Between work, working on art commissions, and spending time with her new monster friends, the days flew by for Holly.
Undyne and Alphys had gotten back to their regular work schedules, meaning that Holly didn't see them very much at all—especially since they weren't neighbors anymore. This was upsetting, but all the texts from Papyrus and visits to Toriel's made up for it, just a little.
Soon enough, Halloween was upon them. Holly wasted no time in using the guise of costumes to make use of her artistic skills.
She could barely contain her excitement as she applied the base foundation of her Halloween makeup, contouring her face to look more feline. She didn't have anything fancy to wear when it came to costumes, but she made up for that with artistic makeup every year. This time, she was painting herself up as a leopard. The black eyeliner really made her eyes pop out of all the makeup and spots; she snarled in the mirror at herself, satisfied with the contrast of her teeth against the black lipstick. Done with the toughest part, she set a pair of cheap spotted cat ears on her head.
Halloween wasn't her favorite holiday, but it was up on the list. The cool autumn air and the cheesy but spooky atmosphere cheered her, especially with the knowledge that she was going to celebrate with her new group of friends. She hadn't yet seen either Undyne's or Alphys's outfits, but their descriptions gave Holly a decent picture. It was odd to think that Undyne, the monster who had seemed so threatening when they first met, was secretly such a huge anime nerd. Papyrus hadn't shown her his outfit, either, saying that he and Sans were still working on fixing it up. She didn't mind, though; it just meant it would all be a fun surprise.
She wondered briefly if Sans had ever planned an outfit for himself. The shorter of the two skeleton brothers had been making an effort—despite his apparent laziness—to be kinder to Holly. He was back to his easygoing, joking self; he was becoming the Sans that Holly had met on that day she'd first gone to their house to watch Undyne and Papyrus. Holly greatly appreciated that he never brought up the conversation they'd had on Toriel's back porch. He also didn't act as if she was fragile, which truly was what made her take to him quickly.
However, things were still… stilted between them. He was polite enough, and funny, but she got the feeling that he was still being cautious around her. The skeleton monster had been much less suspicious, though, so she had hope that she could become as good a friend to him as she was to the others.
A little while later and she'd made it to Toriel's. They were to all meet up there, since Frisk, Papyrus, and a handful of neighborhood kids were going trick-or-treating together. When she knocked, Papyrus answered the door, already decked out in his outfit.
"Oh, Pap! Wow, you look really handsome," she said, and meant it. He didn't have his hat on yet, but the black mariachi suit, complete with gold embellishments all along the seams, was tailored to his tall frame. It made him look elegant and festive.
"Why, thank you, huma—Holly," he corrected. He'd been trying to use Frisk's and Holly's real names, since it was confusing when the two of them would both answer. "But wowie, you look so cool! Did you do your face paint yourself?" he asked.
"Yep!" she answered proudly, stepping into the living room when he moved aside. "Is everyone all dressed up yet?"
"Yes! …Well, actually, Sans forgot to plan a costume for himself," he sighed. "He just wore his sweatshirt with bones on it."
Holly snorted at the irony of a skeleton wearing what she pictured immediately as one of those Hot Topic hoodies with a ribcage printed on it. "Of course he did. I bet it's even glow-in-the-dark." The fact that Sans hadn't planned his own outfit while spending all his time on Papyrus's didn't surprise her in the slightest, however, given his deflecting at the mall a while back. Sans also seemed to be the type to put Papyrus's wants above his own, even if it was something as trivial as a Halloween costume. "Where is that bonehead? I'm gonna make sure he's Halloween-ready."
Papyrus looked down at her with a bit of curiosity. "I think Sans is outside with Alphys and Undyne. What are you going to do?"
Holly grinned up at the tall monster. "Just gonna make sure you two have costumes that match."
When she did head out back, she was met with the squealing of her favorite yellow monster.
"Omigosh Holly! Did you do your makeup? W-wow, you're so artistic!" Alphys was looking up at her, the skirt of her costume gently swishing in the breeze.
"Yeah I did," Holly said, laughing and looking Alphys over. The short dinosaur was clad in what looked like a very embellished sailor-senshi costume. It was all light and dark pinks, with baby blue ribbons and accents, as well as a large, multi-faceted plastic heart gem right where the oversized collar met in the middle. She even held a wand that matched, right along with the heart gem. "Wow, you look adorable," she complimented, to which Alphys's face turned an interesting shade of red.
