Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Sans didn't have to open his eyes to know that you swapped again. 

He could feel your hair on his face and he didn't feel the usual pain from his skull.

He finally opened his eyes and got up. He pinched your sides, just to check that you were still well fed, got up and began looking for the note you left him.

He couldn't remember if the idea of leaving notes to each other was yours or his... maybe you just saw the notes he left to himself to remember stuff and it just kind of happened. 

"No school today! I bet you slept in!" It read.

Your note was followed by the usual amount of little drawings.

Sans checked the previous notes too, he loved to look at your handwriting. It never changed, even when you were in his body while he was stuck with "comic sans" even with your soft hands.

He grabbed the first clothes he found and threw them on before heading to the kitchen. He chose to avoid taking a shower for two main reasons: he didn't have your full consent and it felt like too much work.

“Morning Sunshine!” Your mom greeted him.

He replied with a grunt of acknowledgement. 

Your brother, still unaware that he wasn't you, decided to tease him “Wow! You look like a living corpse!”

Sans grinned “you should get more creative, kid. what? you broke your funny bone ?”

Your brother groaned while your mother giggled “Here you go Sans. A big portion, just how you like it!” In front of him was a big plate with eggs, toast and bacon. “A perfect combination with your eggcellent puns!”

The two shared a laugh, much to your brother’s displeasure.

“Mom! Not you too!”

Your family members started a conversation, but Sans’ focus was entirely on the food. He suspected that your mother gave him stuff that you would usually avoid eating. He wasn’t complaining! He eats and you stay healthy. Double win!

“...And you Sans?”

“what?” He spaced out completely  again, but can you blame him? There are so many things to see, to smell , to taste … 

“I asked if you have any plans for today. You know, enjoy the perks of being a cute human girl!” Sans wondered where your mother was able to find so much happy energies in the morning.

“nah! i can hear a couch somewhere calling me.”

Your mother frowned “Seriously?!”

“you know me, i’m a lazy bones.”

She sighed, defeated. “I guess that girl deserves some rest sometimes.”

After breakfast your family went on to do… whatever they did during the weekend (not that Sans cared too much), leaving him alone to think.

He still had lots of things to figure out.

Why do the two of you swap bodies?

What changes, your minds or your souls?

How does your mother always know it happened?

If he managed to take out the soul right now, would he see his white upside down monster soul (with all the missing chips and ugly scars), or your bright human soul?

What color would it be?

Would it be able to light up a room?

…

How in Hotlands was he supposed to tell you what he did?

The sensation of the wind inside your head was what awoke you.

You would never get used to that sensation.

You blinked several times, trying to wake up completely and to focus on the word with only one eye working.

After getting up (and doing a quick balance check) you thought for a brief moment to take a shower,  but you discarded the idea.

You didn't know if Sans was ok with you seeing him naked and you didn't know how to clean a living skeleton! (Did you have to clean inside the ribcage?)

A quick glance let you know that Sans slept in his clothes… again.

Sigh.

Better go say hello to Papyrus. (Gosh, you missed the cinnamon roll!)

Your journey to the kitchen was ruined by a wall that wanted to greet your skull, taking advantage of the fact that you were still half asleep and kinda being.

“BROTHER, HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU TO BE CAREFUL! AND DON'T TELL ME THAT THE WALL MOVED ON ITS OWN!” Papyrus’ voice was perfect to fully wake you or to help you catch yourself after a close encounter of the wall kind!

“Sorry Papy. It's not easy to get used to the depth perception not working.” You apologised as you reached the kitchen. 

Papyrus perked up at your answer “HUMAN? IS THAT YOU?” He always recognised you thanks to the nickname and from “the lack of usual puns” as he put it.

“Yup! Good morning Papy!” You gave him a small wave.

His smile was the widest and most adorable it could get with his broken teeth. Last time he was looking into finding a dentist, but he said there were still some things he had to work through. 

“I SHOULD'VE KNOW IMMEDIATELY! YOU ARE AWAKE AND IT'S NOT NOON YET! BUT I GUESS MY BROTHER NEEDS SOME, SIGH, REST WHEN HE MANAGES TO FALL ASLEEP.”

“Did he always have sleep problems?” You asked as you sat down.

“YES, HE ALWAYS HAD TO DEAL WITH DEPRESSION THAT MADE HIM FEEL TIRED ALL THE TIME, BUT AFTER-” he stiffened and looked at you briefly before resuming his story “-SOME… UNHAPPY EVENTS, HE DEVELOPED ANXIETY, MAKING HIM BASICALLY UNABLE TO SLEEP.”

