'Tori, can I talk to you? - Sans'

'Sorry Sans, Frisk and I just got our blades for ice skating. Why not talk to your Mother? I'm sure she'd be happy to listen. - Toriel'

A problem, really. Sans didn't trust them enough to share more than he already has, but he needed to rant.

'Oh, okay. You guys have fun, and you better do some cool moves - Sans'

'Naturally, it'll be snow problem Sans. Gtg, bye! - Toriel'

Sans leaned against his hand, sneaking a peek at Papyrus. His brother, tall and firm, with sunlight making his battle armor glow, worked feverishly in the kitchen. As if he could sense Sans' gaze, Papyrus turned towards the shorter, who quickly went back down to his phone. No words were exchanged.

Screw it, he was going to ask his parents.

He absolutely hated even considering asking them anything, he hated how good with words they were. No doubt his Mom had said something to Undyne, Sans absolutely believed her on that. Supporting her, though, wouldn't work. Neither of them had evidence, and they probably never would. His parents were too good for that.

One thing he did learn was that they were more direct with him. While twisted in their own weird sense, they did confirm things with him. When the charade was up, they didn't bother with the pretend personalities they gave off.

'What did you and Undyne talk about? - Sans'

'Sans! Hello! Are you enjoying your new phone? - Jandle'

'Can you answer the question and use significantly less emojis?'

'Aw, emojis are fun! They have cute little faces and they look funny!'

It was gross how normal she seemed. He hated it. After he had left, he could easily shove down the good memories and focus on the murder. Now that they were in his everyday life, they acted so normal it was gut wrenching. Like they were normal parents who really wanted to meet their children. It was so confusion and conflicting with him trying to shove them into an image of evil, then his Mom would turn around and send him a picture of a cute dog. They were making themselves seem normal, like they weren't secretly part of a cult.

'Okay, okay Sans. Yes, we did have a discussion, but I confronted her because she insulted Papyrus.'

'What do you mean she insulted Papyrus?'

'Haven't you noticed? She doesn't seem to care for his wellbeing. She claimed we could never love him, and you've had to notice how quick she is to words without any care for consequences.'

'Undyne is just a driven person, she doesn't hate Papyrus.'

'Don't you want people in your brothers life that treat him better? When was the last time she ever gave him a compliment or boosted his self esteem? If anything she just uses him as a sidekick, don't you agree?'

'I don't'

'Just wait, Sans. I don't trust her, she's going to hurt one of you two.'

Sans stopped responding.

Half of the reason was because he didn't want to, and the other half was because Papyrus was eagerly getting his attention with a new recipe he had made. There was Papyrus next to him, happily pushing his plate as he offered what they could do for that day.

"I refuse to let you sit around all day, so you have to try these biscuits and gravy I made!" Papyrus said, nervously playing with his scarf when he started speaking his second piece. "And I thought you and I could spend the day together..."

Sans went to say something after he took the first bite of the plate but stopped, looking down in utter shock. This was...

"Holy crap, Paps, this is really good!" Sans said.

"Really?" Papyrus asked, beaming.

It was. The biscuits were light and fluffy, the gravy was warm and smooth, and it all combined into a delicious, filling bite that had Sans craving more. Whatever Undyne had tainted him with by her lessons had long worn off, because this was actually heaven.

"Yup," Sans said, "By making me this breakfast you've legally bound yourself to always make me breakfast. Specifically this."

"You can't eat biscuits and gravy every morning, Sans, that's so unhealthy!" Papyrus said, sitting down across from him.

"Nah, too late bro. Mine your own biscuits."

Papyrus looked at him with a deadpanned expression. "I hate your puns."

"No, you don't, you're smiling."

"It's a pity smile!"

Sans chuckled, leaning back in his chair. Birds chirped outside, the sounds of cars humming past the house in the early morning. Sans hasn't been called by Alphys as much recently, so he's been getting some good sleep. It was pretty nice.

Much like this morning. Sunny, warm, a perfect fit for a nice day to follow. Sans liked these mornings. They held a hope for him that he didn't have often.

"You said you wanted to hang out today, bro?" Sans asked.

"Yes I would!" Papyrus said, both eager and hesitant at the same time. "I have some ideas for us to do. Like um... well, I wanted to just spend the day in, just the two of us. Watching some movies."

"Have a movie night?" Sans asked, "I'm down, that sounds great."

"Perfect!" Papyrus said, "It's been awhile since we've properly bonded and a movie night would be perfect! Of course, after we go out and buy some ingredients for a special dinner. Nyeh heh!"

"Oh, a special dinner?" Sans asked, "Is it spaghetti?"

Papyrus sputtered. "Not anymore!"

"Aw, c'mon, I like your spaghetti." Sans smiled gently at him before he caught himself, looking away. "But it's up to you what you cook, bro."

