Papy wasn't worried for Blue or his date. No, he expected his brother to come back home. With a big grin, whistling a happy tune. Excited to tell him all about his date. Going to great lengths to tell him about how successful he was. While he would listen and munch on popcorn. Just seeing Blue happy filled him with comfort. Papy was even hoping she would come back the next day and play video games with him while they waited for Blue to come back from work. With the way he's seen them look at each other he was expecting her back.
Instead, he's running around looking for his lovesick brother. And hoping he didn't blow their cover, and bomb the date. Papy ignored the worst his mind could think of and focused on the stores. Maybe Blue was in one of them. They tried the yogurt place, the pretzel shop, dress4less and cinema. All those places, and no Blue. Over time all the stores started to look the same. The only indicator that they were different was the colors on the walls. A nice tip bit from Blue. His brother always nagged him to memorize the layout. Lucky for him he did. For the fact that he was bored. And blues catchy memory song.
While his brother's angrier counterpart was stopping ever so often. Dragging along his feet and complaining for the millionth time to take a break. Ignoring what Papy had to say and took one anyway. And if it wasn't that, he was drooling over the different shops that filled his vision. Red seemed to look like a kid in a candy shop. The term shop until you drop fits him perfectly right now. They would cover more ground if Red didn't keep stopping to pop in somewhere real quick. Red was more of a burden than help right now. He almost wanted to tell him to go home.
There's a real problem on their hands and Red doesn't seem to realize that. If anyone finds out about them they are in big trouble. Going back to the stuffy house was the least of his problems. This world still had a similar prejudice as back home. And they didn't have anyone to help them out.
Where could Blue be? Was there a better way to find him? He felt like the more he walked around the farther his brother was. If Blue was here he would've come up with a plan. Blue had a plan for everything. Even one to help track him down. Wait.
Blue told him if he ever needed to find him he could use the app. One of Undyns helpful gadgets upon Blues request. The FindMe. It can track any monster soul in a 10mile radius. Scrolling around until he found it, locking into Blues magic. Papy ran as he continued without Red. Abandoning all thought and focusing on the blinking dot.
Red could always find him later. Right now he had to make sure his bro was okay. He tried to remember the routes. As the dot didn't show paths but the distance. And he wasn't so far from Blue's location. A bit of trial and error to find him as certain parts of the mall were under construction.
"That's the third time we passed the pretzel shop" Red popped up following his pace with ease. Red chomped on a sausage covered pretzel " damn, needs mustard"
"We just got back from eating. And your still hungry?"
"Dude" * munch* "I can't help it" munch* "yum! bourbon sausage is tempting " munch* " Are we lost? We should go check the map again "
" We're close. The tracker is pointing us in the right direction so quit whining "
Red wasn't wrong, the mall was a maze. But the mall was a cakewalk compared to this world. It's been a few years. And he still couldn't fully adjust to it all. It was shockingly similar to their world but most of the things were swapped out with something else ( His beloved cola was now called Pops and to his horror was being discontinued).
And even with the changes, Papy thought that everything would be ok as long they were honest with each other. That is until Blue hid the fact he was coming down with the heat sooner than expected. Leaving him to pick up the mess. What was going through his brother's mind to agree to this date? If he had known sooner, he could have done something. Maybe, have him postpone it. Or he could come and chaperone in the shadows. But it would be the same outcome. His bro would still have his way.
He immediately stopped. In front of him was the store he feared most. A place where no man wants to tread. Pure innoscent. Unlike the name leads you to believe it was hell on earth. A place filled with agonizing perfumes and whiny ladies. The women's cosmetic shop. The store was quite big, windows encased everything. Women in that store seemed more focused on the products, ignoring the skeleton staring at the spectacle. Hearing the workers offer different perfumes, spraying without warning is unpleasant to see. And worse was the ladies running the thing. All they sought was a quick sale. Blue always warned him about the place being a bit excessive. He preferred calling it by other names. The whole place left him shaking in fear.
The dot kept blinking for him to go forward. Blue should be on the other side of the store. He couldn't go around as that hall was closed for repairs. So the only way to go to the next wing was to go through the place. Knowing his bro went through it was comforting. With all his determination he shakily walked to the store. In a startling halt, his hoodie pulled him back.
"Don't you dare get in that store!"
Papy ignored the glare Red was giving him. The scent of sausage lingered on his breath. As much as he wanted to listen to Red, He still needed to go.
" I have to! For my brother" he said weakly
"I've seen those types of women, they bat shit crazy. Trust me it's bad" He tried to look sure but his shaking knees didn't help. Red seemed divided on the idea. He slowly loosened his grip on his hood.
