Chapter Text
You stand in the baking aisle of your local grocery store, stuck between red velvet and pumpkin. Your work is having a halloween party and your coworkers had all but demanded you bring a dessert - you’re a pretty good baker, after all.
…
Okay, you’re a pretty good baker so long as it’s from a box. And honestly, you’ve told your coworkers as much, but for some reason they insist your desserts are better than theirs, which… Admittedly, for some of them, you don’t disagree.
You shudder at the memory of the cookies served at the “Christmas in July” party - somehow both raw in the middle and hard enough to break your teeth on.
But back to the problem at hand.
On one hand, pumpkin spice muffins would fit the fall theme, and some cream cheese frosting would be killer. But red velvet cookies are just so much easier to make, and damn it, you really don’t wanna be spending three hours making a couple boxes worth of muffins plus frosting. Not to mention cookies are always easier to theme than cupcakes and muffins - some candy eyes, strategically broken chocolate covered pretzels, and boom! You’ve got yourself a spider cookie. Not at all like the tedious (and frankly stressful) frosting process, especially with your shaky hands.
Maybe you can ask someone…? You sigh, looking around the aisle.
There’s a mom and her two kids at the end of the aisle, looking at birthday candles and gel frosting. You don’t wanna get stuck talking to them, given you’re on a bit of a time limit. Having worked in customer service for a good few years, you know just how chatty moms can be, especially if the kids try to pitch in, god forbid. You feel a little bad, but you just don’t have the time (or energy) for that right now.
The only other person in the aisle is…
Woah.
A huge skeleton, taller than you by at least a few feet, stands a bit away from you facing the other side of the aisle.
You spare a glance at his basket - some almond flour, some sort of extract or flavoring, some piping bags, a frankly massive bag of sugar… Looks like the makings for macarons. Honestly, regardless of how they turn out, you’re already impressed with this stranger for even attempting them. You know firsthand how easy it is to mess those up.
Yeah, it’s probably better to ask him than the mom.
You take a few steps over to him, making sure to stay out of his space. You’re not afraid of him - if anything, it’s the opposite. You’re trying not to startle him, easing into his field of vision and leaving him space to leave if he feels uncomfortable.
It’s… You know what it’s like to get overwhelmed, so…
You clear your throat. “Hey, red velvet or pumpkin spice?”
The skeleton turns towards you, looking a little surprised. He glances around before returning to you, as if to say “who, me?”
You shrug. “You seem like you know what you’re doing. At the very least, you’ve got good taste.” You nod toward his basket. “You’re making macarons, right?”
He nods.
You hold up the boxes of mix. “So, y’know… Red velvet or pumpkin spice?”
The skeleton looks between the two for a moment before pointing to the red velvet. His gaze flicks back to you, gauging your reaction.
You smile gratefully, tucking the boxes under your arm. “Hey, thanks man. Good choice. I… God, I really didn’t wanna make muffins.”
The skeleton looks at you quizzically.
“I’m gonna make cookies from these - cake mix cookies are always a hit, and they’re so easy to make. I even know the recipe, which is a bit of a feat for me, haha! Memory is not my strong suit, I’ll tell ya that much.” You say. The skeleton looks like he understands that more than you could know.
He stares at the cake mix for a second, seeming as if he wants to say something. You give him a minute - it can be hard to talk to strangers. You can understand that.
After a moment he points at the cake mix. He puts his right hand in front of his chest, palm facing up, and moves it side to side. It takes you a little longer than you’d like to admit, but you eventually recognize what he’s doing - he’s signing! If you’re remembering right, that means ‘what’.
“Oh! Do you know sign?” You ask, signing as you speak.
Looking more than a little relieved, the skeleton signs back. “yeah. i’m hearing, but…” He points at his jaw.
There’s a gaping hole on the side of his jaw, running up his skull, a few cracks even reaching his eye socket.
