Sometimes No News Is Good News
The reporter, with perfectly slicked back ash brown hair and a glinting smile approached you without hesitation. Without realizing it, you step slightly in front of Papyrus. "Hey there!"
Papyrus easily peers over your head at the two men. "HELLO! WHO ARE YOU?"
The man extends a hand to you and you hesitantly shake it. "Drew Ranson, WELS News. I hear that you're the person who saw the one responsible for last night's incident?"
"Yeah, that's right." You eye the camera man, who's already pointing his camera right at you and Papyrus.
"Excellent, I'm glad we caught you." Drew smiles a smile to rival Mettaton's. "I'd like to ask you a few questions about the whole mess. There's a lot of speculation going around and the people are looking for answers."
Oh. You weren't exactly thrilled about the idea of going on the news, but if this was chance to help clear things up without waiting for the cops.... "Um, sure. I guess that's fine."
"Excellent," Drew says again. "If you'll allow me, this will only take a few minutes of your time." He pulls out a small mic and clips it to your jacket. Papyrus watches the whole thing with great interest.
"_____ I DO NOT UNDERSTAND. WHAT IS HAPPENING?"
"They're from the news station. The one on tv," you explain. "They're gonna help spread the word about what happened last night."
"YOU'RE GOING TO BE ON TV?" Papyrus claps his gloved hands over his face in delight. "THAT MAKES YOU A STAR JUST LIKE METTATON!"
"I'm afraid we're not quite on that level," Drew laughs. "Your name is...?"
Papyrus strikes a pose. "I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS! I TOO-"
"Nice to meet you. Mind standing over there out of the shot?"
You frown as Papyrus' expression drops slightly. "Hey, can he actually stay in the shot with me? He did save a bunch of kids last night from being hit by the fireworks. If anyone deserves to be on the news it's him."
A brief flash passes through the reporter's eyes. He smiles widely. "Sure thing!"
Papyrus beams at you and you can tell he's holding himself back from wrapping you up in a hug in an attempt to look professional. Drew attaches another microphone to him but thinks better of it when the camera man winces and points to his headset. Drew then launches into a stream of questions: your name, where you work, how long you've lived in the city and others like that. You can't see what it possibly has to do with the festival, but you answer as best as you can.
"So, tell me exactly what you saw last night," he finally asks and you let out a small sigh of relief.
"Firstly, there was a group of guys who attacked the stand I was in charge of. Muffet's Bakery. After we sent them on their way we went back to the bonfire."
"'We' being you and the great Papyrus?" Drew asked, nodding at the tall skeleton.
Papyrus burst out laughing. "I'M AFRAID YOU ARE MISTAKEN. I DO CARE ABOUT _____ BUT IN A VERY PLATONIC WAY. HE IS REFERRING TO MY BROTHER."
The speed at which the camera turns back to you is astounding. You feel your face growing red. "Pap!" you hiss. "They weren't asking if we were together!"
"THEY WEREN'T? OH." Papyrus has the decency to try and cover up his blunder, but now Drew's eyes are glinting.
"Please, continue," he says to you, whipping out a notepad and scribbling something down.
You can't help but feel that something bad has just happened, but you continue on, telling Drew about the man you saw and as many details as you can remember. He nods the whole time, and snaps his notebook shut.
"So, am I correct in assuming that you are in a relationship with this skeleton's brother?"
Crap. "I don't see what that has to do with anything."
"Is that a yes?"
"That is my personal business." Your sense of unease is growing steadily with every passing moment, even though you don't really understand why. You had told Sans last night that you didn't care about people staring at the two of you. But announcing your relationship on tv? It felt a little invasive. "Look, do you have everything you need?"
Drew's smile is far too wide and satisfied. "Yes, I believe we do."
~~~~~
Papyrus is unusually quiet as the two of you head back to your car. It's only when you're almost home that he asks, "ARE YOU MAD AT ME?"
You look at him in surprise. "No! Why would I be mad at you?"
He shifts uneasily in his seat, looking miserable. "YOU SEEMED UPSET BY THAT REPORTER ASKING ABOUT YOU AND SANS. HE WOULDN'T HAVE KNOWN IF I DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING. I JUST WANTED TO HELP WITH THE INTERVIEW."
