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The walls of his room were distant and fuzzy as he zoned out, staring at the ceiling. The egg was still sitting ominously atop his desk, less intimidating this time around but nevertheless giving him the same freaky vibes from before. Although…
Sans hadn’t realized he was giggling to himself, a hand on his teeth. He had just made contact with his soulmate. The very idea of it sent him floating several feet in the air, metaphorically of course. His soul was beating in a whole new rhythm after the exchange, a strange and sweet and refreshing tune and it was such a bizarre feeling in his ribcage. Breathing shakily, he fisted the material of his shirt, right above where his life source was and realized… he kinda liked it. Being in love. Being in love with love.
He never pinned himself as a hopeless romantic before, but then again you learn new things every day. He giggled again. Like how he has a soulmate.
Okay, he really needs to stop repeating that.
Tapping the sides of his skull he forced himself to focus. How was he going to find them? Theoretically, he could go around asking people if they owned a soul stone. What were the chances of someone owning one and not be his partner? Besides, the kid from the shop did say it was rare these days for anyone to have them.
His breathing stilled, sockets widening and eyelights morphing into sharp pinpricks. The kid.
The kid would know if anyone else owned a Roly Poly, right? The shop was old, maybe they sold them as a pair back then. That would be a fitting aesthetic, wouldn't it? Owning two soul stones? He knew he was grasping at straws right then and there but if he wanted to start searching the store was his best chance. He’d never thought he’d say this but… knowing he had a lead to his soulmate's whereabouts, no matter how flimsy, it kinda filled him with determination.
He sucked in air past his teeth and grabbed the cleanest hoodie off the pile by his bed and pulled it on, grunting as it got stuck by one of his ribs. Barely bothering to fix it he kicked his slippers on, snatching his wallet and keys from his desk before reaching out for the doorknob—only to meet face-to-chest with his brother.
“SANS WAKE—OH! YOU’RE ALREADY UP??” Papyrus’ sockets were contorted with confusion and sibling concern as he eyed the shorter of the two up and down. “IS EVERYTHING ALRIGHT? YOU LOOK LIKE A MESS.” He reached out and tugged down the hem of Sans’ hoodie, fixing his shorts and brushing imaginary dust off his brother’s skull. “THERE YOU GO. NOW YOU LOOK LIKE A PROPER MESS.”
“mornin’ pap,” Sans tried to make his grin look sincere. He forgot about Breakfast Time with Papyrus™, he never forgets about Breakfast Time with Papyrus™. “uh, listen, i gotta scoot over to work early today. gonna miss breakfast and stuff,” he spoke slowly as he ducked past his brother, not wanting to look him in the face and heading downstairs in a somewhat faster pace than what was normal for the stocky skeleton.
His grip on the railing tensed as he heard Papyrus’ cry of dismay, trying desperately to swallow the wad of guilt swelling in his nonexistent throat as the taller skeleton followed closely like a giant kicked puppy. “BUT I’VE MADE BREAKFAST!”
“i know, it’s just this once, paps.”
“YOU NEVER REJECT FREE FOOD.”
“now that's not at all true.”
“SINCE WHEN DO YOU LIKE TO BE EARLY???”
“uhm, just… today?”
“THAT IS INCREDIBLY SUSPICIOUS, BROTHER,” Pap narrowed his eyesockets and stopped his pursuit at the bottom of the stairs, crossing his arms just as Sans reached the front door, who froze in place at his brother's accusation. “YOU HAVEN’T MADE A SINGLE PUN THROUGHOUT THIS ENTIRE CONVERSATION,” he huffed, “WHAT IS YOUR ACTUAL REASON FOR LEAVING SO EARLY?”
Sans scrunched his phalanges suspended in front of the doorknob into a nervous fist, turning slowly to look at Papyrus. The serious stare the younger skeleton was giving him caused a tingly feeling to crawl up his back. He started to sweat. Should he be honest? 'well if you really want the truth bro, i'm about to set sail on possibly the wildest goose chase in an attempt to find my soulmate which, by the way, i've only just realized i have. so yeah, i'm skipping breakfast for that.'
Papyrus' sockets turned into slits as he noticed Sans hesitate. Fuck, he was just going to wing it.
Before he could come up with a lame excuse though, the other skeleton had already gasped and smacked his gloves against his cheekbones in horror, tears welling up at the edges of his sockets, “IS IT BECAUSE YOU’VE GOTTEN OVERWHELMED BY MY COOKING? GRANTED THE SPAGHETTI OMELETTE AND THE SPAGHETTI BACON I'VE BEEN WORKING ON ARE IMPRESSIVE WORKS OF ART, BUT I REALLY THOUGHT YOU GENUINELY ENJOYED THAT SPAGHETTI PANCAKE I MADE YESTERDAY.”
“no, wait, pap—”
“OH NYOO HOO HOO, I’VE FAILED YOU BROTHER. I’VE FAILED YOU HARD,” he dropped down to his knees and slammed his fists on the floor, letting out a yell of agony, “OH, HOW WILL I EVER MAKE UP FOR THIS? PLEASE, BROTHER, LET ME AMEND MY MISTAKES FOR PREPARING SUCH ILL-FITTING BREAKFASTS ALL THIS TIME. I CAN MAKE YOU SOME BLAND UNASSUMING TOAST,” he sniffed into his glove, “I-IF YOU’RE WILLING TO WAIT THAT IS. IT MIGHT TAKE A WHILE FOR THE TOASTER TO TOAST THE TOAST.”
Sans sighed in defeat, walking over to his brother who was now lying in a fetus position and crying at the ceiling. He’s been watching way too much of Mettaton’s late-night dramas apparently. “papy, it’s fine,” he said gently, crouching to pat the top of Papyrus’ skull. “i just gotta go early today, okay? tell you what, we’ll turn today’s breakfast time with papyrus™ into dinner time with papyrus™. sound good?"
