When she'd held out her hand and asked if they could walk home together, Lena hadn't been certain of how Sans would react. His apparent laziness made her worry that he'd turn her down, wanting to take his shortcut home, instead. But then, another part of herself argued that he wouldn't have even offered an alternative if he was opposed to it. The two sides continued to argue up until the moment he felt her hand slide into his. Then, she was far too distracted by the feel of his hands to keep up a petty mental argument.
It felt...strange was the only word that she could think of at first to describe it. She was obviously holding a hand, but it didn't feel like a real hand, really, because it was hard bone and felt cooler than her own. But after a few seconds she could feel the gentle buzz of magic coming from within, and the warmth her own hand gave off was nurtured and returned even greater. The bones were smooth on the backs and the slightest bit rougher on his palm and fingers, as though they were to make up for the lack of fingerprints, and it was just so interesting, she wanted to get a closer look at them. Would that be rude? That would probably be rude, to suddenly start staring at someone's hands. She'd spent the first few minutes of the walk feeling the slightest bit flustered and silent, simply looking around at the scenery around them as they walked. After a while, Sans started talking about different places, making jokes, and she'd laughed much harder than it probably warranted because of the relief it brought her.
When they made it back to her apartment he was quick to pull his hand away, and she tried her best not to feel saddened by that motion, watching as he returned his hands safely to his pockets. "Thanks for taking me out. I guess I know where I'll be taking Brit on our next night out!" she said cheerfully, and he grinned up at her.
"Yeah, 's only the hottest hang-out in Taobh." When she groaned he couldn't help but chuckle, and she felt her heart flutter at the genuine smile spread across his face. "His burgers are the best. Mickey-D's ain't no match for Grilbz."
"You're right about that, he- ...Oh my god, Sans!" Lena tried to fight the smile from her face, oh she tried, but there was just no hope of it. Sans had already noticed, and he pulled out a hand to point a bony finger up at her.
"You're smiling. Point, Sans."
"You know that your name technically means 'without', so you said 'point without'. That means no point!" This seemed to surprise him from the way his eyesockets widened a bit.
"You humans have a meaning for everything, don't ya? What's your name mean, then?" he asked curiously, and she paused, thinking back.
"Well, my family is from Ireland...a country overseas, in Europe. In Irish, 'Leannán' means 'love'. My nickname, 'Lena'... I think it means 'with'..." Giving a small shrug of her shoulders, she continued, "But it could mean other things in other languages that I don't know. And I haven't exactly been using much Irish since I've grown up, so I could be wrong." He was staring at her, and she felt herself fidget slightly. "What?"
"Nothin'. Just amazes me still that you humans have so many different cultures an' languages. It's easy to forget just how big the world is up here..."
"Yeah... Maybe someday we can go see more of it," she said, voice a bit softer, and she felt a small flutter in her stomach when he smiled at her.
"I'd like that."
They'd parted just outside her door, him claming that he had to go check on Papyrus and Frisk, and she tried to ignore how awkward it felt (or how she imagined getting a kiss on her doorstep) before he disappeared from sight. Her apartment always felt far too quiet being in it alone...
She'd just sat down on the couch and turned on the television when a heavy bout of knocking came on her front door. Startled slightly, she quickly turned turned the tv off and tossed the remote onto the couch next to her, getting up and heading for the door. Maybe it was the skeleton brothers in need of help again? When she opened the door, though, she most certainly was not expecting to see Undyne's pointy grin. "Oh..."
"Sup, nerd! Alphys and I were in the area, and we decided we're gonna take you shopping!" It was so little a question that Lena found herself staring blankly, mind trying to comprehend what was going on. She had little time, though, because she suddenly found herself being pulled out of her apartment by her arm.
"W-wait, hang on a sec!" Her protests were ignored, and, when she saw that she was being taken to a car, sighed in submission. It didn't look like there would be much way of getting out of it...and she had been meaning to spend some 'girl time' with the both of them. 'What's the worst that could happen?'
The back passenger side door of a yellow sports car was opened and Lena climbed in, the door barely missed hitting her backside. "H-hey there, Lena..." Alphys was in the passenger seat, turned around so she could give her a small wave. "Um, s-sorry if we're bothering you... Undyne was r-really wanting to hang out, and-"
"Alright, enough talkin', nerds! Let's go shopping!" Undyne had sounded so uncharacteristically giddy as she hopped into the driver's seat, all but slamming the door closed and jerking her seat belt across her body to clip it. The engine roared to life as they pulled far too quickly out of the parking lot and out onto the main road.
'Please, God, let me survive this shopping trip...'
They'd ended up stopping at a strip mall just on the outer edge of Taobh, closer to Tristin. There were a few humans who stopped and gave them dirty looks but, overall, it wasn't too bad of an experience. Monsters were more common the closer to Taobh you got. They walked into a store that seemed to sell more 'alternative' style clothing, and while it wasn't necessarily Lena's go-to style, Undyne's eye about popped out of her head.
