Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Topaz rummages through her blog for things to entertain you while waiting for new chapters. She spotted some old Soriel Week fics she never posted here and dusted them off, "Ah yes... I'm sure these have aged as well as old, moldy cheese! At this point, I think they will be happy just to know I live."

As stated earlier, these are old. I did check them over for any glaring mistakes, but overall, I will be leaving them as is. Please enjoy!

Chapter 1: It's More than the Laughs
-Prompt Jokes

Chapter2: Comforter
-Prompt Comfort

Chapter 3: Your Family
-Prompt Family

Chapter 4: An Eventful Gathering Quest
-Prompt AU/Crossover

Chapter 5: Silent Admiration
-Prompt Free Day

Chapter Text

“huh? sorry, kid, normally i’m all ears, but I’m not sure i heard you,” Sans looked over at Frisk as he walked the child home from school. Normally, he would want to take a shortcut to avoid such exercise, but it was a moment the two could share with each other to talk. Frisk seemed to need that from time to time. And, honestly, he didn’t mind these chats. But the question they asked today was so odd, he wasn’t sure he heard correctly.

“I was wondering why you and Mom are taking your relationship more seriously if all you two share in common is jokes?” Frisk asked again.

“kiddo, we’ve got more than that. there’s you, for example,” He said while ruffling Frisk’s hair.

Frisk grinned before lightly pushing the hand away, “I think if I told Mom how well you looked after me, she wouldn’t be so happy.”

“hey now,” He was beginning to wonder what he did to turn the kid so against him today, “considering you could save, load, and reset; tell me, would you’ve really enjoyed your time underground if i was jumping in every time you got a boo-boo. you had a lot to learn that you wouldn’t have if i hovered over you like she does. besides, i made sure you were fed, showed up now and then to make sure you didn’t feel alone, and even sold you food to heal yourself up with.”

“I’m not sure if water sausages count as food,” Frisk stuck their tongue out.

“they healed you, didn’t they?”

“Yeah….”

“so stop complaining,” he chuckled, “anyway, yeah, sure, we started our friendship around an appreciation for bad jokes and puns, but we share more than that. i mean, we did more than tell jokes at the door. it just was the relevant part i told you about that night. i told her all about my bro, and she told me all about snails, baking, and expressed her interest in teaching.”

“You only told her about your brother?” Frisk frowned, “that sounds a little one-sided in the way of sharing.”

“she got me to tell her more about myself,” he looked at the kid, “are you not happy that your mom and i are dating?”

“No… I wouldn’t say that, I was just wondering if it would really last since I wasn’t sure what you two were basing the relationship on.”

Sans thought that over quietly, then sighed, “i understand a bit. you mostly just see us joking around and telling puns. but, kid, relationships of all kinds are built that way; by a shared interest in one thing or another. it just so happens that your mom and i first found jokes to be our interest. from there, we found we shared other things and that we really enjoyed being around each other… and we love each other.”

“So, kind of like how you feel about Papyrus?”

The thought of that nearly made Sans trip, “what? kid, no. i love my baby bro, don’t get me wrong, but the way i love your mom and the way i love papy, and even you, is completely different.”

“Like, how different you and Mom are?”

This conversation was starting to get on his nerves, and he was wondering if he really needed to be justifying his love interest with a kid who can barely tie their own shoes, “yes, we are different. she’s clean and organized, while i’m a mess. she’s better at handling others' emotions, while I tend to just let someone else handle it. but if she were just like me, then I’d be dating myself, and that would be narcissistic… and weird, really.”

“But… but… what about Gaster, or Grillby? What about Papyrus from other universes? Or Mettaton? Or even Drunk Bunny? And Alphys, what about her?” Frisk then grabbed Sans’ hand and leaned closer, “What about us?”

Sans darkened his eye sockets to let Frisk know he was serious, “kid, stop.” But that spiel did give him an idea as to where this was all coming from. He was going to have to have a nice loooooooong chat with Alphys and Undyne about what animes they were allowed to show Frisk when they are babysitting the kid. That, and maybe find out what bedtime stories they are telling, also. He had a nagging feeling they were Alphys’ fanfictions, and that was going to need to come to a stop. “look, i love your mom. perhaps in other timelines it’s different, but in this one, she’s the love of my life. so please, stop trying to pair me up with other people, okay?”

“Mom, why do you love Sans?” Frisk asked as Toriel started to lay out the cookie dough.

