His New Favorite Color

Trying to sleep that night was a disaster. Sans had eventually left, understanding that you were too flustered to even look at him, but the thought of him seeing you in your underwear was still driving you insane. Then you were planning a grocery list for Jay, knowing that he wouldn't have food yet. Even if he had lived in a guest house for the last few years, he had never bought his own groceries and rarely cooked for himself. Or at least, he rarely cooked anything healthy. At some point in the night you heard Papyrus come home, later than you had ever known him to stay up.

When you finally did sleep, you were out like a light. However, you woke up early the next morning. You slothed around the house, still tired but not being able to sleep. Jay wouldn't be up for hours, and neither would Sans. You were still too embarrassed to face the skeleton anyways. Papyrus would usually be banging around in his kitchen by now, but he got in late last night so you wouldn't expect him to be awake for a while still.

That gave you an idea, though. Maybe it was just to waste time, or maybe a kind gesture, or maybe it sounded amazing to you. Pancakes. You were going to make pancakes.

You got out all of the ingredients in a sleepy haze. Nothing too fancy, just chocolate chips and toppings. At the last minute you chopped up some strawberries, knowing that the younger brother would throw a fit if there wasn't some sort of fresh vegetable or fruit. It took a while to use up all of the batter, considering how much you had made. Okay, maybe you were overdoing it a bit. Grabbing the huge stack of pancakes, you made your way to the brothers' apartment. You knocked on the door, barely maintaining the balance of the towering breakfast.

"HELLO?" Papyrus swung the door open much sooner than you thought. Had he been waiting for someone? "AH, HUMAN!" He went to hug you but stopped, assessing the luggage in your arms. Looking you over, he picked you up from the waist, squeezing hard enough that you thought you'd pop. "WHY DO YOU HAVE SO MANY PANCAKES?" Papyrus asked, sitting you down.

"I thought we could have breakfast together, it's been a while." You shrugged.

The skeleton nodded, grabbing the plate from you and taking it inside. "SANS SHOULD BE HOME SOON," he informed you, setting the pancakes on the table:

You frowned, tilting your head to the side. "Why is he out so early? It's Sans, he shouldn't be up hours."

Papyrus copied your movements, surprise on his face, "HE HAD WORK."

"Wait, wait, he worked all night?"

"HUMAN, HAVE YOU NEVER DISCUSSED WORK WITH MY BROTHER?"

Papyrus followed you out of his apartment for a moment, allowing you to grab the toppings you had set out. "He never wants to talk about it." Judging by the look the tall skeleton gave you, you added on, "Every time I bring it up he tells me it's 'just a couple of part time jobs,' but he won't say more than that."

"I SUPPOSE IT ISN'T MY PLACE TO TELL YOU ABOUT SANS," Papyrus spoke much more seriously than he usually did, waiting for you to lock your door before he continued to his apartment.

"Come on Paps," you started. He shook his head, so you changed the subject. "So what are you doing today Papyrus? You're usually about to leave by now."

"METTATON HAS MEETINGS ALL DAY. DR. ALPHYS IS TAKING UNDYNE TO A SPECIAL TOOTH DOCTOR, AND THAT LEAVES THE GREAT PAPYRUS TO HIMSELF."

"Woah, Undyne is going to a dentist? God, she seems like a biter."

"UNDYNE DOESN'T NEED TO BITE, SHE HAS SPEARS!" Papyrus argued.

You laughed, nodding to him while you took your places at the table. Even sitting, he towered over you. "So why's she going to the dentist?"

"TECHNICALLY, HUMAN, ITS AN ORTHODONTIST. AND UNDYNE'S TEETH ARE VERY CROOKED, SO SHE MUST GET BRACES." Papyrus started shoveling pancakes into his mouth, one after the other, talking between bites. "SANS HAD THEM WHEN WE WERE BABY BONES. MY BROTHER HAD A WIDE GAP BETWEEN HIS FRONT TEETH."

