Chapter Text
You feel happy.
Everything was going your way, really! You had the best life ever, and that's no exaggeration, you've kept yourself stable for quite some time and finally bought yourself your own house. You didn't like freeloading, it made you feel a whole lot guilty just crashing in other people's houses, it didn't feel right.
Your boyfriend, Luther, was appreciative of you, bought you the best gifts, went on dates every now and then. It never stopped, you both were genuinely happy together, and you can absolutely say the same with your best friend, Martha! She was such a gal, always helping you out and sorting out some problems you had.
You've been friends with her since childhood, experiencing everything together, practically tied to the hip! She supported you throughout your entire life, thank the stars she's your friend, you never wanted to lose her.
An alarm clock started beeping, waking you up in the ass crack of dawn. You stretched out your limbs before shutting that alarm clock for good. Luther, was still asleep like the dead just beside you, it made you giggle a little. He looked like one of those ancient mummy's in a tomb.
You got up and went to take a bath, after all— it's Monday. You need to get to work as soon as possible, as you were never late before, time management was always important to you. You slipped into your work uniform, blow drying your hair, placing some make-up and you're done! You went downstairs to make yourself some coffee and breakfast, by then Luther had waken up.
"Hi babe.. morning." He yawned, still a little tired. You placed breakfast and coffee onto the counter for him.
"Morning! I'm heading to work today, I'll see you later in the afternoon!" You smiled happily, he nodded and tapped his cheek, asking for a kiss. You didn't hesitate and gave him a peck right there, then left for work.
You honestly can't believe that it's been.. what, 4 years since you've both been together? Quite a miracle, honestly! As you take the bus to work, you met a few friends and make small talk with them before arriving to your destination.
You paid for the bus fare and dropped off, unlocking and entering the little cafe shop. First thing you did was clock in, then clean up the mess your co-workers didn't bother finishing. You were a little the irritated, but you can cut the, off some slack, after all yesterday was quite the rush hour!
Some of your co-workers arrived early, it was still 7:40, so you have 20 more minutes before you start opening. After setting the place up, Casey— your favorite coworker here, started opening the shop. Not even a few minutes later, customers and regulars started piling in, already seeking for the lovely treats and meals!
Today was slow, fortunately for you and the others working here. You were all extremely exhausted from rush hour yesterday, I mean— who has rush hour, on a saturday?! The tips.. though, kept you pushing.
The cafe shop was not that little, but definitely cozy and homey like! "Granny's Oven", it's such a silly name and you loved it. The interior design is much like those fairytale houses with ancient wood items.. pretty cool am I right? The scent looming in the air is nothing but sweets and flour!
You've been dedicated to this little cafe shop ever since it was built. You've seen it fall and rise, You've been through every improvements with the cafe, and it made you happy. This place was your life, your income, your safe place.
Whilst you were daydreaming, a couple with their child came over to the counter. You snapped out of your thoughts and gave them a smile. "Welcome to Granny's Oven! How may I serve you three?"
They looked through your menu and the different options on display. "Mommy mommy, I want that one!" Says the little girl, pointing at a sprinkled donut. "Hmm, we'll have that sprinkled donut and.. could we get some hot chocolate too? A-And a breakfast sandwich, please.." She smiled shyly.
"Of course! I'll be right back with your order, how about you, sir?" He stared for a moment, before finally picking. "Ah.. I'll have the espresso." You nodded and wrote up all of their orders, before sending it to the back.
About twenty minutes later, you arrive with their orders. "Here you go! Sorry for the wait, were short-staffed." You smiled apologetically, the woman in front of you shook her head, holding up a hand.
"It's okay, the food is worth it in the end! Thank you." You smiled, 'What a polite woman.. wish there were more of her.' You thought, their daughter made grabby hands, reaching for the sprinkled donut.
Oh how you wish you wanted kids, they're so.. adorable— but the thought of the pain, yeesh! You did not want to go through that. Minutes turned to hours, it was currently 12:09 PM, there's still 4 more hours until you get off shift.
You then hear a collective gasp, turning your attention to where they were looking, you see the TV with the news played on it.
