Chapter 2
It didn’t take long for the intrepid duo to make it to their waiting getaway vehicle, their black 1967 Impala sitting patiently where they’d left it. Sans couldn’t help himself as he did a little jump and slid over the hood to the driver side, just like he’d seen in some movies. Papyrus didn’t know, but his older brother had been practising that for months in secret, and had actually put a dent or two into the hood before he got the hang of it. This was his first time showing the trick in front of his brother, and when he peeked at the lanky skeleton opening the shotgun door he was rewarded with a look of shock and amazement, maybe even a bit of hero-worship. Pap loved those cheesy adventure movies, and seeing his brother pull off the move so ‘easily’ wowed him.
Sans always drove when the two of them were going anywhere. Not that his brother couldn’t drive, he often took the car out for trips around town, but Papyrus tended to be a little too … exciting … while driving for Sans taste. So the shorter monster waited patiently for his brother to get in and put his seatbelt on, settling the child on his lap, before he gunned it out of the lot and truly made the hiest complete.
The stout skeleton kept a pupil on the kid on his brother's lap as he drove, anxiety worming through the rush of a completed job. The youth was huddled against the skeletons chest, their eyes shut tight and shivers occasionally coursing through their small body. Papyrus seemed to notice the kids nerves and was gently petting them on the head, smoothing down their hair and murmuring soft assurances. His brother seemed happy, mentally making a list of things he would need to get for his new puppy, but Sans had doubts. He worried if taking home this human was really the best idea. Who knows who the intended owner had been, this could get the brothers caught up in a feud they didn't belong in. Sans couldn't really think of who would have bought the kid. Asgore was known for his dislike of owning humans, so no one in The Gang would be buying one. Muffet was all about getting rid of annoyances, so it was doubtful anyone in the Muffintop had bought the kid.
That narrowed down the list. Mettaton would do anything for attention, but the robot would hate having to take care of something else. There was a possibility he'd pawn off care to one of the other members of GLAM, and show the kid off on one of his shows. The Nice gang, while generally nice, were known to do lots of things to get money, maybe a human performance at the casinos. Sans didn’t really think the Temmies would have bought the human, they mostly acted at the middle-men for anyone selling, but he wouldn’t put it past the weird horde. Toriel was the last monster he could think of with the money to buy a human, but he knew it wasn’t her.
He didn’t fear the human, quite the opposite in fact. Humans souls were weak compared to a monsters, one monster soul being equal to 1000 humans. When the war had started, years and years ago, humans did have the advantage of numbers and rapid population growth, but the sheer power of monster magic was too much for them. When it became apparent that they were losing, human-kind seemingly disappeared. Some thought they had gone extinct, but the more prevalent theory was that the humans had holed up somewhere and hidden away. Some of the richer monster liked to have humans as pets, their rarity and intelligence being the only thing of worth about them. No, Sans only had a slight fear of who had originally bought this human, and what that dog tag had meant. ‘Test’ didn’t sound like anything good to him, and it just brought back memories. Bad memories.
It took only a few minutes to get to their home, the eldest skeleton parking the car in an open shipping crate before they got out. Heading towards the door, Sans used a bit of his magic to close the steel door on the ‘garage’, keeping the car safe. Their home, while not much to a passer-by, was a point of pride for the two brothers. A small abandoned warehouse near the docks, 2 stories tall with most of its windows boarded up, it honestly looked like a dump. Inside was a whole different matter. The intrepid duo had completely re-done the interior in an industrial style, and it worked well. The main door, which the small party now entered from, was a thick slab of steel, only able to be unlocked from the inside or with magic.
The lanky skeleton set Frisk down once they entered, bending over at the waist to drop the child off before straightening up to his full height. At 6 foot 9 inches he towered over nearly everyone, including his 5 foot 6 brother. He had a very slight build though, no bulk to him, compared to Sans who somehow seemed to have a bit of a stomach. Never mind that the skeleton monster didn’t have a stomach, or any flesh at all, he still managed to be a bit chubby. Sans always found some kind of comedic justice that he was short but still managed to kick the asses of those around him. He reminded himself of a honey badger, taking no shit and not caring about who he fought, often eager to engage in a little violence. Papyrus was more like a dog, loyal and caring but willing to fight if necessary.
Frisk, once on their own two feet, swayed slightly as they looked around, seeming to take in the open concept apartment. The kid barely came up to Sans armpits, the older monster figured they were just under 4 feet tall. Their sweater didn’t allow him to get a good read on their size, but their arms and legs seemed skinny and frail. Papyrus strode off to the kitchen, monologuing about making some special ‘Welcome Home Puppy’ spaghetti and listing things he would need to buy once the rest of Ebbot city woke up for the day. The duo had managed to complete their heist in less than two hours, and 3AM was not a time for the rest of monster-kind to be awake, at least not those who walked the straight and narrow.
Taking off his suit jacket and throwing it at the nearby coat rack, Sans ruffled the kids hair and gently pushed them more into the home, closing the door behind him with his foot. “c’mon kid, have a seat. you look bone tired.” He joked, kicking off his loafers as he jumped the back of the l-sofa and landed with a soft ‘thwump’. A load groan sounded from up the spiral staircase where Papyrus had disappeared to, answering the joke in the only way it deserved. The jovial skeleton looked over his shoulder at the child, half expecting them to still be standing in the doorway, and was instead greeted with the sight of the tiny human trying to climb over the sofa the same way he himself had. He couldn’t help the peals of laughter that came from him as he watched the child hoist themselves up with a look of pure determination, small feet scrabbling for purchase on the black leather they pulled themself over.
Papyrus returned from his errand upstairs just in time to see his puppy flop head-first onto the couch, nearly rolling off the other side completely. He shook his head with a smile, letting out a slight giggle at the almost proud look on the pups face, and as his older brother holding his sides as he did roll off the couch in laughter, tears running down his face. The culinary skeleton wasted no time in heading for the kitchen, putting on a white frilled apron. He’d stowed his suit in his wardrobe upstairs and had changed into some comfortable black pants and a simple orange button down shirt.
Sans, finally recovered from his laughing fit, watched as his brother rolled up his sleeves and got to work making them some breakfast. Honestly, Papyrus was the best cook Sans had ever known, and he got around. Nothing compared to his home cooked spaghetti, though Sans wouldn’t have minded it if they didn’t eat it nearly everyday. It didn’t seem to take long for the food to be made, though the short monster was never really good at telling time's passing, and soon all three were snuggled up on the couch. Pap chose to sit on the other side of the pup, sandwiching the child between the two monsters.
At first the kid stared at the offered plate in confusion, only reaching out to take it when Sans did the same to the plate offered to him. While seeming to look the tv, the two brothers surreptitiously watched as Frisk puzzled out what to do. They picked up the fork gingerly, watching how Sans held it, then swirled it through the noodles like Papyrus had. There was a slight hesitation as the food was brought to their mouth, and Sans could have sworn the kid sniffed at it, before they took a bite. A soft sigh escaped the child, and both brothers let out breaths they didn’t even know they were holding. Papyrus fell asleep as soon as he was done eating, Frisk following along not long after. Sans, ever the lazy-bones, used his magic to carry the plates to the sink, flick off the lights, then wrap the blanket sitting on the opposite end of the couch around the sleepy pile before joining them.