Level -3

"You know Uncle Gaster?" Papyrus and Sans had taken to sitting on one of the garbage hills as Alphys kept her stance. Her hands were constantly kept in the other's embrace, as if separating them would have caused Alphys to hide.

Alphys had a hard time keeping her eyes on the two children. "Y-Yeah? I mean, he's my b-boss and all, so, it'd make sense if I knew him."

"So you're a scientist then." Sans reiterated, not minding that Papyrus, for the moment, had his hand over his. The stuff they sat on wasn't the most comfortable, but it was better than sitting back in the water. On the plus side, their clothes were starting to dry off.

Nervously Alphys hunched a little. "S-Sort of? I mean, I am a scientist, b-but I'm not the Head Scientist. I-I just do my own thing and h-help Dr. Gaster if he needs it…"

Alphys buried her head into her lab coat, her tail curling around her feet in a sad attempt to hide. She didn't expect to hear the brothers suddenly shout in excitement. "That's so cool!"

Confused, Alphys lifted her head to stare at Papyrus and Sans, who both grinned like idiots. Sans seemed a little more excited than Papyrus, his little hands curled into fists. "What do you make in your lab?"

"Oh! I bet she makes all sorts of awesome, science-y things." Papyrus turned his skull to look at Sans before both leaned towards Alphys, bouncing off of one another's ideas.

"Can you make a giant robot?"

"Can you travel back in time?"

"Can you make super-monsters?"

"Can you create life?!"

Alphys' cheeks were rosy as she raised her hands to calm the two. A happy, embarrassed smile gracing her lips. "N-Now, now. I-uh, I haven't done all those things."

"That means you've done one, right?" Sans cocked his skull to the side, allowing himself to settle down while Papyrus continued to bounce in his seat.

"Why, yes actually!" Alphys angled her eyebrows down. "I uh, I might have been the one to create M-Mettaton!"

"YOU created Mettaton?!" Sans would have covered his ears if he had any when Papyrus basically yelled his reply. His eyes dazzled like stars. "He's only like, the coolest monster in all of the Underground!"

Sans lightly frowned. "I thought he only had a small, entertainment show."

"Well, he does." Papyrus reigned in his voice, puffing his chest out. "But I know that eventually he'll rise to stardom!"

"Y-Yeah, he thinks so too." Alphys' voice seemed clearer than when the two first stumbled upon her. She stood taller and her hands weren't so needy for one another.

"So, you here looking for cool things too?" Sans had a million questions buzzing through his skull on this new monster he had just met, but he didn't really know how much time he had before Gaster would come to get them.

"Erm, sort of." Alphys shrugged, her tail uncurling from underneath her to rest behind her. "I-I usually come here to find neat things. Today I was hoping to find some new anime."

Papyrus lifted his skull while Sans tilted his. "What's 'any-may'?"

With a frightened gasp Alphys placed her hands on her snout. "You've never heard of anime?"

Papyrus clacked his teeth. "Is that bad?"

"Definitely!" Alphys threw her hands into the air before immediately retracting them. She hunched again, realizing she had just shouted. "Ahem! Erm, de-definitely. That's…it's super bad."

Sans half-smiled at Alphys as he heard the rustle of garbage moving beside him. Papyrus now stood on the trash he once sat under, hopping off the pile and making a medium-splash with his boots. "Sans and I found something super cool!"

With a triumphant point, Papyrus was able to get Alphys and Sans to turn their heads over to the half-submerged vehicle they rode down the eroding hill. "I think it's a car!"

"That?" Alphys adjusted her glasses on her snout, taking steps over to the random vehicle as Papyrus followed behind like a happy duck. Sans, feeling left out, jumped off of the hill and trudged after them.

They all huddled around the plastic vehicle, which Alphys took a moment to lift out of the water and place on a small hill of junk. Papyrus eyed the vehicle happily, while Sans was checking it for any new damage. "Isn't it cool?"

"Hm, it looks like a bicycle." Alphys muttered as she inspected the transportation device. Her hunched over and took a closer look at the limb that came up short. "Though it looks like it's missing a wheel."

Her head rose up in confusion. "I didn't know bicycles came with more than two wheels."

Papyrus innocently turned to Sans. "Sans, what's a bicycle?"

Sans simply shrugged back, though Alphys heard the question. She answered clearly while still staring intently at the 'bicycle'. "A bicycle is what the hu-"

Her eyes suddenly grew wide, snapping over to Sans and Papyrus as her mouth still drawled for a word. "-uuuuuuuge, influential monsters are creating, yes! That's right!"

