Coffee Not Brains
The rest of the night was a blur. You planned to stay up until 11 to make sure that Jay made it home safely. In the mean time though, you texted Bratty. Well, Catty too, since they had put you in a group text. The three of you planned to meet up the next afternoon, after Bratty got out of her classes.
But of course, you had your own work to worry about. First there was your dick of a boss, and a dance you had to plan for your students. Sometimes it felt odd, having students that were so much older, but you enjoyed seeing the happy faces. Besides, if you could make others happy, you could stand being around Chad for a while.
After making sure that Jay had gotten home unscathed, you finally passed out. For some unknown reason, you were incredibly tired the next morning. And not the common exhaustion you faced, more of the "living zombie" kind. Getting out of bed was a hassle enough on its own, not to mention getting ready for the morning. And nothing helped, either. Not a cold shower, not two cups of coffee, not even the spinning bear hug you got from Papyrus in the hall.
Work didn't go very smoothly, but you didn't have the energy to make up for it. You knew that day that you could have looked better, or acted better, or even ate better. It's not that you were mean, just that you that you weren't incredibly nice. By the time you got home, you were contemplating canceling your plans with Bratty and Catty.
Except, naturally, Catty was just outside of her apartment when you got there, a rather flustered look on her face and her back against the door.
She noticed you before you could say anything, her face lighting up. "Like, _______!" Catty exclaimed, standing up straight, "I'm totally glad to see you."
The monster quickly wrapped you into a warm hug, which you gladly returned. "Why are you out here already? Bratty said she won't get out of classes for another hour, an-"
You were cut off, Catty's ears lowering, and a scowl covering her face. "I locked myself out."
You held back a laugh, biting your lip, "How long have you been out here?"
"Like, not very long? Bratty said that her class totally got canceled, so I rushed home, but I had left my keys inside!"
"We could wait inside my place until she gets here, if you want."
Catty gave you a grateful smile, though it was easier to tell by here ears and tail than her mouth. "You know, I've never, like, seen the inside of it before."
You shrugged, walking across the hall and unlocking your door, "I'm sure that it's the same as yours. That's how it is with Sans' apartment, just that he has a smaller kitchen and extra room." The two of you walked into your living room, plopping down onto the couch.
"Sans' apartment?"
At first you just nodded, but then you caught a glimpse of Catty's smug grin. "Papyrus' too, of course."
"Mhmm," she purred, taking the other side of the couch for her own. There was a moment where you wondered if her fur would get on the couch, but you brushed it off, just like you would the hair. "Hey, like, you said that you're looking for a new job, right?"
You nodded, even though you'd rather talk about anything else. "Yeah, but I haven't found anything yet. Plus I've been pretty busy."
"You should totally talk to Dorris! There's been some trouble in the shelter, and a lot of people have, like, left."
"Wait, but I thought that everyone was a volunteer?" Confusion crossed your face, and you held up a finger to her. You could hear the loud footsteps, the monster taking the steps two by two. "Hey Papyrus!" You shouted, knowing without a doubt who it was.
He poked his head into your door, more ecstatic than you had ever seen him, "HELLO, HUMAN! HELLO, CATTY! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM HEADED TO UNDYNE'S! HUMAN, PLEASE MAKE SURE MY BROTHER DOES NOT GET INTO ANY TROUBLE," his face was suddenly serious, his eyes holding yours, "HE CAN BE QUITE A HANDFUL."
You nodded, to which Papyrus nodded back. He swiftly left, running to his own home. You turned to look at Catty, who was yet again smirking. "What?"
"You should make sure that he gets into a lot of trouble," she purred.
Laughing, you shook your head. "I'm hanging with you and Bratty, not boning a skeleton."
She laughed, letting out a snort. "Boning? Like, really? He is totally rubbing off on you!"
You shrugged, checking the time on your phone. "I'm gonna go change real quick, okay? Gotta get out of my work clothes,"
You ran to your room, changing into a band shirt and pants that weren't as tight. When you came back, Bratty was on the couch, chattering with her best friend. They both saw you at the same time, smiles on their faces.
"Oh my god, _______, you look totally wicked!" Bratty practically squealed.
"Totally wicked!" Catty repeated.
Leaning against the wall, you retied your shoes, "Oh, uh, thanks?"
"But not as wicked cool as you, Bratty!"
"But not as wicked cool as you, Catty!"
They said it in unison, like it was a normal everyday thing. Sure, you and Jay finished each other's sentences sometimes, or spoke at the same time, but not like they did. You wondered if the best friends had friendship bracelets or something of the sort, or if that had even been a thing underground.
"Do you think she's daydreaming about him?" Bratty snickered, stirring you from your thoughts.
"Who?" You asked, an eyebrow raised.
"Sans, duh." They said together.
You couldn't help but blush, laughing awkwardly, "No, no, definitely not. I mean, not that I don't think about him, I do-"
"Aww!" They squealed
"Oh, hey Bratty!" you were quick to change the subject, "Do you remember that guy you met downstairs yesterday? Brown hair, kind of tan, tall,"
"Totally amazing green eyes?" She asked.
"Yeah, that's the one."
Bratty nodded, holding her head up with the palm of her hand, "He was super cute. And like, he asked where you lived. It was kind of weird."
