Chapter Text
“SANS, I DON’T REMEMBER THE LAST TIME I EVER HAD TO WEAR AN OUTFIT LIKE THIS… ARE YOU CERTAIN THAT THIS IS THE DRESS CODE FOR THE INTERVIEW?”
Papyrus and Sans stand in front of a mirror in Papyrus’ room. The sun is brightly shining outside the window.
Sans says to his brother, “papyrus, you're gonna have to get used to wearing all kinds of different clothes. you're applying to become a supermodel. they're gonna make you wear just about anything.”
“UGH, I SUPPOSE YOU HAVE A POINT, SANS. IF I'M GOING TO IMPRESS METTATON, I NEED TO BE ABLE TO WEAR ANY GARMENT HE GIVES ME.”
Turning around to face Sans, Papyrus says, “WELL, SANS, WHAT DO YOU THINK? DO YOU THINK THIS PARTICULAR COLOR COORDINATION WILL PLEASE METTATON'S EYES?”
“eh, it's not up to me to decide that...however, those gloves... i think it's time we changed them into something more 'neutral' doncha agree?”
Papyrus was wearing old, worn red gloves. They did not at all match the rest of his outfit.
“OH... YES, SANS, I SUPPOSE THAT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE. WELL, YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO, SO, I'LL LET YOU DO... YOUR THING.”
“close your eyes....”
…
“okay, you can open em now.”
Papyrus opens his eyes and takes a look at his hands. On them are new, white silk gloves, which fit perfectly.
“tada!!! nice, ain't they?”
“OH, WOWIE!!! SILK GLOVES... THESE ARE SO SOFT, AND THE STITCHING IS INCREDIBLE! WHERE DID YOU GET THESE????”
“gloves like these are pretty hard to come by... i ended up having to make these myself, with a bit of help from toriel, of course.”
“YOU TWO DID A GREAT JOB, SANS! THESE FEEL FANTASTIC!!!”
“we wanted to make sure you had something nice to wear to the interview. least we could do. speaking of which, we should probably get goin. traffic's a nightmare, and it's gonna be worse than usual today, i can tell.”
Papyrus, with worry, exclaims, “WAIT! AREN'T WE GOING TO TAKE A SHORTCUT LIKE WE USUALLY DO?”
“no way. this is a fashion magazine job interview. you gotta show up in style.”
“UGH!!! I SUPPOSE YOU MAKE A GOOD POINT…”
They go downstairs to the kitchen. Toriel is waiting for them at the table
“Hey, you two! Are we ready to head out?”
“MORE THAN READY!! LET’S GO!!!”
They go outside to Papyrus’ car. Toriel takes the passenger seat, and Sans sits in the back, already starting to fall asleep.
Papyrus turns to Toriel, “BY THE WAY, THANK YOU FOR THE GLOVES! THEY LOOK AND FEEL AMAZING!”
“You’re very welcome, Papyrus! I will say, Sans actually did most of the work, I just helped a bit with the stitching is all.”
“EITHER WAY, I’M IMPRESSED!”
As they continue driving, Papyrus’ expression becomes more and more worrisome.
“MY NERVES WON'T SIT STILL NO MATTER HOW MUCH I TRY TO CALM THEM…”
“Hmm... Maybe after the interview is done, we can get some boba tea?”
“OH, ABSOLUTELY! I'D LIKE THAT VERY MUCH!”
After some time, they make it to MTT Headquarters. But upon arrival, they immediately notice something concerning…
“Oh, my…”
“WHAT THE???!!! THE LINE TO GET IN IS ALL THE WAY OUT INTO THE PARKING LOT!!!! I DON'T UNDERSTAND, WE ARRIVED WELL BEFORE THE LINE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE OPEN!!!”
“well, this is mettaton we're talking about. chances are half the monster population showed up. we'd better get goin before the line reaches the road.”
“UGH!!! SANS, I TOLD YOU WE SHOULD’VE USED A SHORTCUT!”
