Day woke up slowly, and was surprised to find that she wasn't cold in the slightest. She was, however, incredibly sore.

The room was dark and still, so she squinted, waiting for her eyes to adjust.

She was eventually able to make out a television, the doorway to what looked to be a kitchen, and a staircase built against one of the walls; she was in someone's house.

A sudden sound erupted next to her, making her jolt— no longer drowsy, she sat up, searching erratically for the source.

Papyrus was sprawled across the floor, limbs spread out in disarray, jaw slacked wide open. One of his legs twitched every few seconds, hitting the edge of the couch.

He must be asleep.

There was still a gap in her memory; how had she gotten there? Last she remembered, she was staring down at a mass of snow, and… being carried by someone? Was she making that part up?

Day rubbed her eyes, hoping it would bring some clarity. As soon as she reopened them, she was met with another surprise; it grinned widely at her.

"Hey kid."

This time, she didn't flinch back, only stared. Sans held out something that she couldn't quite put a name to.

"I'll trade you."

Upon closer examination, she realized that he was holding an enormous gray blanket, large enough to have come straight off a bed.

Trade me for… what?

As if cued by her thought, something flopped over her shoulder: a jacket sleeve. She looked over at Sans for confirmation, and sure enough, he wore only a grimy white t-shirt (and she promptly forced herself to stop staring at the collection of exposed bones).

Day removed the massive blue jacket and handed it to him.

"Thanks." Sans received it and in turn gave her the blanket, "Here ya go. Oh, and uh, guess I'd better warn you now… it probably doesn't smell any better than the jacket."

Day practically mummified herself with the blanket, leaving little more than her head exposed. As he'd warned, there was a strong odor lingering around it, but it wasn't near as awful as he'd let on—and she wasn't about to refuse a blanket.

Sans joined her on the couch, leaving a cushion's length between them, but looking much more like himself with the added girth of the puffy blue jacket.

"So," he began, keeping his voice low, "Not still cold, are you?"

Day shook her head.

"None of your fingers fell off?"

She decided to check; the tips were reddened, but all in place, so she nodded again.

"Your tongue didn't freeze off, did it?"

Day smiled a little, "No."

He chuckled, "Well that's a plus."

She continued to smile politely, still glancing around the dark house with an air of trepidation.

Sans caught her expression, "… Oh yeah, guess you dunno where you are, huh?"

"No."

"Eh, makes sense… you were out cold when you got here." He snickered at the joke, "Well, after you decided to go and try to make a run for it, a storm picked up… next thing I know, Pap's carrying you in, and to top it off, he's wearing your sweater. Personally, I don't think the pink exactly complimented him… anyway, you're at his and my house. Figured the shed wouldn't've been the most comfortable, what with how freezing it is…" He folded his arms behind his head comfortably, reclining back into the couch, "You can go ahead and crash here until you're feeling better. If you want to, anyway."

"Thank you."

"Eh, no problem."

Day drew the blanket tighter around herself, "Um… Sa—Mister Sans, I mean?"

He stared at her incredulously.

"What did you say?"

Without giving her a chance to answer, he cackled, in a manner almost uncomfortable, "Nah, none of that. Just Sans."

"Sor- I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it, kid."

"… Um… it's Day."

"Huh?"

"You asked earlier, and I didn't say it," she said quietly, "My name… it's Day. If… you still wanted to know."

Sans blinked, "That so?"

She nodded in confirmation.

"Day," he repeated, his expression changing slowly, "Why'd you have to wait so long to tell me? It's a good name— do you have any idea how many puns I could've made out of it, earlier?"

"Probably a lot," she agreed.

"Yeah, a lot!" he began to list them off on a hand, "You scared the living daylights out of me, have a nice day— or I could've said you'll never see the light of day. What else… ah: what do you think this is? A daycare? You look a little dayzed…"

She was giggling fiercely, "Okay, okay!"

"Don't think you're off the hook yet, kid." He nudged her with an elbow, "I've got plenty more."

On the floor, Papyrus made a sound in his sleep (it was like he could sense the bad puns being told only feet away), drawing their attention.

