Sans had no idea what to make of her.

He hitched a leg up closer to himself and leaned on his knee, flicking the excess ash from a cigarette wedged between two fingers. It was a bad habit, he knew, but it wasn't like it was bad for a monster with no lungs. Just another skeleton perk, he guessed.

Holly was kind, like Frisk chose to be—in some timelines, at least. The new human showed genuine concern for her monster friends. She came to smooth things over with him even after he'd shown hostility towards her. She damn near had a panic attack when she realized how close Alphys had come to death. Sans believed the sincerity of her feelings—he even felt the smallest amount of concern for her.

He wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt, he really did. His nature was inherently kind, even if years of living in unspeakably horrible timelines had hardened him, made him paranoid, kept him from being completely happy on the surface. He wanted to believe that she wouldn't snap at one point, or make one choice out of curiosity like Frisk had, that ended with someone he loved becoming a pile of dust. But it was so hard.

Nearly impossible to trust someone who had EXP like that, really.

"Is it all right if I put the receipt in the bag?"

The elderly woman scowled and snapped her fingers before turning her hand palm-up. "Ugh, no! Just give it to me."

Holly did so with a jovial smile. She was used to this sort of attitude from customers so it didn't really phase her anymore. "You have a good day, ma'am!"

The old woman snatched her bag of clearance clothing and muttered to herself before shuffling off. Holly took a breath and stopped for a sip of her water bottle before the next customer plopped all of their items on the register.

"Hi there, did you find everything you needed today, sir?"

The day dragged on like this—the same as it was every day. Her manager came by to gently remind her to make sure to fill in online orders, though being by herself at a register with a huge line really hadn't given her any time to do anything about the backlog. She'd have to rush them at the end of her shift, as usual.

A co-worker showed up for their shift, allowing Holly to go to her lunch break. She didn't hesitate to clock out, zooming over to the break room and avoiding eye contact with any customers who would ask for help with their shopping.

She meandered in, eyeing a seat and putting her phone at the table to lay claim to the spot before buying herself a soda as she did every day. She tugged her phone from her pocket, checking her e-mails and messages. A broad smile came to her face when she saw that she had several, mostly from Papyrus. He had insisted on getting her number before she'd gone home last night.

9:34AM The Great Papyrus: Hello! I hope you're having a good day at work!

9:36AM The Great Papyrus: Sans said you would probably have your phone's volume turned down, so you would not get in trouble if I sent you messages!

Holly had to smile. She could practically hear his voice in her head while reading his texts.

10:04AM The Great Papyrus: I enjoyed our dance very much, we should do it again sometime.

10:05AM The Great Papyrus: Frisk and I dance quite often, actually! And we are what Undyne calls "besties". Though I think out of everyone, Undyne and I have been besties longest!

10:06AM The Great Papyrus: But the point is that our friendship would benefit from more dancing.

There were lines and lines of texts like these, all of them detailing his day. At some point he even sent a selfie with Sans snoozing on the couch in the background. 'My brother napping like a babybones!' was the caption. She had to admit, Sans looked much more relaxed like that. It was satisfying to see a side of him that wasn't always so alert.

Holly's tedious day felt much brighter after having read all of his messages. Though, to her surprise, he wasn't the only skeleton to leave her texts.

11:21AM Unknown Number: heya

11:21AM Unknown Number: it's sans, got your number from paps

11:22AM Unknown Number: just in case

The happiness dimmed a little at this. Right, two nights ago had proved that it was very much necessary to have everyone's numbers for any emergency that may arise. She saved his number on her phone, seeing he left her a few more messages.

11:30AM Sans: you feeling ok

11:30AM Sans: the apt was pretty bad yesterday

Holly blinked. Sans was concerned about her well-being? She considered it for a moment—it did make sense. He seemed to take care of everyone else before himself; she guessed it was extended to her now, as well. She tapped on the 'reply' box.

12:45PM Holly: Yeah, I'm fine now

12:45PM Holly: Thanks to your brother mostly lol, he keeps sending me texts and pics

The reply was almost immediate.

12:46PM Sans: yeah he does that. he's pretty cool

12:46PM Holly: Mhmm

12:47PM Holly: Thanks for asking though, I appreciate it

12:47PM Sans: yeah no prob

Paired with Papyrus's cheerful messages, Sans's concern boosted Holly's morale—at least for a while.

