Chapter Text
Papyrus knew he made the others nervous. He was a Papyrus, but not Papyrus enough. And it wasn't like his universe was swapped, like Stretch and Blueberry's. He knew that because Alphys was the Royal Scientist and Undyne was Captain of the Royal Guard.
He looked almost exactly like the Papyrus of this timeline. They both wore very similar battle bodies, and were about the same height (he never really bothered to check before he left). They both believed that anyone could be a good person if they just tried. They both had trouble controlling their volume, or their excitement and feelings. They both had trouble grasping appropriateness in social situations. They would be indistinguishable from each other, except for a few minor differences. And that's what unsettled the others. Instead of the delta rune, he wore the flowery symbol of the Protectors. He wasn't besties with Undyne. He was also semi decent at cooking, thanks to Kindness. And he knew too much.
It… hurt, that they expected his brother to help them. That they never even thought to ask him. Not that he would have helped at first, he had been so so angry. His constantly loud voice had been raised even louder at them. But later, after he calmed down, they still wouldn't ask him. Sans was the one who knew about SOULs, of course because he studied that subject. Papyrus was always the engineer and knew more quantum mechanics. Sans had a decent grasp on it, and would place joke books inside of his quantum mechanic books that he left on the table, resulting in one of many small brotherly feuds. It, along with most of their stuff, was still in their home in Snowden. Papyrus could help. And maybe if he had helped, he would be home already.
An alarm clock goes off, and Papyrus wakes up, not that he needs it. Turning it off, he gets ready for the day. Instead of his battle body, as would be usual for his morning routine, he wears a simple outfit. A t-shirt and some loose shorts. They feel close enough to his battle body that they don't make him feel uncomfortable, nor do they itch. They were a compromise from Sans to wear clothe, that would distinguish him. He was very reluctant. The t-shirt has some clever pun on it, as it was picked out by Sans, since all their clothes were left at home. Shaking himself out of his thoughts, Papyrus heads out into the kitchen to make breakfast. He knocks on Sans's door on the way past, to let him know to get up.
The cabin they share is a lot smaller than what they're used to, and the kitchen is woefully under-furnished. But they have to make do. The curtains firmly drawn over the windows, Papyrus gets started on some oatmeal. Sunlight this early in the morning is uncomfortable, and disrupts his routine. Soon, the scent draws Sans from his room, dressed casually as well. His helmet and chest plate are probably still in the closet from when they first arrived, collecting dust.
Breakfast is a quiet affair. Neither of them have much to say. The things they would usually talk about no longer apply. Eventually, Sans says around a mouthful of oatmeal, "don't forget to water the plants."
"DON'T TALK WITH YOUR MOUTH FULL! AND I THOUGHT THAT WAS YOUR JOB?"
"nah, i'm going to the store today."
Papyrus' grip on his spoon tightens almost imperceptibly. "ISN'T TODAY MY DAY?"
Sans notices. "paps, you can't avoid the garden forever. while we're up here for who knows how long, you have to move out of your comfort zone."
Papyrus looks down at his oatmeal, then back up at Sans, a smile on his face. "OK SANS."
Sans sighs, but doesn't press it. "thanks paps. for breakfast too. it was great, as always. i'll be off now." Sans gets up and puts his dish in the sink, and without saying another word, heads out.
He probably took a short cut as soon as he got outside. They didn't own a vehicle, since they tried to minimize how much they spent and how much evidence they would leave behind when they eventually get home. If they get home. Papyrus's smile wavers, and then drops. He doesn't bother to finish his oatmeal, putting it in a container for later and putting the dishes in the sink. Waste not, want not.
Grabbing the tools he needs, Papyrus heads outside. As soon as he's in the fresh air and sunlight, he unconsciously tenses. It's too big, and too bright. Even the store was better than this, with the press of people making it seem less big than it was. Not that anyone really ever pressed against him, he was a Monster after all. A novelty, and a little bit daunting.
Not for the first time, he wishes Bravery was here. She would help him adjust, and then he wouldn't feel so guilty about finally being on the Surface while she was still stuck Underground, probably worried sick about them, wondering where they are. If he knows her, he knows how stubborn she can be. And most things don't deter her. She might even enlist the help of the Captain of the Royal Guard, even at the risk of exposure.
Maybe she thinks they dusted?
Maybe she fell down-
Papyrus quickly shakes those thoughts from his head. He was the Great Papyrus! He cannot lose hope that he will see her again. His SOUL aches for the feel of her SOUL, the quiet bond they shared on patrols together. There is no need for patrols here.