She pointed a finger upwards, sweat starting to form on her forehead. "F-From what I've discovered, it's just some metal bars with w-wheels on the ends, and they maneuver the 'vehicle' by pedaling metal slabs that are conjoined to a circular chain."

"Wow, that's a lot of words I don't know!" Papyrus exclaimed, though as he looked at this 'bicycle' better his happiness escalated. "Sans, do you think Uncle Gaster will let us keep it?"

"Maybe." Sans moved his shoulders, staring less at the 'bicycle' and more at Alphys. "What happened there? You hiding something?"

"H-Hiding?" Alphys gawked in disbelief, though her bunched hands and enclosed body said the complete opposite. "N-Never! I just, uh….um, forgot the word… that's all."

She closed her lips tightly, averting her gaze away as if she just hoped the conversation would float away like the water.

"Erm, um…" Alphys went back to holding her hands, hunching over nervously. Her eyes darted away for a second, lips pursed before finally looking back to the two with a nervous smile. "H-Hey! You like this bicycle, r-right? Um, I-I could fix it if you want! I-I can even make it b-better!"

Sans still kept his eyes trained on Alphys, who practically cowered beneath him. Papyrus however didn't seem to notice, glancing excitedly over at this new fascination. "You would do that for us?"

Alphys smiled. "O-Of course! It wouldn't be hard at all…" She switched her glance back over to the bicycle, hoping to get father into different conversations as possible. "I-I just need to find another wheel."

"We could help!" Papyrus shouted, egging his brother to join him in searching with a quick tug of his arm. When Sans didn't move he bent over to his skull, whispering. "She'll probably tell us when she wants to. But don't worry about it right now."

Sans huffed, but allowed Papyrus to pull him away after a few more tugs. They started to look in the nearest garbage hill when a familiar voice rang through the dump. "Sans! Papyrus!"

"Uncle Gaster!" Papyrus, who had stuck his skull into a small hole in a hill, threw his skull back up only to have a wet stack of papers get stuck to the top of his head. Sans snickered at the scene as Papyrus felt the paper flutter in front of his eyes. "Huh?"

While Papyrus dealt with peeling the soggy papers off of his head, Sans trudged out from behind the hill to notice Gaster wading his way through the water. He eyed the columns of garbage lightly before smiling when he noticed Sans. "There you are. Where's Papyrus?"

"Over here!" Papyrus lunged his way out from behind the hill, some of the papers were still stuck to his skull which blocked his eyesight, and thanks to gravity he soon found himself on a one way trip back into the water.

Sans had to clutch his rib cage from laughing so hard, watching Papyrus flounder in the cold water for a few seconds before finally ripping the paper off of his skull and throwing it into the water. Gaster cocked an eyebrow, his smile still evident. "Having fun down there?"

"Uh…" Papyrus stared blankly at Gaster, but soon frowned when he was made known of Sans' laughter. He narrowed his eye sockets, a grin forming on his face as he leapt up out of the water and rushed over to Sans. "Your turn!"

"Now, now." Gaster spoke, lifting his arms to the side of him as he watched Sans hide behind his body, grasping at his black pants.

Papyrus stopped in front of Gaster, contemplating which way to take on his brother, who stared at him between Gaster's legs with a huge grin just as he felt Gaster touch his back. He looked up to see his authoritative glance, and with a defeated groan he let Sans go for the moment.

He smiled. "So, did you two find anything cool?"

Trying to ignore Sans' cocky grin, Papyrus innocently smiled up to his Uncle. "Yeah! I found this super weird car, and we made a friend!"

"Oh? A friend?" Gaster lightly teased, his voice playful as if they were playing a fun game. "Is it another action figure?"

Papyrus shook his head. "Nope! Her name was Alphys, and-!"

"Alphys?" Papyrus caught his voice when Gaster cut him off. His tone had gone back to normal, his smile fading away as he stood tall and glanced around the dump. Sans let go of Gaster's pants when he strode forward, glancing at nearby piles of garbage.

Papyrus heard Sans come up behind him, one another turning their skulls to the other in confusion. It was then they both realized that Alphys wasn't near the 'bicycle' any longer. "Uncle Gaster, is something-?"