"Uhh, your brothers gonna pay for this . Just follow my lead and close your mouth, capiche"
Red tucked Papy closer to him as they went in. The store was big but a walk to the exit. If they can avoid cosmetic people they should be safe. Papy didn't dare look up as Red guided him. The white marble floors were comforting as they moved around. Red kept ducking them left and right. Avoiding what he could hear are sales representatives. Each searching for a victim to test their products.
They were close to the exit once he took a peek. He felt something tugging him. He looked over to see he was caught on one of the mannequins. He stopped for a second as he adjusted the mannequin's hand.
"Excuse me, sir. Do you have any questions?"
He fiddled with the mannequin hand that was wrapped around his sweater. He kept whispering as he tried to pick his hoodie free. Struggling to keep his mouth closed as Red warned him. The girl patted his arm in reassurance before pulling out a bottle.
"Well w-would you like to try this cologne? It's a mix of pine and cedar. It's an excellent seasonal product that anyone will love" Modeling the perfume as if they were on a commercial. "You will feel like a new you and oh"
He tried to respond but the girl's finger slipped. A powerful odor blinded him. The smell of alcohol filled his nose before a growing pain came along with it. All he could smell was a burning scent of pine. The moment he was freed, he tried to get away. He could barely open his eyes as the scent was overwhelming.
He tried to reach out for anything to wipe away the smell. In hopes that he could get rid of the pain. Aiming blindly for anything not caring if he looked crazy for doing it.
"Sorry about that, here you can have the sample on the house", a voice behind him said. But he still couldn't focus on where it was coming from. He felt someone grab him and pulled him to run.
"Gimme that, Fuck off. "
Their movement quickened as he followed Red. Blindingly followed Red, assuming he was flipping everyone the bird as he heard a couple of gasps and yells. It took a bit before the grip on him loosened, the moment they stopped running he felt something shoved into his mouth. The cooling taste of cider filled his mouth. Each gulp felt like washing away the terrible pain. Finally able to open his eyes to see Reds' relieved expression.
"I found a monster store and got you that. It was gonna be a surprise but shit. You ok?" Red barked as he flickered him in the head. "Good thing I told you to close your mouth. That stuff tastes awful"
Papy almost wanted to point out how he knew. Red's worried gaze shot that thought. Looking around as he followed his phone. Coming across waves of people. In the distance, he could see a tall blue monster in a corner. He could smell the familiar ozone. Bingo!
From a distance, Blue looked pale and slightly dazed. From what he could manage to hear, he kept repeating the words love and you. It almost sounded like he was confessing. Hopefully, they weren't too late.
As he snuck closer to see Blue with a potted plant. Similar to the one from a nearby vendor. Holding it in his arms, they twirled around as if they were dancing( the whole scene looked kinda sappy). Blues eyes were still hearts. Thank Asgore, he's still in phase 1 and hasn't fully reached Puppylove symptoms.
"I like you. And call me crazy but maybe you should call me yours. And Uhh... I'm sorry, I can't do this, I can't stop thinking about the princess. She's just WOWIE" Blue kept touching his mouth. "She tasted sweet and uhh what's wrong with me"
Papy looked around for any sign of Red. But the goof ditched him again for another shopkeeper. Guess he was playing solo. He walked over to his brother who was crushing the plant under his killer grip.
The light-crunching screams from the poor tortured tree got him rethinking. Talking it over peacefully wasn't looking so good. He could assume Blue might already be onto the next phase. Puppy Love.
If he was lovesick, they needed to knock him out immediately.
Seeing that he's still talking was a good sign. The first phase was simple. A strong infatuated state; shy, talkative, and slightly love stricken before the tipping point. They would all have their eyes turned into hearts for no reason. Just before completely losing all common sense.
From what vanilla told them, heat can hit ya once in a while. And even to a certain degree, they should be careful of symptoms. And he wasn't wrong. But Sans didn't know that there's a pattern. From the few cases, he's seen go through it. They just had to watch out for some signs.
The next phase would be Puppy love. A strong desire overwhelms the monsters to immediately find a mate. They acted a bit more feral. Everything and everyone is fair game. From what he noticed most of them would become clingy or aggressive depending on which world they were from. Their eyes would change to an orange tint.
He recalled Smiles was the first to have his eyes change. Nice kid, always obedient until his eyes changed. The mess that followed was devastating. All Smiles wanted to do was love the girl that would come and go from the yard next door. Which was fine but Vanilla didn't think it was a good idea. So they tried limiting his window time. Prying him off the window was hard when he kept sneaking back. It took them hours to convince him to go willingly. Like all sense of pride disappears. He recalled Black had no boundaries. And Tango would randomly cling to one of them and get aggressive if they pulled away.