This was getting too risky. He was letting himself get out of control.

~~~~~~

"Quack."

Sans squeezed the rubber duck next to his brothers face, a passing Mother and child staring at him as they pressed forward. Papyrus grabbed the duck from Sans' hands and set it onto a nearby shelf.

"Aw, Paps, no," Sans said, "Sir Duck wants an audience with the Great Papyrus."

"Well Sir Duck is going to have to wait for the Great Papyrus to finish picking the best noodles."

After a moment of deliberation, he chose the box in his right hand, turning to return the other to its original spot. However, now in the empty opening was a several rubber ducks, each forming a circle with one propped up on a smaller box.

"Sans, someone is going to have to clean that up," Papyrus said, looking at him.

"Nah, I'll get it. But there's a lot of rubber ducks who want an audience with you, bro. They're gathering just to see you!"

Papyrus laughed at Sans wiggling around Sir Duck, adding the good noodles to their shopping cart. Sans recollected the several rubber ducks and returned them to their original location in the store, following behind his brother.

His phone buzzed with a message, showing none other than Undyne's icon. Papyrus sighed at the image, swiping away the notification.

"Who was that?" Sans asked.

"Undyne," Papyrus answered, ignorant to the way Sans relaxed when he heard it wasn't their parents.

"Why didn't you answer?"

Sans followed Papyrus as they rounded a corner, now looking at different sauces. Papyrus made some mental notes of the best ones as he went to answer Sans.

"Well, because I'm mad at her!" Papyrus said, "I figured I'd give her the day to cool off. Not to mention it's our bonding day while Frisk and Toriel are out, so I'm not going to ignore you and answer her."

Sans poked a nearby can of spaghetti sauce. "Why are you mad at her? I get that she sorta yelled at Jandle and everything, but we didn't hear the conversation. Anything could've happened. We dunno who's in the right."

"I'm not actually mad at her for that," Papyrus explained, picking up a few jars and inspecting their quality. "You know Undyne sometimes gets stuck in her head, she didn't like Mom from the start, she just needs to warm up to her. I'm mad that she ruined your coming out!"

"I mean, I didn't really intend to come out," Sans said awkwardly, scratching the side of his face, "So it ain't a problem."

"That's the point! Coming out is supposed to be a special moment, that's why we had the party! Then she just yelled at our Mom and Dad, and left early! She ruined it!"

Sans shrugged. No, it was ruined the moment his parents were there. Undyne was just a victim of their plans. Which...

Now that he thought about it, why did Jandle threaten Undyne? What was her motive? Both of his parents always seemed so in control it was threatening, so he didn't believe she suddenly lost her temper and revealed the truth to her. And Sans doubted she even spilled about the cult, or about what Sans saw. Undyne didn't act like she learned that. Sans was the only one who still knew, which was good. He didn't want to put Undyne at risk.

"But we didn't throw a coming out party for you when you came out," Sans said, "Maybe we should. It ain't fair that I get one and you don't."

"That's because I came out at my own chosen time! You came out when you were scared, so you deserved a party to make it a better coming out."

"Hey, at least my time in the closest helped me pick out an outfit, featuring this old hoodie and basketball shorts that probably - yup, they have a ketchup stain."

After a few more aisles explored by Papyrus and gay jokes from Sans, they finished their trip in the store, moving up to the register to pay. Their banter continued on as their groceries were bagged, Papyrus and Sans joking along with one another.

"You guys are such a cute couple," The girl behind the register said.

"Oh uh... we ain't a couple, just a couple of brothers," Sans said, shooting some finger guns.

"Yup, just some cools brothers," Papyrus agreed quickly.

Both of their smiles were forced, awkward, and quite obvious. The pain was barely masked between them.

"... Okay then," The woman said, moving forward to do her job and avoid the thick awkwardness that had taken hold in the air.

~~~~~~

"I'm so sorry for how that went earlier!" Papyrus apologized to his parents as they stood by their car, the darkness of the sky spreading over the horizon.

"Sweetie, it's okay, I still had a fun time!" Jandle said, smiling at him.

"We spent quality time with our sons, how could we not have fun? Even with a disruption like that, it was a pleasant evening," Gaster said, "And do try the recipe your Mother sent you. She's spent a lot of time adjusting it, the biscuits and gravy recipe is admirable."

"Thank you honey," Jandle chuckled, kissing her husbands cheekbone.

"That sounds great! I'll make it for Sans tomorrow morning," Papyrus said, "And um... about what you told me earlier. That you and Mom are siblings..."

"I figured it was about time to tell you," Jandle said, "But he's right. We are siblings. If you're alright with that, Papyrus."

"No, no, I'm okay with it! Just a bit surprised," Papyrus said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I didn't expect it at all. How did you guys know that you loved each other... that way?"

Jandle giggled. "We both knew for awhile. Family is always most important to us. Ever since our parents died when we were little, and no one took care of us but ourselves, we both knew how important we were to each other. You really think I was going to let my baby brother go out and date those woman who only cared about themselves? No thank you."