The goat monster paused, unsure if she had heard right, as the question seemed to come from nowhere. She looked up at the small child and frowned, “You… want to know why I love Sans?” The child nodded, confirming that she had heard that correctly.

Toriel grabbed her rolling pin and rolled out the dough before nudging the cookie cutters closer to Frisk. All the while she considered what she was going to say, “To start with, he makes me happy, and can make me laugh. He also laughs at my jokes; genuinely laughs at them.”

“So, is that all there is to your relationship with him? He tells jokes that make you laugh and vice versa?” Frisk asked as they cut out some rabbit-shaped cookies.

“Well, it is more than that, my child. But it is how our love for each other started. We started as friends, then became best friends, and now we are in love. Many relationships grow like that, and truly, that is what it did: grow. It just started with jokes, and we still express our shared appreciation for those jokes and puns with each other.”

“But,” Frisk said, switching to a flower cookie cutter, “What about Asgore? You loved him too, didn’t you?”

“At one time, yes, but we grew apart. I never thought I’d be truly happy again before I met Sans.”

“Can’t you rebuild your relationship with Asgore?”

“My child, why the sudden interest in this?” Toriel tried to keep her tone as soft as possible, but she was feeling annoyed at this point.

Frisk just shrugged as they cut out more flowers. Toriel sighed and hugged the child, “I may have forgiven Asgore, and I’m willing to let him hang around the rest of us. But, I can’t help but remember the children I took care of that he had ended up killing. I love all those children as I love you. Knowing they were killed by him has left scars in my memories of him beyond repair.”

She gathered up all the scrap dough and rolled it back out, offering Frisk the heart cookie cutter, “Do you understand?” The child nodded and she smiled, kissing them on the head, “Now, enough of Asgore. I love Sans, alright?”

Later that night, in a text conversation:

*hey tori

*Hello, Sans, thank you again for taking care of Frisk while I was working late. We baked some cookies for you and Papyrus.

*awww, how sweet, tell the kid i said thanks.

*Haha, I guess it wasn’t a half-baked idea after all.
*By the way, can you guess what Frisk asked me this evening?

*good one, tori.
*no, what?

*They asked me why I love you.
*I was so surprised I nearly didn’t know what to say.
*Anyway, I told them the truth.

*you’ve got to be kidding me.
*the kid grilled me over why i love you on the walk home.
*they seemed convinced that all we share in common is jokes

*I got that impression too.
*Hey, Sans, if you don’t mind me asking, why do you love me?

*uh, well, what’s not to love about you? you’re funny, and nice, considerate, cute, and beautiful. the list could go on forever, really…

*Thank you -kiss-

*welcome

*You’re blushing, aren’t you?

*heh, ya caught me, t

*My sweet funny bones, I want you to know I love you for all the same reasons.

*knock knock

*Who’s there?

*lava

*Lava who?

*i lava you

*Oh dear, I erupted with laughter.  
*I lava you too.

Chapter Text

Toriel sat by the fire. It was guttering and lower than normal, but that is because magic can be an expression of a monster's emotional well-being. And right now, no matter how hard she tried, she could not console herself. Staring at the low flames, memories of the past seem to engulf her. It was Chara’s birthday, or really, the day they found the small child. Asgore and she decided to consider that day as Chara’s. They never did learn Chara’s real birthday since it was not easy getting any details of life before falling underground. But it was clear to Toriel, it was not the kind of life any child should have lived. She felt tears rolling down her face, and she closed her eyes, struggling and failing to hold them back.

She was so focused on her own thoughts that she didn’t hear Sans come into the house or announce he was home. It wasn’t until he placed a hand on her shoulder that she noticed him. Turning her head away, ashamed of her tears, she felt the knot of pain grow tighter in her chest. This was not a state of being she wanted him to see her in.

And yet, he put his hands on her face and turned her head to look at him. He looked puzzled and concerned, but said nothing. Instead, he leaned forward and touched his forehead to hers. She could feel warmth from him through the magic he was drawing up to that area of his skull. It was the kind of feeling her own fire could not give her.

The knot in her soul started to unravel as she felt his compassion from that simple act. The mass of emotions she was holding back and forcing down now covered her like a wave. Her hands slowly raised with a tremble to remove his from her face, but they never made it. The truth being she didn’t want to do that. She wanted him to stay with her, like this, and help her through the pain. It felt selfish, she knew his own soul was struggling and didn’t need her burdens. Yet, she could not force him away. Instead, her hands moved to her mouth to muffle the ugly-sounding sobs she was making.

