A/N: Hey there! So this is going to be a place where I put bits and pieces of Captain Tantrum from the brothers' points of view. I don't plan on writing the whole thing from their POV, and most chapters won't be nearly this long, but I did feel that their first meeting and such was important. And Papyrus just kept freaking talking. That boy don't shut up.

You will want to read Captain Tantrum first, as these chapters are likely to skip chunks of time and would probably be confusing if you tried to read as its own story.

If you would like to see anything particular from the brothers' POV, please let me know! You can tell me in a review or submit an ask on my tumblr. sheewolf85 . tumblr . com. I accept anonymous asks if you're shy.

The Captain and the Damsel

PAPYRUS

Papyrus couldn't remember the last time he'd been this excited for anything. Maybe when the barrier broke, but that had been laced with a fearful nervousness that kept from really enjoying the exhilaration of finally being free. The only thing that came close was when he was appointed Captain of the Royal Guard. Even then, however, he had dreaded the violence that he knew would haunt him his entire life.

Now, however…now, he was preparing for the festival to celebrate two years on the surface. Yes, there was still some trepidation when it came to dealing with humans, but life on the surface had so far proven to be better than any monster had any right to hope for.

He was proud to serve as initial security for the festival. He dressed in his old uniform, reminiscing on the good times when he'd bond over sparring with Major Undyne or teach children how to defend themselves from monsters seeking quick and easy LV. He'd be there for his fellow monsters again this time, keeping unwanted scum from ruining their happiness.

Once he was ready, he went to check on Sans. He was sitting on the couch in his usual outfit, scrolling through whatever app was open on his phone and chuckling quietly.

"WHY THE HELL ARE YOU NOT READY TO GO?" he said with a little more gusto than was really needed. Seeing Sans startle put a smile on his face.

"i am ready, boss." He gestured to his outfit. "i got dressed 'n everything."

Papyrus sighed, but he didn't argue. He knew better than that by now. Although he'd hoped Sans would put some actual effort into his appearance for once, he couldn't argue that getting dressed was a step in the right direction.

"I'M READY AS WELL, SO LET'S GO."

Sans tilted his head back, looking up at Papyrus. "festival don't start for like two hours, bro."

"I'M HEAD OF SECURITY AND YOU'RE GOING TO SELL THE TICKETS. WE NEED TO BE THERE EARLY TO SET UP. GET OFF YOUR ASS AND LET'S GO." He crossed his arms, showing Sans that he was serious about this.

Sans sighed heavily and managed to drag his butt off the couch. "fine. we takin' yer car or a shortcut?" He held out his hand, wiggling his fingers with a devious grin on his face.

Papyrus shuddered. "MY CAR, OF COURSE. I DON'T FEEL LIKE VOMITING ON MY UNIFORM TODAY."

Once again, Sans sighed.

A few hours later, they began letting people in the front gates. A group of protestors had been barricaded off to one side, and their shouts could be heard from where Papyrus was standing. He got a good look at the monsters coming up, and none of them looked very confident until they saw him. He could pinpoint the very moment they realized that he and the dogs were there for their safety. Every time, he felt a sense of pride flow through him.

A few humans showed up as well. He had been told to expect it, but he honestly believed that Frisk would be the only human in attendance. The first one, a tall black male holding a tiny child, looked truly petrified for a moment. The child, on the other hand, gleefully pet both dogs and giggled when Papyrus tickled her leg. Her laughter and the way the monsters reacted to his child seemed to calm the human, and he moved on. Fifteen humans showed up in total, each one too scared to even look him in the eye.

Except one. She flounced up to the gate with a bounce in her step and only stopped short when the dogs growled at her. They'd growled at every human that didn't have a child with them.

"AT EASE," he said. She looked up at him with wide eyes, but they weren't scared. There was a hint of recognition in her face. "ARE YOU HERE FOR THE FESTIVAL, HUMAN?"

She looked up at him and swallowed. He knew fear when he saw it. He could smell it on humans even better than he could on monsters. She didn't smell of fear. There was something else in her face that confused him. He crossed his arms, waiting for her answer.

"Y-yes, I am," she finally stuttered.

