Chapter Text
It was Friday. It was also your turn to drive the car since you needed to carry workloads from one place back to your house. You and Sans owned a typical 4-person car, but didn’t need to use it much since transit in Ebott city was already convenient. Plus, it was better than looking around for a parking spot in an already bustling downtown.
You ended up leaving work with still enough space in the car, which made you decide on surprising Sans by picking him up from his work. He worked as an AP teacher for Magical Sciences at an integration high school for monsters and humans. Thanks to his experience and connections working as a royal scientist, he found an opportunity that would not only pay well, but also teach what he enjoyed. Sometimes, he would talk about highlights from “his kids” and how inspiring it was to see a few find interest in the field. You admired this about him.
It was 4pm, he should be about finished and leaving by now. You drive slowly in front of the school, looking out through your passenger window. You hoped that you didn’t look creepy to the leftover high schoolers hanging around. Either way, he wasn’t there.
You decided to follow what would be his route to the subway. It was a bit of a challenge to do during rush hour, driving you kept your eyes out on the road for cars, pedestrians, signals, and Sans. No matter, just keep on going. you tread on until you saw a bald, white head bobbing on the sidewalk. It was Sans!
You quickly parallel parked on his side of the sidewalk and clicked your hazard signal.
“Hey!” You called out of the window, hoping to get his attention.
Right before he entered the subway, he perked up and turned, recognising the familiar shrill.
You awkwardly shifted to the passenger seat to stick your head out of the window and wave a hand, “Hey you!”
Sans caught you, a glow now appearing in his expression. He walked towards you, smile warping into pleasant excitement. He was wearing an untucked collared shirt with a white tee peeking out of the unbuttoned collar. The black backpack that was hanging on one shoulder matched his black jeans and classic “dad sneakers”.
You smirked, pretending to be a catcaller. “Hey there. Wanna ride?”
“uh… just so you know, i’m a married man.” Sans winked as he opened the door.
He dropped his body on the passenger seat with a groan and sorted this backpack between his legs. The car shook at the weight.
“Busy day?” You asked as you watched him heavily sigh.
“yea, busy watching.” he corrected, clicking his seat belt. “the kids were doing labs today. you gotta be constantly attending. i probably didn’t need to walk around, they didn’t need much help.”
“Aww, that’s so sweet of you.” You cooed, turning off the hazard signal then shifting gear.
Sans nodded flashing a snarky smile, “of course… i’m sure you know i’m well known for my humanitarian work….” he patted his back literally, making you scoff.
“Seriously though, you do a lot for your students.” You insisted, eyes on the road. “You’ve come a looooong way since I met you.”
He chuckled and took a sip from his water bottle, “it’s just common decency, i’m still the same bag o’ bones.”
“I guess in some ways, but there’s a lot to notice. The Sans now puts his laundry away… for the most part. The Sans back then didn’t.”
You took a brief glance at him, catching a small, bashful smile.
“The Sans now helps set up appointments for Toast, the Sans back then had a pet rock that he didn’t even feed.”
“in my defense, the rock was papyrus’. i didn’t wanna tamper with the feeding schedule.”
“Papyrus would have a LOT to contribute to this conversation.”
“oh yea?” he looked back to you, “i mean if you started out bare-boned, anything looks better. ”
You gave a sympathetic chuckle at his half assed joke. You knew about how he and his brother grew up through poverty at one moment in their lives. If it weren’t for the kind nature of monsters, history would’ve been different. You sighed and shifted your mind to something else, you didn’t like imagining them in that place.
“Wanna get takeout? I don’t feel like cooking tonight.”
Sans shrugged, “sure, got a place in mind?”
You hum in thought, “I don’t know, I wanna get… a spicy chicken sandwich with fries…” You daydream wistfully, now feeling the emptiness of your stomach. “Or beef stew, cafeteria style with a side of cornbread.”
“oh, easy answer. clear as day…” Sans sat up, “you’re forgetting what day it is.”
“What?”
”today’s friday.”
Silence from you, mind at a blank.
“there’s only one answer?”
Then something clicked and your eyes lit up.
—
You both ended up ordering pizza slices from a favorite Italian restaurant. You and Sans have been there so many times that the staff remembers your order; one pepperoni, one cheese, two Oreo milkshakes, and a side of cheesy fries. Thankfully, rush hour after that was subsiding, and the drive home was less stressful. Sans held up your slice close to your face while you drove so you could sneak a hefty bite. That lasted you for the remainder of the trip until you parked your car in the front of your house.
“...I think the reason why you’re less lazy now is because you can’t teleport anymore.” You said, continuing the conversation you both were having in the car. You shut the door behind yourself, now finding the right key to the front door. Sans followed behind holding the takeout bag and the drinks.
“shit, if I had to lose my magic to leave the mountain, i don’t even care!” he laughed.
All monsters felt a difference in their magic once they strayed far from the mountain. The CORE, a facility that distributed magical electricity throughout the underground, was not only powering monster homes, but also became a clutch for honing monster magic. Sans and Papyrus could still summon bones if wanted, but certain powers like blue attacks were either too weak or non-existent, depending on the day. A new CORE was being constructed on the surface, though it won't be completed until a few years later.
You unlocked and opened the door, ushering him to enter first with a courtly “M’lady”.
Walking in, Sans placed the slices and his backpack on a nearby countertop and swiftly left the room to undress.
You brought the food to the living room ready to sit, but your eyes caught him returning with boxers, socks, and a t-shirt.
“freedom has never felt so sweet…” he relished, scratching every part of his body.
You let out a “Lookin good-” before scarfing down a few bites. “I’m gonna change too, be right back.”
You also came back in a loose tee and underwear, it was true that freedom never felt so sweet.
Sans was already on the couch, flipping through channels to find the perfect show to numb the brain with.