Sans remained hopeful as Pap's melodramatic sobbing paused momentarily as the usually jovial skeleton contemplated the suggestion. “THAT… DOESN’T SOUND TOO BAD,” Papyrus sat up and held a fist to his chin to brood for a moment before gasping in excitement. “THE POSSIBILITES, SANS! NOW I CAN EXPERIMENT WITH DINNER FOODS AS WELL! BRILLIANT IDEA!”
“don’tcha mean…”
“OH NO.”
“…pasta-bilities?”
“DON’T YOU HAVE SOMEWHERE TO BE?”
Sans picked himself off the floor, shrugging innocently as he stepped backwards towards the front door. “well i was in a rush, but talking to my super cool bro eats up most of my time, y’know?”
“A. A. A. A. A.”
*
...You couldn't believe this. You absolutely refused to. She was pulling your leg, that's what she's doing.
"M-mom... what'd you mean it was my soulmate?" you blinked rapidly as you sensed a flush rise in your cheeks, your mother giggling to herself. You squinted at the inconspicuous piece of shelf decoration in question: a milk-coloured egg looking thing that had a fine texture of sandpaper over its surface. "N-no way, this is one of your jokes, isn't it?"
You pressed your phone up to your ear to hear her reply, she must be on speaker if her voice was so faint. "I've told you it was fused with magic, didn't I?"
"Well yeah! I thought it was magic as in, like, as a protective charm for when I moved out of the house!" you sputtered, brushing your unruly hair out of your eyes. Her voice lilted with delight.
"How is that coming along by the way? Your father and I hope you're doing well. Have you finished unpacking?"
You sucked in a breath and took a glance about your house. Boxes everywhere, your clothes scattered about haphazardly, your dishware consisting of plastic Tupperware piling up at the sink. Your bed was a single mattress in the living room on the floor and it didn't even have a cover. "It's... great! But don't change the subject! Mom, c'mon, you're not lying to me, are you?"
"I'm telling the truth, dear," your mother said slowly, "I've been keeping that thing for years, even after I met your father. We've never really tested to see if we matched when we started out, but we soon realized we didn't have to."
"But why would you give it to me?"
"Because your life is a mess and frankly having someone be there for you wouldn't hurt, you know."
Ouch. That stung, but then again she was never really known to sugar-coat things, even if her cookies are pretty damn sweet. "Your life's not the only one that's a mess right now, isn't it?" she added in amusement, and you swore you could her eyebrow creak as it raised in suspicion.
"What? No, everything's... yes..." you admitted, shoulders drooping. Looking for a job had been more difficult than you thought, and it had occupied too much of your time for you to manage the state of your house. Why hadn't you gotten a job before you moved out? You wanted to blame that on your gung-ho attitude, and also the fact that you're an impulsive little shit sometimes. "Everything's a goddamn mess. I really felt like I could do it... live on my own, I mean."
Your mother laughed, though it held no ill-will. "Oh, cheer up, dear. Things get worse before it gets better. Just stick your guns out and take care of yourself, alright?"
You smiled at the floor, sighing a bit. That's what she always said. "Well, you always give the best advice so you can't be wrong."
"Mm, that's true. Also, about the soul stone, keep an eye on it, okay? Promise me you won't throw it away?"
"Okay, ma'am. I promise."
"Alright. Don't be naughty now, do good! Goodbye."
"Goodb--" the dial tone had already taken over before you could finish. Welp, that's the end of that then.
You pocketed your phone into your pyjama pants and padded over to the egg you've placed beside your bed last night, along with a picture frame of your parents. A week into this whole living-on-your-own business and you were ready to crack so to speak. You’d been pretty homesick then and had gotten out the two gifts that reminded you of home. Granted you had burst into tears while clutching the picture frame and you were sure those stains on your pillow was your snot from last night, but you had slept peacefully afterwards anyway so it's all good.
Unfortunately though in a great plot twist of unexpected events you tripped over the egg as you groggily stood up to get ready that morning. You fell on your face, dazed and confused and quickly stumbled into the bathroom when you spotted a bit of blood on the floor. The damage was minimum, but now you currently sported a bandage under your right eye along with a busted lip. Good luck getting a job with the looks of a delinquent, chump.
As if you couldn't get any more miserable, you then found yourself bamboozled as you walked out of the bathroom and found the egg still rotating about on its axis, only just then slowing to a stop. You frowned in confusion; you may have kicked it a bit as you ran to the bathroom but that was a while ago. Still staring at it, you let out a yelp as it tipped to the side on its own. What the fuck? What the fuck.
Cautiously, you stepped forward and nudged it with your toe a bit, wondering if it would suddenly jerk again. It rolled naturally for a moment before--
There it is again! Like some invisible force was poking and pushing it forward. You crouched down and inspected it closely. Was it some sort of responsive... toy? A fleeting notion passed by your dirty, dirty mind and you quickly shook your head to get rid of it, feeling your cheeks burn.
You sensed no harm in poking it back, finding mild amusement in how it danced forward in reply. Repeating it a few times, another thought comes to your mind and you were curious if it would work.
You slowly reached out and pushed it forward away from you, forcing it down and not letting go. Would you feel the egg shoving back eventually? A few seconds passed and you were ready to pull back in disappointment when your fingers twitched at an unexpected reaction. That was...?
Oh, yeah it was! Barely there at first, you eased your hold a bit as it got firmer until the egg was upright. You kept your hand where it was, feeling the pressure of the egg on your palm. It was... strangely nice? And warm, why was it warm? Your heart jumped a few times as you kept holding the egg, a strange longing feeling pricking at your chest and you couldn't help feeling like something was missing.
Unable to resist you sat there for a few minutes, relishing the warmth from the egg until you soon felt fidgety. You had important things to do today, like act as an adult. Regrettably, you nudged the egg twice before retreating, the egg following your hand before standing upright and going still. That was interesting...?