Holly's shift ended (she didn't need to close today, thank the stars above) and she drove home, pondering the situation of Undyne's and Alphys's residence. Undyne had seemed very reluctant to go back to the complex, and Holly really couldn't blame her. After reading the message on their bedroom wall, she wondered if the people responsible would come after them if they were seen anywhere near the complex. This wasn't outright discussed yet with her friends, but Holly would need to speak with the proper people at the apartment offices about the damage done and the rent and living situation.

She kicked her shoes off as soon as she opened her door and worked her hands around to unhook her bra from underneath her shirt. Holly groaned with relief as soon as the stupid thing was flung somewhere across her living room and she flopped onto her couch, taking her phone out to check her messages. All of them were from Papyrus, which made her smile. She texted him to let him know she was home, but frowned when she realized that there weren't any messages from Undyne or Alphys.

Normally Alphys texted Holly a few times during the day, and sometimes Undyne would make some comment about her day. Today must have been stressful for them both, so they neglected to leave their human friend any messages.

Yes, that's probably what it was.

Holly dropped her phone unceremoniously on the coffee table. Would her friends even be okay staying with her at the apartment? It wasn't like she thought it was a good idea anymore after having seen the message left for them—she hadn't managed to talk to Undyne about that particular detail yet—but a voice in her head wouldn't stop telling her that they didn't want to stay with her. Of course they preferred older friends to her.

She stood up, rubbing her arms with her hands out of habit, and sat at her kitchen table. Her laptop whirred to life from hibernation as she opened it, the startup sound inaudible since a pair of large headphones was connected to the audio port. Holly tucked her hair behind her ears and put them on before choosing a specific playlist, and then she shuffled the electronics around so a large drawing tablet sat before the keys of the laptop. She flexed her right wrist a few times before gripping the tablet pen, opening up her favorite digital painting program.

The lines flowed across the digital canvas in light, loose waves, aimless for now until they formed something familiar. Holly fell into focus, turning the music up until it blared in her ears and filled her mind until she couldn't hear the buzzing of her own thoughts. Angry teeth and accusing eyes filled her screen, with dark arcs against sharp angles.

When the canvas was darkened and filled completely with sketches and rough paintings, she finally fell back against the chair, twisting her wrist until it cracked to her satisfaction. She expelled air that gathered darkly in her lungs and she closed her eyes, falling into the pounding music in her ears, and let herself feel.

She allowed herself honesty within the confines of her own mind.

She let herself think about what she would have done if Alphys had died while she and Undyne were gone. She let herself imagine that Michelle avoided speaking to her on purpose, angry that Holly had left her behind when she moved here. She thought about her lack of a certain future, and wondered what it would be like if all she ever did was work in jobs that made her miserable. She wondered if Undyne secretly thought like Sans did, suspicious of all humans enough to wonder if Holly was partly to blame for their suddenly upended lives. Holly thought of every worst case scenario and let herself be moved by it all, the tears leaving trails of mascara down her face. She could feel it burning her eyes.

She stayed like that for a little over an hour. Deciding she'd had her fill of misery, she wiped futilely at her face and took off the headphones. Her stomach growled and she blinked in surprise, remembering that it had been hours since she'd eaten.

Trudging into the kitchen took far more effort than it should have. Holly was about to just have coffee for dinner when her phone began ringing from the table.

"Alphys, hey," she answered, recognizing the cutesy anime ringtone.

"H-hey Holly, um… how was your day at work?" the monster asked.

"It was all right. Papyrus kept texting me all day," Holly laughed, privately relieved that her voice lacked any of the negative emotion she'd been feeling earlier.

"Oh, y-yeah, he, uh… he does that." Her voice seemed to get smaller and distant. "Holly… me and Undyne were talking, a-and. Well, sh-she said that maybe it would be a better idea if we, um. Stayed here at either Toriel's or Papyrus's?"

Holly stubbornly refused to acknowledge the feeling of lead in her stomach. "Yeah? That's probably a better idea, it's likely a lot safer," she said reassuringly.

"Y-yeah," Alphys agreed quickly, sounding relieved. "Undyne said she saw… something in our apartment, like a m-message. That those, um. People left. She said it's dangerous to be seen back over there."

"Of course, that's fine. Your safety is the most important thing." Holly wouldn't feel upset about this. They were being safe. They were most definitely not choosing to stay over there because they disliked her. But if Undyne had seen that message, why hadn't she said so earlier? Maybe she was grateful that Holly had offered, even if she wasn't going to take her up on it.

'Or she was trying to be polite in front of the others. Humans did this to them, of course she wouldn't want to stay with one.'

