Smile Dog wasn't sure what to expect.

It wasn't his plan to be put into a pound; then again, it hadn't been his plan to get hit by a car. Thankfully he had managed to avoid getting killed, but his back leg hadn't been so lucky. It was shortly after that, when he had been limping down the road, when the humans had found him.

Smile Dog would have killed them under normal circumstances, but he was hurt at the time. That was how he ended up inside of the cage, his back leg now limping with stitches that stung every time he tried to move too fast. It wasn't a good situation to be in, especially when he noticed a poster on the wall. If they weren't adopted in two weeks, they would be put down.

Great.

He decided to scare away anyone who tried to adopt him, giving them the usual smile that made the humans and monsters scurry for the hills. All he had to do was wait for help, his friend would break him out.

Until he didn't. Almost two weeks had passed, and his true owner had yet to find him. That wasn't a good sign, especially when the final few days were nearing. He couldn't chew through the bars, much less manage to run out of there. At most, he could do a speedy limp.

That's when the skeleton had come.

Smile Dog wasn't sure what to do, he was still going over possible plans when the skeletons arrived. Maybe if he managed to somehow break out himself and the other dog, he could use the mutt as a distraction. That sounded good.

Then the skeleton had blurted out that he would adopt the dog, and it threw the animal for a loop. Adopt him? Why would he even adopt him? And after he saw him, too. Did he feel that pitiful towards the dog?

The look he had given, though, was different. It wasn't a look of pity, not like the looks the other skeleton gave the shorter. The face he had given the dog was a look only to be described as utter desperation and fear. It had caught him off guard. He looked so desperate, so sad, like he felt that he needed to save Smile Dog. At first, he had figured it might have been out of a love of animals, probably a vegan idealist or something. Either way, it was an opening to escape, and he took it.

The car ride back was awkward. Driven by the other skeleton, who he had learned was called Papyrus. Sans, his 'owner', was Papyrus' brother, who oddly carried around a blanket. Instead of sitting in the front, Sans had sat in the back, blanket drawn over his body as he focused down at the floor. Papyrus blabbered on for most of the ride, yet Sans only replied in short and nervous sentences It honestly looked like the poor skeleton would break down at any moment, it was weird to watch. He looked so fragile.

"I'm glad you got a helpful buddy!" Papyrus had said, smiling back at Sans through the rear mirror. "A dog is a great companion! As long as it isn't Annoying Dog."

"Yeah," Sans said, glancing over at Smile Dog.

His voice was weak and timid, the guy looked like he was made of glass. What happened to him? There was no way he was this shy all of his life. He didn't even look shy, he just looked... sad.

When they got back to his house, it got worse.

How did he even live like this?

It was honestly a wreck.

The windows were covered with blankets, making the house more dark than it should be. A few rooms had lamps on the floor, plugged into nearby outlets even though there was empty tables right next to them. Extra blankets were thrown about random rooms, untouched food simply wasting away on counters. Sans seemed more at ease when he was indoors, finally looking up as he walked around more confident. But the blanket wasn't lost, Sans continued to shuffle around slowly with it wrapped around him.

There was no way he could live like this. As soon as they had arrived at the skeleton's home, Sans had told Smile Dog a few basic things. If he wanted to leave, all he had to do was scratch at the front door. If he wanted food, he could have anything from the fridge until Sans managed to order some dog food.

Then he just sat.

Sans curled up onto the couch in the living room, the blanket firmly wrapped around his body. The skeleton didn't reach for the remote, nor said anything. He just sat, staring at the floor.

He had to be kidding.

Was this his life? Just sitting there? All day? This couldn't be right. Smile Dog had planned to simply leave when Sans had given him that option, but looking at him on the couch, it was clear this guy was a wreck.

Smile Dog limped up to him, staring up at him. There had to be more to this. He wasn't even watching T.V, or working a job. How did he afford the house if he didn't work?

"Oh, right," Sans had said, looking down at his limp. "You probably can't go find your owner with that."