You cleaned up your sleeping area a bit, which really included fluffing up your snot-stained pillow and nudging your mattress so it was attached to the wall, before navigating around your things to get to the kitchen. It wasn't until after a sad breakfast (two biscuits and a slice of bread) that you decided to call up your mom and demand what the hoozits went down just now. Imagine your surprise when the answer was,
"Soulmate," you whispered, testing it on your tongue. Oh geez, your cheeks were flushing again and you had to admit your heart was racing a bit too excitedly for its own good. Did that mean you were just holding hands with them then...? You were feeling fluttery and nauseous at the same time and you decided it wasn't a very nice feeling. With a huff, you patted your cheeks and shook your head, pushing it to the back of your mind.
You had a soulmate? Cool.
But did you have a job? No.
And nothing would be more disturbing than finding out your soulmate was a miserable hobo living on the streets after getting kicked out of their apartment because they were terrible at life (hint: that was you) so like it or not, you had more crucial business to attend to! For your soulmate!
...And yourself.
You headed outside to grab a newspaper and sat down on your porch with a pen in your mouth, looking for nearby spots that might be looking for people for hire. Ugh, you hope you'll find something good. And soon.
*
...He knew it was dangerous, considering his low stats, but the skeleton grew increasingly anxious as he considered how much time had passed since the incident that morning.
Sans burst into the shop, panting after teleporting so rapidly from his house, his arm splayed out across the door as he scanned about in search of a familiar face. The bell tinkled merrily over his head, its clapper slowly settling in the middle of its dome as he took in the empty spot over by the counter. He was about to call out before sounds of jostling came from the back of the store.
"I'll, uh, be there in a sec! F-feel free to look around in the meantime!" the kid sounded strangled for some reason. A quick peek over the shelves revealed them carrying a tower of boxes to the front, the top of their head barely visible and their knees splayed apart as they tried to keep balance. Sans squirmed uncomfortably as he waited, drumming his phalanges on the countertop. A minute later and it didn't seem like they moved an inch. He growled impatiently.
"where do you need those, kid?" he called out, feeling a spark of magic travel across his fingertips. It took a moment for them to reply, their hands shaking as they took another step.
"U-uhm, just by the sidewalk. H-hold on a sec-" their reddened face appeared as Sans snapped his fingers, teleporting their load straight to their destination in a neat pile. The kid blinked, hands grasping the air as their mouth bobbed comically. "Wh-what just--"
"kiddo, i need your help," Sans spoke up, an exact mirror image of the cashier as sweat rolled down the side of his skull. The kid straightened and dusted off their clothes as they approached the counter, eyeing Sans up and down. "you remember me, right?"
They squinted, running a hand through their dusty hair in a frail attempt to tame their curls; it was as tangled a mess as it was the last time he saw them, but with a hairclip pinned to the side. It was probably to keep their bangs out of their eyes as they worked. "Hang on, I'm pretty bad with faces uh..." they finally slipped behind the counter and held a fist over their mouth.
"Were you the guy I sold that dollhouse to?"
"n-no."
"What about that china pig with the clown face? I'd never forget that purchase."
"...uh, no."
"Oh shit, you're the guy who grabbed the dick!" they slammed their palm triumphantly on the counter, beaming as Sans sputtered and turned dusty blue, which only made the kid cheer. "Yeah! Blue guy! Eggsy, amiright?"
"y-y-yeah, i'm eggsy, whatever," the flustered skeleton dragged his palm over his face in order to calm down, his voice muffled under his hand, "look, listen, kid, i need your help."
"Sure thing, friend. What's got you all hot and bothered?" they chirped, easily hopping into a friendly demeanor as they sat on their stool and grabbed a water bottle by their feet. Sans balled the hands in his pockets into tight fists, feeling his soul thrum faster for some reason.
"uh, y'know the thing you sold me? one of those soul stones?" They nodded, unscrewing the cap and tipping it back. "this morning, it moved by itself."
Eyes wide, they spat the water in their cheeks back into the bottle, ignoring Sans' look of utter disgust. "Woah, really? That's so good! You got yourself a soulmate then! How do you feel, buddy?" they beamed.
Sans' grin twitched, his face full of color. "honestly? really happy. a-and i think we sorta," he tried to shrug nonchalantly, though his voice was undeniably shy, "held hands, too. i mean, no big deal."
The kid laced their hands together and held it under their chin, propping their head up by their elbows as they wiggled their eyebrows, "Well, look at you! I wouldn't know how that works exactly but very daring, I must say."
"heh, well. they did it first, actually..." he chuckled, phalanges scratching the base of his neck out of habit as he added softly, "they must be really sweet. bold... but sweet." He hadn't realized the kid was bumping the air fiercely with an elbow, their eyebrow wiggling game intensifying.
"Dude, you've got like, upside down heart-eyes going on, that is so adorable."
Sans snapped out of his daze and frowned, "wait, what?"
"Your freaky dinky eye pupils. They turned into these little heart emojis, my dude," they winked. "Very cute asset."
"heart emo-- okay, shut up," he shook his head and took out his egg from his pocket, setting it down on the counter, "we're getting sidetracked. the point is, how do i find my soulmate?"
The cashier's jaw dropped before they blinked, switching their gaze back and forth between Sans and the egg before standing up slowly. "Ah geez, I dunno what to tell you but... I can't help you with that," their tone was somber unlike the playful teasing it was laced with before. Sans felt his soul stutter.
"what?"
"Look, I'm happy the egg worked for you. That's a good sign. But... actively trying to look for your soulmate?" they clicked their tongue with a half shrug, "that's a bad idea, eggsy."
"but--"
"I can see how much you're obsessing over this," they cut in gently, a hand on his shoulder, "hell, you look all burnt out, like you used up all your magic getting here." They frowned in concern, "Did you?"
Sans kept quiet, avoiding their gaze. The kid sighed, patting him in reassurance. "As a customer of this establishment, I gotta tell you to take it easy. Go home, have a nap, spend some time around people and quit worrying about the 'when' and 'where'. They're your soulmate for a reason, they're not going anywhere, alrighty?"
His breathing was shaky with disappointment as he gripped the counter top. However much the kid made sense, he just couldn't help feeling impatient. How long was he supposed to wait? A week? A month? Another decade? How would he even know if he's met the one? And what if... what if he never even meets them? Lost soulmates weren't common, but they were still plausible. He felt his soul sink deeper into his ribcage at the thought.