"Heh…" Sans lowered his tone again, "Guess he did a pretty good job capturing you, right?"

Day wasn't sure how to answer.

"Says he's gonna take you straight to the capital one minute… and then the next, he brings you right back here, calling you his "dear human friend"."

She smiled gratefully, "… He's nice."

"Darn right he is." Sans said it proudly, "Must run in the family."

She let out a small, quiet laugh.

He caught the sound anyway and sat up, "Oh? Was that skepticism I heard?"

"No," Day hurried to clarify, "I—"

"What, you think I'm mean? Probably scary, too."

"I mean—"

"Oh, I see… you do think so." He shrugged carelessly, reclining again, "That's fine… I see how it is…"

She was pretty sure he was joking with her, but Day still didn't want the misunderstanding to remain.

"No! I didn't mean that! You're not—"

Sans just shook his head with a sigh, going to great lengths to conceal a teasing smirk, "Man, that hurt… for having a name like Day, that wasn't very bright and sunshiny of you… kinda dark."

"Sans!" she stressed loudly, "You're not mean at all! You're—"

Papyrus suddenly awoke, sitting bolt upright.

"Sans?!" he blurted, "Wha— what are you doing up so late?! Is something the matter—" He made direct eye contact with Day, then nearly exploded, "THE HUMAN IS AWAKE!"

Papyrus practically flew through the air, directly hitting the area of couch between Day and Sans.

Sensing the imminent collision, Sans rooted himself to the arm of the couch, but Day was caught off guard— she bounced at least a foot into the air from the force of impact.

Before she could begin her descent, Papyrus snatched her up in a flurry of mittens, suspending her powerlessly in midair. She didn't dare struggle, but soon found there was little reason to.

"Oh my human friend!" he cried, "I am so very sorry that I caused you to malfunction and stop working!"

Beside him, Sans shifted in his spot, finding a comfortable nook between two cushions, and interrupted calmly, "Her name's Day, she said."

Papyrus' grief was momentarily lifted, "Oh, that's a nice name. BUT REALLY! I did not intend to cause you so much damage! Especially after you saved me from that ornery dog and also from drowning in the river!"

Sans' slouch lifted immediately, "Wait, what?"

"Oh it's a funny story," Papyrus dismissed, "I'll tell you about it later." His attention was focused squarely on Day for the time, "Please, human Day, please forgive me!"

She nodded, "It's alright."

"Really?! You mean it?! It's really okay?!"

"Mm-hm." She nodded again.

In an instant, she was trapped in a bone-crushing bear-hug, flattened against Papyrus.

"Yippee!" he exclaimed joyously, "The human and I have restored our friendship! Oh, I am so happy!"

"Hey bro," Sans commented flatly, "I think you're about to break her in half."

Even though she could hardly draw in a breath, Day didn't fight to be released.

"I'm— I'm okay—" It was less than convincing, "I'm— good!"

Papyrus saw her discomfort and loosened his death grip, "Sorry! Is that better?"

"Mm-hm."

"Good! Oh human, I am so glad you are alright! You don't need to worry about a thing; Sans and I will take great care of you until you are 100% back to normal! We are both excellent at taking care of people, so you'll be better in no time!"

Day didn't doubt it; she returned the embrace happily.

"Speaking of which—" Papyrus released her without warning, and she plopped onto the couch, "Are you warm enough? Do you need another blanket?"

She shook her head, "No, I'm okay."

"Are you sure? It might get even colder outside… just tell me if you are cold, okay?"

Day nodded.

"Sans, that includes you too!"

"I'm fine," he yawned, "Cold never bothered me too much… the wind goes right through me."

Papyrus groaned, "Sans, it's too late at night for your puns!"

"So does that mean they're allowed during the day?"

"No it does not mean that!"

"I'll save them for tomarrow, then."

"UGH!"

Day was giggling quietly, beginning to feel drowsy, again…

"Shouldn't you be in bed, Sans? You have work to go to, tomar— TOMORROW!"

Sans broke into a grin, "Whoa, were you about to steal my pun?"

