Pie and New Friends
"Sans!" you hiss, scrambling up from the couch. "I'm not ready! I'm wearing p.j pants and fuzzy socks for heaven's sake!"
You both glance down at Sans' usual attire of shorts and slippers at the same time. You groan loudly.
"trust me," Sans says with a smirk. "tori'll be cool with it." Then he opens the door and the queen of monsters steps through.
She's big, quite a bit bigger than you or Sans and has to duck slightly to fit through the doorway. Honestly, the first thought you have is that she kind of looks like a goat. She's wearing some type of deep purple robe/toga thing with an odd symbol you vaguely remember seeing on the news a few times. It's probably the royal seal or something. The monster herself is covered in thick cream-colored fur that seems elegantly cared for and brushed. A pair of horns poke up from between long floppy ears. She smiles warmly at you.
"Hello my child." Her voice is soothing and just as warm as her expression. "I am-oh careful," she says to Sans, who takes the pie from her. "It's rather heavy."
"don't worry. i goat it." he winks and she laughs. You never would have expected such a joyful sound to come from such a large monster.
She extends a paw towards you and finishes, "I am Toriel." You shake her hand and her fur is so soft you can physically feel yourself relaxing a little.
"Uh buh....______," you blubber intelligently. "It's very nice to meet you."
Toriel pats your hand reassuringly. "You don't need to be so stiff ______. I simply wished to meet you after hearing so many delightful things about you from Papyrus and Sans."
That does absolutely nothing to ease your nerves. But it was interesting to know that even Sans had talked about you to the queen. At that moment, another face pokes out from behind Toriel, shyly watching you. They can't be more than eight years old, at most. This was the kid that saved the monsters?
"_____, this is Frisk." Toriel introduces you to the child, gently nudging them forward.
"Hi," you say, waving to them. They wave back, a smile growing on their face as they take you in. Then they skip over to Sans, who rubs their head affectionately.
"hey kid." Sans is smiling widely. "how's school treating ya?"
Frisk makes a flurry of motions with their hands, pulling out what looks like a math book from the bag on their back. Sign language?
"now c'mon kid," Sans responds with a pointed look at Toriel. "you know your mom considers my help cheating."
Mom?!
"It's only cheating when you give them the straight answer Sans. I don't mind you simply assisting them." Toriel sighs and turns back to you. "Let's sit down, my child. The pie is still a little warm."
The four of you sit at the table. Sans and Frisk lean over the math book, lost in chitchat about its contents while Toriel cuts you a slice of the pie she brought. "I hope you like cinnamon and butterscotch," she says, placing it in front of you.
"Yes! Of course. You majesty," you add hurriedly.
"Oh my." Toriel waves a hand, shaking her head and chuckling gently. "I haven't been queen for a long time, my dear. Please just call me Toriel."
Your face goes a little red but you nod and dig into the pie. It's absolutely amazing and you have to fight not to shove it all in your mouth. "This is fantastic, Toriel!"
She smiles proudly. "You are very sweet."
"Just like this pie?" You wiggle your eyebrows and she breaks into more of that loud laughter. Sans grins at you.
"I can see now why you like him, Sans," Toriel says, wiping at her eyes.
Sans pulls a piece of pie towards him as Frisk nudges him. They have a huge smirk on their face. Sans pokes them in the cheek, staring fixedly at the pie. "heh. yep. his sense of humor's a real slice."
Frisk makes a quick sign with their hands and Sans almost chokes on his pie. "where did you even-tori what're you teaching those kids at that school?"
Toriel giggles. "Oh believe me, Sans, they don't get it from me." She turns to you and explains, "I've recently started teaching at a school close to the ambassador offices. Mostly monster children but there are a few humans, like Frisk. It's what I've wanted to do for a very long time. I'm very lucky that I've been able to secure a position so soon."
"yeah, 'm sure that's got nothing to do with asgore," Sans mumbles. Toriel gives him a sharp look. "sorry. how are the negotiations going?"
"They're...going." Toriel rubs her face. "It's difficult to get the meetings set up. Always seems like the courts have more important matters to deal with."
"What negotiations?" you felt terribly out of the loop and you weren't quite sure if it was your place to ask.
"Oh, I'm sorry my child." Toriel gives you a gentle smile, but her eyes were strained. "Your human system isn't exactly built to accommodate monsters. The king and I, along with a few others, have been working to get basic civil rights established. We've had some successes, like making sure our people at least have places to live and such. Those of us directly involved have fared decently in matters like housing and jobs, but others have run into a lot of...difficulty."