"Hey, chin up, guy," the kid seemed to sense his increasingly depressing musings, poking his sternum, "everything's gonna be okay." They turned around and rummaged through some cupboards, pulling out a jar and setting it down in front of Sans. The skeleton looked up dismally, barely reacting to the striped wafer sticks the kid offered. They pushed it forward with a finger and smiled hopefully, signaling him to take one with a nod of their chin.
It took a few seconds, but the skeleton finally resigned to take one, holding it up and sighing. The cashier nodded in approval before sitting down to pull out a book from underneath the counter, humming as they flipped to where a sticky note stuck out from the pages. Sans leaned back against the counter, his back to the kid and absently started nibbling the stick, his eyelights darting about the shop. Slowly eating the snack bit by bit, it did somehow help in calming him down.
He eventually turned around and tapped the surface of the counter with a phalange, clearing his throat and brushing crumbs off his teeth with the sleeve of his hoodie.
"anyways... there's somethin' else i'm looking for. hopin' to buy a gift for a close friend. it's their birthday soon so..." he waved a hand aimlessly.
The cashier perked up with a grin.
*
...This place looked nice.
At least it was to your standards. A cozy little corner bookshop that had a 'HIRING NOW' sign propped up by the window, and of course it caught your eye as you slumped past it after a number of failures getting hired at any other establishments. Unsurprisingly employers weren't very pleased at seeing your face; in fact they frowned in disapproval the second you stepped into their office.
The sign seemed pretty faded; you hoped that the owner didn't just forget to take it down after someone took the job. That would be the biggest let down of today, and you were already let down a couple times in a row. It'd be just a wrecking ball to your dignity and a big bust for your already dried up self-esteem.
After a resigned sigh, you straightened out your shirt and tidied up your hair using the reflection of the window of the shop across the street, hoping you didn't look as messed up as you felt on the inside. With a deep breath, a straight back and a steely gaze, you nudged the door open, a tiny bird-like bell tinkling over your head as you glanced about in the hopes of finding the owner of the place.
Your nerves instantly calmed as you took in the smell of old books and something close to hot chocolate, a mix you found yourself getting attached to. The place had a formidable size, able to hold several tall bookshelves that required a stepladder to get the books near the top. Comfy-looking beanbags and cushions had been set to the side near the windows, providing just enough light for readers to enjoy their books. There were already a few right now, monsters and humans alike. There weren't many people, so you found yourself easily able to relax.
All in all the place was neat, homely, and had nice soft music playing in the background, not too distracting but not too quiet either for a deafening silence to take over. Plus, it smelled nice.
Yep, this place totally fit your standards.
"Can I help you?"
You jumped as a feminine voice spoke up behind you, and a quick turn revealed a timid-looking lizard monster wearing glasses, her skin a soft shade of olive green. Running a hand through your hair you nervously pointed towards the sign by the window. The monster looked a bit miffed before rolling her eyes, and you felt like you had just fucked up yet again.
"If this is about the sign, then yes, we know it's misspelled," she sighed as if the line was rehearsed. You blinked before tilting your head in confusion.
"M-mispelled?"
"Yes, it spells... well, you know what it spells. It'll just be until next week before the man making the signs can start on ours."
You nervously tapped your fingers together, very much discombobulated. "U-uhm, I dunno what you mean but, uh... I actually came in to ask about the sign by the window?"
The lizard lady turned her head and narrowed her eyes before gasping, a hand over her mouth as her spikes and cheeks flushed darker when she realized what you meant. "O-oh! Pardon me! It's just that a bunch of people have been hassling us about the sign and it's just... w-well, anyway. Ahem, you'd like to work here?" she struggled to act professional even as she patted her chest to calm down.
You nodded with a smile, hoping you didn't come off as desperate. The lady asked you to follow her to the counter, getting behind it and grabbing some papers to shuffle through, mumbling something under her breath before asking, "What hours would you be able to work?"
"Anytime anyday!" you beamed, cringing on the inside. Yep, you were coming off as desperate alright. She simply nodded and continued, "How much are you hoping to be paid?"
Your left eye twitched. Should you be blunt and say 'just enough for you to live comfortably with the occasional dips on days when you need to spoil yourself' or would that be too much to ask. You shrugged instead, "Depends on how much work I've done, maybe? Seems fair." That was a lie. You need money and a lot of it just to be able to survive. Damn it, you're botching this interview and it's only been the second question.
"When will you be able to start?" she asked again, scribbling something down passively.
"Well, right now if you really-- wait, I got the job?"
She chuckled in embarrassment and hid her face behind the stack of papers, "Well, yes. That sign has been up for weeks now, and it's about time we take it down anyway. Is it okay if we don't pay you very well, though? We can pay you eight an hour at best, but that's it. Oh, and chances are we might not even need you on our less busy days. Maybe Sundays and occasionally Fridays, but not everyday. So... do you still want it?"
Did this woman simply not pick up on your desperation? "Y-yes! Please! Thank you so much, I'll definitely take it," you hopped a bit in place as the lady pulled out a sheet and handed it to you along with a pen. You took them gratefully before biting your lip, "Uh, sorry if this is weird, but... do you really not mind my... uh," you motioned to your entire face hoping she'd get it without you actually having to say that you had an ugly mug at the moment.
She huffed out a laugh and waved a hand. "Honey, I've seen worse," she winked before tapping the sheet in your hand with a claw, "now fill in this form along with your shirt size and your preferred name, and I'll pass it to my partner. She'll show you around the store before giving you your uniform. I hope you'll like it here!"
You grinned, already knowing that you will.
*
...They've got to be kidding.
Sans turned the clay sculpture in his hand around once more, raising a brow at the enthusiastic grin the cashier was giving him. "you sure a kid frisk's age would like something like this?"
"From your description? Sure! Besides who can't appreciate that neat little work of art just displayed all nice and dandy on your workspace, huh?"