"NO! I WOULD NEVER STOOP TO SUCH LEVELS!"

"Heh, what's that supposed to mean?"

"The Great Papyrus does not concern himself with puns— my talent lies in cooking, puzzles, capturing humans, and several other impressive skills! You can have puns and sciencey stuff!"

"Seems a fair deal."

"Well, I suppose you have other cool skills too— like pulling practical jokes! And you're nothing if not devout about sleeping on the job!"

Sans laughed, "Thanks, Pap. Means a lot."

Papyrus also grinned, "Oh, you know I don't mean it, Sans! You have many great qualities— such as being the best brother I've ever had!"

"Well, I mean… I don't have much competition for that title."

"That is no matter! I'm sure even if you did, you would still manage to be the best!"

"Eh, if you think so."

"I do think so!" He wrapped both arms around his brother in a tight embrace, "And you're also very good at using your powers, when you want to! Of course, maybe they could be a little bit stronger if you exercised them more often— they're very impressive already, I mean! But, you know, they could be even more impressive if—"

"Hey Pap."

"Hold on a second, Sans! I'm getting to a point! Now—"

"Pap."

"What is it, Sans?"

"Maybe you oughtta be a little quieter."

"Quieter?" he shouted, "But why?"

"Because the kid's asleep."

Papyrus glanced down in surprise— Day was curled up against the arm of the couch, head in her arms.

"Oh! Well—" He quickly lowered his voice, "Well why didn't you say something earlier?"

Seeing that the blanket had slid to one side, Papyrus readjusted it so that it sufficiently covered her. He turned to smile at Sans, "I think she likes us!"

"Yeah…" Sans risked another glance at Day to ensure she was truly asleep, "So… what was it you said about almost drowning?"

"Oh yes!" Papyrus perked up in order to tell the story, "So I was going to Waterfall to tell Undyne about capturing the human, but it was really windy, so I decided to stop for a minute! Walking against the wind takes a lot out of you, you know! Anyway, I had only stopped for a little while when the human showed up! I couldn't let her get away, so naturally I battled her—"

"You battled her?" Suddenly, he had Sans' undivided attention, "Did she fight back? Did she hurt you?"

"No, actually! You know that was something I found interesting, too! I fought very hard, and yet she didn't attack me once; she just ran away from them all!"

"… Huh."

"Anyway, just when I had almost defeated her and was about to use my unstoppable special attack, it didn't work! That stupid white dog had taken it!"

"White dog?"

"Yes! You know, the one you always feed hot dogs to!"

"Oh yeah, Toby."

"Yes, that one! It took my special attack! I chased after it in order to retrieve it, but that dog was very clever! Somehow, it tricked me into falling into the river! I thought I could swim out on my own, but that current was very strong—"

"You sure you're not hurt?"

"Yes, of course I'm sure! And then—"

"That could make you really sick with how cold it is, Pap. Are you really sure—"

"Sans, just let me tell the story already!" Papyrus cut him off, "Now as I was saying, the human must have been even more clever than that dog and tricked it somehow, because she got a hold of my special attack bone and used it to pull me out of the river! And even more than that, she gave me her sweater to keep me warm and offered to be my friend! Isn't that nice?"

"Hm." Sans was staring at nothing.

Papyrus noticed this, "Sans? Is something wrong?"

"I dunno." He slipped his hands into his pockets, slouching into the couch.

"Well, it certainly seems like something is," Papyrus observed.

"... Fine. It's the human."

Papyrus blinked, "What about her?"

"… You're sure she didn't fight you?" Sans repeated, "She didn't act aggressive? Anything at all?"

"Nope, nothing at all!" Papyrus assured, "She even got rid of that little stick she was carrying like a weapon, so that must be a good sign!"

Sans didn't reply.

"Sans, are you worried about something? Something involving Day?"

"… Maybe."

"Aw, you don't need to be worried! She doesn't look like she's hurt too much, except for all those band aids on her hands—"

"I'm not worried about her, I'm worried about what she could do to you."

Papyrus stared at him, confused.

"What do you mean by that?"

