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“Whoa.”
You almost jumped when someone spoke up from just behind you, bags of pet supplies rustling violently from where they were hooked around your arm. It was late, and you were waiting at the bus stop, a slumbering kitten cradled against your neck. She was burrowed into the hood of your parka slightly, claws gripping the fabric subconsciously in her sleep.
“So...” you spun around and were shocked to see an enormously tall skeleton monster towering over you, standing just a tad too close. The streetlight cast a ghastly shadow over his pointed, vaguely scowling features, lingering dark in the deep circles beneath his eye sockets, which were empty, save for two glowing, violet lights. Currently, they were focused on the cat in your arms. “You just... have that thing? You carry it around?”
It took you a moment to find your voice. Monsters were still very New, and this was the first time you'd ever met one, skeleton or otherwise. After a moment of silent gaping, your mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water, you managed to clear your throat and speak. You were just glad he was being patient with you.
“Uh... well... For now, I guess. 'Till I get home,” you said in a small voice, taking a tiny, and hopefully subtle, step backward. His brows seemed to crease further along the natural groove, and he hummed thoughtfully, his very sharp teeth quirking in a way that almost looked like... a smirk?
“What're you gonna do with it?” he asked, and you blinked once at him, then glanced towards the tiny cat in your arms. She continued to sleep, completely oblivious to the exceedingly tall skeleton currently looming over her.
“Um. Take care of her? I guess?” you said uncertainly, like it was a question. “You know... feed her? Play with her... stuff like that?” The crease between his brows deepened, and he was silent for a moment, violet lights in his sockets flickering finally from the small animal to your face. It was unnerving, to say the least, and you were silently praying that your bus would rescue you from this situation.
“Thought humans, uh... eat animals?” he mused, voice lilting up at the end in a question. You blinked a few times, your mouth lifting into an involuntary smile as you huffed out a chuckle.
“Well– some of us do. I mean, a lot of us do? Some don't. Eat animals,” you stroked your new kitten absently, looking down at her instead of the intimidating monster in front of you. “And, uh, not many people... in America, anyway, not many people in America eat cats. I mean– some countries, overseas... but not here, and, uh...” Man, this guy probably had no idea what you were trying to say, here. Your head was all over the place. “Um, well, cats in America are kind of. Pet animals.”
“Ah,” he said, his tone amused, and you chanced a look at him. He was grinning at you now, the crease between his brows much more shallow, though still present. Maybe that was just his face?
“Y-yeah,” you said awkwardly, and then the two of you just kind of...
Stood there.
Quietly.
You were pretty sure he coughed, the sound a dry rattle rushing out from between his teeth, and you shifted on your feet, casting your mind out for something to say. He was a monster, this was a pretty great opportunity for you to learn about them, but you were suddenly horribly nervous, and your mouth was really dry.
“S-so, you're,” you forced the words out and cleared your throat again, and his gaze shifted to you. He had been studying the sidewalk, but at this point, you were pretty sure he was either waiting for the bus, or he was just... super lonely and curious about humans. Either way, you needed to make some conversation, if only to ease the tension. “You're, uh, a monster.”
“Yep,” he said, teeth quirking up in amusement. You flushed with shame and chuckled nervously, petting your kitten a little more insistently and hoping she wouldn't wake up. You wished you'd bought a cat carrier, but maybe he wouldn't scare the shit out of her?
“Right, well, obviously, and,” you swallowed, glancing away. “You're, um, part of the. Integration, right? First wave?”
“Yep again,” he chortled, shifting back slightly and shoving his hands into the pockets of his black hoodie. “An' y'know what? Yer the first wild human I've talked to, so far.”
“First wild...?” You felt your mouth lift into a vague sort of smile again, and you blinked, laughing lightly. “Well, uh, it's. That's cool? You're the first monster I've met.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“If you couldn't tell,” you continued, chuckling, and he huffed out an amused breath.
“Yer doin' real good,” he said kindly, and you felt some of the tension leave your shoulders at that. You smiled up at him gratefully, humming.
“It's... Well, I'm not... good with people. On a good day. So,” you shrugged one shoulder, and your kitten made a tiny noise, but thankfully didn't wake up. He nodded sympathetically.
“An' I'm pretty scary, ain't I?” he joked, then sent a sharp grin your way, twin gold fangs glinting in the dim light from the streetlamp. You kept your grin fixed on your face, letting out a nervous laugh.
“Nah, you're good, man,” you said in a tiny voice. He snickered, hunching in on himself and shaking his skull, one clawed, gloved hand coming up out of his pocket to cover half of his face, his sockets squinting, but not quite shutting while he shook with quiet mirth. You smiled in spite of yourself. “Sorry.” He huffed some air out through his nasal cavity, the sound a hollow whoosh you could barely hear over the buzzing of the streetlight.
“Whatever,” he mumbled, but he was still smiling at you. “S'better than the shit my bro has t'deal with, so,” here, he shrugged, the violet lights in his sockets dancing to the side, then focusing on you again. Changing the subject rather abruptly, he went on, “What are, uh. What're you doin'?”
“Oh, um,” you gestured to the booth beside you, hiding a bench from view. He looked at it, then stared at you expectantly. “Waiting for the bus,” you said in explanation, “Y'know, so I can get this lil' baby home,” and you nodded to the kitten you were holding, still miraculously asleep.
