After you left Grillby's, you and Sans walked to his and Papyrus's apartment. He had offered to 'shortcut' you there, but you didn't feel like that was such a great idea right after eating.
The apartment complex was a pretty large one. It seemed nice enough. There was a dozen or so buildings encircling a community pool and flower garden. There were a few children splashing and playing in the pool, making lots of noise. You recognized one of them from the elementary school.
"Hey _! Hey Sans!" The little dog girl waved at the two of you excitedly.
"Hey Brianna! How have you been?"
"I've been doing great! I'll probably be coming in to see Dr. Kaeden again soon… Hopefully I'll see you there! This is my friend Justin, by the way. We're playing sea dragons!" The dog girl is wielding a dragon-shaped water gun.
A small boy peeks out from behind Brianna, carrying his own dragon squirt gun. He smiles and waves at you, shyly. You nod at him and smile back. "It's nice to meet you, Justin."
Before the little boy can respond, Brianna giggles and dunks Justin's head blow the water. After coming up and catching his breath, he sprays her with his gun and quickly bounces to the other side of the pool. Brianna waves goodbye to the two of you before chasing after him.
You and Sans walk toward a modern-looking white and grey apartment building with pink trim. MTT Tower adorns the top of the building in flowery, bold letters. You weren't surprised that the building looked brand new. After the monsters arrived in Morrison, the town erupted with new housing developments to accommodate them.
When the monsters first appeared, the federal government had absolutely no idea what to do with them. Large grants were almost immediately issued to real estate developers to build housing for the monsters. Morrison's existing infrastructure was not capable of housing the thousands of new residents. A slew of brand new apartments and houses sprung up almost overnight. This was a temporary fix, however. The long-term integration of monsters into society was still very much up in the air. Some of the more audacious monsters have started moving away from Morrison and settling into other parts of the state, and even the country. Not everyone is happy about this.
The main floor of the apartment reminds you of a nice hotel. To the left, there's a sitting area with a few couches and a softly trickling fountain. To the right is an elevator and a door for the stairs. A cat-monster wearing a black security uniform is sitting behind the front desk, feet propped up and smoking a cigarette. You follow Sans's lead as he walks up to greet him.
"heh. you know you're not supposed to be smoking in here. mettaton would blow a circuit." Sans chuckles and winks at the cat-monster
"Eh whatever. Fuck that guy." He replies, taking a long drag from his cigarette. "And besides, I bet your brother has already blown some of his circuits…" He grins at Sans mischievously. Sans scowls at him, expression softening as he turns over to you.
"_, this is my buddy, bradley."
"Nice to meet you, Bradley." You smile politely and reach over to shake his hand. Bradley's relaxed, confident expression shifts to a panicked one when you extend your hand out to his. You pause when you notice his ears flatten and his whiskers twitch slightly. It reminds you of how Chewie behaves on a car ride to the vet. You're a little worried he might hiss at you… Is that racist?
His hand is cold and sweaty and his handshake's weak. He stares at you with wide eyes, pupils dilated. "Uh n-nice to meet you t-too…" He looks down to the ground, face growing pink. You feel bad for the poor guy.
"Sorry, did I do something wrong?" You question, Bradley's face just getting redder. He brings his paws up to his face, trying to hide his blush. You look over at Sans, perplexed. Sans just grins, smugly.
"don't worry kid, you did nothing wrong. bradley, here, is a nervous wreck around women."
"Shut up! No I'm not!" Bradley looks up at Sans, pleadingly. Sans shrugs at him, an evil grin spreading across his face.
"once, when we were in the underground, he tried to flirt with these girls. heh. he fucked it up so badly that everyone started calling him burg…"
"SAANSS!" Bradley squeals, interrupting Sans. "Stop, please! Anything but that story!"
"alright. i'll stop…" Relief quickly spreads across Bradley's face. "anyways, i have something for ya." Sans reaches into his pocket and pulls out a folded piece of paper. Bradley immediately perks up.