"i wouldn't," Sans deadpanned. What even was it anyway? It looked like someone grabbed a squirrel, flattened in between two thick books and proceeded to stab several holes in it. It looked like the stuff of nightmares. And the kid claimed it was art?
"y'know what... why don't i take a look around and see if there's anything that might strike the kid's fancy," he finally gave up, passing back the offensive caricature of a demon hellspawn before wandering off to the back. The kid shrugged and tucked it away, pulling out their book and tipping their chair back to rest their feet on the counter.
"Call me if you need anything, amigo," they finalized, the skeleton replying with a loud hum.
The shop had a few new items since his last visit, and his eyelights pored over them in interest, hoping to find something good. There were a couple of vintage-looking journals arranged neatly by size on a shelf, a box of handmade wallets with animal prints on them, and a couple more neat junk that a fourteen-year-old couldn't possibly be interested in. His grin turned down as a bitter feeling of nostalgia wrapped itself around his soul. Heh, the kid was all grown up now. All those years...
He sighed and pocketed his hands, shuffling back to the front of the store where the kid was apparently waiting for him.
"Nothing?" they chirped, head propped up on one hand while the other played with the (ugly) sculpture from before. Sans replied in the negative before they held up the (ugly) sculpture again. "You sure you don't want this?"
The skeleton rolled his eyes in exasperation, "for the last time, n-"
"Oh shoot!" the kid yelped as they let go of the (ugly) thing, watching it descend to the floor before cracking into several (ugly) pieces. "Oh crap, my aunt's gonna kill me. I-I'm gonna grab a broom real quick, hold on."
They trotted off towards the back of the store, leaving the skeleton alone and suspicious if that had been an accident in the first place. Oh well, might as well help out since he's leaving anyway. Nothing seemed worthy here; maybe he could buy Frisk a plush toy or something. They've always liked plush toys, savagely insisting that age hardly mattered when one owns a vast collection of stuffed animals.
His eye glowed faintly as he worked his magic on floating the pieces into the bin by the door, instantly reminding himself of the dick incident and shuddered. His focus faltered as he spotted something else, right on display on the bottom shelf of the glass case by the counter. He crouched down to see if it's exactly what he thought it was and found himself grinning wider; well, he found Frisk's gift after all.
They were gonna love it to bits.
*
That skeleton was... intimidating.
Not that you were judging his character based on how he looked but dang? You were almost hesitant to come over and ask if he needed anything; the way he was crouched on the floor glaring at the spine of the books near the doorway was sending chills up your spine. You'd have no problem with it, honestly... if those books weren't meant for children.
But oh well! First day on the job so you had to try your best. You plastered on your friendliest smile and attempted to confidently walk over to the customer, clearing your throat gently. "Is there something I can--"
"AH, A FELLOW HUMAN OF THIS PUBLICATIONS ENTERPRISE. HELLO!" he cut you off as he straightened and oh dear lord this guy was tall. Your smile went stiff as he posed with his arms akimbo, "YES, I WOULD VERY MUCH APPRECIATE SOME ASSISTANCE, HUMAN!"
You blinked and waited for him to continue before realizing that was it. "Ah, right! Uhm, h-how can I help you?"
"WELL, I WAS HOPING TO FIND A BOOK OF COOKERY OF SORTS," he gripped his chin in thought, "SOMETHING TO INSPIRE ME IN THE KITCHEN. EXPERIMENTATION CAN'T BE DONE WITHOUT THOROUGH RESEARCH AFTER ALL, AND IT IS ONLY FITTING THAT I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, DO EQUALLY GREAT IN BOTH." He threw his head back and cackled to himself, "NYEH HEH HEH. SO, HUMAN, WHAT WOULD YOU SUGGEST?"
You hadn't realized your mouth was open before your teeth clicked together as you registered he was addressing you directly. Shaking your head you quickly patched together whatever information you managed to get before offering carefully, "Is what you're looking for... a recipe book... maybe?"
His eyesockets widened before he clapped his hands together, making you flinch from the sudden loudness. "EXCELLENT. LEAD THE WAY, FELLOW HUMAN."
"O-oh, sure thing," you gathered your will and meekly passed by him and tried to remember which section the guidebooks were at. The store had a pretty simple system, you had been walking around memorizing them yourself since afternoon and you felt relief rise in your chest as you managed to bring him to the right spot. The skeleton gasped as you rounded the corner, sparkles emanating from his eyeholes as he took in the vast collection of recipe books. You tried your best to pass it off as something normal because??? Monsters???
The books ranged from recipes for fancy dishes fit for a five-star hotel to kid-friendly snacks made in under five minutes. A mix of monster and human recipe books were thrown in too, with an extra careful guideline for beginners who wanted to try a hand at something different. "THERE'S SO MANY CHOICES!" he shrieked, eyes bulging out of his soCkets for soMe rEasoN????
You were worried about his volume control before you realized everyone around didn't seem to give two damns about the screaming skeleton in one of the aisles. The readers over by the window didn't even seem fazed. What in the heck?? You should ask your bosses about that.
"HUMAN, YOU MUST ABSOLUTELY HELP ME. WHICH ONE SHOULD I CHOOSE?" he poked your shoulder to get your attention, tone heavy with dismay. You turned and jumped uneasily as his face got a bit too close for your liking. Sidestepping, you rubbed your arm and pretended to scan the titles when really, you couldn't care less which one he picked. People don't even use recipe books these days; they just print them off the Internet. Still, you can at least try.
"Well, what sort of recipes are you hoping to look for?" you asked first.
"HMM, SOMETHING BOLD, AND DARING. EXTRAORDINARY. PASTA-LICIOUS. LIKE ME!" he finished, smacking a glove against his chest and sliding his sockets shut in triumph. You think you hear a distant choir of angels singing a harmony for him accompanying his gallant pose and felt your heart melt from his antics. What a cute patoot with a face to boot.