You’d noticed before, but you hadn’t really processed it until just now. You could kick yourself - of course signing is easier for him.
You nod. “Fair enough. Well, thanks for the help… Uh…”
“s-a-n-s.”
“Sans.” You repeat. You tell Sans your name, giving a little salute. “Good luck with those macarons, eh?”
Sans looks at his basket tiredly. “yeah, thanks… i’m gonna need it.”
You laugh, switching the pumpkin spice muffin mix with two more boxes of red velvet.
You’ve got some serious baking to do.
------------------------------------------
You curse, trying your best not to jostle the cookies. Damn you for choosing to bring them in this flimsy tin…
You had decided to wake up a little early and frost them before work so they’d be fresher, like an idiot, thinking it might somehow be less stressful if you knew you wouldn’t have time to agonize over trying to perfectly frost every cookie.
You woke up early early, so you’re already utterly exhausted. It’s no wonder you don’t see the cement bumper in the parking lot, hitting it just the wrong way that your legs go out from under you.
Aw, shit.
You brace for impact, twisting yourself so at the very least the cookies will be safe…
…
You don’t feel the cement.
Instead, you feel… Fabric?
Stunned, you look up and find yourself leaning against the skeleton monster from the other day - oh, what was his name…
Sam? San…Tiago?
Ah…
It’s… Probably fine.
“Woah,” You breathe. “Holy fuck, I totally would have ate shit if you didn’t catch me. Thanks, man!”
The skeleton drops his arm from across your chest - you hadn’t even realized it was there, too shocked to notice the warmth (something you’re already starting to miss…).
“no problem. falling for me pretty quick, though, eh?” He signs, winking.
You laugh, taking a step back. “Yeah, you’re telling me.”
The skeleton’s smile drops some, squinting in recognition. “do i… know you?”
You nod, signing as you speak as best you can while holding the cookies. “Yeah, we met the other day in the baking aisle. You helped me pick the flavor for these cookies, actually.”
He stares at you for a moment, recognition flickering in his socket. “oh, shit, yeah. baking. sorry, i… i don’t remember your name.”
You smile easily, relieved. “Don’t worry about it. I’m gonna be real with you, I don’t really remember your name either, so…” You introduce yourself, sticking out your free hand.
“sans. sans the skeleton.” Sans signs before shaking your offered hand.
You stand there, definitely not awkwardly, because you’re never awkward. You shift the tin of cookies under your arm, and - oh! The cookies!
“Hey, since you inspired them, want a cookie?” You ask, wiggling the tin for effect. “You don’t have to - I mean, I probably wouldn’t take cookies from a stranger, but…” You trail off. You’re… Not really helping your case here.
Sans chuckles, low and gravelly, a small burst of air coming from the hole in his jaw. “sure. unless you’re planning to poison… whoever’s in that building, i think i’ll be fine.”
“W- ah, well, no, I’m-... I’m not, y’know, I, I work there, so, ah… Not the best move.” You say, letting out an awkward laugh.
You open the tin, revealing the cookies - you ended up making some frosting and had decided to frost a few, decorating them with some (admittedly sloppy) skulls. The rest of the frosting was in a little skull-shaped container in the tin’s center. You had brought it in the hopes people would dip things in it or… Do whatever, you don’t care, as long as it gets eaten - you know yourself better than to leave a container of pure frosting at your house unattended.
Sans plucks a cookie from the top, seemingly at random. He gently pulls off a small chunk, eating it as you watch. “enjoying the show?”
You blink, stuttering out an apology - you had been waiting for his reaction and completely forgot staring is rude. Sans just laughs, a low whistle coming from the crack on his jaw.
“i’m just messing with ya. the cookies are great. can i have the recipe? if ya don’t mind.”
“Oh! Yeah, sure, yeah! Um, are you in a rush, by any chance?”
“nope. was just heading home from the gas station. got nowhere to be.”