Moving slightly, he kissed her on the head, the best a skeleton can. Removing his hands from her temporarily, he then got into her armchair next to her. Once he was situated, he was more or less half sitting on her and half on the arm of the chair. But he didn’t care, nor did she. He leaned on her, wrapping his arms around her in as tight a hug as he could muster.

Turning slightly, Toriel reached over and hugged him back. Closing her burning eyes, she rested her head on his skull and emitted a shuddering sigh. They stayed together like that, time lost on the two of them as they did not care how long was needed. Silent love continued to pass between them as words felt unnecessary.

It wasn’t until she felt another source of heat that Toriel opened her eyes and looked again at the fireplace. The flames had grown stronger, now providing the warmth that was growing in her soul. Closing her eyes, she smiled. As nice as her flames were, it was nothing compared to basking in the comfort that Sans was providing her.

Chapter Text

You wake up. Your room is bathed in the soft glow of morning sunlight shining in through closed curtains. A delicious smell is slowly wafting in, and you can’t help but smile. It was this smell that woke you up—the smell of a breakfast being prepared.

Sitting up, you stretch. You feel the muscles in your back and arms as you extend them, enjoying the sensation. After a quick yawn, you finally turn and hop off your bed. Before leaving your room, you grab your covers and hastily make it back up so your mother will be happy. Once done with your bed, you open your door and wander out into the hall.

As you enter the family room you hear snoring, and not to your surprise you see your father passed out on the sofa. You hold back a giggle as you decide you’re going to wake him up. It was nice that you can now call him ‘Dad’ instead of ‘Duncle.’ Not that you didn’t like using the title, and he seemed to really like it himself; but, he really was more of a ‘Dad’ to you.

With care to not make a sound, you sneak around to the arm of the sofa his head is resting on. Then, you poke his skull a few times until he starts to stir before ducking down out of sight. “huh, that’s odd,” you hear him say, “i could've sworn someone just poked me. ah, well.” You hear him yawn and move again, most likely to try going back to sleep. You pop back up to poke him again, only to find yourself caught by blue magic.

“got’cha, ya baby bone,” he says as he lifts you up into the air. You laugh as you float up and over him while he sits up. Then you drop down as he lets go, and he catches you in his arms. Though everything about him should be uncomfortable to hug, since he is made of bone after all, you have learned his magic somehow makes him soft.

He ruffles your hair a little and then spends a minute freeing his hand from your bedhead. “there, now, shall we see what your mother is cooking up?” You hold your hands up to him, and he sighs, understanding what you want, “kid, ya know my bro is better at that than I am.” This fills you with determination, and you stay in place.

Without a word, he stands and lifts you up onto his shoulders with blue magic. The two of you then wander into the kitchen to see your mother busy at the stove. Your father walks you over so you can give her a morning hug. She looks over at you and smiles, kissing you in exchange as her paws are full. “Good morning, my child. Did you sleep well?” she asked, and you nodded, “That is wonderful. Breakfast is almost ready if you want to wait at the table.”

Your father kneels down to let you off, most likely not wanting your mother to see how often he uses his magic on you. It's not that you blame him; your mother is very protective. She is goat like in appearance, but with her paws and fangs, you wonder sometimes if she is not also a bear.

Once you’re off, your father turns back to your mother, “anything I can do to help?”

“Can you get me some plates, dear?” She replies.

“sure thing, t,” He starts to head to the cupboard.

“Oh, and Sans,” You mother adds before he goes far.

“yeah, tori?” He turns to look back at her, and she bends over to give him a morning kiss.

Before you can sit, the front door swings open and your favorite uncle announces, “I AM BACK WITH THE MILK, SISTER-IN-LAW TORIEL.”

With a giggle, your mother turns to look at your uncle as he walks into the kitchen, “That’s wonderful, Papyrus, though you didn’t have to do that.”

“NONSENSE! WITH SUCH A WONDERFUL BREAKFAST YOU HAVE BEEN MAKING, IT WOULD BE A CRIME NOT TO HAVE MILK WITH IT,” He replies, and he reaches for some glasses.

“besides, milk is good for baby bones, right, bro?” Sans says as he hands some plates up to your mother.

