You were coming back from work when you got a text from Stacy. She was inviting you to come over to her house, to help out organize her clothes. She sent you the address. You should have realized it was a trap from the start. Stacy is known as a clean freak when it comes to her stuff, but you thought less of it. Instead she was kidnapping you.
All you did was greet her at her house before you were rudely shoved into the bathroom. And were given clothes to change into and a mask. It didn't take long for you to notice the curling iron connected by the sink. That gave you enough to put two and two together. Sadly it was too late to back out of it.
"I can't believe you made me wear this outfit. I look like a teacher. And I thought we were gonna chill?!"
The clothes she picked out were a size too big. You didn't mind wearing your friends clothes after a few revisions. It helped rolling up the long sleeve button up and adding a belt to hold the pencil skirt up. It looked pretty cute with the modifications.
"You look fine and we will after. I just need you to come with me to a match making event. I already filled out all the forms for us. It was suppose to be me and Lisa but she got the flu last minute" she explained as you drove down town, and heading closer into the busier part of the town.
You guys had to park into a tall building with flashing letters. Stacy led you into what you considered a maze of halls and entered into a giant ballroom full of people. At the entrance, there were people handing out flowers and having people write on forms. Your friend pulled two unique pins and handed you one. What surprised you was seeing your name neatly written on it. You looked around at the place. It looked a bit formal for your taste. Glad you didn't wear your worn graphic tee and washout jeans.
"let's go find us a spot"
Everyone was sitting at various tables, people and monsters alike mingling. It wasn't so bad if you could ignore the music selection. The person who picked it assumed it would be a traditional event, classical music is nice but it was too slow. You could think of multiple songs that could improve the mood for everyone. Heck, soft upbeat jazz would be a better choice. The atmosphere felt awkward and suffocating. A lot of people looked bored or were anxious about the event. You could tell some were serious in searching for their life partner and others you were there for a fling. The only consistency was the different flower-like pin they wore and silly animal mask.
"Stacy, I feel stupid and why couldn't we talk at a coffee shop like normal people?" You tried to fix your bunny mask properly. It was hard to adjust a mask too loose for your head. You probably needed to tie it up with something.
"This was the only time we were both free. And I applied for this hoping I feel uncomfortable coming alone. Also, YOU OWE ME!"
" I get it. But this is scary. The masks help a bit but how will we talk" pointing at silly Easter bunny mask.
"We can talk after. I promise it will only be for an hour, we can leave and stuff ourselves. My treat " she explained as she adjusted her whale.
It was tempting but you didn't think you could last that long. For starters, being around a crowd was draining. And being outta your comfort zone made you a bit anxious. What was keeping you grounded was the cute flowers everyone wore. You did admire the cornflower they gave you as a pin. It reminded you of the energetic skeleton you're seeing.
You wanted to protest but, the problem with that was the little nagging thought popping up.
You owed Stacy for all the help she gave you. All the times you needed some cash she was there for you. And looking back she never once asked you for anything. You didn't expect her to invite you to a matchmaking event. If anything you were probably her last choice. And you couldn't say you were in a serious relationship anymore. And this is probably scary for her. Maybe its best to play this one through.
Stacy pulled you along into one of the chairs with a number. Even with the mask, you sense someone's eyes watching your every move. It might be the nerves there's too many people to make sure.
You both sat down next to what seemed like a frogger wearing a small cat mask. The monster looked to be in great pain wearing the small mask. The monster was going through great lengths to cover their face. This gave you an idea.
You turned to the frogger and pointed at your mask.
" would you like to trade?"
The frogger tilted their head as they croaked a few lines. You weren't sure if that was a yes or a no, it must have clicked with the monster because they were doing some hand signs for you to see. You quickly apologized.
How could you forget that some monsters don't speak the language? Maybe you should've brushed upon it. Stacy did offer to tutor you the language but you were too lazy to go through with it. You turned to Stacy, she was listening to the host's introduction of the event.
"Could you tell them if they wanted to trade masks with me"
She adjusted her seat and started signing for the frogger to understand. The monster croaked what you think was in relief, they quickly took off their mask and handed it to you. You did the same. You could hear the monster croak in glee. Seeing their smile made you glad you could help. Stacy nodded in approval as she turned back to the man talking.
*ring ring
" Good luck on finding your soulmate!"
You look around confused by people moving around the table.
" I wasn't paying attention, what do I do?"
You were so focused on helping that you forgot the instructions.
"Stay here and chat with who sits across from you and don't worry" Stacy instructed before she got up to move.
You simply nodded, with a quick wave your friend was gone. And leaving you for a nearby table. You were scared to fend for yourself as people came flooding into your line of vision. They bombarded you with questions. Each one chipping at your self-esteem. Through it you did find that the questions followed a pattern. More or less along the lines of basic interviews.
" What line of work do you do?"
"Baker but working on a comic and dabbling on commissions"
"What's your view on kids?"
"Depends? Maybe after I can live a bit more I'll consider adopting a couple"
"How much money do you make"
"Ehh decent? Not sure how to answer that"
"Do you follow celebrity gossip?"