"What is it?"
"it's from grillbz. he wants you to stay the fuck away from fuku." Bradley's eyes goes wide and his ears start to flatten again before Sans bursts out laughing.
"heh. you're too easy to mess with kiddo. it's just an invitation to fuku's high school graduation party."
"Fuku invited me!?" Bradley's eyes light up and he eagerly grabs the invitation from Sans. "She's so pretty…. and popular… why would she invite a weirdo like me?"
Sans chuckles and shakes his head. "no idea. who knows. maybe she feels a spark." Bradley groans and rolls his eyes.
"before we go, i need to ask. you up for poker night on friday? paps needs to know how many to cook for."
"I'll be there… Wait, is it going to be spaghetti, again?"
"you know it!" Sans replies with faux enthusiasm. "Uhg. I'll see you on Friday." You hear Bradley grumble something to himself as you and Sans begin walking towards the elevators. Once inside, Sans presses the button for the top floor. The doors click together as they close shut. Thank god Auggie wasn't here, he would be freaking the fuck out.
You feel the sensation of being weighed down as the elevator rumbles to life. The whirring slows to a halt and the elevator doors open up to a short hallway. There are two doors. There's a large double door straight ahead of you, and another door labeled stairs to your right.
Sans walks over to the set of double doors and unlocks them. He opens the doors and ushers you inside.
"ya want a tour?" You nod at him and he begins showing you around.
The apartment is bigger than you were expecting it to be. There are two floors. The bottom floor has an open-concept layout. The living room feels cozy and welcoming. A tattered green couch sits in front of a massive television, surrounded by a couple of leather recliners. A few bookshelves line the walls. Looking more closely you find a mixture of physics textbooks, joke books, children's stories, and car magazines.
A large counter island, that serves as a dining room table as well, separates the living room from the kitchen. The kitchen itself is very nice. It is equipped with brand new, stainless steel appliances. The counters are made from polished marble. Dark stained cabinets line the walls. A framed painting of a plate of spaghetti, signed The Great Papyrus hangs near the window.
The top floor is comprised of 2 bedrooms, an office and a bathroom. The first bedroom you pass has a variety of stickers and signage plastered on it. The other bedroom has flames lapping at the bottom of the door. You raise an eyebrow as you feel a tingle of magic emanating from the room. You look at Sans questioningly and he gives you a sheepish grin. After quickly showing you the rather plain-looking office and the location of the bathroom, he leads you back downstairs and invites you to sit down on the couch with him.
"so you wanna watch tv or something?"
"Yah that's fine. When is Papyrus gonna be home? I still need to take him grocery shopping."
"at 5:00." Sans lazily sinks into the couch, resting his arm along the back. You look at the time on your phone, it's only 1:30. Great.
Sans grabs the remote from the coffee table and flips on the TV. You jump a little at the sudden cacophony. Mettaton's face fills the screen, dramatic music blaring. "Hellooo beauties! It's me, your favorite robot, live from…" Sans cusses, fumbling desperately with the remote. You try your best not to laugh. "…Denver, Colorado! We're here today with the fabulous reality TV star, Jessi…" After a bit more grumbling and cursing, Sans finally snaps the TV back off. He gives you an embarrassed smile and hands you the remote.
"uh… how about you pick something?"
You spend a good 15 minutes flipping through channels. It's mostly garbage. You hardly ever watch TV. You'd much rather read a book or browse the web. Finally, you decide on the Travel Channel. They're having a Ghost Adventures marathon this afternoon. Eh. Zak Bagans is pretty cute, so why not? Sans doesn't protest at your choice so you settle into the couch, getting comfortable.
Hours pass. Absentmindedly watching the TV, you find yourself getting drowsy. The Ghost Adventures crew is setting up some special cameras or something. One of the tech experts explains what the cameras do as Zak tightly crosses his arms over his chest, showing off his biceps. You swear he does that on purpose. You can't believe you've been watching this nonsense all afternoon.
