Excuse me, I have an emotive mood if you see what I mean, but... Can I have a picture of The Great Papyrus with Frisk ? I feel like I need to see him as the second dad of Frisk (or is he her uncle ? I don't know...) because I need some comfort with your art...
*emotive spider intensified*
-The Great and Gentle Muffet-
Aww ofc you can! here's a warm doodle with the two 🧡
Papyrus had never been as determined to do a job well as he was now, left alone to babysit his tiny niece while her parents went out on a date for the first time since Elys had been born. He absolutely would not fail this most important of duties! Especially not when his brother and his sister-in-law were counting on him! He would show them how capable a babysitter he was and they would be so impressed with him that they would shower him in praise (and hopefully trust him to help them out more often). And he always loved spending time with his dear niece, she meant so much to him and he dearly hoped that she would grow to love him just as much as he did her.
At almost nine months old, Elys was still very tiny, but she was also very active and Papyrus was relieved that she didn't take too much after his lazybones of a brother. THOUGH MAYBE IT WOULDN'T BE TOO TERRIBLE FOR HER TO BE A JUST A LITTLE BIT LAZIER, Papyrus thought as he pulled the young monster-human hybrid out from underneath the sofa where she had just crawled, the infant letting out an excited squeal, and carried her into the kitchen to place her, safely, into her high chair. He then proceeded to try to entice her to eat the unappetising mush her parents had assured him was proper food for babybones. He was a little sceptical, but trusted Frisk, at least, to not joke about this and to be sufficiently knowledgeable about good food. Her standards for food were certainly higher than his brother's. And it seemed Elys's standards were even higher, as she scrunched up her face in disgust and resolutely turned away from the presented spoonful of "chicken and veg with sweetcorn mash" (though it definitely didn't look like any such thing to him). Papyrus looked on the brink of tears at her refusal and loudly pleaded with her.
"NYOO! PLEASE EAT, TINY ELYS! IT IS THE TIME SANS AND FRISK SAID YOU WOULD NEED TO BE FED AND IF YOU DON'T EAT THEN YOU WILL BE HUNGRY AND I CANNOT LET MY TINY NIECE GO HUNGRY! I WOULD BE A TERRIBLE UNCLE! AND YOU WOULD HATE ME AND MY BROTHER AND DEAR FRIEND WOULD BE SO DISAPPOINTED IN ME AND-"
Elys immediately stopped scowling and started laughing delightedly at her uncle's antics. Sensing this perfect opportunity, Papyrus swiftly shoved the spoon into the baby's mouth. He "Nyeh heh heh"d in victory. The rest of the meal proceeded much the same way.
After quickly cleaning up all the mess made, both in the kitchen and on the baby, Papyrus carried his niece back into the living room and gently placed her in her playpen, before sitting down beside her. Skeleton and infant soon lost themselves in their games, playing with all of Elys's toys, Papyrus happily chatting with his niece about the puzzle potential of each of the toys and Elys, in turn, encouraging him with various squeals and excited noises. Suddenly, a loud trousle of bones rang out and Papyrus quickly answered his phone.
"Hi Pap," Frisk's voice greeted from his phone. "I'm just calling to check up on you guys. How's everything been going? I hope Elys hasn't been giving you too much trouble, I know how much of a handful she can be."
"GREETINGS FRISK! YOU NEED NOT FRET OVER US. I, THE GREAT UNCLE PAPYRUS, AM MORE THAN CAPABLE OF LOOKING AFTER A SINGLE BABYBONES, SO PLEASE RELAX AND ENJOY YOUR EVENING WITH SANS," Papyrus reassured her, his voice full of confidence as he struck a cool pose that, had she been able to see it, would most definitely have left the human in no doubt as to his competence as a reliable temporary caretaker for her child. "I HOPE MY BROTHER IS TREATING YOU WELL."
"He's treating me just fine, Paps, thanks," Frisk giggled happily. Then Sans's voice cut in.
"that's 'cause being with you is such a treat, babe, you dessert only the best. and donut worry, the real treat is coming up later tonight, it's scone to be a real sweet night."
"SANS!!" Papyrus interjected angrily, while Frisk could be heard laughing in the background. "HOW DARE YOU MAKE SUCH TERRIBLE AND TASTELESS PUNS ON A DATE! CLEARLY I MUST LEND YOU MY DATING MANUAL AGAIN, SO THAT YOU CAN LEARN PROPER DATING MANNERS!"
"heh, sorry bro, i'm just not as cool as you. and thanks for lookin' after the kid for us, we really appreciate it"
"NO PROBLEM AT ALL BROTHER! I AM ALWAYS HAPPY TO HELP YOU, YOU KNOW THAT. YOU CAN RELY ON ME WHENEVER YOU WANT"
"i know paps. you really are the coolest."
