Chapter Text
You were a simple creature with simple pleasures. You enjoyed catching crickets out in the field, and pouncing on dandelions to send their fluffy white seeds flying. You liked watching fireflies flicker past windows and fish to wriggle around in their tanks. You liked curling up in warm baskets of blankets and drowning in the scents, or sprawl out in the sun and nap. You liked wandering the streets and perching at your favorite cafe and watching the people go by, making up stories about their lives and watching them interact. You’d learned so much by watching. You liked eating seafood and playing with dogs and rubbing your face against fabric to indulge in the texture.
“Momma, look, the kitty’s back!”
Ah yes, and you love the excitement of children. Children in general, really. So full of life and energy and so eager to learn about the world, with their big bright eyes and tiny sausage fingers and their shrieking laughter. Children were always ready to accept the impossible and dream the unimaginable.
And children really, really loved to pet the kitty, which is why when you heard the child, you turned, a purr working its way out of your throat. A young boy with dirty blonde hair and eyes so blue they put the sky to shame was heading your way, dropping his mother’s hand to approach you. You mewed sweetly as the little boy kneeled in front of you, setting eager but gentle touches on your back. “Kitty! I was so worried about you, where’d you go?”
Oh, Jonathan. Such a gentle little thing with a heart too big for his little body. He was one of the many human children you visited from time to time, hopping as you did from home to home. You purred and butted your face against his, prompting a sweet little giggle to burst from him as he scratched your ears. He carefully scooped you up, announcing, “It’s almost time for dinner, kitty, so you have to come inside now, okay?”
You mewed in response, content to rest your chin on his shoulder and let him carry you into the house. His mother gave you a similarly gentle smile, reaching down to stroke you between the ears. “Welcome back, kitty. Jonny, why don’t you take the kitty into the living room and get them some food while I make us dinner, okay? We should still have some cat food.”
“Kay Momma!” he chirped, setting you down and scampering down the hall.
You followed him quickly, your stomach rumbling at the promise of food. Cat food wasn’t exactly the… best tasting stuff, but while you were in this form you’d deal with it. Besides, you’d probably be able to get Jonny and his mom to give you food if you begged for it sweetly enough- they had a huge soft spot for you, after all.
Jonny was quick to scoop out your food, and you noticed he no longer had to stand on his toes to do so. A burst of pride filled you as you realized that he’d obviously gone through a growth spurt in the short few weeks you’d been gone. You wondered what the exact measurement was- you’d have to check the “Growing Wall” when you were done with your dinner.
“Here you go kitty!” Jonny declared, pushing the bowl over to you. You purred as he kneeled down and began to pet you again, taking a few tentative bites. It was still as gross as you remembered, but Jonny had gotten it for you, so you weren’t going to turn it down. Besides, as long as he was petting you, you could bear it. You lifted your head after a few bites, turning to lick his wrist in thanks and purring as he giggled again.
It was safe to say you loved your humans.
You heard his mother’s footsteps coming around the corner, and your ears flicked back as she called, “Jonny, could you please go wash your hands? I’d like some help with dinner.”
“Kay Momma,” he called back, twisting to look at her. He quickly turned his smile back to you, giving the space between your ears one more pat. “I’ll be right back, okay kitty? You keep eating. I love you.”
Aww, your sweet boy, you loved him too. You gave him an adoring mew, butting your head against his leg as he stood up and waved to you. You watched him run off, purring as you heard the water running in the bathroom. You might have to stick around for a bit just to spend some time with him.
You did end up staying with them. You spent a week and a half with Jonny and his mother, playing with Jonny in the living room or keeping his mother company at her desk while she wrote. You terrorized the neighbor’s dogs and chased birds in their backyard, and you slept in their laundry baskets perhaps more times than was appropriate. You couldn’t help it, you enjoyed the detergent she used too much.
On the final day, when your pelt began to itch uncomfortably, you waited until his mother woke to begin pawing at the window, mewing pathetically. She chuckled sleepily, coming over and giving you a slow pet. You expected her to open the window, but she startled you by murmuring, “Can’t you stay longer than two weeks?”
