holly the hills

I don’t know how many of you read Running on Carbs

but if you do then you’ll remember that I said I was thinking about writing shorter more consistent chapters

yeah…

then I disappeared for a month.

self insert art might be my fav

The date!! Writing this was so so fun that I’ve already begun the next two chapters :)))

Notes:

AHHHHHHHHHHHH

when I tell you I love every single one of you from the deepest depths of my heart.

thank you all for the love and support, and I hope you enjoy <3

Also I’m so sorry for disappearing… I kinda deleted tumblr on accident and forgot it existed…

ANYWAY HERES THE CHAPTER

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It was colder than you thought it was going to be. You clung your light sweater, while you walked down the sidewalk to the cafe. You knew the place, and you were delighted to know that Oak did too.

After grocery shopping yesterday you had gone home and gotten some gardening done, you knew that the first frost might come soon, and you were glad you did considering the goosebumps running down your arms.

You knew today would be interesting, you hadn't known Oak had a brother until yesterday and your mouth lit in a smile when you thought about meeting him. You'd admit, you had a lot of fun. More fun grocery shopping than you had in a while. He was sweet, despite his gruff demeanor.

The coffee shop came into view and you found yourself grinning. You didn't see Oak and his brother yet, but you were a little early. You didn't mind waiting a little.

Just then a light breeze wept your skirt into the wind and sent chills down your spine.

Maybe you should wait from inside the cafe.

~

"Brother!" Oak heard his brother call him from the first floor of their home. He fingered the beanie in his hand, hating that he had to wear it. The material aggravated his skull, but he knew he'd get even more stares if he didn't wear it. He tried not to care, but he knew his injury made him look down right murderous. Even his housemates sometimes flinched when they looked at him, not being able to catch themselves in time.

The only people who were able to look at him without flinching were his brother. And you.

He thought of your face then, a light blush taking over his skull. He was so excited when you accepted his invitation. Some of his old personality floated back to him, and words came to him so easily. He felt like himself around you, in a way that he had only ever felt with his brother. And occasionally with Red. Never really with Classic. 'Prime Sans'. He hated the way that was how he thought of him.

'Prime', like he was somehow the first, and all of them came after. That wasn't how the multiverse worked. Classic was just lucky enough to be the first of them to start working on that machine.

Though, he thought bitterly, he'd probably never have the chance to work on that machine back home. He never would have made it to the surface anyway.

He closed his sockets and felt the air shift, and the floor drop from his feet. Then the floor was back and he was looking at his brother.

"hey bro."

"Sans!" His brother looked exasperated. He wore a smart turtleneck with a black overcoat, that didn't quite reach his calves because of his height. "We Cannot Be Late To Your Date! It Is Incredibly Uncouth." He looked at his brother's beanie for only a second but didn't say anything.

"it's okay bro. i know a shortcut." He grinned a little and right when his brother was about to complain about the laziness of 'short-cutting' Blue walked in, with Stretch only a moment behind.

Blue looked at them, "WELL DON'T YOU TWO LOOK ALL DRESSED UP! WHAT'S THE OCCASION?" He smiled, and seemed to be starting his breakfast, though it seemed a little late for him to only just then be awake.

Stretch, who looked much less thrilled to be awake than his brother, went to the couch to promptly flop onto it.

Poplar smiled gently, as to not cause any ache in his teeth. He had only just gotten his braces tightened a couple of days before, "We Are Going To That Attractive Little Cafe I Told You About," he looked at his brother and Oak was very grateful he didn't mention you. He didn't need the teasing or interrogation from anyone.

"THE ONE DOWNTOWN?" Blue asked.

"yup. want anything?"

Stretch answered from the couch before his brother could, "honey-buns please."

Oak looked at him, his sockets were closed and he looked absolutely exhausted.

Poplar said, "Are You Alright?" The concern in his voice was obvious and Stretch perked up a bit to sooth Poplar's nerves.

"yeah, I'm alright. was just up a little late working on a project."

"Ah." Poplar muttered, glancing at his watch before looking at his brother. "Well! We Can Pick Up Those Honey-buns, But We Will Be Heading Out Now. Have A Nice Day, You Two!"

"YOU TOO, POPLAR! SEE YOU BOTH LATER." Blue saw them leave with a wave, Stretch thanking them and doing the same.