Suddenly, Papyrus is in front of the TV, shutting it off. He grins at you and you notice the blanket in his arms.
"When did you get…?" You croak out, a little confused.
He pulls a finger up to his teeth, quieting you. Noticing your bewildered expression, he motions over towards the other end of the couch. You glace over and find Sans sound asleep, tightly spooning a throw pillow. The intensity of his ever-present grin has softened, and he looks peaceful. You watch, enthralled, as his chest gently rises and falls. Where does the air go? A soft snoring sound escapes his mouth occasionally. You find yourself grinning like an idiot at the sheer adorableness. This only worsens as Papyrus unfolds the blanket and gently tucks it around his brother, giving him a quick kiss on the forehead. Sans grumbles a little and rolls over, facing the back of the couch. Suddenly your sleepy brain urges you to cuddle up next to the little skeleton and nap with him. Wait, what the hell?!
Before you have the chance to process the sheer inappropriateness of that thought, Papyrus comes back over to you and offers you his hand, helping you get up. Not letting go of your hand, he leads you into the kitchen. Once there, you awkwardly pull away from him. Papyrus seems entirely unfazed.
"So you're just going to let him sleep?"
"Yes… My brother has not been sleeping well lately. He does not think that I notice… but I do." Papyrus's voice is much softer than you've ever heard it. He looks over towards the living room, frowning. "I really wish he would talk to me."
"I'm sorry Pappy." His expression immediately returns to his usual goofy grin.
"ARE WE GIVING EACHOTHER NICKNAMES NOW, HUMAN? WOWIE! OUR FRIENDSHIP IS FLOURISHING! YOU MUST THINK I AM REALLY GREAT! BUT UNFORTUNATELY, I HAVEN'T COME UP WITH A NICKNAME FOR YOU YET… BUT DO NOT FEAR! I WILL HAVE ONE FOR YOU SOON! NYEH HEH HEH!" You can't help but giggle at Papyrus's sudden change in tone. His enthusiasm is infectious. You're a little worried that the noise will wake Sans, but he doesn't stir. You conclude that he's probably used to this.
"I can't wait to find out what you pick, Pappy!" You grin at him. You pull out your phone and open up the recipe that you bookmarked earlier. You hand the phone to Papyrus. "Here. This is the recipe that I wanted to make for dinner."
Papyrus grabs your phone and studies the recipe carefully.
"I SUPPOSE THAT THIS WINE-SOAKED BIRD RECIPE IS SATISFACTORY, HUMAN. LET US TRAVEL TO THE NUTRIMENT SHOP!"
The trip to the grocery store is fairly uneventful. Papyrus received a few lingering stares, but you figure that's to be expected. It's not every day that you see a 7-foot tall, flamboyantly dressed skeleton man pushing around a shopping cart. You'd probably stare too.
When you return to the apartment, Sans is awake. He's sitting at the kitchen island, leisurely sipping a mug of coffee. Papyrus drops all of the groceries down in front of him. A box of linguine falls out of one of the bags and Sans gives you a look of horror.
"uh… what are we having?'
"THE HUMAN IS PREPARING BIRD PASTA FOR US, SANS. WOULD YOU MIND GOING BACK INTO THE LIVING ROOM, BROTHER? WE NEED THE COUNTER SPACE."
"eh… bird pasta?" Sans glances at you, quizzically.
You laugh. "Yah I guess you could call it that… We're having chicken marsala. Now shoo. We'll call you when dinner's ready."
"fine… i guess i'll go read. you two better not burn down the apartment…" Sans tips his mug back, slurping down the last of his coffee. He slowly gets up and patters into the living room.
You find that Papyrus is surprisingly receptive to your cooking instruction. Other than a few instances of him turning the burner all the way up while you're not looking, things go pretty well. Before you know it, the chicken and mushrooms are ready to go. They smell delightful, simmering in the rich wine sauce. All that's left is boiling the pasta, which you decide to let Papyrus handle.
