A/N: So, this story came about in a really weird way. The initial inspiration was a few different fics I read regarding UF!Paps and the reader getting it on and talking about how they thought he'd been such an ass when they first met but he'd turned out to be so much more. I wanted to read about the reader getting to know him and overcoming his assiness (is that a word?), but I couldn't find it. Additional inspiration came from a few art posts from cheapbourbon on Tumblr and their Captain Papyrus in uniforms and suits. Mm-mm. Finger-licking good. Please go check out their art; they are truly gifted.

When I started writing, I fully intended on this being a oneshot that focused on Paps going from misunderstood asshole to competent lover, but it took on a life of its own and now I have nearly 10 chapters written. Hooray? There will be smut...eventually. If you're patient enough.

That being said, thank you for giving this story a chance. I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 1

What a fuckin' dick.

You scowled as you watched a tall skeleton chewing out a shorter one. His voice raised to a degree that you were certain the entire mall could hear every syllable as he shouted about how the shorter one had gotten out of his sight. The shorter guy's face was beet red as he stared at the ground and nodded occasionally.

You took a moment to look them both over. The tall skeleton seemed to be all sharp points and long edges. There's a deep scar that runs vertically through his left eye socket, ending just a few inches short of his sharp teeth. He's dressed in tight black leather pants with a shiny silver skull belt buckle and a black t-shirt. He wore a red scarf and gloves for whatever reason (it was freaking summer; wouldn't he get hot?) and knee-high boots on his feet.

The shorter skeleton was even worse. He wore a thick, black coat with a fur-trimmed hood and long black shorts. On his feet were black hiking boots.

Apparently, they had a thing for black.

Silence fell for the first time in ten minutes, and you could swear your ears started to ring with how quiet the place was. The only sounds for a few beats of your heart were people shuffling, trying to get a better look at the commotion. The skeleton's raving had caused everyone within the near vicinity to stop what they were doing and come see. A few people had tried to intervene but were quickly waved off ("MIND YOUR OWN DAMN BUSINESS." "THIS DOESN'T CONCERN YOU." "IF I WAS GOING TO HURT HIM I'D HAVE DONE IT ALREADY."). It seemed the tall guy had an air of authority around him that few people wanted to challenge.

"ARE WE CLEAR?" The tall skeleton asked, in a slightly quieter voice.

The short one looked up, and you caught a glimpse of a red, spiked collar around his neck. Seriously?

"yes, boss."

Seriously?

With a curt nod, the taller skeleton turned on his heel and started to walk away, ignoring everyone who followed him with their eyes. The shorter had to run to keep up, but the taller didn't seem to care.

What a dick.

People around you slowly started to get back to their activities from before the spectacle. You took a minute to think back over the words that had been shouted at the top of whatever lungs a skeleton might possess. You had learned that the skeletons were either brothers, or the tall one had recently lost a brother. He was obviously worried that the short guy would get lost. Maybe that was his kid. That might make a little more sense, but then why would the shorter call him boss?

You decided it wasn't any of your business. As you continued your shopping, however, you couldn't help but feel bad for that shorter guy. You wished you could go back and stick up for him. Nobody deserved to be yelled at like that.

It had been a full two years since the barrier had been broken and monsters were freed from the underground. It wasn't exactly a pleasant experience; most humans didn't like monsters up in their business and tried to kill them at first.

That didn't last for too long, thankfully. The first year was spent smoothing things over between monsters and humans, and the second was spent integrating monsters into society.

You were one of the few who supported this integration from the beginning. You were excited to see monsters; you'd only ever heard stories of them. You found out pretty quickly that some of your friends you thought were good people were actually the opposite. Some of them turned against you simply for being pro-monster. Others wanted to try to maintain their friendship with you, but only on the grounds that you let them protest the integration. You refused to keep company with those people; you were on the side protesting segregation, and you would not maintain the belief that you could still be friends with someone who had such differences of core values.