No time to dilly-dally. Activity is the best deterrence of unwanted thoughts. Papyrus gets down to watering the plants and weeding them. He's pretty sure he's pulling up plants along with weeds, but it's not like the garden is flourishing otherwise. If Sans wanted his garden to flourish, he should do it himself. He made the garden after all. It was a rather sad endeavor, a small way to become independent. It was bad. So Sans bought vegetables and herbs from the store. Papyrus didn't like working on it, it made him spend too much time outside.
Maybe there was something wrong with him. Of the other Papyrus's, he seemed to be the only one that genuinely did not like being on the Surface. Even Crooks liked being up here.
The sound of voices draw his attention. He looks up, and hears what appears to be a feminine voice, and Blackberry.
Papyrus knows of Axe's indiscretions, bringing home females sometimes several times a week, but he didn't pin Blackberry for someone interested in that sort of thing. Curiously, he makes his way closer to the path leading away from the SwapFell's house.
Making her way back alone, is a woman. Well, of course she's a woman, but she's human too. Axe didn't mind human women, but Blackberry always seemed to be going on and on about his feats of capturing humans, to the point even Papyrus and his brother could hear it from where they were. What surprises him more is that instead of turning off the path onto the road, she continues heading deeper into the woods. Oh dear, she's going the wrong way. And by the way Edge boasted about his traps designed to confuse humans, if she gets lost she might not find her way out. Hopefully she's not as adverse to help as Blackberry is.
With that course of action decided, he tumbles down the hill. Not literally, he takes long strides gracefully down the hill. He just went down faster than he intended. So Papyrus stumbles a few feet in front of the human, managing to catch himself, but startling the human. Seeing that his abrupt entrance startled her, he says quickly, "DO NOT FEAR! IT IS I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS!" There, since he said do not fear, she will no longer be frightened, and with him having introduced himself, they are no longer strangers. Papyrus knows the logic is a bit stretched, but he ignores that.
The human looks at him in confusion, though thankfully no longer seems scared. "Papyrus? What are you doing out here? Why did you change your clothes from this morning? Did you spill sauce on them?"
Why is she acting like she knows hi- Oh.
Just as Papyrus comes to his conclusion, she comes to one as well. "Oh! Are you from another timeline?"
For a second, those words don't sink in. When they do, he feels a flash of rage. Those hypocrites! How dare they?! They force everyone else to secrecy, and then let this woman know everything? And they treat him like a freak for telling-
As soon as it happens though, he feels bad for thinking unkindly of those in the lodge. He thought he was over this. Bravery wouldn't like him to be angry. Well, not exactly true. He probably would have had to restrain her himself if she thought they were being mean to him. The thought almost makes him chuckle, but he remembers the human in front of him.
-----------
This skeleton who was another version of Papyrus froze when you asked him if he from another timeline. Were you not supposed to ask that? Was it rude to ask it of someone who doesn't know you? Before you can make sure if he's ok, he springs back into action.
"UM, YES. MAY I ASK WHO ARE YOU?" There's something in his voice that's a bit strange, but you brush it off.
"I'm Y/N," you say, doing a little half wave awkwardly, and are surprised when he takes your hand in a hand shake. He seems careful not squeeze your hand too hard. Despite the warm weather, he's wearing gloves. He drops your hand after a few seconds of shaking your arm and steps back.
"MAY I ASK WHY YOU ARE OUT HERE IN THE WOODS?" He asks with over the top politeness.
"Blackberry just wanted my help for something. Or my company, not that he would admit that. He sent Mutt to come get me, so I didn't really have much of a choice. I don't have to help him, since I'm not his Landlady."
He cants his head in obvious confusion. It's an endearingly Papyrus move. He seems even more like Papyrus than Crooks, except for his formalness. It helps that he looks more like him.
"Some of the skeleton brothers are staying in my lodge. In exchange for staying there, I'm their Landlady."
This Papyrus nods his head in understanding, then looks aghast. Speaking of, you can't keep referring to him in your head as 'This Papyrus'. Before you can say anything else, he blurts out, "I AM SO SORRY! ARE WE SUPPOSED TO BE PAYING YOU?!" He pats himself down, and rushes away, shouting back to you, "DO NOT MOVE!"
You feel a bit ridiculous standing there alone in the middle of the woods. Maybe this Papyrus was one of the bad ones. He seemed nice enough, why else wouldn't he be around the lodge? Before your thoughts can get too much into a mental horror show of possibilities, he's back and he drops a bag into your hands. "IS THIS ENOUGH?" He asks worriedly. You open the bag to see a bunch of gold coins, instead of a still beating human heart. Seems like he didn't get the memo that gold was not worth as much as they used to. "MY BROTHER TOOK OUR MONEY MONEY TO GO SHOPPING. GROCERY STORES ONLY ACCEPT CASH." This Papyrus explains apologetically. Which reminds you.