You grin, turning towards your work - Quinten’s Dental. “Cool! Um, I kinda have to go into work, but I don’t have any patients scheduled for another hour, so lemme just put my stuff down and I’ll give you the recipe. Plus, y'know, I don’t have paper on me, sorry.”
Sans eyes the building for a moment. “dental, huh?” He turns to you. “you guys any good?”
You stand a little straighter. “Yea, I like to think so! We also do orthodontic work here and have another building down the street for veneers and beauty treatments - it’s a whole thing.” You say, leading the way into the building. “Plus, the staff here are super nice.”
When you open the door, you’re immediately greeted by Jesper, the receptionist, shouting your name. “Ohmygod, you better have brought cupcakes, I’ve got a bet going and I do not want to lose these five dollars.”
You smile apologetically, showing the still-open tin to Jesper. “Sorry, Jes. Skull cookies.”
Jesper groans, covering his face with a hand. “Ugh, cookies, I should’ve guessed…”
“What’d Leo and Paula say?” You laugh, setting the tin on the reception desk.
“Leo bet brownies and Paula thought it’d be muffins.” Jesper pouts, sighing. “Honestly, I don’t know why no one thought of cookies… Whatever, at least my five dollars are safe.”
“What’d Quinten say?”
“....Oh, god damn it!”
You laugh, patting Jesper on the back. “I don’t know why you keep betting with xem, xey’re psychic, I’m telling you.”
Sans taps you on the shoulder, making you jump a little.
“sorry, didn’t mean to scare ya. what are we… can i have the… thing?” Sans looks more than a little confused, browbones creased. He signs haltingly, as if struggling to get the right word. Yeah, you get that.
“Oh! The recipe, sorry, right,” You say, turning to the desk to grab a sticky note. “This is Jesper, by the way, he’s the receptionist. And you already know me.” You say your name again, just in case. “Jesper, this is Sans.”
Sans’ shoulders relax just slightly, hardly noticeable unless you were looking for it. You can’t blame him - names are hard!
You scribble on the sticky notes, mumbling to yourself as you do. “Right, so… One box of cake mix… Three…? No, no, two eggs, I was right the first time. Half… Half a cup of vegetable oil… Bake at 350… Fahrenheit, that is, I should probably add that… 15- nah, 13-17 minutes, depends on the cookie size… Okay, here you are!”
You peel off the sticky note and pluck a business card from the holder, handing both to Sans. “Here, you can take our card, too - if you ever need any dental work, we’re here for you.”
Sans stares at the card for a moment before pocketing it. “thanks.”
“No problem! I’ll see ya around, yeah?”
“...maybe. yeah.”
You do like talking to him, and you’d be more than happy to take care of anything he might need - dental wise, that is.
------------------------------------------
“Hello, welcome to - oh! I know you. Sans, right?” Jesper says, smiling politely at the skeleton in front of him.
“Yes, That’s My Brother, Sans. He Has Difficulty Speaking - More Than A Dentist Could Fix, I Assume, But We’re Actually Here For Me,” A tall skeleton says. “I’ve Been Instructed To Ask For…” The skeleton moves the card closer to his skull, saying your name.
Jesper nods, quickly dialing your extension on the phone - if you’re on schedule, you should be between patients right now. He says your name into the phone. “Yeah, there’s someone here for you - Sans and another skeleton, I don’t know if you know him.”
“Papyrus.” The taller skeleton chimes in.
“Papyrus, he said his name was.” Jesper adds. “Yeah. Mmmhmm. Okay. Bye, love you, be safe.”
Your laugh can be heard through the receiver. Jesper smiles, chuckling as well. He turns back to the skeletons. “Yeah, it’ll be just a minute.”
Sure enough, a minute later, you appear at the end of the hallway, clearly smiling under your mask. “Hey Sans! Hey Papyrus!”
“hey,” Sans signs.