That wasn't to say that you'd lost all of your friends. No, some of them were actually decent people who helped you make your protest signs and helped keep you safe (you really kept each other safe; you weren't helpless) during rallies.

All of that was behind you now. Well, most of it. It had been a long time since anyone had actively protested against monsters, but that didn't mean all the hatred had gone away.

You'd heard about the festival that was going on in a nearby town to celebrate the breaking of the barrier. It was supposed to be a big party with food, games, probably some rides, and fireworks. The idea that the monsters would put together this festival had apparently brought the haters out of the woodwork again, and you'd seen on the news that there were a few groups protesting the fun.

You wanted to go and be part of the supporters, but you couldn't get the day off work.

On the morning of the festival, you made a decision and called in sick. You were pretty sure your boss knew what was going on, but you really didn't care. You needed to get to that festival and be a supporter, dammit!

You packed up a few snacks and bottles of water, dressed in a pair of shorts and a tank top, slipped into your tennis shoes, and headed out the door.

The drive took a little over an hour. You knew you were in the right place when you started to see the protestors. Dumbasses, you thought. The fuckin' lot of 'em.

It took you a while to find a parking spot. Once you did, you slipped your bag with water and snacks over your shoulder, locked your car, and headed toward the fair grounds with an excited ball of energy buzzing in your chest.

You ignored the protestors yelling at you and walked right past them. They were looking to cause chaos, and it would only feed into their hand if you caused a scene by yelling back at them. Instead, you maintained your happy smile and the bounce in your step.

The entrance was guarded by two dogs who growled at you at first. It didn't surprise you; they probably weren't expecting to see many humans attend.

"AT EASE."

The dogs immediately stopped growling and faced straight ahead.

Wait. You knew that voice. You'd heard it cussing someone out not three weeks ago.

"ARE YOU HERE FOR THE FESTIVAL, HUMAN?"

You nodded and looked up to meet the gaze of the very same tall skeleton from the mall. You swallowed.

"Y-yes, I am," you managed.

He looked you over before nodding and stepping aside to let you pass. You couldn't help but look him over as you did.

He stood ramrod stiff, his shoulders squared, and his arms crossed over his broad chest. He was wearing a dark uniform with a symbol you recognized from somewhere on the sleeve. His eyes were on you as you examined him. His eye sockets were dark except for small red lights serving as pupils. The set of his mouth—full of sharp, menacing-looking teeth—made you think he was scowling at you.

You finally managed to look away and noticed the booth just up ahead where you'd buy your ticket. You decided you were done ogling the admittedly handsome skeleton and hurried away. You always did have a thing for guys in uniform. You hadn't realized your heart was pounding as hard as it was. It took you a second to catch your breath.

"didn't know boss was so breath taking," a deep but chill voice joked.

You looked up to see the shorter skeleton from the mall sitting in the booth. Well, not exactly sitting. He was slouched so far on the wooden stool that he was practically laying down, and he had his feet up on the counter. The back of his head was leaning against the far wall, providing support. He was wearing the exact same outfit he'd been wearing at the mall, collar included. He was grinning at you with sharp, pointed teeth, just like the other one. One of his teeth, you guessed it may have been a canine based on it's place in his mouth, had been replaced with a gold one.

"you wanna buy a ticket, sugar?"

You managed to nod and dug your wallet out of your bag. "Yes, please."

"sure thing. it'll just cost ya a kiss."

That was unexpected. "What?" You stared at him for a second. Those teeth looked like they could do some real damage.

He laughed and sat up on the stool. "man, you humans are too easy. your face is fuckin' red." He pulled a ticket from a box on the counter next to the till and held it out to you. "five bucks."

You handed him the money and took the ticket. He took your hand as well and stamped a blue symbol onto the back of it. It was the same symbol from the sleeve of…boss? Boss' uniform. Where did you know it from? It had something to do with monsters, but you just couldn't place it.

