Chapter Text
The snow was gently falling outside your window. The landscape draped in a deep blue. Soon enough it would be pitch black. Winter had such a strange feel to it, on one hand it was sort of depressing with it being so dark all the time. However, as a night person you didn’t really mind that much. Looking out from the kitchen window, you could see the Christmas lights you had hung up in the trees on each side of the road to your house. You had decided to do it that way just a few days before, thinking it might make it easier to find the road, and not so scary to walk there in the dark. You took the last few things out of the dishwasher and put them in the cupboard.
The radio was chatting away, one of those debate things that you usually didn’t listen to. Still, it had been a couple days now since the report started coming in, about monsters suddenly appearing. Not monsters like the ones in the movies, that just wants to destroy Tokyo or New York. Monsters who were just like regular people, who just wants to live their life like people do. You had seen some of them while you were out shopping, or getting your mail. They didn’t really bother you much, the same way that most people didn’t bother you. In all honesty, you didn’t get much company or talk to people much at all.
You were about to head upstairs to your computer when you saw someone walking towards your house. You couldn’t really make out who it was in the dark and the snow, so you sat down in your living room instead. Didn’t want to stare at them from the window like a creep. You fidgeted nervously, and was mentally preparing yourself to heard the doorbell. Interactions weren’t really your thing, but you had gotten better at it. After all, you had to if you were to function in society.
Finally, you heard footsteps on the stairs outside, and the doorbell rang. You walked over to the door, in what you assumed would be a normal pace. Not too fast, not too slow. You peeked out the peep-hole first to check if these were people you’d actually open the door for. There were two skeletons standing in front of your door. One tall, wearing a red scarf and gloves, the other one was short, probably about your own height, and was wearing a blue hoodie. Mr. Tall looked excited, if that was even a thing a skeleton could do, while Shorty McFly was looking calm, but with a constant grin on his face. They looked at each other, and rang the doorbell again, you realized you had just been staring out the hole for a while. You carefully opened the door, just enough to keep your head outside a little bit. The cold immediately started biting your face.
“Hi, how can I help you?” you said carefully, trying to muster up the typical retail worker smile. “Greetings, human!” his voice was so much louder than yours, deep and scratchy, and so unexpected you even jumped a little. “My name is Papyrus, and this is my brother Sans!” he gestured to the shorter skeleton. “Sup?” that was all he said. You looked at them for a second, before finally daring to widen the gap in the door a bit more. You shook their hands and introduced yourself. Papyrus started explaining that they were part of those monsters that had just arrived in town. They had moved in not far from here, and was going around to meet their new neighbors. While he was talking your eyes swept awkwardly from him to Sans, to your cold hands holding the door. You tried your best to seem invested in the story, but your knees were starting to shake.
Eventually there was a pause and you finally spoke up: “Sorry, I’m sort of busy (that was a lie, no you weren’t) and it’s starting to get cold in here (that was true).” Sans was already turning and ready to go, he had probably noticed ages ago that you weren’t really into this whole situation. Papyrus let out a slightly disappointed “oh”. “Well, alright then. I guess we’ll see you around then, right?” he smiled at you. Nodding slightly, you went “yeah sure” and mentally punched yourself for sounding so dismissive. This is why you didn’t have many friends. “Come on, bro,” it was the only other thing Sans said before they left.
As you were closing the door, you caught Papyrus asking Sans why no one seemed interested in talking to them, but you couldn’t quite catch Sans’ reply. This all made you feel bad, surely most humans would be really cautious around beings that were straight out referred to as “monsters”. Your heart ponded, and you did the thing you normally wouldn’t. You opened the door wide again and yelled out for them. “H-hey wait, come back!” the cold made your voice crack and shiver. “Maybe it’s b-better if you come inside? I can make you h-hot chocolate or something.” Having a conversation through a door was never really the way to get to know someone, now was it? They had already reached around the corner of your house, and you weren’t sure if they had heard you, but soon Papyrus came striding back to the door. Sans came a few steps behind him, his short legs couldn’t keep up with his brother’s long steps.