And soon, the random confessions would happen. Proclaiming their feelings to everyone within reach. Supposedly there was a final stage after everything. None of them had hit it. But what he heard from Vanilla was 'It hits you like a ton of bricks. And told never to make any intimate contact with anyone, in fear of triggering it. Papy could only assume they would turn into an emotional mess.
"Hey bro where's your date?"
Blue wasn't paying much attention. He tried asking him again, to some success. Blue pulled away from the plant after hearing him. Blue shifted as he waved, hiding the plant behind him and not making any eye contact. The look of happiness before shifting into guilt and settling into shame.
Oh boy, he messed up.
"...SHE'S BUSY TALKING TO A LADY. I NEEDED FRESH AIR"
" What did you do? "
Blue took a few deep breaths.
" IT WAS AN ACCIDENT! I DIDN'T KNOW!... I REGRET IT. Not really -"
*whack*
With that Blue went down . Behind him, Red twirled the shovel in his hands. And flaunting it around.
" Hip hurray, The hero came to save the day! " Red sang, grabbing Blue and hoisting him over his shoulder. "Now let's go hoooome"
" Couldn't you wait a few more minutes!? And do you want to get arrested, again"
Red looked down reluctantly as he shifted Blue over his shoulder. Not caring that this could be his second arrest since they made it here. Before shifting into a more serious demeanor.
"Look, no ones gonna mess with us. And his date is long gone. So relax " Red waved around. "There's nothing to worry about"
Papy understood what he meant. Red wasn't wrong. The people were either in stores or ignoring their existence. All were keen on not asking questions.
"Princess"
Blue slowly squirmed. Struggling to hold consciousness, he reached out to a nearby bench. Papy followed Blue's gaze, to find bags of clothes. Next to it was Blues backpack. He could tell one bag was his bro (Toga was an interesting choice). While the rest of the bags were likely hers.
So where did she go? He scanned around to see if she went to a store. But no dice. There's not enough time to find her. They needed to leave asap. Blues was gonna be a real drag if they don't leave now. So he jotted down an apology, placed it in one of the bags. He should text her later with a better excuse. Right now he needed to get his bro back home. Strapped and safe from the public.
" Red, let's go back to the house. We need to get him settled before anything else happens" .
Red nodded as he carried Blue in the direction of the public restrooms. Papy rolled his eyes. There are a million other ways to exit. But Red had to pick the most disgusting. Papy ignored the ever-growing line in the bathroom and hid behind a signpost as he teleported back home. The next course of action, keep Blue on lockdown until the symptoms die down.
Once he got back home. Red was setting up their blue traps. The machines were invincible in keeping things in but those machines were limited. He was lucky to get ahold of two. But that still left a few exits Blue could escape from. So far the main entrance they could cover but the kitchen windows would be vulnerable. He and Red could take shifts. But Papy wasn't convinced. They still needed a few more restraints. Considering his brother's heat could spike at any time. All depended on what he did with honey. He couldn't rule out whether they kissed or not. He needed to talk to Sans about it, also ask for better restraints. Their so-called 'restraints' were duct tape, two boneheads, and blue lasers for the exits.
He needed to ask Vanilla for more. If he ever picks up the phone. After the fifth time being sent to voicemail, he gave up. The dude never picks up nowadays. His best bet is to call Cinnamon. Maybe he could help.
" HELLLLO!"
"Hey, if your not busy could you drop off some traps for Blue he–"
"SORRY I CAN'T GET TO THE PHONE RIGHT NOW. PLEASE LEAVE A MESSAGE AFTER THE BEEP."
*beep*
"Ship"
He completely forgot Cinnamon was going for a retreat with Frisk. Leaving them to fend for themselves for a while. He should be mad but the dude needs a break too. Handling so many of them isn't considered an easy job. Speculating most papyrus can keep their brother in check. That is if they don't get irritated by all the puns. Not all of them can tolerate a room full of Sans for long. Not sure why Cinnamon didn't ask for a break sooner.
"Red "
"Everything is set to go. How bout we just put him to bed. Then we can play some games"
" Sure, what do you want to play this time?"
" Adventure lime!"
*beep* *beep*
Looking down to see Blues still unconscious as he rolled over to see his pocket light up. Red pulled out Blues phone. The screen flashed as the phone grew silent.
" Whose princess?"
