A new day, a new tea to try out. Alexi was actually quite interested. They started their day normally, but when it came to adding honey and milk to their tea they decided not to. After all, they wanted to taste the actual tea, and the honey and milk would just mask the taste of it.

It turned out to be quite a subtle flavor in the end. A slight floral taste, but also sweet. So they were happy they held off from adding anything. It was quite nice, even if they couldn't place the flavor. It left almost a fizzy feel in their mouth, it was a light sensation, as well. They would have to ask Papyrus about it.

Speaking of Papyrus, he was late today. Which was quite odd. The only other time he had been late was the day they had dropped cookies off at his house. Alexi started to get even more worried when they had finished their tea and the skeleton still had not been seen. Something wasn't right, but maybe he was just having an off day.

The second day passed without him as well, worrying them even more. It was times like this that Alexi wished they had his phone number. Day three of no skeleton and Alexi wondered if he had gotten sick. Would it be strange to visit? Soup was good for a cold. They could make him some soup and bring it over to him.

What if he was just avoiding them though?

Alexi shook the thought out of their head. No, he seemed quite forward and they doubted he would just hide from them. So the plan was hatched. They would bring the soup over closer to evening, because it was more like a lunch or dinner thing than a breakfast. Then they'd check on him and try to explain their odd reactions to the skeleton. They paused when they realized this would be the first time the two of them would be speaking to each other. The thought made Alexi nervous.

They continued their day and started making the soup at five pm. They had decided on a creamy vegetable soup. It would be packed with nutrients and, if Papyrus was sick, it would be easier to eat. When six o'clock rolled around, the soup was packed up. They even made a thermos of tea for him. The Golden Flower Tea. With everything packed up they headed over to Papyrus' place.

At first no one had come to the door. There weren't even any sounds coming from inside. After waiting a couple minutes they knocked again. Soon after, they started to hear some shuffling. Papyrus opened the door. He was wrapped in a blanket and looked quite sleepy. Alexi must have woken him up. As he noticed it was them though, he seemed to perk up a bit and Alexi blushed a bit at the thought that he was actually excited to see them.

"Alexi, what are you doing here?" His voice sounded a bit hoarse, he must have gotten sick.

"Well, I didn't see you the last three days so I got worried. Thought you might have gotten sick. So I brought you over some soup and tea. That way you wouldn't have to cook. Since you said your brother ate mostly grease, I kind of assumed he didn't cook much." They fiddled a bit with the bag they had brought and Papyrus' smile grew.

"Sans tries, but it's mostly canned stuff. Come in! He's at work right now, so it's just the two of us."

With that, Alexi moved into the house. "Oh? What does he do for a living?" They asked curiously. They didn't really know much about their neighbors.

"He's got a couple jobs, likes to keep busy. I believe he is at his security job tonight. Left just before you came over." His voice sounded pretty bad and Alexi shooed him to the kitchen.

"Are you hungry now? I can heat it up a bit or just put it in the fridge for later. It's a creamy vegetable soup and the golden flower tea you gave me."

Papyrus nodded and sat down at the table. "I should eat, thank you. You didn't have to do this. Did you like the tea?"

Alexi nodded as they looked for a pan, "Yes, it was quite a subtle flavor. I think it's the first tea I've had that I didn't feel like I need honey or milk." After that it got quiet for a bit as they started to heat up the soup and set the table. The thermos kept the tea hot. It only took a couple minutes for the soup to warm up a bit more. They filled up two bowls. One for Papyrus and one for them. Then they both started to eat.

It took a little longer before Alexi spoke up. "Papyrus?" He looked up at them curiously. "I just wanted to apologize. I know we haven't had the smoothest friendship. Avoiding you in the beginning and then the whole door slamming thing. I get nervous and flustered easily and a lot of time I don't realize how it looks outside my own right now I'm kinda mentally freaking out. I just wanted to apologize." They rubbed the back of their neck nervously, a habit they had picked up when they were nervous or unsure.

Papyrus smiled and shook their head. "The fact you made me cookies as thanks for the spaghetti. The fact that you are here now with soup for me just because you were worried means a lot to me. I hope that as we get to know each other better we can become closer friends." With that they finished their meal in silence. Alexi may not have said all they wanted but they were still glad they said something.

"Come on Papyrus, let's get you back in bed." He had started to nod off near the end, and with a little bit of work they were able to get him back in bed.

Afterwards they returned back to the kitchen, put away any leftovers, cleaned the dishes they used before locking the door and headed home.

It wasn't until they were back home that they realized they'd forgot to get his number.

"Damnit."