"Dude, there's spikes on EVERYTHING! I had no idea humans had clothes that're so wicked!" She walked over to a rack of lingere and barked a laugh, holding out a spiked bra above Alphys' chest. "Check it out, babe, looks good on ya!" Alphys flushed red and stammered, gently pushing the article of clothing away while Undyne cackled. Lena rolled her eyes and smiled at the two of them, only feeling the smallest bit jealous of their relationship. 'They're so good together, and such a cute couple...' It hadn't surprised her in the least when she'd met them and found out they were together. Something about the way they interacted just made it obvious...that, and how protective Undyne was of her. That might've given it away just a bit.
"So, Lena. Y'like showin' your soul off to every skeleton, or is Sans a special case?" The question came so suddenly and out of nowhere that the human choked on air for a moment, pale cheeks flushing a deep red as she whirled around to look at Undyne. Her smile was sharp and the look in her eye was glinting amusement.
"I, um... Wh-what?" she stuttered, suddenly sounding much more like Alphys.
"Oh, come off it! Papyrus told me about it and I gotta say, I so called it." Wait, what?
"W-we ship the two of you... Y-you're our new OTP!" Alphys said eagerly and, oh god, Lena felt like her face was about to combust. This was why they wanted to bring her out. She rubbed at her cheek with one hand furiously, turning to glance idly through the clothing racks, if only to distract herself.
"I-I mean, that happened, yeah, but th-that doesn't mean..." Her voice trailed off feebly, and she suddenly found an arm around her shoulder, pulling her into Undyne's hard side.
"Listen, punk, I heard from Papyrus that it happened. It's a thing. Get over it." She tugged a bit harder and her arm was now suddenly around the human's neck, preventing her from escaping. "We're not gonna judge if you've got the hots for a skeleton, we just wanna help you realize it."
"B-but I don't..." Lena said weakly, her resolve slipping and Undyne, the huntress that she was, could sense it.
"You sayin' that you didn't like it? Him touchin' your soul? You sayin' you didn't want him to?" Lena felt like she could cry, she was so embarrassed. Sensing this, Alphys gently pat Undyne's arm, smiling nervously.
"M-maybe we should t-take it easy on her...? I-it can be pretty tough t-to deal with, realizing that you've got f-feelings for a monster..." Lena perked up then, her expression and tone nearly desperate.
"That's not it!" It surprised the two monsters, who simply looked at her in silence. "I-I just...o-ohh..." Lena raised her hands to hide her face, closing her eyes and mumbling behind her palms. "I-I just don't know if he...feels the same way..." Undyne laughed at that, loud and boisterous, and she released the human from her hold.
"You kiddin' me? Boneboy's got it bad for you, girl!"
"H-huh...?" the human stuttered, and Alphys nodded eagerly, smiling brightly and eyes shining with a determination and interest she'd never seen before.
"Yeah, you two lovenerds just haven't realized it yet!" Undyne continued, pulling Lena into a hug and patting her on the head, much like a child. "And we're gonna change that! Right babe?"
"R-right! If we can get our OTP to get together, then things will be much more interesting...A-and our fanfictions will be canon-" She cut herself off at that, suddenly looking much like she'd spilled a secret, and Undyne continued talking to cover it.
"So how about it, girly? Let's pick out an outfit your boneboy will love!" The human's wrist was grabbed in a strong but gentle grip and began leading her through the store, picking out and holding up different clothing articles. After a while, Lena began to feel herself relax and...even enjoy herself. Despite her first meetings with them, they really were her friends.
"Hey, y'think Sans'll like this?" Lena turned to see what she was talking about when she felt her mouth go dry, all the heat rising to her face. She was holding a bra with what looked like skeletal hands groping the fabric. Her face was boiling. This was it. This was how she died. The way Undyne's eyebrows were wagging out of control was most certainly not helping.
"I am not buying that." The childish whine the former Royal Guard captain released didn't help change her mind any, but the look of disappointment might've made her feel a bit guilty... But, but no! That was not an appropriate thing to wear! Ever! (Don't think about Sans seeing it in the bedroom, don't think about things like that, don't-) Her face burned and she jerked the article out of Undyne's hand, slamming it back onto the rack it had come from.
"Fiiiiine, you're no fun... Let us pick out an outfit then?"
"No underwear. None. Don't even give me that look, I'm not going to let you buy my undies!" Somehow, the smile Undyne gave wasn't any more reassuring. "I mean it!"