Before they left Poplar quickly grabbed his cane, which was a sophisticated maroon color that matched his brother's magic. He wanted to be careful, getting tired and not having his cane would be very painful. He knew his brother would not hesitate to shortcut to their home to get it for him, but he didn't want him straining himself. Short-cutting had only just gotten easier for him since. Well. Since the accident. He also made sure to quietly grab the small bouquet of purple hydrangeas that he had grabbed from work the night before. After all, there was no second chance to make a first impression.

When they got outside Oak grabbed his brother's hand and they both closed their sockets. When the air shifted they could smell bread and coffee, they both opened their eyes and saw the cafe in front of them. It really was an attractive little place.

"Okay! Are You Ready, Brother?"

Oak looked at his brother, who looked so hopeful and felt a short moment of anxiety. He realized all at once that his brother's injuries were much more difficult to hide than his were. He really had only just met you. And he trusted you enough to meet his brother, the only thing he really cared about in this entire universe.

But he tried his best to shake that off. No, he didn't know you. But he trusted his gut. He was a good judge of character. After all, He was a judge.

He nodded at his brother finally, who nodded back at him and they stepped into the cafe, Poplar ducking slightly so as to not hit his head in the doorway.

They didn't see you at first, but you absolutely saw them. It was hard to miss the eight foot skeleton ducking through the doorway.

You stood up and waved to them from your booth, and you were glad you picked a booth now. You didn't want Oak or his brother to have to squeeze into one of those tiny seats in the front. You had a smile on your face, you had thought Oak was tall. His brother dwarfed him.

They spotted you and quickly walked over, though it only took Poplar a couple of steps to do so. He was suddenly very thankful that this cafe had such high ceilings, it would have been an awkward walk over while crouching.

You stuck your hand out to Oak's brother and introduced yourself, "It's so nice to meet you!"

He grabbed your hand excitedly, "Yes And You As Well! I Am Poplar," he had a soft voice that you found absolutely lovely, and another tree name too! In his other hand he held a gorgeous hydrangea bouquet and he handed it to you, "For You, Dear." He had a sweet look of hope on his face and you blushed deeply at the pet name.

"Thank you!" You gasped, "These are gorgeous."

He waved you on with a deep smile, a rust red blush lighting his cheek bones.

You chuckled a little, turning to Oak, "It's great to see you again," You opened your arms up a little for a hug and you watched while his face changed from surprise to delight and his face was painted a soft maroon blush. He pulled you in, crouching a little to give you a proper hug.

His hands rested at your shoulders in a friendly embrace and your eyes widened when you realized that you wanted to stay in his arms a little longer than you did. You pulled away and found yourself missing the warmth that was there. He was surprisingly soft for a skeleton, and his arms felt solid.

Though you shouldn't be surprised, you reminded yourself. You saw his arms yesterday, and his bones were much thicker than a human's. Skeleton monster anatomy wasn't identical to a human skeleton, that much was for certain. Oak was much more 'big boned' than his brother, who was thinner and much taller.

Oak was wearing the same beanie you had seen him in before, except now he didn't have his gardening pants, he had on some worn jeans that fit him surprisingly well considering how tall he was.

His brother had glasses similar to yours in shape, but they were much thicker. And his eyelights! They were beautiful, and a little fuzzy. They reminded you of Oak's yesterday when he asked you to this place. His brother wore a large sweater paired with a black overcoat and a smart pair of slacks. He also used a cane, and it was a deep red, almost burgundy color.

They were a very dynamic pair, the two of them. And already you could feel the stares of some of the human cafe goers, however you paid them no mind as you sat down.

~

Oak looked at his brother, who immediately understood the predicament. Where were they going to sit? On one hand, they both would love to sit next to you, and on the other if they sat across from you they would have a much better view.

A true crisis.

However they quickly decided to sit across from you, so as to not make you uncomfortable. Oak already got a hug from you, and with the table against the wall he knew that he would probably squish you a little if he sat next to you, anyway.

"it's good to see you too, shortcake."

"Shortcake?" Poplar looked at his brother from across you, and you saw Oak's grin get wider.

"yeah, bro. shortcake."

Poplar looked from you to Oak, a short look of confusion on his face before he whispered to his brother with a dramatic gasp, "Brother! Are You Commenting On Your Date's Height?"