Papy stayed quiet as he plucked the phone out of his hands. Reds a nice guy but Papy wasn't sure he could trust him with this. He needed to make amends with Blues date. It's bad enough she thinks he kidnapped his bro, and Red wouldn't help gloss it over. Red could make the problem worse. Papy gave Red a shrug and focused on typing an apology for leaving so soon. In a moment he felt a ton of bricks thrown at him. Papy looked up to see Blue wide awake with no restraints, trying to pick up the phone on the floor. Crap, He forgot to restrain Blue.
Red hurried to push the phone away. While Blue ran after screaming.
"GIMMIE GIMMIE!"
Soon both monsters dived headfirst to reach the small phone. Leaving Papy wondering if honey knew she had a knack for bad timing. Red seemed to be an even match for Blues so far.
"Okay, but let me take his phone away before it–"
*Crack*
" Breaks "
Red lifted the phone in victory only to crush it in the process. As he opened his palm to see the screen was dark and the screen had shattered from his grip. Blue gasped in shock as he looked down at his phone's corpse. Toppling over in the process. The poor dude passed out from the shock. Red pulled out his phone as he made a call.
"Yea I need some help, alright. Thanks, doll"
*Click*
Red turned to him.
" It can be replaced. If we leave now she can have it fixed by tomorrow but it's gonna cost a bit. But I got you"
"Cool. So that covers the phone so we can go and be back for some game time. Thanks, Red " Papy could breathe on hearing the good news. Red was a lifesaver even if he caused it. Now one less thing to worry about.
"She'll give ya a sweet discount, so you don't need to thank me. I ain't paying for it"
" Wait what?"
"You know. I'm not gonna pay for your poor life choices"
"You broke it!"
"And who asked for my help!?"
Papy couldn't help but glare at him. He couldn't be serious. If only he was closer to a smarter Sans. Although Tiny was the smartest of the papyruses. Maybe he needed a friend...
"On calm down"
Red flashed him a cheesy smile. The same one that told him he was bluffing. Red chuckled as dug into his pockets for his wallet. Papy couldn't help but punch him on the shoulder. He didn't need someone to scare him.
After everything, he did for this guy. Red had asked him for more favors than he could count. All those late nights in the dump, helping him dig out parts for the car or golf cart. The many excuses he had to give his brother because he was helping Red. That dude owed him an arm and a leg. After almost losing his literal arm and leg. Red pulled out a torn-up bag of leather that was his poor excuse for a wallet. A poof echoed as he opened the wallet. An iou sticking out.
"Shit"
Papy pulled out his own only to remember he gave the rest of his money to the cashier in the morning. All he had was enough to buy his favorite cola. Remembering the meltdown from the cashier left him shuddering. Regrettably, he should've stayed to get his change.
Papy took a deep breath before grabbing a nearby pillow and screaming into it. It never worked to ease his anger but he did find comfort in screaming into something. Once he was done he walked over to the kitchen, to find the taco jar. What Blue liked to put all their savings into. Diving into their emergency funds to pull out a roll of cash. It was the size of a softball but with the growing bills, it was reduced to the size of a baseball. Bills always found a way to eat at their earnings. Papy was hoping to use the leftover money for his brother's birthday or pizza for a lazy Sunday. Whichever came first.
But didnt they get paid recently? Blues working full time. And it paid him pretty well. And yet. There still didnt feel like it was enough. Looking back it made sense. Half of the money was spent on utilities. And the rest went to pay off the car monthly fee, not including gas. The car was a bit more than he would like to spend but it made his brother feel cool. So it was worth the payments.
All they had left was rent. But the landlord's son wouldn't be picking it up until next week. And Blue should be paid around the same time. As long as he didnt take anymore after this, they should be fine. They could make it if they didn't eat out. He could manage to stomach a burnt grilled cheese for a few days. Or mooch from the other house. Maybe the old lady next door will leave another pie on the window sill again.
"Let's go get it fixed"
He strapped Blue down. Making sure to make him comfortable in his room. Taping every inch of his bro minus his face. Blue will probably be bored when he wakes up. Papy scribbled down the note as he rummaged around for a certain booklet. Finally, he found the worn-out word search for Blue to dabble with. This should keep him busy before they get back.
-------
"Uh, Red this looks shady, and are those shoes tied up on that light post?"
Taking Red jeep as he didnt know where Blues keys were at. Red had been driving all over town. They passed the nicer neighborhoods hours ago. All they had left were run-down cars and weirdos that walked around with signs on their necks asking for food. One of the houses even looked boarded up with symbols painted on it. Red pointed out that it was already robbed. Explaining each symbol warns those that there was nothing worth stealing in there. Reds seemed to take it with ease. This was far from what Papy considered safe. Almost like they transferred into a new world. Only this one had a far more apocalyptic vibe. Looking around he could hear loud shots. Papy couldn't help but sink into his hoodie.
