Work Text:
MASCOTS, MARATHONS, AND MUNCHIES (Papyrus/Reader)
Your neighborhood’s park couldn’t have asked for a more ideal day. The sun glistens its way over the pond by the tree line, and makes the white walkways pop against the green of the grass around them. A bit of a breeze rounds out the picture, keeping the warmth from the sun from getting annoying, and allowing the trees to serenade the park with swaying leaves.
Your boyfriend, though, isn’t an artist, or a photographer. He’s a move-a-holic.
“WHAT AN EXCELLENT DAY OUT, _____! PERFECT FOR KNEE STRETCHING, TOE STRETCHING, BRAIN STRETCHING, AND ANY OTHER STRETCHING YOU’VE HAD IN MIND.”
“Pffff, good to know. You’ve got three degrees for this stuff, you’re the one that’d know.”
“TWO AND A HALF. THE INTRODUCTORY ONE WAS TOO EASY FOR ME TO FULLY COUNT IT. IT’S LIKE SAYING HOW YOU PASSED A TEST, WHEN ALL THE QUESTIONS WERE THAT TWO TIMES THREE EQUALS EIGHT.”
“…But, the answer’s six.”
“AHA! YOU WERE PAYING FULL ATTENTION! I’M SO PROUD OF YOU.” Papyrus lovingly gives you a little pat on the shoulder for your undivided attention, and continues his speed walk. It used to be something you weren’t expecting to have to keep up with, but after figuring out that he walks like this just about every day, it’s par for the course now. You soon catch up to him, with your own walking pace being made much quicker by always being around his.
“ACTUALLY, SCRATCH THE WALKING. THE SUN’S INVITED US IN FOR THE DAY. IT’S LIKE BEING INVITED TO SOMEONE’S HOUSE AND BEING ASKED TO TAKE YOUR SHOES OFF, BUT NOT DOING THAT.”
“You’re stopping yourself from enjoying the coziness of just socks?”
“EXACTLY! WE’RE NOT ONES TO MISS OPPORTUNITIES. CARE TO TURN THIS INTO A JOG, ____?”
“Is that a challenge?”
“NOW IT IS! NYEH HEH HEH!!” Kicking his legs higher, Papyrus takes off at a faster speed, leaving you but with no choice but to do the same to catch up. Humans and monsters alike watch the tall skeleton speed along the walkway, seeming both startled by the dust he’s kicking up, and impressed by the speed of the pace he’s keeping up. Yours isn’t as consistent, but after the work your boyfriend’s done with you to fine tune your running, it’s still pretty darn good.
Of course, another good reason everyone could be looking at him run by is that the mascot of monsters, of all people, is breezing right past them. Given his presence in advertisements and social campaigns, he’d be hard not to recognize, and if anyone were to miss him at first glance, his cape that trails behind him would be a pretty big giveaway.
Papyrus’ role as the mascot of monsters is how you’d gotten to know him in the first place. As soon as they had reemerged to the surface, the monsters had come together to set up organizations to advocate for humans and monsters living together peacefully. By your lucky fate, your hometown was only about twenty miles outside of Mt. Ebott, and as soon as you heard monsters had returned and saw the pictures of them joyfully entering the sunlight for the first time, you knew their cause was something you had to be a part of. You’ll never forget the first thing Papyrus said to you, when you were the first to arrive at one of their meetings on a bright September morning.
“AH! ARE YOU HERE FROM CATERING?”
Apparently, you looked enough like the person that was supposed to show up with the bananas and milk cartons to cater the event, and he got you confused for them.
Years later, when you’d watch over a sunset or river while holding hands, that’d be a memory that’d come up a lot.
You explained that, unfortunately, you weren’t the catering person, but rather someone that had enough time outside of their work schedule to want to do a lot to give the returning monsters the social respect and advocacy they deserve. He beamed from your enthusiasm, introduced himself as The Great Papyrus, and discussed how he and the human ambassador of monsters had big plans that they wanted to get started as soon as possible. You spent more time with him than any other humans at the event, and he even gave you his phone number at the end, encouraging you to keep coming to any events the monsters hold. It hadn’t hit you until you got home that somehow, despite the phone being from the Underground, yours managed to connect to it just fine.
With that, you made sure to get to absolutely every meeting you could, and learned a lot from Papyrus about his brother and friends, his puzzle-building and culinary hobbies, and just how passionate he is to be the mascot of monsters. It sounded like a title that’d have lots of pressure with it, but from the very beginning, he handled it so well.
“A MASCOT HAS TO SHOW PRIDE AND CONFIDENCE, ____. I WOULDN’T ASK ANY CHAP DOWN THE STREET TO DO THIS.” Making a dramatic pose with a big grin on his face, Papyrus’ cape flapped back in the air on a cold December evening, despite there being no breeze to push it. If that’s not a sign that someone has the confidence to be a mascot, you don’t know what is.