Unfortunate events? Poor Sans. Who knows what he’s been through. You knew that a head injury, like the one he had, had to come from something traumatic, but you never pried.

Trying to shift the conversation to something happier, you asked Papyrus about breakfast.

If you want to make this guy happy, ask him about food!

“I HAD PLANNED A COMPLETE BREAKFAST BUT… I KNOW IT’S NOT EASY FOR YOU TO EAT THIS EARLY!”

Not easy? This guy always cooked for at least five people! You literally didn't have the stomach for that (eh eh).

“Yeah, sorry Papy. I’m sure it’s delicious! Everything that you cook always tastes amazing!”

Papyrus’ skull flushed with colour as he let out an audible “NYE!”.

“OF COURSE! I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS AFTER ALL! NYE EHE EH!”

You laughed. He was just too adorable!

You two were quiet while eating, but you were used to it. Papyrus ate fast, almost looking afraid that someone would try to steal his food, but he was getting better, slowing down and looking more relaxed.

After you both finished your food you talked about your plans for the day. Papyrus went on talking about some new recipes he saw on tv after his morning exercise “BECAUSE YOU SEE HUMAN, A NEW DISH IS LIKE A PUZZLE! YOU JUST NEED TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO PUT IT TOGETHER!” He was always so enthusiastic about everything! He was super cool!

“I think I’ll clean the living room, avoiding the sock, don’t worry. - an inside joke that they had to explain to you - I feel brave today, I will attempt to clean Sans’ room!”

“OH NO HUMAN! MANY BRAVE SOULS HAVE TRIED BEFORE BUT THEY ALL QUIVERED IN FEAR IN THE PRESENCE OF THAT REALM OF FILTH!”

You couldn’t stop the deep baritone chuckle that escaped you. You cut yourself off with your hand out of instinct.

“Sorry Papy, I’m still not used to… all of this.” You said in an apologetic tone, pointing to your whole self.

Papyrus knelt in front of you (he was still a head taller than you… damn this dude’s huge!) and placed a gloved hand on your shoulder and smiled softly at you “DON’T WORRY HUMAN, IT’S WEIRD FOR EVERYBODY. BUT! IT’S A NICE WEIRD! NYE EHE EHE EHE EH!”

You smiled back “Yes, it is nice.”

A very nice weird.

Chapter Text

Both skeletons insisted that you stayed at home when you switched. Usually Papyrus called in Sans’ workplace saying that he was unwell. You never pried on what Sans did for a living, you did however receive some messages from his boss, who wished Sans well.

Papyrus couldn't always stay at home with you, which was a bummer since that was like having a daylong sleepover!

Usually during your “alone days” you just did stuff around the house. 

Sometimes, you tried to make a meal for Papyrus, humming a tune while you were at it. It's almost funny how scared you were of such a deep voice at the beginning. 

One day, you failed to hear the tall skeleton when he came back home (for such a huge dude, he could be so silent!) so he heard you sing.

“I CAN’T REMEMBER THE LAST TIME I HEARD MY BROTHER SING.” He said out of nowhere, making you squeak in surprise. 

“OH PLEASE! DON’T STOP BECAUSE OF ME!”

“Sorry, I'm just… still getting used to all of this. Uhm… any requests?”

You hummed and sang as you stirred the pot. You had fun playing around with Sans’ voice, ranging from deeper singers to more high pitched ones.

You brought each other to tears with your rendition of “Barbie Girl”!

You woke up with your back hurting. 

Seriously Sans?! Can you not slouch so much?!?

Bonehead!

After getting a sum up of the day before, you got to school. 

There no one questioned you about the weird attitude you had when Sans was in control of your body.

They just figured you had a bad day.

Everyone had those. 

Right?

Sans woke up in his bed, with a nice pyjama on.

“so comfy” He thought.

It was clear that you had been there. His covers weren't all over the place, his clothes folded neatly near him and there was less trash on the floor. 

He checked the block notes to see if you left any messages for him.

“Seriously! How did you manage to get your room this messy!?” 

Yup! You tried again to clean up his room.

“years of practice.” He wrote under your message.

You usually answered to each other’s sticky notes on them and then moved them day by day, since neither of you knew when the swap happened.

He quickly changed in a shirt and a hoodie with some comfy pants before heading downstairs for breakfast.

Papyrus was humming happily in the kitchen while cooking. He always loved to cook, but now he loved it even more!

"GOOD MORNING SANS! WELCOME BACK!”

