand out of his pockets. “I’m sans, sans the skeleton.”
You took his hand once again, however this time lacked a whoopee cushion, much to your disappointment. Gently shaking his hand, you gave the skeleton- sans, your name.
“nice to meet ya.”
He smiled. Somehow, it looked different compared to his perma-grin. It felt kinder, friendlier. It had more joy packed into it.
You couldn’t help but smile back.
What a nice skeleton!