Oak chuckled, "of course not, bro. i would never stoop so low."

Poplar gasped again. "Brother!"

You put a hand over your mouth to smother your laughter at least a little. But Poplar just looked so genuinely offended, you couldn't help the giggles that did escape. Your eyes were bright and you said, "Aw Poplar, it's okay. You don't have to be so down about it."

Poplar mouth hung open and Oak looked at you with bright eye lights and a goofy grin. You swore for just a second Oak's swollen eyelight turned into a heart, but you blinked and it was gone.

"Please, Not You Too. I Don't Think I'll Be Able To Stomach This Date If You Do."

Oak looked at his brother, his face suddenly serious and said, "but bro. you don't have a stomach."

You watched Poplar facepalm and both yours and Oak's giggles grew. You looked between the two of them and felt your face warm. You hadn't had this much fun at the cafe in ages. You met Oak's eyelights and you could tell he was thinking the same thing.

"so," Oak started, his quiet chuckles finally stopping, much to his brother's relief, "how've you been, doe?"

Your eyebrow rose, "Doe? That one's new."

"yeah you got these big doe eyes. figured it fits."

"Oh She Does Have Large Eyes, Doesn't She?" Poplar joined in, suddenly looking very interested in your eyes."

Their stares had you blushing a little and you laughed, "I've been good, Oak. It's getting cold out there though, I'm finally getting around to getting all my garden stuff into my greenhouse and into my pantry."

His eye lights widened, "you garden?"

You nodded, "Yeah, I've got some veggies and a couple of herb planters too, but I usually keep those inside." You held your finger up, remembering, "except my lavender, I keep that outside 'cause of my cat."

If it was possible, Oak's smile got brighter and Poplar glanced at him, his quiet laugh escaping him. "Goodness, Brother You Look Like A Kid In A Candy Shop."

Poplar turned to you, "He Has A Garden At Home Too, Though I'm Sure He Hasn't Told You About It."

"Really? I'd love to come see it! Here," You pulled out your phone, "I have some pictures of mine. And I can show you some pictures of Stella too."

You grinned while the brothers looked at your garden. There was impressiveness in Poplar's gaze, and he even made a few 'oohs' and 'ahhs'.

Oak looked downright adoring. Before you thought you had imagined it, but you saw that his eyelight was definitely shaped like a heart looking through the pictures.

You described where and why you kept all of your plants, telling them about the sunflowers in your front yard, as well as all of the bird feeders that fed your crows so they would stay away from your actual crops.

"And if you have strawberries you can paint some rocks red and just keep them around the berry bushes, because crows don't like hard fruits so they'll learn that the strawberries there aren't good."

Oak nodded, and looked at his brother, "we didn't plant any berries this year, did we?"

Poplar shook his head, "We Did Not," He turned to you, "We Tried To Plant Them Last Year But We Planted Them In The Spring."

You nodded in understanding, "Yeah, did that my first year too. Ended up drying out no matter how often I watered them. I ended up moving them to my greenhouse this year and they actually did a lot better than I expected them to." You offered, "If you guys like you could come over to my place after this, I can send some home with you."

You watched as they both were taken aback, and confused you said, "You don't have to, of course! Don't feel pressured just because I offered."

Poplar looked at his brother, who looked back at him and they softly smiled. Poplar said, "No! Please, We Are Not Offended In The Slightest. Where We Are From Offering Food To Someone Is A Large Show Of Trust."

Oak nodded, his face lit in that burgundy glow, "we were just... surprised."

Your eyes widened in understanding and you nodded back to them, "I didn't know that at all, is that a tradition for all monsters?"

Poplar shook his head, his brother letting him take the lead, "No, My Brother And I Were Rather Isolated In the Underground, And Only Those Who Were Close By Carry That Culture. It Is More Of A Provincial Tradition."

You smiled, "Well the offer still stands if you'd like to take it. I have way too much to preserve, I was planning on trying to sell some at the market, anyway."

Poplar sat back in the booth, relaxing his back into the soft seat. He watched your face, he saw complete trust. It was a little foolish, he realized. To let these two monsters into your home after just meeting them. But he did not take you for a foolish person. Perhaps a little too trusting. But you were very intelligent, he could tell.