"Alright, alright! We're gonna pick out some other non-undies. C'mon babe, let's go look around!" She grabbed Alphys and vanished to another part of the store. Suddenly feeling exhausted, Lena found a bench by the changing rooms and sat down heavily, running a hand through her long auburn hair. 'Is hanging out with Undyne always this exhausting...?' She heard the monster whoop loudly from across the store and chuckled, smiling fondly. Like she could ever hold it against her.
Her phone buzzed loudly from within her pocket and she leaned over slightly, reaching in to retrieve it before settling back down. She had to only push the button on the side before she groaned, seeing who it was.
| Brit: Do skeletons put socks on their doorknobs when they're bangin? |
| Lena: Do not start with me. |
| Brit: Well he's obviously not THAT good if you're still able to text. |
| Lena: BRITNI! |
| Brit: Alright alright alright, calm your tits! How'd the date go? |
| Lena: It...wasn't a date, but it was fine. We went to Grillby's. It was amazing. |
| Brit: You and I will have to go there sometime. They've got a bar? |
| Lena: Yep. Amazing since the bartender is a fire elemental. |
| Brit: You mean a 'bartinder'. |
| Lena: Shut up. |
| Lena: It was fun, though. The walk back was nice, too. |
| Brit: Did you hold hands? |
...
| Brit: Oh my god, you did! You held hands with the skelly! So proud of you. |
| Lena: Can you not tease me please? |
| Brit: I'm gonna have to see him you know. Make sure of his intentions. |
| Lena: Please no, omg, I'm not ready for this. |
| Brit: Oh no, it's happening. I'm gonna cast judgement on the skellybro and see if he's right for you. |
| Lena: Sans doesn't feel like that about me, though! He even told Grillby that it wasn't a date... |
| Brit: Hmm... Maybe he's just shy. I don't think it's too soon to write it all off. |
| Brit: Who wouldn't wanna date you? With tits like those, UNF |
| Lena: Please no |
| Brit: I could always play the game, try to see if he gets jealous. |
| Brit: That sounds like fun, oh my god, can I please? |
| Lena: Nonononono please don't do this to me |
"Who're you talkin' to?" Undyne's sudden loud voice made her jump, phone nearly tumbling out of her hands and to the floor.
"Ah, j-just my friend Brit...she's being an ass. Don't worry about it," she muttered, jamming her phone back into her pocket. Her eyes glanced down at the bags Undyne was carrying on her arms and she raised a brow. "Finish shopping already?"
"In this store, yeah. On to the next one! I heard that there's an 'adult store' here, and I've always been dyin' to check one out!" How someone could say something like that so loudly in public was beyond her, and Lena felt like she could die of embarrassment on the spot. Apparently Alphys shared her feelings on the matter. "C'mon nerds, onward!" They were dragged out of the store by Undyne, and between that, the constant vibrations from her phone in her pocket, and her own thoughts, Lena really just wanted a break.
It hadn't been more than a few hours, but by the time Undyne's car pulled into the parking lot, Lena felt like crawling into her bed and taking a nap. The back seat had been crammed full of bags from various stores, taking up more space than she did. Undyne threw the car into park and turned around in her seat, sending the human a wide, sharp grin.
"Welp, hope we helped!" What were they supposed to help her with, again? "Now go up there and try on your new shit! Find an outfit boneboy will dig ya in!" Lena would wonder if she blushed at that, if her face hadn't been red the entire trip out. She whined and gave a weak slap to Undyne's shoulder who simply snickered at her. Even Alphys appeared amused by her embarrassment, hiding her smile behind a hand.
"Thanks..." the human muttered softly, grabbing the bags that she knew were hers and fumbling with the car door for a moment to get it open. She stumbled out and was just about to close the door when Undyne called out to her again. She stooped over a bit, peering back into the car.
"I know you're totally into him, but don't let him take you to the bone-zone without a proper date first!" Lena flared red from the tips of her ears to her shoulders and she slammed the door shut more forcibly than she'd really intended, but it didn't muffle Undyne's gleeful laugh any. The car sped off with tires squealing, leaving her standing alone in the parking lot, blushing like a schoolgirl. Her phone buzzed yet again in her pocket and she groaned loudly, gripping the bags tightly and stomping to her apartment. The front door was shoved open and the instant she got it closed behind her, she threw the bags to the floor and flopped face-first onto the couch, heaving a sigh.
Having friends could be so exhausting. Having friends who teased you relentlessly was even more so. Having Undyne teasing you was just pushing it.
