You loved this small town of yours. It was only seven in the evening and you still had three hours until the end of your shift in the local supermarket, but the darkness outside and the lack of people inside made you feel like the time was already late into the night as your town only had a population of about a thousand people and… two hundred monsters.
Yes, half a year back, the Underground was opened and monsters were let out to mingle with humans once again. Your town, small, by a river and secluded, seemed like a popular choice among them to set up a home in. About half of the population left after weird rabbit-people and skeletons started roaming the streets. And if the sight of them wasn't enough to drive one away, the loud, booming voice and obnoxious behaviour of one of the skeletons would do the trick.
At first, people were too afraid to leave their houses, only getting out to get their essentials and then hiding back inside again. However, quite a few months had passed and the fear had all but gone, seeing as the monsters hadn't caused anyone harm. Yet you could still see that they weren't regarded as equals. Humans weren't ready to trust them yet, and you doubted if they ever would.
You, however, had adapted to the monsters rather quickly. Maybe it was because you interacted with them on a daily basis whenever they came to buy something- you were the youngest employee and the hard and dirty tasks were usually pushed on your shoulders, as had been talking to the monsters. They even had their own 'monster queue', which made you roll your eyes. However, the monsters didn't seem to complain about how they were being mistreated, and it always made you frown. Didn't they want to stand for their rights? From your own experience you could confirm that each and every monster was a complete sweetheart. Grillby always brought you take out whenever he came to stock up on meat and potatoes for his pub, which had gotten quite popular, seeing as it was the only pub in the town, alongside a shabby cafe. Papyrus- though loud and obnoxious of a skeleton- always asked you how your day was and looked super excited when he shoved his boxes of pasta into a grocery bag. And from time to time you saw Papyrus' brother, Sans, around and you couldn't help but to find the chubby skeleton oddly… attractive.
You were pulled from your thoughts when you heard the familiar pitter patter of small monster feet. Turning your head, you saw a familiar monster kid with no arms, carrying a bar of chocolate in his mouth, which made you chuckle, as his goofy, excited grin always did.
"Good evening," you said as you reached down to take the chocolate from him and scan it, then proceeding to reach for a jar of coins that you had tucked away under a towel under your work station. He had brought it the first time he came to the store so every time he came to buy something, you could just slip a few coins into the cash register from there. It was a very smart move, considering carrying money and actually paying was hard without any hands.
"Yo! Isn't it getting too late for you to be out?" he asked, bouncing slightly in one place in an attempt to catch a better glimpse of you. The question made you laugh and you shook your head with a kind smile.
"If you're still allowed to be out, then how can it be too late for me?" you asked, handing him the unwrapped bar, which he happily took between his teeth. It seemed like he rolled his eyes at you, before running off, but you couldn't be mad at the kid, he was too adorable for his own good.
You caught some whispers, but they were so normal by this point that you simply ignored them. there was nothing you could do about ignorant people who chose to see an enemy in everyone who was even a little different. Hell, they didn't exactly treat you nicely either. You were the kid that dropped out of highschool to get a job in the supermarket, and that was all that they bothered to find out, none of them bothering to ask for a reason.
You stifled a yawn- years of working from eight in the morning until ten in the evening were taking their toll on you and you felt more and more tired every day. It had gotten so bad that at the end of every day, you found yourself dozing off behind the cash register, and thus getting yelled at by your employers. One more time, they had said, and you'll be out of a job. That was something you couldn't let happen.
"How long are you going to sit here? This isn't a park bench, you know!"
Luckily, the voice snapped you away from dreamland, especially seeing as it was the voice of your employer. Drumming your fingers against the side of the cash register, you wondered what she could be so upset about now. There had been an old man who had been sat on the bench inside the store for a while now and you looked up to make sure she wasn't going to throw him out. He had every right to stay there until closing hours, after all, and you weren't so cold hearted as to let him be thrown out onto the cold streets. However, it wasn't the old man that was getting an earful, but rather the chubby skeleton next to him.
Sans' grin had faded, but despite how eerie he looked, the skeleton simply stood and decided that it was better if he just took his leave now. Before he could exit though, he found you standing in his way. It was only natural that he didn't exactly jump from joy upon seeing another human, thinking you also had some words of wisdom to say.
"Pal, you better get out of my way before I lose my nerve," he snapped, though oddly still sounding laid-back, like in reality he knew that you couldn't harm him and that you were quaking in your boots at the thought of what he could do.
He raised his hand to push you out of the way, but you were quicker, reaching out to take his hand, your fingers slipping between his. You were certain he could feel your hand trembling and it was a hard task to put a smile on your face.
"You don't have to leave, Sans," you said, hoping to sound confident, even though the short monster in front of you scared you more than you'd like to admit. "C'mon, you can sit with me. Pap told me you'd be waiting for him."
It took Sans a moment, but his surprised look soon turned to a frown once more as he pulled his hand away. "I can wait for him outside," he said, walking around you and exiting the store, leaving you in front of several glares from your employers.
A bit of kindness could go a long way, you had once heard. Yeah, so long of a way that you'll be out of a job.