"MONSTERS CRAWL FROM UNDERGROUND — MAGIC BARRIER SHATTERED!" What a way with words. "Attention, citizens! There seemed to be monsters crawling out of the underground! Please stay inside your homes until further notice!" Said the reporter, people started crowding the TV. "In a shocking and magical turn of events, the ancient barrier sealing away the monsters beneath Mt. Ebott has mysteriously collapsed. Witnesses describe an eerie “shimmering crack” appearing in the mountainside late last night, followed by tremors and a deep, echoing hum that “felt like it rattled your bones.” "
"Local mages confirmed early this morning that the ancient spell — once cast to lock monsters underground — has been shattered, its power drained by an unknown force."
The air was tense, no one made a sound. Some looked at one another, some looked like they were about to pass out. You really didn't like this tension in the air. The news continued to talk, then zooming into the monster's faces.
You see.. a goat woman, along with a goat man.. like— anthropomorphic. The goat man was wearing a crown.. was he a king, or something? He did have that cape on him, along with an armor of sort. The goat woman seemed to talk with a few humans, who were scared shitless!
You couldn't blame them, they're all quite large. Some of your customers started piling outside, that's when you realize that they were awfully close to where the cafe was. You excused yourself and went outside, and there it was! Just right in the distance, you see the monsters and interviewers, there's also.. cops?
What the hell? Cops? I mean sure but isn't that a little overkill? Hopefully nothing bad happens.
Color yourself surprised! After these past few weeks of all that chaos, monsters started to make themselves at home in your city! You genuinely felt happy, talking to new species that you could understand!
To your dismay.. some of your friends moved out, not wanting to 'associate' with monster species, that's a little rude. It made the monsters happy though, more place to move in.
The city was now called "Ebott City", it sounds a whole lot better if you're being honest. You got off shift and went home, seeing all these monsters roam is just.. it felt new, exciting.
Arriving home, you see your boyfriend, Luther, texting on his phone and watching TV. "Hi babe! I'm back home!" His eyes lit up to you and smiled. "Hey baby, how was work?"
You dropped your purse and went to get started on dinner. "Great! Alot of monsters visited the cafe.. they all seemed nice." You hum, pulling out a cutting board, knife, and your ingredients for the day. His nose seemed to scrunch up as he heard that.
"Tsk.. monsters, why did they even escape?" He muttered bitterly, sneering just thinking of them. You felt a little conflicted, they aren't all that bad.. right? They've proven that they're nice.
"They can't be that bad.." He scoffs, looking to the TV. "They're that bad, babe. They're monsters, it's literally in the name! Freaks!" He flew his hands in the air, angry and fuming. "You're not thinking you like them.. right?" He glared at you, and for the first time.. you feel scared of him.
"A-Ah.. um, no..?" You answered meekly, he grunts, satisfied with your answer. He didn't feel like the same man anymore, but maybe it's just the stress that he's dealing.. maybe he thinks they're scary? You didn't dwell on it any further, not wanting to stress yourself too. You head to bed, he was still watching TV downstairs.. you sigh and get ready to sleep.
Tomorrow morning, you did your usually routine. Wake up, clean, prepare breakfast, work. You're not feeling it anymore.. not the usual joy and everything, it made you feal unease. Luther was more focused on his phone, barely acknowledging you. You once took a peek and he was.. ugh, being racist on Twitter, bad mouthing the monsters.
It genuinely made you feel upset, but of course you didn't tell him, that, go (Y/N), am I right?! You head to work like usual, working on coffee, handing out their orders, all that jazz. A few monsters came to visit, and people were.. well, I think you know.
They were all giving those glares, sneering and muttering some words under their breath whenever monsters walked by. The cafe was once a cozy and homey place, now it was just filled with tension. Of course, you tolerated them more than your own species, they did say they were made of love, hope and compassion.. hopefully you got that right!
You found the Whimsalot cute, goes the same for the Moldsmal, little jelly dude! You can almost mistake them for an actual jelly, wait— is that racist? Don't assume that again! A mouse approaches the counter, you almost didn't see him due to how small his size is, but his scarf was large.
Is it wrong you wanted to squeeze his little cheeks?
No no! That's probably a full— grown adult for all you know, you smile at him awkwardly. "Hello! Anything you want to order?" You looked down at him, he became a little more shy. Maybe you could help with his height problem?
