"Ugh! It just won't behave." Fuku complained from the bathroom. A smirk tugged at your lips, interrupting a yawn, as you peeked in the door, waving away the worried teenager that poked their head out of their room. Fuku sat on the edge of the tub, glaring at the brush she'd slammed onto the counter.
You slipped behind her easily with the object, smoothing out the fiery strands you called her hair. "You look great in that dress. Simple and elegant?" You guessed, thinking of possible hairstyles.
"You don't have to do my hair, _." She argued out of principle, already leaning in to your gentle touch.
"Do you even know what a best friend is, Fuku?" You teased. "Of course I have to do your hair! It's bad enough that I didn't go shopping with you when you bought that dress."
She snickered as she leaned her head back, giving you easy access. You pulled her upper hair into a pony before separating what was left. You separated the remaining strands into thirds on each side, pinning them before repeating the process with the ponytail. You wrapped the first set around the existing pony, tying it off before moving on to do the same with the other two sets and again with the original pony.
You stepped back to admire your work. It looked almost like a braid, but different enough to seem like it had taken a lot more work. The hair ties, save for the last one, were hidden under her hair, so they couldn't detract from the image.
You reached into your own hair ties, despite a protest from your friend, and found the clip you were looking for. Quickly you replaced the simple tie ending your masterpiece with the new one, decorated with a smoky white crystal that matched the elegance of her dress.
Perfect.
"Check if you like it, but I'm pretty sure you're ready for your date." You ordered, giving her the hand mirror.
She did, turning the mirror so she could see the back of her head in the bigger mirror on the wall. The smaller one clattered to the counter as Fuku threw her arms around you in a hug. "I love it. Thanks a bunch, _."
"It's hard enough getting ready in the morning on a regular day. Adding date preparations into the mix…I dunno how you do it Fuku. Helping with your hair is the least I could do." You replied.
"Thanks again." She affirmed before moving to grab her bag and leave.
"WhO hAs A dAtE tHiS eArLy In ThE mOrNiNg?" Temmie demanded as the front door closed again behind her.
"Someone who works nights and doesn't have class today." You replied, allowing the yawn to cross your face again before heading to the kitchen. "Besides, I'm convinced all of you have silly notions of time. Alphys, Undyne, and Sans showed up at 6 A.M. on a Saturday for a housewarming party."
'I remember that. What's for breakfast?' Chara questioned as their bare feet padded against the tile of the kitchen, eyeing the water boiling on the stove warily.
"Poached eggs and toast." You informed them absently, concentrating on getting the water at just the right spin before cracking the first egg in. Some of the white still strung a little, despite your effort. At least it wasn't literally just a yolk anymore. At Temmie's disgusted noise, you added, "Well, you can always cook if you don't like it."
Shocked silence met you. 'We're allowed to cook?' Chara finally asked.
"Of course. You're fourteen, right? I'm pretty sure I can trust you in the kitchen. Temmie…well I guess we'll see if he ever tries to cook. If you wreck the place, then no more cooking for you." You threatened the Temmie with your holey spoon, scooping out yet another imperfect poached egg.
"TeM cOuLd JuSt Do It WhEn YoU aReN't HoMe." He threatened back.
A knowing smile crossed your face before your expression turned mischievous. "I think you forget you're living with a mage now. I wonder how you would look in neon orange?" You didn't think it was possible to get any paler than white, but Temmie proved you wrong.
"TeMmIe DoEsN't HaVe FlEsH fOr YoU tO cOlOr." He finally argued, regaining himself.
"Oh, that's fine. An overlay would work swimmingly." You placed three plates at the table, each with two imperfect eggs and two slices of toast. "Milk? Juice? The blood of our ancestors?"
That last one, though a joke, caught Temmie's attention. "WhAt?"
"What?" You feigned innocence. "For a drink. What do you want?"
'Sit and eat. I can get it.' Chara ordered. So, you sat. Chara brought drinks to the table and you all ate.
You weren't used to being up so early. Your classes were later in the day and you worked at night, so without interference you were rarely up before nine. You supposed you would have to get used to it. There was a school-age child in the house now.
A quick glance at the clock kicked you into gear.
"Dinner's in the fridge when you get home, just nuke it for a minute." You stated absently, shoving an errant textbook in your bag. Might as well be ready to go yourself.