"Alphys." Gaster called out in a serious tone. Papyrus and Sans flinched to hear his voice bounce off the stone walls from afar, before the sound of splashing water interrupted the growing silence.

Alphys wormed her way out from behind one of the hills, her body a bunch of nerves as she stared up at Gaster. "H-Hi, Dr. Gaster!"

She kept her distance from the tall skeleton, who regarded her with a slight nod of the head. "Good Morning, Alphys. What are you doing here in the dump?"

"Y-You know me, D-Dr. Gaster." Alphys tapped her claws together. "J-Just seeing if anything new fell down…"

An uneasy silence blossomed between the two of them, one Sans and Papyrus could feel waft up their bones. Papyrus glanced at Sans in concern but didn't voice it, it seemed as though Gaster wanted to say something but couldn't.

Unable to take the silence any longer, Sans trudged over to Gaster, pointing at the 'bicycle' which was now starting to sink back into the water. "Paps and I found that bicycle, Uncle Gaster. Alphys said she'd even fix it for us."

"O-Oh, yes!" Alphys latched onto the life-raft of words Sans threw to her, taking a moment to readjust her glasses on her snout. She looked over to it, noticed it was sinking and with a gasp lurched over and grabbed it.

She pulled it back up and placed it on the hill, making sure it was secure before letting go. "I-It wouldn't be a problem to f-fix it! They can even r-ride it when it's finished."

She averted her gaze, her voice growing soft. "I-If that's ok with you, I mean…"

Gaster lightly hummed, staring at the bicycle for a second before down at where Sans stood. He decided to grab onto Gaster's pant leg again. "Please, Uncle Gaster?"

Sans turned his skull over to Papyrus, who hadn't moved since Sans left him. His grin became staler as he urged Papyrus over to help, who soon got the memo and bounded over to grab Gaster's other pant leg. "Pleeeeeaaaase?"

Gaster watched the two squirm beside him, repeating the mantra of 'please' but continuing to lengthen it each and every time. He finally sighed and shook his head. "I guess it wouldn't hurt."

He smiled when Sans and Papyrus both shouted in excitement, turning his skull back to Alphys, who hunched in response. "This won't be a problem for you, will it?"

"Problem?" Alphys snorted, losing some of her nervousness for the moment with confidence. "I-I could do this blind-folded with p-plastic tools! It's no problem, D-Dr. Gaster."

"Well, you have my thanks." He tapped on Sans' and Papyrus' skulls to get their attention. "What do we say?"

Sans was about to speak but Papyrus was a little faster on the draw, his smile beaming as he looked upon Alphys. "Thank you!"

"Yeah, thanks." Sans shyly grinned from being upstaged by Papyrus.

Alphys blushed once more, turning her head to the side. "O-Oh, you're welcome…"

"We're heading to Hotland if you want to come and deposit the vehicle in the lab." Gaster invited, seeing as though Papyrus was now hugging Sans from being over excited. Sans' little laughs wafted up to his skull.

"O-Oh, that's ok." Alphys declined, tapping her claws together again. "I-I'm going to explore some more before h-heading to the lab."

"Suit yourself." With a quick call of their names, Sans and Papyrus waddled behind Gaster in pursuit of dry land.

Sans took a moment however to stop and wave back at Alphys, who did so hesitantly in return. "B-Bye Sans! Bye Papyrus!"

"Bye Alphys!" Papyrus responded back, waving both of his arms in the air frantically. "We'll see you again soon!"

Gaster remained silent even after the three of them got back on land. He waited as he let Sans and Papyrus ring out their socks and the bottom half of their snow pants from the water sticking to them before crouching down and picking up a medium-sized paper bag that bulged with items.

Sans eyed the bag curiously as Gaster reached down for them. "Crab-apples?"

"Well, you wanted to be healthier, right?" Gaster teased, but when he lifted himself back up the playfulness dispersed away. He appeared to be contemplating something.

Walking out of the waterfalls of trash, Papyrus took to counting his steps behind Gaster, while Sans latched onto his idle hand to the side. He was beginning to wonder if Gaster was upset when, "Sans, Papyrus. What did Alphys say to you two?"

"Hm?" Papyrus paused for a moment, one leg lifted up from his careful counting before picking up the pace to continue alongside Gaster. "What do you mean?"

"I'm just curious. Did she say anything…unfamiliar?" The way he strained the last word caused Sans to grip his hand tighter.

Papyrus didn't seem to notice the rising tension or didn't care to. "Well, she told us what a bicycle was, and something called 'any-may.'"

