Chapter Text
You supposed Frisk would have already gone through all this. Your guilt consumes you as you imagine how scared she must've been. She was only a young child. She was here because of you. All because you were a coward.
You push the heavy thoughts to the back of your mind as you examined the large set of purple doors in front of you. It wasn’t that Toriel was horrible or anything. On the contrary, she was extremely sweet to you, and she had assured you that was how she treated Frisk too. It was ironic, really, that monsters had more ‘humanity’ than actual humans. In fact, you’d always thought that humans were the real monsters.
But you really had to go. It saddened you to imagine her reaction to being left alone again, but you had to make sure Frisk was safe. This was your chance. Toriel was most certainly asleep, but there was no saying when she would wake. How alert were monsters to their surroundings anyway?
You lightly knock on the door to test it.
To your surprise, a deep lazy voice replied your knocking.
“Who’s there?”
You were slightly taken aback, but you pull off a quick one anyway. It was too good an opportunity not to seize, although it might not have been quite the appropriate time.
“Wood,” you said, noting the material of the doors.
There was a pause, and then “Wood who?”
“Wood you please help me open these doors?” Ba-dum-tsk. Your joke earned you a chuckle from whoever was on the other side of the door.
“Good one, kid.”
“But please,” you plead quietly, “I need to get out before Toriel wakes up. Can you help me?” What are the odds that he could help you though? The doors were locked from the inside, and if you couldn’t open them, he probably couldn’t either. But it was worth a shot. You didn’t want to have to rush back upstairs, grab the goodbye note you’d left for Toriel on the dining table, and abandon the plan. You were afraid that you would find her awake, reading it, disappointment on her face.
“Why should I help you?”
“H-huh?” He was right. He had no reason to. But desperate, you had to try. “M-my sister came through this way earlier on and….I-I have to find her!”
“You with Frisk?”
“Yes!!” you almost yelled out, excited that someone knew your sister.
“Hold out your hand. Don’t tell Tori about this, though.”
“Uh-uhm. Okay?” you hesitate for a moment, then put out your left hand, palm up to the door. You are surprised as a blue glowing key materializes in your hand. Whoa. Cool. You tentatively prod, then ran your fingers over the key. There was a grunt in response from the other side.
“Hey, mind if you don’t do that? It’s kinda uncomfortable.”
“Sorry!” Oh my god. How did he know? He could feel it? You fumbled with the key and almost drop it, but your quick reflexes caught it just in time. He yelped. You awkwardly stick the key into the lock and turn it. It clicked.
You push the door lightly, and are immediately assaulted by a gust of cold winter air. “Oh fuck-” you swore. You hated the cold, and outside was a winter fuckland. Nice. You reach to the lock to retrieve the key, but it was gone. Quietly, you slipped through the door, and gently closed it behind you. It took you a minute or so to carefully nudge the heavy door into place without making too much noise, and you released the breath you were holding as the door finally shut tight. You lean your forehead on the door and sighed.
“You ok?” Oops. You forgot about your saviour for a moment there.
“Y-yeah, thank you so much. I-I’m really grateful…really…” you turned around, and found yourself face-to-face with….a chubby skeleton? It was probably just the thick hoodie he was wearing, which you eyed with envy as another gust of icy wind cut through you.
“Heh, you do look like her,” he says, as he scans you from head to toe. You shifted your gaze to a nearby tree as he looked into your eyes. God, you were so awkward. “Hehe your eyes are small like hers too. Are you humans all like that?”
“W-what? Th-that’s…racist!” you laughed and hoped it didn’t offend him. He didn’t seem to mind.
“But they were beautiful.”
“What?”
“When I first saw your sister…her eyes were so full of innocence, hope, determination. All the good things that this place lacks,” he waved his hand casually at everything, “things that even you seem to have lost.” He was looking into your eyes again, perhaps searching for the same look in them that Frisk had. He didn’t have to say it, but you knew what he saw. Anger. Depression. Fatigue. Eyes that had seen too much of the world to have hope anymore. Eyes that gave away the real reason why you were here.
You looked back at him, and for a moment you thought you saw the same things reflected in his eyes- then it was gone. You shake your head. You were good at reading people, but maybe skeletons were not your skill level yet. But still you could not shake off the momentary connection you felt with this stranger, who seemed to understand you better than anyone else ever had.
