(a/n: thank you all for your sweet comments! it means a lot, actually. i hope you like what i have in store and don't worry, our little skele is coming up soon. so be patient!)

The next morning flew past you in a blur.

You had woken up a quarter to seven. At first, you didn't think it was too big of a deal, that you could hurry and shower and open up the store a little later than typical. Then you immediately remembered that you had hired Undyne yesterday and had absolutely no idea when she was going to show up.

You threw on your clothes without really paying attention to what you were wearing. It ended up being an old, worn sweater and the pants you forgot to change out of last night. You ran out the door in a frenzy, throwing your hair up into a lazy ponytail.

The day was a cold, bitter morning and you found yourself wishing you had worn a thicker jacket than usual. However, you remembered, that it would probably warm up throughout the day. You hoped that it wouldn't be freezing by the time you closed down shop and went back home.

Most of the time to get to the bookstore was uneventful, you hitched a ride on the train and ran most of the way there. You begged everything that she wouldn't show up until you had prepared everything for her as you sprinted to your doors.

But time didn't agree with you today, you found out, as Undyne was leaning against the window of the shop. She wore a yellow scarf with a simple black coat. At least she was more prepared than you were.

You kind of wished she was your boss at that point.

You ran up to her, passing by the warm smells of cider that lingered in the air. Some of the restaurants must've been preparing for fall. Cider sounded amazing to you, you thought as you felt your nose burnt from the cold.

Undyne waved and smiled, "Heya, boss!"

You tried to gain an authoritative like attitude and smiled back at her, yet it ultimately failed and you probably looked like a little kid. You were panting from sprinting so much and you were pretty sure you looked exhausted.

"Hi," you blurted out loudly, "I'm really sorry I'm late. I didn't have my alarm or anything on... I didn't expect you so soon, I suppose."
"No, don't worry about it," she reassured you, "I came here a bit earlier anyways. You're good for now, punk!"
You smiled at her, positive she was just being kind, "I've probably kept you waiting long enough... Um, thank you for coming so early."

Undyne just smirked at you while you unlocked the door, your hands a bit shaky. Alright, you'd admit it, you wanted to make a good impression on Undyne – your extremely awkward personality wasn't helping you at all in that aspect.

You opened up the door and you both walked inside. The smell of books filled the air and you took a deep breath, closing the door behind you.

"So what's first on the agenda, _?"

"I suppose I should probably tell you where things are," you flipped the door's sign to OPEN and began walking towards the end of the store. Undyne followed, waiting for your instructions.

"This is the classic selection," you pointed at the shelves behind you, "My parents put it in the very back of store since a lot of people aren't interested in them anymore... It's kind of a shame, there's a lot of good books here."
Undyne laughed, "You seem to enjoy books."
"It wouldn't be a fun job if I didn't," you beamed.

You showed Undyne around the small store, which didn't take more than a few minutes. You explained to her how they were organized with genre and last names. She seemed impressed, kind of... You weren't sure if it was because of the books or just how confident you seemed to be. Well, at least you were impressed by your confidence.

Afterwards, you showed her how the register worked.

"This is really confusing," she pouted, "I don't understand any of it!"

You stifled a laugh, "It's okay, I'll be working it most of the time so it's not a big deal. All I'll really need help with is helping customers find books. And, maybe-"
"No!" Undyne groaned, "I will learn how to use this damned register!"

Her passion felt as if it filled up the entire store and you watched as she, roughly, began to punch numbers into the machine. You watched and as you felt yourself grow more worried that she might break it.

Undyne finally slammed her fist into it, literally punching a register, "This thing isn't something that I can't handle. I can do it!"

Albeit you were scared for the register's life, you didn't really have to heart to stop her yet.

She kept pressing random numbers, her attitude growing more and more frustrated.

"Undyne-" you said slowly, trying to remain a neutral attitude.

You felt your eyes widened as she manifested a blue, glowing spear out of nowhere. Undyne screamed heroically and was about to slam the spear into the register.

"U-Undyne!" you shrieked.

Then the bell of the door chimed, meaning a customer had just walked in.