You kept close contact with him and soon became a solid bud, so when the time came for the monsters to hold their first city-wide event in your own town, you were more than happy to help. As Papyrus and the other leaders said, once one city can have monsters and humans happily co-exist, all of them can see that and do the same. When you were off from work, you’d spend twelve hour days placing signs, handing out flyers, and spreading all the promotion you can for fellow humans to get out that day and join the monsters in parading around the city, arm in arm… well, for the monsters that have arms. Your enthusiasm proved to be a great help, as plenty of humans were able to put aside any prior biases and coexist with the monsters as they moved along the streets, and Papyrus showed his gratitude by giving you a huge squeeze when it was over.
Oh, if only you’d known how many squeezes were yet to come.
It hadn’t taken long for you to discover that hugs are a way Papyrus easily shows his happiness with lots of friends. With how long and welcoming his arms are, it seems like an effective method for anyone that receives them. Something about the way your heart would get, though, whenever those arms would briefly wrap around you after a day’s hard work, always left you wanting more. Papyrus wouldn’t leave you waiting long for them, either. As more cities decided to create their own human and monster movements, and the skeleton got busier with things like calls to these cities to show how to get people excited for something as great as humans and monsters together, he still took the time to ask you to come to the meetings early to help. He even started inviting you to his personal training side job for free lessons, and you got to see how his enthusiasm carries over to his physical prowess.
“So, how many times again do you want me to jog to that street sign and back?”
“TWELVE.”
“Yeesh, that’s a lot, but you’re the pro.”
“I DID THAT A HUNDRED AND TWENTY TIMES FOR WARMUPS. GIVEN ALL THE FLESHY STUFF YOU HAVE TO POWER YOU ALONG, I’M SURE YOU CAN DO A TENTH OF THAT!”
“…A hundred and twenty?”
“YEP! ASK SANS, HE CAN SUPPORT ME! SANS, DID I RUN TO AND FROM THAT SIGN THAT MANY TIMES?” His older brother, Sans, woke up from resting next to a set of weights, and gave a thumbs up. You took his “word” for it, and proceeded to run those twelve laps with ease, after the kind of motivation you got.
Those lessons turned into a lifetime free pass for lessons, then visits to his house, then trips together for “research” into what food festivals for humans are like, and before you knew it, you had a full-blown crush on him. In mere months, you’d gone from knowing as little about monsters as everyone else to gushing whenever watching a living skeleton run up and down a trail. Papyrus’ energy, confidence in everyone he meets, chipper voice, and beaming smile all worked his way into your heart, making you the first one to ask if you’d want to go to dinner together. At first, you’d been nervous there could be some sort of monster customs regarding a date that you weren’t aware of, but with his handsome attire and glowing expression throughout, you were at a sense of peace from beginning to end that made you want many more dinners together to come.
Eventually, your deep feelings for the mascot were far too etched in for you to ignore. It took a while for you to be sure if Papyrus felt the same way about you, since you weren’t sure if the sort of energy he’d given in your company was the same he’d show to any other friend. To your relief, though, he happened to be the one to confess to you first. It was on the night it was announced that monsters could have the same legal status for marriage and caregiving that a human could, as voted by the UN. He couldn’t get to the crucial meeting himself, but his words that’d been promoted everywhere were a big influence for the monsters' pitch, and after an anxiety-inducing vote, the global law was passed. Overjoyed by the news, he grabbed your hand and jumped higher than you’d ever seen him spring up before, nearly hitting the ceiling of the living room that the news played on the TV in. Sans and his best friend, a human dude that’s somehow only a few inches taller than him, were in the room, too, leaving the perfect chance for Papyrus to drop the big point on his mind.
“____, NOW MIGHT NOT BE THE BEST TIME, BUT I HAVE A BIOLOGY QUESTION FOR YOU.”
“A-a biology question? I’m pretty c-choked up right now from the news, dude, but I’ll do my best.”
“DOES YOUR HUMAN BRAIN HAVE A LIMIT TO HOW MUCH JOY IT CAN TAKE IN FOR THE DAY?”
“Is that a challenge?” Little did you know that that would be a common reply you’d each give to each other over the coming months and years.
“WELL. . . IT CAN BE, AS LONG AS IT’S SAFE!”
“Try me. I don’t think I’ll erupt.”
“. . . EVEN IF I TOLD YOU THAT I LOVE YOU?”
The shrill scream you let out from hearing that could be compared to the Mt. St. Helens eruption, but fortunately, no melting was involved… unless you count your heart melting from how sweet that was. After you shouted how you agree, and had a hug that was warmer than you thought was physically feasible, you could hear Sans’ voice from over his brother’s shoulder.
“ah, heck with it. was gonna wait a lil longer to say it, but we can break a joy world record right now. maybe. i don’t make the rules for these things. anyway, bud, i think i love ya. the burning feeling in my soul right now’s probably a good enough reference, if you need one for the job application.”
His friend said he loved him, too, and with that, the room went from zero people in a relationship to four. You each held your respective new bond buddy, before the four of you all joined together for a group squeeze. On a global and personal level, that night couldn’t have been better.