"Thanks, Holly, I… w-we want to come stay with you, it would be much easier," she sighed. "Undyne j-just feels really protective right now. Sh-she can't even leave me alone for one day, ha ha…"

Holly felt as if someone squeezed her heart. Immediately, all of her selfish concerns were abandoned in the face of her friend's self-loathing. "Oh, Alphys, don't you start acting as if this was your fault."

She heard the dinosaur monster sniffle. "I-if I w-was just, stronger! Our home would b-be okay and I wouldn't have to rely on Undyne s-so much!"

"Alph. Stop."

"They always go after me and sh-she's always the one protecting me! I can only stand there, I-I'm so useless—"

"Alphys!" Holly growled. The monster sniffed and fell silent. Holly took in a deep breath and let it out. "I'm coming over. Don't argue!" she interrupted before Alphys could say anything. "Prepare yourself for a marathon of anime. Tell Undyne, too, okay?" she said, her voice softening at the end. Alphys let out a choked giggle.

"O-okay. But, actually, I think Papyrus is coming to get you? He w-wouldn't stop talking about your dance," she said, her voice bouncing back slightly. Holly paused, caught by surprise.

"Really? I didn't even do much of anything, even!" she protested.

"W-well you learned really fast though! You did with Undyne and me, too," Alphys told her.

"I did? I felt like I was just fumbling and stepping on everyone's feet!"

"No, no! You're not, um, monster-level yet, but you're learning!" Alphys reassured her, sounding more and more like her usual self. Holly smiled to herself, glad that her idea of dancing more often seemed to be a good idea to cheer up her friend.

"Well I'll have to keep learning so I get to be pro. Maybe I'll even get Sans to tell me what his dance is," she laughed, but Alphys had gone quiet on the other end.

"O-oh. Sans… he used to dance all the time, but…" she trailed off. Holly got the distinct impression that she was uncomfortable. "Um, I know you don't know everything about d-dancing and monster souls, but. It's connected to our well-being. Th-the more we do it, the better off our souls are," Alphys explained. "…I want to say more b-but. I think it might be rude to say anymore, I d-don't want to share anything that might be considered p-personal to Sans."

"…Huh. Well, all right," Holly agreed, though now she was burning to know more. So if Sans didn't dance anymore, did that mean he was unhealthy somehow? Or, more accurately, that his soul was unhealthy? She knew Sans was protective and had a good ability to deflect unwanted questions. Other than that, Holly realized she didn't know much about the shorter of the skeleton brothers at all.

A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. "Oh, that'll be Papyrus! You gave him my address?" she asked Alphys.

"Haha, yeah. W-wait! Just, um. Make sure it's him before opening the door," Alphys said, her voice cracking. "Um. Please."

Holly felt her gut clench. "I will, Alph. See you in a bit."

After getting Papyrus to wait for a few minutes so she could get changed and grab her things (including Mew Mew Kissy Cutie and her laptop for Netflix purposes), they headed downstairs to his car. Now that she actually looked at it, the car seemed to be really nice—a hot red convertible, not a scratch on it. She wondered where they got the money for it, since their home didn't exactly scream "high income".

"Papyrus, I just have to ask—when did you get this car? It's… well, it's pretty awesome," she admitted, running her hand along the door handle as she hopped in. The skeleton seemed to puff up with pride as he put on a pair of shades (she really wondered how he could wear glasses without ears to hold them up, to which the answer was probably "magic").

"Sans took all the gold we had from the Underground and traded it for human currency! He kept some of it a secret and surprised me with my dream car after I got my license," he explained as they drove. For such an excitable person, he was actually a very responsible driver. Holly was glad—as much as she loved Undyne, the fish lady could be aggressive on the road.

"That was nice of him," she said, smiling. Papyrus glanced over for a moment, returning the expression. His trademark scarf billowed in the wind, but his battle body had been traded out for a button-up shirt and a pair of skinny jeans. Holly guessed that all of his clothes must have been tailored, since he was so tall and literally skeleton-thin.

"My brother is the coolest," he replied. "He does a lot of kind things that he thinks I do not notice, but as a good brother, of course I notice!" Holly looked over at him, mild surprise on her features. Papyrus caught the look and laughed. "Nyeh heh heh, The Great Papyrus is more wily than you thought! Though, don't tell him I said he was the coolest. He gets sentimental about these things, and then he makes a lot of bad jokes." A look of long-suffering crossed his features. "So, so many bad jokes."