"Hey, is it okay if I pick you up by the scarf? I want to make sure you can read our menu properly up in this counter." You tap said counter, he pondered for a moment before nodding hesitantly. You smile a little and picked him up as gently as you could, placing him on your palm so he doesn't just dangle in the air.
You place him on the counter and lift up the menu. "If you want, I can make the items here small sized? Or would you want it to be a regular size? It may be a little hard to finish, though." For a moment, you swore you saw him looking at you with shine in his eyes. He pulled his scarf closed to his face, still looking at the menu.
Ooookay, he's not quite the talker, but you can handle those! He then pointed with his scarf, picking out an option. Cinnamon Rolls. Well, that's certainly a good option! "Small sized?" He nodded, the other customers around were looking at you, a bit disgusted seeing a literal rat on top of a counter.
"Coming right up." You then went to the back. Mars was covering cashier for you while you make the Scarf Mouse's order. You were nearly done when you heard a commotion outside— that's odd, usually there's zero to none arguments that happens in this cafe.
You step out, seeing Mars, Casey and Raul trying to calm down a few angry patrons.. scarf mouse hiding behind the cash register. "I'm sorry, what's happening here?" You asked, nearly forgetting that you're an assistant manager. Angry patron one jabs his finger at you.
"Why do you have a rat in your counter! That is unorthodox and it probably carry diseases!" The other followers yelled a bunch of agreements. "Yeah! Get that freak out of here!" You sneer, the hell do they mean freak?! He was about to reach for scarf mouse, that was until you moved as quick as possible, keeping Scarf Mouse close to you.
"What is wrong with you people?! If you were to treat a customer that way, I prefer you'd leave!" You snarled, Mars, Casey and Raul were a little afraid of you, not once has they seen you act like this over.. a monster, or someone you've just met. The other patrons were shocked at your revelation.
"You're.. protecting this monster, over your own kind?! You monster fucker!" A collective gasp was heard... then silence. "Excuse me?" You said, registering the words. He smirked, thinking he won. "Yeah, that's right, monster fucke—"
"Ma'am, would you like to tell anything else?" The police asked, some medical officers cleaning up your wounds. "He provoked me, it was instinct to protect my patrons from such harassment." You winced when a medical officer dabbed some alcohol-covered cotton on your right cheek.
"Hold still please," She muttered, being as gentle as possible. "I promise I'll get this finished as soon as possible." She was a bunny, and thank the heavens her paws were so soft, it eased you. "T-Thank you." You muttered, it still stings but you'll be fine.
"Anything that he did, madam?" He wrote down what you said earlier. "He also tried grabbing Scarf Mouse from me, which made me punch him.. I'm sorry." You did feel guilty, it was a fight or flight move. "I was just trying to protect them, that's all." He nodded, understanding why you did that.
"It's fine, thank you for your cooperation. We'll be back with you shortly." He then stood up, leaving you and the medical officer together alone. She was done with bandaging and you felt a little better.
"Here, some monster candy! It'll help heal your wounds faster, but some of these are a little deep." She said, handing it to you. You accept it happily and took a bite, immediately you felt a sense of relief. "Thank you—" She held up her hand and you've never closed your mouth so quick. "No, thank you, what you did was brave and kind, I've never seen someone stood up for a monster like that before."
You felt honored, really. "Everyone is still the same, were all people in the end of the day— monster or not. We should be treated the same way you wanna be treated, you know?" You smile sheepishly. She nodded and also stood up. "Thank you for your service then, young lady! I hope to see you around very soon."
And with that, she left, you sighed and looked over to your cafe. Windows broken, a few blood on the floor like it's some crime scene, and a bunch of people watching the commotion. The guy from earlier was being held back as he continued to yell, and gee was he battered up badly. You're not sure if you did that, maybe you did.. you probably just forgot.
Maybe.. you should go home, rest up and take a break. Yeah, yeah, that sounds good.
Chapter 2
Summary:
You can't go to work until you've fully healed, what ever shall you do?
Chapter Text
Staying in your house was boring, really. Your boyfriend is currently out,maybe drinking with his friends or having a party, it's not like you mind.. but, it's been awhile since you've both went somewhere together, alone.