"That all?" Gaster was quick to reply, as if he was looking for something else from the two. Sans contemplated the moment when Alphys tripped over her words, wondering what would happen if he told Gaster.

He turned to Papyrus for guidance, who was already staring at his brother. His smile had vanished for a serious look as he shook his head, as if he knew what Sans was thinking.

Sans frowned, biting his lower jaw as he shook his head. "Yeah, that's it."

"Hm, well then." Gaster spoke, though it was quiet and to himself than really to continue the conversation. He squeezed Sans' hand lightly, glancing down to give the two a soft smile. "Say, why don't we pick up a treat after getting the groceries, hm?"

"Wowie, treats and the dump?" Papyrus stared upwards with a star-struck stare, his grin returning to him once more. "This is the greatest day ever!"

Gaster lightly chuckled; breathing what Sans believed was a sigh of relief. "It's alright if we splurge once in awhile. That's what families do, you know."

Sans lowered his skull from staring up at Gaster to the boat with the Boatman once more. One of his fingers slid across Gaster's in his grip. "Yeah."

After another fun ride, though Papyrus and Sans were disappointed the legs didn't come back up, the three hopped off the boat, said thanks to the Boatman and started their trip into the increasingly hot Hotland.

Sans almost envied Papyrus now, who didn't have to wear his winter jacket since it had been torn. Even if he couldn't feel the heat, this didn't stop Sans from feeling beads of sweat pool on his forehead and trickle down his skull.

"You can take the coat off, Sans." Gaster calmly spoke when he noticed how uncomfortable Sans was when he walked. He was stiff with short strides.

Sans didn't waste any time in shedding his coat the moment Gaster gave him permission, tying it around his pelvis so it wouldn't fall off before catching a glimpse of Papyrus in his sight.

He seemed to have run ahead, stopping for a moment to signal the two over with the waving of his arms. "Come on, you two! Faster!"

Sans ignored Papyrus' cries to hurry up, turning his skull to notice the large, white block building to their right. From past trips to the Capital Sans and Papyrus were aware that that was where Gaster worked, though a new question was on Sans' mind. "Say, Uncle Gaster? Does Alphys work there too?"

"Hm?" Gaster glanced quickly at the lab before back at where Papyrus stood. His voice sound calm and calculated. "She does, occasionally. Sometimes she engages in projects from her own home."

"Will we be able to go in there one day?" Sans decided to ask, his fingers taught around Gaster's. "You, me and Papyrus?"

"Not today." Gaster was quick to respond, bringing his free hand up to grab at his lower jaw. "Though… maybe when you two are a little older."

Gaster did not look down to see the increasing grin on Sans face, as both were soon in the proximity of Papyrus who then ran off to lead the way once more. The three walked until they came upon a metal elevator, which Gaster allowed the two children to go in first before following behind.

Papyrus shifted his weight from foot to foot as he threw an arm into the air. "Can I press the buttons this time, Uncle Gaster?"

"Not this time, Papyrus." Gaster hummed, taking a moment to survey the three columns of buttons to the side of him. His fingers hovered near the buttons for a moment, then keyed in a specific code that caused the doors of the elevator to slam shut.

Gaster smiled down to Papyrus when the elevator lurched, signifying that it was moving. "But I wouldn't mind showing you how it's done next week."

Papyrus narrowed his eye sockets, pumping his fists to the side. "Yes! The Great Papyrus shall become the master of buttons!"

Sans chuckled. "So are you the master of buttons? Or the Great Papyrus?"

"Both!" Papyrus closed his eye sockets, pointing a bony finger upwards while puffing his chest out. "I shall be Master Papyrus, all knowledgeable in butt-ONS!"

Papyrus almost fell forward when the elevator came to the stop, causing him to shout the last part of his sentence before hobbling forward and regaining his balance. Sans chuckled some more before following his brother out, with Gaster being the last one to step out of the elevator.

Sans took a moment to stand beside his brother, who was going on about something though he wasn't paying close attention to hear him. Before the skeleton family extended buildings high into the dark grey sky that were packed close together for optimal business. Monsters of all shapes, sizes and beings crowded the large walkways through the city, where vendors had set up shop to sell all sorts of different items from their homes deeper into the Underground.