'So, who's my babysitter?' Chara inquired.
You looked up at your charge, confused. "Fuku will be back around eight, but you're old enough to be home alone until then, aren't you? Are you going to trash the place?"
Chara stared at you for a moment, astounded, before shaking their head. 'I won't.'
"That settles it then. Come on; I'll walk you to school today so we can get a feel for the route. Sorry I can't drive you like you're used to." You swung your bag onto your back, doing a quick checklist in your head before leaving out the front door, Chara right behind you with their own bookbag.
The walk there was longer than you would have liked. It was a solid thirty minutes before you arrived at the front gates. Chara gripped your hand again as you both approached. Your earliness would be useful today, since you had to talk to the school administration.
They needed to update the records on Chara's address and guardianship change after all.
You sighed despondently when you walked back in early the next morning after your shift. Several broken objects were gathered on the dining table, and it didn't take long to figure out what had happened. "Temmie. I know you're about."
The creature poked his head out of the hallway to look at you. "WhAt Do YoU wAnT, hUmAn?"
"I'm sorry. We shouldn't just leave you at home with nothing to do." You apologized, walking over to the table and inspecting the different pieces of object scattered there.
The small monster looked honestly surprised. You supposed Fuku and Chara had probably already given him lectures. He quickly covered up his shock with his usual unfriendliness, as a creepy smile crossed his face. "I mAnAgEd To KeEp MySeLf EnTeRtAiNeD."
You reached into your bag and pulled out a piece of chalk and began the sequence to fix everything. "Would you like me to get you something to do, or shall I just lock up all the breakables then?"
"YoU aReN't GoInG tO tRy To LoCk Me Up ThEn?" He demanded, trotting over and jumping on one of the chairs to inspect what you were doing.
"I might put you in a corner for time out if you keep misbehaving, but no. I won't ever lock you up. I highly doubt Asgore ever did so, so why the concern?" You questioned back.
"AsGoRe Is…A mOnStEr. YoU'rE hUmAn."
You didn't respond. Of course, it was that. Why had you even asked. It was either because you were human or because you were a mage. Everything was either because you were human or because you were a mage.
You activated your sequence, hoping to burn away some of the rising frustration with pure exhaustion. It didn't work. Well, the dishes, vase, and knick-knacks were fixed at least, even if your stomach was turning uncomfortably.
"PuZzLeS aNd BoOkS." Temmie stated before wandering back to Chara's room.
Yeah. You weren't getting to sleep any time soon. Instead you put away all the previously broken items and grabbed a notebook and several post-it notes. Might as well use the time productively.
Papyrus woke to a text on his phone. Several, actually, because Chara wouldn't call and knew he needed multiple reasons to wake up this early, rather than just one. The kid was asking for a shortcut to school.
He guesses that was time-sensitive enough to warrant getting out of bed. Wasn't taking the kid to school your job though? After sending a quick text back, Papyrus took a shortcut to your living room.
Chara wasn't there just yet. They probably hadn't expected him to get here so quickly. He glanced around, easily finding you at the table. You were snoring lightly, head resting on the table completely surrounded by papers and sticky notes.
Really? You were shirking your guardian duties to sleep? Incredulous, he wandered over to check one of the slips. 'No Movie Theaters! Sans dislikes dark, enclosed spaces.' Huh? How did you know that? He was certain you'd never asked.
Another stated: 'Genres Sans Likes: 1. Action 2. Cooking 3. Romance 4. Comedy' Most of the slips were filled with similar notes and date ideas. He flipped open the notebook to the first page. On the list were several 'Establishments to Avoid'. He recognized quite a few of them as harboring anti-monster sentiments.
You were really trying pretty hard. Papyrus wasn't sure where you had even learned all these things. Was it just from paying attention to Sans?
You had a pretty good idea of what he would like though. Papyrus couldn't help but to approve of that. You cared. Nobody would put in this kind of effort to lead someone on.
Right by your head was a different note, written in bold letters. 'Chara, if I fall asleep doing this, just go ahead and wake me up. I'll make breakfast and walk you to school.' So, you weren't shirking on purpose.
With a lazy sigh, he turned to wait on your couch. He supposed he could cut you some slack.