Papyrus broke free from his shock-induced daze and shot a brief scathing look at Classic for using such vulgarities before rushing to his side, offering a hand to help him up. Which his fallen brother hastily accepted. Once standing upright, albeit on unsteady legs, the shortest (and eldest) host of the little get-together remained caught between attempting to stand in front of Papyrus and hide behind him. The latter option won as the new movement had diverted the skeleton beast's gaze from a cowering Edge to him. Thus, leading the original Undertale Sans to use his brother as a shield to conceal himself from sight despite brotherly instincts screaming at him to do otherwise.
The gangly, armor-clad skeleton paid it no mind; Wordlessly encouraging his one HP brother to seek protection by shifting into a better position in front of him. Then redirected his attention to their long-awaited guest. His tone carried firm yet gentle when he spoke, "I must agree with my brother, except in politer terms."
Blue visibly deflated at the words. His head tilted down in shame, shoulders sagged, and his electric blue eyelights moved to inspect the floor. Catching onto the other's change in mood, the chained creature aimed his bared teeth and low growl toward Papyrus rather than the short monster behind him.
"My sincerest apologies, Classic, Papyrus. It was wrong for me not to ask or say anything about bringing him. I had considered leaving him at home, but last time I did that, it ended poorly. To say the least." He shot a disappointed look at the snarling beast eyeing his friend with malice. "I am fairly certain that Ms. Snowfield and Lila have not forgiven me for the circumstances regarding the passing of their pet cat."
As the Underswap Sans said that, a sleek black feline swept through the kitchen doorway. (Doomfanger, Fell's pet cat, had meowed - more like screeched, in Edge's opinion - to accompany them to their destination. Hence, how she ended up in the 'Tale household. Her owner had no choice other than to bring her.) Her fit figure and well-groomed fur showed how deeply cared for she was. Fell silently used a red boot to nudge Doomfanger back into the kitchen. The cat did not retaliate, aside from casting a nasty glare at her owner. A long, fluffy tail lashed behind her as she turned around and walked back into the cooking space.
Stretch's lanky form appeared in the doorway immediately after. A single hand came up to rub his droopy eye sockets while a big yawn escaped him. As soon as his jaws clicked shut, he set his sights on the casually dressed skeleton at the front door and then the companion next to him. He raised a brow and frowned slightly. "Bro, where on earth did you find that thing?"
Blue huffed, meeting his brother's gaze with a frown.
"Stretch, do not be rude! He is a Sans, and his name is Horror. As for how he came into my care, I found him rummaging through my outdoor rubbish bin like one of those nimble-fingered, masked fiends; he nearly tore the thing apart while looking for food. Being a kind and generous soul, the magnificent me decided to feed him." His eyelights darted to the side, and a hand slowly came up to rub the back of his neck. A nervous chuckle escaped his jaws before he added, "After that... Well, my friend-making skills were so powerful I could not convince him to leave. So, I kept him."
Papyrus dared to step closer, only stopping when the aptly named Horror began to emit a louder rumble. "Blue, my friend. While the Great Papyrus does condone good deeds, don't you think he is a little - how do I say this politely - feral?"
A short growl emanated from the sofa. Edge snaked a hand past his fluffy pillow barrier and pointed a phalange between his more cheery counterpart and the supposed Sans. "We're just goin' to gloss over the fact he's keepin' a demented Sans like a pet?"
"Hush, you ingrate. That creature is better off with Blue than roaming on the streets." Fell chided, casting a wary glance over toward said broken-headed monster. "Imagine taking out the trash at night and finding that sifting through the bin."
While the five skeletons each shot their own uneasy looks at Horror, his handler reached a hand down and gently dragged it across the top of his skull (being extra careful around the jagged hole), soothing the deep growls into nonexistence. Not that that helped remove any hostility in the sitting creature's swollen red eyelight.
The taco-loving guest flashed a small, hopeful smile at his friends and said, "Look, everyone. I know Horror has problems, but since we met, he has been getting better. Give him a chance, and then I'm certain you all will learn to enjoy his company as much as I do."
