"I want guards posted all through Snowdin, guards posted in Waterfall, guards posted in Hotlands. I want guards everywhere, damn it!" Papyrus threw his fist against the dining room table, pacing along it while a short monster frantically jolted down his words, flinching when he got to close.

Vincent watched from the top of the stairs, his ears flicking as he registered every sound being produced, his tail swaying as he watched the angry skeleton walk back and forth.

"And don't forget about about the castle. We shouldn't even have let the little brat get out of the Ruins!" Vincent tilted his head a little, curiosity bubbling in him as he wondered what Papyrus had meant.

"Y-yes sir!" The small monster chimed in, flipping through pages of gibberish, no doubt written in whatever language monsters use to write in down here. The neko's eyes were sharp enough to read the notes, though he couldn't comprehend the strange symbols and markings.

"Did I get everything? Psh, I can't my worthless wretch of a brother didn't even see the trespasser go by! He must have been sleeping!" Papyrus voice rose as he stopped, glaring so hard at the table top that Vincent got ready to put out a fire that might ignite under his intense look.

"W-what about th-the sentry p-posts.. Should w-we get someone e-else to guard th-them?" The monster asked nervously, looking up at Papyrus with distinguishable terror.

Papyrus whipped his skull around to stare at them, startling the poor monster half to death. He advanced toward them, a snarl in his voice as he grabbed their neck.

"Do you think my brother can't do it?" The monster's body shook and they whimpered "no", their eyes wide as they stared into Papyrus'.

"You sure made it sound like it."

"S-sir I meant- cause you said-" They're words were forced to stop as the grip on their throat tightened, their hands scrambling to Papyrus' fingers, trying to get air.

"I don't care what I said." He reached back and summoned a nasty, sharp bone, his elbow crooked, ready to deal a death blow on the creature.

He was about to kill them when Vincent scurried down the stairs, running to them and yanking Papyrus' arm back, earning a swift slap to the side of his head.

"Papyrus, don't! It's me!" He yelled as the skeleton dropped the monster and turned on the human, his smile fueled with blood lust. Papyrus raised the bone again, two seconds from stabbing Vincent in the gut when he froze, recognition flooding into his features.

Vincent had moved his hands to cover his face in fear, memories reigniting themselves in his brain. He pushed them away but the damage had already be done. He couldn't hide the shivering that his body showed, closing his eyes tightly in an effort to hide himself from the skeleton, who was no doubt staring directly at him.

"Vincent.." Papyrus said, dumbfounded as he let the bone in his hand vanish. His anger disappeared with it as he knelt, the hard expression he had been wearing had softened with sympathy as he reached a hand out to Vincent.

Vincent jumped at his touch and pushed away from him, quickly standing and keeping his head down, unable to meet the skeleton's apologetic gaze in fear that it would be a harsh glare. He sighed shakily and gripped his opposite forearm, his shirt shifting on his body to make up for the sudden movements. 

"Why.." Papyrus searched for words, fumbling with angry shouts in his mind as he looked for something more suitable for the neko. Vincent shook his head to stop him, his bangs swaying enough to cover a bruise forming from where Papyrus had hit him.

"I couldn't let you kill that monster." Vincent said in a low tone, refusing to let his anxieties make him sound weak and pitiful. Papyrus was threatened with anger again as he asserted himself, exhaling slowly to keep his cool.

"They were being too much of a hassle. I was merely going to rid myself of them." The monster in question had regained their breath and scurried back across the floor, watching the conflicting friends in front of them with wide eyes. They're clipboard was snapped in half beside them, they're last written words scribbled in the frenzy.

"That doesn't mean you can kill them!" Vincent argued, gaining enough courage to look up at the skeleton and meet his gaze. Papyrus glared hard at him, making him glance away but return the same glare.

"What's it to you? A lost chance to make a new friend?" Papyrus growled, his soul heating with rage. Vincent could tell and took a half step back, fear lighting in his eyes. His tail flicked behind him as his ears flattened, trying to swallow down the terror that rose in his throat. 

"No, it's just that's an innocent life you could have wiped out! Just like that!" Vincent swiped his hand through the air to emphasize his point, faltering slightly as Papyrus neared him. 

"So what? They're gonna die someday, so why not make it now?" Papyrus growled and balled his fist, ready to strike down the opposing human. Vincent sensed that as well and his heart beat against his chest, his fight or flight response screaming at him to run, though something kept his body steady.

"You can't just kill who you please!" Vincent shouted, catching the skeleton by surprise who was taken aback. The human scoffed as he gestured at the monster below them, currently scooting their way towards the door on their behind. 

"Seriously! What makes you think you can kill them, Papyrus? Seriously! Tell me one good reason that you have for TRYING to kill them!" Papyrus opened his mouth to respond but couldn't come up with anything, instead closing it again. 

"See? You don't even have one! You're just upset because they "think Sans is lazy" or you're "offended by what they said"!" Vincent mocked him, his tail flicking wildly behind him. He'd never felt so angry at anyone before, at least not to the point where he unleashed it on that person. 

"Think before you act, Papyrus. You really need to learn that." Vincent growled at him, shoving past roughly to offer a hand to the shaking monster. Papyrus watched the neko in silence, an angry scowl on his face though he said nothing, just staring as the monster stood with the help of the human, brushing their clothes off and nodding a quick 'thank you' before glancing at Papyrus.

Papyrus snarled, making the monster squeak in fear and quickly scurry out the door, running off into the white snow, hopefully back to work. Vincent closed the door behind them and started to pick up the broken clipboard and scattered papers, setting the notes on the table.

"Vincent." The neko stopped at the rough sound of his name, ignoring the chill that crept along his spine. 