"Ha! Told ya," Undyne cackled while her girlfriend sputtered. "Alphy is Kissy Cutie, and I'm her ultimate rival! Y'know, who's secretly in love with the hero," she explained, leaning down to give the yellow monster a peck on the nose. Undyne was dressed up in a senshi outfit, as well, but hers was black in color with white and blue accents. A cyan gem, oval in shape, sat in the same place Alphys's did. Where Alphys looked positively cute in her outfit, Undyne looked…
"Damn Undyne, you're totally hot in that," Holly laughed. Alphys squeaked at her side and the fish monster's cheeks darkened… was Undyne actually blushing?
It was true that the muscular monster woman filled out her costume in all the right places, her long limbs graceful, slim hips accented by the short skirt. Her normally tied up hair fell down to about mid-back and cascaded down her shoulders, making Undyne look much softer than usual.
"Yeah, well, I'm taken," she said, smirking and squeezing her girlfriend. Alphys squeaked, looking both embarrassed and pleased.
Sans's familiar laugh rolled over the table. "Jeez, you three. Get a room," he teased. Holly noticed that her prediction of a glow-in-the-dark Hot Topic shirt was spot on, since the ribcage print on his shirt was emanating a soft greenish light. She snorted, but then remembered why she'd come outside. She pointed an accusing finger at him.
"Don't think I don't know that you spent all your time on Papyrus's costume and none on yours!" she scolded, to which Sans looked utterly unabashed. "I'm doing your face makeup. No exceptions!" Holly told him, her left fist planted on a hip.
He held his hands up in surrender. "Uh oh, seems I'm in a spot of trouble," he said, grinning as he looked up at Holly's face. Undyne groaned loudly.
"Uuuugh, c'mon, let's get out of here before he starts with the cat jokes," she said, dragging her girlfriend back into the house by her hand. Alphys seemed used to this sort of thing, simply accepting that she was going wherever her girlfriend wanted to go.
"Aw, are you paws-itive you wanna miss out on seeing me make up Sans?" Holly shouted. She heard Alphys giggle while Undyne screeched unintelligibly.
"Heh heh, good one," Sans complimented. His eyes followed her hands as she reached into her large purse, pulling out makeup brushes and different colors of gel eye liner. "You uh, weren't kitten, huh?"
"Nope. I've been thinking about this idea since that day at the mall. You…" she said, pausing to fiddle at her phone. "Are gonna be done up like… this." She showed him a photo, chosen from a set of Google results. An image of an intricately decorated sugar skull met his gaze and he raised a brow at her.
"You're gonna paint me up with flowers and shit?" he deadpanned. "You've cat to be kitten me right meow."
She burst into laughter at both his disbelief and the stupid joke, but nodded. "Yes! It's a sugar skull, and it's another tradition from the culture you guys were looking up with the mariachi thing. Same country, at least. It's a tradition to celebrate a day of the dead, so to speak."
He gave her a skeptical look. "That seems kinda morbid."
She chuckled. "I think it's more about cherishing deceased loved ones' memories, things like that. I'm not an expert on Mexican tradition, but that's what I've heard." She finished unscrewing the lids on three colors and scooted her hair up closer to him. Sans blinked in surprise from the close proximity, brows raising when she reached out to touch his face.
"Uh. What are you doing."
"I have to touch you to put this on." She gave him a concerned look. "You're… okay with that, right? I forget that not everyone is as touchy as me," she said, unsure. Her casual approach to physical contact wasn't always accepted by others. Though she never meant anything bad by it, Holly often felt guilty when she accidentally invaded other peoples' comfort zones. She hoped it wasn't the case with Sans, who she had barely begun to get on good terms with.
However, he simply waved dismissive hand.
"Yeah, that's fine. Just… surprised me, is all," he assured her, settling into a comfortable position. She smiled with relief and excitement.
"Cool. Okay, I need you to hold still. Let me know if you want a break." And she set to work, dipping her brush into a bright blue color she normally used for eyeliner. She didn't speak as she worked, instead focusing on putting small marks on either side of Sans's face to make sure the makeup matched on either side.
"So you've had this idea since you saw us at the mall, huh?" he asked. Holly was about to scold him for talking when she realized he wasn't moving at all. Just another weird magic quirk, she supposed.
"Mhmm," she hummed, falling back into painting intricate designs by his eye socket. His bone was a surprisingly great canvas for her; a near-white color, dry, and smooth, and had a lot less give than skin. His face was still somewhat pliable, but it was still tough. The sensation was strange beneath her fingers. There was also an odd sort of… static. It felt similar to when he'd used his 'shortcuts', though not nearly as intense. Instead, it was like touching a television screen after it had been turned on for some time.