“Hello. I… Believe I May Be In Need Of Some Dental Work.” The other skeleton - Papyrus, you assume - says, a touch begrudgingly.
Maybe he’s nervous. He looks… Capable, and he knows it. Definitely the type to struggle with asking for help. You give him your best reassuring smile, introducing yourself and sticking out your hand. Papyrus takes it - his handshake is firm, but deliberately gentle. You can tell he’s stronger than he’s letting on.
“Alright, I’ve got a moment to chat, but I do have some patients coming in relatively soon. Let’s go back to my office, yeah?” You suggest. “For a little more privacy.”
“Sure,” Papyrus says, looking more than a little hesitant.
“My office is separate from the workspaces, so you won’t be coming into contact with any equipment. It can be intimidating, I get that. It’s just down the hall here - close to the back door if you need a minute to breathe.”
Papyrus just nods, but you can tell that helped some.
Hopefully. Maybe. You think.
You lead the way to your office and once you’re all settled, you start your spiel.
“If you’d like, I can offer you a surface level examination - which is basically just me telling you what I think the problem could be without actually getting you in the chair, nothing too formal, just to get a guideline so I can help you out better. Once that’s done with, you can make an appointment to come back for a more in-depth examination, or I could send you over to Paula and you can go straight to the real diagnostic.”
“Just Your Opinion Is Fine For Now, Thank You.”
“Awesome, and do you guys both wanna get checked out, or just you?”
Sans and Papyrus share a glance. Sans signs something you don’t quite catch - it looks to be a different dialect, maybe the monster equivalent of sign.
“Both Of Us, If That’s Alright.”
“Sure, no problem!”
You do a small spin in your wheely chair before rolling over to the two. “Alright, so, here’s what I was thinking…”
------------------------------------------
After around a half hour of explaining your tools, pointing out areas that may need work, and a bit of small talk, you had managed to successfully reassure the skeletons.
Once he opened up a bit, Papyrus was a wonderful guy! He was deliberate when speaking and asked a lot of questions, which you respect.
Not that you thought any of his questions were dumb, but you always say it’s better to ask a dumb question if you really don’t know the answer. If you really need help, it seems dumber to let your pride get the best of you and make an avoidable mistake than to ask a question, no matter how obvious the answer may seem.
Sans was… Quiet, even for him. You had briefly mentioned jaw reconstruction surgery, and though the two were polite about it, you could tell it wasn’t something he was quite ready for - which is totally fine, and you made sure to tell him as much.
Other than that (extremely minor) bump, you think it went well.
You also gave Sans your number, at his request. He mentioned he likes texting, since it gives him the chance to reread conversations. You had smiled, agreeing wholeheartedly.
Hopefully this is the start of a great friendship - you haven’t had a friend who isn’t a coworker of yours in… Longer than you’d like to admit.
Next to you, your phone buzzes - speak of the devil.
Today, 11:28 PM
You: [Click to view attachment]
With: lol, with?
You: Yeah, that’s my sign name for you! Since Sans means ‘without’, but now I’m here, so you’re with!
With: what the fuck
With: that’s adorable
With: my sign name for you is ‘teeth’
You snort, tapping your index finger just in front of your mouth.
You: Haha, yeah, that’s fair
You: Oh, I almost forgot - there’s this bakery I’ve been wanting to visit, would you wanna come with?
With: would i wanna do what now
With: at least take me out to dinner first
You: Hahaha, shut up, you know what I meant!
With: sure, sure, whatever you say…
You and Sans have been texting for a couple days now and quickly discovered each others’ love of lewd jokes.
Sometimes… Sometimes Sans didn’t seem all that joking.
But!
You always have trouble telling when people are being serious, especially over text. And you don’t know for sure - it seems a bit too early to say.
(Plus, how would that interaction go? “Hey, Sans, are you actually for real and not jokingly flirting with me?”)
(...)
(Yeah, you’d rather not.)
You: So, you down to go, or what?