Getting back to the task at hand though you took a moment to process his request. He may have used four different words but you only heard 'something that has pasta in it'. Your eyes darted across the shelves, craning your neck painfully to the side a few times just to read the titles quickly enough. Finally your eyes caught something ambiguously Italian near the top shelf, and with a bit of a struggle you stretched up to pull it out and passed it to the skeleton. "I dunno if this is it, but… would it work for you?"
He squealed just by looking at the cover, a collage of every species of pasta ever existed under the Sun. "IT'S PERFECT, HUMAN." Delicately balancing the book on one hand, he opened it up and flipped through it, his grin getting more and more excited. He smacked the book shut and held it to his hip, giving you a thumbs up and a dashing wink. "I SHALL PURCHASE IT AND IT SHALL BE MINE. TO WHERE DO I GO IN ORDER TO PAY FOR THIS BOOK?"
"Oh, just by the entrance. You can't miss it," you grinned sincerely, the guy's energy having gotten to you. He nodded with a pleasant and loud thanks, turning to march away before stopping.
"OH, BEFORE I GO, WOULD YOU DO THE HONORS OF PICKING OUT A DISH I COULD SERVE MY BROTHER TONIGHT?" the behemoth of a skeleton leaned in with bent knees and opened up the index at the front pages of the book, eyesockets wide in glee, "IT WILL BE VERY SYMBOLIC, I THINK. IT CAN BE A FAVORITE OF YOURS IF YOU'D LIKE!"
Well, that was unexpected and... sweet? You took a second to look over the names of the recipes, not really thinking of any favorites. The names didn't really interest you, and if there was anything you had an appetite for right then was probably,
"Chicken noodle soup," you blurted, eyes widening as you clamped a hand over your mouth, blood rushing to your face. The skeleton frowned down at the book trying to look for it.
"PARDON?"
"U-um, sorry it slipped out of my mouth, forget it," you waved dismissively in an attempt to dispel your embarrassment but to no avail. The skeleton just seemed more insistent.
"I'M SORRY BUT DID YOU SAY 'CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP'?" You spread your palms over your face and nodded, silently grinding your teeth. "IS IT A FAVORITE OF YOURS?" You paused for a second before deciding you didn't care. You nodded again. "WELL, THANK YOU THEN! MY BROTHER WON'T EXPECT IT, BEING THOROUGHLY JAPED BY US TWO. FAREWELL, HUMAN!"
With that he left, leaving you a flushing furious mess. You refused to lower your palms until you couldn't hear his boots on the carpet, and when he was finally out of earshot you sucked in a deep breath, crouching to wrap your arms around your legs and burying your face into your knees, groaning for one long second.
You stayed like that for a minute before jumping over your mental hurdle and standing back up. You had work to do, damn it.
Still... Papyrus, huh? Strange name but surprisingly fitting. You wondered if his brother was called Helvetica or Calibri. That'd be hilarious.
*
The kid was happy to wrap up the box with crude-looking newspaper per Sans' request, something about teaching Frisk about saving the ecosystem as well as your pocket money instead of spending it on fancy wrapping paper. Though he suspected they were just glad they didn't have to worry about the wrapping job, since even when they tried their best their efforts didn't really... look that good.
Even though the thing that needed wrapping was entirely square and was about the size of someone’s fist, if not a bit bigger. Unacceptable, really. On the plus side that's exactly what Sans wanted.
He was just about to step out before the kid piped up. "Hey, about your soulmate... don't worry about it too much, alright?" they shrugged, "Life's kinda like a movie and I think yours has only gotten to the climax. The resolution's just around the corner, my guy, and that's when the main character gets his good ending," they finished with a wink.
Pretty catchy, but it lost all its merit when it was said with beaglepuss glasses coupled with the fact that they added, "Or maybe your life's one of those obscure indie movies where they let the main character die in an attempt to be edgy but either way! I'm sure everything's gonna be just fine. Come again soon!"
"uh... right, thanks," Sans wrapped his fingers securely around the crudely-wrapped present at his chest and shouldered the door open and stepped outside. Clouds had started to gather in thick rolls, darkening the sky and signaling the incoming rain; he'd unknowingly spent six hours in there, the cashier persistently giving him more and more terrible gift ideas one after another. It was like they were using him to get rid of the junk that unsettled them around the shop, that ex-sculpture being one of them.
He set off towards his house, checking his phone for any texts. There was one from Alphys asking if he and Paps wanted to hang out for the weekend since Undyne had come across an entire box of vintage animes in the attic, and another from Tori requesting if he could cook up his quiches for Frisk's party, since the kid asked for them personally. He replied a 'k' to both; that should be enough.
He looked up as he reached the end of the street and perked as he spotted something interesting. Easels and canvases were arranged around the sidewalk, surrounding someone sitting on a stool fiddling with their phone. They looked college-age and looked up in disinterest as someone else stopped by, crouching down to look over the paintings on the sidewalk.
Art had always been a strange concept to Sans. He was an analytical skeleton at heart, but he knew how to appreciate nice-looking things since he knew Papyrus liked them. Although he had to draw a line at the horrendous statue the kid at the antique store offered him. That wasn’t art. That was a work of the devil. Anyways, maybe he could buy a painting for his brother and stick it in his room when he wasn't looking as a prank?
Feeling leisurely, the skeleton took the time to cross the street and carefully looked over what was on display. Now that he was closer, Sans could see the artist was a girl, chewing bubblegum noisily and picking at her colored nails. Looking over her work, he figured out she had a tendency of using overly bright and neon colours, mixing medias in creating textured art. The girl had talent, he'd admit that much, but there wasn't particularly anything he wanted to get, either for himself or Papyrus.
He was about to turn back and head home before a painting caught his eye and he had to stop mid-step. It was in the hands of the person from before, their lips parted in awe as their eyes roved wildly across the painting. It was the same concept; a myriad of colours splashed upon a canvas resulting in a rainbow, but what caused the color to rise in his cheeks was the egg in the middle of the painting, the yolk a bright mix of nearly acid green dripping down a few cracks along its shell and gathering in a puddle at the bottom.