There was a monster draped from head to toe in thick fabrics, selling much of the same clothing she wore and nodded to potential customers. Two brothers, as they appeared, bopped up and down as they sung a song about their 'high-quality E-rows' while their tails worked to make some in the back of the stall. A young elephant girl only looked up from sewing a doll when the old female running their stall would show her off to other customers, which would cause her to blush. Screams from above caused civilians to duck when a giant, male bat monster almost dove into the ground, quickly regaining his flight with his wings as he desperately searched his mail bag for what appeared to be a forgotten letter.

"Stay close to me, you two." Gaster shouted over the hustle and bustle of the Capital, making sure they knew of his presence by tapping their backs. "And no running off!"

"Alright." Papyrus chirped, then happily took Sans' hand as he led him away from their spot at the elevator and into the daily life of the Capital. They melted into the vast array of monsters, a unified race.

Sans couldn't help his wandering eyes as Papyrus hummed a song to himself. His other hand grasped Gaster's to make sure they wouldn't get lost while Sans got lost in the sights. Beyond the tall scrapers Sans spotted the faint outline of what he believed was a path that encircled the city. When he asked Gaster the first time he spotted it, he told him that up there was the King's castle, where he would occasionally walk by and survey his city.

Sans was a little disappointed he saw no one standing on the walkway, like every other time they came. What was it like, to stand atop such a platform and stare down at the huge city that rustled with life underneath? It must have been quite a sight.

Sans hoped to be able to stand up there one day; just him, Papyrus and Gaster.

Yet something kept nagging at Sans the longer he stared at the sky. No, beyond the sky, to the wisps of black that dared to enter into the grey's domain. He couldn't place the feeling, but whenever he found himself just staring upwards without a thought, he felt…trapped. Like something wasn't right, like there was something beyond what he could see.

But, that couldn't be right; what could lie beyond the black sky? Possibly the heavens, but just how high did they stretch? All Sans knew was of a life surrounded by rock, but wasn't the whole world just the same? Wasn't this the whole world?

Sans used his other hand to grasp his skull, groaning before angling it downward and at the sand road beneath his shoes. His skull hurt whenever he thought about that for long, trying to shake off the feeling as the sounds and monsters of the world rushed back to his senses.

Or really, Papyrus chattering about something.

"-and just think of all the places we can go when Alphys repairs that bicycle!" Papyrus eagerly smiled back at Sans, whose eye sockets widened before lightly blushing.

He faked a smile. "Y-Yeah, totally Papyrus."

Papyrus frowned for a moment, glancing at the sky above them. "You were thinking again, huh."

"Maybe." Sans softly spoke, almost being drowned out by the noises of other monsters in their daily conversations. He then quickly raised his skull up to Papyrus'. "I just think that maybe-!"

"Hey." Sans held back his ideas when Papyrus calmly spoke. He didn't look upset or overly excited, but calm and at peace.

It was rare when Papyrus was serious. "You think too much, Sans."

Sans bit his inner cheek bone, shrugging his shoulders. "Maybe you don't think enough."

Sans soon bumped into Papyrus, who originally bumped into Gaster when their fatherly figure halted. Sans backed up to give Papyrus room, about to ask what was wrong when two, shrieking sounds caught their attention. "Oh my goodness! There they are!"

From in front of Gaster two figures mirrored one another as they stepped around him, revealing themselves to be tall and intimidating spider ladies. Sans could feel his eye sockets widen as the two peered down at them like delectable treats, hands hovering above their skulls like they were ready to be picked.

The spider-lady on the right, whose brown curls were put up in a messy bun, wore an elegant, brown dress that ballooned at her waist and hid her feet. Her six hands wore dainty, brown gloves and her shoulders were covered by a short-sleeved jacket that coned around her neck. The other woman, whose black hair was straightened, wore a somewhat revealing, scarlet red ruffled top with the sleeves nothing but ruffles after the elbows. Skin-tight, black pants covered her legs and ended with some hideous, red pumps that were so high the fashion police would have cried upon sight of them. Atop her head was a long, black hat with little red balls dangling around the bottom rim.

"These are the little skeletons you've been hiding from us, hm?" The brown-haired spider turned her attention over to Gaster, who gazed at them uncomfortably.

"Oh, they're so precious~" The black-haired lady cooed, two of her hands reaching for their skulls.

Sans was about to duck his head when Papyrus suddenly slapped her hands away. The black-haired lady slightly hissed in anger, which melted into surprise when he slammed his right foot down and puffed out his chest, keeping Sans behind him and away from their hands.