"it's the delta rune; our royal symbol."

Oh, right. "I knew that!" you all but shouted. You looked at him apologetically. "I mean, I'd forgotten where I knew it from, but I did know what it was. Thank you for telling me."

He smirked. "sure thing, sugar. have fun." He gave you a wink.

"I will." You winked back and smirked at the red that came up on his cheekbones as you walked away.

The festival was a ton of fun. You met many new friends and tried new foods. You nearly threw up when you found out that Muffet's pastries were made from actual spiders. Somehow, you managed to keep it down. You played as many games as you could. Some of them required magic, so you just took some time to watch monsters play instead.

As you walked up to one of the few rides, you were surprised to see the short skeleton operating it.

"Weren't you at the ticket booth?" you asked.

He grinned. "what, a guy can't work multiple jobs?"

"Sure, but at the same time?" That was doubtful.

He laughed at that. "nah, i switched with betty. gotta have some variety, otherwise i'd go mad."

You let a few monsters go ahead of you. "How many jobs are you working here, then?"

"many as i want. why, you lookin for a job, sugar?"

"No, and my name's y/n, not 'sugar'."

"mmkay." He held out his hand. "sans. sans the skeleton."

You shook his hand and immediately regretted it when you felt a burning shock go up your arm. You pulled back sharply and scowled at him as he laughed at you.

"heh. the ol' buzzer in the palm trick. that never gets old." He pretended to wipe a tear from his eye socket.

You noticed he had two red eye lights like the taller skeleton. You were curious about that but decided now was probably not the time to ask him. You were holding up progress, and some of the ride patrons were getting impatient.

"I'll let you get back to work, Sans."

He gave you a mock salute. "sure thing, sugar."

With a groan, you found a spot on the ride and buckled yourself in.

The sun was starting to set and you could tell things were escalating toward fireworks as you made your way toward the large stage at the far end of the fair grounds. Despite the crowd, you were able to find a spot near the front and sat down on the soft grass. While you waited for the show to start, you picked at the grass as you listened to conversations going on around you. It wasn't hard to catch one in particular.

"I'D LIKE A SPOT NEAR THE FRONT, SANS!"

"you'll get a better view back a little ways."

"I DON'T WANT TO BE BACK A LITTLE WAYS."

You smiled to yourself as you listened. The taller skeleton's voice had taken on a slightly petulant tone that made you think of siblings bickering.

"you just wanna see mettaton."

"I DO NOT! THAT ROBOT DOES NOTHING FOR ME."

"sure, boss."

"WE'RE SITTING UP FRONT, AND THAT IS FINAL."

You tried to keep yourself from looking up to see where the skeletons were. If Sans' voice was anything to go by, they were close. You were pretty sure Boss would sound like he was next to you even if he were actually on the stage.

Something landed on the grass next to you with a small thud, and you looked over in surprise. Sans smirked at you and gave you a little wave. Behind him were a pair of long legs, and you found yourself craning your neck to look up at Boss. Had he dropped Sans? He sat down in one smooth motion, crossing his legs, before he straightened his back and pulled Sans onto his lap.

Okay, that was cute.

You turned to get a better view and wondered again what their relationship was. You had no way to know either of their ages, so you told yourself they could be father and son or siblings. Maybe good friends? Although Boss' rant at the mall had seemed a bit too intimate for friends. Perhaps they were lovers. You took in the way Boss' arms wrapped protectively around Sans, holding him close, and Sans cuddled in close in Boss' embrace.

Then there was his collar. You wondered if he wore it willingly.

"take a picture, lady; it'll last longer."

Your eyes snapped to Sans' and you felt your face flush.

"I-I'm sorry," you stumbled. "I didn't mean to stare." You turned your attention to the stage and tried to keep it there. It was difficult, as your eyes kept betraying you to land on Sans' foot and slowly crawl their way up his legs. It wasn't your fault you were sitting next to something so cute.