Oak had a soft smile plastered on his face, and he didn't remember the last time he had smiled so much. From your cheesy jokes to the way you were so trusting of him and his brother, he found you absolutely adorable. And you gardened too, you even offered him something from that garden. Something that you had raised from the ground.

You pulled out your phone, saying that you completely forgot to show them pictures of your cat, "Her name's Stella!"

Your phone showed an elegant black cat with one patch of white fur on her face. Poplar cooed at the screen, letting out a soft 'aw'. Oak melted at the sight, she looked absolutely adorable. "stella. like stella maris."

You looked at Oak, "Stella Maris?"

"the constellation." Oak surprised himself. It had been a while since his memory was good enough that he could remember a constellation so easily. His brother looked at him, and his face was proud but just as surprised as his.

"Brother, Have You Been Studying Constellations Again?" Poplar asked, his brow bone raised a little.

"no." Oak answered honestly, he hadn't been. He was afraid that he wouldn't be able to remember any of the constellations he studied, and didn't want to be disappointed when he didn't.

"I've always loved the stars," You said. You had a dreamy look on your face, which peered out the window of the cafe. "On the mountain is the best view. You don't even need a telescope to see all the stars up there."

Oak said, "you've been up the mountain?"

"I live on the mountain. On the west side."

Poplar's eyesockets widened, "Do You Really? We Live On The Mountain!"

"Really?" You looked at them, "I didn't know anyone else lived up there! I figured after the opening monsters would want to get as far away from that place as they could."

Oak was stunned, she had been this close the whole time? They lived on the west side too, though he was sure they were a little further up the mountain than she was, since they had never seen her. Or even traces that another person lived so close.

"yeah. a lot of monsters did. but we have a pretty big family." Oak looked at his brother, who understood what he was doing.

"Yes! We Live With Our Cousins, And The Homes In Town Are Not Nearly Big Enough To House All Ten Of Us."

You whistled, "Good god. That is a lot of people in one house."

Oak chuckled, "yeah. it definitely is."

This was not good, Oak realized. Sans had moved onto the mountain for the seclusion, just in case the machine got out of hand. Just in case something happened, he didn't want to be the cause of mass panic. And then something did happen, they all arrived and they were just thankful that Sans had built such a large house up there. But you were there, probably the whole time.

Sans was not going to like that.

You thought about Blue and Black. They were skeleton monsters too. Maybe they were their cousins! But... is that racist? How common are skeleton monsters? Just because they're skeleton monsters doesn't mean that they are related. You decided to just leave it be, not wanted to risk being offensive to your new friends.

"Wow. Well I guess that makes it a lot easier for you both to come over, doesn't it?"

Poplar and Oak chuckled softly, Poplar letting out a soft 'Nyeh Heh Heh' that made you smile. You all decided to finally get something from the shop, Oak getting an Americano, Poplar and you getting lattes and some small cakes for the table.

You all talked among yourselves for a bit, and you learned that Poplar actually worked as a florist at a flower shop downtown, one that you had seen on your commute to work before. You promised to send him home with some flowers from your garden since he had been so sweet to bring you some.

"That Would Be Lovely, Dear." His eyelights were a fuzzy white that had you fawning, and you looked at Oak who had a similar dreamy look about him. You all had finished your coffee and cakes some time ago, but you really didn't want this date to end.

It seemed that they felt the same, because they stayed in their seats, all of you looking at each other. After a little you smiled, "Do you guys want to come over for dinner? We can make something together, or I could just make it and we could watch a movie." You looked at the time, "It's still really early, we can just make this an all-day kinda date."

Poplar looked at his brother with a soft smile and a hopeful look in his eye that Oak hadn’t seen in a while, "What Do You Think?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter Text

So loud.

That was the first though Oak had that morning. He swore he could feel his nonexistent ears ringing. And it was so early in the morning too. You'd think he would be used to this volume with his brother. But he's been getting better and better at keeping an inside voice, and Oak has gotten pretty used to that. He normally wouldn't be up so early, but he had some gardening he needed to get done. It was getting cooler and cooler outside and he needed to harvest all of his veggies before the first frost came.

But right then he had other things to worry about.

