A/N: This was more of a vent fic than anything. I wanted a comforting Skelebro and I can't write Papyrus very well yet, so I figured I'd try Sans. Plus, I really like puns and making some. Anyway, this is my first fic for Undertale.
Spoilers for (my choices) in the True Pacifist route, as well as hints/possible spoilers for Genocide.
It had been at least a few weeks since the barrier had been broken. At least a few weeks since the human had taken up residence with Toriel.
At least a few weeks since freedom.
For the most part, everyone was happy. It had become almost hard to believe that the very human that the monsters had once sought to capture was the very reason that everyone could be happy.
At least… almost everyone.
"Sans, could you talk to them? I fear they are deeply troubled." A gentle, female voice murmured. It belonged to Toriel, the guardian of the ruins. Her eyes glimmered in what appeared to be deep concern, her mouth having since twitched into a small frown. It wasn't too terribly often that she sported anything but a caring smile, which only further highlighted her worry.
The short skeleton she spoke to allowed his gaze to wander somewhat, not quite looking her in the eyes. His hands, as per usual, were stuffed into his pockets, and nothing about his body language gave anything away. Unlike his rather eccentric brother, his expression never changed all that much. At least, no one has seen it if it had.
"have you tried a joke or two? they seem to like those." He pointed out. Toriel offered a soft sigh before giving him a nod.
"I have, yes. Unfortunately, they did not work this time." She replied, crossing her arms slightly as she did so. It was not an annoyed stance, by any means. More of a stance of deep concentration.
"…hey, don't sweat it too much. i'll go talk to them, all right?"
This seemed to cheer up the taller, white monster, who gave him her typical, gentle smile. Despite her calm exterior… he knew she was more than likely still a bit worried.
"come on. you can see right through me. i don't have the guts to lie to you. everything's going to be okay."
With each little pun, he noticed her features curve a bit further into her typical self. Before long, she couldn't help but laugh at his bad jokes. For a moment, he closed his eyes, allowing her to calm down, before opening them again.
"…so, uh… where are they?"
The human known now to the monsters as Frisk sat alone beside a patch of golden flowers. Their knees were pressed inward towards their chest, and they remained entirely silent. However, this was far different from their usual bit of silence. Something about this silence was… off. Deeper.
It hadn't taken Sans long to find them, either. Toriel knew that they liked to come tend to the flowers, though they never fully explained why. Finding them this way though… caused something at the very edge of his consciousness twinge.
In the few weeks that he and the other had been granted freedom, he had come to learn a lot more about humans and just how fragile they could be. Not all of them had as much Determination as Frisk, and even those who did… would sometimes allow it to grow weaker, whether by choice or not.
He had also come to learn that those of which whose Determination had dimmed, in worst case scenarios… sometimes took drastic measures. Sometimes, they even took others with them.
Sans felt himself tense, just a bit, and he instinctively shut his left eye. Frisk's Determination hadn't dimmed, had it? Frisk… wouldn't do anything rash and take everyone's happiness too, would they? His hand tightened into a bit more of a fist.
Soon, however, Frisk finally turned their head towards the skeleton. For a moment, they locked gazes, before Frisk lightly patted the ground beside them. A tiny smile graced their lips, though even that appeared a bit sad. It took a second, but Sans finally relaxed himself, just a bit. His one eye remained shut, almost in a wink, as he couldn't help but feel on edge.
Yet… as he moved to slowly sit beside this child, the one that he had become friends with… he couldn't help but feel just a small bit of something akin to guilt well up in his mind. He didn't like doubting this child, and yet… he had good reason.
Frisk stared ahead after Sans had sat beside them, their gaze now back on the golden patch before them. The silence was a bit awkward, at least to Sans. However, he allowed the human another moment or two of silence, before finally speaking up.
"so… toriel tells me you've been down. wanna tell your buddy sans about it?"
At first, there was no answer. Sans almost wondered if they had even heard him, however, he soon got his answer. The child skooted closer to him, moving to adjust his arm to drape over their shoulder. He was a bit shocked when he noticed small tears starting to trail down their cheeks. That was something he had never seen before, other than if he or Papyrus caused them to laugh too much with their banter.
This was… unusual, for him. He wasn't entirely used to comforting another. Sure, he used to with Papyrus at times, but it was pretty easy to get Papyrus' mind on something else to cheer him up. When it came to anyone else, though… he wasn't so sure.
He shifted so that his boney hand could be placed upon their head. Again, he found his gaze shifting, though this time, it was because that guilt had just grown exponentially. Here this kid was, crying… and he had been thinking the worst of them.
He moved to pull the child closer, so that they could cry against his jacket. His other hand, the one not holding their head, gently patting their back. For once… the skeleton comic was silent.
Once the child calmed down, they explained what was wrong. Sans listened intently, though even then, they almost couldn't hear the soft, almost whimpery voice. They had been having nightmares. They couldn't remember a majority of them, but they did remember how scared they felt. How alone.
Everyone was gone.
Hearing that caused San to close both of his eyes for a short moment. That… had momentarily caught him off guard. Did that mean that they had been afraid of the very same thing, all this time?… No. That wasn't likely. Sometime during all of this, though… it had become true.
Finally, he opened his eyes so that he could properly look at the child. By that point, Frisk had moved to look up at him. No doubt they had sensed something was wrong, too, and that familiar glint shone in their eyes.
Sans let out a soft chuckle despite the situation. No, he had been wrong earlier. Their Determination hadn't dimmed. Their soul was merely battling their own inner darkness.
"you don't need to worry about that. you fought for us. we'll fight for you, too." He said, before his eyes shifted again. "we're all with you, kiddo."
The child nodded slowly as they listened, before hugging onto him once again. They said nothing more, but… Sans knew that was their silent way of thanking him. They seemed to be feeling just a little bit better, but still… like with Toriel, that wasn't enough for him. He wanted to make them laugh again.
It was at that moment, that he remembered something that Toriel had once told him, to make him feel better when he had been down.
"…hey."
Frisk glanced up at him, curiously. His next few words did just as they were intended to do.
"…it's going tibia okay."