You suddenly remembered your phone in your pocket. You'd taken a lot of pictures throughout your day at the festival. Some of monsters, some of the games or the prizes you'd won.

Before you could talk yourself out of it, you dug your phone out of your pocket and turned on the camera. You turned to the skeletons and aimed.

"Say cheese!" You quickly snapped the picture and turned back to the stage.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" Boss shouted.

You looked at him sheepishly. "He told me to. Besides, it's a cute picture." You opened it and showed him.

Sans laughed as if it was the funniest thing in the world, kicking his feet as he tried desperately to suck in air between giggles. You found yourself smiling just at the sound of it.

Boss scowled and shoved Sans off his lap. That surprised you, and your smile dropped.

"THERE'S NOTHING CUTE ABOUT IT. I DEMAND YOU DELETE THAT IMAGE NOW."

You scoffed. "No way!" You stuffed your phone in your pocket just in case he tried to snag it from you.

Sans was still laughing, now laying on his back in front of both you and Boss. His smile told you that he wasn't hurt in any way by what Boss had done. That made you feel marginally better.

You could feel eyes on you, and you turned to find Boss glaring at you. You glared right back.

"That was pretty shitty of you," you said, crossing your arms to match his posture.

"MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS, HUMAN."

"My name isn't human!" But you weren't going to offer it to him.

"nah, it's sugar."

You cast a glare at Sans. "No, it's not."

"I DON'T CARE WHAT YOUR NAME IS, AND NEITHER DOES SANS."

"Sans already knows what it is."

Sans sat up and sighed, shaking his head. He cast a glance at Boss. Maybe saying that wasn't such a great idea?

"HOW?"

He seemed indignant, like he couldn't possibly think of a scenario in which Sans would learn your name, but he wouldn't. God, could this guy be more of a jerk?

"I DEMAND YOU TELL ME YOUR NAME!"

Yes. Yes he could.

"No." You turned back to the stage and straightened your spine as you set your resolve to ignore him for the rest of the evening.

"SANS, TELL ME HER NAME."

You gave him a glare and shook your head, telling him silently to keep his mouth shut.

"it's y/n."

You scoffed. "Sans! That look I just gave you meant 'no, don't tell him'."

"i know." He shrugged and laid back down. He crossed one ankle over the opposite knee and folded his arms behind his head. "man, the stars are pretty tonight, aren't they?"

You looked up and found yourself entranced by how beautiful the night sky had become. "Yeah, but I'm more looking forward to the fireworks."

"WHY ARE YOU EVEN HERE, Y/N?"

Nope, you were ignoring him. You almost smiled when he grunted impatiently. Apparently, he was used to getting his way.

"I SHOULDN'T HAVE LET YOU IN. YOU'RE OBVIOUSLY HERE TO CAUSE TROUBLE."

That time you snorted. "Yeah, because I've caused so much in the five hours I've been here."

"SANS, ASK HER WHY SHE'S HERE."

You turned to look at him then. You didn't like him using Sans as a go-between. "Because I'm celebrating the barrier breaking, okay? I'm happy to have monsters walking around with their freedom. Does that bother you?" You narrowed your eyes at him.

He stared at you for a moment, and it seemed his glare softened. "NO, IT DOESN'T BOTHER ME."

"Good." You nodded once and turned to the stage just as the lights came on. Finally!

Mettaton, a robot monster with four arms, gave a short presentation about the festival and got a loud cheer from the audience as he announced the beginning of the fireworks.

They were absolutely beautiful. They lit up the sky in gorgeous greens and reds, blues and yellows. Some exploded into massive showers of color, while others left colorful trails of various shapes and designs.

Half way through the show, you felt eyes on you again. You looked at Sans, but he was staring at the sky with an awe-struck gleam in his eye sockets. You couldn't help but smile at the childlike wonder you saw on his face.