You lean over and pat his bony knee. Now you feel bad. Pap had been so excited about being on tv and you were ruining it for him. "No, Pap. I promise I'm not mad at you. You did great!"
"WHY DO YOU NOT WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT YOU AND SANS?"
You shrug, turning your attention back to the road. "It's just kind of a private thing. I'm happy with your brother and that's what matters. Bragging about it just seems a little...rude. I don't want people to get jealous after all."
Papyrus sniffs, wiping at his face. "IT IS TRUE THAT MY BROTHER IS VERY GREAT. ALMOST AS GREAT AS ME!"
"That's right Pap. Hey, I've got an idea," you say, changing the subject as you pull into the apartment's parking lot. "It's almost Halloween and I still haven't put any decorations up. Want to help me?"
This cheers Papyrus up considerably and the two of you soon get to work on making over your place. He's fascinated by the spooky decorations and bombards you with questions about the holiday. He's hanging up a long chain of skull-shaped lights across your ceiling and you're just about to put some snickerdoodle cookies in the oven when Sans knocks and pokes his head in.
"there you are paps-woah." He looks around your transformed apartment and nods approvingly. Black translucent curtains are draped over windows, a plastic tombstone and fake skull sit by the door, cutouts of bats stretch across the walls, and poofy spiderwebs cover the countertop. Papyrus plugs in the skull lights and poses under the flickering light.
"GREETINGS BROTHER AND WELCOME TO HALLOWEEN!" he says in his best spooky voice. You can't quite hide your snicker.
"Hey Sans," you say as you finish up with the cookies and wash your hands. "How was work?"
"it was fine-"
"SANS YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED!" Papyrus can't hold back any longer. "REPORTERS FROM THE TV INTERVIEWED US! WE'RE GOING TO BE ON TV!"
"interviewed? about what?"
"The accident last night. And," you look at the clock. "it's just about time to it to air."
Papyrus drags Sans to the bean bag, bouncing up and down with his excitement. You join them and Sans tugs you a little closer to him. "an interview huh?"
You nod, clicking the tv on. "Yeah, they wanted to know what I saw and hey, it's a good way to clear up the rumors right?"
He grunts quietly and you all turn your attention to the tv as the news starts. It's the first story, which isn't surprising considering the nature of the accident. The announcer, a pretty Asian lady, starts the story.
"Last night's annual fall festival hosted by radio station E.B.B.T was brought to a sudden and dramatic end last night when an unknown being threw a bag of fireworks into the center park's bonfire, injuring at least seven. Drew Ranson has more on this story. Drew?"
The camera cuts to Drew, who is standing in front of the park. You can see people cleaning up behind him.
"Thanks Erin. It's a terrible thing that happened and I think that everyone is thankful that there were no serious injuries. As you can see behind me, clean up is a little more difficult than usual. Now the big question is of course, who did it?"
A woman, holding her child. "I don't know of any person who could do something like this. Children were running around everywhere and honestly it was hard enough keeping an eye on our kids with all the...unusual crowds hanging around."
The clip switches to a voice over, showing video of you tossing a garbage bag to Papyrus. "Though there are speculations that one from the monster community is responsible, I had a chance to speak with a man who works at E.B.B.T and claims to have seen the one behind the prank."
"HERE IT COMES!" Papyrus shouts excitedly, shaking Sans' arm. You bury your face in your hands as you see yourself appear on the screen, embarrassed. Sans nudges you.
"who's that handsome man hanging out with my brother?"
"Shut up!"
"Mr. _____, who was at the festival with his monster boyfriend-"
Your jaw drops and you feel Sans stiffen slightly.
"firmly believes that the one he saw was in fact a human man."
Your own face appears on screen, standing next to Papyrus, who is so much taller than you the top of his skull is cut off. "It was dark and kind of tough to see, but I'm positive the one I saw was a man. He was just watching me and my boyfriend dancing which is why I noticed him and then he threw something into the fire."
"So you don't think it was a monster?"
The you on the tv frowns. "There's no doubt in my mind it was a man."
It cuts back to Drew. "Though there is still much speculation about what happened, here's to hoping that the matter will soon be resolved."
It cuts back to the woman, who finishes with "The police are currently investigating this incident and encourage anyone who might have seen something to contact this number with the information." And that's it. All those questions and you were only on screen for maybe thirty seconds. Poor Papyrus didn't even get to say anything. Papyrus himself, however, is absolutely elated.
