Chapter Text
Two Full Souls (Sans/Reader Inspired by 'Dating Start!')
Chapter 1 - Right Side of the Bed
“…And then he said he wanted to be my SOULmate, too, and he drew me in for this amazing kiss, and we both got all teared up and I wiped the tears off his eye sockets, and, and…”
It’s approaching bedtime in New Home, but sleep’s far from where your mind’s at right now. You’re sitting on the edge of your bed with one of your knees hopping up and down, unable to contain your excitement. Queen Toriel, the gentle soul that leads monsterkind and has let you stay in your home since your recent fall into the Underground, is sitting on the other end of the bed, taking in every word as her hands stay clamped together.
“…S-Sorry, I can’t slow down, it’s all just so…” Toriel can see exactly what kind of energy you’re going through.
“It is perfectly fine, my child. Take all the time that you need.” Drawing a slow, deep breath in through your nose, you do your best to stay on track with everything that had happened.”
“And once we were done kissing, we, uh… heh, kissed some more. After a bit, he said we should probably turn it in for the night, b-but before he took his shortcut, I told him I love him, and he told me the same thing. We’re… we’re really SOULmates already.”
The most amazing thing that could’ve happened to your life just happened a mere hour ago, and it’s only the beginning of so, so much more. Indeed, you’re now the loving SOULmate of Sans, the skeleton that quickly weaved his way into your heart.
There’s only so much you can tell her right now. The bizarre state of how exactly went down, with Flowey’s vicious attack, you and Sans’ souls breaking free of it, and time rolling back aren’t quite easy things to address. That’ll be something to tell each of your new friends eventually when the right time comes. For now, though, all that matters is that Sans is who you and your soul want to live by forever, and him and his soul feel exactly the same for you.
“…A-And I know we only met recently, but feeling how souls feel has changes so much of me for the b-better, and… and him and I know exactly what we wanna do with our lives now.” You’ve got no idea how to close sharing everything that’d happened today, so you quietly trail off. Toriel, being the listening, experienced monster she is, takes one of her hands from her lap and rests it on your knee. Her motherly touch slows down the rapid movement in your mind instantly.
“I am so, so proud of you. I doubt any human in your shoes could respond to the presence of souls as well as you have. You haven’t ran from the feelings they give, either. Souls never lie, and yours isn’t lying to you one bit.” All of the love and companionship you’ve felt for Sans has seemed completely natural to you, but hearing that from someone that knows as much as Toriel does furthers the comfort. A new concern comes to mind, though, and with her guidance right here, you see it best to bring it up right away.
“…Will anyone be worried for him? Two days ago, Sans didn’t have a bond like this, and now he’s already SOULmates with someone. I don’t want any of the townspeople to think I changed him, or manipulated him, or anything like that…” Seeing the new worry on your face, Toriel starts rubbing the knee she’s rested a hand on.
“No, no, my child, you won’t have to be concerned about that at all. Every bond of souls is different. Some take a long time to develop, while others have been as quick as yours. It seems like your soul and Sans’ were simply ready to get there right away. I can promise you that each and every monster will completely understand, and they will be as happy for the two of you as I am.”
Alas, it’ll take some time to get used to how wonderfully understanding everyone in the Underground is. You can’t say everyone was like that on the surface, so being surrounded by that here is something you’ll be glad to be more and more accustomed to as time goes on.
“I know your mind must be swirling about your SOULmate right now…” She sees the blush and grin that quickly rise up on your face, unable to hold back a chuckle.
“…Haha, please excuse me, it’s just so adorable! You two are going to be so perfect together.”
“Heh, we really are. You’re making me think more about his sans-ational smile.” You figured she’d get a kick out of that, and the chuckle progressing into a laugh sure shows that.
“Ahahaha! My point’s been proven. Tonight could get too punderful for my own good if I do not stop myself, though. As I was about to say, you and your soul have been through so much today. It’s best you get some rest. Tomorrow, you’ll be all recharged, and your SOULmate will be out there, waiting for you.”