“Um,” you shift uncomfortably under his gaze, “sorry but I think I have to hurry…Frisk could be in danger…”
“Oh, you don’t have to worry about her. I mean, my brother is a human hunting fanatic and all, but he’s really harmless. He would never hurt a fly or anything.”
“T-that’s totally a relief,” you commented sarcastically.
“Anyway, I’m Sans,” he held his hand out to you, “your name’s not like, Frolic or something, is it?”
“No?” you laughed and told him your name. “And you gotta try harder to hide that, ya?” You point at the mini whoopee cushion in his hand.
“Oops, busted. Your sister totally fell for it though,” he grinned even wider and put it back into his pocket. “Anyway, you look like you need some warmth,” he held out his hand to you again, this time without the whoopee cushion. “I can take you to Frisk. Unless you wanna go friskin’ about somewhere else.” He winked.
“Haha, very funny.” You hated it when people made fun of your sister’s name. Enough people already did. It made life so much more difficult for her. What were your good-for-nothing parents even thinking when they named her that? Fucking idiots.
“Come on.”
His voice jerks you away from your angry thoughts. Cautious, you study his skeletal hand for other possible pranks, before holding it.
Suddenly, the snow was gone. It was replaced by inviting warmth. You were in what looked like a shed, with four wooden pillars that stopped short of the ceiling, separating the room into two halves. The other half of the room was like an area for a dog. There was a pile of blankets, a water dish, and a food dish.
Puzzled, you turn to Sans for some kind of explanation. He was now holding another blue hoodie, except with fur lining the hood. He held it out to you.
“You can borrow this for a bit, maybe return it when you get to Hotland.”
“Thank you!” you accepted the jacket gratefully and wrapped it around yourself. It smelt like ketchup and hotdogs, which made your stomach rumble with hunger. “I-I’ll try not to dirty it until then.”
“Heh, don’t worry about it. Anyway I think my brother Papyrus is with Frisk now. They’ll be here soon, probably. I guess we can chill in the meantime.” He sits in the corner, and patted the space next to him.
“What’s he doing to her?” you stand there, not moving.
“Probably puzzles, or trying to capture her.”
“What?!”
“It’ll be okay. Trust me. Just relax, you look like you need some rest.”
You sigh, and walked over to sit beside him.
“So, uh. You heard about the whole barrier thing?”
“Yes.” You’ve read a few of Toriel’s history books to know enough about the underground.
“Have you, uh, decided what to do about it?”
“Somewhat.” You knew what he meant. You would have to kill King Asgore and get his soul to leave the underground. And even then, it would only allow one to leave. Of course, getting Frisk out would be your priority. But you did consider the other option. The one that would allow you to complete what you came here for.
“Hey, don’t worry too much. I’ll try to look out for you two when I can.”
“Thank you. You…don’t have to though. You’ve helped me enough even when you hardly know me…I…I’m really grateful for that. But Frisk is my responsibility. I’ll take care of her. Just…don’t tell Frisk, okay?”
“Yeah, ok.” He looks into your eyes again. This time, you meet his gaze, not surprised to see him give you a look of understanding. He did have a brother after all. You were sure that even monsters had the same love for their siblings as you had for Frisk.
Turns out Frisk was okay after all. In fact, she was more than okay. She had landed herself in a childish, innocent date with Papyrus. Like you, Sans was slightly taken aback too. He did not expect to hear a crash, followed by Papyrus screaming from the house, “SANS, WE’RE HOME. YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE THAT I HAVE THE HUMAN!!! ON A DATE!!!!!!!”
You and Sans exchanged confused looks. He then grabbed your wrist, and suddenly you were somewhere else. In the foyer of a house. Facing a door. Staring in a daze as Frisk walked unharmed through that door.
“Sissy?” Frisk stopped in her tracks when she saw you.
“Frisk? Oh my god, Frisk! Are you okay?” You could hear Sans beside you laughing at the silly nickname.
“Sissy! It’s you!” she ran towards you as fast as her little legs could manage, and you bent down slightly to catch her hug in yours. “You fell down too in the end…” You could hear the sadness in her voice.
“SANS? OH MY GOD SANS DID YOU CATCH A HUMAN TOO? IS THAT YOUR HUMAN?” Papyrus asked excitedly.
“Heh calm down Paps. She’s the human’s sister.”
“OH MY GOD THEY’RE SISTERS? JUST LIKE THE BOTH OF US, SANS!! THIS IS WONDERFUL!!!”