“OF COURSE! AND SPEAKING OF BABY BONES, GOOD MORNING FRISK!” Your uncle sets a glass for you at your place. You stand on your chair to hug him, and he hugs you back. “DID YOU SLEEP WELL KNOWING YOU WERE UNDER THE PROTECTION OF THE GREAT PAPYRUS?”

Naturally, you giggle and nod, confirming that his words are true. He laughs, and you follow suit as a laugh like his is very infectious. Between the noise you two are making, you almost don’t hear the softer laughter of your father and mother as they approach the table. “Alright, you two, breakfast is ready, so it’s time to sit down,” your mother says as she places a plate down for your uncle and you.

Your father places his plate and your mother’s down as they both start to sit. As you all eat, the air is filled with talk of how the trip to the zoo with your uncle went yesterday. Then the conversation turns to what they should do next with your last few weeks of summer vacation.

As the discussion goes on, the oddest, though not unloved, member of this family walks in. You jump up to give your grandpa a hug, and he smiles down at you silently. He gently pats you on the head with one of his seemingly detached hands. When you look up at him, he signs ‘Good Morning’ to you, and you sign it right back to him.

Your mother starts to stand up, “Let me get you a plate, Dr. Gaster.” She says, though he signs to her to not worry, and that he’s got it. With that, your grandfather shuffles over to the stove and serves himself up some breakfast.

Papyrus pours him a glass of milk, which your grandfather looks at before asking where the coffee is. A small argument starts up over which is better for him, milk or coffee, but it soon turns back into happy chatter.

And as you sit there, looking around at each face, you feel the love they have for you and for each other. Your eyes well up with this feeling. You have always loved them, but you are now realising just how much you love them. This is your family…

…and it fills you with determination and love.

Chapter Text

“Sans,” Toriel said, as she walked up to the skeleton. It isn’t hard to find him if he’s not off on a quest or on patrol. When he isn’t busy, he is either with his brother or at Grillby’s bar and grill.

He looked back at her before turning completely on his stool and giving her his typical smile. That wasn’t completely true, actually. She has seen that the smiles he wears around her and his brother are different than what he uses around others. “hey, t, what’s up?” he said as he leaned back against the bar behind him, trying to have a relaxed, suave pose. For some reason, it just looked odd to her, as she struggled with not giggling.

Taking a moment to recollect her thoughts, she notices that he was wearing a new armor set. Like most of the sets she has seen him wear, it didn’t look like it could protect him much. It was clearly custom-made, and seemed to be from the Deviljho she heard he had hunted yesterday while helping Frisk. Care was taken in the making of it, as it appeared to pay homage to the beast; the scars it had earned in life were purposefully displayed.

“I wanted to say thank you for watching Frisk yesterday and also ask: would you join me on a quest?” Toriel smiled, tilting her head as she awaited his response.

He was quiet for a moment, then shrugged, “sure, i’ll join ya. and no need to thank me, was my pleasure. besides, i promised to keep an eye socket on the kiddo.”

“I know, but I still feel I should thank you,” she looked away, feeling embarrassed, “anyway, whenever you are, I am ready to go.”

There was a small pause, and he started to get up. “so it’s just the two of us this time?”

“Yes, if that is okay,” She replied, watching him.

With a smile and a wink, he replied, “sure, then we can joke all we want without the complaints in the background like we used to.”

It wasn’t long before they found themselves in the desert part of the guild’s hunting grounds. Sans had his light bowgun on his back and his hands in the pockets of the hoodie-like chest piece of his armor. “So, what are we here for?”

“I need some material for a new set of armor I am trying to put together for Frisk. I would like the company and to have someone watch my back,” She replied. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out a cool drink to help her from overheating in this climate. She really wasn’t made for places like this. Even though she was skilled with fire magic, she didn’t have a natural heat resistance to the sun’s rays.

Sans looked away, pulling his left hand from its pocket to rub the back of his neck. She had been around him enough to know that he was considering saying something she might not like hearing. Putting her hands on her hips, she said playfully, “Out with it.”

“don’t you think you’re babying the kid a bit much? he should be gathering this up himself; otherwise, how else is he going to learn?”

Toriel was surprised and shook her head, “No, I do not. Frisk still has a lot to learn, and it is dangerous for him to be alone.”

“i’m not suggesting he does it alone,” Sans sighed and put his hand back in the pocket, “i do my patrols, tori. i know something has the monsters agitated, and the kid should have an eye on him when he’s out hunting. i mean for him to bring back up with him, but to gather the materials himself.”