They walk up to the end of the line. A security guard walks up to the group.
“Looks like you three are in luck. You're the last monsters we're allowing to enter this line. Barely made it by the skin of your bones.”
“WAHH!!! WE GOT INCREDIBLY LUCKY, YOU TWO! HAD WE BEEN JUST A FEW SECONDS LATE, WE'D HAVE BEEN KICKED OUT! AND THIS WOULD'VE ALL BEEN FOR NOTHING!”
One more monster approaches the end of the line, walking up to the security guard, having overheard the conversation.
“Are you sure you don't have room for just one more monster?”
“My instructions are from Mettaton himself. Sorry, but it looks like you're outta luck.”
“NOOOOO!!!!”
Turning to Papyrus, the security guard tells him, “I hear the Boss has really high standards. This line may look long, but rest assured it'll move quickly once the interviews start. I'm rootin for ya!”
The line begins moving. Papyrus, Sans, Toriel, and the rest of the monsters travel into the building, up the stairs, all the way to Mettaton’s office.
When it’s finally time for Papyrus to enter the office, Toriel states, “I must say, we got up surprisingly fast!”
Papyrus, however, laments, “FAST?? IT'S BEEN AN HOUR AND THIRTY SEVEN MINUTES SINCE WE GOT IN LINE! BAH!! THAT TOOK ENTIRELY TOO LONG!!!”
There’s an attendant at the door. He tells Papyrus, “It looks like you're the last person. Well, you'd better head on in.”
Papyrus walks inside, and suddenly his nerves get to him. He doesn’t immediately see anyone in the office, the large chair being turned around.
“HELLO? ANYONE HERE?”
“AH... THE LAST CANDIDATE. WHOEVER COULD BE SITTING IN FRONT OF MY DESK?”
The owner of the building, the Star of the Monster World, Mettaton, turns around in his chair, notably in his box form. The robot monster is taken aback by the figure in front of him.
“OH!”
“M-M-METTATON!!! HI!! *AHEM* MY NAME IS PAPYRUS, SIR! IT'S A PLEASURE TO MEET YOU!!!”
Mettaton barely registered what Papyrus just said. He was staring at Papyrus, for a few seconds not even noticing he had his hand extended for a handshake. He quickly composed himself, and reciprocated the gesture.
“PLEASED TO MEET YOU, TOO, DARLING! IF I CAN REMEMBER CORRECTLY, YOU'RE THE YOUNGER BROTHER OF ONE OF MY EMPLOYEES! SANS THE SKELETON, HE'S YOUR BIG BROTHER, CORRECT?”
“YES YES! THAT IS CORRECT!!”
“HE'S TOLD ME A LOT ABOUT YOU. ALLEGEDLY, YOU'RE A PRETTY BIG FAN OF MINE.”
“YES INDEED! NO POINT IN DENYING IT!”
“ALWAYS GREAT TO MEET A FAN!! HOWEVER... DON'T ASSUME I'M GOING TO GO EASY ON YOU JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE A FAMILY MEMBER OF ONE OF MY EMPLOYEES. IF ANYTHING, I'M GOING TO BE HOLDING YOU TO EVEN HIGHER STANDARDS…”
Upon hearing this, Papyrus’ nerves got even more out of control.
Mettaton then immediately reassured him, “I'M JUST TEASIN', BEAUTIFUL! I PROMISE I'M NOT AS MEAN AS I LOOK.”
Papyrus calmed down a bit. Mettaton continues, “TELL ME A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF, PAPYRUS. WHAT'S YOUR BACKGROUND, WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE YOU WANTED TO WORK FOR ME?”
Papyrus is excited to answer.
“OH! WELL, FOR A GOOD WHILE, IN THE UNDERGROUND I WORKED AS A SENTRY, CREATING PUZZLES TO CAPTURE HUMANS WITH. AFTER THE BARRIER WAS BROKEN, I WANTED TO HELP THE KING IN ANY WAY I COULD… BUT, THE BEST JOB HE COULD GIVE ME WAS TENDING TO HIS FLOWER GARDEN WHENEVER HE HAD TO LEAVE HOME.