“Hm,” he glanced around, his gaze lingering for a moment on the bus stop itself before he looked back to you. “Are you, like. Busy, then?” You blinked.
“Um. No??” you said uncertainly, grinning up at him. “I guess not, but. Why?”
“I mean, y'wanna get high, or somethin'?” he asked, shrugging, and your brows shot up as your grin widened slightly. He chuckled, lifting one hand to scratch idly at the back of his neck as he looked away.
“Sorry, I... don't want to,” you said with a laugh, and he shrugged again, still looking down– anywhere but at you, it seemed.
“Right, right, it's–“ he seemed to hesitate, tugging a pink joint out of his pocket. Your grin widened further, and you glanced back to his face. “I mean, it's optional.”
“Alright??” you said with incredulous amusement, trying not to raise your voice. He suddenly started snickering, shaking his head as he dropped his hand from his spine to retrieve his lighter.
“Yeah, I don't– it always worked Underground,” he shrugged, and you furrowed your brows with a silent question. “I mean, I don't– I don't talk t'people, either...” he trailed off, but you suddenly understood, chuckling.
“Ooh, I see,” you said, shaking your head slightly. “Is this like. A conversation starter, for you?”
“No, that was the cat,” he replied, sockets crinkling slightly as he lifted the joint to his teeth, then lit it. The smoke was green, you noted, wafting up into the air in a thick cloud. It smelled a little like... watermelon?
“Uh, well,” you chuckled shifting in place slightly. “I usually start with my name.” He huffed some air through his nasal cavity at this, shaking his skull.
“Yeah, that might'a been a good place t'start,” he mumbled, not looking at you again as he took a long drag from the joint, held it, then let it out slow through the crevices in his jaw and his barely-parted teeth.
“You look really fucking metal right now,” you blurted out before you could stop yourself, and his hand froze halfway back toward his pocket, the lighter dangling from his clawed phalanges. “I– fuck, I mean–“
He cut you off with some sudden and sharp, huffing laughter, the green smoke coiling out and curling into the air in a soft, thick cloud that wafted over you. You inhaled some and took a huge step back, coughing violently when the smoke tickled your lungs and nose, and your kitten woke up immediately and went into a sneezing fit, squirming against your shoulder and mewling indignantly.
“Ah, fuck,” he laughed out, shaking his skull and pressing one arm to his teeth, as if to muffle the sound. His sockets had flattened at the bottom, almost halving them, and he shook his skull again. “Fuck, m'sorry, I woke yer tiny lil' animal thing up.”
“No, it's–“ you were currently trying to restrain the kitten, who had taken one look at the skeleton monster before you and tensed up, clawing in an attempt to climb up and over your shoulder, her tail fluffed out from fear. “It's fine, she's–“ She mewed loudly a few times, high squeaks that cut through the skeleton's laughter easily, and you huffed, holding her tightly. “She's just–“
“Fuck, she's so small,” the skeleton was saying fondly, lifting one gloved hand, then freezing only seconds later. “Ah. Prob'ly not a good idea, huh?”
“No, no, I mean, um. Maybe?” you said uncertainly, stroking her comfortingly and shushing her. “I mean, she barely knows what humans are. But, maybe, if you pet her...?” You trailed off, glancing up at him, but he shook his head.
“Aah, I dunno,” he took a step back, taking another long hit, then tilting his head back to let the green smoke float upward, rather than towards you.
“I mean, you could–“ the kitten had given up struggling, and was now squeaking pathetically in your hold, wide eyes wild and trained on nothing. “Maybe you could. Let her smell you?”
“She's scared,” he shook his skull again, taking a half step back and chuckling. “I don't wanna... She's already scared.”
“Well, I'm... sorry,” you said, frowning. He smiled at you with a shrug.
“S'okay, she's tiny, an'” he eyed his joint a moment, humming, “An' it's okay. I should prob'ly go, anyway. Told my bro I'd be back in twenty, but I saw you, an' thought... well. What the hell, right? Never met one, wanted to see what you would do.” He paused, glancing at you as if waiting for a response, and you blinked.
“Oh, uh,” you chuckled, glancing away and back. “Well... it was nice meeting you, though.” It seemed to be the right thing to say, because his sockets crinkled again, and he smirked.
“Yeah, you too,” he shuffled away, pausing only to inhale more green smoke, exhaling it through his nasal cavity this time. You stroked the kitten in your arms comfortingly, “I'll see ya around, I guess. Prob'ly not, but... aah.” He shrugged, and you smiled.
“Yeah, I'll see you,” you said, and then, “Do I get to know your name, or?” He blinked his sockets, then snickered.
“Ah, right, right,” he reached up to scratch the back of his skull, “S'Papyrus.”
“Papyrus,” you nodded, smiling, then introducing yourself. He mimicked you, repeating your name, and you chortled. “It was nice to meet you, Papyrus,” you said again.
“Mhmm,” he nodded, already walking away, “Bye for real, now.”
“Bye,” you called after him, glancing towards the street. You couldn't see the bus yet. It was too bad he was leaving – you really didn't mind the company, after the awkward part was over. You looked back in his direction, watching his back for a moment before speaking up, “I hope we see each other again!”
Papyrus paused, then turned to look at you again, grinning. Green smoke was trailing up from his nasal cavity and his jaw, and his half-lidded sockets were creased again.
“Yeah,” he replied kindly, “maybe we will.”