There was no point fussing and debating whether you should go out or stay home. You groggily got up, went to bathe yourself, changed into something weather appropriate, then started your day. It's a shame you can't go to work after the.. stunt, you pulled.
Technically you can't even blame yourself! He instigated, he started, he got what he wanted! Talk about 'fuck around and find out.', because that he certainly went to fuck around and find out. You wondered if Scarf Mouse was doing well, maybe in shock with what happened? You try to remember the how it escalated...
"You're.. protecting this monster, over your own kind?! You monster fucker!" A collective gasp was heard... then silence. "Excuse me?" You said, registering the words. He smirked, thinking he won. "Yeah, that's right, monster fucke—"
You couldn't control it, I mean, who would've? He didn't have time to react as your fist met his face, you could tell he hasn't been slapped or punched before due to how easy he flung back. Spoiled, am I right? He stumbled back, gasps and murmurs can be heard in the cafe.
He looked at you with fear— before replaced with anger, venom, hatred. Well, it worked that you've managed to stun him, but also pissed him on top of that. His followers backed up, surrounding and asking if he's okay, if you squint your eyes, do a little cartwheel and a pose, he probably is.
Just the same as him, you also didn't have time to react as he managed to grab a fist of your hair, yanking you close to him. That's where it all started. You both started throwing hands, you having the upper hand as you've fought before, okay maybe you've fought once or twice.. you were only taught how to defend yourself.
It didn't matter, as long as you continued to hit him in the right places, he'll back down faster than you, he's way too chummy, he doesn't know how to fight and just throws punches here and there, he doesn't even look at where he's punching. Eyes closed, trembling, like a fucking wuss.
Of course, people had to come over and separate you two. Humans on his side, monsters and humans on yours. You were thankful the fight finally broke, or else you would've fainted, gained more bruises or went to jail. You certainly don't want that.
The cops arrived just after the fight dissipated, they questioned the guy who was.. heh, barely consciousness, you did a number on him, huh? You zoned out, the siren's light blurring and the voices became muffled.
Wow, you sure were a.. heh, monster, you laugh to yourself awkwardly. You're stalling again, not a very good habit of yours. You grab your bag and walk out, you're 100% sure the news about your drama spread like wildfire, there's nothing to stop it, so hope nothing bad happens today.
You head out, the morning breeze feels great today, atleast. You're running low on groceries so why not go out to the mall? You don't have a car, nor a motorcycle, or a bike even. That's okay, you always use transportation! You stand and wait at the bus lane, scrolling through your phone.
Surprise surprise, you're on the news, how luck—
ring ring..
Hmm? Your volume was low, and so was your brightness, did you play a music on accident or something? You turn the volume up and place your ear on your phone.
..RIIINNNNNNGGGGGGG!!!
Stars! You nearly jumped out of your skin! You winced as you cover your right ear, hissing. You turn up the brightness and see an incoming call. You slid to answer it.
"Hello? Uh, (Y/N) speaking."
There was a shuffle at the other side of the line. "(Y/N)! Tell me why you're on the news!"
Ah, your boyfriend, Luther! You were a little confused with his tone. "Well.. I got into a little scuffle?" You were waiting for him to ask what happened.
"A scuffle, with your own species, just to protect some— freak?!" Gee, he was certainly loud. You wince again, your right ear is probably going deaf.
"He was harassing him, okay? I can't just stand—"
"I don't care, you're not supposed to protect those freaks, you're supposed to protect yourself— your species, us, (Y/N)! Not monsters, humans!" This was new, he's.. never been like this before. He was never like this to begin with!
"Why are you acting like this, what the hell Luther?!" You became irritated, you don't want to do this right now. You started pacing back and forth, biting your fingernails, another bad habit. You should stop.
"I can't— I can't do this right now, sorry." You mutter as you end the call. If you didn't stop him from speaking you could've gotten a yelling match. You placed your phone on silent before shoving it down your purse, off you go now. Not sooner than later, the buss arrived.
You could use a little distraction, maybe some music? You can mute his number so that it wouldn't ring so loud.. yeah, music. Music's good. After stepping into the bus, you grab yourself a seat and open your phone. It wasn't even 5 minutes yet this.. boyfriend, you call of yours, is blowing up your phone like crazy! You muted his number, plugged in some earphones then pressed anything music that popped up in Spotify.
