Toby Fox owns Undertale and all associated characters. Alexander and Rotisa belong to me and Petalthorn, respectively.


Papyrus stood just behind his bar table, absently cleaning an already pristine glass. He sighed, putting down the glass and removing his apron for a moment, checking for the fiftieth time that his white cotton t-shirt and dark blue jeans were still clean and crumb-free. Once again, his clothing passed his inspection, and put the apron back on, looking around the empty bar.

In preparation for the upcoming celebrations, he had closed the bar for the day, even sending his assistant bartender, the fire elemental Emerald, home. He had cleaned everything, made sure the tables were set just so, so everyone could gather together or spread out if they so wished.

He checked the clock. Still another hour until the others should be arriving with food in preparation for their guests. Normally, since the Canine Unit was out of town, he would at least have the pups to keep him company, but they were spending the day with Endogeny, so all he could do was wait.

There were faint voices outside, as others started to approach. "Really now…?" a woman's voice asked, before there was laughter. "Oh, better set her down, she's getting fussy."

"All right, all right, easy now…"

As the doors started to open, the tall skeleton stepped out from around the bar. It was then that five little blurs darted through with loud squeals of joy, all heading to plow into his legs.

Papyrus teetered for a moment, laughing as he attempted to regain his balance. The effort was ultimately futile however, and he fell backwards, thudding into the floor beneath him.

"Yes, I missed you too!" He grinned brightly, attempting to pet all of them at once. "But do not worry, there is more than enough Papyrus for everyone!

A moment later, the pups had managed to get onto his chest, several licking at him, before they were suddenly shoved off, yipping slightly as the floor greeted their rumps. Before anyone quite knew what happened, the only pup remaining was Canis. The pup looked up at him happily, seeming quite proud of herself as she sat on his chest.

"Canis…" Papyrus chided gently, "You should be nicer to your siblings! It is only natural that they too miss the great Papyrus!"

"...they had you longer last time. My turn." The other pups looked at her in confusion, caught by surprise at her sudden assertion over him-or anything for that matter.

"I suppose you did fall asleep rather quickly! It is nice to hear you speaking again though!" The skeleton reached up and softly scratched the pup behind the ears. The pup jerked, and then instantly melted, not moving aside from an occasional twitch of a leg, while the others whined, poking their heads up onto his chest as they watched.

"Do not worry, Dogmatix, Beowulf, Dogtanian, and Lupus! The great Papyrus has not forgotten you!" With his free hand he began scratching at Lupus's head. After a moment, he removed his hand from Canis and began attempting to distribute the scritches evenly between the pups.

They clustered against him as the others found their way in. "Sorry," Dogamy called. "I should have reined them in when we got closer."

Dogaressa came up beside him, observing the tall skeleton quietly as the pups melted from the affection. "Hmm," she hummed thoughtfully as more came in behind her. "So this is the one my pups have been begging to see again."

"Ah! Hello, Dogaressa! I would wave, but I'm a little short-handed as it is!"

"So I see...I'm afraid we've yet to exhaust them of their energy, so you might have your hands rather full."

Dogamy glanced over. "Muffet, think you could spare a hand or two?"

Muffet made a dramatic gasp as she stepped in. "Why, Sir. What do I look like to you? If anyone could literally give a hand, it'd be Mettaton."

"My parts are not up to donation," Mettaton called after her as he entered.

"Ah! Hello everyone!" Papyrus called, struggling to get to his feet while simultaneously attempting to keep from disturbing the contented pups. "Apologies, it appears that the great Papyrus is currently in a pup-related bind! Alas, it would appear that I am once again too great for my own good!"

Grillby chuckled as he came in. "Just try to stay in one piece. I rather not try to recollect you after they're done burying you in the nearby yards."

"We won't bury him!" Beowulf shouted grumpily.

Gerson snickered as he came in, Undyne walking beside him. "I don't know. You did try to run off with some bones you saw at that Human museum."

"That's different!" Dogtanian whined, as Frisk kept their head down, trying to prolong having to look up.

"Looks like you shoulda stuck with warrior training after all!" The fish woman chortled. "Though I'm not sure I've got any tricks to help you get away from five puppies."

"Never fear, the great Papyrus cannot help but prevail! They just took me by surprise, is all!"

"By surprise?" Undyne questioned. "Didn't Mettaton or Alphys call and let you know they were early?"

Papyrus froze, then patted wildly at his pockets before looking up in dismay.

"Oh no! I must have left so quickly to set up this morning, I forgot my phone at home! Any number of people may have attempted to call me, only to have their hopes shattered to the wind! This is terrible news!"

Grillby looked up from where he had helped Muffet to. "Is your home far? I'm sure we could hold down the fort if need be."

The puppies gasped, and all of them clung to him in one manner or another. "He has to go!?"