Stiffening, you turned to face her, cocking your head. She smiled sadly down at you, scratching you under the chin. “Jonny really loves you, you know. He likes having someone around to talk to and play with.” Her grin spread a little. “I love you too, kitty. You’re such a good writing partner. Always listening when I talk to you and giving me advice.”
You purred in amusement, tilting your head into her hand. The touch briefly grounded you, taking away the itch in your body. She stroked down your back, lightly curling your tail. “We’ve got a nice house. And enough food for you. So you don’t have to go anywhere, do you? You can just stay with us, and we could be a family…”
Oh, Jenny. Your poor girl. She’d been through so much, and all she wanted now was for her son to be happy and loved, and she needed to be loved, to have a family. You mewed softly, raising up on your back legs to butt your head against her face. She chuckled, lightly holding you under your front legs and nuzzling your nose with hers. “Look at me. I’m talking to a cat, as always. I know you’re a free cat, kitty. Just remember to come back to us someday, hmm?”
Of course, Jenny, you thought, licking her nose and making her squint at you happily. She placed a light kiss on your nose in return, then set you down and opened the window. I always remember the way home.
She muttered a final goodbye, which you returned with a mew, and then leapt out, landing elegantly on the fence below. You didn’t look back at her, even though you wanted to; instead, you picked your way along the fence and wandered into the alley between the two houses, out of sight.
Instantly, you let out a sigh and began to change. There was no pain as you slid between shapes, your body rearranging itself. You could feel your spine stretching and straightening, just like your arms and legs. You followed the pull upwards, wavering slightly in-between forms as your tail shortened, pulling back into your body and throwing you off-balance. The rest of the change seemed to happen all at once, reverting you to your default form- a human.
You groaned slightly, shaking your head and flexing your fingers. You were disoriented with the sudden lack of sound and smell all around you, dulled back to your human senses. You were shaking slightly, flexing your limbs as you got used to the additional length once more. You stretched a bit, taking some experimental steps to get back in the rhythm. It wasn’t hard once you started, but those first few movements were always strange.
You didn’t spend a lot of time in this form. It wasn’t that you didn’t like being human, it was just that you were so used to hiding as something else that you got comfortable. And the more comfortable you got, the harder it got to want to change back. A week and a half was by no means the longest you could go- you could postpone it for at least another week. But you did have other people waiting on you, and it was time to go and see how they were. You’d come back eventually, after all, it was no big deal.
Smoothing out your shirt- you were so glad that actual shapeshifting was nothing like what they showed on TV, where you ended up naked every time- you stepped out of the alley, curiously examining your surroundings. You were very familiar with this area, and you knew that a nice, cheap little diner was just around the corner. You would pop in, grab something to eat for breakfast, and be on your way, and by tonight you’d be prepared to shift again.
Mind made up, you strolled out of the alley and on towards the diner, stomach growling. Maybe you should have stayed for breakfast.
You spend the day pretty much the same way you spend it as a cat: Sitting at a cafe and watching people pass by. Stories are made for every individual who passes your line of sight, and several cups of coffee are ingested. Unfortunately being human means you have to pay for these drinks, since rubbing your head against a stranger’s leg and begging them to let you have a sip was socially unacceptable.
When you got bored of that, you wandered off to the park, and spent some time simply lying sprawled in the sun and dozing. You woke occasionally when a child screamed particularly loudly, or if a jogger ran especially close.
Most noticeably was the brief and rather odd interaction with a tiny skeleton with a booming voice, a blue bandana, and gorgeous sky-blue irises (??). Apparently he didn’t see you sleeping under the tree until he tripped right over your spread feet, faceplanting rather violently into the ground next to you. This startled you awake, of course, as he began to sit up and apologize, which shifted to a rant about safety precautions and sleeping in public spaces, and how you were just as bad as his lazybones brother, for star’s sake!
You endured all this with a stoic face. You’d encountered much worse things in your many years of living than a- quite frankly adorable - tiny, shouting skeleton. As a matter of fact, you were fairly certain you’d be able to lift him, which made him far less intimidating than what he was probably going for.