It took you awhile to relax some of your nerves, looking outside the windows or reading AO3 to pass the time. You can't let a call ruin your day, especially.. from someone like.. your, boyfriend..... No time thinking of negative thoughts!
The bus pulled to a stop, you turned to look outside and there it was, the mall. You paid for the fare and dropped off, now heading straight to the building. You needed groceries anyway, what better way to spend your time than go on a shopping spree?
You did just that, you were currently in a noodle isle, lots of things to buy. There's noodles, spaghetti, misua, la mian, ramen, somen, shirataki.. you didn't know they separated some noodles just based by their country! You couldn't lie, but it makes it a whole lot easier for people to find their own noodles they're familiar with. You doze off for a moment, just staring on some noodles.
Before someone tapped on your shoulder lightly, you blinked once, twice, and now you have your full consciousness back. You turned to look, only to tilt your head upwards, continued for 5 seconds before finally seeing.. a tall skeleton. It caught you so off guard you didn't hear the first few words he said.
"Oh! God's um— I'm so sorry, I didn't quite here what you said?" You asked sheepishly, fiddling with your fingers. The skeleton just grinned down at you.
"IT IS QUITE ALRIGHT, HUMAN!" Ouch, talk about not having an indoor voice. "YOU SEE, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAS SEEN YOU STARING THOSE PASTAS AND NOODLES— FOR THE PAST FIVE MINUTES, WITH ABSOLUTE FOCUS! I ASSUME THAT YOU'RE AN EXPERT AT CHOOSING QUALITY?" You sputtered, five minutes was awfully long, you need to focus more!
You gulped nervously, there's no one that's an expert at.. choosing pastas or noodles, right? "Uh, well— I'd choose this one if you're going for pasta, and this for um, noodles." You absently pointed at two brands. They're cheap, but good quality. "The cheaper ones are usually the more authentic."
Papyrus looked at your choices before thinking, you could say that he was expressive, like, literally. Things that theatrical people would do, is what he's doing right now. He has his hand on his chin, tapping his boney fingers, also making a humming noise.
He snaps his fingers and beamed at you. "THANK YOU, HUMAN! NOW WITH YOUR LOVELY SUGGESTIONS, I KNOW WHAT PASTA TO BUY." He came close to you, held your hands, and gave them a good shake. You felt yourself flush at the praise, over a pasta, nonetheless. You chuckle awkwardly.
"I-It's no big deal, I swear." He shook his head, letting go of your hands and started to pat your head. "IT'S QUITE A BIG DEAL TO ME, HUMAN! AS YOU CAN SEE, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, IS COMPLETELY A CULINARY EXPERT! I ONLY TAKE THE BEST KIND OF PASTA, AND YOU HELPED ME! NOT Much People Help BUT THANKS TO YOU, I CAN COOK MY FAMOUS SPAGHETTI."
You felt your heart ache when he tried to whisper, but it was him just using his indoor voice. "It's no problem Papyrus, it's what friends are f—" You stopped, seriously? You haven't even met him for a day! Papyrus noticed what you said as he beamed, you swear you could see a bright aura with sparkles surrounding him.
"US?! FRIENDS?! BUT WE HAVEN'T EVEN HUNG OUT YET! THE MANUAL MUST BE WRONG.. BUT I WOULD BE GLAD TO BE YOUR FRIEND!" If you didn't think his voice could be any louder, you were wrong. People started taking notice which made you anxious. You could leave but he's.. oh my god he's like an angel sent from above, you could see him rambling but can't hear him because of your thoughts, get out of your head, woman!
"ey bro, who's this?" A new voice came, you were a little startled as said voice was behind you. You spun around, nearly hurling with how fast you went. He chuckled when he spooked you.
"didn't think i made ya jump outta your skin, kid." You heard Papyrus groan from behind. To be fair, it made you snicker a little, calming down. "DO NOT ENCOURAGE HIM, HUMAN! STOP CORRUPTING MY FRIEND!" The shorter skeleton rose his.. bone brow; and stared at you, who knew skeletons can be intimidating?