"I'M TELLING YOU I GOT THE POTATOES JUST LAST WEEK. THEY WERE IN HERE ON MONDAY." Blue waved his hand at the pantry, obviously exasperated. They had been going at this for a couple of minutes. They were all lucky that Edge was out of the house, otherwise he would've gotten involved and that would've been so much worse. Blue was right, Oak thought. He definitely bought the potatoes last week. And Oak definitely made some soup with them that he enjoyed for his lunches the last couple of days.

He didn't think it wise to mention it.

Black replied with a snide attitude, "WELL THEY AREN'T HERE NOW, ARE THEY?"

"WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY? THAT I'M LYING?"

"WELL YOU SAY THAT THEY WERE HERE MONDAY. BUT YOU'VE BEEN COMPLAINING ALL WEEK THAT YOU'VE BEEN SO BUSY." He looked at Blue with annoyance, but Oak could tell he was concerned, "THEY AREN'T HERE NOW, PERHAPS YOU JUST FORGOT TO GRAB THEM."

Blue ran his hands over his face in exhaustion. "LOOK," he said, "I'LL GO GET THEM LATER, I HAVE SOME STUFF I NEED TO GET DONE TODAY BUT I HAVE TIME AFTER WORK."

Oak cringed, feeling a little guilty at the tone of Blue's voice. He really didn't know they were going to use the potatoes for dinner. He figured someone would have told him, or made a note and put it on the bag. But they didn't and generally the rule is if you don't mark it it's up for grabs. However, Oak could tell that saying that wouldn't help the conversation. He cut in, "i can stop by the grocers today."

Blue looked at him with a mixture of relief and questioning, "REALLY? I THOUGHT YOU DIDN'T LIKE GOING TO THAT MARKET."

That was... mostly true. He didn't mind going. It's just that the markets in downtown were almost all exclusively owned by humans. It just made him a little uncomfortable. He thought of the possibility that you would be there. It made his soul warm a little but he tried to put that to the edge of his mind. He didn't want to get his hopes up, just because he had seen you there a couple of times doesn't mean you were automatically be there now.

"naw, it's fine."

Blue took the save and thanked Oak, "REALLY, I APPRECIATE IT."

"no problem." He hoped it wasn't busy today, that would be a downer. But it was the least he could do, he guessed. He was the one who made those potatoes into a delicious soup.

~

Why was every single grocery store out of coffee creamer.

You didn't have any creamer in your house, and even though usually you would just use milk and sugar you were getting so bored, and so tired. This was the third store you had stopped at. And every single one was completely out of your french vanilla creamer.

You figured if this one didn't have it you would just stop at a cafe or something.

Of course you didn't just need creamer. That would be silly. You also needed a stupid amount of box cake mix and frosting. Story-time was getting a little crazy and you had the bright idea to promise a bunch of four year olds cupcakes if they behaved. And they did. Like little angels. So of course you do all of your grocery shopping, you can't find creamer and there are no good box cake mixes.

So you go to the last store this side of town. And finally you find what you need.

The only problem was that the cake mix you needed (double chocolate for half of them and vanilla for the other) was at the very top of the shelf. You were not a very short person. But this was a little ridiculous. You were pretty sure no person could reach that.

You were about to ask a manager for help, you needed that cake mix by tonight if you were going to be ready on Sunday, before a voice came from behind you, "you uh, you need a little help there?"

You turn around and are met with... well you aren't met with a gaze at all. Oak, the monster you gave a library card last week. In the flesh. Well. Kinda. "Wow! Small world." You chuckled a little before answering, "Yeah, that would be really nice but I'm not sure you'll be able to reach it."

You were so mistaken. Oak reached for the box, no tippy toes needed, and without a word put it in your cart. You could see his thick arm bones reaching, but even then they weren't at their full length. He didn't seem to struggle at all.

You noticed the bones in his arms weren't like any of the bones you'd seen in a human's arms. They were thicker, probably thicker than both of your arms combined. Monsters, especially boss monsters, were generally a lot larger than humans were. Some people think that because of their imprisonment in such a large space with such a small populace that they evolved to be larger over time. It meant that a lot of the infrastructure in Ebott was now just a little bigger to suit the populace from the Opening.