When he finally paused, you gave him a gentle apology and told him you’d be more careful next time- which you probably wouldn’t, if you were being honest with yourself, it was his fault for running into you anyways- and a tired smile. This seemed to mollify him somewhat, as he swelled with pride and smiled at you, a slight blush on his cheeks and a hint of excitement in his eyelights. He left soon after that, laughing loudly and congratulating himself for a job well done.
You really hoped you got to meet that adorable skeleton again someday. He seemed awful interesting, and he had such a cute name and demeanor.
If you ever did meet him again, you were totally letting him pet you all he wanted.
Night falls and you decide it’s time to move. You wander back into the city and find a convenient, out-of-the-way alley in which to shift and recover from the burst of sensation safely. When you’ve adjusted, you slip out of the alley, silent and black as the night.
...okay, you’re being dramatic, it’s not quiet at all, but you have taken on one of your favored forms: a simple black cat with green eyes. Most of your “families” saw you in this shape, as it allowed for stealth and, quite frankly, because it made you feel cool. This skin carried with it a feeling of cunning and dry wit, of power and intelligence. Despite your small stature, you felt big and agile, like you could take on anything. It was a good form, and one you found you quite liked.
The city seemed almost more busy than usual as you navigated through the streets, wondering which family you wanted to spend time with. There were a few close by, you knew, but you wanted to get away from Jonny’s house- less chance of him spotting you, and even though you knew he wouldn’t be able to identify you, you didn’t want to end up getting picked up by him again. It was unfair to the rest of your households.
(And also because as much as you loved those two, your other families gave you human food, and you didn’t want to eat cat food twice in a month. No, thank you.)
So you travelled farther, occasionally stopping to peek curiously into windows. You briefly debated sneaking into one of the restaurants, but decided against it. Much as you’d enjoy a hearty meal like that, most restaurants didn’t like having animals in it. Shame, you’d make such a good mascot. And good for business too.
You had just about reached the end of the block when a familiar voice reached your ears. Curious and alert, you picked up the pace slightly, gaining ground on it, and eventually the skeleton from earlier came into view. You huffed in surprise, but a purr built up in your chest- you hadn’t expected to see the cute skeleton so soon! He seemed to be talking to someone, rather angrily if your ears were to be believed- and they were, of course, because you had excellent hearing. Maybe you could fix that.
He was so preoccupied- and so loud - that he didn’t hear you coming up until you wound yourself between his legs. The skeleton startled, making a loud noise, then quickly reassuring whoever was on the other side of the line that he was fine. He tried to shoo you off with his boot, distractedly saying, “NO, PAPY, I SAID I’M FINE, I JUST- THERE’S A CAT HERE WHO WANTS MY ATTENTION-” Here he put a hand over the receiver, bending down to hiss at you, “Don’t you know it’s rude to interrupt people when they’re talking to someone else?”
You mewed, purring in amusement as you used his shortened height to reach up and butt your head against his cheek. He spluttered in apparent dismay, but you could see a smile tugging at his teeth. “YES PAPY, I’M STILL OKAY, FOR TORIEL’S SAKE! THE CAT JUST CAUGHT ME OFF GUARD. SOMETHING IT WILL NOT BE DOING AGAIN!” he added to you sternly, wagging his finger.
You reached up, grabbing his hand and rubbing your head against it. He had gloves on, so it didn’t feel too weird to rub against him, even if you could feel the joints in his fingers beneath it. You purred harder, nuzzling into him as he chuckled a little and unfurled his hand, obligingly giving you a pet. Yes, good skeleton, just like that. “I’LL BE HOME SOON, PAPYRUS. FIRST I HAVE TO SHAKE OFF THIS LITTLE MISCREANT. IT’LL KNOW BETTER THAN TO MESS WITH THE MAGNIFICENT SANS! ...YES PAPY, I WILL. GOODBYE.”