"How'd you know I'd need a costume? I still had plenty of time to come up with somethin'."
Holly backed away to view his face from further away, inspecting the symmetry of her work. "I could just tell. You sort of always put all your effort into Papyrus and none into yourself, you know," she said, quirking a made-up eyebrow at him. The spots at the edge of her eyes moved upwards with it.
Sans shrugged, not bothering to argue. "Eh. It's what brothers are for. You know how it is," he commented nonchalantly.
She tilted her head and nodded. "Yeah, I do. Which is how I knew you were gonna need my makeup skills," she teased. She leaned forward again, finishing the embellishments of the design. Her teeth found her bottom lip and worried at it as she focused. Leaning back one more time, she inspected his face before smiling with satisfaction. "Mmkay, I think you're good. Wait, I've got a mirror so you can see…"
As she dug into her bag, she felt Sans watching her, and she glanced up to catch him giving her an odd look. Her own brow furrowed.
"Sans? Something wrong?" she asked. The look he gave her made her squirm; it was like he was seeing far more than she would want to show anyone else. The hairs on her arms stood up with goosebumps when his eyes became unfocused, not quite meeting her face. For a moment, it felt like he was looking through her. And as quick as it had happened, it was gone. He shifted and looked off to the side.
"Uh, no. Sorry, just spaced out."
She gaped at him, her heart racing. She wasn't sure why, but something in the way he was staring at her had made her feel… vulnerable. Like a mouse in the presence of a cat who decided it was too bored to pounce. She felt as though she was safe only because Sans was choosing to be complacent.
In a word, it was… unnerving. "U-um. Anyway, h-here's the mirror," she squeaked, because what was she supposed to say? That she freaked out because he looked at her funny?
He inspected her handiwork, both brow bones raised in surprise. "Hey, this is actually… pretty damn cool," he commented, turning to get a good look at the designs on his face. She'd opted to just use blue and black on him, going with more thin and intricate designs than a bunch of bright colors. Delicate curls and loops emphasized the ridges and bumps of his face.
She puffed with pride. "Thank you! I hoped you would like it," she said, smiling. "Okay, let's go meet up with the others."
Sans nodded, handing her the mirror. "Yeah, we better head out or Tori's gonna lecture us."
Holly laughed, the strange and frightening sensation from his gaze already forgotten.
"All right, children, remember to stay with your assigned partners. You are responsible for making sure to keep each other safe! Now, everyone go stand by your chaperones." Toriel looked taller than usual with her pointy witch's hat amongst many small schoolchildren, all of whom were wearing various costumes and listening to the goat monster raptly. She seemed to hold the power to capture anyone's attention, even with the gentleness in her voice.
For Halloween, Toriel's school was holding a special trick-or-treating event, meant to keep the kids safe. Monster and human children alike lived in this particular school district; while most people were used to the notion of living among monsters, it was still prudent to organize events this way for everyone's safety. Not all humans were happy about sharing their world with the people from beneath Mt. Ebbott.
Holly and Undyne were in charge of one group of kids, all of whom looked up with wide, eager eyes. For a brief moment, Holly was worried that her friend would be too rough for a bunch of very small children, but her worries were put at rest when she put her hands on her hips and addressed them all.
"Okay, listen up, kiddos! You heard Miss Toriel, stick with your buddy and make sure you stay where I can keep my eye on ya!" She emphasized the last bit by tugging the skin down under her good eye and sticking her tongue out, making the kindergarteners titter.
"And remember, don't eat any candy until your parents have checked to make sure it's safe!" Holly added. "Sometimes there are bad people who put dangerous things in there that can hurt you or make you very, very sick."
"Yes, Miss Holly," they droned. At the signal from Toriel, the kids set off and they were walking in formation along the street.
The night went on with little incident, save for a few people scowling and shutting the door on them when they spotted Toriel. Most people were polite, but curious.
Holly took note of Papyrus and Sans's group; the taller skeleton seemed a natural at handling kids. He kept them in line without making it seem like he was being strict, and his manner of speech kept them all in high spirits. Sans, meanwhile, followed behind them, watching to make sure none strayed. It reminded Holly of a line of ducklings, watched over by their parents.
A few hours later, the children all had buckets full of candy and tired, dragging feet. They made it back to the same block they'd come from, where the parents and chaperones had parked their cars.
One monster child, who looked to be about Frisk's age, danced around on his scaly feet as he approached Papyrus. Holly noticed that he didn't seem to have any arms, though it appeared to be his natural body form. She hadn't really considered not-completely-humanoid monsters, though the idea shouldn't have surprised her.