"Not for long," Papyrus attempted to reassure the puppies. "I merely need to get my phone! There are all manner of emergencies that could be happening now, at this very moment, that can only be dealt with by the great Papyrus!"

The puppies whined, but at a soft bark, four of them went back to their parents. Except for Canis, who seemed quite content with where she was settled. "Canis," Dogamy called. She turned, and tilted her head, obviously wanting an explanation to why she had to leave her current spot.

"Well, perhaps we can have it both ways!" Papyrus clambered to his feet, holding Canis in place so she didn't fall. "My house is not very far from here, and I believe there is a playground on the way! Perhaps that would be a good place to bring the little ones while we wait for the others!"

Dogamy looked to his wife. "It would drain them of their energy and make them more manageable."

"Perhaps," she agreed, watching her pups out of the corner of her eye.

"Well then, let's go!" Papyrus began to stride towards the door, but paused for a moment. "Erm, the others were planning on bringing food, so there's not really anything like that here yet. But! There are plenty of drinks if you want some, as well as juice, and I think I even have a case of spiced rum that Sans hasn't gone through yet! Help yourselves to whatever you like!"

Muffet giggled. "Thank you, Sir. We'll manage one way or the other."

"I think I'll tag along," Dogaressa said. "Five pups are a handful, especially if you're not used to the numbers."

"Certainly! The more the merrier! Now, Canis, are you ready to go? We must hurry, before the situation grows any more dire!"

Canis looked up at him, and simply snuggled down with a little yawn, obviously not seeing anything dire. "She's ready," Dogaressa stated simply, tapping her foot to get the other four to settle. "Come now, behave. We won't get anywhere if you end up tripping him."

"Have fun, I'll call you if the others start arriving before you do!" Undyne called as the skeleton exited, followed closely by the canines. The warrior then looked down at Alexander in her arms.

"Well, little guy? You gonna be good if I let you down?"

Alexander just stared up at her and Undyne gave a soft smile.

"That's my boy." She settled into one of the chairs, leaving her son in her lap, but giving him space to leave it if he so boy looked around curiously. There were so many others that he had not had time to really notice everyone. His gaze went from face to face, but it finally stopped on Rotisa.

Alexander's eyes widened at the sight of the little hybrid Monster. After a moment, he placed his little hands on the table and pulled himself up onto it after a few moments struggle. Now seated, he cocked his head to the side and continued to stare.

Muffet glanced up from her little one, and smiled. "What are you doing up there, little Sir?" she asked gently, while Rotisa gave a little grunt, and began reaching aimlessly to claim something in her flaming hands.

Alexander didn't look up from his staring. His lips moved slowly and noises began to emit from his mouth, though they were nothing but random nonsense. He kept at it though, until finally, something coherent escaped.

"Pretty…"

Muffet made an endearing little laugh. "Oh, that's adorable," she cooed, adjusting her hold so that he could better see her.

Grillby's flames flickered in amusement, and he turned to look at Undyne. "She's only a few weeks old, don't tell me I already have to start beating off boys with a stick," he teased.

Undyne gave a merry laugh in response, while Alexander crawled to the edge of the table closest to the infant and hesitantly held out his arms towards her.

"You might want to get a big stick, Grillby. He's probably gonna grow into it." Her grin turned sheepish. "Although, if he's like me or Alphys when it comes to this kind of thing, you may not have to worry."

Gerson snickered as he came over. "Urchin's got a point there. She and Alphys needed a little kid to get them together after all."

"Gerson!" Frisk cried out, jerking their head up as they looked down at him, the ear fins lowering while Rotisa's purple eyes finally caught sight of the boy.

Alexander froze at the baby's attention, his arms still outstretched. Then, he jabbered at her for a moment in baby talk, his tone vaguely questioning.

Rotisa cooed, and then began reaching for him. Muffet giggled. "Rotisa, are you already flirting with the gentlemen?" The spider shifted her position so that the children could better see and reach each other. The girl's tiny fingers got closer to his green scales, her little flames causing light to dance along his form.

Hesitantly, Alexander touched the infant's arm with one hand, while the other inspected the hand Rotisa had stretched out. He gave a squeak of surprise at the feeling of the warm flames on his smooth scales, but did not withdraw the contact. His eyes widened, almost impossibly and his pupils grew until only a trace amount of white at the edges of his eyes remained visible.

Grillby choked back a laugh. "Maybe I won't have to beat him off...she's already broke him."

"Grillby!" Muffet scolded-though it didn't have much impact as she giggled, while Rotisa tried to grab at his fingers.

Alexander let her, rubbing his other hand up and down her arm, seemingly fascinated by the colored flames that licked his scales. Then, he crawled forward, depositing himself into Muffet's lap to give himself better access to the source of his fascination.