“Uh Paps? I think we’re brothers.”
“SANS! THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!!! WE CAN ALL GO ON A DATE TOGETHER!!!!” Papyrus was over the moon.
You laughed at the exchange, and immediately take a liking to Papyrus. As Sans said earlier, you were sure Papyrus was the type who would never hurt anyone.
“Well, looks like you’re having fun here,” you pull away from the hug and ruffled Frisk’s hair affectionately.
“Yeah! Papyrus is really nice, Sissy! He made me spaghetti! It’s not as nice as yours but it’s ok!”
“Alright,” you laughed, “well be good, okay? Go on, your date’s waiting for you.” You gave her a gentle push towards Papyrus, and she runs off giggling. You stare at the both of them while Papyrus shows Frisk around the house, and a pleasant warmth you haven’t felt in a long time bubbles in your chest.
“Hey.” Oh. You forgot about Sans again. “I think they’ll take awhile. Wanna go grab something to eat at Grillbz?”
“Sure,” your stomach rumbled in agreement. You figure Grillbz was probably the local eatery or something.
“It’s not too far, ya mind walking?”
“Ok…let’s walk then.”
The cold wasn’t so bad with Sans’ jacket. In fact, you didn’t feel it at all. It was almost like magic. Grillby’s was a pub a little west of the skelebros’ house. When the both of you entered, everyone noticed Sans, and were quick to shower him with friendly greetings. You awkwardly follow him to one of the counter seats.
“So, what would’cha like? Fries? Burger?”
“As much vodka as I can get.” You empty your pocket of all the gold you got from the Ruins. The hot bartender gives you a nod, and goes to the back for awhile. He returns shortly with a small bottle of clear liquid and a shot glass. He pours you a shot, then sets the bottle and the shot down in front of you. Ignoring the sounds of protest your stomach gives you, you down the shot at one go.
“It’s not good to drink on an empty stomach, y’know.” Sans takes note of your self-destructive behaviour, but you ignore him.
“I’m going to die anyway,” you down another shot. “So why not sooner?” You reach for the bottle to pour another shot, but Sans puts his hand on yours and stops you.
“Grillbz, I’ll have two burgers and the usual.” Two burgers? Maybe the skeleton was actually fat after all. He turns to face you, “just be good and have a burger. It’s on me, ok?”
“You didn’t have to-” you protested. You were interrupted by Grillby setting a burger on your side of the counter, then the same and a bottle of ketchup on Sans’ side. Sans grabs the ketchup first, and waves it towards the shot in your hand, “care for some bloody mary?”
You smiled politely and shook your head. You liked your vodka as it was. He shrugs, “well, more for me then,” and proceeds to chug the whole bottle at once.
“So,” he puts down the empty bottle, “Frisk and Papyrus aren’t here. You can tell me.”
“Tell you what?”
“I dunno. I get the feeling you had it rough. I mean, we’ve never had two humans fall at the same time and all. Did something happen?”
You were tempted to just pour your troubles to this skeleton you hardly knew. You wanted so bad to tell someone how tired you were of life. Cry as you recount the hardships you had to endure just to earn enough to give Frisk a better life. But it’s ok. He probably had his own share of problems. You didn’t need to burden him with your own.
You simply reply “nothing,” quickly gulped another shot and almost choked.
“Heh sorry. I shouldn’t have asked,” he shrugged, “forgive my nosey-ness.” He points at his nose bone and grins. You giggle, slightly tipsy.
“Hey, you’re not drunk or anything right?” Sans widens one eye, as if raising his eyebrow.
“Nope,” you giggle again, “I’m better than that, ya?” It was true. Other than the uncharacteristic giggling, you were still thinking rationally.
“Really? Let’s see if you can bring that burger to your mouth then,” he points at your burger, “boy, am I looking forward to see you stuff that to your nose or something.” He’s grinning super smugly now. Of course you accept the challenge. You easily take a bite from the burger without smashing it ‘to your nose or something’. It was a good, simple cheeseburger. You beamed at Sans as you successfully took a second bite.
“That’s a good girl,” he chuckles. You realise he had just coerced you to eat. You looked down intently, a blush forming on your face, half from the vodka and half from the embarrassment of being praised and cared for.
He looks at his burger for a moment, as if in thought, then takes a bite out of it. “Take care of yourself ya? Your sister needs you.”