"Fat fuckin' chance in hell right there, sweetheart." Edge scoffed.
"Language!" Papyrus scolded. His usual accomplice in enforcing such rules remained oddly silent, once again eyeing the floorboards, only brightening somewhat when Horror leaned into his legs.
"I normally refrain from agreeing with my shameful, asinine brother. However, your 'friend' does seem to be an" The taller and less crude Underfell brother paused for a second to find the least offensive words. "acquired taste."
Classic ventured a step out from behind his brother with a deep frown in place, which showed obvious strain around the edges; pinprick eyelights wavered in his eye sockets. He then shifted from left to right, and a hand rose from his side before moving to the back of his neck. "Yeah... Gonna have to go with Fell and edge lord on this one. Sorry, buddy."
Big, watery blue eyes slowly lifted and directed their pitiful gaze to the sole tall figure wearing a hoodie.
"Brother?" Blue asked tearfully.
Stretch cringed away from his pleading expression, opting to look at the wall lest he falter in the face of the shorter skeleton's advanced pouting techniques. "Sorry, bro. The vote is pretty unanimous."
"Please. I promise I'll make sure he behaves throughout the entire evening."
Everyone stayed silent for a moment, each trying not to give in to the puppy-dog eyes pointed straight at them; This was easier for some as they chose to either look anywhere else or focused on the creature glaring at them spitefully.
But eventually, someone broke.
"Oh, all right." Papyrus conceded.
The reactions were instantaneous. Edge and Fell's faces contorted with dismay, both giving a cry of disbelief. Great relief swept over Stretch, evident by his newly relaxed posture and the grateful glance he shot in their tallest host's direction- likely pleased he wasn't the one who wavered beneath Blue's sorrowful gaze. As for his brother, the pouty monster's expression instantly bounced back to cheerfulness while a certain smugness played along his companion's jaws. Classic, however, took his brother's decision the worst. His tight frown deepened, almost pulling into a grimace, and his body tensed.
"Papyrus-"
The royal guardsman in question cut off his brother with a stern look. "Don't 'Papyrus' me, Sans. We owe it to Blue to at least attempt to befriend his unusual friend before deciding we want nothing to do with him."
The blue-hoodied skeleton sagged in defeat and clicked his jaws shut, dropping the subject; All the while, the corners of his teeth remained turned down, and his eye sockets narrowed to glower at the floor.
Meanwhile, Blue beamed even brighter at his friend's response. "Thank you, Papyrus! I promise you won't regret it."
"I'm sure someone is gonna regret it. 'S just a matter of time," Edge muttered, earning the ire-filled gaze of Horror and the deaf ears of his unfortunate associates.
"It is no skin off my bones... Wait-" Papyrus waved off the gratitude, pausing in terror when the gravity of what he said dawned on him. His eye sockets widened as he noticed a small smile form on his brother's face and a similar humored expression on the other three Sanses in the room as well. Not to mention, the twin betrayed looks gracing his alternates' features. "Not a word from any of you!"
"Come on, Paps. It feels like I've been waiting a skele-ton of years for a moment like this." Classic quipped, playfully elbowing his brother in the side before using his free hand to pull a rectangular device from his hoodie's pocket.
"Drop the phone this instant," The red-scarfed skeleton warned.
"Shh, bro. It's been a stressful past few minutes. Let me have this."
Papyrus groaned and rolled his invisible eyelights, allowing the pun lover to take his picture and add whatever hideous caption he could conceive to it. "Let's move on from this horrib- terrible blight on my life and get back to the festivities."
With many activities still waiting to be completed, everyone agreed. Some - like Edge and Classic - more so because they were eager to find a Horror-free room to hide out in until the night ended. That was until Blue's alarmed shout echoed throughout the room, addressing the dark-hooded shadow no one had noticed creeping along the walls and behind the original Undertale Sans.
"Stabby me, you may not kill Classic! Where did you even get that knife? I know it is not the one I allowed you to keep."