The fish monster looked amused when her human friend's jaw dropped. "So… you didn't…"
"Have parents?" Undyne asked, making Holly wince. The monster took the tie out of her hair, letting it cascade over her shoulders. This didn't escape Alphys; she made a very slight whining noise next to them. "Nah. I mean, I had Asgore. And Gerson, to an extent," she said, giving her friend a small smile.
Holly and her friends sat around the table once more, chatting about the Underground. Undyne and Asgore had begun talking about how they came to be so close, which, in turn, approached the subject of Undyne's childhood.
She'd been a child raised by a village, essentially, though that tough, street-smart streak had never really gone away as she grew up. It made sense, really—Undyne was so tough in both attitude and actual strength, and Holly could easily imagine a child Undyne fighting off monsters who decided to pick on the urchin kid.
"Gerson?" Holly asked, tilting her head. She seemed to recall the name, though from where, she wasn't sure.
"Yeah. He's super old. Like, he was alive back when the monsters were at war with humans," Undyne said. "He fought in it alongside Asgore, as the captain of the Royal Guard."
Holly blinked. "He's… monsters can be that old? You're that old?" she asked incredulously, staring over at Asgore. The boss monster chuckled, his gargantuan shoulders shaking.
"Yes. There are only a few rare monsters who live to be my age," he told her. "Tortoise monsters—like Gerson—happen to have quite extensive lifespans. Boss monsters, like myself, can live indefinitely if we aren't killed in battle." His features sagged slightly. "The only way we age and die naturally is if we rear children."
The room went quiet, for reasons that were lost on Holly. Undyne spoke up before it stretched on for too long. "…So, yeah. The two of them taught me how to fight," she said. "Gerson tried to get me to learn boring stuff, like meditating. Which was the worst," she groaned. "With Asgore, I just sorta… made him fight me." She gave an unashamed smirk.
"She was quite, ah… determined to defeat me," Asgore added, a smile quirking the side of his muzzle. The teacup he held looked comical in his giant paws, but somehow his touch was gentle enough not to crack the ceramic. "I am sure she has already told you the details," he added, his eyes flicking to her with amusement.
She grinned up at him. "Psh, yeah, but it's always cool to hear it again! You put up a good fight for an old fluffy pushover," she said, her smile turning into a smirk.
He chuckled good-naturedly.
It was odd; Holly felt so at ease around this huge monster, even with the knowledge she had about him from Undyne. And the fish monster clearly adored Asgore, despite the barbed comments. It was her strange way of showing affection.
"King Asgore, perhaps you and I should spar sometime!" Papyrus piped up, having been unnaturally quiet during their conversation. Holly suspected it had something to do with how much he admired Undyne, and hearing about her past. The thought warmed her.
"I would very much enjoy that, Papyrus," the boss monster answered, not bothering to correct the skeleton on the use of titles. Papyrus was fond of decorum. "Perhaps the next time I come for a visit, we can get to know each other through a friendly fight. Undyne tells me that you can be quite strong."
The skeleton's face lit up with orange. "Oh! Er—she, um, does?" he asked timidly, giving his best friend a happy look. Undyne was rubbing the back of her neck with embarrassment. "I-I mean, of course she does! I AM VERY GREAT."
Alphys, who had allowed herself to remain unnoticed in the midst of conversation, giggled behind her claws. Undyne's gaze turned to look over at her, fondness softening her features before she yawned. Holly caught a glimpse of the inside of the monster's mouth, intimidated when she saw shark-like rows of teeth lining it. No wonder Undyne's teeth were always perfectly sharp…
"Man, I'm beat. I'm gonna crash after my all-nighter, if that's all right, Paps," she said, to which Papyrus nodded enthusiastically.
"Of course! Besties always sleep over at each others' houses," he said warmly. Her eye creased in a smile and she clapped him on the shoulder. She gave Alphys a quick kiss goodnight, ruffled Holly's hair, and tugged at Asgore's large horn before heading down the hallway and into Papyrus's room.
"Sleep well, Undyne. I will likely be gone by the time you wake, but I will try to visit again soon," Asgore added, to which Undyne nodded.
"I'll keep ya to that, Fluffybuns. G'night, guys!" she called. They wouldn't hear her snores moments later due to the excellent soundproofing in that room.
"So, my dear," Asgore began, placing his teacup down and directing his attention at Holly. "I have heard the story of how you met Undyne and Alphys, and how you've managed to charm Frisk and my—Toriel."
"Yeah?" Holly questioned, giving Alphys a sidelong glance. She blushed and gave Holly a sheepish look. "At least people say good things when they talk about me," she teased. The boss monster's dark eyes warmed at this.
"Indeed. It is… rare that a human should befriend a monster, let alone many. I must ask—what is it that draws you to us?" His voice was friendly enough, but there was a level of carefulness to it that gave away his protective probing.