Okay, that last one was from a chick with a fox mask. Who thought it was a make it or break it kind of question. After you explained that you didn't care for it, she stood up and walked away from you. You were getting tired of seeing people judge you on your lifestyle. They soon walk away from you and onward to their next victim.
At least the monsters were nicer. Either you were able to talk to them and befriend them or not talk to them at all. You tried to be respectful to them, hoping they could feel your intent of kindness.
You did, however, find out how the event worked.
So basically there's two sets of chairs. Those in the black would stay and wait. And those who sat on a red chair would move to the left and talk to the person they are attracted to. They have 5 minutes to find a connection. Once the bell chimes letting the person have the choice to continue after the five minutes by ringing a buzzer or not. This lets people know to leave them be. And in the end they could leave after the event is over.
You started to notice people avoiding your table. Whenever someone was meant to sit on your table they doubled up somewhere else. Which was a big relief on your end.Instead of feeling bad, you directed your attention to Blue's texts. You prefer talking to a ball of sunshine than these dates. Especially now that he was telling you the crazy Olympic ideas he and his buddies do.
Ever since this morning, he would fill you in on ideas on what they do during their shifts. Besides monitoring the cameras they would hold mini-games, place bets on the routes they see in customers and telling jokes. So far they got wheelie chairs back into their room. So they can spin around.
Blue
Jeff can spin his chair to the other side of the room without his hands!! I'm next! :)
You
Ooo you should try using your magic to help you move around. Also send me a pic!
" hey little lady"
A soft voice came above you. You could practically hear the velvet. You couldn't help but let out a squeak.
A tall bulky guy covered your vision. A person or was it a monster? The person before you wore a paper bag with eye holes cut out of it, you could see little whiskers drawn on it. Though his flashing red lights flashing from the holes.
Oh lord, what is this?
His mask was creative. You couldn't help but laugh at the cheesy mask.
"Is this seat taken, kitten?"
"No, guess you came at the purr-fect time"
" Ooo a girl with a sense of humor. I like it"
You adjusted yourself as he sat down. Looking at him you noticed he didn't dress business casual like everyone else. He wore a black parka hoodie and jeans. The guy towered over you, he offered his hand. You took it and felt a small jolt go through you.
" Oops blame my electric personality" you could hear the grin from that tone. He flipped his hand over showing the joy buzzer as he chuckled a bit.
You were taken in by this turn of events. His deep rugged voice was surprisingly alluring. You might need to be careful around this one. This smooth talker is far from what you had in mind for tonight.
" So what is a pretty thing like you at a boring place like this. You don't scream desperate like the others here"
"You could say I was dragged into this situation by my friend" you huffed thinking back to your friend. Where could she be?
You looked around the room. It was hard to spot her, you could hear her hitting it off with someone. The only indicator was hearing her laughter across the room. You could hear a burst of malicious laughter along with it. Who could she be talking to right now?
"I guess we both got stuck with chaperoning, but I probably won't stick around" he chuckled
This brought you some relief. At least he's not trying to pressure you with questions. You could spend time talking to the guy until he leaves. Then go back to texting Blue.
"Cool, quick question pizza or burger? "
" Dumb question. Both!"
That was the correct answer but a bit rude. At least he wasn't judging you like most of your 'dates'.
"Well kitten, what's your view on gaming?"
" Love it! I'm hooked on this new game. Have you heard of GunsxBlaster2am?"
A cool battle royal that was released in the early spring. It was hard to tell if he looked surprised or pleased. Kinda hard to tell with the mask on. Until you hear him smack the table.
"I love that game! It's hard to find someone who plays. What's your avatar's name?"
His whole demeanor changed completely. And his voice picked up a bit. Almost like you broke one of his walls down. Soon, he started to lean in more.
"Hmm not sure If I should, we only just met"
"Well, what can I do to get that info?"
Hmm, you weren't sure. You prefer having your gaming life separated from your real one. There was always a chance you could end up meeting one of your teammates. It was slim but you weren't going to take any chances. And thinking about a task that was impossible to do was a challenge. Especially with you growing sleepy with each slow song that was coming from the speakers. You couldn't help a yawn. The music needed a change of beat..
" They need better music. It feels awkward and boring, we need something more catchy"
"What music would you suggest?"
"Jazz, perhaps Fly me to the moon? "
"As you wish"
The music changed instantly into your song. Your face must have reflected your surprise as you hear him chuckle. He stuffed his hands into his puffy jacket.
" Question, have you ever done it with a monster before?"
" Yea, but never on a first date"
That was a lie but he didn't need to know. You could feel his gaze lingering on you. Could he be a monster under that poorly made mask?
"Interesting, I should take you out later"
" What makes you think there's a next time?"
"Trust me kitten. There's some kind of attraction here. And I can be pretty persuasive"
This left you a bit surprised. His voice was mesmerizing and you couldn't help but nod.
Why was his voice just so tempting!
"So angel, can I get that name now"
You hear the chime ringing. Before you could reach for the buzzer, the bagged guy reaches and slams his hand on the buzzer. You could see the buzzer cracked under the man's gloved hands.
"I'm not ready to share you yet angel, would you like a dance?"