"friend, huh? heh, well, don'tcha know how to greet a new pal?" He stuck out his gloved hand for you, he was nice so maybe you could—
PFFFFFTTTTT......
You blinked, not once, not twice, not even thrice! Papyrus was stomping his foot while Sans laughed at your expression. "ah, we love a good ol' whoopee cushion trick, huh?" He continues to laugh, finally letting go of your hand. "SANS! I TOLD YOU, NO MORE WHOOPEE CUSHIONS!" It took you a few moments before you laughed along with him.
"Okay okay! That was actually good, it caught me off guard." You wipe a tear, relaxing. "Sans, was it? It's um, nice to meet you!" His grin widened a little bit. "no skin off my bones, kid, paps my bro and glad he found a friend like you." Again with the praise, you feel yourself flush at the most simple words.
"It's no biggie.. just helping out, it's all." You rub the back of your neck, chuckling awkwardly. "I do have to go though, so it was really nice meeting you both!" Papyrus looked at you with a pout. Skeletons could not be this cute. "WELL, IF YOU MUST! I HAVEN'T HAD YOUR NAME HET, HUMAN, AND WE SHOULD EXCHANGE NUMBERS!"
You clearly forgot to introduce yourself. "O-Oh! Sorry um, I'm (Y/N)! Yes, we could exchange numbers.. if that's okay?" You looked at Sans, you could tell they were brothers just by their personalities alone, and how they talk to each other. For a split second, you swear you saw him tense, but he nodded anyway.
You both switched numbers, waved goodbye to him and his brother, and continued to shop alone. They were so nice, Papyrus was mostly easy to read, he gets along with everyone and is super friendly, but Sans? He's like an enigma, that's for sure. Overprotective maybe, but you could understand that!
After hours of shopping, you finally head back home, using transportation once again. You forgot about your boyfriend, opening the door to your house, Martha was there with Luther on the couch, Martha seemed to be comforting him? "Oh, um, hey guys! Hi Martha."
Martha smiled at you, nudging Luther. "Hey.. where have you been? Luther's been worried you know!" She scolded you, but in a playfully way, somewhat serious. Luther looked at you with sad eyes, it's been awhile since you've seen him like this, you felt guilty.
"Sorry sorry.. I was um, shopping for groceries, I'm sorry, love." You dropped your things at the counter, sighing. Luther just hummed, taking your apology into, consideration, maybe? " 's okay babe, I know you just wanted to get food for us." You were relieved with that, hopefully you will erase this tension between the two of you.
Martha patted the couch next to her, smiling at you. "Come, sit with us! We're gonna watch a movie." You sighed again softly, giving her a weak smile. "Sorry Martha, but I gotta head to sleep, today's been tiring. I swear we'll get to watch the movie sometime, just not now."
She hummed, understanding and continuing to smile. "It's okay! Goodnight then, have a good sleep!" Luther said the same thing, waving at you. You smiled back and went to rest for the day. This was eventful, that's for sure.
You got ready for bed, thinking about the skeletons you met earlier. Papyrus was such a sweetheart, having this feeling that you have to protect him no matter what, or maybe you're just easily attached? You lay on bed with phone in hand, scrolling through social media, that's when you get a notification.
It was from THE GREAT PAPYRUS, kinda silly if you ask me. You tap the notification and read his message.
THE GREAT PAPYRUS: HELLO HUMAN! ARE YOU THE NICE LADY FROM THE SUPER MALL?
XXX: yeah, im that human, how are you?
It took him awhile to type before he finally sent his second message.
THE GREAT PAPYRUS: I AM COOKING MY FRIENDSHIP SPAGHETTI! I HOPE TO SHARE THIS WITH YOU.
He then sent a photo of his spaghetti, it looks like a normal spaghetti, but some noodles are burnt or melted.. the sauce seemed to be either lacking or too much, how is that even possible? You can't judge by it's looks, right?
XXX: that looks great paps! cant wait to try it soon.
He was probably happy on the other side of the phone, and it made you happy too! You slept well that night. The next morning, there were no dreams, but you felt so relaxed and well rested, you didn't want to get out of bed. You got up and went to peek outside, Luther and Martha were probably already out and so should you!