You knew he was tall. You were looking right at him, and you needed to look up to do so. So yeah, he was tall. But you don't think you realized just how large this guy was. At work you tend to ignore a lot of your patrons looks, just because it's a little easier to zone out and just listen to their voice when you're filling out paperwork. But he really did tower over you. He must be somewhere around six foot nine. At least.

"how many do you need?"

"Uh," You paused when he looked at you, his eyelight a bright red and oh so focused on your face. "Just three of each is fine." He turned back to the shelf and you coughed a little into your hand. Was it warm in there or was it just you?

"Thanks, thought I was about to have to go get a manager here. That would not have been very enjoyable so... thank for saving me that situation." You grinned and he chuckled a little.

"hey it's no problem." His sockets shifted with a humorous glint, "no skin off my nose."

"Pfft," You grabbed the boxes from him to put in your cart, "that was awful." You groaned.

"you're smiling." He looked so smug when he said that. And it's true, you were. How could you not?

"And you're a comedian."

"hey now, I could put these boxes back. what would ya do then, shortcake?" He was grinning down at you, his voice a low and gentle rumble but you heard him perfectly well.

"And here I was thinking you were some knight in shining armor." You said. "Picking on the human, who woulda thought."

That got a good chuckle out of him, his voice still a quiet rasp. He had a really gentle laugh, you realized. Actually, everything about him seemed very...soft. Despite his general size, he seemed like he couldn't hurt you. Not to say he looked like he couldn't do any damage. Just that he couldn't do any to you.

His eyelights seemed almost fuzzy when you met his gaze. You found yourself wondering about that, was it similar to human pupil dilation? Was it just cosmetic? And you also noticed something you hadn't before. Oak seemed to have what looked like the equivalent of a scar running down his eye socket, the one with the large red eyelight. A crack, you thought. You don't know how you didn't catch it before, maybe at the library his beanie was covering it? He was wearing one now too, and they definitely suited him. He looked very comfortable.

You didn't know much about monsters. Not because of lack of trying. When the barrier opened you cried. Finally something, something that could tell you what you were. It was next to impossible to find information about magic- real magic- before the barrier opened. And here was this entire civilization that thrived on magic, that were made of magic. It was exhilarating. But even now the integration of monsters into society is in it's earlier stages.

He had a quizzical look directed at the boxes of cake mix. "seems like a lot of cake for just you, havin' a party?"

"Something like that. Story-time at the library. Figured I should be the hero and bring snacks."

He nodded, "makes sense." His hand reached for a box on the shelf and read the directions, "only two eggs? oil? what is this?" He kept reading and you watched a little confused. He looked at you with a slight disgust painting his mouth, "no offense but this sounds awful."

Oh. He thought the cake mix sounded bad. You found that a little funny. "Huh, does it? I don't really know much about cakes. Bread is more my style."

He chuckled, "yeah, that's fair. but for these I would try to add another egg, replace the oil with butter and then the water with milk. should be fine, though."

You looked around and realized that you still had a couple more things you needed to grab. Some sprinkles would probably be nice. "Hey," he looked at you, setting the box back on the shelf. "Are you busy right now?"

His sockets widened slightly in confusion a little and he shook his head, "no, not busy."

"Do you wanna shop together? Might be fun." You smiled. "And who knows? I might need a tall person to grab things for me."

~

"yeah, that would be cool. Is there a lot you need?" Cool was an understatement but it was the first thing that came to mind. Oak wasn't the best with words, he knew. But he could play cool for a little. He was freaking out a little bit. Sure, he had imagined asking you out, asking you to go to that little cafe with him. But never did he imagine that you would be asking him.

"Not really," you answered, you looked at all the things in your cart, which was just that god awful cake mix and a container of coffee creamer. He knew from the cafe that you liked your coffee sweet, but now he knew that you liked vanilla too. Ugh. Vanilla. That had him thinking about Classic, which was not what he wanted to be thinking about right now. "Just some odds and ends."

He and Classic tolerated each other. He had an inkling that Classic was so uncomfortable around him because he didn't like to think about the fact that his 'kid' didn't let them out in another universe. He's a scientist, a philosopher even. He knew that there was a multiverse so vast and wide that every possibility of every choice has been committed somewhere out there. Guess he was just too much of a coward to look it in the face.

Turns out the 'odds and ends' you were talking about were baking materials. Just the basics, some flour and sugar, baking soda. You did get some cute little cupcake liners.