“Perhaps next time,” Toriel said in a matter-of-fact tone, hoping that Sans takes the hint that she doesn’t want to discuss this any further. Yet, that was something she liked about the skeleton. For the most part, he wasn’t afraid to talk openly to her about things like that, even if he knew she wouldn’t agree. Asgore tended to give in to her for everything except for the one time she felt he should have listened to her.

“well, it’s something to consider,” Sans just shrugs, “anyway, i’ll watch your back, tori.” Together, they walk away from the campsite and into the hunting grounds. She had heard the skeleton had a tendency to pull a disappearing act on almost everyone he went hunting with. Personally, she has never experienced it, and Papyrus only complains about it half the time. It was something Frisk complained about a lot. That is, until yesterday, when she returned from her quest to hear about how Sans saved him from a giant monster, which the boy had learned was called a deviljho.

The two walked together, sharing jokes, as they entered a cave and found the bug hunting spot she was looking for. Toriel looked around, with Sans helping her, for the beetles she needed. “It was a good thing you felt too tired to join your brother and me yesterday. Not only did it turn out to be uneventful for us, but I fear Frisk would have tried the quest alone,” Toriel said, trying to start a conversation.

“yeah, that’s what I heard. papyrus mentioned something about the elder dragon not showing up. it had supposedly changed direction the night before?” Sans asked as he handed a beetle over to her.

“Thank you, and yes, apparently it had. Asgore is very upset and sent the trackers, Dogamy and Dogaressa, to investigate,” She said, watching him.

“huh,” he barely reacted to this information, “does he think there may be a reason for its changed course?”

Toriel nodded, “He thinks a group chased it off.”

“so some others beat you, papy, and mettaton to that?”

“Seems that way,” She said, then watched him again as she added, “By the way, I nearly yelled at Asgore for sending you out so late the night before. I thought he had sent you on another one of those special assignments. He told me that wasn’t the case.”

That finally got a reaction out of him; he flinched slightly. “uh, nope,” he chuckled dryly, “just me being a night owl and trying to avoid ruining my reputation as a ‘lazy bones.’”

“May I ask what you were doing?” she asked as she returned to bug hunting.

“sure, you may,” he said as he tried to free his phalanges from a vine that was progressively getting more tangled around the joints, “doesn’t mean i’ll answer though…” He frowned as his other hand had become trapped. Set on not losing to a plant, Sans narrowed his eye sockets and doubled his efforts to free himself. All the while, Toriel tried not to giggle at her friend’s unfortunate, although adorable, predicament. Cursing under his breath as his metacarpals were now part of the tangled mess, he looked at Toriel with a pleading look, “mind helping me out?”

“I will if you answer my question truthfully,” She moved closer to him.

Sans tried again to free himself, but as the vine was now starting to get tangled in his carpals, he finally resigned and sighed, “a’right, ya win. I went out to chase it off.”

“I figured,” she said softly as she started to untangle him, “why did you go out at night to do it instead of joining us during the day?”

“you should know the answer to that, t. i didn’t want pap getting in trouble for defying asgore. he’s the guild leader and has made it clear that any elder dragon class monster that enters our guild’s hunting grounds is to be slain. to openly go against the rule, like you three were about to, would've landed my bro in a lot of trouble,” he said as he waited patiently for Toriel to free him from the troublesome vine.

“My dear friend, I would have made sure he didn’t get in trouble,” Toriel said, giving her friend a slight glare. To her surprise, he returned the look. It really shouldn’t have, as she knows there are only a few things Sans took seriously, and his brother is at the top of that list.

“really, tori? asgore is the guild leader, not you. you gave up the position and refused to take it back when you rejoined the guild.” Despite sounding calm, there was a slight harshness in his tone.

Toriel finished and stared at him, annoyed that he was talking to her like that, “It is a position I no longer want to have since I’d rather not work with Asgore. What he has decided to do still angers me.”

“i know, and i don’t blame you for that,” he looked at his hands, rubbing the joints. His voice had softened again, and he sighed, “asgore’ll forgive ya for pulling a stunt like that. Like it or not, you’re his ex-wife, and he still has feelings for ya. but even if he loves you, he still will need to punish someone for defying him, otherwise he’d lose control of the guild. and if he did anything to mettaton, there’d be a riot on his hands. and if it ain’t you, or the entertainer, that leaves papyrus. as his older brother, that’s not a risk i’m willing to take. He’s worked hard to get where he is, and i’ll put in all the effort i can to make sure he keeps the progress he’s made.”