He looked her over for a moment, trying to detect any lies she might be telling. Why wasn't she scared? What was in her bag? He almost wanted to search her just to see if she was planning something, but he knew from experience that anyone planning something wouldn't be so calm. He spied the top of a water bottle in her bag and decided she had just come prepared for a day spent in the hot sun.

Finally, he nodded and stepped aside. She moved closer, but she continued to stare him down. He wasn't sure what the hell she was doing, but he figured it had to be some kind of rude human thing. Just as he was about to tell her to move the fuck along, she sucked in a quick breath and walked away to Sans' ticket booth.

Just as Papyrus had hoped, the festival proved to be a huge success. Monsters he hadn't seen since they moved far away came back to be a part of it. His brother was able to switch jobs around to cater to his restless need for something occupy his mind. Soon enough, they were closing the gates to allow everyone—security included—to take part in the fireworks.

This was the part Papyrus had been looking forward to. He'd heard of fireworks and seen them a few times in movies, but he'd never had the opportunity to see them in real life. Many monsters were the same, and everyone was excited for the spectacle. He wanted to be as close as he could get so he didn't miss a single thing.

He met up with Sans, and an uneasiness that had built up in his soul from not being able to visibly verify he was okay faded into bliss once more.

Sans tried to convince him to sit near the back for whatever reason, but Papyrus was having none of that.

"I'D LIKE A SPOT NEAR THE FRONT, SANS!" They'd talked about this. He needed to be close!

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

Papyrus stifled a groan. He'd heard this argument far too many times and he was adamant. "I DON'T WANT TO BE BACK A LITTLE WAYS."

Sans chuckled. "you just wanna see mettaton."

"I DO NOT! THAT ROBOT DOES NOTHING FOR ME." Sans would never, ever let that shit go. Just because he'd had a crush on Mettaton when he was younger didn't mean he had anything other than friendly feelings toward the monster now.

"sure, boss."

Papyrus gripped Sans under the arms and lifted him up. "WE'RE SITTING UP FRONT, AND THAT IS FINAL."

Luckily, Sans didn't squirm too badly or teleport away. He would have had to have gotten stern with him if he'd done that. Instead, he picked his way through the growing crowd and smiled when he spotted a vacant area just big enough for the both of them. A human girl sat picking at the grass next to it, but Papyrus wouldn't be dissuaded so easily.

He let Sans drop when he reached the spot and sat down smoothly. Once down, he grabbed Sans to make sure he wouldn't get up and run at the first opportunity and pulled him onto his lap. Surprisingly, Sans cuddled into his arms and accepted the embrace.

Moments like this were rare. Being on the surface had allowed both Sans and Papyrus to feel more comfortable showing affection toward each other, but it was still hard to let old fears go. The fact that Sans was allowing him to hold him like this in a very public place told Papyrus just how relaxed he was, and that made his soul swell with happiness.

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

He looked over to see who Sans was talking to and recognized the strange human from earlier. She blushed a bright red and mumbled an apology before looking away. She was doing a terrible job of ignoring them. He wondered just how dense she thought monsters were; it was painfully obvious that she was still trying to look.

Then, suddenly, she turned with her phone in hand and held it up.

"Say cheese!"

The flash went off, causing bright stars to shine in Papyrus' vision for a moment.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" he demanded. Humans and their godforsaken arrogance, thinking they can do whatever the fuck they want when they want.

But she looked at him with a shy smile. "He told me to." She gestured to Sans still in his lap. "Besides, it's a cute picture." She opened it and held it out.

Cute?! Nobody in their right mind would ever equate The Great and Terrible Papyrus, Captain of the Royal Guard, with fucking CUTE.

Sans erupted into a fit of laughter, probably committing this moment to memory for blackmail later, and kicked his feet against the ground. He deftly pushed Sans away, allowing him to roll onto the grass in front of him, and prepared to stand up if he needed to.

"THERE'S NOTHING CUTE ABOUT IT. I DEMAND YOU DELETE THAT IMAGE NOW." He wasn't above destroying personal property should this human girl think she was going to have something to hold over his head.

She scoffed and quickly put her phone away. "No way!" She looked at Sans for a moment, and Papyrus could swear she seemed to relax. Had she thought he hurt him? He glared, trying to figure out what in the fuck this girl was even doing here. He appreciated the fact that some humans were not only okay with monsters on the surface, but actually wanted to celebrate with them, but something about this woman was different from the other humans he'd met. He didn't like it.