He finally hung up, giving you an amused look as he pocketed his phone. His voice lowered, so it didn’t grate quite as much against your ears. You noticed that when he spoke softly, he actually had a nice, deep voice. Rather soothing. “You’re quite the attention hog, aren’t you? Such a troublemaker.” His hands slipped under your chin, and you melted into his touch, body vibrating with the force of your purrs as your eyes drifted closed. Oh yeah, that was the spot, that was nice…
“Mwehehe. Fun as this is, I really must get home, so if you’ll excuse me, clever feline, I’ll be going now,” he suddenly declared, stepping away from you. Your eyes flew open and you mewled in protest, rubbing his leg again. Sans chuckled, raising his voice once more. “YOU’LL JUST HAVE TO LEARN TO LIVE WITHOUT MY GREATNESS, POOR CAT! MWEHEHEHE!”
Oh noooooo, how would you live without himmmm… You obligingly mewed louder, following him as he began to walk away. If he wanted to play hard to get, fine. You liked the chase. Made victory all the sweeter.
You heard him snort up ahead of you, and caught him trying to sneak glances back at you. Yes, you had him, hook, line, and sinker! He totally wanted you to come home with him! And he was speeding up, pretending like he wanted to get away from you, but darn it if you were going to let him do it! You picked up the pace, trotting lightly and mewing at him, staying on his heels as he chuckled above you.
(Who was playing who here? You had no idea. You didn’t care.)
Sans led you through several seemingly random turns, and you wondered if perhaps he was trying to throw you off. Was this a test of some kind? Because you were going to ace it. You were good at tests. The best at tests!
(You didn’t know if you actually were. You’d never gone to school.)
Finally, he began to slow down again, and you slowed so you walked beside him. He still kept his pace brisk, so you did the same, determined to show him you could keep up. You were a little out of breath, but it was nothing you couldn’t handle. He’d led you to a comfy little side of suburbia, with nice houses that all looked pretty much the same and clean yards. You didn’t recognize the neighborhood, but you doubted this would be a problem.
He stopped abruptly, turning to face you with a grin and a set of folded arms. “ADMIRABLE JOB KEEPING UP WITH ME, FELINE! YOU PASSED MY TEST!”
Haha! You knew you were good at tests! You purred excitedly, tail swishing behind you.
Sans stooped, scooping you up from under the arms. The sudden motion was a little jarring, and he did it a little rougher than you liked, but again, it wasn’t the worst you’d handled. He held you at eye level, nodding approvingly at your pleased self. “INDEED, YOU ARE A FELINE WORTHY OF KEEPING COMPANY WITH THE MAGNIFICENT SANS! PAPY WILL BE SO EXCITED TO SEE I’VE FOUND A PET!”
Ooh dear. You didn’t like that word. “Pet” implied attachment. “Pet” implied permanence. You really hoped he didn’t mind you disappearing for days at a time…
He shifted his hold on you slightly, trying to carry you in the way he’d scooped you up, and that was not gonna do it for you. If he wanted to hold you, he was gonna hold you the way you wanted it. You squirmed, meowing urgently, and he paused, giving you a perplexed look. “What is is, feline? Are you injured?” His eye- sockets you supposed?- widened as he held you away from himself. “HAVE I INJURED YOU IN SOME WAY?”
Something like that, you wanted to say, but instead you meowed again and wriggled, indicating you wanted to be let down. He seemed to get the message, as he kneeled and set you- surprisingly softly- on the ground again.
Were you seeing things, or did he looked a little hurt? Okay, nope, that wasn’t going to do at all. You were quick to launch yourself back into his arms, hooking your claws into the shoulder of his shirt and curling up in his grip. You were proud of the way he’d instinctively gone to catch you, which left you in just the right cradle. You liked this, and you rewarded him with a purr and nuzzle against his face.
“Ah… So you like to be carried like this then,” he surmised, sounding amused and baffled all at once.