“mornin’ paps. making an eggcellent meal i see.”

Papyrus sighed dramatically “SERIOUSLY SANS!? A PUN? YOU JUST WOKE UP! AT LEAST I HAD A WONDERFUL PUN-LESS DAY WITH THE HUMAN!”

“don’t you mean,” Sans said while grabbing a piece of toast, “at yeast?” His permanent grin only grew larger at his brother’s over dramatic reaction. 

“seriously though, you like the human paps?”

“OF COURSE I LIKE HER!”

“like… a friend?”

“EVEN MORE THAN A SUPER BEST FRIEND!”

“...like a sister?”

Papyrus raised a bone brow “WHY THE ODD QUESTION SANS?”

Sans hesitated “i… i think i know why we switch.”

“OH REALLY?! WHY?”

“...soulmate. she’s my soulmate.”

Chapter Text

All Sans wanted was some form of normality. 

Too bad the universe never gave him what he wanted.

All you wanted was something different in your monotonous life. 

Maybe you should be careful with what you wish for.

You woke up feeling awful.

Your back was killing you, you felt a splitting headache and your right eye hurt.

You knew that as you grew older falling asleep in a weird position would cause random pains, but this extent felt ridiculous!

You passed your hand over said eye and felt a sort of dusty substance fall out of it, but there was something that you didn't feel.

Skin.

You snapped your eyes open and looked at your hand. It was just bone.

You screamed. The scream sounded nothing like you.

You could feel your heart pounding in your chest, but you couldn't actually hear it.

You also didn't hear someone reaching your room, calling out someone's name.

You screamed again when a giant skeleton barged in your room. (Was it even your room?)

“SANS? ARE YOU HURT? WHAT HAPPENED?”

You tried to make yourself as small as possible, your back against the wall. 

“OH. OH NO! DON’T WORRY SANS! YOU'RE SAFE! WE'RE IN A WAY BETTER PLACE NOW!” You had the odd certainty that this guy wanted to comfort you. 

“I- I'm not…” your voice sounded so odd. It was so deep!

“YOU'RE NOT WHAT SANS?”

“I'm not Sans. I don't… I don't know this person.”

The tall skeleton looked at you with more determination “...THEN WHO ARE YOU?”

You told him your name and that you were human. You explained that you just woke up there.

He was pensive for a moment, you could almost see a light bulb appearing in his cranium.

“THEN, PRESENTATIONS ARE IN ORDER! I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS! YOU ARE IN MY AND MY BROTHER’S HOUSE, SPECIFICALLY, IN SANS’ ROOM.”

You still had no idea how you ended up there, but at least it was something. 

Sans woke up.

Or at least, he thought he did.

He glanced around, seeing an unknown room and that he was in a human.

He sighed.

Another nightmare.

It wasn't uncommon for him to dream about his victims torturing him. He felt like it was fair.

Sans wondered what kind of nightmare it would turn out to be.

He was still rattled by the one where some humans escaped his body crawling out of his mouth.

The door opened and an adult human poked her head in “So you are awake! Come on sleepyhead! Breakfast is ready.”

Oh, so it was one of those dreams.

He was living the routine of a human that his brain came up with. It would all seem normal until the terrifying part.

He thought that the dream felt longer than usual while he took some notes for a class. (Just because it was a dream, didn't mean that he would pass on the opportunity to learn.)

Again, not unusual. The scariest parts came when he least expected it. 

He made it all the way to nighttime. He laid in bed, figuring that the jumpscare would occur as he's falling asleep.

But it never happened.

When you woke up, you still felt a little shaken. 

What a weird dream!

“Here you are! Are you feeling alright?” Your mom asked.

“Uhm, yeah. Why?”

“You looked a bit under the weather yesterday. I thought you were getting sick.”

You felt blood drain from your face.

It wasn't a dream.

“SANS, I THINK YOU MIGHT BE DEVELOPING A SECOND PERSONALITY.”

That was not a conversation that Sans was expecting over breakfast. 

“...what?”

“DO YOU REMEMBER ANYTHING ABOUT YESTERDAY?”

Sans glanced at the calendar, noting that his memory skipped a day.

“YOU WERE CONVINCED THAT YOU WERE A HUMAN. DON’T WORRY, I WAS VERY KIND TO HER.”

Sans shrugged. 

More work for his therapist. 

Chapter Text

“we have to tell her.” Sans said abruptly, almost startling Papyrus. 

“TELL HER WHAT?”

“you know… about our past… what we did.”