At the same time, you still felt the nagging pull in your chest that someone was watching you. You turned to look at Boss only to find him staring straight at you. He didn't look away. Not one to be daunted by a challenge, neither did you. Even when you felt your cheeks heating up, you kept eye contact. There was something in his gaze that became more apparent the more you looked at each other. You weren't sure what it was exactly, but it made you want to look away even more.

"Take a picture," you finally said, the blush on your cheeks surely visible even in the darkness by now. "It'll last longer."

His mouth curved in a way that made you think he was smiling at you. Without breaking eye contact, he reached into the inside pocket of his uniform jacket and pulled out a phone. He couldn't be serious…

He was serious. You just sat there and let him take your picture. You even smiled.

You heard something that sounded like a chuckle as he put his phone away. You used the distraction to look back up at the fireworks. It didn't take long to get lost in them again, but all the while, you were certain Boss was watching you more than them.

After the grand finale, you stood up slowly and stretched your legs and back. You were a little achy after having sat on the ground for so long, but it didn't take much to stretch those aches out. You were tired after such a long day of celebration, and you swayed a little as you bent to pick up your bag. You steadied yourself easily and turned to find Boss behind you with his arms out like he was about to catch you. His arms immediately dropped to his sides, and his back stiffened in a way that told you he'd once worn that uniform for official duty.

That was hot.

No, you refused to think of the jerk like that. You squared your shoulders and turned back to smile at Sans. He was smirking at something, probably you nearly falling flat on your face.

"It was nice to meet you," you said, not offering your hand. You didn't want to get shocked again.

"yeah, you too. hey, will you text me that picture?"

"NO, SHE WILL NOT!"

You ignored the brute.

"Of course; what's your number?" You pulled out your phone and quickly saved Sans' number.

Red, gloved fingers appeared before you and snatched your phone out of your hands. You cried out and tried to grab it back from Boss. His damned arms were too long and easily kept it out of your reach as he did something. You just knew he was going to delete that picture. You would kick him right here and now if he did.

He smirked at you as he finally relented and gave your phone back. To your surprise, the picture was still there.

"What did you do?" you asked, looking through your phone to see what was different.

"YOU WILL SEE."

"No, asshole, you'll tell me what you did right now."

He laughed. He actually laughed at you. That did it. You shoved your phone in your pocket and looked up at him.

"Look, I don't know who you think you are, but it's not nice to mess with people's shit like that."

He didn't back down. Instead, he leaned in a little closer to you. "I'M THE CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD, AND I DON'T GIVE A SHIT WHAT'S NICE AND WHAT ISN'T. I JUST ADDED MY NUMBER, SO CALM THE FUCK DOWN."

The…captain of the…what? It took you a second to process what he'd just said to you. The Royal Guard had been disbanded, you thought. There had been a big news broadcast about it a year and a half ago. It was part of the slow process of healing between monsters and humans. If this monster had been their captain…

Yeah, there was no denying that was hot. And maybe a little intimidating.

You sure as hell weren't going to let him know that.

Instead, you sucked in a breath and adjusted your bag on your shoulder. "What made you think I wanted your number?" you asked, your voice wavering a little. You couldn't keep eye contact.

"YOU HAVE MY BROTHER'S, SO OF COURSE YOU WANTED MINE."

Siblings! Ha! At least one of your guesses had been right. You wondered briefly which one was older. You wouldn't have been surprised if Mr. Tantrum over here was the baby. Oh, sorry. Captain Tantrum. You smirked to yourself and made a mental note to amend whatever name he'd put himself under.

"I'm not sure that makes sense, but I'm going home anyway." You turned to Sans and nearly glared at the grin he was giving you. "Goodbye, Sans."

"bye, sugar."

You rolled your eyes and started to walk away. You listened to Boss telling (aka yelling at) Sans that it was time for them to get home as well. As you walked, you pulled your phone out and sent the picture you'd taken to Sans. You then went through your contacts to find Boss'. You found it listed as The Boss. You smirked to yourself as you changed his contact name.