Toriel sat quietly and sighed, “But, Sans, the idea of it was to make it clear to Asgore that the guild is not happy with his decision.”

“yeah, i know. and i totally agree with you, but now isn’t the time. unlike the rest of you, i’ve gone on a few quests with the dude. if you had talked to me about it, i would’ve told you he’s not ready to listen to a message like that right now, trust me.”

“We will not know unless we try. Your brother is willing to try, whether you like it or not, Sans,” Toriel countered.

He sighed, sounding exasperated, “i get it, t, you’re an idealist, and i respect you for that. but next time, ask me if you want to involve my brother, ok?”

Silence passed between the two of them. Toriel wanted to say more, but had decided against it. She didn’t mean to argue with him and felt it was best to drop it. The two walked out of the cave together to find another bug hunting spot since that wasn’t enough of the beetles she needed. As they walked into the next area, she smiled at him, “Do not worry about helping me this time. I do not want you to get all tied up again like before.”

“heh, thanks, who would’ve thought the plants would be so buggy?”

“It did seem like a very sticker situation.”

“ivy got to say, it was rather embarrassing. mind not telling anyone? i may wilt with shame.”

Toriel giggled and winked at him, “You’re luckily I have taken a lichen to you. Your secret is safe with me.”

He grinned and looked away as he seemed to blush slightly. That seemed to have ended that session of puns, and she focused on finding the beetles. Once done, she stood up and brushed dirt and plant material off her pink rathian armor. “I am sorry to bring this back up, but just so I know, who went with you? I will not contact them, but I want to know who else is part of our cause,” She said, looking at Sans.

He sighed, looking away again. And there it was. He used his left hand to rub the back of his neck. She watched this, thinking, wondering what he would say that might upset her. Then a thought crossed her mind which caused her soul to sink and a feeling a fear to swell up in her, “Sans, you didn’t face it on your own, did you?”

“of course not,” he said. But the speed at which he responded didn’t seem right. He wasn’t being truthful with her, and that annoyed her.

“Then, which hunters went with you?” She asked again, folding her arms.

Sans closed his eye sockets, his left hand retreating to its pocket, “i didn’t take any other hunters with me.”

“So then you did go alone,” Toriel frowned. Her mind ran through every possible worst-case scenario that luckily didn’t happen.

“technically, no. i had the riverperson with me to man the boat,” Sans said, looking back at her.

“Sans, what you did was very dangerous! You should have taken someone with you,” Toriel closed her eyes, rubbing the bridge of her snout, wondering why he wasn’t taking this seriously.

“i’m sorry, but i knew what I was doing and i was careful,” he said, as if that made all the difference in the world.

“Still, that was highly irresponsible; accidents can happen. There is so much you can’t predict. You could have been killed and no one would have known.”

Sans looked at her for a moment before saying, “are you seriously talking to me like i’m the kid right now?”

“Excuse me?” Toriel was taken aback by that.

“you were using the same tone of voice you use when scolding Frisk. on me. i’m your friend and an adult. not some kid you can scold.”

“Well, I am sorry, but maybe you need scolding for being so reckless with your life,” Toriel almost said more concerned with how she felt about that... about him. But she held back the words that were wanting to come out. It didn’t seem like the time or place to be saying them.

Sans stared at her and seemed about to say something himself. Instead, he turned sharply and walked to the entrance of the cave, “sorry, but i’m not going to do this right now.”

Before she could say anything, he was gone, disappearing from sight the moment he stepped out of the cave. Angry at him for just disappearing on her like that, and herself for pushing him when she inwardly knew she shouldn’t, she decided to just keep going. While she was here, she might as well finish what she came for. She looked around for an area to mine, needing some ore.

The small monsters in the area avoided her, sensing she was nothing they dared to mess with. She sighed, finding that the longer she was alone, the more she wished Sans were there. Ever since she met him, she felt happier when he was around. Now she had time to calm down after that argument, Toriel was beginning to sorely miss his company and hoped he had calmed down as well.

At that point, she was figuring he was either still in the hunting grounds and just avoiding her for now, or he had gone home. Either option, Toriel didn’t like, and she knew she had to take part of the blame for that. She could have explained herself better to him instead of saying the things she did. Deep in thought, she picked up a piece of ore and put it in her bag before pulling out another cool drink.