"It's not a problem, you don't need to pay me. I'm not your Landlady either. What shall I call you though? Everyone has a name to differentiate themselves."
He seems surprised for a second, and contemplative, before saying, "BRAVEHEART."
Braveheart huh? Was he making a reference to the movie or something else?
"AND YOU CAN CALL MY BROTHER ACE!"
Unless that was an obscure reference that you did not know, Ace was not a movie reference to Braveheart.
So far, there had been something that set each universe wildly apart. If you lined Braveheart and Papyrus up side by side, they would look identical. Except for their clothes. Turns out the Monsters in your woods were weirder than you thought. You count yourself lucky you haven't run into a brother that had wanted to hurt you. Maybe you'll learn how Braveheart's timeline differs later. For now, you had to get back to the lodge.
"Thanks Pa-Braveheart for the gold, but it's not needed." You hand the bag back. "And as much as I would love to stay and chat, I have to get back before the others go knocking down Blackberry's door for kidnapping." That isn't even an exaggeration. "But I would love to swing by later, maybe get to know you and your brother?" Braveheart seems happy at that, beaming at you, his formalness dropping away.
"THAT WOULD BE MUCH APPRECIATED HU-Y/N! OH! YOU WILL NEED MY NUMBER!"
You hand Braveheart your phone, and he quickly types his number in, handing it back. He simply put himself down as Braveheart, and you make a note to change it to something more appropriate (silly) later.
"NOW, WHENEVER YOU FEEL LIKE COMING OVER FOR SOME TEA, JUST LET ME KNOW SO THAT MY BROTHER AND I MAY GET EVERYTHING READY!"
He points up the hill he had come tumbling down. "OUR HOUSE IS UP PAST THAT CREST! COME BY THIS WAY, AND I WILL TRY AND WAVE TO YOU!" You notice that there is no path leading up the hill to their house. "ACE IS USUALLY THE ONE GARDENING, AND HE MOSTLY STAYS TO HIMSELF, SO HE PROBABLY WILL NOT WAVE IF YOU HAPPEN TO WALK BY."
You don't think you would see him even if he did. You can't see their house at all.
"That's alright. I'll be sure to text you and let you know when I can come over."
"HOPEFULLY SOON!"
His eager face is too much, and you agree. "Yes, hopefully soon." You wanted to get to know all of the skeletons in the woods. The ones that wouldn't kill you. While Braveheart seems to be holding back from you, he seems to genuinely like you, and you find that you like him, and want to get to know him better. Must be a Papyrus thing.
You say your goodbyes, and Braveheart waves to you all the way down the road, until you're out of sight. Maybe even after then. When you get close to the lodge, you get a chime from your phone. It's Braveheart.
'WHAT TYPE OF TEA DO YOU LIKE?'
He probably got your number when he put his in. You type your answer, and put your phone away, thinking about when you might be able to see him again, and head into your house.
-----------
He runs back home as soon as she's out of sight, excited at the prospect of a new friend. And she lives nearby too! She's practically his neighbor!
Heedless of the gardening he still has to do, he rushes inside, caught up in a cleaning frenzy. Who knew when she might want to hang out. She could text at any moment, he has to be prepared. Papyrus, Braveheart to others, comes to a stop. He got so excited about Y/N possibly coming over, he momentarily forgot his plight. He didn't deserve to be this excited about something, he should be trying at all costs to be getting back.
No, he can't keep thinking like this. Bravery wouldn't want him too. She would be helping him set up, just as excited as he was because he was excited. She would be encouraging him to do what made him happy. Not-his-brother-Sans and the others might find him unnerving, but he can help. He'll offer his services, and if they accept, then he'll do everything he can to help. Maybe he'll see more of Y/N too!
And if they do not, then at least he'll have offered. What did Sans say this morning? 'you have to move out of your comfort zone' or something. And the Landlady can still come over sometimes.
He cleans until his-Sans, Ace, comes home, carrying a bag of groceries.
"bro, i'm home."
Braveheart beams and says excitedly as Ace puts the groceries away, "SANS, I MADE A NEW FRIEND TODAY! AND I INVITED HER OVER FOR TEA SOME TIME!"
"that's cool paps. did you ask what type of tea she liked so that we could get some?"
Braveheart freezes comically, quickly morphing to sadness. "I DID NOT! I AM A TERRIBLE HOST AND NEW FRIEND!"
"no need to get upset, just ask her next time you see her then." Ace offers. Braveheart immediately cheers up. "YOU ARE RIGHT! IN FACT, I WILL TEXT HER RIGHT NOW!"
Braveheart whips out his phone and thinks of the perfect way to ask her for her tea. His new friend replies quickly after he asks, so Ace puts the beverage on their shopping list. Afterwards, he and Ace go about their day, Braveheart filled with a renewed sense of purpose.