With: idk, what bakery is it?
You: Oh shit, yeah, sorry, it’s this place called Muffet’s. Jesper said it’s really good, and I’ve been meaning to go - heard they’ve got good macarons
With: sure, i’ll bite. it’s a date.
With: wait, ya like macarons? i think i’ve made them before, if i make them again i’ll save ya some
You: OMG YES PLEASE!! I love macarons but I never have them because they seem so hard to make >:(
With: you know what else is so hard
You: …
You: I’m blocking you.
With: lol no you’re not
You: …No, I’m not. That was funny though, I’ll give you that much
You sigh, pressing your face into your pillow. You don’t know. Even if you did know, you’re unsure if that’s something you want right now.
(Not the whole truth…)
(You do like him.)
(In several ways.)
You decide to go to sleep before this train of thought gets too off the rails.
------------------------------------------
“...Oh, wow,” You say, trying not to gape at the bakery’s prices. You hadn’t realized the small business Jesper had raved about would be so damn expensive … “Wow. Um, maybe I’ll just get a tea, or… Or something.”
“get what you want. i’m buying.” Sans signs, staring at you.
You turn to him, eyebrows raised. “What? You don’t have to, I just wasn’t… Prepared enough, that- that’s on me.”
Sans slings his arm over your shoulder, nodding towards the menu before looking back at you. You get the message.
“Okay, but…! Next time!” You relent, pocketing your wallet.
Sans chuckles, a puff of air hitting your cheek. “ok.”
He removes his arm - something you immediately miss.
That’s… You’re probably just touch starved.
“will you order for me?”
“Sure, what do you want?”
Sans grins, expression borderline wicked. “for you to order for me. you already said yes, no takebacks.”
You splutter a second. “What?? I- I didn’t know you meant, like, order for you, order for you, I thought you just meant, like, tell the cashier what you want, or- or something!”
Sans shrugs, tussling your hair. “you got this, bud. i’ll go find us a table.” He winks, leaving you standing in line.
Thankfully, there’s still a few people in front of you who haven’t ordered yet.
You… You can do this!
Probably.
Let’s see… He must like macarons, right? You mean, why would anyone make macarons and not have a few? You don’t think you could stand it - especially if baking is just a hobby.
Flavours, flavours… He doesn’t seem like a coffee kind of guy - probably energy drinks or tea - so that’s out. Definitely no fruits. Not that you think he has anything against fruit desserts, you just think he might enjoy classics more. Chocolate, maybe… Or you could get red velvet? He definitely likes that…
“Hi, and welcome to Muffet’s bakery! What can I get started for ya?” The cashier greets.
Ah, shit.
“Yeah, hi, um… I think I’ll take a dozen red velvet macarons, a dozen chocolate macarons, and, uh… A gallon of spider cider. Oh, and two large cups, please.”
“No problem! Will that be all?”
“Actually…”
You finish ordering, and after a few minutes of waiting (and the several minutes it took for you to find where Sans was sitting), you set your smorgasbord of desserts on the table.
“Ta daaa!” You say, sitting across from Sans. He’d chosen a booth for the two of you - something you can appreciate. Makes you feel less… Exposed. “Oh, and for the record, you’re insane.”
Sans smiles, quirking a brow. “that so?”
You all but slam his change on the table, staring at him with wide eyes. “How did you do that??”
Sans chuckles, bringing a hand to his face.
“Oh, yeah, laugh it up. How in the hell did you manage to sneak that much cash into my hand without me noticing??”
“magic?”
You open your mouth to disagree, but… “Yeah, that makes sense, actually.”
You hear your name from beside you.
“Table 32, sugar skulls kit?” The server asks, placing a tray in front of you.
You smile pleasantly at the server. “Yep, that’s me, thank you!”
The server nods, leaving as Sans turns to you.