Holly couldn't help herself. She was still an annoying older sister, after all. "So, would you say he gets SANS-timental?" she teased, poking her tongue between her teeth at him.

"HOLLY NO!"

She cackled like a mad scientist all the way to Toriel's house, torturing him with all the horrible puns she could think of.

"This is one intense cartoon."

"Shut up, Sans, this is a good part!"

Holly, Alphys, and Undyne were huddled close on the couch, all of them trying to see the small laptop screen. They'd opted to watch anime on Holly's Crunchyroll account. Undyne was freaking out over one of the characters using a special ability that involved a demon vacuum that ate up all evidence of any dead bodies, making it seem as if an entire hall full of people had simply vanished.

Sans was hovering over the back of the couch, at first having started to watch to poke fun at it. Holly could tell he was into it now, though, as his jabs were getting half-hearted and less frequent. She smirked to herself, wondering if she could get more people into anime. Undyne and Alphys were a bit intense about being fans, but it wasn't as if they had no reason to be—a lot of anime was extremely good.

"Dinner's nearly ready," Toriel called from the kitchen, where she'd been bustling for most of the evening. Papyrus was helping under Frisk's careful supervision, to make sure Undyne's influence didn't cause another house fire.

"Episode's almost over," Holly called back, half-listening.

"OHHHH MAN!" Undyne leapt up, nearly knocking the computer off of Holly's lap. One of the main characters had caught wind of the presence of the evil troupe causing havoc—a character who had a personal vendetta against them. His eyes were glowing red with rage as he swore to go after them. The episode came to a close right after that and Undyne was bouncing with energy.

"Oh my god did you see that?! HE'S GONNA KICK THEIR ASSES!" she cackled.

"Undyne! Language!" Toriel called sharply from the other room. Undyne's ear-fins lowered a bit.

"Uhhh, sorry," she said, only slightly abashed. "Put on the next episode! I gotta know what happens!" she demanded, looking at Holly with demented enthusiasm.

"We gotta eat dinner, Undyne!" Holly said, laughing at her earnestness.

"Oh that's easy for you, Holly!" Alphys pouted. "You've seen the next episode!" Her stutter was momentarily forgotten in the face of anime; she did this when she wasn't paying attention to her self-confidence issues. "Though I wonder what types of abilities those characters had. Are they really that strong? I mean, there have to be some people around who have abilities to match at least one at a time—"

"Yeah! Though I bet the main four are gonna be the ones to beat 'em up," Undyne added. Behind them, Sans made a quiet scoffing noise. The fish monster whipped around to face him. Holly got a face full of fiery hair. "What, you got somethin' to say, shorty?!"

Sans shrugged. "Two of the main characters are kids, they ain't gonna beat troupe members who have had years of training in their particular area of expertise."

"But the tactical know -how paired with raw ability and power, I bet they could take at least one of them out—" Alphys shot back, and suddenly there was a three-way debate of speculation. Holly just sat back and grinned. Ah, to be the cause of such intense havoc. It was oddly satisfying.

"Dinner's ready!" Frisk called, and Holly got up to help put the silverware out on the dining room table. The three arguing monsters brought their debate to the table, though it seemed that Sans was finding it to be too much effort to do much of it anymore.

"You three! It's time for dinner with the rest of us," Toriel scolded, though her eyes were sparkling with mirth.

"This looks good, what is this?" Holly asked, looking down at her plate. It appeared to be a mix of diced and sautéed vegetables with some kind of creamy red sauce covering them.

"Oh, just a healthy dinner, since it seems some of you are determined to eat the same things every night if I don't cook," she accused, giving several of the seated monsters a glance.

"Hey now, Grillbz's food helps put meat on these bones," Sans argued. Toriel tried to hold in a chuckle but it came out as a snort, and she promptly blushed while covering her mouth with a white paw.

"Oh goodness, how impolite," she said.

"Toriel, you're too adorable," Holly commented, laughing. The monster was about to retort when Holly's phone began ringing, though it was the generic tone. She fumbled to get it out of her pocket, apologizing for the rude interruption.

"Ah, I don't know this number, it might be someone from work," she said. "I'll take it outside." She hit the 'answer' button before the ringing stopped. "Hello?"

She was halfway to standing up out of her chair when the voice on the other end of the line made her freeze. "So, you won't answer the phone when you know it's me, but you'll answer for a stranger?" The voice was accusatory, sharp, and ran right up Holly's spine.

It was her mother.

A/N: Thanks to Akinai_Sere on Ao3 for being my beta!