He was such a quick learner. Good skeleton. You gave him another nuzzle for that and an affirming meow, though you doubt he understood. Still, he chuckled and straightened, giving you a soft look. “Very well then! I suppose I shall just carry you like this from now on.” He pivoted on his heel, marching down the sidewalk with his still-brisk pace, while you lounged in his arms. “I HAVE A LOT TO LEARN ABOUT YOU, FELINE, BUT DO NOT WORRY; IT WILL NOT BE A CHALLENGE FOR SOMEONE AS GREAT AS I! OF COURSE, YOU HAVE QUITE A LOT TO LEARN AS WELL! SUCH AS MY BROTHER, PAPYRUS. HE IS AN ABSOLUTE LAZYBONES, AND…”
And so on and so on, as you began to doze in his hold. He didn’t seem to notice, content to ramble on about his brother and their jobs as guards- well, ex-job, apparently, since the guard wasn’t established anymore, and now Sans worked as a security guard at the mall and Papyrus worked just about everywhere, but used all that as an excuse to sleep more, really, he was so lazy…
You didn’t notice that he’d stopped until he abruptly shifted, awkwardly maneuvering you into one arm. You rumbled in displeasure, but he quickly remedied his grip as he opened the door, yelling into the house. “PAPYRUS! I HAVE RETURNED! COME SEE WHAT I BROUGHT HOME!” He lowered his voice, smiling at you. “I am sure Papy will like you. He’s really more of a dog person, but he’s almost as great as I am, so I’m sure he’ll see your greatness as well!”
Oh dear, he really is pretty adorable. Sort of a backhanded compliment, but you know, sometimes that’s just how it went. You gave him a purr, leaning up so you could rub your head under his chin. He chuckled faintly, briefly reaching up to pat you, and then his attention turned outwards. “AH, YOU’VE ARRIVED!”
“Hey, bro,” a soft voice came from behind you, prompting you to turn and look upwards.
And boy, did you have to look up, because wow, Papyrus was so tall. He was easily two, maybe three feet taller than Sans. He had a baggy orange sweatshirt with a soft-looking hood- you could already imagine yourself curled up in that beautiful hood. A perfect nest. You curiously noted that they didn’t seem very similar. In fact, they looked just about as opposite as it could get. Interesting.
“Heh. Well ain’t this a purr- fect surprise,” Papyrus drawled, amusement shining in his sunken eyesockets- poor boy looked like he hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in weeks- as he glanced up at his brother from you.
Sans groaned above you, scowling at him angrily. You pretended not to notice the way his mouth twitched. “PAPYRUS! WE JUST GOT THE CAT HOME, YOU CAN’T START USING IT AS PUN FODDER!”
“You’re right bro. That’d be a catastrophe.” He looks so proud of himself. Too proud. Especially as Sans begins to whine again, while you flatten your ears at him. If you had a dime for everytime you’d heard that one, you’d be rich. Papyrus seems to see this and snorts. “Heh. Looks like you and the cat share your opinions of my humor.”
“WHAT CAN I SAY? THEY’RE A SMART CAT,” Sans gloats, and you wriggle happily at the praise, purring and nuzzling him again.
Papyrus watches this with a fondly amused expression. “Guess they are, if they decided to come home with a cool guy like you.” He tilts his head slightly, giving you a strangely piercing look. You suddenly have the uncomfortable feeling he knows something, but a moment later he seems to snap out of his trance. “Welp, guess that’s my cue to leave. I’ll be upstairs if ya’ need me, bro.”
“WAIT A MINUTE!” Sans abruptly commands, moving towards him quickly. You blink in surprise as you’re abruptly shoved towards Papyrus, who panics and fumbles a little to try and hold you. You sink your claws into his thick hoodie reflexively, angling yourself so you can grip him with both your front and back paws. “HOLD ONTO THEM FOR A MOMENT, I NEED TO GO RESEARCH CATS! I DON’T KNOW IF THEY CAN EAT MONSTER FOOD!”
And just like that he’s gone, leaving you clinging to Papyrus’ coat while his hands hover over you uncertainly, both of you staring after the departing monster. You get the feeling this is pretty par for the course with him around.
After a moment of dangling, you mew at him, trying to pull yourself into a higher and more comfortable position. This seems to wake him, as he brings his attention back to you. He makes a confused noise, and ever-so-slowly brings his hands to support you, one sliding under your hind paws and the other cupping your back, so you sit on his arm. It certainly takes the strain off your front paws, for which you’re grateful, and you make sure to tell him so by purring and butting your head into his ribs.
