You would be lying if you said that you got some sleep last night.

Even in your dreams, Sans was present, as a shadow in the back of your mind, ready to pounce when the time was right, ready to turn your dream into a horrifying nightmare.

After the third attempt, you gave up trying to sleep. Luckily, though, your day started so early that you didn't have a lot of time to kill before you needed to go to work, and yet, even on the streets that were lit by the morning sun, you couldn't shake the feeling of dread.

Though, to an extent, you were glad that it had been you, who had witnessed what Sans was capable of. Had it been anyone else, there would have been rumours spreading by now and the fear in front of monsters, as well as the hate, would have grown tenfold.

You… Well you tried your best to understand Sans. He had been backed into a corner, and attacked- it was purely self defense. Besides, he hadn't actually hurt anyone, but rather saved you from certain death. … You really did try to make that all sound even mildly convincing in your head.

"Good morning!"

You raised your head to see one of your coworkers, Claire, regarding you with a friendly smile. Apparently she had come in early to open up, which was usually your job… You couldn't help but to have your lips twitch into a smile.

"Hey Claire. You're in early," you replied, setting your bag down on the floor and kicking it under your work station. With a sigh, you wiggled out of your warm coat and slid on the jacket the employees had to wear. You were actually grateful for that, seeing as it got pretty chilly in the store.

"I couldn't sleep, really," Claire responded to you, stretching. "There was some commotion outside my window in the evening. Flashing lights, yelling. Fucking annoying, if you ask me."

All you could manage was a nod and a bit of a laugh. "Yeah… Must be annoying," you managed to say from between clenched teeth as you watched her go. She didn't seem like she saw anything… If she did, then Sans would-

Wait.

Why did you care so much about a skeleton that almost slit your throat last night?

Furthermore, why did you keep thinking about the aforementioned skeleton?

God how fast Sans managed to cross the border from scary to outright annoying, even though you had the feeling that it would only last this way until the sun went down again…

"There is the human, Undyne! She shall help us on our quest!"

With a puzzled expression, as ironic as that description was in Papyrus' presence, you raised your head to notice him and Undyne waltzing right towards you. Gloomy thoughts gone, as they often tended to disappear around Papyrus, you smiled to the pair.

"Hey Pap, hey Undyne, what brings you here?" you asked,your smile only managing to grow as Papyrus stepped up to you, opening his arms for a hug that you quickly accepted. Unlike what you'd expect, being hugged by a skeleton wasn't too unpleasant of a feeling. Maybe it was another case of skeleton magic, but Papyrus' hugs seemed to be the softest.

"Well," Papyrus started, rather bashfully, which made you cock an eyebrow. However, he never go to finish, with Undyne pulling him under his arm.

"Well, since Papyrus has been stocking up our houses with nothing but noodles, we- or more so I'd like to try some real human food, for a change," there was a small noise of protest from under her arm that went ignored, "so Papyrus decided that we should consult you on the matter! Seeing as you, well, are a human."

Your only reaction, as you tied your hair into a ponytail to match Undyne's, was a rather undignified snort. That was so like Papyrus…

"Sure, you guys, I can help you do some shopping. I don't think any other monster's going to be coming by this early. What did you have in mind? Lunch?" you asked, more than happy to have company for the morning as you stepped into the store, the pair taking up places on either side of you.

"Yes! Lunch! There is no point in making dinner that's anything other than spaghetti. Sans never appreciates it properly and just pours ketchup all over it," Papyrus' voice grew gradually quieter as he noticed your smile fading at the sheer mention of his brother's name. "What did Sans do now? He has been on edge lately. He has not harmed you, right?"

Fine, that got the corners of your lips twitching upwards.

"Of course not, Pap," you replied, voice wavering the lightest bit, and you hoped that this would be one of those moments when Papyrus would be too dense to notice. However, you didn't miss the look Undyne was giving you- furrowed eyebrows and eyes that roamed your face, trying to figure out if you were lying or not. A moment later, her fingers clentched into fists.

"So why does Sans eat all that ketchup?" you asked hurriedly, looking at Papyrus with a smile, albeit it was a little forced, but you just needed to get onto a new topic before Undyne started questioning you. You knew she wasn't as easily fooled as Papyrus was.

Well, at least Papyrus seemed to beam at the chance to tell a story about his brother. "Well! It all started when he found his first piece of human food! I was still a baby bone then, but I remember him telling me that story. Apparently it was an iron can that fell right against his head from who knows where! Silly Sans, of course his first instinct was to eat it… he said it looked horrible inside! There were little, green balls, and when he tasted it, he tasted death! He told me he had ran home and drank all the bottles of ketchup we had,and well, he hasn't eaten anything without ketchup ever since, especially human food."