He clapped three times all while stamping his foot to the beat before throwing his hands into the air, a serious look on his face. Sans had no clue what was going on or what even Papyrus was doing, eyes staring over at Gaster who seemed just as bewildered.

The two ladies eyed one another, a small smile sprouting on their face only to sway their hips in response. Four of their six arms started to snap to unheard music, twirling in their spot while their last two arms laced one after the other from their chest up to above their heads.

Papyrus responded by positioning his hands out in front of him, bopping to the snaps as the hands turned to face palm up, then move to the opposite elbow, up his head and then down his body before promptly turning to the side and doing it again. When Papyrus jumped and did the dance to Sans, he laughed to see the funny look on his face.

"What are you doing." Sans responded in a low, monotone voice.

"I don't know!" Papyrus chirped back, finishing his dance by throwing his arms into the air.

Both ladies stopped snapping, then giggled happily in response. "Oh, how cute!"

"He's a little dancer! And not bad to boot~" The brown-haired one replied, glancing back at Gaster again. "I didn't think you had a dancing bone in you, Wingdings~"

Gaster frowned. "I don't."

He then added with a mumble. "And it's Dr. Gaster, to you."

"What's all this then?" A loud, shrill voice cut through the crowd, causing the two ladies and Gaster to stiffen.

Sans cocked his head to the side to be able to see behind his brother, watching Gaster step left to reveal two more female spiders. The one before them was old yet stood tall with a figure of authority, wearing a bright purple shawl and a dark pink dress that covered her petite feet. Four of her six arms steadied themselves atop a bent and unpolished walking stick, looking more like a branch than a helpful walking tool. Dark brown hair fell down her back and off to the sides and her five eyes narrowed focused on Gaster.

A young companion stood to the side of her, wearing a cute pink sailor's outfit whilst pulling a red wagon behind her filled with brightly colored cupcakes. Her short black hair was done up in frilly bows.

"Mi-Miss Spinne." Gaster fumbled with his words, clutching the brown paper bag with his crab apples closer to his chest. He tried to crack a smile. "H-How are-"

"Now you listen here, you old bag of bones!" Miss Spinne caused a few by-passers to crane their necks over to their conversation, watching as the old spider woman marched her way over to Gaster.

She promptly used her walking stick to poke him in the ribcage. "I don't care how much gold you amounted in your time, I knew Harold longer than your family ever walked upon underground!"

"Huh?" Papyrus glanced to his brother, as if he expected him to know what was happening.

He soon got his answer when the brown-haired spider let out a deep sigh, moving over to the senile spider. She placed two of her hands on her shoulders, rubbing them lightly. "Gam-Gam, Wingdings wasn't talking about Gap-Gap~"

"Hush up, Charlotte, the adults are talking." Miss Spinne rudely removed Charlotte's hands off of her shoulders.

"Gam-Gam," The other spider lady sighed, moving to the other side of Miss Spinne and crouching down to allow her to gaze up at her. "Wingdings was saying hello~ He didn't mention Gap-Gap or gold~"

"What? He didn't?" Miss Spinne seemed genuinely confused, her eyes narrowing while the cogs tried to turn in her mind. She tapped her walking stick on the ground in a frustrated way. "Well then what does he want?"

"He was asking how you are~" Charlotte knowingly smiled up to Gaster, indicating him to continue.

He fumbled with his bag. "Uh, yes. How are you, Miss Spinne."

"I'd be a lot better if you got your sorry excuse for a skull out of my face!" Miss Spinne yelled, poking him again. "How dare you try and say your family is better than mine! We deserve that spot, we!"

"Gam-Gam~" The black-haired lady sighed, her frown evident. "Wingdings didn't say his family was better than ours~"

"But that's not true~" Charlotte lightly giggled, eyeing the two boys again before waving her hands at them.

Sans awkwardly waved back, glancing over to his brother when the sound of squeaky wheels caught both of their attention. While Gaster fumbled for a conversation with Miss Spinne, the youngest spider girl saw interest in the two and walked over.

Her smile was sincere, two of her hands behind her holding her wagon while the other four were clasped together out front. She swayed left to right. "Excuse me, dearies~ Would you like to buy a spider cupcake?"

"Spider cupcake?" Papyrus looked to the monster girl before walking past her and crouching down to look at the pastries.

Sans could see how big his eye sockets grew on what appeared to be perfect little cakes, decorated lovingly with purple icing with an intricate looking black web placed at an angle on the top. He happily looked back up to her. "Wowie, these look amazing! Did you make them?"