You got them both inside, and you closed the door. Rubbing your arms a bit before you had to stop Papyrus from going further inside. “Take your shoes off first, man,” you pointed at the shoe rack. “I don’t know what monster culture is like, but where I’m from people take their shoes off. You too, Sans,” you stopped and realized he was wearing slippers. In the snow? “Isn’t it cold?” you asked. “Nah, it snow problem,” he winked and his grin seemed to get even wider. It took a few seconds before the pun dawned on you, and you snorted.
Leading them into the kitchen, you told them to make themselves at home, or whatever. “So, what can I get you? I have hot chocolate, some tea of different kinds and several different types of coffee,” you were standing by the cupboard, while they sat down by your kitchen table. Papyrus tapped his gloved hands on the table like and excited kid. “I’d like some hot chocolate!” he exclaimed. “I’m fine with just a coffee,” Sans said. Simple enough. You got three cups, and took them to the coffee machine. It was one of those fancy Dolce Gusto machines (product placement GASP) with the capsules and stuff. Your family had given it to you for Christmas last year and you didn’t actually use it that much.
Two cups of hot chocolate, and one coffee later, you finally sat down at the table too. They thanked for the drinks, and both took a sip. You tried not to stare, but what else were you supposed to do when you wanted to know where the drink would go? They were skeletons. Nothing special really happened, the drinks went into their mouths… And that was all. It didn’t spill out on their spines or anything. You started wondering if you were hallucinating for a second. Sans was looking at you, looking at his brother who was taking a BIG sip out of that hot chocolate. “I thought you said you were busy,” Sans commented. You felt your shoulders raise. “Oh! Well! Y’know..! It was getting a bit cold and…” you just let the sentence trail out and disappear into nothing. Sans could see right through you, you just knew, he was that kind of guy. Assuming that they had visited all the other houses before yours, and everyone had probably been really dismissive. There wasn’t really any point in making up a stupid lie now.
Shrugging a bit, you started explaining: “I don’t really… talk to people that much,” you couldn’t really think of much else to say about it. Not feeling like taking the “it’s not because you’re monsters” route, because saying things like that will always come out wrong no matter. You turned to Papyrus. “I interrupted your story, that was really rude of me... I’m sorry. Would you like to tell it again so I get the full thing?” His face lit up, and he wiped away the stray drop of hot chocolate that was running down his chin. Once again, the great tale of monsters and humans started, and this time you were actually paying attention. Papyrus was actually a really great storyteller, it actually evolved into a dramatization. He got up, and out on the floor, using his whole body to explain even the smallest details. He even brought bones out of thin air, to illustrate things! Now that you were into it, you realized it was quite a story. About the underground, the barrier, the seven human souls, and the young human who had saved them all. When he was done, he did a bow and a “curtain down” gesture. You couldn’t help yourself but to clap at the show.
He sat back down by the table. Everyone had finished their drinks by now and were satisfied, so you put the cups in the dishwasher. As you were doing so, Papyrus made a comment: “This is quite a big house! Do you live here by yourself?” You froze for a second, the question caught you a bit by surprise. “Uh, yeah, I do,” you said hesitantly. The air suddenly felt colder, and you put your arms around yourself. It felt like you needed to say something else, but there wasn’t anything to be said. Sans noticed how awkward and stuffed the situation got. “Maybe, uh, it’s time to go home, bro?” he nudged Papyrus and gave him a look. Papyrus gave him a look back, he knew it was something he did, but didn’t understand what. Still, he seemed less affected by the tension. “Did I say anything wrong?” he straight out asked you. “No, not really. Don’t worry about it,” you said quietly and shifted the weight of your body to your other leg. “But yeah, it’s getting late, I should probably go to bed soon.”
They both got up from the table and walked to the door, you followed them. “It was really nice meeting you!” Papyrus gave you a big, honest smile, but you could still see it in his eyes that he felt sorry for whatever he said. You smiled back at him. “It was nice meeting you too!” you tried your best to not make it sound like the typical fake-hospitality, because you truly meant it. It had been a while since you felt so at home and together with other people as you felt with them just now. After saying goodbye to them, you closed the door and started turning off the lights downstairs. They could probably tell as they walked down your road. Normally you would spend a bit of time on the computer before going to sleep, but you just went straight to bed. Your house wasn’t actually that big, but this night it felt bigger, darker and colder than ever. As you snuggled into your bed, you hoped that things hadn’t become too awkward between you. Truthfully, you really wanted to see them again sometime.