"Relax. Roxanne lives over here. She's scarier than what's out here" He wasn't sure if Red was trying to cheer him up or give him ideas. Who were they dealing with? Crime lord? Gangsters?! Evil mohawk syndicate?!
Dread filled him. Blue could use his in the meantime. They could always save up and buy another one. They turned down the street, Red parked at the ugliest house in the neighborhood. The grass was more yellow than the teeth on the dog growling at them. The dog looked like it could chew them to dust. Red signaled him to get off. This didn't seem like a good idea. Papy wanted to run as the dog moved closer to the edge of the yard, where they were at. Growling .
"Woah Flaco siéntate"
(Sit down Skinny)
The hound sat down adding a loud bark. Red got closer as the dog grew silent. The next scene was insane. Red was trying to pet the mad dog. Making kissy sounds as he signaled for the dog to come. Papy tried to stop him. Grabbing onto the hood of his jacket. He waited for Red to scream so they could go home. Instead, he hears soft panting and whining. The dog had melted under the monster's touch. Each pat the dog softened. Even wag his tail for him.
"Aw, who's a good boy Flaco. Come here boy you reek but I still love you" Red scooped up the dog like a baby as the dog wiggled closer to him. " Roxy needs to give you a bath"
"Not if he keeps picking fights with skunks. Damn it Red, your spoiling the boy"
A girl appears. The first thing Papy noticed was the tattoos. The flowers traveled all over her arms as she came by. They were pretty. Huh. He spotted a colorful skull hidden in the shoulder. Almost as if it was smiling. Red didn't seem to be bothered, only focused on scratching the dog's ears. Papy didn't know what to say. The girl looked him up and down before focusing her attention on Red.
"So is he the brother you always mention"
"No, he's my other younger brother. Papy meet Roxy, she may be a small fry but she makes a killer burger"
The girl puffed up a bit as she smiled. "Sweet talk me all you like. I know you didn't come here for my cooking. What do you want with her now?"
"Nothing much just if she can fix this phone for me" Red pulled out the phone "I know Ruby can fix this"
The girl was far from shocked, almost as if she expected this. Without a glance, she pulled out a notepad and started jotting down. "So the price for replacing the glass and phone battery, and additional cost for anything else wrong with it should round up to 300. So who caused it?"
"Well, my little bro got too rowdy and busted his phone. And we need this done by tomorrow. I know your kid is the best at this" The woman looked at Red before making a clicking sound.
"Ok. A tax for lying. This isn't the first time I've seen your handy work. So quit lying. An additional tax for rushing my poor baby girl. The total amount is 600. And I need cash upfront" She placed her hand out.
They could cover the cost but they would be a hundred dollars short with the new price. Papy couldnt help but clench his fits and simply glared at his 'older brother' who couldn't even look him in the eye. Too busy playing with the dog. Hiding the guilt his 'little bro' had to bear. There wasn't much else to do but pay her. He gave her all he had and waited for her response.
" I'm sorry but we are a bit short. If you give us a few days my brother can pay you back"
The women debated for a bit. The women left before coming back quickly with a hose and dog shampoo. As she walks over and pulled her dog away from Red.
"There are other ways to get my moneys' worth. How about you wash and trim the dog and I'll call it even" her stern voice was the only indicator that she was serious. As she looked at them in amusement. Was she serious?
"Sure! anything for you Roxy. We can come back tomorrow and get it down!"
"No, you're doing that today. Trim her nails but be careful she's got black nails so go extra slow. Can't have her bleeding to death" she grabbed the phone and turned to the house. "Now I'll give this to her while you scrub her down. And just be grateful I don't get ideas on the way back. You'll pay me one way or another"
And that's what they did for the remainder of the day. A few hours of grueling work as he trimmed the nails. Red worked on washing the dog. Good news: the dog was smelling like candy. And Roxy didnt ask for anything else until the dog rolled over in the mud. They had to wash him again. Once that was over Roxy promised to text them when the phone was done. Hopefully, this Ruby person can fix the phone.
––––––––·–
IN THE NEXT CHAPTER….
"Hey Papy, have you seen Blue. He hasn't texted me and he kinda left without saying anything yesterday"
"Oh he left on a trip"
"A trip?"
"I NEED TO BE HELD!"
"I thought he went on a trip?"
"Yea mental trip. Gotta take care of that mental health. He's been dealing with some stuff and didn't want you to see. You know depression or something"
"I DON'T LIKE YOU LIKE THAT"
"Who was that!?"
"Uh hold on. Wait he doesn't like you like that!