She’s right. All that activity’s made yourself more tired than you’ve let yourself realize. Besides, Sans himself said it’s probably best to give it a night soon. How are you gonna get into a pun battle together if you could pass out into his arms at any moment?
…Well, that could be really nice, too, but that’s besides the point. Thinking about Sans again makes it harder to gather the words to respond to Toriel, so you simply nod your head and spread your arms out for an embrace, which she takes.
“I see you already have your pajamas on, so if you do not mind, I will shut the light. If any rough dreams happen tonight, you know where you can find me. Thank you for sharing everything from your day, and remember that I will always be here for you.” Toriel gives a final squeeze and lets go of the hug, before walking back to the door. She makes sure to give you a big smile as she switches the light off, and with everything that’s happened, it’s real easy to give the same back.
You really should be getting some rest now. Your body might not be feeling anything from your encounter with Flowey, since you were sent back, but your mind can sure use it. You’re so excited and awed by everything that happened with Sans and the wholehearted love you have for him, but jumping from saving each other to that was… a lot for one day. A good night of rest should settle that down, so you can put all your focus tomorrow on the good that’s to come. As you take a big stretch and start to pull yourself under the sheets, you can hear Toriel begin to talk on the phone with someone. It’s probably important queen business, and even if it’s not, it’s her business, so you don’t listen in.
Cocooning yourself with the sheets the best you can, you dig your head into the pillow, doing your best to let sleep take ahold of you. Your brain’s having a hard time slowing down from… well, everything right now, but monster queens must know a thing or two about supplying their places well, because the coziness soon gets to you. There are some lingering worries about if another unwelcome nightmare could slip its way into your dreams tonight, but your wonderful memories with Sans, along with your anticipation for tomorrow, overtake that as you drift off.
……
………..
……………
After a good, long sleep, your internal clock clicks in, getting your eyelids to open up a bit. Surprisingly, you can’t recall dreaming a single thing; you’re sure, erm, capable of dreaming things down here, after what happened the night before, but your systems must’ve decided to throw you a bone this time. If Sans was here right now, you know he would’ve gotten a big smile from that one. Sometime soon, you’ll get to wake up wrapped around each other, laughing and cuddling over puns first thing…
Ehem. You can think about Sans all you want, but until you get your day started, you aren’t gonna actually be with him. Pulling yourself up to a sitting position, you give your arms a big stretch before rubbing over your eyes again, trying to make the room come better into view. With no windows, it’s a dark way to get up, but you’ll get used to it.
While your eyes are covered by your hands, though, you can hear a switch flick, and when you open them up again, you see that the room’s full of light. Does Toriel have the lamp set to go off on its own in the morning?
“oh, there ya are. couldn’t let the light of my life be stuck in all that dark.”
?!?!?!?! It’s him!!!!
Your eyes have a way easier time waking up now, and sure enough, Sans the skeleton is standing there in the lack of flesh, hands in his hoodie pockets with his huge, comforting smile on his face.
“Sans!!!”
“kiddo!” You can feel your soul thrust itself to the front of your body, wanting to immediately close the space between him and yourself. With that kind of motivation, you easily throw your sheets off, swing your feet off the mattress, and bring them down to floor. As soon as they’re there, Sans wraps you into a tight hug, which you instantly return the favor for. His hoodie’s the best thing you could ask to be feeling right now…
“Aaaaaa! You!! How did- when- aaaaa!!” Your words have no idea what direction they want to go in, and Sans doesn’t even try yet for his. Together, you gently rock left and right in your hug, with Sans digging his skull deep into your chest. You end up gently setting your chin on top of it, as your souls quickly return to the feeling of beating together.
It goes on like this for a bit before you decide you’ve got to get a good look at his smile again, so you pull your head back, and he does the same. You’re close enough to see the glow in his pupils, which warms your heart better than anything else could.
“Best morning ever.”
“gee, buddo, ya haven’t even had breakfast yet. this really toasts all your other mornings?”
“Oh, totally, I’m not egging you on.” It’s the first time today you get to hear his laugh, and the feeling of his bones vibrating it is something that’ll never get old. Once your laughs and his die down, you’ve got another wonderful look at his smile, and it makes your soul want a little something extra. You can feel that his wants it, too.