"DID YOU SEE THAT BROTHER? I WAS ON TV!" He whips out his phone. "I'VE GOT TO CALL UNDYNE! I HOPE SHE AND ALPHYS SAW IT!"
"i'm sure they did bro." The fake smile is back on his face. He grasps your hand tightly.
He's upset but trying his best to hide it. "Hey Pap, do you mind if I talk with Sans for a minute?"
"SURE. I WILL START DINNER." Papyrus heads out, phone pressed against his skull. You can hear his excited voice as he heads back to his apartment. You turn to Sans.
"What's wrong?"
"nothing's wrong. you made paps happy. nothing to be upset about."
"But?"
He sighs. "you're not exactly a self-preserving person."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
The fake smile on his face is wavering. He gestures to the tv. "well for starters, the whole city now knows that you're together with a monster and where you work. did you stop to think about what that means?"
"Hey, I'm not happy about it either," you say, a little annoyed. "But it's done. I told them what I saw and they reported it. That was the whole point."
"that was your point." His sockets narrow as he sits up. "they painted you as a monster lover. you're going to be targeted just like the rest of us. or worse."
You squeeze his hand. "You're blowing this out of proportion Sans."
"no i'm not!" He's raising his voice and it scares you a little. You've never heard him shout before. "you haven't seen what i've seen. kids have been beaten up by other kids just for playing with monsters on the playground. the window at work was smashed because people can't bear the thought of my dirty hands on their food. monsters have been hurt. monsters have lost everything." His bones are starting to shake. "what do you think people will do to you? a human who's dared to cross that line and openly announce that they're going out with one?"
"Sans nothing is going t-"
He shakes his head. The lights in his eyes have gone out. "you don't know that. they might hurt you. i can't...." he presses his hand over his sockets. "i can't stand the thought that something might happen to you because of me."
You gently rub your hand over the bones in his arm. Now you get it. "So what then? Was I supposed to just hide it? People saw us at the festival. People will see us whenever we go anywhere. Am I supposed to hide away? I'm not ashamed to be dating you Sans."
A shaky breath escapes him. "i know you're not," he whispers.
"Are you ashamed to be with me?"
"no. never."
"That's that then," you say with finality. "If they want to paint me as a monster lover, that's fine. Because I love you monsters very much." You kiss his cheek. "You don't need to worry." The timer on the oven beeps and you move to stand. Sans' hand whips out, wrapping around your wrist.
"wait." His voice is a soft murmur. He takes a deep breath and moves his lights up to stare right into your eyes. There's no color to see there. No 'eyes the color of the sea after a storm'. No deep green forest gaze. But still, it's the most beautiful thing you've ever seen. He hesitates, face blushing. His hand comes up to cup your face. You lean into his touch. "promise me that you'll be careful," he whispers.
You nod, your heart racing in your chest. "I promise."
Then he pulls you in and kisses you, slowly and gently. Your hands come up to grip his shoulders as a soft moan escapes you. He feels so warm and every touch sets a fire burning across your skin. His hands move from your face to your shoulers, pushing you against the bean bag. He begins peppering your face with kisses and you laugh. The oven beeps again.
"Sans, the cookies," you say as you wiggle under his hold. "They're gonna burn."
He lets out a disgruntled noise. "hold on."
You blink and he's gone. You crane your head back as the oven door opens and Sans hurriedly pulls the pan out. A few moments later and he's back where he was, his hip bones pressing into yours. His kisses feel almost desperate. A strange warmth blossoms in your gut as he shifts slightly, moving more of his body on top of yours. You drag your fingers along his back, trailing over the bumps of his spine. He shivers when you reach his neck bones.
"Still sensitive right here?" you whisper.
"it's a good sensitive," he says with a smile before he starts moving downwards with his kisses. You can't help but arch your back a little as his mouth tickles against your neck. "hmm, looks like you're sensitive too."
"Looks like," you gasp breathlessly.
He pauses and pulls back a little. "is this okay? am i going too fast?"
You take a deep breath. You can feel your face flaming. "Look, I've haven't exactly been...physical with a guy for a long time. I want to know you Sans, really know you but...."
"ok." He kisses your forehead softly. "we'll go as slow as you want."
Relief sweeps over you. "Thank you."
"just tell me if i do something wrong, ok?"