Despite yourself, you laughed, half at the story and half at the expressions that papyrus pulled when telling it. "Has he really not eaten anything without ketchup?" you asked, tilting your head as you led them to the vegetable aisle, and picked out some potatoes, carrots and a cabbage. You found Undyne staring at the vegetables, and then mumble something along the lines of "I still can't get used to how big they can grow…"

"Sans has not even looked at anything that does not have ketchup on it!" Papyrus shook his head, as if ashamed. You decided not to mention the fact that he hasn't touched anything that wasn't a spaghetti for his entire life.

"Well maybe I should cook dinner for you," you said, momentarily taken by Papyrus' charm to the extent that you forgot that cooking dinner for /him/ would also include cooking dinner for Sans. And having said dinner with Sans. Most likely in a very awkward atmosphere.

"You will!? Oh Sans and I would be so happy if you could! We could try real human food, as cooked by a human! Will you come by today?!" but Papyrus' eyes seemed to be shining- he seemed so happy to have you over, that you couldn't help but to feel touched.

Really, he looked so happy and excited, that the last few days were just blocked out in your memory and with an equally happy grin, you nodded. "Sure thing."

Fuck.

"Are you sure?" you were surprised to hear Undyne ask that. Usually she'd be more than upset if you happened to upset Papyrus. But well.. she had caught on to the tension between Sans and you.

"I'm sure Undyne," you replied, voice wavering once again. It always managed to betray you in the most uncomfortable moments. Of course, Undyne caught on to the fact and gave you a look signaling that she was not quite done talking to you yet, but on the other hand, at this point you couldn't say no either. You didn't want to hurt Papyrus' feelings…

The rest of the trip was awkward, with Papyrus' happiness on your one hand, and on the other Undyne's gloomy atmosphere. The two clashing auras almost drove you nuts, so you hurried along with gathering up different ingredients for them, and finally explaining how they should cook the meals. After they had paid, as you expected, Undyne opted to stay behind. Once Papyrus was gone, she turned to give you something you never thought you'd see- a worried glance.

"What happened with you and Sans? Did he try to hurt you?" she asked, tone firm.

"What? No, of course not…" your voice cracked and you cursed under your breath. "... It wasn't intentional."

Undyne sighed, having more than expected that answer. Slowly running her fingers through her ponytail, she let her glance travel upwards as she sighed. "I trust Papyrus to protect you… He won't hurt his brother, but he won't let Sans hurt you either. You'll be safe there as long as Papyrus is around. And if you do get hurt…" she gave you a crooked grin. "Well I guess that, for once, Sans will learn to have a bad time."

Giving you a wink, Undyne grabbed her bag of groceries and turned to leave before you could even say anything. But what was there to say? You were grateful to her and how much she cared, even though you wondered if you two simply followed the same pattern of thought- if a monster happened to harm a human, there would be another war, no doubt about it.

Out of all things, you could have never thought that you'd be looking forward to going to Papyrus' place to cook him dinner, but for the rest of the day, you had the familiar feeling of anticipation in the pit of your stomach as you tried to get done and trough with your work as fast as you could. After you shift, you scrubbed the floors halfheartedly, not particularly caring for how clean you left it.

Then, having bought a wide array of ingredients for both dinner and dessert, you hurried out of the store, locking the door behind you and starting down the street towards the skeleton brother's house.

Only when you stopped before the wooden door to their house, did your excitement replace with dread once again. What if Sans opened the door, and not Papyrus? What if Sans had had a bad day and you were in actual danger? What is Papyrus wasn't home at all? Thousands of scenarios and ideas ran through your head, but you knocked anyway.

Stupid.

You released a breath you didn't realize you'd been holding, when you heard actual, quick footsteps approaching the door and when a moment later Papyrus' head poked out from behind it. Even though he had been expecting you, his face still lit up and despite your previous fears, you found yourself smiling back to him brightly.

"Hey Pap, sorry I'm so late," you said and giggled as you felt his teeth against your cheek.

"You were hard at work! It is okay to be late!" he replied, guiding you inside and taking the grocery bags from you. It was a relief, as his place was far away and the bags weren't exactly light. Maybe you should work out more… then you could be more intimidating as well.