Papyrus stopped everything he was doing, frozen in place “...WE CAN’T.”

Sans sighed “paps-”

“NO SANS! THE HUMAN WILL HATE US! YOU KNOW IT! I DON’T WANT HER TO HAYE ME!”

“paps… we can’t keep it hidden from her. she has a right to know. she already has to be stuck in my body! if she ends up hating us… that’s her choice. i can’t do it.”

“SO YOU’LL JUST DROP THE WEIGHT OF IT ON ME!”

“...you are better than me with this stuff.”

“...FINE. BUT I WON’T BE HAPPY ABOUT IT! …I HOPE WE WON’T REGRET IT.”

Sans opened his eyes, only to find himself in your room, on your bed.

He sighed and tried to become one with the mattress.

He silently wished Papyrus good luck, imagining that it would be his last peaceful day at your house.

You woke up with one bed sheet tangled with the hole of Sans’ skull. You almost had to fight with it to get out of bed!

You happily reached the kitchen and greeted Papyrus.

He froze instantly, the whisk almost falling from his grasp. 

“Papy? Are you ok?”

“I… HUMAN! I WASN’T EXPECTING YOU SO SOON!” His smile wasn’t genuine.

“Is something wrong?” You were a little worried.

“WELL I… SANS AND I WANTED TO TELL YOU SOMETHING… ABOUT OUR PAST.”

It didn’t take a genius to know that their past wasn’t an easy one. You sat down, ready to listen respectfully. 

Papyrus took a big breath and began to tell you the story. A story of pain and famine. Of hurt and desperation. Of survival and breaking points.

You cried a lot.

Sans expected to wake back up curled up in a corner, as far away from his brother as possible and with tears staining his cheeks. 

He woke up with dried up tears marking his cheekbones, but he was also being cradled by Papyrus.

“uh? paps?” 

The lanky skeleton rubbed his eyes “AH! WELCOME BACK BROTHER!”

“what- how- wh-” He had so many questions, but none were able to come out.

“OH, THE TALK WITH THE HUMAN WENT GREAT! SHE UNDERSTOOD OUR PAIN AND THAT WE DID WHAT WE HAD TO DO TO SURVIVE. SHE EVEN TOLD ME OF SOME CASES WHERE SOME HUMANS DID SOMETHING SIMILAR IN EQUALLY DESPERATE MOMENTS! SHE WAS UNDERSTANDING ! CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT? OH NO PLEASE, DON’T CRY! THE HUMAN AND I DID ENOUGH CRYING ALREADY!”

Sans didn’t even realize that he was crying. The utter relief that he felt was too great to put into words.

Sans trembled before sobbing loudly, hugging his younger brother.

Papyrus curled around his smaller brother “D-DON’T CRY! IF YOU DO, I’LL CRY TOO! NYE!” 

Chapter Text

Sans did not expect to wake up again in a human’s body again, but when it did happen, he wasn't sure that it was a dream this time.

He had talked with his therapist about his dream. The therapist doubted that it was a dream. There were too many details, especially about the classes and notes he took. 

But if it wasn't a dream, then what was it?

His therapist also didn't think that Sans suffered from DID, there weren't the signs or whatever. He wasn't the expert after all.

Your eye hurt a lot. That was the first thing you were aware of.

You were torn between squeezing it more or opening it.

You settled for opening the hurting eye, only to be met with darkness.

You snapped both eyes open and discovered that you were in an unknown room.

No… you knew this bedroom.

“Not again.”

Just then, you heard a knock on the door.

“SANS? ARE YOU AWAKE?”

You didn't know how to react. You didn't imagine that it could happen again. 

The door opened and the giant skeleton came in, far more calmly than the previous time.

You still backed away toward the wall, out of instinct. 

“BROTHER?”

“Uhm… no.” You felt yourself sweat. Could you sweat? Why would a skeleton sweat?

He blinked in surprise “OH! THE HUMAN THEN?”

You nodded and his whole demeanor softened.

“WELCOME BACK! WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER OF YOUR TIME… AWAY?”

“Uh?” You tilted your head in confusion. 

“NOTHING? MAYBE, YOU EXPERIENCED SOMETHING SIMILAR TO SLEEPING… I’VE READ UP A LOT ABOUT IT, BUT HEARING DIRECTLY FROM SOMEONE IS DIFFERENT.”

“I'm sorry but… what are you talking about?” You interrupted. 

“YOU DON'T KNOW?”

“I feel really out of the loop. Is this a monster thing?”

“You aren't my daughter.”