She looked back at him, her eyes narrowed. "That was pretty shitty of you." She crossed her arms.

"MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS, HUMAN."

"My name isn't human!" She sounded irritated. It amused him.

"nah, it's sugar."

She glared at Sans. Papyrus stiffened, ready to stop her from touching him if needed. "No, it's not." She didn't even uncross her arms.

"I DON'T CARE WHAT YOUR NAME IS, AND NEITHER DOES SANS." A part of him wanted to get up and leave, move somewhere away from this damned human, but another part felt that he needed to stay close. She obviously meant no harm to anyone around her, but that didn't mean she knew to be gentle with Sans or others with low HP like him.

"Sans already knows what it is."

That caught his attention. She had already been talking to Sans before this? Had she been rude like this before? Had she attempted to touch him?

"HOW?" Papyrus demanded. He wouldn't hesitate to kick her off the fair grounds if she'd hurt his brother in any way.

She pointedly looked away from him. He only grew more adamant.

"I DEMAND THAT YOU TELL ME YOUR NAME."

"No." She turned to look at the stage, straightening her spine.

Now it was just a matter of pride. He was going to learn her name.

"SANS, TELL ME HER NAME."

Despite the glare the human threw at him, Sans divulged her name. Papyrus refused to admit it was pretty. It fit her.

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

"i know." Sans shrugged and laid back down. Papyrus smirked as he crossed one ankle over the other knee and folded his arms behind his head. "man, the stars are pretty tonight, aren't they?"

Papyrus managed a glance up at the sky. Even though the stars had never fascinated him as much as they had Sans, he couldn't deny that he was overwhelmingly thankful that his brother could enjoy moments like this.

"Yeah, but I'm more looking forward to the fireworks."

Of course she was. She hadn't spent the majority of her lifetime trapped under a mountain with no way to see the real thing that held her passion captivated. She hadn't spent her whole fucking life trying to escape a very literal hell, all the while staying positive enough to retain those passions.

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

She stayed silent. He grunted, getting more pissed off by the second. What was she planning?

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

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

He had to take a second to breathe and not snap at her. She had a point; she hadn't done anything worth reporting to security, and he knew without a scrap of doubt that anything even slightly devious on a human's part would be reported immediately. Still, her refusal to answer him just pissed him off.

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

She turned around then, a spectacular fire in her eyes. "Because I'm celebrating the barrier breaking, okay? I'm happy to have monsters walking around with their freedom. Does that bother you?" Her eyes narrowed, challenging him.

Her boldness was both disquieting and comforting at the same time. She didn't seem to be afraid of him in the least. Did she not know who he was? She clearly didn't know anything about what had happened in the underground. Had she known how easily he had killed her kind, she might have been smart and shown at least a little trepidation.

And yet, her words struck him hard. She, a human girl, was happy to have monsters living on the surface with her? There was nothing but glaring honesty in her words. It was refreshing.

"NO, IT DOESN'T BOTHER ME."

"Good." She nodded once and turned back to the stage.

Papyrus watched her as Mettaton performed his practiced speech and presentation. He joined in the applause, and soon the fireworks were starting.

They were just as beautiful as he had imagined they would be. He glanced at Sans and smiled at the serenity on his face. He then looked at the human, and a sliver of confusion pierced his soul. She looked just as transfixed as Sans did. She had to have seen this kind of display before. She had no reason to look like this was her first time.

She looked down at Sans, and her mouth curved up in a smile. That was even more perplexing, Papyrus thought. The way she acted around monsters was so different from what he was used to. Humans gave monsters a wide berth and refused to believe that they had feelings and emotions that could be hurt. She looked truly satisfied by the wonder on Sans' face, as if she was happy to see him happy.

She turned and looked at him then, and instead of looking away immediately the way he'd thought she would, she kept eye contact. Her face reddened, darkening the little dots on her face in a way that looked entirely too pleasing for Papyrus' liking, but she still didn't look away.