A couple years of continued personal training and mascot work later, as well as you furthering your position at your own job, and your memories are back at the present. Papyrus had just finished a busy day of his work, and while you might have used to have gotten surprised by him wanting to go for a jog after all that movement, it doesn’t faze you one bit anymore. Your work isn’t nearly as intensive as his, so you’ve got all the stamina you need to catch up. The longer you go, though, the more you realize that your boyfriend didn’t have just a brief sprint in mind. He continues to go along the trail, which makes a big oval shape around the park area you’re in. By the time you make it around the whole oval without a second to stop to catch your breath, it’s been at least seven minutes, and you’re getting fairly gassed. The distance between you and him is getting farther, even if your hearts are always touching.
“___, I DON’T HAVE TO BE LOOKING BEHIND TO KNOW YOU’RE FALLING BEHIND. YOU CAN DO THIS!” Your mind and soul absolutely want to be keeping the same pace as him, but the body’s having other plans.
“…huff… puff… I-I don’t know if I can, Papy… is there anything you could say to… to motivate me?” Papyrus always knows how to find the best words to help anyone get something done. He could probably convince a brick to write an essay, if he gave it enough time.
“NOPE!”
“…No?” You can probably count on one hand the amount of times Papyrus couldn’t instantly say something motivating since you’d met him, and each of those times, it was because he had something he was intensely busy on.
“NOPE. THERE AREN’T ANY WORDS I CAN USE RIGHT NOW THAT’D MAKE YOUR PACE FASTER. FORTUNATELY, THERE’S SOMETHING ELSE I CAN DO INSTEAD!” Papyrus turns around and faces you, while jogging backwards at the same speed he was at a moment ago. His red cape is now blowing in front of him, obstructing his face a bit, but the parts that you can still see completely prove his point; you love seeing your boyfriend active at what he really enjoys, and seeing his glowing happiness from getting a jog in does better to push you than any words could.
“English can be overrated every now and then, anyway.” Not wanting to say anything out loud and risk winding yourself too soon, you keep your thoughts to your mind and begin to push through the pressure. Once your mind’s sharp enough to let your pace work on its own again, you start to worry if Papyrus could run into anyone behind him, but somehow, he manages to drift left, right, and sometimes upwards whenever someone’s coming by. You chastise yourself a bit for almost forgetting how Papyrus’ excitement sometimes allows him to drift to whatever direction he needs to go in, before continuing your pursuit.
“YES! THERE YOU GO! YOU’RE JOGGING LIKE THERE’S NO TOMORROW! WHICH ISN’T SOMETHING YOU SHOULD BE WORRYING ABOUT, TOMORROW WILL DEFINITELY HAPPEN.” Laughing, you continue to push through any tiredness you’d been facing, the grin of your boyfriend making each and every step feel like it’s on a cloud. Before you know it, you’re already nearly halfway along another loop of the oval, and it feels like you’ve barely broken any more of a sweat since your push started. As long as Papyrus is encouraging you like this, nothing can stop you-
“WAIT! STOP RIGHT HERE!” Planting his feet, Papyrus stops his jog and holds a hand out in the air. He didn’t give you much range to slow down, though, so while you manage to get the speed down, it’s not enough to come to a complete stop. You press into Papyrus’ battle body, wrapping your arms around it as support so you don’t fall down. Once your feet are stable again and grip with the dirty path, you look up at the skeleton, feeling a warmth in your face from how close you are.
“…Thanks for pushing me so hard, hun. You really unlocked a burst in me I didn’t …phew… know I had. Forgot how fast you can go backwards, though.”
“IT’S HOW I CAN WATCH OVER MY CLIENTS WHILE TRAINING THEM. NOTHING MAKES A TEACHER HAPPIER THAN WATCHING THEIR PUPIL SWEATING BULLETS OR BULLET PATTERNS FROM HOW HARD THEY’RE TRYING.”
“I can imagine so. Why’d you want me to stop, though?” Papyrus had wrapped his own arms around you, both to keep you from falling and to feel the warmness of your touch on his colder bones, but he lets go and dramatically uses his arms to demonstrate something.
“LOOK AROUND YOU, ____. TODAY LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING YOU’D FIND IN ONE OF THOSE OLD PAINTINGS AT THE LIBRARY. THE GRASS IS ALL BRIGHT, THIS TREE WE’RE UNDER HAS PLENTY OF SHADE, THERE’S SOME HUMAN DUDES IN THE DISTANCE DIGGING INTO EACH OTHER’S NECKS IN A WAY NO ONE COULD DO TO A SKELETON… IT’S ALL SO PICTURE-ESQUE.”
“Did Sans teach you that one?”
“HE SURE DID. I USUALLY DON’T SEEP INTO HIS JOKE STORAGE, BUT TODAY’S TOO NICE TO PASS THAT UP.”
“Don’t blame you. His husband’s so lucky to be barraged with those each and every day.”
“JOKE WARS ASIDE, THIS SETTING’S TOO PERFECT FOR A COUPLE LIKE US TO PASS UP. WE CAN RUN ANY DAY, BUT A DAY LIKE THIS CAN ONLY BE ENJOYED ONCE BEFORE IT’S DONE. THEREFORE, I SAY IT’S TIME FOR US TO HAVE…” He closes his eye sockets to add to the dramatic pause.