Sans froze. The look your mother gave him was nothing short of powerful. 

He understood what others felt like when he was doing his judge duty.

“whatever you mean… mom.” He tried to sound nonchalant but the appearance of a new wrinkle on your mother's forehead told him that he failed spectacularly. 

He sighed and fell back on the couch.

“Who are you?”

Sans understood that there was no point in lying “a monster.”

She stiffened “Explain.”

“a skeleton.”

She relaxed a fraction “What happened to my daughter?”

“i‘m not sure. i think we… swapped? maybe?”

“You're not sure?!”

“listen, this is as weird for you as it is for me! maybe it happened before-”

“MAYBE?!?”

“i thought it was a dream! can you blame me?”

Your mother sighed, mostly to calm herself.

“don't worry, your kid isn't alone. my brother is with her.” Before she could scold him more, Sans continued “he’s not dangerous i swear! he… he'd have a hard time hurting someone, even in self defence!”

Your mother let out something similar to a defeated sigh and sat down next to Sans “Yes, I've heard that you guys had a very hard time under that mountain.”

It was Sans’ turn to tense up “exactly… what do you know?”

“Only the stuff that was in the news.”

So, not much.

Sans decided to break the tension in the only way he knew.

Sticking out his hand he introduced himself with a smile “name's sans. sans the skeleton.”

Papyrus spent almost half an hour explaining his DID theory. 

You spent probably more time trying to convince him that you weren't a new personality, that you and Sans weren't part of a system. 

You told him random things from your past, details from your school, what you had for breakfast last week, until he finally, finally , understood. 

You groaned, exhausted and flopped on… whatever you were. You were too tired to care.

“THEN… WHAT HAPPENED?”

“I don't know! I was hoping that it was a monster thing! No offence.”

“NONE TAKEN. I CAN SEE WHY YOU WOULD THINK THAT. MAYBE SANS KNOWS SOMETHING ABOUT IT, BUT HE'S NOT REALLY HERE… I'LL ASK HIM ONCE HE'S BACK… HE'LL BE BACK, RIGHT?”

“...Last time it only lasted a day, so hopefully he'll be back tomorrow.” You really wished you were right.

Chapter Text

It was becoming easier and easier to notice when the swap had happened.

You knew that you were in Sans’ body before even opening your eyes.

The room wasn’t the usual mess, but the note was… peculiar.

“don’t go out of the room! call paps and wait inside my room!”

You raised a brow, but had no reason to question the message Sans left you.

You opened the door slightly and called out “Uhm… Papy? Could you come here for a moment?”

You heard Papyrus’ voice coming from downstairs “OH! CROOKS! I THINK THAT’S YOUR BROTHER!” 

“OH? … OH! YES! YES THANK YOU! I’LL BE RIGHT BACK!” 

… Was Papyrus talking with himself?

Papyrus hurried to your door and closed it behind himself “HUMAN? IS THAT YOU?”

“Uhm, yeah. What’s wrong? Sans’ message seemed urgent but vague.”

“WELL IT IS A… RATHER  COMPLICATED STORY… PERHAPS I NEED A VISUAL AID FOR THIS.”

“So, let me see if I got it right. This… machine brought different versions of Sans and yourself into our world.”

Papyrus nodded “YES, THAT’S THE JIST OF IT. I WISH SANS WAS HERE. HE’D EXPLAIN IT SO MUCH BETTER!”

“You did a pretty good job. But the others can’t know about the whole body-swap thing.”

“THAT IS CORRECT! THE SITUATION IS ALREADY… COMPLICATED AS IT IS”

“I… might have a hard time remembering all these names.” You commented, looking down at the pictured that Papyrus drew for you.

“DON'T WORRY! SANS HAS TROUBLE AS WELL! NO ONE WILL SUSPECT A THING! NYE EH HEH!"

You didn't know how to feel about supposedly being happy about Sans’ memory problems. 

“AND REMEMBER OUR NICKNAMES!”

You looked down again and frowned. 

Axe and Crooks.

“Do you guys like these nicknames?

Papyrus refused to look at you “TH-THEY'RE JUST NICKNAMES… NOTHING SERIOUS.”

Alright, that's the first thing you're going to change. You'll make sure of that!

Papyrus got up “I MUST RETURN TO A FEW THINGS NOW. LEAVE THE ROOM ONLY ONCE YOU FEEL READY, ALRIGHT?” With that said, he left you alone with all the new information. 

You studied again the little drawings of the other skeletons before taking a deep breath and exiting the room.

Someone bumped into you.