It was that kind of language that made Smile Dog hesitant from leaving right away. Sans never treated him like a mere dog. He didn't tug on the leash, he had even taken it off when they got at the house. Sans talked to him like he was an intellectual (which he was, but the skeleton didn't know he could talk). It was unusual, Sans didn't know anything about the dog but he didn't seem confident enough in himself to even call Smile Dog his pet. It was a nice change of pace, especially when the skeleton hadn't been afraid from how he looked.

The dog was caught off guard when his leg started to feel warm, jerking his head in surprise. Sans was crouching down next to him, a soft blue and yellow glow emitting from his hands with magical energy.

He was healing him?

The surprise caught Smile Dog off guard once again. The stitches on his leg started to come undone as his wounds started to heal, skin and fur grew slowly as the magic warped around his leg. It was almost alluring to watch as his leg practically became good as new, the stitches falling to the ground, now useless.

He stood up, testing his leg. The limp was gone.

Sans looked tiredly at Smile Dog, his lack of sleep more evident than ever. His posture was uneven, and he was practically swaying in his spot. He had looked tired before, but now it was even worse.

"Do you want some... I think I have chicken," Sans muttered, "If you want to go outside, I can open the door..."

This guy was an utter mess. It was pathetic, really. Sure, he was a good guy, but there had to be some mental issues. It didn't look like he could function on his own.

Smile Dog's original plan had been to simply leave once his leg was fully healed, but now? Now he wasn't so sure. The skeleton had healed him in a matter of seconds, and he treated him better than most others had. There just seemed to be some type of mental block, something that caused him to retreat into his home.

It wasn't that he liked him, he didn't really know the guy. But this life style was just plain bad. Looking at his brother really caused seeds of doubt to be planted in Smile Dog. The guy was somewhat supportive, and he was there for Sans, but it didn't seem that he even knew what he was doing. Sans needed what Papyrus wasn't giving him. Smile Dog wasn't an expert, but he's seen a few people with problems. Heck, his owner was terrified of candles. The dog was able to identify when people needed help, and this guy was practically screaming for it.

Where would Smile Dog even spend the night if he left? His old house had been temporary before they were running, it was why he ended up in the road in the first place.

Fine. He would stay the night to make sure the guy got some sleep, then he would leave.

That's why he grabbed onto the blanket and pulled it forward, Sans following with an iron grip.

"Hm?" He asked, voice quiet.

Gently, Smile Dog continued to pull on the blanket, leading Sans out of the living room. At least Sans had generally pointed out to him where the bedroom was located, leading Sans upstairs to the bedroom. It was rather bare, a computer desk setup on one side of the room and an empty mattress on the other. His bed blankets were probably on the windows.

Maybe Smile Dog could somehow manage to send Sans an article on how to deal with depression, or whatever he was dealing with. Anxiety? It was hard to tell, but it was obvious this guy was dealing with something.

When Sans had entered the room, he resisted, pulling against the blanket as with wide eye sockets. His hands started shaking slightly, the skeleton frantically motioning his head in a 'no' manner.

"'M not tired, not tired," Sans said, "I-I don't want to - I'm not tired."

Smile Dog rolled his eyes, dragging him closer. This guy seriously didn't understand his own health.

It took a bit of struggling, but Smile Dog won the battle at the end, managing to drag Sans down onto the bed. There wasn't much of a fight, as soon as Sans had hit the bed below him, he gave up. His limbs went limp as he closed his eye sockets, breathing out softly to calm himself down.

Okay, Sans was now in bed. Now how was he supposed to go to sleep?

Smile Dog was just trying to repay the guy for healing his foot by setting him on the right track for better health. Yeah, that was it. Sans was pathetic in this state, it was rather sad to see.

"It's fine, I'll just... lay here," Sans mumbled softly.

Smile Dog grumbled softly, pawing at his eye sockets to close him. He was an idiot. The dog was seriously considering breaking the cover of being a normal animal to just talk to him. To tell him he was being an idiot who looked extremely easy to kill. Just one snap of his teeth and the dog could end him, right there.

It would be so easy.

Too easy.

There wouldn't be any game in it. Not to mention how the skeleton was one of the few people who didn't baby talk at him. It was a nice change, especially how Sans had healed him.

Maybe he could take advantage of this house. After all, it had been awhile since he managed to find a warm house to stay the night.

《》《》《》

Early update because I have things to do tomorrow