“Heh,” he chuffs, and when you look up, he’s giving you a lopsided smile. “Guess, uh, guess that worked, then…” He glances at the door Sans had fled through, then back at you. “Suppose you and me will be chillin’ out on the couch for a bit then.”
He takes you into another room. It’s a nice room, very spacious, with a soft orange carpet and dark leather furniture and a wide TV. A rather fancy coffee table rests between the two, currently covered in newspapers with filled word search puzzles. Huh. Papyrus slumps onto the couch, and you slide into his lap easily, curling up on his femurs. You expected him to be harder, but amazingly enough, he seems just as soft as a human.
Magic, you conclude.
You doze again as he flips through the channels, not really caring what he puts on. What you do care about, however, is that he’s begun petting you, very hesitantly at first. He gains more confidence when you don’t bite off his hand, instead beginning to purr loudly and arch into his touch. He chuckles softly at this, stroking along the arc of your spine until you mew and turn, shoving your head into his hand. He lightly pets your ears, then boldy scratches them, so you reward him with a purr and nuzzle. Good skeletons. Such fast learners.
He’s quick to find all the spots that make you melt into a puddle, including the spot in the middle of your chest you don’t let anyone touch. This doesn’t set off the alarm bells you expected it too; instead, you simply purr harder, craning your neck to lick his wrist, letting him know yes, this is nice, I like that, that’s good, I trust you, and it’s weird how comfortable you feel with his bare bones digging into your fur, but you don’t mind it.
In fact, you roll over, giving him the rare chance to pet your belly. He pauses for a moment, suddenly unsure again, so you reach up and grab his hand, bringing it down to lick the palm reassuringly. It’s okay, big skeleton man, I trust you, you try to convey, and it seems like he gets it, because he takes the other hand and lightly pets you. You purr and nuzzle his palm.
Sans comes in a moment later, and he looks gobsmacked at the sight of his giant brother hunched over a tiny black cat, carefully petting them. You purr in amusement and pleasure, tail flicking lazily. “Wow, brother… They already trust you so much!”
Papyrus blinks up at him, motions halting. You meow in protest, butting his hand, and he snickers at you as he goes back to petting you. Then, he asks Sans, “What do you mean, bro?”
“Most cats don’t like to have their belly touched when they just meet someone, I read,” he responds, slowly coming closer. His eyes are on you jealously, and you want to laugh, because he’s more than welcome to pet you like this too. You like him. You trust him.
“Welp. Why don’t ya’ give it a try, bro? I’m sure someone as cool as you would have no problem getting their trust,” Papyrus suggests, moving the hand you’re still nuzzling away to give his brother room.
You don’t even hesitate. You stretch out, meowing as you reach out with both paws to him. Sans’ eyes fill with stars- actual stars, oh dear, he’s precious- as he offers you his hand. You do like you did Papyrus, twisting and leaning up slightly so you can lick his palm and wrist. It’s a little weird licking gloves, but you’ll live.
Sans finally takes the initiative, letting his other hand wander to your belly. You purr and shift closer, closing your eyes happily. Papyrus speaks up, even quieter than normal. “Told ya’ so, bro. Can’t resist your charm.”
“Mwehehe…” he giggles- actually giggles, someone help you, this is how you’re going to die, your heart is going to burst with cuteness and affection- and continues petting you, cradling your head in his hand. You peek an eye open to observe him and are rewarded with his absolutely ecstatic face. Excellent. You’d like to sear that into your mind, please.
You spend most of the rest of the night like that, lounging in Papyrus’ lap while they shower you with pets. They're already talking about getting you a bed, and setting up a cat door, and getting toys and maybe something for you to climb on, and what kind of food you can eat and for star's sake, they're even discussing names. It's not like it's the first time a family has named you, of course- over the years you've had tons of names. You just… didn't think they were the attachment type.
Ah well. You'd worry about that later. For now, you were going to nap and enjoy the attention. You'd deal with everything else in the morning.