He wanted to know more about her. When had she learned about monsters? Had she heard all the stories and legends about humans who had disappeared up on Mount Ebott, never to be seen again? Had she heard about the human souls that had been used to break the barrier?

"Take a picture," she said softly, the red on her cheeks darkening even further. "It'll last longer."

It took Papyrus a moment to realize she was quoting Sans from earlier. With a smirk, he reached into his uniform pocket and pulled out his phone. She didn't move as he suspected she would have when he held it up. In fact, she smiled as he took the picture. He wasn't sure yet if he was going to keep it, but it might be nice to have a reminder of the one human who wasn't afraid of him.

She turned back to the fireworks then, a soft sigh escaping her as she let herself become entranced by them again. He tried to focus on them as well, but it was difficult with her sitting right there. He found himself studying the slope of her nose and the way the bright colors danced off her skin.

A poke to his left knee brought his attention down to Sans. He raised his brow ridge, his eye lights daring to the human girl for a fraction of a second. Papyrus scowled and shook his head. No, he didn't think she was cute. She was a damn human! Sans shrugged against the grass as if to say he wasn't convinced.

Well, Sans could crush on whoever he wanted to crush on. Papyrus was better than that.

After the fireworks, the festival was over. Papyrus stood and was about to pick Sans up when the human stood and stretched. He blinked a moment, realizing too late that he'd been staring at her legs. She had long legs. She bent to pick up her bag and swayed, and Papyrus reacted on instinct as he reached out to catch her.

She caught herself before he could reach her. She turned around before he could move, and he immediately dropped his hands. She turned again, facing Sans.

"It was nice to meet you," she said sweetly. Luckily for her, she didn't try to shake his hand. He had to wonder if she'd already gotten shocked by his joy buzzer. The thought was amusing, and for once he was proud of his brother's antics.

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

Oh, fuck no. Sans was not going to get his hands on that if Papyrus had anything to say about it.

"NO, SHE WILL NOT."

She was going to hurt herself with how hard she was ignoring him. He stifled a growl.

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

Well. He wasn't The Great and Terrible Papyrus for nothing. He could be just as fucking annoying as she could be. He reached around her and grabbed the phone out of her hands. She shrieked and danced around adorably as she tried to get it back, but he used his height to his advantage and easily kept it away as he added his number.

He finally gave it back, proud of himself. She glared daggers at her phone as she checked it.

"What did you do?" she demanded.

"YOU WILL SEE."

She made her best attempt at a human growl—it was positively weak—and stared at him. "No, asshole, you'll tell me what you did right now."

Papyrus laughed. She actually thought she could intimidate him into telling her anything? Cute.

She shoved her phone in her pocket and took a step closer to him. "Look, I don't know who you think you are, but it's not nice to mess with people's shit like that."

Yeah, he figured she didn't know who he was. He decided to enlighten her. He leaned in a little closer and ignored the scent of her skin.

"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."

She blinked and stepped back a half a step, several emotions crossing over her face before she sucked in a breath and adjusted her bag.

"What made you think I wanted your number?" Her voice wavered just a little and her eyes darted to the ground. Maybe she'd heard of him but didn't know what he looked like. He had thought the uniform would make it obvious, but humans had proved to be dumber than they looked on more than one occasion.

He couldn't think of a valid reason for what he'd done, and he sure as hell wasn't going to tell her that he only added it to be as annoying as possible, so he made up a lie.

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

She huffed, thinking about something before she smirked. "I'm not sure that makes sense, but I'm going home anyway." She turned to Sans, who was grinning at her. Papyrus was not thrilled to see that particular grin. In letting her get to him, he'd given Sans the perfect material to give him shit with later. Fucking hell.

"Goodbye, Sans."

"bye, sugar."

She walked away, and Papyrus had to remind himself twice not to watch her ass as she did so. Humans didn't have nice asses. Humans were gross.

"WE SHOULD BE GETTING HOME AS WELL," Papyrus said, not giving Sans a moment to use any of the ammunition he had unwittingly given him.

"you know you're not gettin' outta this, right?" Sans patted down his clothes like he actually cared if they were dirty or not from laying in the grass. "a little human girl got to ya."

Papyrus sighed and pinched his nasal ridge. "SHE WAS ANNOYING. JUST LIKE YOU; YOU'LL BE GREAT FRIENDS."