"Look," you pointed to some liners that had femurs all over them, "Isn't that cute?"

They were on clearance, since not too many people were buying cupcake liners with Halloween so far away.

"you think femurs are cute?" Oak said before he could really think about it. He thinks he said it jokingly enough.

Thankfully you laugh, "That's the arms, right?"

He can't tell if you're joking, but he chuckles. You probably weren't, humans never seem to know even the basics about their own anatomy so if you were being serious he wouldn't be all that surprised. But he'd let you have this one. "yep, got it in one."

You held your arm up in a flex, "Then yes," you answered, "arms are the cutest." You looked at his arms and then t his face with those big doe eyes, which only look bigger behind your glasses. You had a bit of a pink tint to your face.

You were blushing.

Oh wow. He liked that a lot.

He laughed at you, a quiet sound that he hoped didn't offend you too much. He was sure he could let you know later on that the femur was definitely the thigh bone, and he's spare you the misery of pointing out that cute blush on you. His eyes were led to the items in your cart, "you like to bake?"

You were looking at your cart too, and he watched a small smile light up your face. However it didn't seem very happy, there was sadness there. Not a fresh wound either, he could tell. Something old and ugly, something you had a lot of time to think about.

"I love baking," you said, "It was one of my grandmother's favorite things to do. That was how she showed people she cared."

Ah. He nodded understandingly. He did the same, and so did his brother. Though the reason for them was probably a little different from your grandmother. How endearing, that you started a hobby because it was something your grandmother enjoyed. He'd have to tell Poplar about that later. Poplar tended to have a soft spot for people who were close to their families, since they had to be so close to each other to emdure what they had.

"Although I'm pretty bad at it." He watched you grimace, "I try, it just doesn't make much sense to me. I feel like I follow all the ingredients to a T and it just... doesn't work out." You were smiling, obviously not too concerned with your abysmal baking skills.

Oak hummed in agreement. He could understand that too. Doing something just for the sake of it. No matter how useless it was, if it brought you some sort of joy or saved you from some sort of boredom then it had to be good for something. "i like to bake too." He watched your eyes widen and you looked at him while heading to the checkout line.

"Really?"

He raised his browbone at you, "what? think the big bad monster can't bake?" He jabbed, trying to gauge your reaction.

You laughed again, you seemed to be doing a lot of that today and Oak was grateful. Before then he didn't think he'd soon you laugh. He has to admit that it's a very nice look on you. Your smile was all teeth and grin, and your eyes crinkled to show crows feet. He heard that phrase from one of Edges soap operas and thought it was the funniest thing. Crows feet. He hadn't understood the name then, since the actress had no actual wrinkles. But on you he understood, the small crinkle stretched out a little, looking like the little foot of a bird. It was actually really cute. He didn't understand why humans had such a huge fear of the signs of aging. Sure, humans seemed to have a much shorter life span than monsters did, but he knew it wasn't the 'being closer to death' that scared humans. It was the fear of being ugly. Beauty seemed to be a big deal to humans. Which he found strange. Monster beauty standards were very different. If you wanted to be seen as beautiful, you generally were, but there wasn't a huge emphasis on it in general.

"We should bake something together. You can show me your sick skills."

You were joking, he was sure. But still, he felt his soul warm. The thought of you baking with him was very domestic, something he could have his brother join in on.

"heh. sure thing, shortcake."

You got to the front and Oak realized that he didn't grab the potatoes. He was still in line with you and there was a group of humans behind him. He groaned inwardly, knowing that he'd probably have to come back later, since it would very awkward of him to leave the line and then expect you to wait for him to finish. You looked at him with humor in your gaze before you saw him. Your face fell.

"What's wrong?"

He raised a brow at you. How could you tell something was wrong? He was usually pretty good at hiding his emotions, even if his cousins -and brother- hated it. "nothin' shortcake, don't worry about it."

"No something's wrong, what is it?"

He scratched the back of his neck, he didn't want you to feel guilty about asking to finish shopping, which he could tell you probably would. But he could also tell you weren't going to drop it and he didn't want to make the people behind him wait too much. "I just forgot to grab something," he waved his hand, as if to wave away your concern, "but it's fine, no big deal."

"Oh," you cocked your head in question, "What was it?"