Sans is holding laughter, you can tell - the edges of his teeth keep flicking upwards into the barest of smirks before flattening again in an instant. “sugar skulls, eh?” Sans chuckles, shaking his head.
“What can I say - I’m getting into the Halloween spirit,” You say, grabbing a skull and some icing. “Plus, y’know… I thought I’d try my hand at making one look like you.”
“ya sure it’s not just because i’m buying?” Sans asks, reaching for a skull.
You roll your eyes as you pipe on your frosting. “Oh, of course. That was my secret goal all along - spend as much of your money as possible.”
“i knew it. you just want me for my boundless wealth.”
“Yeah, you and your… What is it…” You pause in your decoration to examine the receipt. “$87 worth of baked goods and spider cider are what I’ve been after all this time.”
“i can’t believe it. after all this time.” Sans sighs, draping an arm across his forehead.
You huff, gently poking his skull. “Stop covering your socket, I’m trying to ice your eyelight!”
Sans glances at you, looking vaguely mischievous.
Before you can open your mouth to comment, his skull is inches away from your face, sockets lidded, grin wide.
“better?”
You swallow, eyes widening. Holy shit.
“Uh, yeah, yeah, that’s… That’s better, thank you.” You say, trying (and failing) to hide the fact that you’re just a teeny tiny bit (utterly insanely) flustered.
Sans doesn’t respond, eyelight flaring slightly as he studies your face intently.
You do your best to ignore him as you finish icing the sugar skull, pretending that this skeleton is definitely not making your heart pound out of your chest.
“Okay, that’s enough of that.” You say, pushing his skull back. Sans snickers, clearly aware he got to you. “So… Looks a bit plain, but…”
You pick up your skull, turning it to face Sans. “Ta-da!”
Sans’ eyelight dilates larger than you’ve ever seen it, flicking between your face and the skull.
After a moment of outright staring at you, Sans signs “i love it.” He quickly gets his phone from his pocket, snapping a few photos. “i gotta show pap, holy shit, that’s…”
Sans turns around his own skull, a shaky (but clear) depiction of skeleton-you. “damn. i feel a little shown up, heh, but… here. i did you.”
“Not yet you haven’t,” You laugh, grabbing your own phone from the table to take a picture.
Sans’ grin widens, making a noise that you can only describe as a low growl. “not yet i haven’t.”
You nearly drop your phone, whipping around to face him. You regain your composure, doing your best to play it off like you definitely meant to almost drop your phone. “Yeah, you wish, bone boy.”
Sans just shrugs, not denying it. “whatever. listen, delete that picture, i forgot something…”
Sans grabs your face, gently but firmly pulling it closer to his own. Your eyes widen, mouth opening just slightly as you gape at him.
What the fuck????
After a moment (that felt much too short), Sans lets go of your face, returning to the sugar skull.
“perfect. i got what i needed, thanks.” Sans signs, not looking at you.
You sit there, mouth open, eyes wide, still staring at Sans in shock.
Sans glances at you, smirking. “what’s a matter with you? look, i finished the skull.”
He turns the skull back towards you, and the only noticeable difference is the cheekbones have the faintest smudge of pink icing.
You sink back into your seat, glaring at him with no real malice. “I don’t blush.”
Sans rolls his eyelight. “sure.”
Before you can verbalize your indignant response, your phone alarm goes off. You curse - you thought you had a lot longer before you had to go to work.
Annoyed, you check your alarm.
1:30 PM
Remember to pick up the shipment before work!!!
You curse, shoving your phone in your pocket as you stand. “Shit, I totally forgot I’m supposed to drive all the way to… I’m sorry, Sans, I… I gotta go.”
He waves his hand dismisively. “no big deal. take a few macarons is all i ask.”
You stuff a few macarons of each flavor into your bag and turn to leave, but…
You hesitate.
You’re not sure why you ask it, really - you’re friends, of course you’ll hang out more.
“Will I see you again?”
“yeah. i promise.”