“OH I'M SORRY! I WASN’T LOOKING WHERE I WAS GOING… AGAIN.”

The new skeleton looked a lot like Sans, only slightly shorter, with an undamaged skull and a blue bandana.

“UHM… AXE? ARE YOU OK?” You blinked at him, unsure on how Sans would respond. 

“DID YOU FORGET ABOUT ME AGAIN? GASP!” He slapped a hand over his teeth “I'M SORRY! I DIDN’T MEAN TO SAY AGAIN!”

“It's ok. My memory is full of holes.”

He ignored your joke “ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE MYSELF! I AM THE MAGNIFICENT SANS! MWEH EHE EH! BUT YOU CAN CALL ME BLUE!”

Oh.

Oh!

This guy is as adorable as Papyrus!

Must protect!

“Nice to meet you Blue. Uhm… do you know where's the guy that calls the shots?”

He tilted his head slightly “CLASSIC? HE SHOULD BE IN THE KITCHEN. DO YOU NEED HELP REACHING IT?”

“Nah, thanks Blue.”

He walked away with a smile and stars in his sockets.

You took a deep breath (even if you probably didn't need it) and gave yourself an inspirational speech “I am intimidating. I am in Sans’ body and should take advantage of that!” 

You entered the kitchen, where various skeletons were hanging out. 

“Hey!” You tried to sound intimidating. 

“is something the matter?” A skeleton that looked a lot like your Sans asked. His hoodie had no fur lining and he was slightly shorter than your current height. 

“Yes actually! WE got a naming problem!”

He visibly relaxed “why didn’t you say it sooner? you got me worried there for a second. we just need to hold another house meeting.”

“ugh. another one?!”

“red! how kind of you to volunteer to get the others!”

Red sighed dramatically, but got up anyway, grumbling all the way.

Chapter Text

Classic liked to label himself as someone very observant.

So, when he noticed some different behaviour from Axe, he wanted to understand. 

He knew that he shouldn't judge his actions, given his head injury, but there were small things…

He was aware that his counterpart had memory problems, but Axe looked surprised about things in his own house! Like the joke book, that hid a science book, that hid a joke book etc. 

Or things that he knew about on some days and had no clue about on other days.

Not to mention how relaxed, happy even, he looked on some days!

It was… curious. 

There wasn't a discernable pattern for this behaviour. Nothing specific happened before or during those days.

Classic decided to investigate. 

You were relaxing on Sans’ couch, checking out a book that you found in the seemingly never-ending bookshelf. 

You did not notice Classic as he approaches the couch.

“so, what exactly is going on here?”

You almost jumped out of your skin “Uhm… whatever you mean?”

“you aren’t really axe, are you?” He raised a bone brow. 

“... what gave it away?”

He shrugged “small things, here and there. so, what is it? different personalities, or…?”

Why is everyone thinking about DID? “More like a body swap thing. I- we don't really know how or why it happens.”

That really intrigued Classic.

“Are you going to tell the others? The situation here is already… complicated as it is.”

Classic shrugged “nah, don’t worry. your secret's safe with me. i just wanted to make sure nothing dangerous was happening.”

You held your hands up in front of you “I promise I’m no danger.” you felt like you were sweating. Could skeleton sweat?

Classic chuckled “hey, if axe trusts you, i feel like i can trust you. gotta trust my gut feeling .” You chuckled and Classic beamed at you, “good to have another monster with a sense of humor!”

You felt uncomfortable for a moment. “I’m… not a monster. I’m a human.” Would he hate you for that? You could feel your non-existing stomach churning.

“ah. cool.”

That’s it? No comments or weird reactions? Papyrus told you that Classic was weary of humans, so you were expecting… something! Maybe Classic managed to relax about it, or maybe he trusted Jupiter's judgement.  

“so, what's your name?”

Axe growled as he read the note you left him.

Classic knew about you?!

Fucking great!

Now you'll get to know him and you'll see how better he is. How broken he was. How pathetic he was. And you'll be so angry to be stuck in his damaged body! You'll never want anything to do with him! You'd be disgusted if he told you you're soulmates!

A knock on the door paused his whirling thoughts.

Axe grunted and the door opened.

“you're supposed to ask who's there.”

“i'm not in the mood for jokes, classic.” He growled. 

Classic turned serious “i met the human.”

Axe's claws dug deeper on his bedside table “so?” What was he going to say? Was he going to ask for the swapping to stop? That he would be a way better mate since he wasn't broken? 

The actual question caught him off guard. 

