Thump
Sans opened his eyes blinking in the darkness of his room. He spent a moment lamenting his lost sleep before wondering where that sound came from. He knew it wasn't Papyrus, he never moved after Sans tucked him in after his story, so that left the human downstairs. The second human to fall into the Underground after the first child. The skeleton shuddered bones rattling softly, he didn't want to remember that first murderous child. First human seen in years and it was a homicidal little demon with a mission to fight him going out their way to enrage him by hunting down all the monsters in the Underground.
He shook his head, there was no point in remembering that demon, and rolled off his bed. Sans blinked, standing outside Papyrus' bedroom door he tipped his head listening intently. It took a few seconds to pick up his brother's wheezy snores and sighed relieved. Papyrus got cranky when he was woken in the middle of the night from anything that wasn't his cellphone. Brother still sleep, Sans hummed pleased and turned his attention to the small pool of light downstairs. The human, an older human, was from what he could see sitting on the floor the blankets Papyrus gave them settled in their lap. Their face was scrunched up in odd expression as the toyed with a lock of hair hanging in their face.
The skeleton made his way down the stairs being loud enough not the startle the human and they looked up blinking owlishly. "didn't know you were a night owl kid."
"I'm not," they muttered voice barely above a whisper before their expression turned sheepish, "Er well most of the time."
"you looking pretty ruffled though, something wrong? need more blankets for a perfect nest?" His grin widened a bit as they snorted quietly.
"If I had anymore I'd be roasting on the couch."
"better than being a cold turkey right?"
They giggled a smile spreading across their face that they covered with a hand. Sans relaxed stepping closer. "so kid, why are you sitting on the floor?"
"I fell off the couch."
"i figured that much out." This human was fond of giving straight answers, "why are you still on the floor?"
"Oh," The dark-haired human rubbed a cheek, "I was thinking. And didn't feel like moving I guess . . ."
"and what was so important that you'd rather freeze you butt on the floor than freezing on the couch?"
" . . . I think I had a nightmare and I'm trying to remember it."
He blinked slowly at that dropping next to the human. "why would you want to remember something that scared you awake? is this a human thing?" He was honestly confused.
"Haha I'm probably not the only one who does this," They laughed softly hands settling in their lap. "But it helps me. To remember what happened then I talk about it."
"out loud?" Sans tilted his skull.
"Mm yeah." The human hummed in reply lacing their fingers together. "I always did that. For as long as I can remember if I woke up in the middle of the night I would turn my light on and then grab my stuffed toys and place them infront of me and talk about the dream." They tipped their head back rolling it on the couch cushion.
"that really helps?" He asked again. The human turned their head to blink at him.
"It helps me yeah." They eyed him considering. "Do you have nightmares too? Really bad ones?" Sans looked away. "Hey you don't have to tell me. I did just say I talk to my stuffed toys. They can't talk back or ask questions you don't want to answer or make faces at you. You can do the same, it might help if they really bother you." The human twisted reaching under the couch pulling their bag out. "Here you can talk to this guy, he won't judge you." They stuck a hand into the bag pulling a plush free. Sans eyed it with the limited light coming from the cellphone on the floor between them. It had bright yellow hair? And was dressed in white, blue, and green clothes with big blue eyes. It honestly reminded him of something he saw Alphys watch one day.
"This is Minato." The plush was pressed against his side. "You can borrow him for the rest of the night."
"right." Sans eyed the plush and took it holding it up. "thanks kid." He stood and the human rose as well gathering the pile of blankets settling themselves on the couch sighing.
"No problem. I hope it helps is all. Night."
"night." He blinked letting hisself fall onto his bed holding the plush over his face. "so I just talk to you huh?" Sans muttered tilting the toy in the darkness. It said nothing not that he was expecting it too. "hm heh heh this is weird." He chortled softly. "i've gone so long holding this back i don't know if i can even talk about it to myself." He let the doll drop on his chest squeezing one of its hands between his phalanges. "but the kid is sure this will help and they've been so nice to everyone and Papyrus so maybe . . ." The skeleton sighed. ". . . y'know your human wasn't the first to drop here, there was one before them." He stopped staring blankly his fingers moving up to the plush's hair. "they came out the ruins covered in dust, determine to do something."
Sans shuddered, suppressed horror rolling through him. "yeah that kid was on a quest. nothing stopped them not even not even-" His voice cut off as he shook eye sockets tingling. "Papyrus," He choked and gasped. It's been almost two months since the first human dropped and it still stung him. It made him want to curl into ball and never move again just thinking about it. "i saw it. i watched that demon kill him. it was so fast i didn't even realize what happened until Papyrus' head fell and his body turned to dust. and i just blanked." Sans uttered a watery laugh. "i don't really remember what happened after that. everything just went hazy blurred together it was all fuzzy i i lost myself." He fell silent blinking back tears.