“Wanna, heh, you know…”
“oh, you bet. c’mere, you.” With the utmost care, you press your lips up to Sans’ teeth, sparking the most amazing smooch. While he might not have lips, the way he digs his teeth into your own press is such a pleasant feeling. What might be even better, though, is feeling your united soul pulse grow faster. It’s such a deep, prominent way of showing how honest and pure your love is.
Sans being this close makes your mind go back to the terrifying time yesterday when Flowey had him captured in his vines. Through all your shouting and attempts to get him out, all you wanted more than anything else was to have him out of there, and in your arms instead. Because of the weirdness of jumping across time, it never “happened”, so you don’t have to worry about it being something Sans will have to remember, but it still makes you draw him in extra tight. Under your watch, nothing is hurting your SOULmate ever again.
It’s a lot to take in at once, but as you’re sure Sans would say if he were reading your thoughts, it’s best to take it one thing at a time. You’ve got your whole life ahead with him, which means plenty of time to know how you’re gonna go about giving him your best. For now, though, there’s so much joy to celebrate, and as you eventually pull away from the smooch, your mind is still flying through that.
“…heh, that was really nice. we’re fast learners.” His cheeks are flushed with cyan, which flushes your soul with even more warmth and love, if that’s possible.
“We are! Easy to learn real quick when I have that smile of yours to study.” Your chuckles are close enough to feel the breath on each other’s faces, as if everything else wasn’t sansual enough.
“…I still can’t get past that you just showed up in my room when I woke up. How’d you even… I know you’ve got your shortcuts, but the timing was…”
“eheheh, tori’s gonna love hearing it worked out perfect.”
“She was in on this, too?”
“yup. she called me last night to talk all about, ya know…” He uses a hand to tug at your cheek, before returning it back to the hug.
“us. i’m sure she went on about it with you, but she’s so, so happy this is happening.”
“Oh, without a doubt. She assured me everything’s gonna work out so well for us, and that all the Underground’s gonna support us, and… ah, you were going on with your explanation.”
“eh, no worries. i’ve got plenty about my SOULmate… eheh, that feels so nice to say… to gush about soon, too. anyhoo, when she called me, she asked if i’d wanna come see you in the morning. that was probably the easiest yes i’ve ever given, and right after that, i thought up a little plan for how you wouldn’t hafta be boneless for a single minute.”
“Awwww, thanks for not making me rely on my own bones for that. Wouldn’t have been as fun to hug. How’d you do it, then?”
“tori took care of work by the fireplace until she heard you shifting your sheets around. that was her cue to text me, and she quietly left through the front as soon as i said i’d shortcut over. the rest is history, or, if she was telling it, herstory.”
“Pfffff, you planned all that all out for me?”
“’course we did. i really love ya, ____. no shortcuts around that.”
Gosh. One more quip like that, and your eyes will probably become floodgates again. Hugging still seems like the right thing to do, so you each stay tight in the other’s arms, enjoying every little motion and quiet breath you make.
“I love you so much, too, Sans. We’ve got a whole life together ahead to start enjoying now, I… I’ve got no clue what I want to start that with.”
“howz breakfast sound?”
It’s so blunt and routine that you have to laugh again, patting him on the back of his shoulder.
“Great idea. We’re not gonna get all that far on empty stomachs… oh, whoops. Sorry, hun.” You forgot for a moment that Sans doesn’t really have a stomach.
“eh, no problemo. it’s still an empty stomach if there’s no stomach to hold the food in.”
“Woah, stomaching that idea could be pretty hard.”
“you’ll stomach it over time.” With another laugh, you give Sans a gentle smooch over the forehead, before reluctantly letting go of the hug. He’s about to stick his mitten’d hands into his hoodie pockets, but you’re able to catch one of them with your own hand before it can go in. Some of the blush from earlier returns as he grips your hand back, silently agreeing to hold your hands on your way out of the room.
“tori got breakfast ready for us. woulda brought some, but she insisted. ready for your first queen-sized meal here?”
“Second, actually. Had this cinnamon-butterscotch pie last morning. Tasted so good, and really buttered me up for the rest of the day.”