"Well… I must admit, I was curious about monsters in general, before ever meeting anyone in person," Holly started. "I heard about Alphys and Undyne living in the apartments and wanted to get to know them. People had been… talking about them." She shifted uncomfortably, frowning at the recent memories of what happened there. "I invited them in because I wanted to meet them. I was excited to learn more about monsters in general."
Asgore hummed thoughtfully and stroked his beard. "Curiosity is much better than fear, which is the first reaction from many humans," he sighed. "I believe you are the first human to dance with any monsters, aside from Frisk."
Holly's eyebrows raised high. "What, really? Even after three years of living up here?"
"Yes! And it is very exciting to have another human as a dance partner," Papyrus piped up. "Sans is always loath to let any humans dance with me. I even wanted to on the first day we met, but…" His eyes darted to the side. "My brother can be so suspicious. He even wanted me to wait to dance with you, Holly! But I insisted, and of course I was right about you."
Holly blushed, but a pleased smile worked its way across her features. "Well, I enjoyed dancing with you very much, Papyrus." She was also very flattered and happy that Undyne and Alphys had danced with her, as well. It further proved that the monsters had gone out on a limb when trusting her enough to let her befriend them.
Really, though, she had Alphys to thank the most. If the shy monster hadn't kept in contact and befriended her, Holly wouldn't have gotten into Undyne's reluctant graces, and in turn she wouldn't have met the skeleton brothers or any of the other monsters.
Her thoughts were interrupted when Asgore cleared his throat and straightened in his seat, directing his attention at Alphys. "Dr. Alphys, I am afraid I did not simply come here for a visit," he started, his tone laced with resignation. The dinosaur monster stiffened next to Holly. "I know it must be very hard to think about, but it is important that I hear, from you, what happened in the apartment when you were attacked."
A powerful silence filled the room as both Papyrus and Holly looked to their small yellow friend, who fidgeted uncomfortably. "I-I… um, all right…"
"Is this… couldn't you have asked Undyne this instead?" Holly frowned up at Asgore, who shook his shaggy head.
"I am sorry, but I must hear it from the one who endured the abuse," he said. "It is my duty to know what happens to my people at the hands of humans." To his credit, he seemed unhappy about it.
"I-it's okay," Alphys said in a small voice. "He's r-right, I just…"
Holly didn't say anything, but she took her friend's hand, thumbing the warm scales comfortingly. Papyrus got up, murmuring something about making her another cup of tea. He placed a large hand on her shoulder on the way by. Visibly steeling herself, Alphys took a deep breath and began.
It had been a quiet night at the apartments. Usually, there was some dog barking, or children screaming at their mothers, or people with their television on far too loud. But that night, there was only the sound of crickets and the buzzing of the hot fridge in their kitchen.
Alphys was lost in her paperwork, almost finished grading essays, when there was a knock at the door. Assuming that it was Holly, who didn't yet have a key to their apartment, Alphys threw the door open without hesitation. But instead of her friend, there stood three imposing human men wearing masks. There wasn't much time for her to react when one of them grabbed Alphys by the front of her shirt and tossed her bodily, before barging their way inside.
They yelled in loud, ugly voices, spewing obscenities at her as she struggled to get up. Their favorite was referring to her as a 'thing', or a 'beast'. Alphys had automatically gone to try and find her glasses, still in a bit of shock, when one of the men strode over to her.
She heard, rather than saw, the other two men ripping apart the apartment and smashing everything, as the third gave her a vicious kick to the abdomen. She'd hunched over, heaving and breathless, and the man kept attacking her again and again… Knowing she could die, Alphys curled into the tightest ball she could, protecting her vulnerable body parts.
She heard them talk to one another and say that the destruction they'd caused was enough for them to be initiated into some sort of gang. Alphys lay perfectly still, hoping they were satisfied.
Apparently they weren't.
The man who'd thrown her aside in the first place picked her up again, apparently fond of feeling larger than a monster. She remained limp, hoping that these men didn't know that monsters turned to dust when dead. She recalled the somewhat nervous tone of one of the men asking if they really needed to hurt her any further for the purposes of being initiated. The one holding her made a negative grunting noise, seeming to share the feeling of nervousness and doubt, even after all they'd done.
After checking her over, the man dropped her carelessly. She fell from great enough height that when her head struck the floor, she was knocked unconscious. The next time she woke, she was at Toriel's house, lying in Undyne's lap.
Alphys had begun trembling midway through speaking, so Holly had scooted closer to put an arm around her shoulders. At this point, she was shivering like a child with a fever. The human shot Asgore a glare over her glasses, jade eyes flashing. He seemed taken aback by this at first, but then he glanced away, seeming guilty.
Papyrus had been wringing his hands throughout the story, and now he looked near tears. Holly pressed her mouth into a line, wondering if she should have sent him away for this. Sans would probably be unhappy; though Papyrus was not a child, he had the innocence of one, and hated violence.
