A fishy tail

Chap 7, 8, 9

The public had been informed about the Mermaid they had at the center. There was no doubt that today would be chaotic at work.

Papyrus's shift didn't start when it opened, which meant Sans would be on his own up until he arrived. He couldn't help but feel spiteful at the fact they'd made Sans deal with being treated like a spectacle by himself. Or made him have to deal with that at all. The skeleton waited anxiously for his shift, and left as soon as it was time to head over.

It was no surprise to find that Sans was hidden from sight. The crowd of people, however, was still a shock. He had known there would be a lot of people but, wow. Both human and monster lined for the tank, an impressive crowd gathering around the seemingly empty tank. There were a lot of unhappy people. Some threatening to complain to the Boss, saying that the entire thing was false advertisement for money.

As if they were unaware that maybe someone wouldn't want to be stared at.

Papyrus was more than a bit angry as he made his way to the back. His co-workers looked exhausted from the abuse of the people out there, Alphys looked like she had been crying. Mr. Stevenson frowned at him, motioning for him to join their little circle.

" You need to get it out into view" Greg spoke first. The sheer rudeness of his words made him gawk.

" This Was A Bad Idea All Around! Sans Shouldn't Be Put On Display At All! He's Not An Animal!! Nor Is He An It!" Papyrus snapped, internally dying at every word out of his mouth. Luckily enough for him, Mr. Stevenson seemed to agree, and gave Papyrus an apologetic look.

" My Bosses are in-charge of this, I'm afraid. Could you at least try? Maybe your presence could calm him down?" the human offered. That... sounded like an okay idea. Sans undoubtedly was stressed.

" Maybe you two can pretend it's a normal therapy session? You two are pretty good at ignoring us" Felix spoke up.

While that was true, there was a major difference between around ten people and what felt like hundreds. But Papyrus was not one to leave a friend alone in a time of need. Sans needed comfort, and as his friend he would try to provide that.

With a nod, he headed to the locker room to change into his wet suit.

At the top of the tank, Papyrus noticed several people spotting where he's 'hidden'. Papyrus did his best to ignore them as he got into the water. There wasn't much space to hide in the tank, the pillar and the resting cave being the only places. With Sans nowhere in sight, the tall skeleton made his way over to the 'cave', concern eating at him.

Sans was pressed against the walls in an attempt to get as far out of sight as possible. He jerked at the sight of Papyrus, but relaxed slightly once he realized who he was.

'Its Okay, Sans. You're Okay' Papyrus signed, before reaching out to comfort the other. Sans allowed him closer, still tense underneath his touch. He grabbed Papyrus, pulling him in closer to be out of sight too.

' why so many people? why're they here?' sans asked, breathing unsteady.

' The Public Was Informed That Our Clinic Is Housing You. No One Has Ever Been Around a Mermaid Long- Most People Don't Think Mermaids Exist. That's Why They're There. You Don't Have To Go Out There, Okay?' Papyrus assured him. Sans finally relaxed, looking all too relieved to not be seen. Papyrus understood that feeling very well. Monsters had always been around, yet some humans felt the need to stare. Especially with him-- up until Sans, he'd never met another skeleton monster. If the wondering stares that followed him around in public meant anything, it wasn't common at all to see someone like them.