I WAS DOING THAT FOR TWO YEARS. IT WAS... RELAXING, AT LEAST. BUT I KNEW I WASN'T REACHING MY FULL POTENTIAL THERE.
WHEN I FOUND OUT YOU WERE CREATING A FASHION MAGAZINE, I KNEW IT'D BE PERFECT FOR ME!
YOU SEE, I'M ACTUALLY SOMETHING OF AN EXPERT IN THE FIELD OF CLOTHING!
I HAVE VAST SEWING KNOWLEDGE, AND I ALSO REGULARLY PRACTICE ART AND DESIGN, AS IT HELPS ME WITH MY PERSONAL ART PROJECTS AND THE CLOTHING I MAKE FOR MYSELF ON A REGULAR BASIS! MY BROTHER SANS AND I WORK TOGETHER EACH YEAR TO DESIGN THE MOST SHOWSTOPPING HALLOWEEN COSTUMES. THE ONES WE MAKE FOR MYSELF ARE SO COMFORTABLE AND FASHIONABLE, I WEAR THEM YEAR ROUND JUST TO SHOW OFF OUR HANDIWORK!”
“AH, I SEE! SO YOU HAVE LOTS OF EXPERIENCE WITH FASHION ALREADY! SPECTACULAR!”
“OH, ABSOLUTELY! IT IS ALWAYS A TOP PRIORITY OF MINE TO LOOK MY BEST! YOU NEVER KNOW WHO'S WATCHING YOU, AFTER ALL!”
“AGREED! YOU MENTIONED YOU'RE AN ARTIST, TOO, RIGHT? WHAT KIND OF ART DO YOU LIKE TO MAKE?”
Papyrus thinks for a bit, then answers, “AH! WELL... MOST OF THE TIME I DO SELF-PORTRAITS. I'VE BEEN IN A BIT OF AN ARTBLOCK FOR A WHILE, SO TO SPEAK, SO I FIND THAT USING MYSELF AS A MUSE AT LEAST HELPS ME KEEP MY SKILLS SHARP. PLUS, IT HELPS REMIND ME OF MY OWN GREATNESS!”
“THERE TRULY IS NO BETTER MUSE THAN YOURSELF, GORGEOUS!!”
“I'LL SAY! SOMETIMES, HOWEVER, I'LL BRANCH OUT AND DO LANDSCAPES, OR CITYSCAPES, OR… BOTTOM OF A VERY LONG BRIDGE FULL OF DANGEROUS TRAPS-SCAPES… WELL... THAT WAS ONLY ONCE, BUT, STILL!! OH! I ALMOST FORGOT!, I OF COURSE DO A LOT OF FANART FOR YOU, AS WELL! I HAVE A FEW PHOTOS OF MY WORK IF YOU'D BE INTERESTED IN SEEING THEM!”
“I'M ALWAYS HAPPY TO SEE FAN ART! PLEASE SHOW ME, IT FUELS MY MASSIVE EGO!!”
Papyrus shows Mettaton a series of 4 paintings. The last one catches his eye.
“OH... OH MY... THIS IS... THIS IS IN REFERENCE TO THE VERY FIRST EPISODE OF MY SHOW!!! THAT EPISODE HASN'T EVEN BEEN PRESERVED! THERE'S NO POSSIBLE WAY YOU COULD KNOW ABOUT THIS MOMENT UNLESS... YOU, YOU WATCHED THIS EPISODE LIVE, DIDN'T YOU?”
“I DID! I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE ONE OF THE FIRST PEOPLE TO GET TO WATCH YOUR SHOW! I REMEMBER BEING IN THE LIVING ROOM, SCROLLING THROUGH CHANNELS AND STUMBLING UPON THAT FIRST EPISODE. I TOLD SANS "THIS SHOW IS SO AMAZING!! YOU HAVE TO WATCH IT WITH ME!!!" AND WE SAT TOGETHER AND WATCH THE ENTIRE EPISODE.