"it was just some potatoes for my cousin, but it's fine I can get it-" He was cut off as he watched you leave the line, leaving him with your cart, and the one more person in front of him paying. You were suddenly out of sight and he couldn't help but chortle a little. No warning, no explanation. Just gone.

And somehow that seemed so very you. He couldn't explain it, none of your behavior before this was all that significant, but it just seemed so very you to make your decision quickly and carry it out just as fast.

A couple moments later he saw you come back with two bags of potatoes in hand, they weren't small either. Just as you came back the person in front left and it was your turn to check out.

"These good?" You asked, your eyes full of mirth and expectancy. You couldn't keep a giggle in though, it seemed, and it left you in a huff.

Oak shook his head in slight awe, "yeah. these are great." There was a goofy grin on his face and he began to reach for his card, but you scanned the bags and put them in your cart with all of your groceries.

"woah, what're you doing?"

You looked at him, swiping your card, "Paying for our groceries?" You said it like it was the most obvious thing, like you were offended he would even ask.

"yeah, I can see that. why?"

You rolled your eyes, "Because I want to treat you for doing my groceries with me." He stepped to the other side of you and began bagging your groceries, and he saw you smile at him sweetly, "I had a great time. This is thank you."

He guffawed, "you don't need to thank me, I wanted to come."

"And I want to treat you."

God you were so stubborn. That wasn't something he expected. You looked at him with rebellion and attitude, and for a second you reminded him a little of Black. He chuckled though, shaking his head. And suddenly he had an idea.

"well if you're gonna treat me then I'm obligated to treat you back."

You cocked your head, interested. He took the bags from you and gestured to the door. You chuckled, understanding that he wanted you to lead him to your car.

"Back to knight status, I see." You harked, "What a gentleman."

He was surprised you thought that, since he certainly wasn't. But he flushed all the same, embarrassment creeping up on him. You seemed to be good at that, making him feel big and safe. You didn't need to know yet that he wasn't nearly the gentleman you thought he was.

When you got to your car he carefully put all of your bags into the trunk.

"Well thank you for treating me, Oak." You smiled at him, your eyes soft and your cheeks a light pink. He didn't know if it was because of the sun or jut a natural flush.

"you didn't think that was the treat, did you?" You looked confused. He chuckled, "come with me to lunch tomorrow. there's a cafe downtown that I think you'd like. i'm going with my brother and i'm sure he'd love to meet you." You already looked excited at the prospect, but he added, "my treat."

You pretended to be swayed, "You run a rough race, bone boy." You pointed at him, "But you got yourself a deal."

You looked like you wanted to say more, but you don't. Until you glance at the bags in your car and your eyes widen. "Oh! Almost forgot."

You hand him the bags with his potatoes, "Don't want you going hungry."

His gaze softened even more, and he felt his soul swell with joy. You didn't know what that phrase meant to him. You had no idea. But he found himself wanting to hold you, to play with your hair. And in order not to be weird he restrained himself.

"thanks, shortcake. and here," He handed you his phone, "that way I can tell you where to meet me."

"Asking for my number?" You teased, he saw in your face that you were really happy about this. That made him really happy. "You're getting bold, Oak."

You were flirting with him, he realized. At least, he was pretty sure you were flirting. He'd been out of the dating game for a while. He might have to ask Red or Russ to help him out here. He wouldn't give details, obviously. They'd probably try to find who you were, then once they inevitably did they'd fall for you too. Maybe he could just ask his brother.

"hey," he said, "can't blame a guy for trying." He reached for his phone, about to take it back before you stepped away from him.

You were smiling, your fingers playing along the keyboard on his cellular. "There you go." You said, "Text me anytime, boneboy."

He shook his head a little at the nickname, then looked at your new contact. It was just your name, but with a down arrow and a cake emoji next to it.

He chuckled. Shortcake.

"i'll see you around, shortcake."

"See you, Oak." You smiled at him one last time before getting into your car and driving off. He watched while you did, a dumb smile on his face.

He blinked and felt the air shift around him, and when he opened his eyes he was in his kitchen. Well. The house kitchen. He set his bags on the counter.

That was definitely a success. He couldn't wait to tell his brother. But for now he was going to change, then get to his garden. It was still kind of early in the day, and he had time to kill before tomorrow.