"i don't know what I did, where i went, who i spoke too, i was just gone. it was all so muddled i'm sure i wasn't thinking straight but at some point i realized i had to do something." He paused once more letting his hand trail to the plush's foot squeezing it. "funny when i came to i was standing in the corridor before the barrier. it was a good thing, a few minutes later the human walked in."
"and i killed them. over and over and over. i lost count at some point. we were going at it for hours, until my magic was just about gone, the best I could do at the end was just push them back if they moved towards me. that was when they starting laughing."
"they laughed and laughed and then they spoke. only said four words."
"Thanks for the fight."
Sans spent a moment just breathing deeply. His magic rolled through his bones with his rising agitation. Just thinking about those words made him seethe. "all those deaths, that old lady behind the door, all the dogs, Papyrus, Undyne, all the monsters they came across, just just to fight me!"
His voice shook as he fought back hysterical laugher. "and and you wanna know what happened after that? after they said that? i woke up here in bed with Pa-Papyrus at the door yelling for me to get up." He gasped and snorted pressing a hand over his mouth trying to muffle his voice. "i i think i lost something after that. i was so clingy and Papyrus was so confused, i couldn't tell him, how could i tell him, and i didn't let him out my sight for days. didn't even go to Grillby's, didn't stick one phalange in the doorway, didn't even look at the door. i was such a bother Papyrus actually had to take me in!"
Sans chortled, "he he he was ranting the whole time. glad i was taking a keen interest in his puzzles but y'know it's kinda hard to set them up or think about them for that matter when your brother is literally sitting and hovering around you. he told Grillby that i wasn't allowed to leave until he came back for me!" He wheezed and panted catching his breath. The skeleton lay still twitching with giggles until he was calm. He hope he hadn't woken his brother with the fit.
"so yeah haven't seen that human at all. never showed up again, i think. then your human appeared, walked out the ruins looking around like they never seen snow before even though they're dressed for the cold. heh kid's gonna burn when they hit hot land." He chuckled quietly relaxing. He was silent for minutes. "oh y'know i think i feel better . . . ?" Or at least he felt content. Sans hummed squeezing Minato to his chest. "heh you're a pretty great listener huh? thanks." He let his eye sockets close.
"SANS IT IS MORNING. THE HUMAN IS AWAKE YOU HAVE NO REASON TO STAY IN BED!" Sans groaned rolling away from the door as it opened. "SANS UP!"
"nooo." He was sleeping so well.
Papyrus stomped across the room sweeping the smaller skeleton into his arms. "SANS YOU- WHAT IS THIS?" Sans cracked a socket open to peer down.
"oh this is Minato."
"MINATO? WHERE AND WHY DO YOU HAVE THIS?"
"human gave'em to me. said increases sleep power by 50 percent."
"NYEH?! ABSOLUTELY NOT! SORRY YOU MUST GIVE IT BACK TO THE HUMAN. YOU SLEEP ENOUGH AS IS."
"whatever you say bro." Papyrus carried him down stairs to the kitchen. The human sat at the table looking like how he felt, wanting nothing more than to go back to sleep. They slurred something at him as he was set in one of the chairs his brother moving to the stove to tend to the food. "morning human, here's Minato." Sans passed the plush over the table.
"Mm? Oh right I wondered where he went. Haha I forgot and almost had a heart attack when I couldn't find him." They took the plush hugging it. "So did it work?"
Sans grin widened. "yeah i think it did." He wasn't completely over what happened but the talk helped just bit. He felt lighter, a little less like he was gonna fall apart.
"Cool!" The human beamed then yawned blinking slowly. They placed Minato on the table and rested their head on the plush sighing. Sans hummed and mimicked them using his arms.
Papyrus sang behind him he could hear the human infront of him breathing deepening. 'this is fine.' He thought dimly eye sockets fluttering shut.
"OKAY! BREAKFAST WILL BE- NOO! NO SLEEPING AT THE TABLE! SANS HUMAN WAKE UP!"
Sans didn't even twitch but he did snicker as the table shook from the human jumping in surprise then cursing in pain causing Papyrus to scold them.
Yeah this was fine.
I dunno I wanted to write this. By the way this is a thing I did and maybe some of you guys do it as well. It helps right? It helped me~. But you know different things different folks. Also writing Sans is hard and by that I mean having his words lowercase.