“…A PICNIC!” Grabbing around his neck, Papyrus makes a twirling motion with his hands and pulls his red cape off. The grand movement he makes, along with the cape gliding perfectly through the air and the rare sight of his completely uncovered neck vertebrae, get you feeling even more blushed up than the hug did. That’s your boyfriend, making that perfect sequence happen. Once his cape is off, he flaps it in the air before laying it out on the grass under the shade. It’s just big enough for the two of you to sit down on it together.
“WELL? WHAT DO YOU THINK? EVEN IF I PAINTED IN MY SPARE TIME, I DON’T THINK I COULD PAINT SOMETHING BETTER THAN THIS.”
“It’s… it’s beautiful. The park looks lovely, and we can be sitting on a cape with the smell of a rugged, hard-working skeleton.”
“…W-WELL, THEN. DIDN’T THINK IT WAS TIME FOR THE COMPLIMENT CANNON, BUT YOUR SHOT SURE LANDED.” The pink blush that you’re happily familiar with comes up on his face, making you glad you could offer some trading to the warm feels under the warm sun.
“With all the respect in the world, though, what’re we gonna do about things like food and utensils? I would’ve brought anything you’d needed, but I didn’t know a spontaneous picnic was in order.”
“NOT TO WORRY! I’VE BEEN PREPARED FOR SOMETHING LIKE THIS!” Grabbing the gold ring at the bottom of his chestpiece, Papyrus gives it a good shake, and exactly two spoons, forks, knives, and napkins fall out. They gently land on the cape, leaving you in awe for how he managed to pull off something that precise, in case there’s any more than just that in his battle body, and how having forks and knives bouncing around in there doesn’t hurt.
“…What don’t you come prepared for?”
“WASTE MANAGEMENT. DESPITE WHAT SOME HOOLIGANS HAVE TRIED OVER THE YEARS, THIS BATTLE BODY IS NOT A TRASH BIN! RANT OVER.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that, Papy, if that’s something that bothers you, my afternoon won’t be trashed from hearing more of it.”
“UH OH. MY BROTHER MIGHT BE SPENDING A LITTLE TOO MUCH TIME WITH YOU FOR YOUR OWN GOOD. SPEAKING OF WHICH, I’VE GOT TO ASK HIM SOMETHING. EXCUSE ME FOR A MOMENT.” He sits down on the cape, inviting you to do the same, and you happily oblige, now sitting on opposing corners. Papyrus starts to work on a text, which you figure is to his brother, so you take the chance to soak in the picture that he’d painted for you a couple minutes ago.
It does your heart good that monsters and humans can enjoy this together. Papyrus had worked long and hard to show people how easy and rewarding it is for the two groups to peacefully coexist, and you’d done your own share of spreading the same sentiments across your local area. While you may not have done as much outreach to other communities like Papyrus has, the efforts of your town were what helped ripple that understanding to the surrounding ones, and eventually, the rest of the world. You can take a bit of pride in seeing the smiles on monsters and humans’ faces together, then; at first, it was something you’d never wanted to seem like you were gloating around, but Papyrus helped you gain the confidence to feel that goodness for yourself for what you accomplished.
“…AAAAND, FINISHED!” Papyrus sends the presumed text away, and puts the phone back out of his sight. What his sight finds next, though, is that of you sweating, with a big red glow on your face. The encouragement that he’d dealt on your run was enough to distract you from how dehydrated you were getting.
“WHOOPS! SILLY ME, I HAVE A LICENSE TO NOTICE THINGS LIKE IF SOMEONE NEEDS WATER. I SUPPOSE YOUR ADORABLE LOOKS WON’T MAKE THAT EASY ANYTIME SOON.” Giving his battle body another shake, a little eight ounce water bottle pops out of the bottom, which you figure is easier for him to hold onto.
Maybe once you’ve got some water in your system, you’ll be able to appreciate that amazingly sweet remark he made.
Once Papyrus pointed out that you looked pretty winded, you notice it yourself, and putting that thought away isn’t easy. You give a thumbs up for the water bottle, rather than trying to get words out, and chug about half of it in one go. Your throat appreciates not feeling like the Sahara Desert anymore, which some monsters somehow inhabit now.
“You’re right, I… phew… really needed that. Now, I can tell you what a sweet bean you are.”
“A BEAN? THAT’S A NEW ONE. BEANS COME IN CANS WITH LOTS OF THE SAME KIND. DON’T SEE ANYONE ELSE WALKING AROUND THIS PARK WITH A CAPE THAT’S SUIT FOR INSTANT PICNICS.”
“Don’t see any capes at all, actually. Guess beans aren’t the best comparison, anyway. You’d the biggest, brightest one in a can of same old, same old.”
“DAWWW! YOU’RE GONNA GET ME ALL WARM, AND THAT RUN DIDN’T TAKE ANY GAS OUT OF ME. NOW I’VE GOT SOMETHING ELSE ON MY MIND, THOUGH. I CAN’T GO ANY LONGER WITHOUT ASKING.”
“And that is?”