Her thoughts were disturbed as she heard a sound behind her. She turned to see a plum daimyo hermitaur looking at her. It had just entered this zone of the hunting grounds and looked ready to attack. It spread its claws threateningly, foam at its mouth.

Before Toriel could draw her pink and azure longsword, a shot sailed through the air and hit it, marking the creature. She wanted to look in the direction it would have been fired from to see her dear friend, but she didn’t dare take her eyes off the beast just yet. It was just nice knowing he was still watching her back. Of course, he would be. She knows him and should have remembered he does not break promises. At the start of this, he had promised to watch after her. So naturally, even if he was out of sight, he was not far from her.

The hermitaur tried cleaning its face of the paint before turning around to charge at the goat monster with the diablos skull on its back. Toriel readied to dodge, seeing shots from Sans’ light bowgun striking it on one of the horns. Once it was closer, she dodged out of the way and swung at the horn Sans had been hitting, nearly slicing it off.

It turned to challenge her, flicking its claws across the ground to send dirt up at her face and force her away. She slashed at it before hopping back and moving to the side to get a new angle. Sans, too, had repositioned himself and was reloading his weapon. It was unlike any bowgun she had ever seen. Both skeleton brothers had bowguns that looked like some weird skull with glowing eyes and bifurcated jaws. The only difference between them is that Sans’s was a light bowgun while Papyrus used a larger, heavy bowgun.

As she closed in to attack its legs, Sans's next shot finally snapped the horn he had been firing at, and she had greatly damaged. The mix of its center of gravity changing and its legs being assaulted caused the hermitaur to fall over and flail a bit. Once it got back up, it was furious and sent a spray from its mouth at Toriel. It hit and sent her back, but she managed to recover, her armor protecting her from most of the damage she would have taken.

When she looked up, she saw the hermitaur had its back to her again, charging and closing fast. Before she could react, the world became a blur as Sans grabbed her and used a “shortcut” to get her out of the way. “you ok?” he asked once he got her to safety.

“Yes, thank you,” she smiled, “I am sorry about before.”

“yeah… me too, but, uh, let’s worry about that later,” he smiled back at her before loading new shots into his weapon.

At first, as they battled the hermitaur, they intended to fight it until it retreated away from them. But as the battle dragged on, they decided to capture it. The creature seemed in a state of permanent rage, and they felt this might be something the guild scientist, Alphys, would want to see. Something about the beast seemed not right.

It was huge for even a plum hermitaur and surprisingly fast. But it was facing two veteran hunters who were both highly skilled. The two worked together well, seeming to understand what the other was planning on doing without a word needing to be passed between them.

Toriel’s armor allowed her to take a hit with no worries, which was not something someone could say for Sans’ armor.  She couldn’t help but feel worried about him. He always seemed ‘dead’ set on wearing light armor, saying any heavier, and it just weighed him down. Glancing back, though, she can tell he is mobile enough to dodge any attacks coming his way. He also seemed attuned to the monster’s behaviors and was able to predict when and where the monster would attack next.

Toriel felt it should be close to being trapped, so she reached into her bag and pulled out a pit trap. Just as she set it, the creature went underground. Both know what comes next. The hermitaur will attack from below, so they stayed mobile and ready to dodge. It would most likely go for Toriel, since she was the closest, and hopefully get in the trap in the process.

But it broke expectations, going for Sans instead. Even though he rolled to get out of the way, the speed at which the creature erupted from the ground still sent him flying. Sensing it hit its target, it exited the sand ready to attack.

In that moment, Toriel felt a small sense a panic. She watched as the large monster turned to face Sans, who was still recovering from being thrown by that last attack. Thinking quickly, Toriel grabbed a rock and threw it at the hermitaur to get its attention away from him.

Angry that it just got pelted with a rock, the beast raised and spread its claws before skittering sideways at her. Falling into the trap that was laid between it and the hunter, it struggled to get out. By then, Sans had some tranquilizing shots loaded and was firing at it. It took no more than three before it was passed out.

Sighing in relief that it was over, Toriel sheathed her sword before walking over to her dear friend. Sans stayed sitting, leaning back against the wall of the ravine they were in. It was clear he was tired from the effort and was out of breath.

“How are you feeling, my friend?” Toriel asked, worried he didn’t have the energy to head back.