“how sweet of her. think this is gonna really be up your alley, then.” Having gotten you all curious, Sans flips around to stand by your side, and you take the same pace out of the room and down the hall. You’d touched hands before, but it’s your first time walking together like this!
Alas, it won’t be for very long, since the kitchen’s right down the hall. The aroma of cinnamon fills the air, which is a pretty big hint for what the flavor is of what you’ll be having. What could it be, though? Pie, or something else? If this is the biggest question you’ll have to ask yourself today, then it’s gonna be a really, really good one.
“isn’t this the best, buddo? our first SOULmate breaky, and a nice break in the action before the rest o’ the day.”
“Heck yeah, it is! I’m sure it’s gonna be great, but there’s something I don’t think it can be sweeter than.”
“whazzat?”
“You!” You give Sans’ mitten a little squeeze, and he can’t help but do the same for your hand. Before your walk to the table can take a detour full of gushing, though, you make it.
“here it is, hun. the first breakfast in the rest of our lives.”
Cinnamon muffins! Two big, steaming hot muffins sit on the table, one on each of the two plates. Each plate’s accompanied by a little bowl of a variety of fruits, and a hot mug of coffee with milk mixed in. There’s a trace of vanilla in the air, too, so Toriel might’ve mixed some of that in with the coffee, too. Your instinct is to want to thank her immediately for this, but alas, that’ll have to wait until tonight.
“guess you could say these muffins really rose to the occasion.”
Whenever Sans gets a little idea like that, he never holds it back. His brother might have mixed feelings on that, but you know you’re gonna love it each and every time. You can’t listen to that and not return the favor, though.
“Wow, this really coff me off guard. This is the kind of meal someone would get mugged for.”
“uh oh, good point. someone could really stick a fork in me for this stuff.” Sans lets go of your hand, but it’s to pull your chair out for you. How thoughtful. He gets another forehead smooch for his kind gesture, as you take your seat.
Pfffffffflrlrlrlrlrlrlrt.
…Guess you’ve got no excuse for not seeing that one coming. That one was loud. Much like when he pulled this on you when you hugged at Grillby’s, you playfully shove at him with a single arm from your seat, which doesn’t do much.
“eheh, the ol’ whoopee cushion on the other whoopee cushion on the seat trick. twice the punch. you can thank toriel later for lending me a hand for that, too.”
“You’ve been such a pile of bones and jokes already, Sans, and it’s been, what, five minutes?”
“my SOULmate deserves nothin’ but my best.” Each time either one of you says it, your souls make an extra warm pulse together, and after that one, you’ve each gotta stop and give the other a long, warming smile. It keeps going while Sans sits down on his own seat, which, alas, doesn’t have a whoopee cushion on it. Sitting down for food together at Grillby’s and the hotel felt so natural, and this morning, it’s no different. Even the deflated whoopee cushion that was under your butt last time is back.
“There’s no, like, specific etiquette I’ve gotta use for something prepared by a queen, right? If there is, I totally will, I just didn’t wanna disrespect anything.”
“kind of ya to think of that, but nah, you’re all good. besides, i’m sure you’re far from the wildest person to have tori’s food. undyne used to be head of the royal guard, think of how fishy those scenes must’ve been.” You’ve now got the mental image of Undyne shredding through a regal feast, which is amusing and terrifying at the same time. If there wasn’t warm food in front of you, you’re sure you and Sans would chat on and on for hours, but it’s best to have this stuff while it’s all still warm, so you take the knife and fork and cut yourself a decent bite.
“Hun, now you’ve got me thinking the muffin’s gonna make a whoopee cushion sound, too.”
“if it does, that’s all on her. i don’t know anything about how to make farting food. just food that makes you fart.”
“The best kind.” You stick the first piece of the muffin onto your fork, proudly holding it up in the air.”
“Happy first morning as SOULmates, Sans.”