Muffet gave a little grunt at the sudden addition of the child falling onto her lap. "Well, you're a big boy," she managed, using an extra pair of arms to lift him up so she could have a more comfortable position, before putting him down again. Rotisa was fussy as they moved, but then gave a sound of content as things settled.

"Alexander!" Undyne stood, coming over to Muffet with a stern look on her face. "You can't just throw yourselves into people's laps like that!"

Alexander whimpered, trying to hide himself behind Muffet's arms at Undyne's angry voice. Rotisa was startled however, and her flames began to quiver and dim as a shrill whine emitted from her.

"Oh dear…" Gerson murmured as Dogamy wisely covered his ears.

Undyne froze at the sound, suddenly unsure of herself since there was another child involved. Alexander however, looked to the hybrid Monster, distracted from the idea of his mother's anger. He cooed softly and gently patted the baby's head, while emitting a jumble of words that might have been an attempt at "there, there".

The cries had started, but as Muffet held her closer, with Grillby leaning over them, and with Alexander's additional attempts, she was soothed before she got too out of hand. Soft sighs of relief came throughout the room as Dogamy warily lowered his hands. Rotisa whimpered and whined a little longer, but eventually, she settled as she grabbed at the boy's hand again.

Undyne relaxed, then backed away slowly.

"Uh, maybe I'll let you handle them… Just let me know if Alexander gets out of hand and I'll take him…"

Muffet gave a sympathetic smile. "It's all right," she assured. "With those pups, we've learned to handle numbers."

Grillby nodded as he reached over, stroking his daughter's head. "I'm sure we can keep things down to a dull roar."

"Alright then." Undyne glanced over to the bar, then headed to it. "Well, don't know about you guys, but I'm gonna take Papyrus up on his offer. He's got some good stuff back there. You guys want anything?"


"Stay on the playground!" Dogaressa called as she stepped into the shade, resisting her canine instincts as she found a bench out of the sun's heat. How her pups ignored that and continued to play was beyond her. The only one who seemed smart enough to avoid the heat was little Canis, who refused to leave her new resting spot.

"Canis, you should really go and play with your siblings!" Papyrus looked down at the pup snuggled firmly against his chest. "I am certain you can have a lot of fun out there!"

She looked over to where her siblings were playing. "...too bright over there." Her eyes narrowed as she watched her siblings play out in the hot sun on the playground that would either burn her paws, give her splinters, or both.

"I suppose it is getting close to summertime…" Papyrus relented. "Are you sure you do not want to play on the swings or something?"

Canis shook her head, and simply stated, "Comfy," to get her point across.

Dogaressa snorted. "What is he? An oversized pillow?"

The pup slowly turned to look at her mother, and stared for several long seconds.

"Friend pillow."

"Wowie! Friend pillow already? I haven't even made you spaghetti yet! I must have made a really good first impression!"

Canis looked up at him, and tilted her head. "...what's that?"

"It means I must have made you happy when we first met! And what a coincidence, I was very happy to meet you all too! I would have come and visited again sooner but… Sans wouldn't let me."

"Why?" she asked simply as she adjusted her position in his hold to make herself more comfortable.

"He was just worried about silly things!" Papyrus explained. "He was worried that bad things might happen if I came and visited. How could anything bad come from visiting my little friends?" He poked Canis's chest lightly to emphasize his point.

The pup grabbed at his hand as he did so in order to claim it, giving a grunt of agreement...or content, it was hard to tell. "...she's warmed up to you quite a bit," Dogaressa mused.

"I have said it before, and I will say it again!" Papyrus declared. "None can resist the charm of a smiling skeleton!"

Dogaressa made a sound of light amusement. "The fact that you had her warm up to you on the first day is the impressive part. I was surprised she didn't hide out somewhere watching you play with the others." Canis had tuned out the conversation, focused more on trying to figure out how to get more petting out of her current snuggle spot.

"Does she hide often?" Papyrus asked, absently rubbing Canis's tummy. "I remember she did seem more interested in snuggling than the playing…"

"From strangers, certainly. It took her a week to get used to anyone outside of the Underground." She was quiet; a faint smile appearing as her daughter practically melted under the affection. "Though...it stands to reason that she prefers this over running around."

"She is a little smaller than the rest, isn't she? Is she the youngest then?"

Dogaressa shook her head. "No. They're all of the same litter. Lupus is technically the youngest. It was obviously a large litter, and, well…" She gave a shrug. There was no term for it in the Monster Kingdom, though she knew humans had a word for what Canis was-not that she cared to use it.

"Ah, I see! Well fortunate for her then, that Papyrus is more than willing to give out maximum hugs and cuddles! It's just like last time! Except that she's still awake…"

Dogaressa snorted. "If she has her way, you'll still be holding her when she does fall asleep."

"Well she can't fall asleep yet! There's a whole party planned! Everyone's been very excited to set this up, even Toriel's going to be there, and she hasn't left the house in a month!"