“WHAT’S YOUR PREFERRED TYPE OF BEAN? BAKED? KIDNEY? LIMA? WE’VE KNOWN EACH OTHER SUCH A LONG TIME NOW, I HAVE NO IDEA HOW IT NEVER REACHED MY MIND.”
“Huh, the thought jumped away like a jumping bean?”
“PRECISE- OH, GEEZ. THE MORE OF THESE YOU TELL, THE MORE I WONDER IF SANS LENT YOU HIS QUANTUM PHYSICS BOOK.”
“maybe.”
“AAAAAH!!” Sans had appeared behind Papyrus’ back, and neither of you noticed until he spoke up. The grin on his face is acting like nothing out of the ordinary happened at all, but for Sans, showing up unexpectedly next to his brother is probably as typical as buying groceries. That comparison must be from having food on your mind, because the older brother’s holding a woven bag in each hand, both of which smell fantastic.
“Hey, Sans! Nice to see you drop by on a day like today.”
“heya, ____. no problemo. gotta bail out my bro’s cravings every now and then.”
“SANS, IT’S NOT A CRAVING, IT’S FOOD FOR ____ AND I TO ENJOY TOGETHER.”
“ah, so you’re not letting yourself treat eating like my husband and i. we’ve got a whole twenty feet to walk whenever we want food. only thing we ever ‘argue’ about is who’s gonna use their knees to get it.”
“DOES YOUR EATING EXPERIENCE INCLUDE A WARM PARK AND TREE SHADE, THOUGH?”
“’course it does, if that’s what’s on the tv.”
“Pfff, you two sure live it up together.”
“yup. we can give free lessons, if you ever wanna swing by.” Sans gives his brother a little pat on the shoulder, before walking around him and setting the bags down on the cape. Reaching into the one on the left, he pulls out two carefully wrapped sandwiches, tossing one by Papyrus’ feet, and another by yours. From the other bag, he takes a couple cups out, as well as a pitcher of some deep blue liquid. He does a more cautious job setting this one down, so it doesn’t spill, and with that, your simple picnic spread is good to go.
“The sun’s glistening real nice on your ring, Sans.” A ray of sunlight is shining right onto Sans’ left hand, where a golden ring sits on his ring finger. You’re really happy for him that he and his boyfriend decided to tie the knot, much like the mysterious knots they’d make that no one but them can seem to figure out how to undo. They had the quietest little wedding by the river in town at nightfall a couple months ago, which was exactly the sort of simple setting they’d wanted. A simple party with the most casual food afterwards rounded out the picture, and they’ve had the happiest marriage imaginable ever since.
You and Papyrus haven’t made it a forever bond… yet. It’s so clear that both of you want it so bad that you could somehow cut the clearness with a knife. It just has to be the right time and place, and you still have to figure out what the perfect ring for him would be. What gets you extra excited is wondering if he’s been doing the same for you. Someday, that time will come… someday…
“heheh, thanks. maybe the sun’s shining on it to tell me to get right back to him. hard to say no when your femurs feel feeble for someone.”
“Because there’s no muscles to support them?”
“if we’re gonna be technical. didn’t wanna kick off a biology tangent, that’s an easy way to say bye to your appetite right away. it’s a shame, these are the most in-biting sandwiches i’ve seen since… well, the last time ya asked for them.”
“Oooooh, what kind are they? They’ve gotta be pretty darn good, if they’re pun-inviting.”
“where’s the fun in that? i doughn’t think giving away the meat ‘n potatoes would be the best.”
“SANS, WHY NOW?”
“why not now? i’d be quite the yeast to hold back.”
“Pfffff, you’d be quite the yeast. Go on, I wanna hear your pun game rise to its fullest.” Seeing Papyrus’ not-acutally-agitated agitation is always a pleasure, and if Sans making more puns means you can see more of it, you’re all ears.
“rise to its fullest? geez, ____, you’re really spicing this up. glad you’re relishing in my marination of all this, it’s really chimeing.”
“S-S-SANS, IT’S SO…” Papyrus seems crossed between laughter and some sort of explosive… rage? Frustration? Some other unidentified emotion? You really can’t tell.
“so wheat? your special sesame wanted some seasoning, and i’m glad to play the parsley.”
“…NNNNNNGGGGGGGGGG…” Your boyfriend’s making this strange noise under clenched teeth. After all those years of enjoying Sans’ puns, you’d thought he’d be used to things like this, but if he can’t, then no one but maybe his husband can be.
“eh, guess i’ll cut the sandwich there. real glad to see ya both this happy, as always, and you sure chose the right company and place to be picnicking. thanks for tuning into joke fm, ____, and i love ya, pepper jack.” If blood could run to a skeleton’s face the same way a human’s would get, you’re sure his would be as red right now as the marinara he spreads over his spaghetti. Sans winks and zaps away before his brother can say anything back, as the setting goes back to the same tranquility from before the impromptu comedy show.
“WELL, THAT WAS CERTAINLY SOMETHING.”
“That was quick. A few seconds ago, it looked like your vertebrae were about to vertebreak out into some sort of shout.”