You watch as he enthusiastically shakes the box of pasta out into the raging pot of water. He dramatically seasons the water with a pinch of salt and a splash of olive oil.
"So how come you like pasta so much?" You ask him, trying to make conversation.
"PASTA IS THE PERFECT FOOD, HUMAN. ESPECIALLY SPAGHETTI. HAVE YOU EVER MET ANYONE WHO DISLIKES SPAGHETTI?" Poor Papyrus had no idea about his brother's aversion to spaghettti… You pause, unsure what to say. Apparently you've taken to long, so Papyrus answers his question for you. "NYEH! OF COURSE YOU HAVEN'T! IT IS SIMPLY IMPOSSIBLE TO DISLIKE!"
"Heh. I guess you're right, Pappy. Spaghetti is the best!" You do your best to feign enthusiasm. Papyrus winks at you and gives you a big thumbs up.
You search around for napkins and silverware to set the table with while Papyrus plates the food. The kitchen is a little disorganized so it takes you a while. There are several nonsense-filled drawers that make you question your sanity. There's a drawer completely filled with bones. You write this off as being a skeleton thing. But a drawer filled with socks? In the kitchen? What the hell?!
Eventually, you find the silverware drawer and grab everyone a fork, spoon, and knife. The napkins are hiding in the pantry behind an army of ketchup bottles. You set three places at the counter/table before taking a seat. Papyrus sets out the three plates of pasta. The smell has you salivating.
"BROTHER, DINNER IS READY!" Papyrus calls out into the living room cheerily.
"ok." Sans glances over from the living room before returning his attention to his book.
"IT'S WAITING ON THE TABLE."
"ok." He doesn't even look over this time. Papyrus huffs in frustration as Sans turns the page of his novel.
"WE'RE EATING!" Papyrus dramatically sits down next to you, making as much noise as possible.
"ok."
"COME IN HERE ALREADY! YOU'RE BEING RUDE TO OUR GUEST."
"ok." Papyrus is fuming. After a long moment, Sans shuts his book closed. He slowly rises from his spot on the couch and saunters into the kitchen. "sorry bro. i was just takin' my thyme."
"SANS! DON'T YOU DARE."
"sorry bro. i'll admit that joke was a little cheesy…"
"Yah Sans, that wasn't grate." Sans grins at you, delighted.
"NOT YOU TOO, HUMAN!"
"heh. you know you love it, bro."
"I ABSOLUTELY DO NOT. YOUR JOKES ARE PASTABLY THE WORST! NYEH HEH HEH!"
Once Sans is seated, the three of you tear into your food. Papyrus cuts his chicken into tiny pieces. You watch him as he carefully prepares a bite. He delicately twirls a couple of noodles onto his fork, then spears a single mushroom and bit of chicken. Finally, he dips the fork into the sauce and gently eases the food into his mouth. Such a gentleman.
Sans, on the other hand, has almost finished his entire plate. You watch, slightly horrified, as he shovels food into his mouth at a disgusting pace. He notices you gawking at him when he breaks for a gulp of ketchup. His cheeks flush slightly when he meets your disapproving gaze. He slows down his eating considerably after that.
"So what do you guys think of the chicken?"
"THE BIRD PASTA IS WONDERFUL. I CAN'T WAIT TO TRY MORE OF YOUR RECIPES!" Papyrus gives you an appreciative smile.
"heh. what does a clock do when it is hungry?" Sans asks you, grinning.
"Uh… what?"
"it goes back four seconds." Sans winks at you and gets up to go get more food.
After dinner, you say goodbye to Sans. Papyrus insists on driving you home.
Upon arrival, Papyrus walks you to your door and wraps you in a rib-crushing hug. "SEE YOU BRIGHT AND EARLY TOMORROW, _! SLEEP WELL!" You watch him trot back into his car. He gives you a cheery wave and takes off down the street, out of sight.
That night you dream about Bradley riding a sea monster across the ocean, hissing at the water splashing him. His whiskers are noodles.