You nearly choked on your pancake, stifling laughter. "Sans had braces? You don't have pictures, do you?" It was worth a shot, right? Who could pass up seeing pictures of their boyfriend as a, what did Papyrus say, baby bones?

"OF COURSE! SANS AND I KEEP MANY SCRAPBOOKS." Papyrus started to stand up, but stopped, narrowing his eyes. "YOU PROMISE NOT TO LEAVE FINGERPRINTS? OR SMUDGES?"

"Of course, Paps." You agreed.

The monster strode to the next room, picking out a hefty stack of scrapbooks. He then sat them beside you on the table, leaving you to choose where to start. You began to leaf through the first book just as the front door opened and closed, a sleepy skeleton shuffling into the apartment.

"hey bro. heya babe," he kissed the top of your head, "couldn't wait to see me, huh?" Sans sat beside you, moving pancakes from the still tall stack to the empty plate in front of him. It looked like he might pass out on the table, just fall asleep without another word. He glanced at you with half-lidded eyes, trailing from your face to the book in your hands, "watcha lookin at?"

"Found it!" You pointed to the picture of Sans and Papyrus cuddled up together on a couch- the same one in their living room now. The younger brother was asleep, but Sans wasn't, instead holding his brother in his lap. Papyrus had been right- there was a huge gap between Sans' front teeth, a set of braces trying to push them together.

Sans was suddenly alert, pulling the book out of your hands as you and Papyrus laughed. "SANS IS STILL EMBARRASSED BY THEM."

"am not. why're ya showing these to her anyway?"

"We were talking about braces, okay?" You tried to get the book back, to no avail. "Besides, you look super cute in these pictures."

"'m still cute," he tried to defend himself.

"Well maybe I want to see baby Papyrus too." you whined.

"SANS, YOU SHOULD SHOW THE HUMAN PICTURES OF THE GREAT PAPYRUS' PUZZLES! THEY ARE QUITE MAGNIFICENT." He assured you.

"think i'll just take it to bed with me, bro." And with that, he disappeared, book in his hands.

There was a moment of silence at the table as you and Papyrus exchanged looks. "He knows there are more books, right?" The younger brother laughed at the comment. You grabbed another book, flipping through it while Papyrus chowed down. He sure ate a lot for someone with no meat on his bones.

"Oh, crap," you held the page, filled with pictures of Papyrus' birthdays. It was obvious when he hit his growth spurt- one birthday he was adorably small, the next he was already inches taller than Sans. "I've got to go, Paps. Got shopping to do."

"SHOPPING? YOU BOUGHT GROCERIES JUST THE OTHER DAY!"

"Not for me, for Jay. He should be finished moving in, I thought I'd help him unpack and show him how to cook something other than brownies or waffles."

"THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS FANTASTIC AT UNPACKING!"

You eyed the skeleton, a grin spreading across your face. He looked like an eager puppy. For a moment you thought that he might start wagging. "Well, seeing as you aren't doing anything today,"

Papyrus shot out of his chair, fork still in hand. "MAY I COME?"

"Yeah Papyrus, yeah." You said, laughing.

Paps helped you do the dishes and put them away in your apartment. It went by in a breeze, and before you knew it you were in the store, paying for Jay's groceries, which now mainly consisted of ingredients for spaghetti. You did bring Papyrus, after all. He carried most of the bags, leaving you to unlock your car and pack in the groceries.

"I STILL DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY YOU NEEDED SO MANY AIR FRESHENERS, HUMAN."

"Just trust me on this Papyrus, you'll see."

On the short drive to Jay's new apartment, you and Papyrus spent time singing along to songs on the radio. His versions of some of them were a bit odd, which made you laugh. Nonetheless, he belted out the lyrics without shame. You had triple checked the address Jay had given you, not wanting to get lost. When you finally pulled up to the building, you were in awe.