"WELL OF COURSE I AM. ANYWAY, YOU TWO SHOULD GO BACK TO YOUR DATE. REST ASSURED I HAVE EVERYTHING UNDER CONTROL WITH TINY ELYS, SO DO NOT WORRY AND COME BACK WHEN YOU CAN. WE TIRA-MISS-U BOTH," Papyrus said, very proud of his incredibly clever and obviously superior pun, while in the background, Frisk could be heard once more dissolving into laughter. With a loud "NYEH HEH HEH!", he hung up the phone, then turned back to his young charge. Only to find the place empty, with no baby in sight.
"NYEH?! ELYS, WHERE HAVE YOU GONE?!" he called out anxiously, franticly swivelling his skull all around as he tried to locate his missing niece. When his searched turned up empty, he dashed madly from room to room, desperately calling her name and looking into every nook and cranny that could possibly hide a baby (and even many that could not).
What... What would he do if he couldn't find her? How could he ever forgive himself if anything happened to her on his watch? How could he possibly face his brother? His sister-in-law? Maybe... maybe he should call Undyne? Or Sans and Frisk? But wait, if he did that, then the couple would have to cut their long awaited date short, and the two had been so looking forward to some quality time together! And, with the daily struggles of being new parents, on top of their jobs, they deserved a break. Sans, who used to be such a lazybones, constantly napping and slacking off, had really stepped up and risen to his responsibilities as a husband and father, losing sleep every night to comfort and care for his daughter; he looked more exhausted than Papyrus had ever seen him, even though he looked happier and more motivated than ever. And Frisk, who had done so much for him, his brother, his friends, heck, all of monsterkind, who, even during her maternity leave, kept in touch with the monster embassy and gave a helping hand there whenever they needed her, she deserved a night all to herself and her husband, free from stress and worries.
He wasn't going to ruin their special night. He wasn't going to let his family down. He was, after all, The Great Papyrus! He could handle this challenge all by himself and prove to everyone that he was dependable, reliable, trustworthy. And he'd start by finding his precious and irreplaceable niece. Resolve renewed, he continued his search with unmatched vigour and dedication, eyelights blazing with magic and red cape billowing heroically behind him.
As he passed by Sans and Frisk's bedroom, he couldn't help but notice a sock on the floor. He reflexively came to a halt and narrowed his sockets at the offending article. IS SANS STILL LEAVING HIS SOCKS ON THE FLOOR? EVEN NOW? UNBELIEVABLE! Papyrus internally grumbled to himself in disgust. Part of him urged him to ignore the sock and carry on his search, but years of dealing with his brother's slovenly habits compelled him to march toward the item and pick it up. Then he noticed even more socks on the floor! HAS MY BROTHER GOTTEN EVEN WORSE?! HOW DOES FRISK PUT UP WITH HIM? He entered fully into the bedroom and looked around. The bottom drawer of the chest of drawers was opened slightly, with socks spilling out all over the floor. He meticulously collected each and every wayward sock, checked that they were indeed all clean, then folded them up. As he bent down to return the clothes to what must be the couple's sock collection, he noticed a large lump inside the drawer. Curious, he poked the lump and it moved, socks shifting aside to reveal the sleepy, confused face of the very person Papyrus had been so desperately trying to find!
"ELYS! I HAVE FOUND YOU AT LAST! I AM SO HAPPY TO SEE THAT YOU ARE SAFE, I WAS WORRIED SICK ABOUT YOU! PLEASE NEVER DO ANYTHING LIKE THIS AGAIN! MY SOUL CANNOT HANDLE IT!"
Filled with overwhelming relief, sockets steadily leaking magical tears, he carefully lifted Elys into his arms and held her to his rib cage tenderly. The baby cooed happily at him, a large, happy smile on her soft, chubby face, before she hooked one hand around his cervical spine and dug another into the red fabric of his scarf, then yawned widely and pressed her face into his clavicle, falling right back to sleep, feeling safe and comfortable in her uncle's arms.
Papyrus held his tiny niece even closer, his soul pulsing with love. Pressing his forehead very gently to hers, he made a vow deep in his soul. No matter what, he promised that he would always be there for her when she needed him, that if she were ever lost, then he would find her again, just like today.
I... I did it... I can't believe I actually did it. This was so incredibly difficult to write, because as much as I adore the guy, I had the hardest time getting into Papy's head, I just don't think like he does and neither do any of my (many, many, many) OCs, so trying to keep him in character was a constant struggle. I probably failed quite a bit, but I had to try. I really love Papyrus and I don't see many stories of him being an uncle, so I just had to write this out. Our cool dude deserves it! We need more Uncle Papyrus centric fics!
Once again, I was hoping to have a bit more interaction between skelly and baby, and once again Sans and Frisk got in the way and hogged the screentime. Also, some might notice the similarities between how this drabble and my previous one end. All I can say is, they're brothers, what do you expect?
Elys belongs to Frans Queen @shayromi . I know she's still just a baby in this, but I hope I did her justice. ( •̀ ω •́ )✧
Shout out once again to my dear friend @wolfkice , who continues to be an inspiration to me and whose art I'm the biggest fan of. Thanks for your encouragement, I wouldn't have been able to get this out as quickly as I did without you. You're a star, buddy! (o゜▽゜)o☆