“i’m fine,” he smiled back at her before moving his bowgun to his back.

“If you say so,” she sighed, shaking her head. He didn’t seem fine, but she wasn’t going to push the matter; she had done enough of that today.

Slowly, Sans started to stand using the wall as support. Removing his hand once he was up, he winced and sharply sucked in air as he started to put weight on his right leg. He put his hand back and got his weight off it as fast as he could. Looking down, he sighed, “maybe i’m not fine…”

With his left, and free, hand, he dug around in his pack. Toriel figured he was looking for a potion, but she didn’t let him finish his search as she stepped forward and picked him up. His eye lights turned small, like pinpricks, becoming like two tiny stars in his dark sockets, “t-tori?”

Keeping him in her arms, she used her healing magic on his leg. He seemed to relax a little as she did so, but still, he seemed very confused. She smiled at him, “I’m sorry, I just wanted to make sure you do not go running off on me again once you were healed.”

To that, she could see that Sans was starting to blush slightly, “ah, well, i won’t, i promise.”

“I do not mind carrying you back. But if you want me to put you down, I will,” After Toriel said that, she noticed his eye light grew larger than she had ever seen before.

His blush deepened and Sans hesitantly looked away as he said in soft voice, “if you don’t mind…,” He then looked back, saying in a joking manner, “you know me, looking for any excuse to be lazy.”

As they walked back, she looked at him, “Sans, I want you to know, I am sorry about how I spoke to you earlier, but… well, I used to think of you as my best friend. I have found that you’re more than that to me. And the idea of you putting yourself in harm's way like that…” He looked at her quietly as she continued, “I love you…, and I care about your brother too. Even if I needed to take back my old role, I would have made sure your brother did not suffer for following my lead. So, please forgive me.”

“naw, you were right. what i did was reckless, and i seriously could’ve been hurt. you were right for scolding me like i was some idiot kid. i mean, i pretty much stormed off like one, so…i’m sorry, too.” He looked away for a moment before looking back at her, “but, yeah, i forgive you, and i love you, too.”

The two smiled, and Toriel hugged him closer to herself as he leaned into her. As they got closer to the campsite, she sighed and shook her head, “What a weird day.”

“heh, yeah, but i wouldn’t change any of it…”

“Neither would I.”

Chapter Text

Sans looked up at Toriel, who smiled down at him with eyes that could only be described as being filled with love. They were on a blanket in front of the fireplace, enjoying the warmth of one another and the flames of Toriel’s magic. She was sitting on the blanket, her left leg stretched out beside him, and her right bent at the knee and acting as a pillow for Sans’ skull.

The skeleton extended his left hand and placed it on the side of Toriel’s face, his phalanges disappearing into the soft fur of his wife’s cheek. She still knew where his hand was, and her large paw covered it, softly pushing it further into the fur. She placed her right paw on his cheek, and he mimicked the same behavior she did.

Even though the goat monster seemed nearly twice his size, he didn’t feel small around her. When he was around this wonderful woman, Sans felt empowered, capable, and loved. While outwardly she clearly dwarfed him, inside she made him a giant.

Tonight was their last night alone together; in the morning, they will end their honeymoon and head back to rejoin the rest of their family and friends. While both were eager to see their other loved ones again, they intended to fully enjoy this night.

This last day, they set aside as a quiet one. The other days, they did some sightseeing and other activities, but today was the simple pleasure of just being together. They baked, read, joked, and talked with each other. When the sun went down, they went out and stargazed together until finally returning to the cabin to get ready to sleep.

At some point, they decided to take the blankets and pillows from the bed and sleep by the fire. Neither of them had been tired yet, so they sat on the floor by the fire, where they continued to talk and joke with each other. Eventually, talk gave way to silent admiration. Any words of love would be redundant, as their expressions and actions said enough.

Sans felt her left hand move from his, and he lowered it from her face, letting her grab the quilt before she settled down beside him. They turned to each other, and Toriel pulled the quilt over them before she wrapped her arms around him in a hug as he hugged her back.

Sans could feel Toriel’s bottom jaw against the top of his head, and he buried his face in the warm, soft fur of her neck. She smelled of the pie they had baked that afternoon, cinnamon and butterscotch. He felt her softly rubbing one of his scapula with her thumb, and that sensation resulted in a happy rattle in return. Slowly, they both drifted off to sleep in each other’s arms, happy in the knowledge that they would wake up in the morning with one another.