Sans' phone beeped, and he grinned widely when he checked it. "yer right about that. lookit." He held up the phone so Papyrus could see the message. She'd sent the picture along with the caption, 'cuteness overload.'

"FUCK MY ENTIRE LIFE." There was no way he was going to ever live this down.

Sans giggled and put his phone in his pocket. "anyway, i'm tired 'n i gotta work early. let's head home."

As they walked toward the fairgrounds entrance, Papyrus watched Sans. He knew, no matter how hard he fought it on the surface, deep down he was thankful that Sans had things like this that he could smile and laugh about. Even at his own expense, he preferred his brother happy. There were too many memories of nearly losing him to think for one second that he wished Sans would stop teasing him.

A sudden scream pierced through the air, catching everyone's attention. Sans and Papyrus both stopped and looked at each other. Sans' sockets were wide with concern, and he reached out without thinking to grab Papyrus' arm.

Teleporting never ended well for him. Thankfully, in moments of need, Papyrus could at least fake a little decency upon landing. He only stumbled a little before he could survey the scene.

The lady from earlier was stumbling backward, her left arm raised, as she tried to protect herself from another human. This one male, he stood with his arm raised to strike. She bumped into Papyrus and tried to turn around.

Papyrus pulled her away from her attacker, setting her behind him, and stood next to Sans.

"waddaya think, boss?"

This was familiar. This was what he was used to. As much as he hated Sans being in the same neighborhood as a violent human, fighting alongside him brought a proverbial comfort that was hard to dismiss.

"I THINK ONLY A COWARD WOULD TREAT ANOTHER PERSON WITH SUCH DISGRACE."

"i don't know 'bout you, but i ain't a fan'a cowards."

"COWARDICE BRINGS DEATH." In the underground, monsters couldn't afford to let others take advantage of them. Those that tried were too scared or damaged to live according to the law and were punished by Papyrus himself when caught.

A small hand on his arm caused Papyrus to stop.

"Wait, guys…don't kill him."

Sans chuckled, turning to the girl. He heard her gasp. "don't worry, sugar; we'll just rough 'im up a bit." He paused for a moment. "uh, boss?"

"WHAT?"

"dude broke 'er arm."

He had expected violence. He had expected the disgusting male human to threaten Sans' new friend and frighten her, but he hadn't thought it could be that bad. Stiffening with an ever-growing anger, he turned to look the girl over. She was only mildly disheveled, her hair partly coming out of her pony tail. Her arm was cradled to her chest, and the bulge against the skin of her upper arm told him that Sans was not mistaken.

He'd had enough violence to last him several lifetimes. He didn't want more. Nevertheless, he was a weapon crafted to protect those that needed it and to keep what little peace could be salvaged. He turned back to the unfortunate soul who had wandered into his jurisdiction.

"WHAT SHALL I BREAK OF YOURS?" He gripped the man's throat, his LV taunting him, begging him to kill. He could feel the need for it coursing through his bones. "YOUR NECK, PERHAPS?"

"Don't do that." Her voice was small yet pleading. It was just enough to bring him back from the brink.

Annoyed, he realized just how close he had been to murdering the boy. "FINE." He gripped his arm, twisted, and smiled sadistically at both the feel and the sound of his bone snapping. He screamed. Pathetic. "MAYBE NEXT TIME YOU'LL THINK BEFORE YOU ACT." He let the guy drop.

"boss, i think she needs a doctor."

"CAN'T YOU JUST HEAL HER?" He was too agitated to try it himself, and Sans' use of the magic was nearly as good as his own. He saw no need to step in.

"the break's too bad."

Of course it would be. On the surface, their magic wasn't as potent to humans as it had been for Frisk in the underground.

"WELL, FUCK." He looked around, hoping to find someone he could trust a human with for the time it would take to get her to a hospital. Some might try to tell him that she hadn't done anything to warrant his distrust, but the opposite was true as well. Until she earned his trust, she wouldn't get it.

He'd have to take care of this himself. She couldn't drive herself, and there was always the small chance that she could say a monster had hurt her if he just called an ambulance.