You let your gaze slip around the house. It was small with the whole first floor being shared by just the living room, furnished with a large sofa and TV, and the kitchen. The two didn't exactly have a door between them, and you found yourself thinking how uncomfortable it would be if you were trying to watch TV and you were constantly distracted by your brother being loud in the kitchen. To add to that, it didn't look too nice either.

For a second, you looked up to the narrow flight of stairs, leading seemingly to darkness. You sincerely hoped that that's where the bedrooms were and the house wasn't just limited to the living room and an attic. You didn't exactly live in luxury, but you were alone and your apartment was plenty big for just yourself.

"I shall inform my brother of your arrival, please do make yourself at home," Papyrus informed you as he set the groceries on the counter and proceeded upstairs. You breathed a sigh of relief- so that was the bedroom's hideout after all. You had been half worried that the two of them slept on the couch together.

Ignoring the lurching feeling in your stomach, you started unpacking the groceries and preparing the kitchen for the stuffed paprikas that you wanted to make for … well for Papyrus. You didn't want to make Sans anything, but since he lived with Papyrus you were forced to. ...Right?

Somewhere, two doors opened and closed, and you felt a cold breeze on your back, making you turn around with a slither of hope that Sans had left upon hearing about your presence. However, his stupid grin was right up in your face when you did and with a yell you jumped back.

"Yo," he nonchalantly greeted you, and for a second you felt at ease, until his grin dropped. Well, it never really dropped, it just turns eerie. "What the fuck do you want from here? You know, I'm keeping an eye on you in case you want to vandalize our kitchen."

It suddenly dawned on you that if the front door had opened, and Sans was still here, than that meant that it was just the two of you in the house… Of course… Knowing Papyrus you should have figured that he's have a master plan ready to make Sans and you friends.

Great.

"Listen, Sans, I'm not here to harm you, or whatever you think I'm here for. I don't know what the hell your problem with me is, because every time I try to help you, you jump for my throat as if I'm pointing a gun at you! I am here on Papyrus' request and because of that only, I couldn't give two shits about pleasing you or making you angry, so kindly fuck off."

Woah, you thought to yourself, where had all that come from? Though on the other hand, this outburst of bottled emotions was long overdue, since you hadn't gotten a chance to vent about Sans and his behaviour… unless you count the Suckets.

If you hadn't been so observant of his eerie face, you would have missed the look of shock that crossed it for a split second, and even the regret that lingered there for an even shorter amount than that. Losing the eerie accent on his grin, his eyes turned back to normal and it was as if he was really smiling to you.

"I guess you could say I have a bone to pick with you."

"Oh my god," you whispered, covering your mouth with your hand, half to suppress a snort and half because of how bad that was. "Did you … do all that just to set up a pun…?" if so, you'd be even more furious, and honest to god, you will hit Sans for that.

To your surprise, his smile faded, but to nothing malicious, rather a small frown, with which he took a seat on the counter, closing his eyes. "Look… Ever since we came here, we've been… Bullied. Mistreated. We've been hunted and hurt and… It's been hell. After six months, you start regarding every human you came in contact with as a threat- someone who wants to hurt you, and with- ah fuck. I wasn't thinking straight, okay? I'm sorry… I know this is a bullshit excuse for putting a bone to your throat, but-"

You had set your hand onto Sans' shoulder, cutting him off and receiving the most puzzled expression in return. You could only sigh when he murmured another silent 'sorry'.

"Hey, it's okay," you tried to smile reassuringly, though you were certain you both felt that your hand was shaking on his shoulder. "I'm alive and kicking. No harm done. You just saved me from certain death."

Slowly, Sans returned your smile, his bony hand resting over yours, and even though it was slightly uncomfortable and odd feeling bones against your skin, you didn't protest, only turned your hand so you could hold his. "We pals, yeah?" you asked, and you were sure he caught the hesitation in your voice.

"Yeah, we pals," Sans repeated, eyes fixed on your hands. "Can I help you cook? No ketchup, I promise."

Yeah, okay, from terrifying, to annoying to outright fucking adorable all in one day- Sans sure had talent when it came to changing your opinion about him. "Of course you can, lemme get the stuff set out, okay?" your grin almost matched his, even though your voice was still uncertain. You can never know when he snaps again, though a part of you frowns upon that thought and tells you to have trust in Sans.