"Have you thought about it yet?" When Papyrus was silent, Vincent sighed and went to the kitchen to throw away the splintered wood, hissing as a piece cut his finger. It made him remember the slowly spreading pain along his eye, but he pushed it away, letting his tail fall behind him.

With his ears down, he washed his hands in the sink, focusing his mind on his task and blocking out everything else. Papyrus stayed put, staring at the back of the neko's skull as if he could drill a hole in it. 

When Vincent finished, he dried his hands and turned around to grab an ice pack, barely containing a shocked scream as Papyrus scowled at him, his bone white face inches from the human's fleshy one, bright red from slight embarrassment and the closeness. 

"What now?" The neko growled, meeting the heavy gaze Papyrus had transfixed on him like always.

"Let me see your eye." Vincent's breath caught in his throat and he turned his head away, shielding the view of the wound, hiding the secrets that embedded in his iris and waited to be discovered. 

"Fuck you, I'm fine." He responded in a cold tone, unwilling to reveal the terrible sight. Papyrus didn't like his answer and grabbed his chin in an iron grip, forcing him to turn to face him again.

"Papyrus-" Vincent gasped as Papyrus pushed away his bangs with a swift stroke, his eyesockets narrowed as he studied it. 

Bright red iris. Dark black pupil. Splotches of sickly purple and brown across the outside of his eyelid. 

"Did I.." Vincent slapped the skeleton's hand away, shaking his head. 

"No, my eye was like that before. It's black because of you, though." Papyrus' jaw clenched and he returned to staring in silence, something Vincent had grown accustomed to him doing, but now it bothered him.

"Stop staring at me, you fucking creep." Vincent put his hands on Papyrus' chest and pushed him aside, walking away with his tail slithering around his own leg, wrapping tightly to his jeans. 

"I.. I was born with it," Vincent lied, unwilling to tell Papyrus the truth. Papyrus seemed to accept the answer, though his gaze lingered.

"It's permanent. It can't be changed, and it will always be like that." Vincent muttered, closing his eyes tightly as he felt a phantom like slice of metal slide across the right side of his face, trying to escape the voices that screamed like unsettled spirits in his ears.

Papyrus finally looked away, shaking his head slowly as he regained his composure.

"You suck at hiding it. I'll get you something to cover it better with, something a little less obvious then your bangs." Vincent looked over his shoulder at the skeleton, a light sparking in his good eye, though it disappeared as quickly as it came.

"Like what? An eyepatch?"

"No, dumbass. That's too cliche." Papyrus walked around him, heading towards the closet near the door where extra coats and winter clothes were stored. Vincent followed, his ears down in apprehension, still feeling the tension that hung in the air around them.

Papyrus opened the closet and searched through overflowing boxes of scarves and gloves, tossing hats to the floor without a care in the world if he deemed it unfit for the neko. After awhile of aimless amble through the cloths, Papyrus turned around, plopping a knit hat onto Vincent's head.

It was made with thick yarn, at first glance unappealing to a young adult like the human, though after a few moments of inspection, he grew fond of it. It seemed to match his hair if only off by a few shades of purple, slouching in the back but loose enough in the front where it lined his bangs and covered at least half of his right eye. 

He adjusted it to his liking and was a bit surprised when he felt a lump at the back, feeling it with his finger tips and coming to the conclusion that there was a pom pom there. He couldn't help but bat at it with his hands, a tiny hint of a smile turning up the corner of his lip before disappearing when he tried to lift his ears.

"I can't move my ears." Papyrus frowned in irritation but took the hat back, walking to the kitchen. Vincent stayed where he was and only looked up when Papyrus' boots clomped back, feeling the hat placed on his head again just the way he had it before.

"Put your ears up." Vincent did and felt his ears lift, his tail untwining and swaying behind him. He adjusted the fabric around them, burning the ends of the cut string with his fingers to get them to stay out of his ears, knowing the tickling would drive him insane. As he adjusted to the feeling, Papyrus had a notable softness to his scowl, the closest Vincent had ever seen to any other feeling then anger on the skeleton's features.

"You like it?" 

"Yes." Vincent replied, looking up to the skeleton. Papyrus didn't meet his gaze and instead stared at the mess he had created, kneeling down to pick it up.

"You need a jacket and gloves too, now that it's colder outside." Vincent started to protest but stopped when his ears picked up on howling wind from beyond the front door, narrowing his eyes. 

"Okay."

"I'll pick some up now. I have nothing better to do since you let my guard run away." Vincent had no regrets in his actions, save for the stirred up memories that had just begun to settle. 

"Can I come with?" Papyrus stood and checked over the neko, scowling at his outfit. 

"Not like that." Vincent crossed his arms, rolling his eyes.

"Of course not. Got a jacket I can borrow?" Papyrus threw a old looking coat at him, the crinkle in the sleeves where it bent at the elbows had signs of wearing down, the material cracked and wrinkled. 

"That was my old jacket. Take care of it." Vincent nodded and slid into it, content with the heaviness on his shoulders, the hood packed with fluffy material that kept him warm. 

"It reminds me of Sans' jacket." Papyrus growled low at the remark, so Vincent changed the subject by trying to zip up the front, huffing when the zipper got stuck. 

"It's caught." Papyrus scowled and pushed his hands away, grabbing the front of the jacket and working at the zipper.

"You did it wrong." 

"How was I supposed to know?"

"Just shut up." As Papyrus said it, the coat zipped to Vincent's chin, sealing him into it's soft confines.

"Thank you." Vincent said, moving his arms around to get used to it, then sliding his hands into his pockets. Ignoring his thanks, Papyrus waited by the door as Vincent got on his shoes, standing at his side when he finished. 

"Let's go." Papyrus said curtly, opening the door and heading out, shoving his keys into his pocket. Vincent nodded even though the skeleton didn't see it and followed, pulling the door shut behind them.