The painting wasn't something he'd exactly want hanging in his living room, but he couldn't help how his magic thrummed wildly in his bones. He was lost in thought for a moment before blinking rapidly as he realized the other person was staring at him. What he didn't expect was for them to clutch the painting to their chest in surprise at getting caught, a pretty dark shade spreading across their cheeks before they ducked their head to the side.
"S-sorry! Didn't mean to stare, i-it's just you remind me of someone I know," they bit their lip and instantly hissed. He realized it was because of a cut down their bottom lip as he fixed his gaze on it, immediately getting flustered and darting his eyelights away as a tongue slipped out to lick up a bit of blood. They must've opened it back up.
He tried to play it cool by willing his lids to lower in a casual gaze, tucking Frisk’s gift into his pocket and his phone into the other. "heh, were they as good-looking as me?" he made his voice playfully smug.
Their eyes widened for a tenth of a second before they snickered, shoulders hitching. The skeleton found himself enjoying their laugh, dorky but sincere. "N-not as cute, probably, but close," they quipped back, avoiding his gaze but still smiling.
His grin widened. "now i know you're yolk-ing. guy like me ain't easy to come across, y'know?"
"Pfft, oh my god," the person hid their face behind the painting before pulling it away, eyes creased with mischief as they finally looked at him properly. "Or maybe I'm just cluck-y, y'know?"
Sans faltered, resisting the urge to frown as he noticed a bandage taped slapdashedly under their eye. Combined with their wounded lip, they looked troubling to say the least. He decided to ignore it. Oh wait, he had to reply. “omelette-in that one go, but had to admit, didn’t eggs-pect you to say that.”
The person’s grin stretched in glee, the familiar appreciation for wordplay shining in their eyes. Oh… Sans had it coming. “Now you’re just poach-ing my best jokes. Didn’t mean to give you a shell shock. I was scrambled for a moment but decided to whisk it anyway. Didn’t wanna be a chicken, after all.”
His brows raised as he hummed, grin widening. Impressive, but not quite. He's been working this game for centuries, after all. He was about to whip out a few good ones before he was interrupted by a light drawl.
"Guys, this is fun and all but it's getting dark in case you haven't noticed," the artist popped her gum before slipping her phone into her schoolbag, "I wanna start packing up. You want that or not?" She gestured to the egg painting, "It's thirty five if you're buying."
The person’s confidence from before disappeared as they stammered and gave it back in a hurry, cheeks darkening. "U-uh, no. It's fine," they chuckled sheepishly before adding, "Nice work, though! It's really worth so much more than what you're offering, honestly."
The girl shrugged, the beginnings of a shy smile appearing before she quickly disguised it as a smirk, "Thanks. I'm open every weekends if you wanna come again. In case you change your mind."
They nodded with a 'sure' and straightened, finally looking back at Sans. "Well, um, it's been fun cracking jokes with you, but I need to get going," they pointed a thumb behind them. "Home's a bit of a walk away."
Sans’ grin softened as he nodded. "yeah, same."
"So uh... see ya, I guess."
"yeah, take care."
"You too."
He watched their back as they left, noting their slumped posture and languid steps; must've had as tiring a day as he did. "I'm surprised you didn't ask for their number," the girl suddenly spoke up, tying three of her canvases together with string.
"huh?"
She pouted her lips towards the retreating stranger. "I like the rugged look they've got going on, it's like a mix of rebel and cute," she continued, not really responding to Sans' apparent confusion. The skeleton darted his eyes back towards the person in question, a good distance away by then; they did sorta looked cute with their wide eyes and bandaged cheek.
"heheh, guess you'd say they were ado-rebel?"
The girl groaned, "Sorry, but puns aren’t my thing.” She finished piling up her canvases by threes and shoved bottles of paints into her bag, tossing it over her shoulder. "But you're pretty cute too, so you get points, anyway."
Sans locked up at the sudden compliment, feeling that humiliating blue rise on his cheekbones again. He coughed on instinct. "are you always this difficult to impress?" he tried, raising a brow.
"Nah, just brutally honest," she smiled. “You can keep trying, though. And hey, remember,” she jabbed a thumb between her collarbone and winked, “Open on weekends.” She picked up her canvases, now a neat tied up pile and promptly disappeared into the store where her artworks were displayed in front of. A glance up revealed it was just some tacky fishing supplies store.
...Interesting?
Sans brushed off the exchange and quickly went on his way home. He regretted missing breakfast now, he couldn't even teleport home if he wanted to. He glanced down at the bump in his pocket before taking it out, holding it up to his eye-level as his grin softened. At least the entire day wasn't at all wasted. He held up his other hand and snapped his fingers, watching the box disappear into thin air. Pocketing both hands into his hoodie, he whistled a random tune as he walked.
Sans had hoped to sneak into his room for a quick nap as soon as he got home but of course his sibling had to have the hearing of an elephant despite having no ears. Said brother peeked into the living room from the kitchen after hearing the tiniest and softest of clicks as Sans nudged the door shut.
"BROTHER! HOW NICE TO SEE YOU NOT BEING LATE FOR A MEAL. I'VE JUST FINISHED WITH THE LAST PREPPINGS OF OUR DINNER TODAY AND-- BROTHER??" Papyrus lowered the spatula in his hand to his hip, head tilted and sockets bent in worry, "IS SOMETHING WRONG? YOU LOOK UTTERLY DOWN IN THE DUMPS TODAY, WHICH IS IRONIC BECAUSE OF THE STATE OF YOUR FACE."
Sans shuffled past his tall sibling, eyesockets closed, "don't worry bout it, just feelin' a bit bone tired."
"IF I RECEIVED A PENNY FOR EVERY TIME I'VE HEARD THAT ONE, I'D SAVE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM AND BUY YOU A JOKE BOOK CONTAINING WITTICISM THAT IS ACTUALLY WORTHY OF BEING LAUGHED AT," Papyrus snapped sassily before softening his tone, which, to be honest, wasn't quite much, "BUT IN ALL SERIOUSNESS, ARE YOU REALLY ALRIGHT?"