"ALL RIGHT, LET'S GO." He turned to the monsters that had gathered around. "TAKE CARE OF THIS MESS, WILL YOU?" He gestured to the human still laying on the ground, cradling his arm like he had any right to be sorry for himself.

He turned on his heel and began walking to his car. He heard Sans explain that she couldn't drive and her mumbled acceptance.

The drive was silent. Sans turned back to check on the human several times. He didn't care about anyone easily, and Papyrus had learned a thousand times over to trust his judgement when it came to people. If he was actually concerned about this human, Sans must have seen something good in her soul. The thought helped him to relax a little.

At the hospital, he wasn't surprised in the least to see humans left and right staring at him as though he were Death incarnate. He was used to those stares and fearful glances. It made him question yet again why this one human was different.

She slurred her answers as the nurses asked her questions about what had happened.

"Why is she incoherent? Was she drugged?"

For a half a second, Papyrus was afraid she was going to say yes, she was. Instead, she shook her head vehemently.

Sans rubbed the back of his cervical vertebrae. "uh, no, but i kinda gave 'er a little magic to take the pain away. i think i overdid it."

Fucking hell. "SANS, THAT'S DANGEROUS!" Not only could she use it against them, but Sans had no way of knowing how much was too much.

"i know, boss; i'm sorry."

"Were you two with her when this happened?" the nurse asked.

The girl nodded, and Sans confirmed it. Papyrus allowed himself to calm down again when the nurse began accepting Sans' answers.

Once taken back to a hospital bed, she was instructed to change into a gown from the waist up. She glanced at him and Sans, then down at her arm. Sans looked like he might have a stroke if she asked for help.

The Captain in him took charge, pushing Sans out of the room to do what needed to be done. She looked up at him sheepishly for a second as he tried to figure out the best way to help her.

"CALM DOWN, Y/N. I'VE SEEN WORSE IN BATTLE; YOUR WOUNDS ARE NOTHING TO ME."

He helped her undress, ignoring her naked body as he gingerly helped her slip her arms into the sleeves of the gown. She was still tense. As he closed the snaps in the back, he figured he should probably say something else to put her at ease a little more.

"I WAS ONE OF THE FEW ON THE BATTLEFIELD THAT COULD USE HEALING MAGIC. I HELPED MANY SOLDIERS, BOTH MEN AND WOMEN, WHEN THEY NEEDED ME. YOU HAVE NOTHING I HAVEN'T ALREADY SEEN."

She did relax marginally as he helped her lie back. He let Sans back in and watched curiously as he draped a blanket over her legs. He really did care about her. Odd.

The process to check her arm, set the bone, and cast it took longer than Papyrus had expected it to. He had never had any reason to pay much attention to how humans did their healing. She was told she'd need the cast for roughly three months and given instructions on how to care for it.

"What time is it?" she asked as they left the hospital.

Sans checked his phone. "three-fifty. and i gotta work in a few hours."

"I'm sorry."

Strange. "NONSENSE. YOU SHOULDN'T APOLOGIZE FOR THINGS THAT AREN'T YOUR FAULT."

"Well, maybe if I hadn't been stupid, this wouldn't have happened."

He shrugged. While that made sense, he still couldn't fathom apologizing for needing help. "PERHAPS; ALTHOUGH, I THINK THE FUCKER THAT HURT YOU WAS THE STUPID ONE. YOU WERE MERELY WALKING TO YOUR CAR."

He caught her smile. "How did you guys get to me so fast?"

"i can teleport. heard a scream and went after it."

Papyrus was going to have to speak with his brother when they got home. He knew better than to divulge sensitive information like that to a human. He trusted his brother's instincts, but that was taking it a little too far.

"Okay."

Her gentle acceptance surprised Papyrus. The first time Frisk had figured it out, they'd asked a hundred questions and asked to teleport with him a few times. Granted, they had been a child at the time, but Papyrus didn't see why any human would have a different response.

When they got back to the fairgrounds, she tried to argue that she could drive home. Sans was adamant that he was going to drive her home instead. The look he shot Papyrus told him that there was no negotiating this; he was taking her and there was nothing Papyrus could do to stop him. He conceded only because he didn't want to end this day by fighting with his brother.

"Thank you for everything today, Captain." She smiled up at him.