EVEN THOUGH IT WAS SO LONG AGO, I REMEMBER IT SO VIVIDLY STILL...
I DID MY BEST TO CAPTURE THAT ONE PARTICULAR MOMENT IN THE SHOW, IN THIS PAINTING HERE. I HOPE I DID YOU JUSTICE, METTATON…”
“PAPYRUS, DARLING, THIS IS INCREDIBLE!!! I... I'M AT A LOSS FOR WORDS…”
Mettaton stares at the painting for a bit. He catches himself, then immediately changes his demeanor.
“*AHEM* HMM... WELL! I THINK THAT'S ALL THE TIME WE HAVE HERE! YOU BEST BE ON YOUR WAY, PAPYRUS. IF YOU'RE SELECTED FOR THE POSITION, YOU WILL RECEIVE A PHONE CALL.”
“WAIT!! WHEN WILL I RECEIVE THE PHONE CALL? HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE?”
“WELL... UNFORTUNATELY I CAN'T GIVE YOU A STRAIGHT ANSWER. MY ADVICE WOULD BE TO ACCEPT ANY PHONE CALL YOU RECEIVE FROM NOW ON.”
“OH, I WAS ALREADY DOING THAT! NO WORRIES!! I'LL BE SURE TO KEEP MY PHONE WITH ME AT ALL TIMES, JUST LIKE I USUALLY DO!!”
“GOODBYE, PAPYRUS!”
“GOODBYE, METTATON, THANK YOU SO MUCH!”
Papyrus leaves the office. Mettaton looks on as Papyrus leaves, and when the door closes behind him, he begins to get lost in thought.
Sans, upon seeing Papyrus exit the office, asks him, “so... how'd it go, bro?”
“WELL... IT WAS A PROMISING INTERVIEW, BUT... I'M NOT SURE. I REALLY HOPE I GET THIS, SANS! WORKING UNDER METTATON WOULD BE A DREAM COME TRUE!!!”
“yeah... i will say, having worked for him for as long as i have, he's a pretty good boss.”
Toriel chimes in, “Well, personally, I believe you have a really good chance, Papyrus!”
Papyrus asks the two of them, “CAN WE GO GET THAT BOBA TEA NOW?”
Toriel laughs, “Hahaha! Of course! You might want to change your outfit, too.”
“I WAS JUST THINKING THAT! I’LL BE RIGHT BACK!”
Papyrus quickly runs to the bathroom, then exits wearing his Baseballer uniform.
“NOW THIS IS MORE LIKE IT! AND THE GLOVES YOU TWO MADE ME ARE VERY SLEEK, SO I CAN JUST SLIDE THE GLOVES FROM THE BASEBALLER UNIFORM RIGHT OVER THEM!!!”
“exactly right, bro.”
They leave MTT Headquarters and head to the boba shop. Papyrus receives his drink, and sits down at the table with Sans and Toriel.
“SO, METTATON SAID I'D RECEIVE A PHONE CALL IF I'M ACCEPTED. BUT, HE DIDN'T SAY WHEN. HE ALSO DIDN'T SPECIFY WHETHER OR NOT I'D BE CALLED IF I'M NOT ACCEPTED. IT'S GOING TO BE NERVE-WRECKING, WAITING SO LONG FOR WHAT COULD BE NOTHING!”
Sans tries to reassure Papyrus, “well, i wouldn't worry about it too much.”
Toriel says, “Based on what you've told us so far, it seems that Mettaton has really taken a liking to you! Besides, even if you don't get this job, I’m sure there will be plenty of other job openings that he has available throughout the year.”
“i can totally put in a good word for you if there's anything you qualify for.” Sans suggests.