“MAYBE AT HOME, BUT I’M STILL THE MASCOT OF MONSTERS. I’VE GOT A REPUTATION TO KEEP, AND IF THAT INCLUDES STAYING IN ONE PIECE AFTER LISTENING TO ALL OF THOSE JOKES, SO BE IT.”
“How’d he get these sandwiches so quick, anyway? They seem steaming warm.”
“HE KEEPS THEM IN HIS WARM-FRIDGE FOR OCCASIONS JUST LIKE THIS! DR. ALPHYS SURE LENT HER SKILLS TO THE GREATER GOOD.” Dr. Alphys has since become a leader in technology that helps people of all states of well-being feel comfortable getting around their homes, so you feel honored to have known about her earlier works, like the warm fridge, from the get-go.
“We better open them up while they’re still warm, then! I’m sure whatever it is will be great, but the more I sniff it, the more I think I’m sure what it is!”
“WE’LL SEE! MY BROTHER LOVES TO PRANK THROUGH TIME AND SPACE, SO MAYBE HE’S PRANKING THROUGH SCENT, TOO.” Fortunately, though, when you unwrap the sandwich, you see that it wasn’t a prank through scent after all. Sans brought you each an Italian Beef sandwich, which hadn’t become a phenomenon until Papyrus ate one in one of his mascot demonstrations. It convinced more towns to start opening up places to serve their own, and soon enough, they’d become a mainstay in the world’s sandwich shops. Your boyfriend’s effectively created a multi-million dollar sandwich industry from the sole reason of choosing one to eat on the right day.
“A PERFECT CHOICE. SAY WHAT YOU WANT ABOUT MY BROTHER’S WORDPLAY, BUT HE SURE KNOWS HIS STUFF ABOUT FOOD.”
“If he was here, he’d say something about stuffing right about now.”
“HE SURE WOULD! YOU SHOULD TELL HIM THAT ONE LATER. I’M SURE HE’D BE PROUD. HE WOULDN’T WANT US EATING ICICLES, THOUGH, OUR OLD HOUSE HAD ENOUGH OF THOSE. DIG IN!” Grabbing a fork for any precious bits of beef or peppers that fall out of the bun, you lift the sandwich to your mouth, and engulf yourself in wonderful taste. You’re really grateful Papyrus helped this catch on; the blend of beef cuts with savory peppers isn’t like anything you’d had before first trying this.
“YOU DON’T HAVE TO SAY A WORD, I CAN TELL FROM YOUR SMILE THAT YOU’RE ENJOYING THIS COMPLETELY! EVEN IF YOU WEREN’T, THOUGH, NOW’S NOT THE TIME TO SAY A WORD. YOU COULD CHOKE.” You have to hold back a laugh, so Papyrus doesn’t think you actually are choking, as you watch him happily take his first bite as well. A teensy bit of juice from the peppers gets on the left of his mouth, and while he promptly wipes it off, the moment it was there was nothing short of adorable.
“EXCELLENT AS ALWAYS! WE’RE REAL FORTUNATE WE DON’T HAVE TO ASK SANS TO ZIP HUNDREDS OF MILES AWAY FOR THESE.” You’d been with Sans for his travels through time and space a couple times, and with the magic it takes, longer trips like that often meant he’d need a nap after. It meant less time for him to be enjoying the rest of his day, so you were relieved for both his sake and your appetite when a new Italian beef joint opened in town.
“We sure are, that’s quite the journey to make for fun on a bun. Ready for some of the drink?”
“AH! OF COURSE!” Papyrus takes the two plastic cups that Sans had set by the cape… and takes the toy spiders out of them before thinking to pour anything. His brother might’ve been kind enough to deliver all of this promptly, but there’s no way he couldn’t scheme something up.
“EXCUSE MY BROTHER. HE REALLY SEEMS TO HAVE WANTED TO. . .”
“…to get a leg or eight up on us, even after leaving?”
“. . .NO, TO GET YOU TO FALL INTO MORE OF HIS JAPE GAME. HE’S SUCCEEDING.”
“It’s too powerful to fight. I gave in a long, long time ago, hun.” Holding your now spider-less cup under the vat, you push the button in to pour some of the blue liquid out. It quickly fills up, as the sun that still pierces through the tree glistens on it. The drink’s known as Positivity Punch, and only you, Papyrus, and a select few others have had the pleasure to try it. It’s a wonderful mix of fruits, one of which is a special ingredient that no passerby can ever know. There’s some magic involved, so if someone tried this stuff and found out the recipe, they’d spend the rest of their life in agony, trying and failing to put it together themselves. You’re almost about to take a sip right away, from thinking about how great it’ll be, but you restrain yourself and let Papyrus pour his first.
“Your brother really does know his way with food, between all those date recommendations he gave us, and this punch he makes.”
“YEP! THERE SURE IS A FOODIE IN THAT SKULL OF HIS. TO LOVE AND MYSTERY INGREDIENTS!”
“To love and mystery ingredients!” There’s no way either of you could say the secret ingredients out loud and send anyone into that havoc. You clink cups and take a big sip, as the punch proves to be worth all the great taste you’d remembered it being.