You looked around to see other dates pushing tables aside, making room for people to dance. A few were gathering up the courage to dance in pairs. From a distance, you could see your friend twirling around with a tall guy. It looked like fun.
"I'm not that good at it"
"Relax. I'll show you a good time"
You reached to take his hand, he quickly grabbed you by your wrist and pulled you along. His body followed the tempo as he guided you along. Each step he pulled you a bit closer to him.
"So tell me, angel, what's running on your mind"
You wanted to say something funny like his mask but your thoughts kept racing back to Blue. You could feel your phone vibrating in your pocket. He probably sent you a pic of the results to the seat race. You were curious how it ended. Hopefully, blue used his magic. You could picture him using his bones to boost himself like a go-kart.
"Your thinking of him huh"
"Him?"
"You know, the guy ya like. You keep looking away smiling, and I haven't even told you my best jokes yet"
He twirled you around as the song was slowly ending. A new one played with a catchy beat.
"Yea, he's different and I'm scared everything will be rushed. I'm sorry I shouldn't be talking about this"
"Nah don't be. He's a lucky bastard to have you around"
You could feel him deflate a bit with your confirmation. He wasn't wrong about his assumptions but were you really that easy to read? You needed to change the subject.
"So what weapon of choice do you normally prefer in the game?"
"You'd be surprised, angel" This perked him up a speck before he swung you around.
The conversation went on for a while. You both had a shared love for taking the role of berserker. But you offered the ideas of the importance of mages. Which led into a heated argument about sandwiches and mana usage. And the two of you disagreed on how teamwork took a role in the game.
" Your crazy if you think tanks are the only useful ones"
" Your nuts! If you think you can survive without one?!"
The next song came up.
One, two, three, four, five
Everybody in the car, so come on, let's ride
To the liquor store around the corner
The boys say they want some gin and juice
But I really don't wanna
Beer bust like I had last week
I must stay deep because talk is cheap
He twirled you around as he showed you a few dance moves. Soon enough he and a couple of people participated in a conga line. You watched from the sidelines. It looked fun but you really didn't want the attention.
The line dispersed once the song hit its chorus again. He jogged back to you.
" I'm impressed, how did you change the music?" You couldn't believe how he was able to pull it off. From changing the music and even the atmosphere. He transformed the place into a party in a matter of seconds.
The music slowed down. He grabbed you by the hips as he pulled you close. He got down to your level and whispered innocently
"magic"
You looked at him skeptically. He stared back for a while before he finally broke down laughing.
" That's a secret. Maybe I'll tell ya if you tell me that name of yours" you both sat back down, but he didn't let go of your hips. You moved a bit away but he wouldn't let go. "Now tell me"
"Not yet but you can guess with my team, have you heard of Sweet Sorrow?"
"You shittying me!? That's one crazy gang. Now I gotta know who" he shouted
You couldn't help but giggle at his childish glee.
"Weren't you gonna go?"
" I blame you. Why are you so distracting?" He teased as he cupped your chin. You tried to pull back but he pulled away first. "Do you really hate my company that much?"
You couldn't help but pout and stick your tongue out. "I dunno, I'm still debating"
"Can I at least see who I've been talking to?"
It wouldn't hurt. It's not like you would see him again. He was a mystery in your eyes. And you were curious to see the one under the bag.
You slowly took off your mask, adjusting your hair. At the same time, you could hear him taking off his own. What you expected a man under the bag. Instead, you were faced with an ivory skull and red-eye lights watching you. The feelings you were developing soon evaporated. The red lights were new but Sans was always full of surprises. His teeth were sharper than you remember. The saying people change rang so true at that moment.
"You know what, I should go"
" Wait, I thought we were mixing well" his hands started traveling dangerously low down your back.
"Did you have a change of heart Sans?! " you pulled away from his grip "Or did you do this to mess with my feelings again"
You ran into the crowd of people. From a distance his voice drowned out with the music the farther you ran. All you could do was run away from your problems again. Your eyes were starting to get blurry as the tears kept running down.
This was not how you expected today to go down. Seeing Sans created all kinds of confusing feelings for you. Also what the hell was he doing there. This raised more questions for you about sansey. His get-up was new and even his attitude. You could barely get a word or two with him before he left for his lab. And now he's going to a place like this? None of it makes sense.
You couldn't stop wiping away your tears. The tears didn't stop and neither could you.
Not only were you going to pretend that you didn't see Sans again. You were going to crush those confusing feelings for him. Forgetting is the best remedy. Forget how good it was to see him again or how fun it was to dance again.
You entered the labyrinth of halls. Going through trial and error trying to find a lead to an exit. Your legs were growing numb by the minute.
Why did it feel so hard to breath? Your body was barely responding to you anymore. The pain around your calves felt they were on fire. The fresh night air gave you the extra energy you needed rummage for your phone. The first contacted you saw you called away.
"I need help please"
"WHERE ARE YOU? I'M COMING RIGHT NOW!"
"I'm at ________ "
"ALRIGHT JUST STAY ON THE LINE. DON'T WORRY I'LL BE THERE IN A FEW MINUTES"