Your hands part and he obediently gets off the counter when you shoo him, opting to lean on it instead. Shaking your head with a smile, you get out the paprikas and a knife, that you find Sans is watching with caution. Well… you're not the only one uncomfortable…

"I'll let you handle the cutting, okay?" you say, pulling out the cutting board that Papyrus had left out for you and setting the paprika onto it. You wait for the silent 'okay', and you proceed to show Sans what to do. Deeming it simple enough, Sans takes charge of the cutting board and you go on the quest to find a pot and a pan.

"So… You work at the supermarket?"

You glance at Sans and smirk. He's trying to start up small talk- cute.

"Nope, I just like lounging around there, wearing employee clothes," you wink at him, and your snarky reply manages to earn you a snort from Sans.

"Funny," he comments, trying to sound dry and annoyed, but his previous snort had already given him away. And this is when you decide to test him.

"Hey Sans, why did the ghost cross the road?" you ask, finally finding a pan and setting it on the stove. You find a pair of eyes examining you as you dump the minced meat on it and turn the stovetop on.

"Why?" he finally asks, turning back to his cutting.

"To get to the other side," you proudly proclaim, and before he can get a word in, you clarify; "like, you know… the afterlife?"

Now it's his turn to say; "Oh my god…" but with a much bigger grin- it really does seem like he's trying his best not to laugh. "That was so bad. Papyrus would be furious with you."

Chuckling and inwardly proud of your feat (and the fact that you made Sans smile… um smile more), you turn to face Sans. "Yeah? Good thing he's not here then," you concluded. "he did look like he was in a bone-rush when he left."

After an exchanged look of "that was terrible", the two of you dissolve into a mess of giggles and laughter. What had happened to half an hour ago when you were dreading to come here because of Sans? That was all but forgotten.

You almost burn your minced meat when you're busy exchanging puns with Sans, and at some point, Papyrus comes back, though he's quieter than you've ever seen… er heard him. From the corner of your eye, you see him smirking. He had set this up! Bastard. Well, not really. You loved him.

The time flies past, and you can honestly say you've never had this much fun cooking before. When you were lifting the pot with the paprikas off the fire, you were wishing that they never got ready. With a sigh, you were about to lift off the lid, when Sans caught your wrist and gently guided you away.

"The lid heats up pretty badly," he smiled with a shrug. "Let someone who can't get burnt handle this."

Okay, you'd never admit it, but your cheeks heated up at that. Murmuring a small 'thank you', you took a step back to let Sans handle it, distributing the dinner onto three plates and pouring the sauce around them. You found yourself smiling as you watched him, completely entranced by his movements.

He handed you two of the plates and smiled to you as your hands brushed together. Ignoring the urge to sound an embarrassing squeak, you turned around to carry the plates back into the living room, where Papyrus was already sitting at the table, and if he had eyebrows, he would wiggle them.

"I, the great Papyrus, made you be friends with my brother!" he announced the obvious and you sighed as you set down his plate in front of him. His face lit up as he studied it. "And the outcome smells delicious!"

"Heh, thanks bro," Sans replied as he carried the remaining plate and cutlery into the room. You didn't care to protest about how you had done most of the work and you plopped yourself down between the two brothers, pulling your plate to yourself.

"Do you wanna drink something?" Sans asked you, already cutting his meal though. Well, even if you said yes, he'd probably tell you to go and get it yourself, so you politely shake your head and, as have both the skeleton brothers, start devouring your meal.

"This is absolutely wonderful!" Papyrus loudly exclaims, but let's be honest, what doesn't he do loudly. Laughing, you thank him for him compliment, glancing at Sans who seems to be too absorbed into his plate to notice anything around him.

The three of you also share some ice cream that you had bought, and you end up staying over later than you planned. It's already eleven PM when you notice the clock and gasp. You don't notice it, but there's a momentary flash of worry on Sans' face.

"Crap, it's so late! I need to be to work early tomorrow!" you spring up from your chair and bolt to the door, rather rudely, but the skeletons follow you smiling none the less. After pulling on your coat, you hug papyrus goodbye and he brings the excuse of having to do the dishes to escape when Sans steps up to you to trade goodbyes.

"Hey so uh, I had a great time," Sans mutters, rubbing the back of his skull. "If we could do that again… Um, that's just be really nice, y'know? But yeah.. are you gonna get home alright? It is late…"

Yes, admittedly, for a second the fear of last night comes back to you, but you realize quickly how irrational it is with Sans standing right in front of you, worried. So you gift him a smile.

"I'll be fine, Sans, thank you though. We will definitely have to do this again," you chime, "See you tomorrow!"

He watches you go, grin splitting his face like it hasn't in a long time. It hadn't been

in a long time…

"C'ya.."