Ace in a Hole: Collaborative Shenenigans

Chapter 14

Winter approaches, slow and steady and quite near. And with winter comes Papyrus' wedding, the invitation Sans decided to practically staple to his fridge displayed proudly. His dear bestie was wholly ecstatic about it, having bought a suit and tie for the first time in his life. Neatly ironed and tucked away into the back of his closet, covered in what appears to be some plastic coating to keep it away from anything that could ruin the clothing. Alastor thinks it'd look nice on Sans. A bit plain for Alastor's tastes, who loves theatrics and unique outfits, but he doesn't dare complain and try to change it. If Alastor dared to stroll into Papyrus' wedding in a suit that screamed attention seeking, Sans would take him out back and shoot him. The same principle of wearing white to a wedding, he supposes.

Sans was excited. Ecstatic. Every breath was spent talking about the upcoming wedding in two weeks. Every bone seemed to clank around whenever the phone buzzed with final touches, which seemed to be happening quite often. If his phone so much as twitched, Sans would leap across the room, staring giddily at his screen like a child who received a piece of candy. From the few phone conversations Sans has had on speaker, Papyrus sounds just as excited. Somehow more so.

Papyrus will certainly be an interesting individual to meet. Alastor has heard countless tales of the man and has seen several pictures. And dare he say, he's not too impressed.

He's Charlie, but somehow more high-pitched, tall, and obnoxious. A fun obnoxious to watch while sipping a beer at a bar, the kind of fun where you giggle amongst your friends about the silly person who finally got blackout drunk for the first time. Not the type of obnoxious you kept in your day-to-day life. From the snippets Alastor has picked up, Papyrus was near completely innocent. Wide-eyed, all doughy and squeaky clean. The only thing that seemed to sully Papyrus' whole ignorance of brittle reality was what Sans gave to him. Considering the fact that Papyrus was the one who found his brother on the floor in the bathroom one night after an attempted suicide, well, he doubts anyone would remain the same afterward. Papyrus isn't stupidly ignorant, but he's damn near close enough in Alastor's book.

At least, from what Alastor could pick from stories Sans gives him and his voice over the phone whenever Alastor peeps in. He's likely different in person. Alastor himself knows full well that technology could be used to give a different appearance, he himself used it over the radio plenty. But he doubts Papyrus is far off from the impression he's gotten of him. Sans tells plenty of stories, and the statements Papyrus says only back it up. Like 'nyeh heh heh'. Who says that seriously?

But Alastor can't bring himself around to despising Papyrus like how he despises others. Oh, he certainly finds the man to be in the same category as the rest of the worthless people roaming the earth. Yet that man is his sweet Sans' little brother, the baby that Sans raised single-handedly after their parents both died. Papyrus is a reflection of what Sans couldn't have. Of what Sans believed was the best life to give someone. Papyrus is the walking embodiment of Sans' hard work and dedication. A successful man with a happy romantic life, strong self-confidence, a good work ethic, and bountiful friends and empathy.

Alastor couldn't hate Papyrus (yet) because he wasn't allowed to. Sans would likely kick his ass back down to hell. Alastor, thus, entertains Sans. He knows he feels nothing for Papyrus, but seeing Sans happy always scratches that little pleasant itch in the back of his head that makes his chest go fuzzy. Papyrus is a necessary step in that regard. So while Alastor doesn't typically pay attention, he certainly does when it comes to Papyrus. It's more effort than he usually gives to people who aren't in his immediate scope of interaction. Alastor doesn't have much choice, not when Sans could smell bullshit and Alastor faking any genuine interest towards Papyrus would be sniffed out instantly. He settles for simply paying attention and asking questions when needed, which always sends a smile onto Sans' face.