He sighed, "Pap, let's be realistic here; we don't know where this kid came from—"

"Well since she's a human, she had to have come from the surface!"

"She's a kid we don't know, being the point."

"We know her now!"

"Yeah? We learned her name five minutes ago. Other than that, we know nothing else about her— that's not exactly a good thing."

"Why not?"

"It's just not. All we know is that she's a human—" He became even more stern, "Pap, you know what humans are capable of. I know what humans are capable of. Even if it's a small one, they're strong. They can cause a lot of damage."

Papyrus glanced over at Day, still asleep, and seemed less convinced of the fact than Sans.

"But… she wouldn't do anything like that!" Papyrus insisted, "She's nice!"

"And how do we know she wouldn't?"

Papyrus didn't answer immediately. He stared at his hands for a while in silence.

"… Well… I mean… we can't know for certain. You're right about that…" He glanced at Day again, then back to Sans, smiling hopefully. "But we're her friends now, so we should give her the benefit of the doubt! That's what you have to do when you meet someone new!"

Sans locked eyes (er, sockets) with his brother, saying nothing.

Eventually, he sighed, "Just be careful."

"I will!"

"Make sure there's other people around, when you're out— don't let her lead you off somewhere secluded or anything."

Papyrus laughed uneasily, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"And if she starts acting… weird, come find me."

"Weird how? Like how you're being?"

"I'm not being weird," he couldn't help but snap, "I'm being cautious. Maybe it would help if you were, too."

"Well that's no way to gain her trust! We've got to trust her first—"

"Papyrus, listen to me," Sans told him evenly, "You need to be careful. I don't want you getting hurt."

"But Sans, she wouldn't—"

"Listen."

Papyrus shrunk back, no longer interrupting.

Sans watched him quietly, but when he finally spoke, his voice was no less direct, "I want you to promise me something. Will you do that?"

He nodded, "Of course I will!"

"Good." Sans looked past him, scrutinizing the sleeping girl, and his expression didn't soften.

"If she starts acting… strange," he began, "A dangerous strange, I don't want you to talk to her. Don't talk, don't try to fight, don't do anything to her. Just get away."

Papyrus seemed conflicted, "But Sans—"

"You get away from her. That's it. Understand?"

He frowned, "… Sans, I wish you'd be a little more trusting of her. She's really not that bad."

"I'll trust her when she gives me a reason to."

"You will?"

"Yes."

"You promise?"

"I don't really like making promises, Pap." He paused, "...But yes."

Papyrus meshed his gloves together, "… Okay. Then I promise."

"What do you promise?"

"I promise if she acts dangerous that I'll run away instead of trying to help her," he clarified.

Sans didn't entirely agree with the paraphrase, but it was enough. He nodded.

"Alright."

There was a long silence.

Sans didn't look over at first, feeling the tension, but it was interrupted by a yawn, giving him the excuse he sought.

"You tired?"

"Well I did spend the whole day capturing a human, Sans! Why aren't you tired?"

He scoffed, "Who said I'm not?"

"Then go to bed, if you're tired!"

"You too."

"You first!"

"Nah."

"Come on, Sans! You're being difficult! Go to bed, lazybones!"

He sunk lower into the couch, almost fusing with it by now, "Eh… too far away."

"It's just one staircase, Sans!" Papyrus exclaimed in exasperation.

"Well, then it's a step in the wrong direction…" He grinned in spite of poor attempt.

Papyrus groaned, "That one was terrible. Now get up or I'll carry you there myself!"

"Oh noooo…" The lament was flat and drawn-out, showing his lack of concern.

"Alright, fine!"

Wasting no time, Papyrus hoisted Sans over his shoulder, and with a huff, started up the stairs.

"Don't fall," Sans muttered, more teasing than cautionary.

"Of course. Because I was planning to fall." Papyrus rolled his eyes, "Honestly, Sans, I don't know what you'd do without me to take care of you!"

"Yeah," he replied, absently, "Me neither…"

Thank you for taking the time to read! I'd appreciate any feedback you have- that's what keeps me writing! ^-^