Toast was of course at his usual spot, sniffing the air before staring away absentmindedly.
“Tryna copy me?” Sans snarked, not needing to look at you.
“You can’t claim a style that everyone wears.” You said, plopping next to him with your slice.
“sure I can. Just signed the trademark today, I got it riiiight here.” He gestured a hand out, which you instinctively looked down at.
You saw his pointer finger touching the end of this thumb to form a circle, his remaining fingers winging out.
“NOOO!” and hurriedly tried to break the O.K. Sign with a hooked finger, but no avail... he was too strong.
“goooooootemm!” He hollered, cheeks full of pizza.
“GOD, I should’ve known better!” You cringed in shame, “it’s been so long!!”
“ahh…… never a dull moment on this couch….” He settled his howls, wiping a real tear from his eye.
“I did beat you one time.” You defended yourself, trying to muster whatever dignity you had.
“yea, one time. don’t worry though, you’ll have your chance again…. someday.” he assured, though hinting that someday will never happen.
“The Sans back then wouldn’t have done that to me,” you stared at your pizza, trying to compose yourself before eating another slice. “He’d be sleeping in some, like, impossible spot until someone caught him.”
“the sans back then would most certainly have.”
“Yeah rarely, when you were awake enough.”
Sans took a gulp of his milkshake, still smiling and looking away.
You continued, “I remember when you’d be sleeping most of the time when I’d visit. Probably the only times you were awake were either to get something from the kitchen or on the job.”
Your brows furrowed, “But wait, you’d be sleeping at your job too.”
You reached for your drink, “Isn’t it lucky-” paused for a sip , “that if you didn’t lose your magic, maybe things would’ve been different?”
His half-lidded eyes are still glued to the TV as he was chewing his last gigantic bite of pizza. “not gonna lie, i think about that sometimes.” he said cheeks full.
You and Toast watched the remaining crumbs fall to the pile on his shirt.
You lock your eyes back at Sans’ face, cheeks stuffed like a hamster. You trailed from his eyes, to the sunken bags beneath it, then the jagged bumps of his neck bones. Admiring his unconventional traits softly stirred your heart. You remembered when you didn’t think much about him. First doing favors for each other like driving Sans or him babysitting your cat, then to each other’s consultants. One thing led to another, and now you’ve really come to love this bald guy.
He catches you without turning and lets out a “what”.
“Uh, were you gonna continue?”
“nah. that was it.”
“Oh,” You sighed. You reposition yourself by curling your legs in the sofa and putting a pillow over your chest. “You’re lame, making me think you were gonna go down memory lane.”
“why, do you wanna see me cry? ” He pretended to look weak with his eyes closed and near weepy, “just to prove my devotion, you sicko? Weren’t my vows good enough?” He covered his face with his hands and let out a slow “boo-hoo-hoo”.
“Actually yeah, I want to see some bawling. Chop chop, get to it!”
Sans dropped his hands back on his belly, his expression back to his TV-watching self.
“Hmmm… that’s ok.”
You let out a dramatic scoff as he laughed and pulled out close, “i’m kidding, i’m kidding!”
“Yeah, that’s right,” you teased, brushing the crumbs off his shirt before laying on his chest, “be nice, I’m a sensitive soul!”
—
“Ok, I’m gonna turn off the lights, ready?”
“yup.”
You switched the lights and squirmed to the bed, jumping in the empty spot you moved the blanket from.
Sans threw the folded blanket over you and positioned to big spoon. You happily obliged and backed into him, making sure there was no air in between, snuggling and deeply sighing as he looked at you amused.
Sans chucked, “the bed isn’t gonna run away…”
“I can’t help it, it’s a habit…” you sleepily murmured.
“sure.”
You both bid your “good nights” and settled down. You found it easier to fall asleep with Sans behind you, whereas his mind felt a bit restless.
…
Sans whispered. “i think… it’s because i’m at a better place…”
You murmured a “hm?” before croaking back, “Oh… are you talking about… why you’re doing better?”
“yea.”
He continued, “i mean… you already know how hard things were for me back then…” he struggled to put words together, “well not just me, but for my brother, for everyone…”
There was a timid pause then a nasal sigh.
“i don’t wanna get too much into it, especially how late it’s getting…”
“No, no, I don’t mind.” You reassured him, “You can tell me.” you half-turned your head and held his hands closer to your chest, giving a soft squeeze.
Sans contemplates before speaking, “you’ve already heard this so many times, but i’m glad i met you.”
Another pause. You hummed in response and used a free thumb to rub his arm.
“when i reached the surface, everything felt different. i remember how it was, the leaves on the trees, the smell of the air, and how cold yet warm it felt, and the sounds i have never heard before…”
He paused again.
“i didn’t feel safe yet. it felt… too good to be true. I was scared that one day, i was gonna wake up back underground again, and all that joy was gonna get stripped away.”
…
“the days up on the surface got longer, obviously it didn’t happen. but I think at that point…. I was used to worrying I didn’t know what to do with myself.” He let’s out a soft chuckle, his warm body vibrating behind you.
This isn’t the first time he ever told you this. You wondered if he was still reassuring a small part of himself.
“thanks for sticking around… being there for me.”
“Yea, of course…” your voice was soft, and you turned your body to face him. Your hand instinctively reached for the back of his neck to massage it, and he closed his eyes, brows still furrowed.
Despite this, his smile returned. “well, we’re married now so you don’t have a choice.”
You laugh, “I still enjoy being with you!”
Understanding that it was just a deprecating joke to lighten the mood, you stood your ground anyway to instill some positive reinforcement. Sometimes, you wish he wouldn’t do that.
You leaned in to kiss his head.
“Thanks for being a part of my life, Sans.”
You both fell asleep, sans resting on your chest clinging to you close.