"I think she's trying to say this, Papyrus," Gaster said, resting his hands on his sons shoulders. "Family is forever. Friends come and go, but it's family that counts. Skeleton monsters don't reproduce by bodies, but by our souls, so we face no consequences for reproducing with our family. We'd rather you become romantically involved with Sans over you dating anyone else."

"Remember, sweetie, he likes simple things," Jandle said, giving a quick hug to Papyrus. "Good luck!"

They left Papyrus in shock from what he was told by his parents, unable to do anything but watch as they backed out of his driveway in their moderately sized car.

They... wanted him to date Sans?

~~~~~~

The dinner was set to be somewhat romantic. Sans was smart, and Papyrus didn't want to make it too obvious in case he was sent running. Sans cared deeply for his brother, sure, but was that love romantic? Did he return the feels Papyrus has been trying to push down for so long?

With the lights dimmed, and a dish of spaghetti set out, they flicked on a movie. There were so many differences between the brothers, but that's what made their relationship special. They filled in each others gaps, their weaknesses, and lifted one another to their best potential.

And Sans was such a caring brother, always there for Papyrus. When Papyrus came out, Sans was the first to support him. When Papyrus wanted to join the Royal Guard, there was Sans, cheering on his dreams, but keeping him safe. Maybe that's why these feelings blossomed towards the short skeleton, why Papyrus found himself wanting to spend more time with him.

They were here! On a family bonding night, Papyrus could tell him! Their parents were supportive, they wanted them to get together! All of these years of being worried, being scared, and he could...

Could...

Papyrus looked over at the kitchen. What about Toriel? What would she say? What would Frisk say? Was he being fair to Sans by confessing? What if he made Sans' situation so much harder than it already was?

"Oh man, him eating that ice cream was mint to be," Sans said, making a joke about the flavor of the ice cream on screen.

"Sans!" Papyrus said, gulping away his insecurities.

He couldn't do it. But he could still enjoy the night, no matter how selfish he was for wanting Sans' time.

Before he could scoot just a tiny bit closer for a brush of contact, the doorbell rang, almost making him groan. It was movie night!

"I'll get it," Papyrus said, pausing the film.

"Ya think Tori forget her keys again?" Sans asked.

"Maybe."

Papyrus couldn't help but feel a little annoyed for his movie night being interrupted. He just wanted to spend sometime with Sans! But if Toriel forget her keys, that was understandable.

What wasn't understandable, though, was Undyne standing on his porch with a crazed look in her eyes.

"Undyne?" Papyrus asked.

"I got into an accident last night, bonehead."

What?

That caused Sans to perk up from the couch, both skeletons now on alert.

"Were you or Alphys hurt?" Papyrus asked, "Why didn't you call us?"

"Our car was ran off the road by your parents!" Undyne said, "I outed your Mom and she's trying to kill me now!"

"Undyne, are you sure?" Papyrus asked. "What time did you get into the crash?"

"Nine. Why? I know it was your Mom!" Undyne insisted.

Papyrus sighed. "Undyne, they... they left our house at eleven."

"So?" Undyne asked, "It was them!"

"No, Undyne, he's right," Sans called out from the couch, "They did leave then, they were with us until then. It wasn't them."

Papyrus, as much as he cared about his friends, and how much Undyne meant to him, was a little bit upset. The party was supposed to be about Sans, and Undyne twisted it around to her baseless drama. Then she was showing up on his doorstep, having not called Papyrus when she was run off the road, and demanding it was his parents while Papyrus was trying to spend some quality time with his brother.

He was just a little annoyed. He loved Undyne, she was his best friend, but...

Why was she suddenly doing this? The action was out of nowhere, as if she suddenly decided to hate his parents. They were nice people, why was she trying to blame them for a crime they couldn't have committed?

"Who's side are you on Sans?" Undyne demanded.

"What - Undyne, I'm on the side of logic," Sans said, "They were here with us until eleven. Unless they suddenly managed to duplicate themselves, chase you down at nine, and run you off the road, I don't think it's them."

"But -"

"Undyne, please, we were having a movie night," Papyrus said, "But are you and Alphys doing okay? No injuries?"

"Why won't you listen to me?" Undyne said, "They're out to get me!"

"Undyne, seriously, it wasn't them. They never left until eleven," Sans said, moving from the couch to join Papyrus at the door. "I get that you don't trust 'em, but it's physically impossible for them to be the culprits."

"Fine, side with your parents!" Undyne growled.

"Undyne -"

She didn't listen, once again caught in her own mind and stubbornness as she turned away. Sans tried to talk to her, get his only ally back, but neither of them understood the situation properly enough to even piece together the story. Papyrus himself was just frustrated, the comments from his parents having created a divide between Undyne and himself that was growing bigger.