“you haven't told them that you're soulmates, have you?”

Axe stuttered “how do you know!?”

Classic shrugged “it's pretty common where i come from, soulmates switching bodies… but you said there wasn’t a pattern?” He was intrigued. 

“not one i can see… if i could calculate it…” Axe scratched the hole in his skull.

Classic grabbed the calendar “well, two heads are better than one.”

You woke up in Axe's bed, ready to face the day. You did not expect to find a sleeping skeleton in the corner.

“Sans?” 

Classic stirred, “hey. the human, right?”

“Yeah, how do you know? And why are you sleeping in Axe's room?”

“well, me and your buddy had a theory. long story short, we calculated a math formula… i won't bore you with the details, but we can calculate when the swap will happen. and today's confirmation that it is correct.”

You were amazed by how smart these skeletons are.

“I kinda hope that you're wrong about this date.” You comment as you look at some future dates they marked down.

“why’s that?”

“It will be my birthday.”

Chapter Text

You were not expecting to have such a conversation with Classic. Honestly, you couldn't remember how you ended up talking about such a topic.

“I've never felt horny, I didn't know it was a thing, you know?”

Classic raised a bone brow “never?”

“Not until I experienced one of Axe's heats. It felt like electricity was flooding my body! And then- Man, it was so awkward! Papyrus had to explain all that stuff!” You almost wanted to laugh.

Classic cringed internally. He could not imagine having the talk again, with someone using his bro's body.

You snickered “I'm sorry, shk - your face!” 

Classic thought that you could make Axe make such cute faces. He immediately mentally slapped himself because wtf was that thought?!?

He must have pulled a face because you laughed even more and more cutely. 

He might be smitten.

Sans usually enjoyed spending time at your house, his dark thoughts left him alone. 

But not this time.

This time his memories still plagued him, about his past and the horrors he had to face.

“Sans? What's wrong?” Your mother's voice was soft.

Sans shrugged “Nothing, just…”

Your mother sat down next to him “You know that you can talk to me, alright? Do you have someone in your life that you can talk with about these things?”

“yeah… my bro… and my therapist.”

“...No one else?”

Sans shrugged again and your mother realized that he had gone through some traumatizing events with no support system, no friends, to family.

She brought Sans closer, giving him a warm and welcoming hug.

“Well, add me to the list. You know, you are very important for my daughter. And I care about you, a lot.”

Sans kind of froze. He wasn't sure how to react, but, somewhere, beyond the fog of his failing memory, he knew that he had received this type of hug. He was much smaller, but the figure had the same kind warmth.

Who was it?

Sans latched onto those vague memories, gripped your mother and sobbed loudly.

For what exactly, he wasn't sure.

Your mother didn't mind. She just held him, giving him small soothing massages and letting him cry to his heart's content.

“Is that how normal people feel? They just see someone walking down the street and think about them in their bed?” You asked.

“i wouldn't say “normal”. that would imply that there's something wrong with you or with not feeling sexual attraction.” Classic answered nonchalantly. 

“There isn't?” Your voice was so small that Classic wasn't even sure that you spoke.

“There's nothing wrong with not feeling… that? Or, you know-”

Classic placed a hand on your shoulder and pulled you into a sort of side hug.

“there's nothing wrong or broken with you. everyone, monster or human, is different.”

You smiled so softly at him that Classic could feel his skull burn.

“Thank you. I think… I needed to hear that.”

“PSST! JUPITER! OVER HERE!” Papyrus whispered to his bigger counterpart.

“OH HELLO! IS IT ALREADY TIME FOR ANOTHER COOKING LESSON?”

Blue shook his head “NO, WE NOTICED SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT ABOUT YOUR BROTHER AND WE NEED TO ADDRESS IT.”

Jupiter felt himself sweat a little. Did they find out about you?

Papyrus continued “I THINK OUR BROTHERS MIGHT HAVE A CRUSH ON EACH OTHER!”

Uh?

Jupiter was certain that if it hadn't been for his dentist's wonderful job, his jaw would've hit the ground.

“OBSERVE.” They commented, pointing at the couch where you and Classic were seemingly cuddling. 

Jupiter was definitely sweating. 

“YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS?”

“UHM-”

“WE MUST HELP THIS SPARK TURN INTO A POWERFUL FLAME! TO THE DATING MANUALS!”

Chapter Text

You were late.

According to their calculations, a swap should've happened. 

And yet…

“still you?”

Axe growled at his counterpart “yes.”

“i wonder what is going on.”

“i don't know!”