The building was about the same size as yours, but it was so much fancier. Just from the outside you could see that much, and on the inside it was so much more obvious. There was a man opening the door before you even had the chance, a gigantic lobby opening before you. Everything looked new and untouched, but you knew that there hasn't been recent construction around here. There was even a huge front desk where two women sat, chatting with each other. As soon as the door closed behind you they stood up, smiling at you.

Grabbing Papyrus by the hand, you made a brisk walk to the elevator, hoping not to be questioned. There was just something intimidating about them. The elevator doors opened quickly, and you stepped in with the skeleton.

"OH, OH, CAN I PRESS THE BUTTON?"

"Sure, do you remember which floor?" Papyrus nodded, smashing against the button with his gloved hand. How he did anything with those mittens was beyond you.

The elevator was quick to bring you to Jay's floor, and Papyrus was quick to knock on the door. After a moment you rolled your eyes, opening the unlocked door. The room was a mess, boxes and wrapping everywhere. As you stepped in, bags in hand, Papyrus' cough caught your attention. To your far left was Jay, half asleep on the couch with a still-burning blunt in hand.

"You're gonna burn the place down, genius." After setting the bags down, you grabbed the cigarette out of his hand and put it out on the table.

Jay's eyes slowly opened, a lazy grin crossing his face. "Aren't you a little late, Chica?"

"I'm early, actually." Reaching into the bags, you pulled out one of the air fresheners and began spraying around the room. "You okay, Paps?"

The skeleton nodded, looking worriedly at your friend. "I UNDERSTAND THE SPRAY NOW."

The volume of Papyrus' voice was enough to make Jay sit up straight. He looked at the monster, eyes wide and mouth open. They stared at each other for a moment before Papyrus spoke up again.

"YOUR HAT HAS A CURSE WORD ON IT!"

Jay snorted, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Yeah, it does. What about it?"

You looked at Jay again, studying his hat. The front of the black beanie read 'I JUST FUCKING LOVE CATS, OK?'.

"THAT IS VERY INAPPROPRIATE, HUMAN."

"'S funny though, dude." Jay looked at him seriously, his poker face quickly melting into giggles.

"HUMAN, ARE YOU OKAY?" Papyrus looked at him, concern taking over his features.

"He's fine, just stupid." You finally sat down the air freshener, picking up the groceries instead. "Jay, where's the kitchen?"

Attempting to stifle his laughter, Jay got up, leading you through his apartment and to the kitchen. As soon as you entered the huge room, both you and Papyrus gasped, and surely for the same reason. Sure, Jay had a nice place. A really nice place. But this kitchen- it left you breathless. Huge windows that outlooked the hustle and bustle of the city, a refrigerator big enough to fit Jay, tons and tons of cabinet and counter space, even a kitchen island twice the size of your breakfast bar.

"Shit, my brownies!" Jay yelled, diving for the oven. He flung open the door, revealing- nothing. There was nothing in the oven.

"HUMAN, DO YOU MEAN THESE BROWNIES?" Papyrus asked, eying the one in his glove before popping it into his mouth.

Oh, fuck. Oh no. Sans would kill you.

"Spit it out!" You frantically dropped the bags, moving in front of the skeleton. "Oh my god, Papyrus, spit it out, don't swallow, spit it out!"

"That's what he said," Jay laughed.

Papyrus looked for somewhere to spit it out, confused by all of the yelling. "Oh Jesus, spit it into my hand, I don't care. Just, for the love of God Papyrus," You held up your hand, cringing as it hit your skin. Is this what it felt like to be a mother? Yeah, maybe you'd pass on that. As quickly as you could, you moved to the sink, rinsing off your hands. "Never again, do you hear me?"

"I- I AM SORRY, _______," Papyrus choked out from behind you. It sounded almost as if he were crying.

You turned to face him, a new wave of panic crossing over you as you saw an orange-tinted tear drop from his eye socket. "Oh no, no honey it isn't your fault," you stood on your tip toes to wipe the tears from his eyes.