The lazy skeleton was already seated on his chair, resting his arms on the table and propping his chin up by his hands. "yep. never been better. so what's for dinner for dinner time with papyrus™, pap?"
Papyrus instantly perked up at the question, swinging his spatula dramatically upwards and announced with over-the-top valor, "CHICKEN SPAGHETTI SOUP! DIDN'T EXPECT THAT DID YOU, SANS!?"
"sure the heck did not, bro."
"NYEH HEH HEH! YOU MUST BE WONDERING HOW I CAME UP WITH SUCH AN INGENIOUS RECIPE AND LET ME TELL YOU WHAT, I WAS VERY MUCH INSPIRED BY THIS HUMAN WORKING AT THE BOOBSTORE TODAY, A BIT AWKWARD AT TIMES AND VERY TIMID, BUT NEVERTHELESS..."
Sans let his brother retell how his day went as he scooped a generous serving for himself, humming agreements now and again. He hadn't eaten the entire day and was close to passing out. Frankly he was thankful Paps knew how much of a slob he was, because at that moment he was just slurping everything down like a vaccuum cleaner.
Dinner actually tasted pretty good. For once the spaghetti his eccentric brother loved cooking so much was fit for the dish, unlike the other bizzare things he came up with for every Breakfast Time with Papyrus™ so far. He had to thank this anonymous human at the bookstore for making dinnertime bearable.
As he went for seconds much to Pap's delight, his mind wandered back to that painting he found by the street. He was probably taking a shot in the dark but could it have been...? It was possible. You wouldn't really recognize your soulmate unless you got to know them, right? Even if they weren't exactly your type in the beginning, you’ll find out they’re not so bad once you got to know them better.
The more he thought about it, the more he was sure he had been looking at a picture of a soul stone... that street artist might've been the one he's been looking for. He blushed as he remembered her off-putting compliment, taking him by surprise. He barely registered his brother calling out to him before he snapped back to reality, a limp noodle stuck between his teeth. "did'ja say something, bro?"
"I ASKED IF I MAY PLEASE COLLECT YOUR BOWL SINCE YOU'VE ALREADY FINISHED A MINUTE AGO," Papyrus had his arms crossed from where he sat. "REALLY BROTHER WERE YOU PAYING ATTENTION AT ALL?"
"'f course, i was," Sans chuckled, a bead of sweat appearing at his skull. He could sense another question coming from Papyrus before he snapped his fingers and whisked all the dishes to the sink before teleporting himself upstairs. He could hear Pap's shriek followed by a hissy stomp.
"SANS YOU LAZYBONES!"
"i was helping," he called back, and soon enough he could hear his brother angrily mumbling to himself as he started on the dishes. Good ole Pap.
Sans looked over at Frisk's gift and was pleased to find it was still in one piece by his bed, just as he'd planned. He was worried the void might have caused it to lose a few parts but that wasn't the case much to his relief. Shuffling to his bed, he dug around the pocket of his hoodie and took out his egg. Rubbing it to make that scritching sound, he sat and kicked off his slippers, shrugging his hoodie and tossing it carelessly to the floor. The skeleton folded his legs and leaned back, holding his soul stone up on an open palm so that it'd easily rock back and forth.
He stared at it for a moment, breathing deeply and wondered how his soulmate was doing.
*
Today was... very eventful. Somewhat productive, but definitely eventful.
After a quick dinner of tasteless chicken noodle soup, you flopped onto your mattress after chucking your shoes across the room, exhausted with all the walking you did today. The good news so far was your cuts were healing quite nicely, thanks to a candy your boss offered to you after noticing how uncomfortable you were talking to people face-to-face with your face. It had helped a lot, though your lip was swollen again after you accidentally bit it afterwards.
The bad news was your house was still uncomfortably close to that of a dumpster. You figured you could spend the entire day tomorrow cleaning up your pigsty of a house; you had already talked it over with your bosses as they closed up for the night. The money you made today would make up for your absence tomorrow, at least by a bit.
You sat up, staring at your feet and managing a small smile. This was okay, this was good. You have a job now, though you should probably find another if you wanted to furnish your home at some point, but it was a start. Things were looking up, just like Mom said. Speaking of...
You twisted around to see the egg she gave you on the floor where you had left it this morning. Now that you've allowed yourself to relax, you wondered who your soulmate could possibly be. A brief thought of the meeting by the sidewalk popped into your head.
That smile... was the person you stumbled upon in that moment your soulmate? Sure, the first time meeting might’ve not been very memorable; the sky had been dark and dreary, you were sure you had bags under your eyes and you’d remember how starving you were as you stood there admiring those paintings.
Still… you blushed as you remembered her petite face, her colored nails and her overall confidence as she unabashedly asked you to come again. She was a bit distant, but you kinda liked that mysterious aura she had about her. And she did paint that soul stone, or at least, you hoped it was a painting of a soul stone. It was the first thing that caught your eye as you passed by after all. It had to be fate.
Almost shyly, you reached out and picked the egg up by the top, not wanting to jostle it too much. You settled it between both of your palms and smiled down at it, wondering if your soulmate was looking.
Well, you hoped they were. You held it up to your face and gave it a small kiss, enough to send it tipping. Then immediately proceeded to inwardly cringe at how much of a sap you were being because, honestly???
You shook your head furiously, willing the blood from your cheeks away before lowering the egg beside your family portrait, sighing as you made yourself comfortable. Covers for your mattress are definitely due, and maybe you should start considering saving enough for a bed frame, too. Actually, why didn't you accept the offer your dad made to send you your bed when you moved instead of insisting he use it for the guest room instead? You refused to dwell on your random independent stupidity any longer and opted to sleep instead.
As your lids grew heavy, exhaustion finally catching up to you, the last thing you registered was the small jolt your egg made, rocking to and fro on the floor. Your eyes followed it like a pendulum, eventually falling into unconsciousness, smiling as you drifted off to sleep.
BONUS:
