Chapter Text
i don’t wanna move…
But despite his best efforts to try and fall back asleep, he couldn’t.
Eventually, he cracked open an eye-orbit and stared at the muted tv. It was running some re-run from Mettaton’s newest show, “Stories from the Underground”. It was a silly talk show where Mettaton put his twist on current events in the monster and human communities. It had recently been confirmed for three more seasons. at the very least…
Sans turned his head back into the couch cushion in an attempt to smoosh his face back into it. He really didn’t want to do anything right now. His phone buzzed somewhere nearby.
After several long moments of internal debate, Sans pushed himself onto his elbows to look for it. He found his cell on the floor nearby, he didn’t even have to get up to reach it. Definite win. He unlocked the phone with a magical swipe of his finger making an hourglass out the three by three dots. Everyone thought that modern touch phones operated with heat or pressure but really it was just an electric field that needed something conductive to distort it. So no modification had been needed for monsters to use them, after all magic was an excellent conductor.
“hpmf.”, Sans grumbled. It had just been an email. Then his sleep blurred vision translated the sender into meaningful words. He sat all the way up, snatching his phone off the floor as he went.
He tapped open the email and read it. Then he re-read it a few more times just to make sure he wasn’t crazy.
They’d approved his papers.
His work was going to be published in the next issue… of this international journal. Everyone in the world would have access to his studies and findings. no pressure…
He was going to be a published author on the Surface. Which had been no easy feat. Not with all the damned hoops he’d had to jump through to get his degrees recognized, thanks al for laying the groundwork there. Then he’d had to modify all of his previous reports to fit the journal’s publication format, only for everything to get peer-reviewed by a bunch of other Surface scientist who worked in the field. It’d taking months for them to get back to him about this, he’d almost forgotten that he’d submitted anything to the IJQI back in June. After he and Toriel had their talk she’d gotten him thinking about the future. Something he promised himself he wouldn’t start doing yet.
“pfft. liar, liar.”, Sans muttered to himself. if i hadn’t been thinking about the future yet then why’d i get my doctorates recognized back in may… tori just- gave me a direction…
Sans slumped backwards into the couch and closed his eyes. By October Dr. C. S. S. Gaster would be a recognizable member of the quantum physics community, or at least a google-able one.
Sans sighed heavily and glanced back at his phone; the screen had gone dark. He tapped it on again, intending to delete the email just so he wouldn’t have to think about this sort of life altering event anymore. one that didn’t actually change anything .
But his now fully awake brain got hung up on the lockscreen.
‘2:03 pm
Tues, Sept. 20’
shit. wasn’t that reunion thing supposed to start at one…
Nobody had messaged him or called him asking if he was still coming, so maybe the party hadn’t really started yet. Sans climbed to his feet and looked down at his clothes. His shirt and jeans didn’t look too dirty… well, they didn’t look stained and he always looked sleep rumpled so nobody would notice. And his hoodie seemed fine, but the slippers probably weren’t the best idea.
The last time they’d gone to this park Pap had said he wasn’t going to rescue his slippers from their inevitable grass stained fate. Not that Papyrus hadn’t had to do several loads of wash to get the grass stains out of his clothes. But Sans figured it’d just be easier to not risk it, so he shuffled into his room and found his tennis shoes. Stuffing bare metatarsals into them along with the untied laces, Sans straightened up.
He grabbed his wallet off the dresser and made for the front door. As he passed by the couch he waved his hand carelessly. Incased by a pale blue glow his phone jumped off the cushions and into his hand. Then the tv switched off. He plucked out the only set of keys left in the snail bowl and double checked that the front door was locked. Then he turned back towards the living/dining/kitchen area and took a deep breath.
The grassy park splayed out in front of him, he could see the whole place when he was up on that hill. He hoped that nobody had decided to climb up there today. He leaned back against his front door-
His back met the uneven surface of the tree’s trunk. He stood alone atop the hill. The cooling September wind rolled off the nearby river and rustled the branches above him. The tree’s leaves had started their annual color shift, green was fading to yellow.
… ah. so that’s why nobody’d called…
Because they hadn’t missed him.
The park was packed. They’d set up a stage and a bunch of those rent-able tents. Scattered all over were tables and chairs. Some had umbrellas others didn’t, some were under the tents and others had been dragged towards the tree line to steal some of their shade. It wasn’t like it was really hot enough to be concerned about the heat, but nobody liked to sit with the sun in their eyes. And the Dog Family seemed to be enjoying the shade. Lesser Dog had just shaken water out his coat... maybe he had jumped into the river to cool off .
From where Sans stood he could see the whole sea of monsters and people. He counted a little over thirty humans who’d decided to join their celebration. He knew most of them and figured all of them were likely friends/co-workers of the monsters attending. As for the monsters… Sans knew all of them. Well, he knew all their names at least, and he could probably remember a couple of facts about each one if he really tried. It’d sort of been his job… to know them… to remember them and their lives…
He should walk down the hill and make a lame joke about being late. Then he could mingle or whatever. Say hi to Grillbz and Ember and Muffet and the Dog Fam and the Bunnies and Blook and the Slime’s and the Washua’s and Gerson and- and…
God, he felt tired…
His feet slowly slid out from underneath him. His heels left little furrows in the dry dirt and the rough bark at his back crackled on his way down. Maybe, if he just sat really still he’d fall asleep again. Then he could just apologize saying he slept through the event… and it wouldn’t even be a lie.
The party was just so much work . To talk and smile and be friendly. Everyone would expect him to act just right, to be as happy as they were, but to still be disinterested and mellow and funny like always. They all would expect something of him if he walked down there… and it felt like more effort than he was capable of just then. Like more effort than he was capable of, ever.
i’m just so tired… can’t i just be done…
They probably wouldn’t even notice if he didn’t show… i’m really not gonna be missed…
Sans heard a distinctly Papyrus-ish laugh and searched for his brother in the crowd. It was relatively easy, he just had to look for the coolest guy ever… and the fish warrior… and the swarm of star-eyed kids.
The herd of little ragamuffins seemed to have roped Papyrus and Undyne into a game of volleyball. Five striped shirts plus an adult equaled one team. Pap was wearing his ‘cool dude’ shirt with an unbuttoned dress shirt over it. It seemed like he’d come here straight after work because he was still wearing his uniform slacks. It’d taken a couple of months for Papyrus to figure out how human fashion worked, but once he got it he started blending in pretty seamlessly.
Sans snorted to himself. tori’d like that one… His eyes tracked away from the intense and passionate game just as Papyrus scored on Undyne, his scarf billowing epicly. It didn’t take him long to find her, there were only two over seven-foot tall goat-boss-monsters down there and one of them was in a vibrant hawaiian shirt.
Toriel wasn’t wearing a dress or skirt today. Not wholly unusual but very causal given the news van Sans had seen driving out of the parking lot. maybe that’s what they’d been going for… this wasn’t a memorial or some kind of big government deal, just a party… a reunion for them… for friends and families… heh, that sound just like the kid…
She was wearing one of her work blouses, the ones that always screamed ‘I am a teacher’ to him. It was a cream colored top that looked like it had lots of little dots on it. it’s the one with all the tiny snails on it…
A bark of laughter escaped him. His hand clapped over his mouth. Not for fear of being heard, but because the manic laugh was going to start him on a downward spiral. One that wouldn’t be good for anyone involved. His soul clenched painfully.
He wasn’t sure why the fact that he’d known exactly which shirt Tori was wearing was making him panic… or cry… or whatever this was, but it had. She was mingling like proper royalty, as was Asgore, they seemed to be playing orchestrators to the whole shebang below all while slipping into the background of the party. A couple of the humans Sans had recognized were senators and one might have even been the Governor. They too, were with their families and were dressed ‘causally’.
Asgore approached Toriel’s little group and slid into the conversation easily. they really made quite the pair… the king and queen… she doesn’t really need someone like me to keep her company anymore…
Toriel wasn’t isolated anymore, she had her school and a job and Frisk and friends and family… she was set. It’d probably be really easy for him to just… fade into the background. He’d simply remove himself from her life, it’d be painless even. she’d probably want it that way, no fuss, no extended acquaintance, just a gradual distancing…
Sans tore his eyes away from her laughing face. They came to rest back at the volleyball net. The game had ended and the kids were running off in different direction one group led by Frisk and the other by MK. Alphys strolled over to Undyne and Papyrus with drinks for both of them and an enormous smile on her face. Undyne said something. Alphys replied. Undyne laughed.
Mettaton soon joined the group. He’d just finished bring refreshments to the six protesters in the parking lot; very much a backhanded ordeal, Sans was certain. He’d dragged Napstablook off the stage and invited them into the group. They talked. They laughed. Papyrus waved at a couple who passed by, they waved back in obviously delighted recognition.
Papyrus had been an adult for awhile, Sans had known that. But here, at this distance, his baby brother didn’t look like a kid anymore. He didn’t look like he needed someone to help him, to take care of him anymore… No Sans seemed to be the only one who needed somebody to take care of him now. Everyone had moved on in their lives, they had hopes for the future and we’re happy to meet them. i shouldn’t keep pap tied down anymore… he needs to live his own life… without having to wait for me to try and catch up…
Sans closed his eyes against the magic stinging in them. He was just so tired…
wasn’t this supposed to mean something… one year… we’ve been here for a year… why don’t i feel different… everyone down there is happy and excited and i can barely move…
He’d thought that making it this far would give him a sense of relief, a sense of freedom. That he’d be able to tell that the timeline was truly stable, that he wouldn’t ever have to go back. But when he looked into his soul… it was just… waiting … just like always, just as patient as ever… waiting for all of this to be gone… waiting to wake up in Snowdin, again .
Couldn’t he just heal! Was that to much to ask… god, can’t i just move on!
… please.
...please...
.
.
.
His phone vibrated.
Sans cracked an eye orbit, he didn't know how much time had passed. Thing below seemed to have changed, though. Most everyone had a plate. A couple of blankets had been thrown out and the kids were sitting on them. One had been dragged off by the teenagers, both monster and human, apparently parents were embarrassing no matter what species you were. A couple of adults were sitting with kids too, as supervisors, but mostly they were at the tables or were standing nearby chatting and eating. the catering bill for feeding over three hundred beings must be astronomical… did grillby and muffet do this or’d tori get someone else…
Sans watched a couple of the humans react… interestingly to the food so at least some of it was magical. He considered picking out the faces he wanted to see once more, but decided it’d be too much work…
He reached into his pocket for his phone. The action seemed to be requiring an inordinately large amount of energy to complete, but at last he freed his phone. He tapped it awake. 2:44 pm
He’d been sitting up on this hill by himself, wallowing in self-pity for almost an hour. He felt disgusted with himself. useless…
The notification said it was a text from Tori. she’s probably just gonna tell me that it’s okay if i bail… s’not like she really needs someone else to keep an eye on…
He opened the message. Pop the joint back in quick, so to speak, and just get it over with.
--- * Sans, are you feeling well? Did you still plan on coming to the Reunion event at the park?
Not exactly what he’d expected, but Toriel is a lot nicer than anyone has the right to be. what if she’s not gonna let me go because she’s afraid she’ll upset me… what if i drag her down with me…
He looked for her face in the crowd again. She was sitting at one of the tables that had been pulled a little farther away from the main event, she’d kicked off her flats and was relishing in the feel of the grass against her paws. She’d told him once how it’d been her favorite thing as child, to run barefoot through the fields surrounding the township she had grown up in. Her phone was on the table by her plate and drink. It seemed everyone had clued into the same hint he had: she wasn’t in the mood to talk just then, because she sat alone at the table.
His thumb hesitated over the keyboard. Should he just tell her he can’t make it and then just go home or should he go down there and join the others?
Toriel took a sip of her drink and picked up her phone to inspect it. She didn’t seem to find anything worth while so she put back down. She stretched a little more, had a bit of food, checked her phone. She did a little scanning of her own and seemed to find what she had been searching for. It made her look pleased. She checked her phone. Took a sip of her drink. She checked her phone, but this time he could see her type something.
She ate a little more.
His phone buzzed.
--- * I do hope you are alright…
She picked up her phone and typed something else.
His phone chirped again.
--- * You would tell me if something was wrong, would you not?
--- * Sans…
* yeah, i’m good t
* i just got a little hung up
* should be there soon
Sans didn’t know why he’d just agreed to go, he really wasn’t in the best mood. But, for some reason, it seemed to be the answer Toriel had been fishing for.
She had been mid-bite when she’d hurriedly snatched her phone off the table.
--- * Oh, hung up on what?
* a jacket
* it really quite nerve-rack-ing
Sans watched her mouth curl upward. The smile was broad enough that he could tell it was genuine, even at this distance. His soul did that painful tightening thing again. He shouldn’t be trying to keep her invested in him… it was wrong… and misleading… He wasn’t somebody she should depend on…
--- * Your war-drobe sound quite intense. Perhaps shoe should pick something less coat-ed in stress-ed fibers. ]:D
--- * Alphys informed me that I can put letters in my emoticons to change how the textual face looks. The ‘D’ is to show that I have a very wide smile and I can use a ‘P’ to make it look like my tongue is sticking out. Like this ]:P.
--- * My tongue is not actually sticking out.
Sans pulled his knees into his chest and buried his skull in his arms. She meant so much to him. These were the kinds of conversations that he lived for and yet- he was so scared he didn’t know what to do with himself. If she found out what had happened… If he told her everything… she hate him. He’d lose her forever and he’d have no one to blame but himself. And he couldn’t even apologize for what he’d done either, because he’d do it again. Even now, on the Surface, he knew he’d do all of the horrible things again, because that was the only way. It was the only way to protect them. To protect the timeline.
His phone buzzed.
He swiped at his tear streaked face and looked at his phone. He’d missed a couple of texts from her.
--- * Sans? Are you still there?
--- * I suppose you must be busy with work or some other important thing.
--- * Or maybe you have fallen asleep, I do not know.
--- * In anycase I shall let you get back to it. Just know that we would be very happy if you stopped by the park.
--- * And I hope that you know you can always talk to me.
--- * Whenever you need to.
Sans looked up and watched Toriel stare gloomily down at her phone. She looked up and scanned the crowd for someone. Her face seemed to have zeroed in on Papyrus. how worried is she?
She seemed to be having some kind of internal debate. She came to a decision and put her shoes back on.
She shouldn't be worrying about him. Not now. Not at the party she’s spent months planning. He should re-assure her… he should do something to let her know that she shouldn't worry…
* knock knock
She sat back down in a huff and tugged her phone back out of her pocket. She typed something on her phone. She didn’t put it back down when she finished.
--- * Who is there?
* dishes
Sans stood up and studied the trees near her table. She was texting. He could just pop down there for a bit, tell her a joke or two and leave again. Nobody’d have to even know he was there. He just didn't want her to worry. He put one hand on the tree trunk and began to walk around it.
--- * Dishes who?
He stepped behind the tree-
He stepped out of the treeline slightly to her left. “dishes a joke you’ve heard before.”, he said with as much of a smile as he could muster.
And then something he hadn’t expected happened.
He was swept off of his feet. Literally.
It hadn’t even taken Toriel two full strides to reach him. She had lept to her feet at the sound of his voice, but she hadn’t seemed even the slightest bit surprised to find him behind her without explanation. She’d clearly been spending too much time with him. But once Toriel reached him she didn’t really stop, not until they almost occupied the same space. She’d pulled him into her arms for a hug.
A real hug. One of the ones that meant something. She didn’t lace it with magic, she didn’t need to. He could feel her warmth and joy and compassion without it. And once again he really considered how lethal this height difference was going to be for him, as she swiftly pulled him face first into her large, lovely, and very pillowy chest.
He had been so shocked by her sudden, yet graceful actions he’d been a bit stunned. She started to pull away perceiving his stillness as discomfort. He grabbed for her. Barely managing to wrap his arms part of the way around her, in a desperate attempt to stop her. He didn't want this hug to be over yet. Not yet.
It seemed to have been just the thing he needed. It wasn’t going to fix all of his problems, nobody could , but it seemed to be easing the panic and pain that had been clutching at his soul. He’d always felt starved for affection, or really for a connection, for someone who really understood him and here she was. Toriel didn't know anything about what was wrong and yet… And yet the thought of losing what they shared tore violently at his soul. So he just really wanted to stay there, to just hug her for a little longer.
The hug lasted a few moments longer, Sans still didn’t want to let go, but he didn’t want to push his luck either. He still felt tired and not in any kind of party mood, but the idea of talking with people and saying his hello’s seemed like a far easier task than it had moments ago.
They stepped apart. She stepped a bit farther back than he did, he was used to looking way up, but she wasn’t used to looking that far down. “Hello, Sans.”, she said a little breathlessly.
“heya.”, he replied with a bit of a shrug.
After a beat of silence, they both laughed. Toriel’s snicker rang out with Sans’ deep snort, a very familiar harmony for the two of them.
“Oh, goodness.”, Toriel continued, “I had not meant to barell you over, only bid you a hello.”
Sans pulled his hands out of his pockets, they seemed to have drifted back there once he’d let go of her, and brushed off her apology. “nah, t. i really don’t mind, honest. i mean i think you should be sellin’ those things, but since you’re still givin’ ‘em out for free i won’t ever say no.”
“And which things do you believe I should be selling?”, Toriel asked flippantly, one of her hands coming to rest on her hip.
“you’re hugs, t. i mean just advertise them as the cure for bad dreams and sad thoughts, you could make millions.”, he answered on a laugh.
She rolled her eyes, but she still smiled down at him. “I do not think you or Frisk would be very pleased if suddenly my hugs became a commodity, and a very lucrative one at that…”
Sans pretended to think about it before replying, “eeh, on second thought… forget i said anything.”
Toriel laughed and gestured for him to join her at the table. He followed and sat at the chair diagonal from hers. Not across from her, but not awkwardly next to her, go rectangles . “Not inclined to share, are you?”
“heh. what gave it away?”, Sans questioned back. She had taken a sip from her drink so he continued, “although, i do think this is the first time one of my jokes got a hug instead of a laugh… but whadda i care as long as the responses are positive. maybe i ought to try to and embrace this new form of audience feedback…” He trailed off, pretending to be lost in thought.
She laughed and he grinned back. They fell into a kind of comfortable silence for a few moments, while they both picked at her plate. Sans fished for the the monster food and Toriel seemed more interested in the fresh fruits than anything.
Toriel hummed thoughtfully at him while she munched on a strawberry. Sans made a noise of encouragement instead of replying as he eyed another spider cookie on her plate. “It had occurred to me this morning, that this date does not just the mark the anniversary of monster liberation, but that it also marks the day we first met face-to-face…”
Something in his face made her back pedal, “It is quite silly, I know, to see this as anything important between us. Especially, given that we have known one another for much longer, but still it is an interesting milestone, I suppose.” She had glanced away from him.
“tori”, Sans said to recapture her attention. Once she looked back he continued, “it means a whole h-” Sans hesitated, looking around himself and the table. When he didn't see any striped shirts he started up again, “it means a whole hell’ve a lot to both us… i mean we never really thought that we were actually gonna get to meet each other… so it's kinda a big deal.”
Toriel had placed a hand over her mouth to hide her smile at his antics, but her candy-colored eyes still danced with laughter. After a moment to collect herself she spoke, “Sans-”, but almost immediately cut herself off with a gasp of shock. She had tried to place her hand over the one he’d left on the table. Fur brushed bone. She jerked her hand away.
Sans had felt his magic spark for his plaganges to her soft digits, but he hadn’t meant for it to happen. For her to feel what he felt… underneath the smile. He started to pull his hand away too, more out of fear that it might happen again, that he might lose control again. i really shouldn’t have come…
Her eyes had widened slightly, but at his movement she, possessively, reclaimed his hand. Her large furry paw all, but consumed his smaller bone digits; holding him in place, keeping him there with her. He flinched in fear that he wouldn't be able to keep his soul in check.
Nothing else happened. Sans waited stiffly for her to comment, for her to ask what was wrong with him, for her to question him and demand answers for what she had felt, for her to do something. She just tightened her grip on his metacarpals. Neither spoke, they just searched the others face for some kind of clue about the others thoughts.
Toriel broke the silence first. “Your bones feel very cold, my friend.”
Sans didn’t know why he felt like he needed to look away but he did. “yeah, they do that sometimes… ya know no body heat, ‘cause i’m a skeleton.” He tried to brush off her concern with a joke and to reclaim his hand. He was very good at that sort of thing, pulling away.
She didn’t let him. “What has happened, Sans? What can I do to help?” The genuine concern in her voice made him shiver a little.
nothing really happened… there really isn’t anything wrong… i'm just me… and- and this happens sometimes… don't worry. He wanted to say all of those things, but he couldn't. Instead, Sans glanced back at her face to gauge her reaction and regretted it. If he thought it was going to be hard to play this off before, then there was no way he was going to be able to now. Not now that he could see her worry and concern so plain on her face. Her expression was so open and sincere and real. Her deep lovely eyes sparkled with magic as she watched him. Waiting for him.
It had been nearly impossible to keep things from her when they’d been in the Underground, but now that they weren’t separated by a door she seemed to have gained an unfair advantage. He sighed, “i’m just… really tired…”
“Physically or emotionally?”, Toriel inquired almost immediately.
It pulled a little chuckle out of him. “you’re the only other person ‘sides pap, who asks me that…” But when she didn’t reply he figured she must be taking a leaf out his book and was just gonna try and wait him out. He used his free hand to rub at his eye sockets, before puffing a breath out from between his teeth. “they’re kinda the same thing for me… when i get emotionally drained it just kinda… makes me want ta’ sleep so i get physically tired pretty much right away… i guess i’m just not in a party mood...”
She squeezed his hand and spoke softly, “Sans, my dearest friend, you do not have to be in a good mood all the time. Your friends and family will understand if you are feeling unwell and do not want to participate as much. In fact, I do not think anyone would want you to force yourself to do something that makes you unhappy. We all would very much like you to recover… we care about you…”
Sans just shook his head. “nah, i should really probably stay… isolating myself doesn’t lead to- uh, good times… i guess i just need a pick me up, er something- just ta’ sorta get me back on my feet, so i can be social and stuff...”
Toriel fell silent for a moment while she thought. Then she asked, in all seriousness, “And what do you normally do, as a ‘pick me up’?”
He almost laughed in her face, but he managed to temper it down to an escaped snicker. At her confused expression, Sans shot her an incredulous one of his own and said, “you.”
Her hand tightened around his.
And then his brain suddenly, connected what she had said with what he had and tried to backtrack, “i mean hanging out with you… or pap… or frisk. you three just kinda leak positivity so it’s hard to stay- i dunno… bummed around any of you.”
Toriel just beamed at him. It was like what he had said had made her whole day or something. He hoped to god that the he was only imagining the blush he felt on his face. “Well then,” Toriel began trying to fight back her smile and not really succeeding, “lettuce try and fix you cabbage mood~”
Sans snorted. Something in his soul unclenched with the laugh. “come on t, even the sprouts ”, Sans used his thumb to gesture to the running children, “wouldn’t be- leaf that you just said that.”
“You shall have to excuse me, Sans. My head has just been romaine through a rough patch all day, today~”, Toriel retorted with glee.
They both burst into laughter. His soul shook with him, the relief was overwhelming.
“...and the poor girl was so embarrassed” Sans explained, “she kept apologizing about it and i tried to tell her that it was okay, but she was just too flustered. so she got me my change and managed to hand it back to me without dropping it this time, just as her co-worker came back with my new tray. and so i leaned over to look into the food and then i looked up and said, ‘so this one’s nickle free, right?’ and they both crack up. i think pap would’ve been more irritated with me if i hadn’t just made the cashier feel better.” He finished with a laugh.
She’d had to fight back her laughter to let him finish his story, but once he was done she giggled uncontrollably. This was one of her favorite things, when they got the chance to not just share stories about their lives but also explain some of the better puns the had delivered when the other hadn’t been present. “I hope we will be able to change his mind about puns someday~”
They both fell into another fit of laughter. Once Sans had pulled himself together he managed to say, “that’s a good one t, you’d better coin it!” between his chortles.
They both de-evolved into more guffawing laughs. Toriel could see how bright Sans’ eye-lights were now and the difference made her soul thrum with joy. She hadn’t even noticed that his eyes had been dim before, not until they had lit up at her lettuce joke. His eyes were one of the hardest things about his face to read, without a reference she couldn’t tell if his eyes were the right illuminosity or not. Perhaps Papyrus might be able to assist me, he is likely able to read Sans’ mood without issue…
Though, without a doubt, Sans’ smile was the most difficult part of him to read. She could tell the difference between the genuine article and his resting grin, but when he was purposefully hiding behind a smile she couldn’t tell, let alone discern his true emotional state. It was why she had felt so incredibly daft for not noticing how distressed he had been earlier.
She had merely assumed that his showing up had meant he was okay, she hadn’t even considered the idea that he was unwell until she felt his magic jolt up her arm. It had been fridged. And dark. And very... abnormal. His magic had always had a odd undercurrent, like something unnatural lurked in it, but it had never felt quite that… distorted before. They might not have been in contact any longer, but she knew that if they brushed together again he would feel cool and crisp and bright. The oddness would have merely become a caress at the edges of her thoughts.
Before she could begin her second story, a voice called out to her, “Mom!”
She turned slightly and watched her child approach at a galloping run, Papyrus hot on their tail. “Mom, Dad wants me-”, Frisk started, but seemed to change focus mid-sentences as they noticed who was seated at her elbow,“Uncle Sans!”. The child skipped around her with a jubilant laugh and nearly knocked Sans out of his chair with the force of their tackling hug.
“woah, there kiddo. you better watch the force of your glomps or ya’ might take out a friend with all that passion”, Sans laughed as he fluffed the top of their already messy head. Frisk only giggled into his chest.
“HELLO LADY TORIEL! AND SANS THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS TOO MUCH PASSION… AND HELLO SANS.” Papyrus exclaimed as he reached the table.
“heh. hey bro.” Sans smiled up at Papyrus as Frisk climbed out of his lap. “so how was work, today?”
“IT WAS MOST EXCELLENT! AND DUE TO TODAY’S MOMENTOUS ANNIVERSARY, MANAGER WENDY ALLOWED ME TO DEPART EARLY SO I COULD ATTEND THE ENTIRETY OF THE CELEBRATORY PICNIC!” Papyrus cheered with delight, but he seemed to remember the reason for coming to join them and continued, “BUT FRISK AND I CROSSED THIS VAST GRASSY EXPANSE BRINGING AN INQUIRY TO LADY TORIEL!”
“Right!”, Frisk exclaimed. “Mom, Dad wanted to know if you were ready to start the speeches, yet or should we still wait?”
Toriel blinked at her child. It cannot be quite time yet, can it? “I do not think that it is late enough yet…”, she started to say as she reached for her phone to check the time. 3:57 pm. “Oh my goodness!”
“what’s up, t?”, Sans asked as he leaned in to look at her phone. He looked up at her. She started back at him. They had been talking for over an hour and neither had even noticed. Just like old times.
But before they could speak, the voices and footfalls of more approaching friends reached them. “Yo! Papyrus, Frisk! What’s the rush? Is somethin’ happening?”, Undyne called as she walked up hand-in-hand with Alphys.
Both had dressed nicely for the occasion, Undyne in a stylish jacket and sturdy boots or ‘ass-kickers’ as she liked to refer to them. Alphys was in a very pretty sun-dress and matching wedges. The young lizard-monster had recently discovered that with her tail as a counter-balance she could wear high-heels very easily and because of the footwear's shape, it forced her to stand up straight. It had done wonders for her confidence, being able to stand tall and click around the halls of her lab like she was ‘a big deal’, as she had put it, had been her favorite thing about the shoes. Undyne was absolutely loving the change in Alphys’ demeanor and her girlfriends overall outlook. Mettaton would only comment with an ‘I've been telling her so for years, darling~’. She now stood taller than Sans most days. He didn’t seem to mind. Toriel had begun to assume that Sans had stopped trying to be taller than other beings a long time ago.
“H-hello, everyone. O-oh Sans! When did you g-get here?”, Alphys called with a bit of a wave.
At Alphys’ words, Undyne seemed to focus in on him instead of just glancing past him like she did on occasion. Toriel wondered briefly if she had just grown accustomed to just dismissing him when they’d been in the Underground. “Yeah, bonehead, we were starting to think you were gonna be a no-show.”
“um… heh. maybe… and i got here like an hour ago, so…”, Sans commented with a shrug. He seemed mildly distracted as he glanced away from her to look at the newcomers.
“What’s with the look?”, Undyne asked as she and Alphys finally came to a stop at the table.
“i was just noticing how time flies.” Sans replied with another careless shrug.
But before anyone else could speak Frisk piped in with a giddy laugh, “But that’s okay as long as you duck! I mean, nobody wants to get clocked.”
All eyes turned to the beaming child. Laughter bubbled from Toriel’s mouth as delighted pride flooded her soul.
“kid- kiddo- pal- frisk. there aren’t words to describe how amazing- how perfect- how pun-derful that was.” Sans responded with an enormous grin, only to rope Frisk’s small giggling frame into a hug. “i think your mom as been a fantastic influence on you~”
Toriel grinned, “And here I was going to credit you with Frisk’s expanding joke repertoar.” They both just shared a simpering look as Frisk wiggled out of Sans’ hug.
The rest of the group seemed to have had delayed reactions and were now grumbling not so quietly about the pun.
“BROTHER! I DO NOT THINK THAT THIS KIND OF INFLUENCE IS HEALTH FOR A GROWING CHILD! EXPOSURE TO SUCH- UNSOPHISTICATED COMEDY MIGHT AFFECT THE POOR AMBASSADOR FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIFE!” Papyrus cried out in distress, trying to hide his own grin in outrage.
“Oh Papyrus, I do not think Frisk shall suffer from any kind of serious side-effect because of second-hand pun exposure~”, Toriel all but sang in amusement.
Sans shot her an excited look before saying, “yeah pap, tori’s right. hour jokes shouldn’t hurt the kid, but i guess-”
“-Only time will tell!”
“-only time will tell.”
They exclaimed together, before bursting into bone-rattling laughter. Quite literally in Sans’ case. This was met with several minutes of exasperation and irritation as the rest of the group had to deal with the terrible jokes grating across their senses. Although, Alphys and Undyne did share an unusual look with each other… A very Frisk-ish look… One that Sans also caught. He and Alphys had a brief staring contest, which only resulted in Alphys beaming harder.
As the conversation began to return to a more normal volume and cadence by returning to the typical ‘how have you been’ and ‘what’s new with you’ exchange, when a new voice interrupted them.
“Howdy!”, called a deep rich voice. Asgore in all of his garish glory, somehow managed to stroll both meekly and purposefully towards them.
Toriel did not even sigh. She did not feel resigned or upset by his appearance. She merely felt calm. She did not hate Asgore, not anymore. After watching him spend time with Frisk and the way they had clung to him meant rejecting him entirely from her life was no longer possible, she had simply decided to steel herself to decades of painful future encounters. But she did not receive them, no she had not expected to feel the hatred that had once consumed her soul simmer down into manageable dislike. And she certainly hadn’t expected this change to be paired with the healing of her own heart. But as they say, hindsight is twenty twenty. Now, it made perfect sense that her hatred hadn’t been founded in reason like she’d once believed it to be, it had been constructed by the years of grief and the continued loss she had suffered through. But she had begun to heal. She had begun to forgive: herself, her kingdom, and maybe one day her old love. Not yet though, he had not atoned enough for his thoughtless cowardice.
“Yo, Asgore!”, Undyne called happily. Alphys waived, only a bit timidly, and Papyrus saluted enthusiastically. Frisk called out their greeting as Sans snuggled more comfortably into the plastic chair, his skull coming to rest in his hand as he used the table and his elbow to prop himself up.
It took Asgore a few strides to cover the same distance Undyne and Alphys had had a conversation across. “I do not mean to interrupt, but it has appeared my messenger was delayed.” He smiled down at Frisk, who could only shrug in response.
“Oh, you mustn’t blame them. Frisk was indulging their poor age-ed mother with a few well timed puns.”, Toriel answered with a laugh. Sans snorted into his hand. Everyone, but Frisk, groaned.
Asgore looked confused for several moments before Sans through him a bone. “don’t look planck, buddy. s’just that we’ve been thrownin’ around a lot of time puns.”
Alphys let out a sharp bark of laughter, before nervously clapping a hand over her mouth. Sans grinned impishly at her and left her to flounder with the explanation. “Um- well, you see- he said Planck instead of b-blank… Max P-planck was a theoretical physicist who r-revolutionized quantum theory…” she trailed off.
“Wait, but babe… why’s that relevant to the whole stupid time thing…”, Undyne asked, with a minor head tilt and an exasperated wave towards the table. She was very patient with Alphys and truly found her girlfriend’s knowledge base fascinating, but the puns seemed to be testing her patience for the rest of them.
Alphys fidgeted a bit, “I, um- don’t really know the specifics about his work, but… um- Sans does!” She gracefully shoved him under the bus.
Sans who had been absentmindedly picking at the paint on the table, replied causally, almost distractedly. “s’not his work. somebody just named the unit of time we use for measuring the distance it takes light to travel in a vacuum, planck time. ‘cause he was the one to first propose the idea for natural units, which are a set of units of measurement that aren’t based around sapient created constructs… like seconds or kilograms.”
Sans kept picking at the table. The silent crowd stared for several more seconds, before Alphys turned back to Undyne. “S-so… that’s why I laughed… it was a physics- time joke…”
The silence stretched and Toriel began to realize that she was not the only one who hadn’t considered Sans’ educational level before. Except for Papyrus, who looked like he was about ready to tell Sans to stop picking at the paint and appeared entirely unfazed. Even Alphys looked a little surprised. Surely, she must have known he could answer her question… was she just not expecting him to give an actual answer or… oh goodness- she was not expecting him to give an actual answer in front of everyone.
Sans let out an enormous and studiously uninterested yawn. His jaw cracked with the movement. It was just distracting enough to get them to shake out of their stunned states.
Asgore blinked once and shook his head as if trying to clear his thought before carrying on as if nothing had happened, “I see... Well, my purpose for venturing over here was to inquiry after the time frame for the speeches and award ceremony.”
This new direction in the conversation seemed to be one everyone was willing to pursue and all appeared to be desperately happy for the change.
Toriel grinned slightly at his wording and caught Sans’ eye-lights dancing in amusement out of the corner of her eye. “I believe that it is plenty late enough to begin. Truly, I was just waiting for all of the awardees to show up and to make sure everyone was well feed before the ceremony started.” Toriel remarked.
“I’ve been listening to you plan this award thingy for like a week and a half, what’s this all about?”, Undyne demanded… passively.
“This ceremony is for all of you, actually, and Mettaton as well. It is to be a token of the Kingdom’s appreciation for all of your valiant efforts to assist Frisk one year ago. They had wanted to say thank you for both lending them your aid throughout their trials in the Underground and as the ambassador of the nation for which your noble deeds saved. And we as a kingdom truly owe you all our thanks, as well.” Asgore expressed sincerely.
His words were met with several different kinds of shock. Each one more interesting than the last. Undyne was simply startled by the public recognition. Alphys flushed several shades of purple as her magic filled her face, embarrassment the main emotion consuming her expression. The genuine surprised elation that blossomed across Papyrus’ face was nearly blinding. And Sans. He just kind of stiffened in place, but he gave no other outward reaction to the news. Their stunned silence only lasted for a few moments before an eruption of words a questions come pouring out of the surrounding listeners.
With a large paw held up asking for silence, Asgore received it. “I understand if you have your doubts about your own heroism, but no matter how unconventional your actions may have been you all played key roles in assisting Frisk. And for that, we can never thank you enough.”
“Asgore is right.”, Toriel added smoothly. “We all owe you a great deal more than this, but the unspoken debt we, the monster community, owe all of you can never be repaid. But it shall be remembered and honored.”
Undyne looked a little embarrassed. Alphys looked shell-shocked. Papyrus looked like he was on the verge of tears. Frisk looked like they face might start hurting from all the smiling they were doing.
Sans looked tired.
“eehh... i think i’m gonna have ta pass.” Sans said. At Asgore’s and likely her own, confused looks he continued, “it’s not that i don’t appreciate this or something, but this just doesn’t really feel like it’s my kinda thing, ya know?”
When no one said anything he continued, “‘sides, this token deal is gonna be one of those gold coin things with the official delta ruins stamped into it, right? they’ve always seemed like a lot of responsibility to live up to… so i’m gonna take my bows now if you guys don’t mind… sorry for holdin’ up the ceremony, though.”
“Are you certain, Sans?”, Toriel questioned slightly taken aback.
“yup”, Sans said popping the ‘p’, quite a feat without lips. “and someone’s gotta catch the whole thing on camera. i mean the coolest guy ever getting an award with his bestie, his bestie’s girlfriend, and his idol, how could i pass up that kind of opportunity?” Sans grinned at Papyrus. The skeleton in questioned looked to be crossed somewhere between amazement, pride, concern and maybe a little disappointment, but he shot Sans a star-eyed smile in turn. He still seemed to be at a loss for words.
With still curious gazes on trained on him, Sans got up. And with a spine popping stretch he yawned, “plus this will make the speech thing go faster, a real win-win for everyone. welp, i’m gonna go a get a couple more snacks, say hi to a couple a’friends, and get the best possible angle to record this whole thing from. catch you later.”
With his hands stuffed into his pockets and his shoelaces untied, Sans quickly vanished into the crowd mulling around the buffet tables.
“That was very... odd.” Asgore commented to no one in particular.
“You want me ta’ go and drag him back here?”, Undyne asked as her eye trying to track him in the crowd.
But before Toriel or Frisk could even try to voice their protest, a very startling high pitched squeal escaped from Papyrus. Wided-eyed everyone turned to look at him. Asgore had even jumped back slightly in surprise. Papyrus had clapped both hands over his mouth.
After a moment or two longer he removed his hands and apologized, “YOU ALL HAVE MY TRUEST AND MOST SINCEREST APOLOGIES FOR MY DELAYED REACTION TO SUCH MONUMENTAL NEWS. IT IS BY NO MEANS SURPRISING THAT I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, RECEIVE SUCH AN AWARD. I WAS SIMPLY NOT EXPECTING IT TODAY, FOR I AM VERY UNDERDRESSED FOR THE OCCASION! IT IS VERY UNBECOMING FOR THE ONLY MEMBER OF YOUR MAJESTIES’ ROYAL GUARD TO BE DRESSED SO INAPPROPRIATELY! COME UNDYNE AND DR. ALPHYS! WE MUST SEEK METTATON’S ADVICE ABOUT WHAT SHOULD BE DONE TO MODIFY OUR WARDROBES IN SUCH A SHORT TIME! FRISK, YOU TOO SHOULD ACCOMPANY US TO INFORM METTATON OF THIS GREAT HONOR! NYEH HEH HEH!” And with that he took both Undyne and Alphys by the arm and tore off across the grass to where he had last seen Mettaton. Frisk chasing excitedly after them.
But before he had fully turned to leave, the look he gave Toriel reminder her uncannily of his older brother. The subtle smile, the calm look, and the perfectly understood silent request. It left her a little tongue-tied. But she had been right, Papyrus could read Sans like an open book.
Sans watched as the last of the chairs were loaded up by the rental company. Papyrus and Undyne waved to the moving crews, they waved back wided-eyed. Both had succeeded in stunning the random civilians with their superior acts of superhuman strength and by the crazy efficiently-inefficient way they choose to load the vans. Papyrus glittered spectacularly in the fading light, clearly the after effects of a Mettaton style makeover.
Sans smiled a little. He wasn’t feeling great, but he definitely felt better. He’s attention was captured by Frisk as they demonstrated to Alphys and Toriel the correct way to perform a cartwheel. Which meant they had to yell as they rolled into the handstand and pose very dramatically when the landed. Frisk stuck the landing, their audience applauded.
This had been a good day, he supposed... all things considered. He’d certainly had worse ones, that was for sure. The sun had started to dip below the horizon. The rental company departed.
It was just them now. Just the seven of them. The first seven to watch the sunset exactly one year ago.
It was a hell of a thing.
Papyrus and Undyne joined their group, but neither said anything. Nobody said anything. They just watched the sunset.
Alphys reached for Undyne’s hand. They locked fingers.
Frisk leaned against Toriel. She pet Frisk gently in return.
The sun dipped lower.
And lower.
And was gone.
Dusk overtook them and soon twilight would follow.
Asgore broke the silence first, “That was just as lovely as the first time…”
And Sans could only agree.
“But,” Asgore continued tearing his eyes away from the afterglow, “I must be up early the next morning, so I shall take my leave.”
Goodbyes were exchanged and hugs were given and received by the large not-quite-ex-King.
and then there were six…
Twilight began to mar the purpling sky with dim specs of light. The twinkling caught his eye and all but forcibly dragged his gaze upward. Transfixed by the slowly brightening stars, Sans began to realize how much he wished he’d brought his telescope. Out here, away from the really populated part of the city, the light pollution was considerably lower. It was the perfect place to view the stars. And if Sans’ memory was correct, then the moon wouldn’t start rising until early in the morning. The sky-scape would stay cloudless and dark through the crisp September night. His hand twitched for his notebook.
Turns out Frisk was on the same page as he was, their head craning back to stare into the darkening expanse above. “Hey, Uncle Sans… do you think you can do one of your startalk things, like we use to?”
Sans puffed out his breath on a sigh, “i’d love to kid… but i’d need my laser pointer at the very least… maybe i can point out some of the basic stuff if you want…” Sans couldn’t make himself look away. This part, the slow appearance of indicators that hinted at a universe far greater than their minds could ever grasp, was entrancing to him. They didn’t reply.
As the silence stretched, Sans finally managed to look away. He knew if he didn't, the view would have enthralled him until daybreak. “besides i don’t think you’re mom would want you to stay up late on a school night.”
Toriel only hummed indecisively. She too was watching the night sky. “I do not think I would be opposed to it. As long as you do not mind, I see no reason as to why we cannot stay for another hour.”
Sans briefly wondered if it would be worth all of the questions he was bound to get to just take a shortcut back to the apartment to get his gear. “i wish i’d thought to grab my laser pointer…”
“WHY SANS? ARE YOU REFERRING TO THIS LASER POINTER?”, Papyrus inquired smugly. As Sans turned towards Papyrus, his brother tossed him something. Sans’ hand shot out to catch the small object on instinct. It was, in fact, his laser pointer. “THE ONE I GRABBED FOR YOU BECAUSE I AM THE GREATEST OF ALL SIBLINGS!”
It was his really good one too, the one that lived in his telescope case. “pap, when did you grab this?”
“WHY JUST A FEW MOMENTS AGO. WHEN UNDYNE AND I FINISHED ASSISTING THE HUMANS RECLAIM THEIR RENTAL PROPERTY.” Papyrus answered, still grinning at his brother like he knew something Sans didn’t. Papyrus was enjoying the sensation immensely.
When Sans only stared blankly at him, Papyrus continued, “YOU SEE I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS AND COOLEST BROTHER EVER, REMOVED IT FROM THIS CASE.” And then Papyrus pulled Sans’ telescope case out of his inventory. Sans wasn’t sure what kind of face he was making, but Papyrus only grinned harder. “WHICH I PLACED INTO MY TRUNK BEFORE I LEFT FOR THE DINER THIS MORNING! NYEH!”
“bro…” Sans started, his words sounding a little monotone to his own senses, “did you ask me if you could put that in your trunk?”
Apparently his eye-lights had gone out, given the frozen and uncomfortable face the others were making. That in combination with his tone, or lack thereof, they all began to look a little… disquieted by the situation developing in front of them. Papyrus was entirely unfazed, he knew exactly what Sans was thinking. “OF COURSE, I ASKED YOU BEFORE I LEFT! I WOULD NEVER TAKE SOMETHING WITHOUT ASKING FIRST!”
“and was i still asleep when you asked me?”, Sans continued, now just because of the effect it was having on everyone else. They didn’t seem to get the joke, but Papyrus did. Papyrus glanced towards the others where they were shifting and fidgeting in agitation. they're probably remember that stupid letter scheme… at least that seemed to have left some kind of a lasting impression on them.
“MORE THAN LIKELY~” Papyrus said unapologetically as he grinned back at Sans. He seemed more than willing to play along.
Several more seconds of silence and he might actually get Undyne to fidget, but Toriel was starting to look very confused so Sans spoke, “bro.”
“YES BROTHER?”, Papyrus knew exactly what Sans was doing. god i’m so lucky to have such an awesome sibling…
“you know you’re the best, right?”, Sans beamed. His eye-light flicked back on in full force, and Sans briefly wondered if they’d kept their original shape or not.
But before he could say anything else, a half-pissed half-whispered, “ god damnit ” rang out over the mostly quiet group. Toriel sent Undyne a sharp look and the fish warrior almost flinched from the heat of her glare. But their exchange had been all but lost on the two skeletons as they both doubled over with laughter.
Sans had to stagger a little to lean against Papyrus while he laughed. Papyrus leaned back.
It had been a very long time since they’d teamed up to prank anyone and it felt good. Sans wiped at his eyes before tears of laughter could escape. Well, he hoped they were just tears of laughter.
“you- should’ve seen- your faces”, Sans cackled as he tried to right himself.
Papyrus beamed down at him before commenting, “YOU ALL HAVE BEEN JAPED BY THE GREAT PAPYRUS AND HIS BROTHER!”
Sans high-fived Papyrus while the other sent them mixed looks of irritation and amused exasperation. Alphys just let out a huge sigh of relief.
“no but, seriously pap,” Sans started again after he’d gotten his snickers under control, “you’re the best bro ever. thanks.”
“OF COURSE I AM!”, Papyrus grinned. “AND YOU ARE QUITE WELCOME SANS.”
“so now that i’m properly equipt, we’ve got some tough choices to make kiddo.” Sans remarked as he turned towards Frisk. They had their arms crossed, and it reminded him frighteningly of Toriel, who had likely taken up a very similar stance behind him. He ignored both the stare boring into the back of his skull and the mini-glare trying to do the same thing in front of him and continued, “where should we set up the ‘scope?” He patted the enormous case next to him, for emphasis.
Child-like curiosity won over mild annoyance and Frisk asked, “what do you mean?” They’d uncrossed their arms to approach.
“i mean, should we set up here and risk only catching everything at zenith- do you remember what zenith is?” Sans asked mid-sentence.
“Yes,” Frisk nodded vigorously, wanting to prove that they’d been listening to him all those nights up on the apartment roof. “It’s the part of the sky that’s directly above us.”
“right,” Sans praised before continuing, “so do we only watch zenith ‘cause of the treeline and suffer from awkward observational stances or do we take this baby halfway up the hill and limit which direction we can view in but get more of the horizon instead?”
As Frisk thought, Sans could hear Papyrus tease an irritated Undyne for doubting their brotherly love. Toriel wasn’t trying to stare holes through him, exactly, now she was just watching him intensely. “Ummmm… whadda you think?” Frisk said after a while.
“pfft.” Sans snorted at Frisk. Quite the little politician they were turning into. “i think i’m getting too old to do the awkward zenith poses anymore, so i’m gonna risk the hill. let’s face the parking lot ta’ get more of the skyline.” And with that Sans hoisted his case up onto his back, just letting it rest across his shoulder blades nonchalantly. It was probably a pretty humorous sight, given that the case was longer that he was wide. And probably weighed more than he did, too.
From Frisk’s “woah” and the small gasp of shock from behind him, it must have been more startling than funny. what's with them… But Sans didn’t really pay them much attention, he just wanted to get his scope set up before it got too dark. i’ve got like seven-ish minutes before i completely lose the light…
But Frisk raced after him, burning questions hot in their young mind. “Wait, Uncle Sans!”, Frisk called.
Sans didn’t bother to stop, Frisk was fast enough to catch up with him. He did call a “sup, kid?” over his shoulder, though. Toriel was following them both up the hill. Undyne had Papyrus in a headlock, while Alphys tried to spin damage control. Sans figured they’d all catch up eventually.
“I thought that telescope was really really heavy.”, Frisk commented.
“welp, heavy is kinda a relative term. i mean to you, yeah this is probably heavy, to most kids even. but to a monster not so much… especially to a skeleton.” Sans remarked casually while they walked. Toriel’s long strides had easily caught up with them, but she didn’t say anything. She seemed perfectly content in her silent observation of the two of them.
Sans could hear a couple of calls of “Hey! W-wait!” and “Slow up, you nerds!”, but he still didn’t stop. They were burning daylight, so to speak.
“Well, how does that work?”, Frisk questioned seriously. They seemed to have fallen right back into old habits. All of those nights the two of them had spent on the apartment's gravel rooftop, back when they’d lived together, had been filled with their questions and his answers. It had become routine for both of them. Frisk asked a question and Sans explained. Frisk asked, he answered. Question, response. It was old hat for them.
It occurred to Sans that normally it’d have just been the two of them. He’d never really gone stargazing with everyone like this before... Sans just shrugged a bit. “it means that i don’t’ve any muscles, so everything i do is all magic. and i don’t really have like a- magical weight cap either, but that doesn’t mean i can carry as much as i want.”
Frisk didn’t have to actually ask ‘why’, Sans could just feel the curious energy leaking off of them, while they kicked at the grass on their way up the hill. “i can only lift up to the tensile strength of my bones.”
“So wait! You’re like, as strong as Papyrus is?”, Frisk exclaimed.
If Sans hadn’t been planning to stop already, that statement would have stopped him dead. He let out a bark of laughter, “ha! not a snowball’s chance in an oven, kid.”
Toriel let out a snort at Sans’ modified swear, but by this point the other’s had caught up. “What’s not a snowball’s chance?”, Undyne demanded agreeably.
“Sans said he can lift up to his tinsel bone strength so shouldn’t he be as strong as Papyrus?”, Frisk questioned the approaching trio. They were both trying to get a second a opinion, and trying to help the others get up to speed.
He heard Undyne laugh. And Toriel corrected Frisk’s pronunciation. Papyrus made some kind of non-answer to Frisk's question. But Sans was only noticing this peripherally, his focus was entirely trained on the rapidly expanding night sky.
There were three bright lights to his left and severally dimmer stars towards his right. Since he was facing West the two brightest ones on his left ought to be planets and the third dimmer one was a star, it was faintly twinkling while the others didn’t. so those are probably mars and saturn and that's gotta be antares… He looked back towards his right guessed about where Polaris ought to be once the light had completely faded. He took a few steps in that direction, he’d want to get a better Southern view. Cassiopeia was nice and all, but they weren’t facing the right direction for Andromeda anyway, so he didn't feel like they were missing too much. Sans put the case down and popped the heavy latches, this was probably as good as spot as he was gonna find under such short notice. As he swung the lid up, he tuned back into the conversation only to find that the others had started arguing about something.
“Frisk, even if Sans’ and Paps’ bones are made out of the same stuff. There’s no way he can carry as much as Papyrus can. Like zero chance!”, Undyne exclaimed, while she gestured vehemently at an awkward Papyrus.
“I know and Sans’ said as much! But it doesn’t make sense!”, Frisk complained with exasperated hand flails.
Papyrus was starting look as uncomfortable as Alphys was, both had been trying to not so subtly get his attention and had been failing fabulously. Toriel had stepped in deeming it time to intervene. “I understand that you might be confused, my child, but that does not mean you should raise your voice. But nor should you have done so either, Captain. ” Toriel said with a bit of a bite in her words. “Perhaps Sans or Papyrus might care to explain further?”, she gave him a pointed look as her soft mouth said his name. His soul jumped a little in anticipation. Getting Toriel riled up was no easy task and a very enjoyable pastime of his.
He stomped the feel down and forced himself to focus on something else. Like… like the fact that he wasn’t gonna be able to set up the scope in time, not if he was going to need to give an explanation while he worked. He fished his lanyard out of the case and switched on the red tube light with a sigh, trying to think about where he should start. He didn’t really bother to look over towards the group while he spoke, he just went to work setting up the telescopes tripod. “heh. sorry kid, i guess i space- d there for a bit.” diffuse the tension with a joke, just like always .
He finished attaching the shock-absorbing non-slip feet to the stand. “so like, i was saying, nah i’m not as strong as pap-”
“Told you,” Undyne grumbled. It seemed that the whole concept had really bothered her. Maybe it was the idea that despite the lack of effort Sans put into his life, he might still be able to reap the same benefits as Papyrus, who had worked very hard to get where he was, upset her.
“-but i might’ve been.” Sans carried on like he hadn’t heard the fish-monster. “see you’re right, if paps’ and my bones were made of the same stuff then we’d have pretty much, been the same strength.”