"U-um, Mr. Papyrus, sir!" he called out. The sharply dressed skeleton turned about and blinked.
"Ah, Monster Kid! I see you have volunteered to help with the children. Is there something I can help you with?" he asked, as formal as usual. The teen's eyes lit up.
"Y-you know my name? Holy cow! That's so cool! Cool! Cool!" he crowed, wiggling in place eagerly. Now Frisk, having been helping out with their mother, was taking notice of the scene. They giggled behind a hand.
"Well, of course I do! You lived in Snowdin Town with us, and I remember all my neighbor's names," Papyrus answered, seeming almost incredulous at the idea that he wouldn't know all the names of people of a whole town.
"Y-you're…" Monster Kid's eyes suddenly began glittering and his lip wobbled. Papyrus's face dropped and he held a hand out in alarm.
"Ah, uh, do not cry, I did not mean to, er, remember your name?" he said, but the monster teen wasn't listening.
"You're the coolest, Papyrus! I've been your fan for like, since we left the Underground and I used to like Undyne more but then I found out how nice you are and then you ended up already being friends with Undyne and..."
Holly backed away slowly to let Papyrus deal with Monster Kid, shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter. She and Undyne began walking back towards the house. Sans fell into step with them, and Alphys scurried along to try and keep up on her short little legs. "We'll meet ya back at the house, bro," Sans called over his shoulder, giving a short wave. Papyrus didn't say anything in response, but Holly could imagine the tall skeleton's flustered expression.
"You sure Papyrus will be all right handling his avid fan?" Holly teased. The shorter skeleton waved a hand nonchalantly.
"Yeah, Paps can handle himself. We're a five minute walk away, and Tori's with him."
They walked in a sort of happy silence, still hyped about the holiday and all the adorable kids in costumes.
"All right, nerds!" Undyne yelled once they got indoors. "Now it's time to celebrate the adult way! Who wants to get drunk and do stupid shit?!" Alphys's eyes grew wide and nervous; Holly paused and thought about the suggestion.
It had been quite a while since she had done anything "adult" with her friends. Holly wasn't big into alcohol, but sometimes it sounded appealing to just cut loose and have a good time in a safe environment. Drinking led to silliness and a little bit of flirtiness if she was careful and didn't have too much, but she would have to make sure she stayed at that fun level. One drink too much and she'd turn into a sad human being who overshared everything about her life.
Deciding that she would allow herself to have a little fun, Holly relented, though she would have to make sure not to let Undyne bully her into too much alcohol.
"Uh, well I'd be okay with a few drinks at someone's house," Holly answered. "But let's leave out the dangerous shit and maybe play video games instead."
"That doesn't sound too bad, actually," Sans piped up in response to Holly's suggestion. His makeup, now that she saw it in the light, was smudged quite a lot. She fished out a pack of makeup wipes; she'd brought them for herself, though it seemed Sans would need it, too. She handed him one.
"Here, this gets rid of makeup easier. As for having an adult party, where should we go? I don't think Toriel's would be a good idea, since Frisk has school in the morning and Toriel has to get up early." She left unsaid that her apartment would also be a bad idea; though it would only be a visit, Holly really didn't want to endanger her friends and incur the wrath of the people who had attacked Alphys. That and it was probably a very bad idea to have a drunk Undyne brooding over the whole situation because of the familiar surroundings.
"We can go to my place. Pap's room is pretty soundproof—his room's got some really thick carpet, so we prob'ly won't wake him if he goes to bed early," Sans offered, scrubbing at his face with the cloth. "We got a pullout bed, and I can just go crash with my bro, so someone can borrow my bed."
Undyne snorted. "Pff, I've seen your room, lazy ass. I call dibs on not sleeping in there."
Holly laughed. "It can't be that bad. I'll take it and you two can have the pullout bed." Alphys gave Holly a doubtful look.
"U-um, okay…" she said hesitantly, giving Holly second thoughts. Was Sans really that much of a slob…?
The skeleton in question finished getting all the makeup off, seeming relieved. His cheekbones shone slightly in the dim light from the moisture. "'K then. I can't give all of ya a shortcut at once, so let's just take a car. I think all of us can fit in Pap's."
"Woo! Let's PARTY!" Undyne crowed. Holly felt mildly worried about the fish monster's version of a party, though she couldn't help the huge grin splitting her face.
A/N: No beta this time around, I got too busy! I'm working with a team on an Undertale Dating Simulator, so I'm having to balance that and this fic. Until next week~