“they did mention that it's their birthday… maybe-”

“ah! if you think that they're out partying, you don't know her!”

Classic scoffed “as if you actually met her!”

Axe was about to fight Classic, when Paps jumped in.

“BROTHER! I NEED YOUR HELP!”

Classic blinked “uh, sure bro, what's up?”

“WELL!” He brought out a map of the town and a notebook “COULD YOU PLEASE CIRCLE THIS ROMANTIC PLACES ON THE MAP? IT'S FOR… VERY ROMANTIC PLANS!”

“you got a date bro?”

Paps faltered “N-NO, BUT! IT’S GOOD TO KEEP THE DATING MANUAL UPDATED! NOW! CIRCLE THIS ITALIAN RESTAURANT! THERE’S NOTHING MORE ROMANTIC THAN ITALIANS! NEXT MTT BRAND NEW CLUB(™) AND LASTLY, THIS BEAUTIFUL HILL THAT HAS A GREAT VIEW TO THE STARRY SKY. VERY WELL! THAT WILL BE ALL! THANK YOU!” Paps grabbed his things back and scurried away.

“the hell was that abou-” Axe flopped over the couch.

"whoa! hey! don't dust on me now!”

Axe opened his eyes and felt exhausted. He needed five coffees. He stretched, looking around your room.

What we're you doing? Pulling an all-nighter again?

Your mother knocked and entered quickly “You're still in bed? Come on sleepyhead! It's a special day!”

Axe looked at her with confusion “...special day?”

Your mother frowned “...Sans? Oh no!”

“ouch.”

“Sorry, it's nothing against you. You see, today-” 

Your mother was interrupted by the doorbell. 

“I'm home!” A deep voice, one he never heard, cheerily announced itself. 

You quickly opened your eyes, fighting against sleep. You couldn't fall asleep! Not today!

“welcome back. you scared me out of my skin, pal.”

“Sans?”

Classic stared at you for a moment before connecting the dots.

Groaning, you fell back on the bed.

“not happy to see me?” He asked, raising a bonebrow.

“It's not that… My father will be home today. I was hoping to spend as much time as possible with him.”

Classic sat next to you on the bed, one arm over your shoulder “i get it, really. buy hey… happy birthday.”

You smiled back. 

Your father dropped his language near the front door. His clothes, hat and duffle bag had the same pattern, something that reminded Axe about mud slaps and foliage. 

Your brother bounced to hug your father. He ruffled the kid's hair.

“And how's the birthday girl?” He ruffled your hair too “still staying up late kiddo? Come on, give your old man a hug!” He hugged Axe tightly. He awkwardly returned it.

You and Classic were giggling on the couch.

He was glad that he was able to cheer you up, but he wanted to do something special for you, it was your birthday after all!

His mind drifted back to the map his brother’s showed him earlier. 

“wanna go to a nice spot? i know a shortcut.”

“You're not really my daughter, are you?”

At that moment Axe understood the expression ‘choking on nothing’ and he did not like it!

“wh-what?”

“The truth. Now.” He commanded. Axe understood how others felt under his Judge gaze.

“...i‘m not your kid, you're right. name's sans, sans the skeleton.”

Your father's posture relaxed “A monster uh? Is this a body-swap-soulmate situation?”

Axe's eyes widened “you know about that!?”

“There are some monsters in the army. We chat. Do you know any dog monsters?”

Axe could vaguely remember. 

He ended up having a pleasant chat with your dad.

“Did we just teleport?!”

Classic shrugged “told you i know a shortcut.”

“The stars are so beautiful from here!”

Classic didn’t know whether to look at the stars or at you. The way you wore Axe's face… he didn't know how to describe it, or how he longed to see your real face.

“i hope it is a good enough birthday present. i thought about getting you a dress, but i don't think axe would've appreciated.”

You giggled at the thought of Axe in a dress. Silly and cute.

Classic took your hand and moved toward the center of the cliff. He took your other hand and began moving, like there was music.

You were surprised, but went along with it. You both moved following a silent rhythm, a secret song that existed only for the two of you. 

You got lost in Classic’s eyelights, they were shining like stars.

You lean in, clicking your teeth against his. 

Embarrassed, you flinched back.

“Sorry… I-”

Classic cradled your skull and leaned in.

Your teeth clicked and he poured his emotions toward you. 

He summoned his tongue and pushed it against yours.

You pushed him away.

Did he go too far? Too fast?

Classic was about to apologize, when he looked at you again.

It wasn't you.

“what the hell are you doing, classic ?”