You nod and then the two of you spend quite some time just exploring each other's body. Sans loves every curve and every scar and his touches remain gentle. Not once does he demand anything of you. The weight of his words and worry from before seem to be just that. Empty worries. How could anything bad happen when you were loved like this?
~~~~~
For the next few days, nothing is exactly what happens. Sure, you get some stares and a few people slip some snarky comments to you about how your soul was damned and blah blah. It wasn't anything you couldn't deal with. On this particular day, just two days before Halloween, you were on the evening shift at the station. It was pretty late now and you were 'bone tired'. All you wanted to do was go home and crash. And hey, now you actually had a bed frame and not just a mattress on the floor. You had bullied Sans into transporting it home to save on the shipping time, even though he whined about it. Still, sleeping in your own bed by yourself felt really lonely. Maybe you'd ask Sans to stay over tonight.
"Night Tod," you call into the office. "I'm heading home."
Tod looks up from his papers. "It's pretty dark out. I'm almost done. I can walk you to your car if you don't mind waiting a few minutes."
"Thanks, but honestly I am ready to crash. I'll be fine."
You wave goodbye to the other bleary people who have been working all day and the overly cheerful night crew just coming in. You shiver as you step out into the cold night air, pulling your jacket tightly around yourself. You seriously hope it isn't too cold on Halloween night. You've had more than a few years in your childhood where the weather ruined your costume plans. You didn't go trick or treating anymore, but Toriel had invited you to go with Frisk and Papyrus, who was dressing up. Sans had already claimed working the candy bowl (though you were pretty sure he would just set the bowl outside and not bother with actually answering the door) so you weren't quite decided on what you were going to do. But you did invite everyone over to your place for movies and junk food on the eve of Halloween. You needed to remember to pick up said junk food for the party tomorrow night.
You round the corner of the building, heading towards the parking lot. One of the bulbs in the street lamps was almost out, it's dim light throwing shadows across the area. You can see two people heading up towards the station. Your eyes land on them just as they notice you. Your heart stops as you recognize Emily and the man beside her. The long haired man with a hunched back who had stared so hatefully at you as you danced with Sans. The prick who had gotten his bag of fireworks from Emily at the festival. It all comes back to you and the clues snap together. Emily had been in on it with her boyfriend. How could you have not seen it before? You duck your head, hoping that your look of panic hadn't been seen. You reach your car, fumbling with your keys. Come on! Move faster!
You jump as a large hand slams against your car door, stopping you from opening it. "In a hurry?" A gruff, throaty voice, like a man who smokes too much. You whirl around and try to step back. He traps you with his other arm and you press yourself up against your car.
"H-hey, it's rude to go around scaring people like that," you say, trying to keep your voice neutral. "Do you need something?"
"Yeah, I think I do." He leans in, getting way too close to your face. You can smell the cigarettes on his breath. "You know me, don't you?"
You look away from him, knees quaking. You see that Emily is standing right behind him, watching her boyfriend get in your personal space with a sour expression.
"Look, I don't want trouble." Your voice gives your fear away and he sneers.
"That's good. Because I don't want trouble either. Now, you're gonna forget my face. You're gonna forget what you saw that night. Or we are going to have a problem."
Emily nods, but she won't meet your panicked eyes. "I will make your life at the station a living hell," she says to ground. "And then I will see to it that you never work in radio again if you breathe a word about this."
"See?" You gag as the man breathes in your face. "Don't say a thing, and this whole thing disappears. After all, it was just a prank. It's not worth your job. Understand?"
You nod, closing your eyes. Fear is eating at your throat.
"Say it."
"I-I understand," you choke out.
The long haired man laughs. "Then we're good. But keep in mind what I said. If you blab, I will find out about it. And a nasty monster lover like you can't afford to lose much." He lifts his hand away from your car and wraps an arm around Emily. She gives you one last look as the two of them walk away.
You gasp harshly as your knees give out and you sink to the cement. Your whole body is shaking. Your vision starts to swim and you press a hand against your mouth in an attempt to stop your panicked gasping. You can't have an attack now, not here. You start to reach for your phone and stop. What if they were still watching you? You couldn't call Sans to you now. That would just make things worse. You've got to handle this.
So that's what you do. You take several longs breaths until your attack subsides, gather your keys and shakily enter your car and drive home.
What were you going to do now?