"Sure did~" The girl giggled, closing her eyes for a moment before opening them back up. "I only give my customers the best~"

Her smile pursed into a pout, glancing at her full tray of cupcakes. "Though they haven't been selling well today~ Gam-Gam is usually scaring monsters off~"

Sans nearly gasped when the girl's five eyes suddenly snapped onto him. Her smile curled upward, her eyes staring into his soul. "So, would you like to be my first customer? I would really appreciate it, Ahuhu~"

Sans felt the need to take a step back. "Um, w-we don't really have any gold."

"No gold?" The girl's smile fell completely, her eyes growing dim. "Well poo~ That doesn't help me at all~"

Papyrus lifted his skull up to glance at Sans, who felt pressured from both angles. He half-heartedly smiled. "Maybe I could buy one when I do have some gold."

"Really?" The girl's voice elevated, her face suddenly next to his. Sans grasped for something behind him to steady himself, while she seemed to enjoy leaning in. "Do you promise?"

"Sure?" Sans squeaked, just wanting to get this spider girl out of his face.

Her eyes smiled in sync with her lips, drawing away from Sans to stand tall. "Then it's a promise~ I look forward to when we can make business, Ahuhu~"

"Muffet!" Muffet hopped when she heard Miss Spinne screech her name. She whipped her head around before scurrying back behind her grandmother with her squeaky wagon in tow.

She smiled to Sans once more when she was beside her grandma, a sensation Sans couldn't say was spectacular. In Miss Spinne's hands was Papyrus' ripped coat, to which she surveyed it curiously before back at Gaster. "Let me get this straight. You want me to fix this, right?"

"Yes, Miss Spinne." Gaster wheezed, as if the conversation the adults had been having was much more tedious and excruciating than the children's. He looked ready to pass out. "I hope it's not too much trouble."

"Bah, I could do this in a few hours!" Miss Spinne proclaimed, then leaned in with a wheezy chuckle, "But I won't. You can pick it up when you go shopping next week."

Gaster slumped his back and let out a sigh of relief, his smile returning to him. "Thank you, Miss Spinne."

"Yeah, thanks!" Papyrus proclaimed, though he dropped his smile when Miss Spinne let out a shrill yelp.

She leaned back from Papyrus and Sans, who moved to stand near one another. "The skeletons are multiplying!"

She then angrily turned back to Gaster, using her cane once more to poke him. "You player, Wingdings! Trying to show up my family again, huh? Well I can beat you at anything you throw at me, just try it! We deserve that spot, not you!"

"Gam-Gam..." Charlotte droned, looking sympathetic to Gaster and the skelebros. "We'll see to it that the coat is fixed~ Have a good day, you three~"

"Goodbye Charlotte, Volare." Gaster said in a monotonic tone, crouching down a little to see Muffet. "Goodbye, Muffet."

"Goodbye, Mr. Gaster." Muffet lightly giggled, trotting behind her two older sisters as they forcefully started to move their grandma back down the road they came.

"Come on, Gam-Gam~ It's almost time for your meds~"

"I don't need any meds or this stupid cane! I need to show that nerd whose boss around here! Let go of me, you stupid girls!"

"They seem like a swell family!" Papyrus commented, watching them for a little longer as they disappeared into the crowd before back at his brother.

Sans seemed a little unnerved, grinning nervously. "That's a family alright."

"And so are we." Sans wasn't expecting to feel Gaster's hand behind him, who was now crouching beside the two. He gave them a fatherly smile before standing back up, ushering them to continue. "Now we've wasted too much time. Let's get the groceries and head home."

"And then I can finish my snowman?" Papyrus asked, taking Sans' hand again as he reached for Gaster's.

Gaster allowed him to grab hold of his hand, lightly chuckling. "And then you can finish your snowman."

"Yes! The Great Papyrus shan't waste another second! Let's go!" And with that Papyrus tugged on Sans to start following, who did so without a struggle.

He just smiled to feel his brother's hand in his own, though he couldn't help but stare back up at the sky once more. Just what did those heavens hide?

Spring break is here guys! (At least for my school, heh) So no update next week as I'm going to be seeing my dad and trying to relax from the hectic school semester. This will also give me a chance to catch up because I've been barely scrapping by with updates.

I hope you guys have a wonderful week, whether you have it off or not!