She closed her eyes and rolled onto her side, glancing at one of the shopping bags. They'd gone through all the trouble of taking her shopping, even though she got very little say in what was bought. She couldn't really feel like she had a right to complain much, though, considering they'd paid for everything. 'I should have thanked them again before they left...' Giving another sigh, she sat up and pulled one of the bags just within her reach onto her lap, opening it and peering into it. It was the bag from the 'alternative' store and she noted, with a small whine, that everything had skulls or some form of bone on them. Of course they did. She reached in and pulled out a top and noted with a frown that it had "Bad to the BONE" written across the front in a bone-like font. It was sure to be comfortable, since it was so loose-fitting...but was she going to risk wearing it? She set it aside and pulled the next item out: a pair of gloves with skeletal hands printed on the backs. 'Did they get anything NOT skeleton related?! Why?!' There was a skirt, a pair of thigh-high socks, more shirts...everything with skeleton print on it. She wanted to sulk and shove the items to the back of her closet and refuse to ever let them see the light of day...but it would be rude not to at least try them on.
With a resigned sigh she pushed herself up from the couch, pulling her shirt off over her head and letting it drop to the floor. She kicked her shoes off and bent over as she pulled her jeans down her legs, having to give a little wiggle to get them over her hips and down her thighs.
A knock coming from the front door startled her so badly that she nearly fell over, her heart jumping up into her throat. She froze, waiting to see if it happened again, hoping and praying that it had just been in her mind. It happened again, and she carefully crept over to the door, peeking out to see who it was. Her face burst into crimson coloring for the hundredth time that day. Of course it was Sans! She had to hurry and answer the door. The last time she hadn't answered, Papyrus had just burst in. If Sans did that...
She'd never scrambled to get dressed so quickly in her life. She blindly grabbed clothes and pulled them on, only pausing to look down at herself when she heard a third knock. The "Bad to the BONE" shirt had gotten thrown on, along with a new pair of black jeans Undyne had picked out. 'Maybe he'll like it...?' Swallowing down her nervousness, she grabbed the gloves and pulled them on as well, making her way back to the door and opening it.
"H-hey!" She nearly winced at how nervous her own voice sounded to her, and she tried so hard to ignore how wide his eyesockets got when he saw her. 'Oh god, he's gonna laugh. He's gonna laugh or be offended, one of the two, oh my god, why did I agree to this-' He had a strange look on his face and he seemed to just...stare. She cleared her throat and his eyelights snapped up to her face, his cheekbones turning the faintest shade of blue. "C-can I help you with something...?"
"Uh... Oh. Tori, uh, I mean. Paps and Frisk made lasagna and wanted to know if, uh..." He turned away from her, raising a hand to scratch at the back of his skull, fingertips making a soft grating sound. "Wanna come eat with us?" She felt a small bit of her nervousness fade and she nodded, and he sighed. "Cool, cool."
"Lemme just get my shoes real quick," she said, turning back into her apartment, and he made a small choked sound. Looking back, his face was a much darker shade of blue, and he immediately turned around when he saw she was looking at him. Weird... She pulled her shoes on and joined him outside her door, locking it behind her and shoving the key into her front pocket. "Ready!"
"Okay, great." She waited for him to lead the way, but he didn't. He stood scuffing his shoes against the floor, hands shoved deeply into his coat pockets, eyelights refusing to meet her face. After a moment she frowned, tilting her head slightly to get a better look at his face.
"Everything okay...?" she asked, voice laced with concern, and he quickly shook his head. She was about to press further when her hand was suddenly grabbed, a bit too tightly, and it took her a few long seconds to realize that Sans was holding her hand. She felt her heart flutter happily in her chest and she gave his hand a small squeeze, smiling down at him and giving a gentle tug on his hand. He followed and walked beside her, though he still refused to look at her face. 'Maybe he's just shy...' That was what Brit had said, maybe she wasn't wrong afterall. The gentle thrum of magic she could feel beneath his fingers was intoxicating, and she found her hand moving to intertwine their fingers on its own. He released a small sound of surprise, arm twitching, and she was about to apologize when he squeezed her hand in return. There was a wide grin on his face, and the lights in his eyes looked brighter than she'd ever seen them.
Maybe it wasn't so bad afterall...
After she'd gotten home, a shower had sounded like a blessing. All that walking around had left her legs and back sore, and the hot water was sure to be the fastest relief. She locked up and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. Just as she was about to walk across the bathroom to switch on the water, something caught her eye that made her heart skip an uncomfortable beat.
"No."
She twisted her upper body a bit to get a better look at her backside, the color slowly leaving then abruptly returning to her face all at once. "O-oh my god..." There was a skeletal hand printed on the back of the jeans Undyne had picked. ...Specifically placed over the right back pocket. It looked like a rogue skeleton hand was groping her ass, and Sans' embarrassment when she'd returned to get her shoes suddenly made so much sense. She fumbled for her phone and immediately hammered out two text messages, hitting the 'send' button a tad harder than necesary.
| Sans: Undyne and Alphys took me shopping. |
She prayed that would be explanation enough, because she really didn't want to talk about something so embarrassing. With her last text message she pursed her lips into a small frown, brows furrowing slightly.
| Undyne: You're the fucking worst. |