Mostly, Holly was floored by the sheer horrible violence those men had been capable of. She also noticed that Alphys had left out the fact that she'd only fallen unconscious near the end of the attack, and not near the start. She'd been forced to hear them break apart their home, call her filthy names. Thinking of her small form lying there, pretending to be dead or unconscious… Holly's arms rippled with gooseflesh.
"I am sorry to make you relive such terrible things, my dear," Asgore said finally, reaching out to comfort Alphys. Smug satisfaction reared its ugly head when Alphys flinched away from Asgore. Holly squashed that down quickly, feeling immediately ashamed.
"I… I will go make everyone dinner," Papyrus announced, standing and walking quickly towards the kitchen with his face turned away. Holly suspected that he left to go be upset by himself and she frowned, looking between him and Alphys.
"Go to him, I will comfort our friend here," Asgore told her gently. She hesitated, looking surprised when Alphys spoke up.
"I-it's okay," she said to Holly, giving her a reassuring look and glancing over at the monster king. "H-he's… it's all right."
Pursing her lips at Asgore one last time, the human finally relented and went to the younger of the skeleton brothers in the kitchen.
As she suspected, Papyrus was shakily finding ingredients for spaghetti and sniffling, occasionally wiping his face with the back of his glove. Holly cleared her throat and he jumped a little, turning to look towards the source of the sound. His cheekbones were shining with tears.
"You shouldn't have had to hear that, Paps," she told him, crossing the room and holding his hand. She had to crane her neck up to look at him properly. "I'm sorry it upset you."
He sniffed and gave her a smile. "Oh, it is all right, human. I…" he glanced away from her, brow bones drawn together in an unfamiliar crease. "I am aware that many bad things have happened to monsters because of some humans. And… a lot of them say cruel things to me when I go out." His shoulders drooped as he spoke.
Holly rubbed his arm, coming closer to him. "Oh, Papyrus…"
He stopped and looked at her as if he hadn't noticed her before, seeming alarmed. "I, I am sorry, human, I didn't mean to upset you!" The tall skeleton straightened up and turned to continue bustling in the kitchen, muttering to himself. "N-now, where did those spaghetti noodles go?"
Frowning, Holly tugged at his arm again. Papyrus was practically bristling with nervous energy—there was no way she could leave it at that. "Papyrus."
"And of course we'll need… ah, yes, I've been using onions in my recipe now, they really do give it that extra kick!" He grabbed a large white onion and put it on the counter.
"Papyrus, look at me," she said, more firmly. He acted as though he hadn't heard, rummaging through the cabinets for pots and pans. "Hey!" She tugged harder at his arm, getting him to turn halfway around.
Fresh tears were making trails down his cheekbones and his shoulders were shaking. He wouldn't meet her eyes.
Silence fell between them for a few moments. "Holly, I—" He was interrupted when she wrapped her arms around his bony frame, surrounding him in contrasting softness. He stiffened, and for a moment she was afraid he'd refuse this—refuse to be comforted by someone instead of the opposite, for a change. But then his hands settled on her back and reciprocated the gesture, trembling.
They stayed like that for a good few minutes before he tried to speak again. "I'm sorry," he said thickly. "You shouldn't be the one to cheer me, human, it is I who should… should be…"
"Papyrus, shh," Holly said, closing her eyes and leaning her face against his chest. His prominent ribs were slightly uncomfortable, but she didn't mind. She heard him sniffle at a more frequent rate and she rubbed his back, making soothing noises.
This was something that she knew how to do. Being an older sibling, taking care of someone who was upset… it was familiar. Routine. Though he was taller (and also an actual skeleton monster), Papyrus reminded Holly strongly of Michelle, and so her protective instincts transferred over to him as well. She wondered if he let go like this often enough to be healthy, but his behavior pointed towards 'no'.
So Holly would do what she did best, and cheer up the skeleton. Once he'd cried his way into relative silence, she backed away, gave him a soft smile, and turned to help him start dinner. "Hey, this time we'll have actual spaghetti noodles instead of penne!" she remarked. He gave her a bright smile, though his face was still wet.
"Yes! And I think Sans likes these better, too," he said, turning on the sink to fill a pot with water. "He says it mixes better with his ketchup."
Holly wrinkled her nose while adding salt to the water. "Why does he do that? Put ketchup in everything, I mean?"
Papyrus paused in thought. "You know, I am not certain. But he feels that he mustard have it with every meal," he said, grinning and looking just like his brother in that instant. The two of them laughed and talked as they cooked together, the mood instantly getting lighter.
A/N: Hey guys! I'm so sorry it's been so long, y'know how life is. Here's a chapter for ya! Don't forget I've got a tumblr where there's super fun fanart and stuff! Check me out at zorayda-writes! The tag there is 'sots art' and contains stuff by yours truly and my amazing, beautiful fans 3
I'd like to thank my sister and CadetSparkleWolf for beta reading!