Feeling the sunlight hit your forehead while taking the drink in, you can’t help but get a little sentimental from having this moment together. The first time you’d had Positivity Punch at the motel that was kind enough to let monsters stay in before laws were enacted, they hadn’t even been allowed to own their own property yet. Now, as you enjoy these drinks together, monsters can go out for the day and return to property that’s completely theirs, and even do so with a human by their side, if they want to. Without the beaming confidence of the skeleton that’s sharing this meal with you, you don’t think it would’ve happened so quickly.
“Papy?” You lower the cup, wanting to ask him something.
“HMM?” As you’d grown plenty used to by now, his cheeks somehow extend when he’s got a drink in his mouth, but he promptly swallows it, wanting to pay attention to whatever it is you have to say.
“How’ve you always stayed so confident in everyone?”
“WHAT’S THAT EXACTLY MEAN, ____? SOMETHING IN THE PUNCH BOTHERING YOU? SANS ISN’T THE KIND OF GUY TO RIG A DRINK UP TO MAKE IT FEEL LIKE AN ACTUAL PUNCH.”
“No, no, the drink is fine! I could probably word that better.” You scooch a little closer to Papyrus, feeling a sudden urge for one of his long arms to be around your body, and he picks up on that right away. He scooches towards you, faces the afternoon sun, which is drawing closer to an evening sunset, and wraps his arm around to grab at your left shoulder. There might be a glove on his hand, but the warmth from his touch pierces through.
“I guess what I meant by that is I wanna know how your trust in humans never wavered. There’s all sorts of different people out there.”
“WHAT’S GOT IT ON YOUR MIND? NO IMBECILE DID SOMETHING THEY SHOULDN’T, RIGHT? MY BROTHER AND I CAN PUT A STOP TO THAT RIGHT AWAY.”
“Oh, no, nothing like that at all! I’ve been perfectly fine, work’s been great this week! It’s just… this perfect sight we’ve got right now, with monsters and humans enjoying such a nice day. You’ve been such a big part in making that happen, but I can’t imagine it was always the easiest.”
“OH, THERE WERE SOME DAYS THAT WEREN’T EASY AT ALL. YOU REMEMBER THOSE TERRIBLE COUNTER-RALLIES THAT SPRUNG UP.”
“Ugh, don’t even get me started on those. Those uneducated nimrods were the worst.”
“USUALLY, I COULD FIND A WAY FOR THEM TO REALIZE THAT IDIOCY, BUT IT WAS THE STATE OF THE CHILDREN THAT GOT TO ME THE MOST. ALL THOSE YOUNG, IMPRESSIONABLE MINDS, AND THEY COULD’VE GOTTEN RUINED BY DOOFUSES WITH SIGNS.”
“So, how’d you manage to keep going through all that? I can’t think of a single other person that’d be able to persevere through all of that and still come out on top, and it’s not just because you’ve got love and compassion in your system. Even compared to other monsters, something about your energy just… shines. It shines even brighter than the sun is on your eye sockets right now.”
“AH. SO IT IS.” Without eyeballs, the sun glaring right into Papyrus’ vision doesn’t irritate him at all. No pair of sunglasses can do the same thing.
“THAT’S VERY SWEET OF YOU, EVEN IF YOU DO MANAGE TO BE SWEET EACH AND EVERY DAY. TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, THOUGH, I DO MY BEST TO IMAGINE EACH PERSON AT THEIR BEST SELVES, EVEN IF IT DOES SEEM LIKE THAT BEST SELF WOULD TAKE A WHILE TO COME AROUND.”
“How do you manage to put that together?”
“I ONCE HAD THIS HAIRY GUY SCREAMING AT MY FACE THAT MONSTERS WOULD BE TAKING AWAY HIS JOBS. JUDGING BY HIS ATTIRE, HE WAS SOME MECHANIC, WORKING ON SOME GREASY, GREASY JOB.”
“Sounds more like a mix of oil and water than grease to me.”
“NOW, NOW, THAT’S WHAT HE’D WANT YOU TO THINK. ONE MISTAKE, AND MY REPUTATION AS MASCOT COULD’VE BEEN SOMETHING THEY ALL JUMP ON. THAT’S WHERE I HAVE TO LOOK AT IT THROUGH A NEW LENS, THOUGH, AS BLURRY AS THAT LENS MAY BE.” He seems to be proud of that one, as he clears his throat and continues.
“IF MONSTERS COULD BE HIRED THE SAME WAY HUMANS COULD, ONE OF THEM COULD WIND UP AT THAT GUY’S REPAIR SHOP. ONE LOOK AT A MONSTER’S TALENT COULD BE ENOUGH FOR THAT HAIRY GUY TO CHANCE HIS MIND.” He continues to go on about all sorts of negative perspectives he’s seen, both when you have and haven’t been at the same place, and how he’s managed to turn each of those misfortunes into fortunes- or, “AT LEAST A PAY RAISE”, as he puts it.