"that's putting it mildly." Sans' face was tight, the lights of his eyes dim. "majority of monsters still don't have jobs and are living on what gold they had saved up. not that it's worth much here. can't imagine it lasting for much longer."
Your faith in humanity was dropping with every word that she spoke. You knew things weren't ideal, but fighting just to make sure monsters had a place to live? A way to make a living? You felt like scum. "I had no idea. I'm sorry. Is there anything I can do?"
Toriel put her hand on yours, squeezing gently. "Oh my dear, simply having people like you as a friend and ally to monster kind is enough. It helps to show those not as willing that such relationships are possible."
There had to be something else you could do. But try as you might, you were drawing a blank. You really were useless. Sans patted your back, noticing your soft sigh.
"hey, she's right kid. don't sell yourself short."
Frisk tapped Sans on the shoulder and gestured towards you. Their hands formed fast signs and Sans grinned.
"kid wants to hear about the first time you met me and Paps," he told you. "i told them the basic bones of it but figured you'd tell it better."
You laughed and told the whole story to Frisk and Toriel, who listened very attentively and laughed at all the right moments. You had just reached the part about trying Papyrus' spaghetti when the skeleton himself showed up, bursting through the door with a loud "NYEH HEH HEH! I HAVE RETURNED, BROTHER!" It seemed Sans had forgotten to mention the visit from the friends to him as well because Papyrus had squealed loudly at the sight of Frisk and Toriel. Frisk jumped up with a happy yell and ran straight to the taller skeleton. Papyrus scooped them up and spun, nearly smacking into the walls.
"BROTHER WHY DID YOU NOT TELL ME THE QUEEN AND OUR SMALL FRIEND WERE VISITING?" he sternly asked Sans as Frisk made themselves comfy on Papyrus' shoulders. Their head nearly brushed against the ceiling. Sans shrugged.
"You're not the only one he forgot to tell," you say, glaring at Sans. "Hence the reason I'm dressed like a hobo."
Toriel laughed. You really like her laugh. "I honestly hadn't even noticed." She takes in your pants, which have a large cupcake on the side and smiles widely. "But seriously, Sans, your laziness must be driving your poor brother crazy!"
"i'm 'fraid there's muffin i can do about that," he snickers as Papyrus howls in mock agony. Frisk placed their hands over where his ears would be, if he had any. Sans and Toriel launch into a pun-off and you could only watch and smile at the crazy scene. Oh, but speaking of baked goods...
"Hey Toriel, the station I work at is throwing a fall festival next week." You cut in as soon as they pause for breath. Otherwise, you're pretty sure the two of them would go on for hours. "You and Frisk should come! There's gonna be music and games and free food and there will be a big bonfire when it gets dark! I'm in charge of Muffet's booth and they're gonna have some pretty nice stuff for sale. It's open to the whole city and there's always a good turnout. Or so I hear. It's my first time doing it."
She claps her hands together delightedly. "That sounds absolutely wonderful! What do you think, Frisk?"
Frisk pumps a fist in the air, nodding enthusiastically. They tap at Papyrus' head and he lets them down and they scurry over to you excitedly. You feel bad when they start signing at you.
"Sorry Frisk, I don't know sign language."
They pout a little and open their mouth. "...w-will...."
"don't push yourself, kid," Sans cuts in. "i'll translate for ya. kid can speak but it's kinda tough for them," Sans says as a quick explanation. "go ahead."
They nod and sign quickly. Will a lot of monsters be there?
"I don't see why not," you say with a shrug. "Like I said, it's free for anyone to attend. The more you spread the word, the more monsters will show up, right?"
They grin widely and make more signs. Sans doesn't translate right away. His cheeks go blue.
"What?" you ask curiously.
"uh, kid wants to know if we're gonna do the space museum before then." Frisk frowns and jabs Sans in the shoulder, leading you to believe he hadn't said quite everything Frisk had been trying to tell you. His blushing makes you go a little red too.
"We're actually gonna go tomorrow, I think," you stammer. "How'd you even know about that?"
Frisk grins and taps their nose knowingly before scampering back to Papyrus, who is eating a huge chunk of Toriel's pie.
"Sans, what else did they say?"