"B-BUT, THE BROWNIES, THEY LOOKED VERY DELICIOUS. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND-"

"Don't worry about it, okay? I can make you brownies when we get home, promise. Just don't eat Jay's brown-"

"Aw, killer! You got PopTarts!"

Taking a deep breath, you wrapped your arms around the skeleton, secretly giving Jay a dirty look. "How about some spaghetti, huh?"

"Can we put the PopTarts in it?" Jay asked from the floor.

"What?"

"YES! POPTART PASTA!" Papyrus sniffed, wiping his eyes with the back of his gloves.

"I guess?"

_______________

Putting Strawberry PopTarts into your spaghetti sauce makes it oddly sweet. And chewy. It is, however, edible. You were beginning to think that Papyrus couldn't even taste. At least he doesn't burn all of the food, unlike another monster you knew. Jay seemed to really enjoy the spaghetti, but you knew from experience that he'd eat practically anything.

By the time that all of you had finished, Papyrus was completely engulfed in his phone. He was undoubtedly texting Mettaton, considering all of his quiet laughs and compliments on his own texting abilities. The skeleton's cheeks often turned orange while reading texts, which clued you in more. You gathered the dishes, sighing when you realized that Jay had nothing to do the dishes with, and set them all in the sink. You rinsed off what you could, doing your best for now.

"EXCUSE ME, HUMAN?" Papyrus stood behind you, phone in hands.

"What's up, Paps?"

"I KNOW THAT I SAID THAT THE GREAT PAPYRUS WOULD SPEND THE DAY WITH YOU, BUT,"

"Go with Mettaton."

"NYEH?" A quizzical expression took over his face, no doubt wondering how you knew.

"That's who you've been talking to, right? So go hang out with him, I won't mind."

Papyrus' smile was adorably bright when he hugged you, picking you off of the ground and swinging you around. "THANK YOU HUMAN!" He put you back down, hands on your shoulders until you caught your balance. Pap then turned to Jay, holding his hand out. "THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME STAY, I HAD A WONDERFUL TIME, HUMAN."

Jay took the skeleton's gloved hand, shaking it. He wasn't expecting the hug that came with it, but gratefully hugged Papyrus back, chuckling. "No problem, man. You stay safe, alright?"

"WILL DO! AND MAKE SURE THAT SHE GETS HOME SAFELY, MY BROTHER WILL WORRY ABOUT HER."

"Trust me, I'm not about to give your bro a reason to worry about Chica again." Papyrus nodded in understanding and with one last wave, left the apartment. "Y'know, he's not a bad kid."

"Of course he isn't, Jay."

"When I saw him walk in, I thought it was the grim reaper."

You rolled your eyes, leading Jay back to the living room and flopping onto the couch. "Paps is about as far from the grim reaper as you could get. And you've met him before, you goof."

"I remember that, totally." Jay nodded, grabbing a joint from his ash tray and lighting it.

"The day that Sans, uh,"

"Held me captive?" Jay suggested.

"That, yeah."

"You should spend the night."

"What?"

"It's been forever, y'know? Since we've spent the night chilling. With you in the city, and before that the diner always keeping you busy, we just haven't hung out like we used to."

"Well," you made a face, thinking it over, "I don't have work on Mondays, so I guess I'm free." Watching as Jay blew some really impressive rings, you leaned back on the arm rest. "Got any movies?"

"You know me, Chica." Jay hopped off of the seat, striding to a box next his TV. He first pulled out the DVD player, managing to plug all of the chords in in what must have been record timing. "What theme are we going for here?"

"Tim Burton?"

"Just can't get enough of the skeletons, can you?" Jay teased, pulling out DVDs and stacking them onto the table.

"For your information, it's one skeleton I'm interested in. Singular."

"Yeah, singular, unlike the two of you."

"Jay, knock it off."

"I always knew you liked Jack Skellington a little too much."

Giving up on the argument, you joined him to go through the movies. While he set up the first movie to play, you put the rest of the stack in order. Judging by the pile of movies, it was gonna be a long night.