“But they’re not.”, Frisk had meant it as a question, but it came out more of a statement.
“nope”, Sans popped the ‘p’. He readjusted the tripod again, then checked the built-in level. It seemed to be pretty balanced, or as balanced as it was really going to get. The sky had darkened some more as twilight slipped through his phalanges. “i’ve got brittle bones…”, Sans said on a sigh, more of an afterthought than anything. this would have been way easier if i’d set this up while the sun was still up…
Sans just carried on in their silence completely oblivious to the surprise on everyone’s faces, even Papyrus’. It was just so odd to hear Sans talk about himself in any capacity, especially about his bone condition. “i know, it seems kinda strange given that i’ve got such thick bones now, but they’re still mostly hollow. even birds have got more structure in their bones than i do…” He trailed off, trying to decide which eyepiece he wanted to use. He looked up at the darkened sky for several more seconds before he settled with the standard one, they really weren’t gonna be doing anything special tonight.
“hmm... so yeah, when i was like fourteen i went through an experimental magical medical procedure to thicken my compact bone layers, even if they couldn’t fill the inside of ‘em at least it would be harder for me to splinter them, anymore…” Sans continued to himself and knelted down in the grass. He started unlatching the barrel of the telescope from the case.
“if they hadn’t done the procedure i’d probably have just fallen apart er somethin’ by now…”, Sans went on, still almost talking more to himself than any of them. He really had to be careful with this part, the lens and mirrors might have been secured in their housings, but one wrong move and nearly a thousand dollars would end up lying unusably across the ground.
“the bones would’ve tried to get longer without using more dust to make create them…” Sans paused as he hosted the barrel out of the case and secured it the the mounting plate. “but, long story short… that’s also why i’m so, well- short…”
He finished adjusting the external view finder and eyepiece before he noticed the silence. When he turned to look at them he was met with a bunch of stares and a very odd look from Papyrus. “what?”
He was then very startled by the sudden in flux of noise. Both Undyne and Alphys had been shocked by his words but for two very different reasons. Alphys had known him for like ten years and he’d never once mentioned any of this to her. Undyne shouldn’t have ever let him become a sentry, it could have proven to be very dangerous and a medical condition like that could have put the other guards at risk if they hadn’t known about it. Frisk was just kinda shocked in general. Toriel seemed like she just want to pull him into a hug. A very gentle ‘I almost too afraid I’ll break you’ hug. And Papyrus just beamed at him for some reason.
Sans rolled his eye-lights at them and nudged the case closed with his foot, the resounding *kr-thunk* effective cut off them off. He shook his head once before turning back to the telescope to manually calibrate it. His family was weird. “so i guess in the order of questions i heard, al it just never really came up in conversation. undyne fluffybuns recommended the position to me before i’d even asked you about it. i mean i’d just gotten out the hospital, it wouldn’t’ve made sense for me ta’ have tried do something really labor intensive. frisk and tori, this doesn’t really change anything so please don’t start tiptoeing around me or somethin’, i’m not made of glass. and pap what’s with the face?” Once he’d finished talking he pulled away from the eye pieces and reset the declination.
“NOTHING! THERE IS JUST SOMETHING IN MY EYES!” Papyrus cried out. “A VERY HAPPY SOMETHING! ONE THAT IS FILLING ME FAMILIAL JOY BECAUSE YOU HAVE GROWN COMFORTABLE ENOUGH WITH EVERYONE TO SHARE PERSONAL FACTS WITH YOUR FAMILY!”
Sans snorted as he reset the hour angle, “that sounds like tears, bro.”
“THAT WOULD BE A VERY ASTUTE ASSUMPTION!”, Papyrus sniffled.
Sans shook his head with a laugh and plopped on the the grass near his telescope. He patted the spot next to him, inviting Frisk to join him. There was some more grumbling and proud assurances before, much to Sans’ surprise, they all joined him on the grass. “so kiddo, do you remember what the rules for these startalks are?” Frisk nodded confirmation so Sans went on, “so then let’s hear ‘em, we gotta fill in the noobs.” Sans finished be hooking his thumb towards the group behind them.
Frisk wiggled happily at the idea of not being the inexperienced one tonight. “First, don’t move the telescope without permission and help.” They began and started counting out the rules on their fingers. “Second, don’t use the laser pointer.”
“and why can’t you use the laser pointer?”, Sans inquired passively. His gaze flipping between Frisk and the night sky.
“Because it’s illegal and can be really dangerous if it get’s pointed at someone’s eye.” Frisk answered promptly.
“Wait seriously?” Undyne interrupted. “That little pen light is dangerous?”
Sans shifted to look back at her as he pulled the pointer from his pocket. “oh yeah. this thing’s really powerfully and it’d blind someone if you start pointing it at people.” He wiggled it for emphasis. “plus… uh, it really is illegal to use in non-designated dark sky zones.” He then flicked it on and waved it around the sky, demonstrating casually. He grinned a little as it cut through the darkness and turned the distant void above them into a manageable diagram.
“And how did you discover that it was illegal to operate under such conditions?”, Toriel inquired, her eyes narrowing at him. She was beginning to suspect that right now might be one of those situations. She would be right.
“heh... ‘cause i got a warning from the cops not to use it. apparently it can interfere with airplane pilots so as long as i’m not flashing it at planes we should be fine…” Sans said with a shrug. “so yeah nobody but me gets to use the laser pointer… just in case.”
Toriel looked like she was trying to be angry with him, but couldn’t quite manage it. She gave him a ‘carry on’ gesture and shake her head. The small smile playing at the corners of her mouth, really went to show how much she trusted him.
Sans his soul shivered again and he cleared his non-existent throat, before turned back to Frisk, “so frisk, what’s the last rule?”
Frisk looked between him and Toriel, trying to decide if they were in trouble or not. After receiving a small smile of their own from Toriel they said, “Remember to learn something new?” But they way their voice carried up at the end made it sound like a question.
“right, bucko. so let’s try and learn somethin’ new…”, Sans trailed off with a smile as he turned the laser pointer back on.
Papyrus was carrying his telescope back to the car. He and Undyne were discussing which of the constellations were cooler… well, it was really which asterism had a better story, or at least that was what Alphys had been trying to remind them of in between her yawns.
Sans would’ve carried the scope himself if a small very tired child wasn’t bumming a piggyback ride from him. They’d fallen asleep while he’d been talking, so the group had decided to call it an early night. But when he’d gotten up to break down the telescope Frisk had woken up, protesting their accusations of tiredness… while rubbing at their sleepy eyes. In order to end the argument a piggyback ride down to the car was required and since, apparently, Sans was at fault for waking the kid up he was designated the carrier.
But honestly Sans didn’t mind, not while he walked with Toriel. They didn’t say anything to each other, both were content to let Frisk fall back to sleep. The silence didn’t really bother them, anyway. Both simply appreciated the others company. They shared a couple of knowing looks. His soul thrummed a little harder with each one.
All too soon they’d reached the parking lot, but they had been a few minutes behind everyone else as it was so they shouldn’t complain. Undyne and Alphys waved as they pulled away. Frisk snored a little.
“I shall go bring the car around”, Toriel half-whispered to him, before heading for her van.
Sans would have protested, but he had discovered some time ago that he might have hated to see her go, but he was very fond of watching her leave. Her small tail wagged a bit as she walked.
Frisk mumbled something and it pulled Sans’ attention away from Toriel’s… walking .
“hmm, what was that?”, Sans asked gently.
“... I need your help…”, Frisk whispered back.
Sans cocked a brow ridge and turned his head a little to get a better look at Frisk. “oh, yeah? with what?”
“I need to go back to the Underground.”