“same to you, buckaroo. i care dearly about ya every second we’re together, and every second we’re not.” He cuts his first piece of the muffin, and taps it on yours, as if you were clinking glasses. With the “formalities” done, you take your bite, and are immediately blown away by how good it is. The texture’s so fluffy, giving it the lightest feeling on your tongue, while managing to not break up into a bunch of pieces. It’s full of rich cinnamon flavor, too, which, as you’ve picked up from your observances here and there in the Underground, was probably helped by some kind of magic.
Sans takes his own first ‘bite’ as well, which, for him, means sticking the chunk of muffin over his teeth. It slips between the splits between them, not leaving a single crumb behind, and you can tell from the pleasant noises he’s making that that process doesn’t keep him from enjoying any of the same tastes that you are.
“Oh, this is fabulous. She’s getting so many thanks later for so many things.”
“ditto. i’ll have to tell undyne that muffins are one thing she can’t go on about store brand being the best for.”
“You have store brand here?”
“’course we do. cheaper than the named ones, and less g outta your pocket. they try to make them taste as good as the others, and there’s, uh, mixed results.” That little remark makes you ask something you probably never thought you’d say, if you’d thought about it two days ago.
“…Can we please go shopping sometime together?” The purity in your voice stops Sans from speeding through his muffin, turning his attention towards you.
“absolutely. i’m not usually someone to go out and about for a lotta my day, but there’s so much i wanna do with you.”
“Ditto.” You both have to laugh a bit from you stealing one of Sans’ favorite words.
“There’s so much here that I’d already been wanting to see, but now I can with a SOULmate, and… aaaaaaa, it’s all gonna be so great!” Your voice can’t hold back your excitement and gushing for long, and Sans holds the same sentiment.
“it really is. all the little things, like shopping, snow sculpting, and rock feeding, are gonna feel like so much more with you with me. it’s… i’ve gotta stop every now and then to remind myself it’s real. you’re like something out of a dream, ____.”
“Well, I can assure you I’m one hundo percent real. besides, could a dream do this?” You give one of Sans’ slippers a gentle tap with your foot under the table.
“pfff, guess not. don’t think i could do this to a dream, either.” He taps your foot back with his own, and the next thing you know, you’re trading the gentlest of kicks under the table while enjoying your fruit and coffee. He’s so…
“Adorkable.”
“pffff, adorkable? i like it. you might be the adorkablest, though.”
“Awww, really? I’d say that smile of yours takes the cake, or muffin, in this case.” As you share another laugh, you think to yourself more about how wonderful each and every morning is gonna be that Sans is in. Going by the new pulse your soul does, he’s thinking the same thing, and the feeling you each get in your chest from that makes you blush up a bit. Thinking about the meals to come, though, makes your mind go back to something he said a few minutes ago.
“Hey, what was that part again about rock feeding?”
“oh, yeah, ya haven’t gotten to meet rocko. that’s my pet rock. i’ve gotta feed them twice a day to keep them all happy and full of energy. i know, it’s a boulder task than most would take, but i put the pebble to the metal with my care.”
“Pfffff, with puns like that around, any pet rock’s gotta be happy. I’d love to meet them soon.” With how fascinating everything is in the Underground, you don’t give the unusual status of having a pet rock a second thought.
“oh, you can meet ‘em today, if ya want. toriel took over all the routes to check for humans today for me, so we could have this time together. in fact, i’ve got an idea for what we can do, if ya’d like to hear.”
“Totally! What were you thinking?” Absolutely anything with Sans sounds like a pleasure of a day.
“well, i haven’t told any of my buddos yet about us being… eheh, SOULmates.” More cyan pops up on his cheeks.
“heh, that’ll always get me. anyhoo, i thought it could be nice if i got undyne and alphys to show up at me and papyrus’ place, so we could tell ‘em all at the same time. howzit sound?” He takes another bite of his muffin, which is getting closer to just being crumbs.
“Perfect! We’ll get to see them all blow up in excitement at the same time. Nothing crummy about that.” You take a crumb off your plate and toss it at Sans’ face, just in case he… needed a reminder of what crumbs are, apparently.
“heheh, nope, it’s news they’ll all wanna bite into.” He takes a crumb off his own plate and tosses at you, and the two of you mutually agree to stop before you make a mess of Toriel’s floor.