It must have been the drugs. There was no other reason for her to show him that sign of respect. He wasn't sure if he could accept it. "YOU'RE WELCOME, Y/N." He didn't have much of a choice.

"I'm not gonna call you Captain or Boss all the time; what's your real name."

Papyrus cleared his throat. "Papyrus."

She smiled again. "Alright. Thank you, Papyrus. I'll see you around?"

Stars, he hoped so. She was a puzzle he desperately needed to solve. "OF COURSE. I EXPECT YOU HOME IN AN HOUR, SANS."

"That might not happen. I, uh…kinda live two towns over." He could hear the wince in her voice. "It's gonna take us about an hour to get there. And I need to pick up this prescription." The wince became visible on her face.

Papyrus appreciated the heads up. "OKAY. AN HOUR AND A HALF."

Sans nodded. "sure thing, boss."

Papyrus got in the car then, part of his soul clenching at the idea of the human alone with Sans. He sucked in a deep breath as he drove away. He knew he needed to work on trusting his brother more, but this was almost pushing it.

Instead of dwelling on the negative possibilities, he instead thought about the strange human and the many different enigmas she had presented throughout the night.

Why was she unafraid of monsters, especially him? Even if she didn't know who he was, his appearance alone should have scared her. Why was she happy to be living with monsters on the surface? Even those other humans who had attended the festival had to have some hesitation when it came to monsters. Why didn't she?

sans.

Sugar sure was sweet. She'd fallen asleep less than halfway through the trip back to her home, her head lulled to the side and resting against the back of the seat.

He stopped at a twenty-four hour pharmacy to fill her prescription, not bothering to wake her. She didn't wake up until he pulled up to the house indicated by his GPS. He figured she'd tell him if it wasn't the right one.

He carried her bag in for her, a little relieved when her key opened the front door. At least she wasn't so out of it she couldn't recognize her own house.

"Thank you for everything, Sans. I really mean it."

He smiled at her. "anytime, sugar. and, hey, will you do me a favor?" He'd been watching her almost all day. When she first walked up to his ticket stand, out of breath and flushed such a pretty shade of red, he'd checked her soul as he'd done with every other human who had walked by him.

What he'd seen surprised him.

Being a judge let him see more than just a simple check. He saw her stats as usual, but he also saw things that had impacted her soul, whether positive or negative. She'd fought for monster rights from the get-go, never backing down from anyone who opposed them. She'd lost friends—people she had truly loved and cared for—because they chose to stand on the opposite side of the protest line. And he saw Boss.

Why his brother had impacted her soul was a mystery to him, but it was very clear that she had made an impression on Boss, too.

"Sure, what is it?"

"will you call boss sometime tomorrow?"

Her brow furrowed. It was cute. "Okay, but why? And why do you call him Boss?"

"call him because he could use it. and that's a story for another time. catch ya later." He winked before teleporting home.

Boss was on the couch, sitting stiffly as he tried to pretend he was focusing on a puzzle book. Sans noticed the way he relaxed when he heard the 'pop' of his magic. He looked up and set the book down on the table.

"WHY DID YOU TELL HER ABOUT YOUR TELEPORTATION?"

Nothing like getting right to the point. Sans just shrugged. "i dunno. maybe i was tired."

Papyrus glared. "THIS ISN'T THE TIME FOR YOUR SARCASM."

"ain't sarcasm. i really am tired, and i really do gotta work in about two hours. we gonna have a soul to soul, or can i take a nap?"

"FINE, BUT WE WILL TALK ABOUT THIS."

"you know i checked 'er soul, right?"

"YES, I KNOW THAT. WHAT DID YOU SEE, BY THE WAY?"

No way in hell was he going to tell his brother. Papyrus would freak the fuck out. He decided to dance around the truth just enough to be convincing. "she's a protector. got a yellow soul with enough red and green to look like she got puked up by a christmas tree. a real genuine person with not a hint of malice anywhere in 'er."

Papyrus hummed. "WHAT ELSE?"

Fuck. "what else you wanna know? she forgot to call her mom on mother's day one year."

He waved his hand. "NO, THAT'S ENOUGH. GET SOME REST."

"sure thing, boss." He smiled, proud of himself for how he'd handled that.