You both froze there for a moment and you wondered how peculiar you two must've looked. Undyne stood there, her spear almost stabbing your register and you standing there awkwardly behind the monster.

Undyne slowly turned her head around, her spear disappearing almost as quickly as it appeared.

"I-I hope I didn't w-walk in at a b-bad time," a nervous voice said, breaking the awkward silence that had ensued.

Undyne hurriedly moved away from the machine and you let go of a nervous breath you didn't know you were holding in.

You turned towards the customer and smiled warmly.

"Welcome to our little b-bookstore!" you clumsily repeated, clapping your hands together, "I-It's nice to see you again, Alphys."

Alphys shyly smiled at both of you while Undyne rushed up to the small lizard girl, kneeled down, and embraced her warmly. You tried to hide the growing smile you had as you watched the pair.

It seemed like an odd couple to you at first, but seeing them together made you realize how utterly adorable and perfect the two were.

"Hey, cutie," Undyne let go off her girlfriend, but not without planting a kiss on her cheek before, "What're you doing here?"

Alphys entire face burned a brilliant red and you laughed a bit, in spite of yourself, "I-I-I just wanted t-to..."

She covered up her face immediately, shaking it wildly, "I-I just wanted to say hi a-and maybe grab a-a f-few books!"

Alphys uncovered her face slowly and Undyne smiled widely at her. You smiled at both of them, albeit a bit nervously.

You were always nervous these days, it seemed.

"I-It's nice to see you t-too, _," Alphys smiled at you, "I-I'm sorry I didn't a-ask if you were hiring b-before I told Undyne about here... I-I, thank you for g-giving her a job here though!"

You wiped your sweaty palms on your dirty jeans, "It's no problem, Alphys. I was just showing her around the store."

Undyne scratched her head, "Um, yeah, sorry I almost killed your register by the way."
"It was confusing for me to get the hang of it at first too," you reassured her, "Don't feel bad about it. I can try teaching you later, if you'd like."
"Yeah, that'd be awesome!" Undyne's spirits seemed to be in high gear, especially with her girlfriend arriving on the scene.

"Is there anything that you're looking for?" you asked with a small smile.
Alphys beamed at you, "I-I was wondering if y-you had ordered any new sc-sciene books."
You laughed softly, "I just got a new order arrive a few days. Just for you!"
"O-oh!" Alphys seemed to be ecstatic about it and her face immediately filled up with joy, "T-thank you! Y-you didn't have to, _-_..."
"I wanted to," you said bashfully, trying to hide your glee that you made her happy.

Undyne looked at you, surprised, "Wow, dude. Thanks, actually."

You felt yourself growing flustered, "N-no, don't thank me! It was something I wanted to do! I'm just glad that you're enjoying my science collection so much."
Alphys smiled warmly at you, "_, thank you..."

Suddenly, Undyne's arm wrapped around your shoulders in a friendly manner, "You're pretty cool, punk! I'm looking forward to working for you, boss!"

Your face went red, unused to all the excitement directed towards you. Sure, you were elated that you madeboth of these girls happy in the past few hours. But it didn't really help the fact that you were a bit embarrassed about the thanks you were getting. Besides, you were just doing what any good bookstore owner would do – try to get more different books so new (and old) customers would be attracted to your store.

It wasn't a bad feeling, you'd admit. As long as it was only these two.
Usually this type of attention brought negative things with it.

You walked Alphys towards the science collection, and with you followed Undyne. You were positive that Alphys did know where the science shelf were located at – but you really wanted to show her what the new books consisted of.

Alphys and you stood near the shelf while Undyne sat crossed legged on the ground.

There was everything from plant life to geology on the shelves, and you watched with content as Alphys's face grew more and more excited with every book she pulled out.

"Undyne!" Alphys looked at her girlfriend with an almost sparkle in her eyes, "L-look how cool these are! They've got books a-about the o-ocean and there's even one h-here about the Underground!"
"I'd bet no one would know more than you about the Underground," Undyne said proudly.
Alphys began to stack up books in a pile, "I'd doubt th-that. The humans a-are a bit more advanced with technology than we were..."
Undyne frowned, "They'd never make something as impressive as Mettaton though!"
"M-Mettaton?" you asked cautiously.