Seeing how passionate Papyrus gets about this always makes your heart race a little faster. All you’d done is ask a simple, somewhat vague question about how he keeps a positive attitude through all the challenges his mascot work presents, and it’s made him more than willing to give a complete explanation for how. Admittedly, some of his words get lost in the midst of your intense gushing for him, but if this was being tested, you think you’re taking enough of it in to still pass.
“…AND THAT’S HOW I MANAGE TO STAY A POSITIVE MASCOT. IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU AND THAT BRAIN OF YOURS WANTED TO KNOW?”
“Nope, at least for now, it makes complete sense. There’s something you’ve gotta know too, though.”
“OOH! MUTUAL SHARING FOR OUR INNER ENCYCLOPEDIAS! WHAT MAY THAT BE?”
“That you’re the-” You’re interrupted by two kids that run up to your picnic cape out of seemingly nowhere. One’s a human boy that seems to be about twelve, with a t-shirt on for some strange new toy that’s all the buzz for kids now. The other kid is a lizard monster dude, and while monsters age differently, she’s about the same size as the human. The human’s the first one to speak up.
“H-h-hey! You’re the monster mascot, right?”
“I SURE AM!” Papyrus turns his sitting position towards them with his beaming demeanor. Even when he’s sitting down, he has nearly the same plain of eye contact with the kids.
“Wow… u-uh, we don’t wanna interrupt, b-b-but…” He’s having a hard time getting whatever he wants to say out.
“…Could we please have your autograph?” The monster does the job for him.
“OH, ABSOLUTELY! I’M HONORED TO FILL YOUR LITTLE PIECES OF PAPER WITH MY SIGNATURE.” They each hand him a blank note card and a pen, as the human seems relieved that his friend bailed him out. You watch Papyrus quickly write out his signature on the cards, only writing “PAPYRUS” this time. He used to write “THE GREAT PAPYRUS” for everyone, but he started to want to make sure he wasn’t coming off as superior to any kids, so he only does that for older people now. It just takes a few seconds before he hands them back, and the kids both have huge smiles on their faces.
“T-thank you, Mr. Papyrus! We saw you and really wanted to have your autograph, the stuff you’ve done r-really means a lot to us…” The lizard trails off before grabbing at the human boy’s hand. Young love can be the sweetest thing.
“NO, THANK YOU! SEEING KIDS HAPPY TOGETHER LETS ME KNOW MY WORK’S ALL WORKING OUT. ENJOY YOUR SUMMER VACATION!” The local schools had let out for the summer recently, so these kids must have enough to be happy about already, and meeting someone as important as Papyrus must seal the deal. His casual words didn’t stop the human kid from being star struck, but the lizard kid gives him a little tug on the ear and leads him away.
“ANYHOO, WHAT WAS THAT CRUCIAL KNOWLEDGE YOU WANTED TO SHARE?”
“…That was better than any way I could’ve explained it. You’re such, such, such a wonderful, thoughtful, goal-driven person, Papyrus. Without what you’ve done, people like those kids would’ve never wound up with the connections they have now. You deserve all the quality friends you can get.”
“THAT’S THE BEST KNOWLEDGE I COULD’VE HOPED FOR.” He draws you in closer with his arm, as you return to your sitting position towards the sun from before.
“DON’T GET YOUR HAIR TOO FRIZZLED OVER IT, THOUGH. I ONLY SURROUND MYSELF WITH PEOPLE THAT I KNOW ARE COOL, AND I MAKE SURE THEY KNOW THAT THEY’RE COOL, TOO. COOLNESS IS A TWO WAY STREET AROUND THESE HIGHWAYS. WANT AN EXAMPLE?”
“Who’s the lucky example?”
“YOU!” Surprising you in a way only he can, he draws his other arm around you to put you in a pristine, 100% Papyrus hug. His knee nearly lands on his sandwich, but to your relief, no unbitten parts of it yet have bitten the dust.
“I’VE MET PLENTY OF MONSTERS AND HUMANS, BUT YOU AND MY BROTHER ARE THE ONLY ONES TO TRULY TOP THE COOL FRIEND METER. YOUR LEVEL OF COMPASSION’S EVEN ENOUGH FOR ME TO PROUDLY CALL MYSELF YOUR SPECIAL SOMEONE! IF THAT WAS SOMETHING I COULD PUT ON A RESUME, IT’D GO ABOVE ANY OTHER TITLE.”
“…M-m-m-mine… mine…” You mean to say ‘Mine, too’, but you’re too overtaken by his sweetness to get it out. With words failing you, you decide to plant a smooch on his cheek instead. It’s a bit hard to reach, given his height, but with love paving the way, you make it happen.
“N-NYEH… ____, YOU REALLY ARE TOO PERFECT.” Letting go of the hug to turn to your earlier position, he uses his now empty hand to grab at his sandwich, inclining you to do the same.
“TO MANY WARM SUNSETS AND FULL STOMACHS TO COME!”
“Down to the last bread crumb!” Laughing, you tap the sandwiches together like they’re glasses, and bite down on them at the same time. You couldn’t ask for a better person to be snuggled with, nor a better taste in your mouth, as faint tints of orange begin to reveal themselves in the evening sky.