"nuthing!" He turns away quickly. "h-hey tori, maybe you should let asgore know about the festival and he can spread the word. it'd be fun for monsters to have a night out."
Toriel, who has been watching the exchange, is smiling warmly. But at the mention of Asgore, her smile dims slightly. "Yes, I suppose I should," she sighs deeply. Well, there certainly was a story there. Papyrus had mentioned to you once before that the queen and king were no longer together but Papyrus, being Papyrus, didn't really know details about it. You chat with Toriel a little bit longer, mostly about the festival details and your job at the station. She admitted she hadn't heard of the station but promised to give it a listen. Around nine, she glanced at the clock and declared that it was getting late. Both Frisk and Papyrus, who were playing with some of Papyrus' toy figures, groaned loudly. As the two were getting ready to leave, Toriel pulled you into a tight hug. It surprised you and for a split second, you found yourself utterly frozen. The embrace was warm and solid. She smelled like butterscotch and cinnamon. You found yourself gripping the back of her robe, letting yourself sink into the hug. When had you last been hugged like this?
Had you ever been held like this?
Toriel seems to sense you needed the hug and tightens her hold slightly. "Be strong my child," she whispered to you. "You have a good soul. Do not forget that."
~~~~~
"No, you can't wear that," Abby says, her nose wrinkling. "Nothing says 'I don't care' like plaid on a first date."
"I told you! It's not a date," you mumble, tossing the button-up on the bed. You've got Abby on facetime and about an hour before you're supposed to meet Sans. "We're friends who are going to a museum."
"Yeah, a museum about space and stars!" She sighs happily. "I can't think of a better place for love between two nerds to blossom."
"I'm ending the call," you threaten, finger hovering over the end button.
"Don't! Fine you jerk. Just show me what you've got in your closet. No skeletons hiding in there I hope."
You groan, but pick up your phone and duck into your closet, sweeping the camera in a slow circle.
"No. No. Hmm. How old is that shirt?"
"Old. It barely fits."
"Perfect. Take it out."
You hesitate but grab the dark green button-up shirt. It's one you've barely worn so it doesn't look that old. You slip it on at Abby's encouragement. It fits surprisingly well, even though it's a little tight around your arms and it stretches a little over your chest. Abby gives you a thumbs up when you show it off.
"Nice! With those muscles, he'll be after you in a heartbeat! Do skeletons have hearts? For that matter does he even have a d-"
"Yeah, I'm gonna stop you right there," you say quickly. "It's too cold to wear this without a jacket anyway."
"Fine, party pooper. Just make sure you wear the dark brown jacket then. And your ankle boots, not the knee-high ones." As you gather up the rest of your outfit, Abby giggles. "I can't believe this is actually happening. Just answer this and, bro, you better be honest. Do you like him?"
You hesitate. "I-I think I do," you finally whisper. "It's just...confusing, you know? I mean, we're not even the same species. That doesn't really matter to me, but what if he doesn't see it that way? What if he thinks I'm some kind of freak?"
"Hey, listen, love finds a way. It always has, and always will. Besides, bro, you're not the only one involved with monsters." She says this so smugly, you turn, and your jaw drops.
"Abby!"
"Yes!"
"Who?!"
Abby flicks her hair back. "His name's B.P. Tall, fuzzy, and a total dork, but let me tell you something." She wiggles her eyebrows at you. "He's got the GOODS."
"I am both proud and slightly disgusted with you," you laugh. "Seriously though, you go bro. I wanna meet him sometime."
"He's coming to the festival. Make sure you bring your boy too!" she orders. "'Kay, you look fabulous. I gotta go but make sure you get something tonight!"
"Goodnight Abby," you say dryly as she ends the call. You take a breath, your heart starting to pound. This was actually happening. Could you call this a date? Like a real date? No, it was better to go in with no expectations. It would be better that way. You finish getting ready, blasting your music to calm your nerves. Soon enough though, it's time and you hear a knock at the door. You pull at the sleeves of your jacket, making sure your scars are completely covered before opening it up.
Sans has actually dressed up a little. He's wearing black jeans (it's the first time you've seen him in something besides sweat shorts) and a dark blue button-up. The top button is undone and you can see his clavicle bone. Dang, when he puts in a little effort, he actually cleans up pretty nicely. He takes in your appearance and smiles nervously. His cheeks are tinted with the lightest blue. He holds his hand out to you.
"heya. you ready?"
You take his offered hand and smile. "Let's go, space boy!"