They both turned to look at you with questioning glances until Undyne busted out laughing.

"Mettaton w-was one of my c-creations in the Underground," Alphys said nervously, "H-He's quite the charmer on the TV, i-isn't he?"
Your eyes widened, "That's awesome, Alphys! I didn't know anyone could create something like that!"
"She did it all by herself too," Undyne looked at her girlfriend with a proud expression.

"A-All by yourself?" you were amazed, "That's impressive! I've watched a few of Mettaton's movies and shows – I'd hardly ever guess he was created by someone. He's a really good actor, plus."

Mettaton's been the face for monsters since the barrier was broken. He preformed in multiple shows and movies all across the board. From sci-fi, romance, horror – he was in it. You'd enjoyed his acting more than you'd like to admit (his more cheesier movies were your guilty pleasures...). It was literally an honor to you to be standing in front of his creator(?) but you didn't really want to make a silly fangirl impression on the two.

Alphys smiled shyly, "H-He's a good friend too... We just hardly ever see him nowadays."
"I'm sorry," you frowned, sympathetic.

"I-It's all good, _! We still talk q-quite often!" Alphys rushed to comfort you, which immediately caught you off guard.
"He's still a punk ass nerd, though," Undyne joined in.

You laughed and Alphys regained her attention on the new books. Most of them were just random sciences that had caught your eye or books you'd thought Alphys would like. You barely knew her though, so there was really no telling if she would like what you bought. However, it seemed, that you had made some good decisions.

Alphys pulled out an astrology book and smiled widely, flipping through the pages, "U-Undyne!"
Undyne looked over Alphys's shoulder, eyes growing wide, "Wow. That's really cool."

"D-Don't you'd think Sans would find this interesting?" Alphys asked, looking at constellations pictured on the pages, "I-I should tell h-him about this."
Undyne made a strange face, "That punk? ...Probably. He's a geek for all this starry stuff."

You didn't really understand who they were talking about. Despite wanting to ask, you felt as if that kind of information was private and didn't want to make the two feel uncomfortable. You knew you were just the bookstore owner... Not really either of their friends.

You pinched your wrist and tried to act calmly. You could always be their friends if you just tried. That's what dad always said. (You hoped that he was right for once.)

"I-I should tell him a-about this store next time w-we see them," Alphys said softly, enchanted by the pictures of the night.

You almost forgot that the monsters had only been able to see the skies for a little less than a year now... That must be awful, you thought, not being able to see the sun or the stars. Whomever they were talking about, at least you had one thing in common with them. You were bit of an astrology nerd yourself.

"Tell him to come on Saturday!" Undyne pouted, "I see that little nerd every damn weekend when it's time for Pap's cooking lessons."
"D-Do you not like Sans?" Alphys asked nervously.
Undyne sighed, "Nah, he's cool. I don't mind him... It's just hard to keep up a conversation without you or Papyrus there, I guess. We don't have a lot in common."
Alphys nodded, understanding, "I-It's okay. I do-don't have a lot in common with Papyrus, either..."

You listened to them talk while Alphys raided your science shelf. It was nice to have someone in the store for once. It was nice actually having someone you could talk to.
They talked mainly about their friends and about the different science books. Once in a while you gave your two cents on a topic, but ultimately you kept your mouth shut in anxiousness. You were a bit worried you'd say something wrong or upsetting.

Alphys grabbed her pile of books and smiled at you softly, "I-I think I'm done..."
You smiled back at her while you and Undyne helped her put the books on the counter, ready to be checked out.

She had grabbed at least a dozen, and you wondered how quickly she'd be able to read them. Alphys typically came in for hauls like this for the past three or so months, coming back every one or two weeks. This was the most she's ever bought at once, though, so it was mainly curiosity that wondered next time she'd come back. You also enjoyed her company.

