Chapter Text
It was day three of the case being presented to the Judge and Jury, and Sans was about to lose his mind.
He had heard rumors of lawyers that were defending all the human bigots that created problems for Monsters. It was a group of four, four humans dedicated to keeping racist scum on the streets while demeaning Monsters the entire time. This was the first case Sans had gone against one of them (it was one of his first cases in actuality, having just finished binging six years of human law school into his skull in the two years they had been on the surface), and Dear Stars in the Heavens, he hated them.
It wasn't even that they were defending such obvious slime, or that they were legitimately good at it. It was the bright, clear, beautiful yellow-gold of a soul the human attorney had. No LV, no EXP, no shadows of muck to prove the disgusting core that should be responsible for keeping those humans out of jail. Instead, it was a core of absolute Justice, bright enough to blind him at first when he saw it, and confusing as hell.
How, how, how was someone with such pure Justice as a soul, capable of defending such garbage like the one they were sitting beside right now? A disgusting human male that enjoyed taking verbal shots at Monsters walking by, until the day a Monster snapped back and a verbal shot turned into a physical one.
Despite being rough around the edges, Monsters were still a delicate species. It was luck that the human only grazed the Monster with his attack, turning what would surely have been a Dusted Monster into a critically injured, but still alive one. Sans had been asked by the Queen to defend the injured Monster as they pushed to file charges against the human for assault and attempted murder. It was his first major case, and he was losing.
"No reliable witnesses" and "their word against his" and other bullshit excuses were being thrown, including "accident" and "no real intention to harm". And Sans could see it. The Jury was falling for it.
In the end, the human got off with a fee and a one-year restraining order against him for the Monster, which was unacceptable. Sans could feel his teeth grinding as he watched the human attorney receive congratulations for "winning" the case by other humans. Blue eyelights shrank and focused on the genial smile on the humans face, something...plastic about it.
"Mutt." The word was spoken quietly from his place in the courtroom, making a show of packing his case and ushering the furious and scared Monster he had failed. "Hunt."
His pocket buzzed with a text message that he checked as he exited the courtroom.
From Mongrel:
'Yes, M'lord.'
***
For the love of the Gods and Cheesecake, Rem could not wait for this farce of a trial to be over. It didn't matter that it was her trial or that she was currently presenting her closing statement. It wasn't the fact that she was losing (which she wasn't). It was the tension of knowing those bastards were in the crowd watching her. They were making sure she "did them proud" and didn't fuck up this case.
As she sat down and listened to the Judge excuse the Jury to leave, she felt the man next to her lean in closer.
"Thanks, sugar. I appreciate your help." The heavy breathing in her ear, she could do without. In fact, this entire situation, she could do without.
Four years ago, Rem was a fresh-faced 24 year old fresh out of law school with a pile of recommendations from impressed professors, starting work at one of the best law firms in the state where she quickly shot through the ranks and became one of the best defense attorneys the firm had seen.
Two years ago, Monsters walked out of the mountain, and humanity lost its shit. True, they were scary looking and intimidating- for all of two minutes. Then she saw the adorable kid cuddled up to a fluffy goat and suddenly all Rem could see was survivors escaping hell with the help of a precious seven-year-old.
Rem was ready to start helping them, researching anything and everything she could think of that could help a new species settle into life on the surface.
Then she went to work the next day and was promptly informed that the firm would be taking a particular interest in making sure Human life continued on as usual in these "trying times."
In other words, Humans First, and Only.
In the beginning, she had tried to push back and had quickly been shot down. Now, two years later, and she felt like a rat in a cage. The company couldn't let her go because she was one of their most talented rats, but they were ready to slip her poison at any moment if she tried to "betray" them. And with what happened just a little more than a year ago, she couldn't afford to risk any slip-ups.
So, here she was. Sitting by Creeper 101, having just delivered a mechanical but thorough closing that put nails in the coffin of the prosecuting attorney's case. Normally she'd feel at least content in knowing she kicked ass, but right now, she just felt like she needed a shower.
She could feel the glare from the Monster attorney and had to bite back the urge to look at him. She knew if she did she would break and apologize for every honey-flavored lie that just slipped past her lips. But they were watching, and she couldn't afford to mess up.
The Jury returned. The verdict was read. Rem won.
As the three other "Primary Defenders of Humanity" congratulated her with barbed comments, she couldn't help but glance at the retreating back of the limping bunny Monster and the Skeleton leading the poor thing out.
She wanted to cry. But she couldn't afford that either. So instead, she smiled and thanked the coworkers she had once been proud of. And inside, she hurt a little more than before.
***
Papyrus waited- and watched.
He watched the celebratory dinner the bastards went to with that human that just beat his bro. He waited as they laughed and drank, and watched as the one female did little more than fake sips of her wine and smile statically. He watched her only speak when spoken to, watched her be insulted by every man at that table, and took it all with that genial- plastic- smile. He examined every soul at that table, not able to see as much as Sans, but able to see enough to know that if any of those men had made it to the judgment hall, none would have lived.
Except for her.
And wasn't that interesting.
He watched them leave the restaurant, none of them leaving tips or apologies for the giant mess they left the table in- except her. She stayed and helped clean up the awful mess, leaving them what must have been a sizable tip judging by the gratitude on the servers’ faces. He waited as she left the restaurant, and where every male had had a fancy car to climb into, she walked to the nearest subway station. He watched her give money to not one, but three homeless people, all who knew her by name and who she spoke to kindly.
He followed her when she switched train lines and followed her as she walked into a modest neighborhood with simple if slightly rundown houses. He watched her pause before putting her keys in the door, taking a deep breath and putting a smile on her face again, if more believable then the previous ones that night. And then he watched as instead of unlocking the door herself, she knocked out a rhythm and waited.
And he watched as the door flew open and that smile turned real as the tiny body that flew at her, nearly tackling her to the ground, was followed by a squeal of laughter and a cried out "Aunty, you're home!"
He watched as the door closed behind them, and waited as lights turned on and then turned off an hour later. And an hour after that, after he did a quick prowl around the property and could find nothing besides a small garden and a pile of toys in the backyard, he returned home to report