"Wait, you mean that guy who was trying to like, break into your apartment?" Catty asked, her ears perking up. "OMG, Sans was sooo mad! And like, he had your key? I saw the whole thing."
"Well, he wasn't really breaking in," you started, receiving confused looks. "Maybe we can talk about this in the car?"
The three of you quickly went downstairs and got into your car. Neither of them had bought a car yet, so they were always either walking or taking the bus. You wouldn't mind giving them a ride when they needed it, but they never seemed interested. So once everyone was all buckled up, you began to drive, explaining yesterday.
"His name is Jay, firstly. And he wasn't breaking in because I gave him the key."
"But you're totally with Sans," Catty began.
"Why would you give some other boy your key?" Bratty finished the sentence.
You shook your head, exhaling. "Can l not let someone borrow my key?"
"Not another boy!" They yelped.
"But Jay isn't "another boy," he's my best friend!"
"Ohhhhh," Bratty and Catty nodded to each other.
"A super cute best friend," Bratty giggled.
"In my defense, he wasn't super cute when we met. And why has everyone freaked out about this? Sans basically held him hostage for three hours, and I had to kiss him until he calmed down. Plus, Papyrus texted me this morning demanding answers. Now you guys are on my case!"
"You kissed him?!" Bratty practically screamed in your ear.
"Well, yeah, but,"
Catty was the next to yell, "Like, you either did or you didn't. And why didn't you tell us earlier?"
"I did, I did. But that isn't the important thing."
"Ohh, Bratty. We should totally go somewhere tonight, leave Sans and ________ alone on the floor."
Bratty raised an eyebrow, a sly grin on her face. "Papyrus is going to be at Undyne's, huh?" You nodded, and her grin widened to show sharp teeth. "Wicked."
"Seriously?" You sighed, pulling into the mall parking lot. "Nothing is going to happen, we aren't even official."
Catty made a disapproving noise, hopping out of your car. "Frisk has totally been calling you "Sans' Pretty Girlfriend.""
"They are not." You argued, following her lead into the gigantic building.
"They totally are! It's like, uber cute."
"Uber cute." Bratty repeated, nodding.
"I told you guys, we aren't talking about Sans right now. I need to tell Bratty something."
"Something that's like, more important than your boyfriend?" The alligator teased.
Rolling your eyes, you followed the two monsters. "Jay thinks you're pretty cute."
Bratty stopped, her cheeks turning pink. "Wait, like, for real?"
You nodded, a, dare you say it, wicked smile on your face. "For real. I believe his exact words were, "really pretty," but he was totally flustered when I asked about it."
"Oooooh" Catty purred, walking up to in-mall Starbucks to order. You were surprised to find that she had somehow remembered your order. She ordered for the three of you, and you quickly found yourself with a well needed buzz from the caffeine.
"But like, isn't that still kind of taboo? Not all of us are as totally brave as you."
You looked at Bratty, brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"Well, like, you guys are the first human/monster relationship." She looked almost as confused as you did.
"But you guys have been up here 6 months, how can we be the first?
"Not all people can like, think like you," Catty reminded you.
"And not everyone has the total hots for skeletons, either." Bratty snickered.
"Again, Jay and Bratty, not me and Sans."
Catty elbowed her best friend, wiggling her eyebrows, "She's totally not denying it anymore. And you should totally go for it, Bratty!"
"But wouldn't it be, like, weird for me to date your friend?" Bratty asked, her cheeks still tinged pink.
"Dude, if I wasn't okay with it I wouldn't have told you." You shook your head, practically chugging your coffee afterwards. "You guys wanted to go see that movie, right? The, uh," you struggled for the name, but you knew that it should be easy.
"Mettaton the Movie 19!" The squealed together.
After checking the time, you all realized that the movie was about to start, and ran to the other side of the mall, just in time. There was almost no one else in the theater, but it was loud nonetheless, thanks to Bratty and Catty's bickering over the plot. You had seen plenty of his movies thanks to Papyrus, but that felt like forever ago.
As you sat there, trying to figure out why a robot would have such great legs, you slowly realized how it really hadn't been that long, after all. July wasn't even over yet! Things were moving so fast, but really, you didn't mind. Yeah, sure, you were uncharted territory with Sans, all monsters really, but it just felt so... right. And who even cared if you hung out with monsters, or dated them even. It was your life, your decisions. So if you wanted to "bone" a skeleton-
"Don't you think so, ________?"
Wait, what? You looked to Catty, and fought the redness from your face. "Sorry, what was the question?"
Catty sighed, gesturing to the big screen, "Don't you think that Mettaton should totally be with the human?"
"But they're already under so much pressure!" Bratty countered, diving into another banter with Catty.
You tried to pay attention to the movie after that, worried that you'd be quizzed after it ended. Thankfully you weren't, but the girls still had more that they wanted to do.
You spent the rest of the night running through one shop to the next, in a frenzy of fabrics and gossip. Catty had nearly gone nuts over her blue dye, furious that the store had stopped carrying the color. Bratty couldn't find a lipstick that would both fit her and stay onto her scales, which was a mess all on its own.
The most you did was grabbing several cups of coffee, but at least by the end of the day you weren't tired. Sure, that had its own challenges, but it was better than being exhausted. After searching the entire mall for a new dye for Catty, you all headed home together. It was oddly quiet when you got to your floor, but you were great full for it. You couldn't wait for a good night's sleep.