Even if you hadn’t had that chat with Toriel last night, you haven’t had any worries about what your other three new friends will think. They all helped prepare you to eventually ask, so they’ll be ecstatic to hear it happened. Their words probably were a pretty good indicator of how all of monsterkind would feel about it, but you’re still glad to know for sure now.
The last bit of breakfast goes pretty quick. You’re glad Sans appreciates some good food as much as you do, and neither of you want any of the warmth to go to waste. Every once in a while, you seem to simultaneously shoot a look up at each other, and it makes you stop and feel your face gush up, before you make another strawberry gush in your mouth. The rest of the coffee finishes off the meal perfectly, leaving you feeling full and energized to take on the rest of the day. In fact…
“Wow, that meal had some kick to it. I feel a lot more awake already. Well, seeing you did the most for that, but still.”
“nah, i getcha. that’s the power of fire magic. papyrus usually dives into leftovers in the food museum for breakfast, so that feeling’s a nice treat for me, too. nothing against his cooking at all, though. it’s always got the lovely flavor of ‘doing his best’.”
“Oh nice, that’s my favorite. Not any place has it, I’m sure his tastes wonderful.” You were quick to see just how great Papyrus is, so you’re sure his food is nothing short of that, and going by how Sans’ smile lit up even more, you’re sure he appreciated that, too.
“well, now that our energy won’t be muff-led, how ‘bout we wash this stuff up and head on out to snowdin?” Sans stands up from his seat and scoops up all his plates, taking great care to not let anything slip. You do the same, following him to the kitchen to clean up your own. Toriel must’ve been in a hurry to time out leaving as soon as she could tell you were waking up, because there’s still bits of fur in the sink.
“guess she was in a hairy situation to get out.”
“Hope she didn’t forget her coat.” Things like that are gonna make the simple things, like cleaning crumbs of forks, so much more fun. There’s no dishwasher to dry them, so you share a rag to get the work done, holding it together in doing so. The way you and Sans can silently decide to do that together shows how in sync your souls truly are. When the last one’s been dried off, he gets a forehead smooch and hand squeeze for his efforts.
“aww, shucks, ____. that was so nice of ya. i’ll remember it, too, since i sure don’t wash dishes at home all that often. papyrus likes that job.”
“I’ve gotta dish out another, then. C’mere, you.” Planting another smooch on the same spot, you think of how that’s the second time he’s said your name. It’s pretty amazing, considering you never had to tell it to him. That’ll be a fun talking point… for when you’re in Snowdin, or else you’ll probably end up never leaving.
“Ready to go spread the good news, hun?”
“you bet. got a shortcut all ready for us to take a nice walk. one lil’ thing you’ll need first, though.” Reaching into his hoodie pocket, Sans… somehow pulls another entire hoodie out, along with some black snow boots, and a pair of thick socks. Alphys must have been really literal about monsters having an ‘inventory’.
“You’ll be wanting these, buddo. can’t let my SOULmate freeze to pieces on my watch. or anyone else’s watch, either. what i’m getting at is, well, your warmth better be watched over.” Thanking him for thinking of this, you slip the socks and boots over your feet, and once they’re securely on, you stick your arms back for Sans to put your hoodie on for you.
…It smells just like him. Peace, comfort, and a smidge of ketchup. You won’t ask if you can keep it, in case this is his only other one, but you’ll treasure every moment you have it on.
“blue looks good on ya, buddo.”
“Means a lot, coming from the guy it looks best on. Please don’t short-cut that from your outfit any time soon.”
“heheh, no need to worry ‘bout that. i rock this look every day.” Feeling calm in knowing you’re better dressed for the cold, Sans extends a mitten’d hand to you. You give it a good look to make sure there’s no whoopee cushion in or outside the mitten, and take it when you’re sure there isn’t.
“This is gonna be so, so great. You’re… you’re my SOULmate, Sans.”
“and you’re mine, ____. right now, two hours from now, and forever. we’ll look back on today down the road and-”
He sends you into the shortcut before letting himself finish.
Sans being Sans. You wouldn’t have it any other way.