Papyrus, still nervous, says, “I SUPPOSE I COULD APPLY TO BE A SECURITY AGENT, LIKE YOURSELF?”
“ahahahah... about that. i'm actually the only monster allowed on his security force at the moment. you see, all of mettaton's other agents are human. they have to protect mettaton at all times while he's in public, since he's a monster and he's vulnerable to physical attacks. i'm at mettaton's side just in case of dire emergencies. and, honestly, we haven't had any dire emergencies yet. that being said, i could totally ask mettaton to replace me with you, if worse comes to worse…”
Papyrus loudly exclaims, “ABSOLUTELY NOT, SANS! I'M NOT GOING TO ALLOW YOU TO SACRIFICE YOUR JOB FOR MY SAKE! AS MUCH AS I WANT TO WORK FOR METTATON, IT'S MORE IMPORTANT THAT YOU KEEP YOUR CURRENT POSITION! YOU'VE BEEN DOING SO WELL SINCE LEAVING THE UNDERGROUND, YOU'VE MANAGED TO TURN YOUR LIFE AROUND COMPLETELY SINCE YOU STARTED LISTENING TO ME AND OUR FRIENDS!
DON'T GIVE UP ON YOUR PROGRESS FOR MY SAKE!!!!”
“yeah, you have a point... although, papyrus, i-“
Just then, Papyrus’ phone begins to ring.
“AHH!!! MY PHONE!”
Papyrus immediately picks up.
“HELLO? THIS IS PAPYRUS SPEAKING! MAY I ASK WHO'S CALLING?”
“HELLO, DARLING, IT'S ME, METTATON!”
“M-M-M-M-ME-MET-METT-MMMM-METTATON!!! HI!!!”
“I TOLD YOU YOU'D GET A PHONE CALL IF YOU WERE ACCEPTED, RIGHT? WELL, HERE IT IS, DIRECTLY FROM THE SOURCE! CONGRATULATIONS, BEAUTIFUL! YOU'RE OFFICIALLY A MODEL FOR MTT MAGAZINE! YOU'RE GOING TO HELP PROMOTE MTT BRAND APPAREL, MY EXCLUSIVE FASHION LINE! I HOPE YOU'RE READY FOR THE CAREER OF A LIFETIME, DARLING, BECAUSE YOU START MONDAY! I HAVE A LOT OF BIG PLANS, SO YOU'D BETTER REST UP! IT'S SHOWTIME!!”
Before Papyrus can respond, Mettaton immediately hangs up the phone. Papyrus, excited beyond belief, tells Sans and Toriel the great news.
“OH......WOWIE!!! I GOT THE JOB!!! AND METTATON SAID THAT I START THIS MONDAY!!!! I'M SO EXCITED, I CAN HARDLY CONTAIN MYSELF!!!”
Toriel, surprised, says, “Oh, wow... That was fast.”
Sans, more confused than anything else, says “uh, congrats, bro. excited for you, too!”
Mettaton, still in his office, thinks to himself about the interviews he just had with all of the monsters who showed up. He begins thinking about Papyrus, how he immediately caught his attention and how well he did in the interview.
“CHOOSING PAPYRUS AS MY FIRST MODEL WAS A NO-BRAINER. HE SURPASSED ALL MY EXPECTATIONS, AND EVEN SURPRISED ME! HE'S PERFECTION ALREADY, AND HE HASN'T EVEN STARTED YET!! BUT... I STILL HAVE TO CHOOSE TWO OTHER MODELS, DON'T I?
HERE'S THE PROBLEM: EVERYONE ELSE SUCKED!!! WELL.. ALMOST EVERYONE... THERE WAS ONE MONSTER OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD WHO MIGHT ACTUALLY HAVE SOME POTENTIAL. WHAT WAS HIS NAME AGAIN?”
Meanwhile, while Sans was relaxing on his couch, he gets a call from Grillby.
“grillbz! what’s up? ….. of course i can help. tell me what you need from me.”