"Hear that, Canis?" Dogaressa said, her gaze going briefly to the playground, and then back. "You need to stay awake for the party." Canis gave a little grunt in response that vibrated so much that it could have been a purr.

"Anyways, Dogaressa! How have you been? I only heard you last time I visited, and I don't get to see our you often, except when she's dropping off the pups! I haven't had the chance for a good talk in quite some time, and this is an anomaly that the great Papyrus can condone no longer!"

"I've been doing well," she assured. "Unlike my husband, my magic wasn't drained, so while I was running a bit ragged the past few months, I was able to manage." She shrugged. "Life goes on, I don't have too much to tell-well, aside from the mountain of trouble my pups can get into, but we'll be here until Winter if I started on that." She smirked. "And Muffet wouldn't like that."

"I'm sure that's true!" Papyrus laughed. "Over here, your pups can be quite a handful as well! Fortunately, they have had the great Papyrus's consistent aid and attention, since you and Dogamy are gone so often, especially recently."

"I've heard. It sounds like there's still a few Beast Monsters roaming around, unfortunately. How has that been going?"

"Sans told me that they've nearly finished calming them all down! He called me last night, and he hopes that this might be the last reintegration trip they need to make before everything calms down, and it might even be shorter than last time! Which is good, because last time they were out for three whole months. Apparently, there were some ones that were really difficult to convince before they saw reason."

Confusion and bewilderment came to the female, but as she started to question it, she halted, remembering how her own Sans and Papyrus would behave toward one another. She breathed out, and smiled, shaking her head. Of course… "That's good to hear," she murmured. "Sounds like everything is finally calming down for everyone."

"It is! And I'm very proud of Sans, taking on such an important responsibility as this! Of course, it would go much easier with my involvement, but it's good for him to work on his people skills, especially now that he's our leader!"

Dogaressa made an odd chuckle like sound. "You may want to insist on him keeping up that work afterwards…" She couldn't exactly tell him what Sans was really doing…

"I most certainly will! Though, I hope he can do it somewhere closer to home, I do miss him while he's gone. The house… isn't really the same without his incidental music and infuriating mess." Papyrus drooped slightly as he spoke, his hand ceasing it's petting of the pampered child in his grasp for a moment.

Dogaressa was quiet, while Canis jerked her head up in confusion, before looking up at the skeleton, whining as she rolled over, and nuzzled his chest. "I'm sure it'll be soon, if this is the last of them," Dogaressa murmured. "And then he'll be back, and five minutes later-if you're the Papyrus I know-you'll be half-jokingly wondering why you missed him in the first place as he starts spouting off puns again."

Papyrus resumed petting Canis at her whine, glancing down briefly.

"Sorry about that." He looked back at Dogaressa. "He uh, only came back a couple days ago. I didn't expect he'd be leaving again so quick. And such terrible timing too! Right when you all came in." He seemed to brighten. "But you're right! He'll be back soon enough… maybe his people skills will advance to the point where he stops telling puns at every opportunity?"

"You'll have your work cut out for you," Dogaressa warned with amusement. "Seeing as our Sans still manages to slip a pun or two in every now and again. Not that Frisk appreciates the headache afterwards, but that's just the point. It's like breathing for him, he doesn't know how to turn it off."

"Well, there's always hope! For everyone! Even my brother!" Papyrus declared. "Besides, he's hardly had the time to be lazy at all for a long time now, I'm sure he can overcome his pun addiction with the aid of the great Papyrus!"

"Here's to hoping," Dogaressa chortled as Canis settled back into her spot. "The good news is that, at the very least, someone's love for puns hasn't infected the children on our side as of yet."

"That is good news! In fact-"

Papyrus was cut off as his phone began to ring. He pulled it out of his pocket with the arm not supporting Canis, and held it up to the side of his head.

"Hello? Undyne!" he paused for a moment. "Alright, we will be back shortly then! See you soon!"

He hung up, and returned the phone to his pocket.

"Good news! Apparently the others are on their way, they should be at my pub anytime now!"

The canine nodded, and stood, clapping her hands. "Pups! Front and center!" There were whines of protests. "Don't you go giving me that. Go down the slide one more time, and come along now." Canis looked up to watch her siblings race for the tallest slide, but made no comment about leaving.

"Don't worry little ones!" Papyrus called. "I'm sure you'll have plenty more opportunities for outings like this! But there is a party coming and many people to meet! You're not going to want to miss out on that!"

Sure enough, a flurry of white tumbled out of one of the tunnel slides, with pups all tangled up in one another. With little yips, they freed themselves, and raced on over to their mother and Papyrus, jumping around energetically-though-not as much as they had before they came to the park.

"Well then," Papyrus adjusted his grip on Canis, then grinned at Dogaressa. "Shall we?"