You checked out the books one by one until you picked up that astrology book they had been flipping through for a long while. While Alphys or Undyne wasn't paying much attention, you put it off to the side.

You bagged up all the books into a paper bag and gave Alphys the price for them.

"I-It's only that much?" Alphys seemed confused, "I-I'm pretty sure that-that it's missing at least tw-twenty dollars or so."

She paid for her books with an awful amount of confusion, muttering to herself that something couldn't be right. And, before anyone could say anything, you pulled out that astrology book and dumped it right into the bag with the others.

The two girls turned towards you with wide eyes.

"_-_?" Alphys said, flabbergasted.
You smiled shyly at her, "I noticed... Um, like, how much you really seemed to enjoy that one in particular..." you began to nervously look towards the ground, "And you've been a real joy to have around, so... Let's just say that astrology book was on me."

You felt both of their eyes on you, but you were too nervous to look back at them. Your heartbeat grew quicker and your palms felt sweaty and you kept asking yourself if you made a stupid decision.

"_, I-I can't take this," Alphys finally stuttered out, "I-It's too much!"
"_," Undyne said in a calm manner while Alphys began blurting out nonsense.

Undyne's calm, collected voice made you turn up and look at them. Alphys's face was a bright red and she seemed to be in a frenzy almost. Undyne looked at you with appreciation and a warm smile.

You felt your voice come back to you, albeit a bit small and weak, "A-Alphys... It's just a thank you."
Alphys's speech stopped and she looked at you hesitantly, "I-I can't take it, _."
"You've been one of my best customers in a long time," you stuttered out awkwardly, "A-and... I-I... You can show it to your friend, I guess, and tell them a silly story about it..."

Real good excuse, _, you thought to yourself.

"Dude!" Undyne turned towards Alphys and then towards you, "I think I hit the lucky jackpot with my awesome new boss!"
You blushed in spite of yourself, "I-I-I-"

Alphys looked at the bag with caution, "..._, t-thank you."

You exhaled deeply, "I was worried you'd say no. It's just a silly little present. I hope you get a lot of use out of it."

"I-I hope w-we will too," Alphys took a deep breath, "U-Undyne and I-I we-were thinking about s-stargazing s-sometime soon. I really appreciate it, _."
Undyne smiled down at her small girlfriend, "It's gonna be wicked, I'll tell you both that much! We even got a new telescope for the whole thing!"

"I hope you two have fun," you put a hand through your hair, smiling awkwardly.

Alphys smiled at both of you softly, "It was n-nice seeing both of you today. T-Thank you again, _. This means a lot."
Undyne hugged the small dinosaur, kissing her for a second. Alphys face went bright red and you held in a laugh. They were cute together. Really cute, "I love you, babe. I'll see you when I get home!"

"I-I love you too, Undyne," Alphys quickly rushed out, "I'll see b-both of you l-later, I hope."
You smiled widely at her sentence, "I hope so too. Have a nice day, Alphys."

Alphys grabbed her bag from the table, having to use both of her hands and arms to carry it. She turned towards you and then Undyne. She beamed at both of you happily and walked out the store, the bell chiming cheerily with her.

The store filled with silence for a moment before you heard Undyne take a deep breath.

She turned towards you and embraced you suddenly, "Dude, thank you so much. My girl's been having a hard time with human punks lately and we really appreciate you treating us with so much kindness."
You froze for a second, but then slowly returned the embrace to the red-haired monster in front of you, "There needs to be kinder people out in the world, I suppose..."

Undyne let go of you and flashed a smirk, "Definitely. You seem to have something special going on though, _!"
Your face flushed again, "N-Not really..."
"I'd say you do!" Undyne sat up on the counter again, not unlike the events from yesterday, "I'm starting to like you and this job as each minute passes, honestly... Don't worry, this isn't some punk ass attempt to warm up to the boss and blah, blah, blah. If I didn't like you, you'd know that I didn't."

You began laughing, harder than you had in a long while. It was refreshing to talk to someone as honest as her for once, "Well, thank you, Undyne! That actually means a lot... I guess I got real lucky with you as my first employee."