Chapter 14
The energy of the tall skeleton had intimidated you at first, and he looked a lot scarier than Sans, but you realized quickly that he wasn't bad. Listening to the gentle bickering of the brothers was very amusing, and you laughed whenever Sans told a joke, much to the dismay of Papyrus. His groans at the bad puns sounded pained, but you could see his lips twitch every time. Conversations drifted from other monsters, their puzzles, and someone named Undyne who sounded strong and a bit scary. They seemed to be focusing on each other, and you enjoyed the atmosphere. Looking down at your plate on the table you realized it had been a long time since you ate last, your final meal at Toriels was lunch.
Grabbing the fork you took a small portion and ate it, taking a second to examine the flavour. And the texture. It was terrible. Probably the worst spaghetti you had ever eaten, and it almost felt like a mix between rubber and plastic, with some type of fuzz on it. You swallowed down the mouthful, looking up to see an expectant Papyrus staring at you.
"WELL HUMAN? HOW DID YOU LIKE MY FAMOUS SPAGHETTI? UNDYNE HAS BEEN TEACHING ME HOW TO MAKE IT!" Papyrus asked in a loud voice, and you could hear the vulnerability in it. A brief question of if skeletons had taste buds crossed your mind, and you risked a glance at Sans. His expression was unreadable, a grin on his face and his white pupils small in their eye sockets. Looking back at the cook you noticed his smile seemed to have faded a bit, and felt a pull on your heartstrings. Smiling as big as you could, bigger than you'd done in months, you gave him two thumbs up.
"REALLY!? WOWIE! I MEAN, OF COURSE YOU LIKE IT HUMAN. I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM A GREAT COOK. I WILL MAKE THIS FOR YOU WHENEVER YOU ARE HERE!" His face lit brightly, and a light orange blush tinted his cheeks. You giggled again, slightly dismayed at the thought of having this again but happy he was happy. Peeking through your lashes at Sans you noticed his smile seemed more relaxed and natural, and his pupils had gone back to their normal size. You suddenly understood that he had been worried you would say the truth and hurt his brothers feelings. He gave you a wink, and you gave him a small nod back. Maybe the spaghetti wasn't that bad.
"Actually bro, Frisk here is going to be staying with us for a while." Sans spoke up as you took another bite, forcing yourself not to shudder as you swallowed it. It was that bad. Then what Sans said registered. You could stay here. But should you? You didn't really want to leave, but knew you should. You had to get back. Getting ready to shake your head, Papyrus cut you off.
"REALLY? THEN WE CAN HAVE SPAGHETTI EVERY NIGHT HUMAN! AND I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL TEACH YOU ALL ABOUT THE PUZZLES. SANS AND I BUILD THEM SO WE CAN CATCH ANY HUMANS, AND THEY'RE ALL OVER! MINE ARE, OF COURSE, QUITE HARD, SO IT MAY TAKE SOME TIME TO BE ABLE TO BEAT THEM. MY LAZY BROTHER HASN'T EVEN CALIBRATED HIS THIS MONTH, BUT MAYBE THEY STILL POSE A CHALLENGE FOR YOU." Speaking a mile a minute Papyrus went on, his arms waving about to exaggerate his point. He was like a puppy, you decided. A big, really excited puppy.
You thought about what he said on the puzzles. It would probably be best to stay a bit, learn how the puzzles work before you moved on. A weight seemed to lift from your shoulders as you decided. Smiling at Papyrus you nodded again, rewarded with another beaming smile and a relieved grin from Sans. You didn't know why he was worried, but were happy to see smiles around the table. It filled you with determination and you looked down at the spaghetti.