Can You Hear Me? *REWRITE*

Bonding

This was a horrible idea.

Just a truly awful, no good, stupid ass idea.

But you kept your expression neutral as you led Peter to the living room, bordering on pleasant. An act and a good one. You were defaulting into your famous persona. How many of your friends would notice? Peter never did.

Papyrus had already announced your brother, helpfully, and you knew Mettaton probably told them... something. Crowd control, like you'd said. Thankfully none of the monsters looked anything but normal. Mettaton must have kept it vague. Sans was the only one eyeing your brother critically and it was a look reminiscent of the one he wore meeting you. It wasn't something you remembered clearly until you saw it again and knew him enough to name the expression: suspicion.

Great. You weren't sure why realizing that bothered you so much.

May as well get this over with.

You stopped just shy of the couches, on the far side, while Peter lingered at the couches back. This required those sitting on the couches to turn to greet him. "Peter, meet my friends. Friends, this is my brother Peter."

"HELLO AGAIN, (Y/N)'S HUMAN BROTHER!" Papyrus immediately introduced, striking a vibrant pose. "I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS! BUT YOU MUST HAVE KNOWN THAT ALREADY. (Y/N) MUST HAVE SHARED A GREAT MANY STORIES ABOUT MY GREATNESS."

You resisted the urge to face-plam, instead settling for eyeing Peter in a way that said: please be nice. Admittedly, this one was on you. "Can't say she did." Damn-it. "But it's nice to meet you."

"Going around from Papyrus," you continued, "We have Sans, Toriel, Flowey— yes, the flower— Undyne, Alphys, Asgore and Frisk. Mettaton you already know."

A chorus of greetings echoed, those in question giving a wave or some other form of greeting. "It is a pleasure to meet you," Toriel finished for you, speaking on behalf of all those in the room.

Peter nodded in faux agreement, smile customer service fake, before fixing you with a look. You wonder if any of your friends saw through him.

"Think I could take my bags upstairs?"

"Sure," you said, hiding your tone and falsity under a smile. You had the feeling he was trying to corner you upstairs, but you weren't in the mood for a lecture. You knew you were avoiding the inevitable. But you also knew Peter was unlikely to start shit in front of strangers. No love for airing the dirty laundry and all that. "The princess room is all yours."

Undyne let out a surprised snort of laughter. "PRINCESS room? What kind of room is that?"

"It's a fairly apt description," you defended, slipping out of your fake personality. It was was true— everything in the room you'd taken was either a lovely blush pink or white; but it had the comfiest bed so regardless of your thoughts on pink it was worth it. "Also, way easier to say the princess room than 'third door along the wall— you know the one in the corner next to the master?'

"FUHUHU! Wait, does that mean the REST of our rooms have silly names?"

"Oh come on, 'princess room' isn't even that silly."

"So YOU say, but I think I'll be the judge of that."

"I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO KNOW THE OFFICIAL DESIGNATION OF MY ROOM!" Papyrus said. Clearly seeing you were outnumbered, you relented.

By this point, you noticed that Peter had quietly exited the room and retreated upstairs. You didn't doubt he'd be back down in a few minutes, eager to observe your interaction with your friends. To find fault, reasons you shouldn't continue interacting with them. Justification for his prejudice. Acceptance settled over you with a quiet whisper. The knowledge that you couldn't sit in denial anymore. As much as you loved your brother, as much as you were willing to defend and deflect and ignore his attitudes in private— when it threatened your friends you couldn't. You wouldn't. He was prejudice against monsters and that wasn't okay. You knew you couldn't force him to change, but you could protect your friends and try to help him see that his assumptions were baseless and wrong. If this was the hill you had to die on, so be it. You'd go down fighting for what you felt was right. You were determined not to let him ruin this.