The watch laying discarded beside him read 2:00 AM as Sans lay there, just listening to the sounds and watching the sights around him.
The stars shone. Real stars. Not the ones Underground- the crystals embedded in the rocky ceiling above them.
No, these were real balls of gas and light millions and millions of miles above, shining for the whole world to see. Illuminating the peaceful night and stirring a sensation deep within his soul that he hadn't felt in years.
The shorter skeleton lay on a flat rock near the tip of Mount Ebott, his sweatshirt feeling like a blanket against his bones. The pinpricks of light in his eye-sockets stared straight up, though they didn't seem entirely focused. There was an air of tiredness, of exhaustion around him.
The surface was beautiful. Hell, there was nowhere he had seen that compared, not even the sparkling walls of Waterfall or the enchanting atmosphere of Snowdin. No, no place he had ever visited could hold a torch to the majesty that was the surface world.
So, it was a shame that by the time he woke up tomorrow it'd probably be gone.
He'd wake up back in Snowdin again to the sound of Papyrus knocking on his door and the smell of burnt noodles in the air. It had happened enough already throughout all of the routes where the human hadn't managed to get them all free. Timelines where they had been one person shy, or where they had died one too many times, or when they hadn't managed to befriend Alphys... The list went on and on.
Sans could even remember the only other time that they had managed to make it up here. They hadn't managed to save the Dreemurr kid, and Frisk had reset the very next day, hoping to fix it.
That hadn't happened, and five resets later, they were back here again.
His first, and probably last night on the surface before it was all taken once again.
God, Sans wanted this to last. He really did.
The cool breeze against his bones, the sounds of birds chirping and animals moving about their days, the gentle calm that came with nightfall... It was enticing. It was all that he wanted.
And it made Papyrus so happy. That was what mattered, right? His brother was happy, their friends were happy, everyone was satisfied.
Against his better wishes, Sans found himself praying that the human would be satisfied with this ending, too.
The skeleton's thoughts were interrupt by a sudden voice, one that sparked a bit more sincerity behind his usual grin.
"SANS? ARE YOU UP HERE, BROTHER?"
He sat up, allowing one hand to rest in his jacket pocket and the other to give a small wave in his younger brother's direction. The taller skeleton's bright red scarf and boots stood out against the muted tones of the rest of the scenery, cast by the dim light around them, so he was easy enough to spot. Even as he started towards him, Sans could easily see that Papyrus's strides were a bit more tired than usual. That was to be expected, though. It was pretty late. Or, early. Whatever.
"mornin' bro." Sans looked up at his brother, his lazy grin still evident. "what's up?"
Papyrus frowned, shaking his head. His expression was clearly tired, though there was a hint of worry there. Hm. Maybe he shouldn't have left so early without leaving a note or something.
"WHAT IS 'UP', BROTHER, IS THAT I HAD NO IDEA WHERE YOU WERE! YOU CAN'T SNEAK OFF LIKE THIS, ESPECIALLY NOT UP ON THE SURFACE! WE DON'T YET KNOW WHAT IS OUT HERE!"
Still, despite his reprimanding tone, Papyrus took a seat on the rock next to him, his gaze moving unconsciously up to the starry sky above them.
"heh, sorry, bro. you know me. always up to somethin'." Sans shrugged, lying back down with his eyesockets facing upwards again. He wanted to remember this sky when the human reset again, so he had to get a good mental picture. The smaller skeleton was so focused on that that he didn't even bother making a pun.
"sky sure is nice, huh?"
Papyrus hesitated slightly, then joined his brother in laying down and watching the stars.
"YES... IT IS. MUCH NICER THAN THE UNDERGROUND'S CEILINGS."
The two lay there for a few minutes, side by side, watching the stars. A silence fell over them, but it wasn't exactly an uncomfortable one.
Still, Sans felt the need to break it.
"so... why were you up so early, pap? you feelin' ok?"
Papyrus was quick to answer in an almost defensive tone of voice.
"NO REASON! I JUST... HAPPEN TO BE UP AT THE TIME AND SAW YOU WERE GONE. THAT WAS ALL. NO NIGHTMARES AT ALL."
His brother had always been a bad liar.
Sans knew that Papyrus often had nightmares in unfamiliar places, so it was only natural that he would have one here. He only felt bad that his brother had to go looking for him just to find comfort. Though, he didn't want to make a big deal out of it. That wouldn't be beneficial to anyone. Plus, he knew from experience that seeing something like this with someone was usually comforting enough.
"aw, pap, sorry for sneaking out. just wanted to see this, y'know? the surface is a pretty place, 'specially at night."
Papyrus nodded, and the two fell into a comfortable silence again. This one lasted a bit longer, as they listened to the sound of crickets chirping and watched the twinkling lights above. This time, though, the taller of the two was the one who broke it.
"SANS... YOU SEEM TO BE IN THOUGHT, BROTHER. IS SOMETHING THE MATTER?"
Sans chuckled and shook his head, leading out a sigh. He didn't want to confuse Papyrus with all the complicated reset and timeline business, so he just chose to dumb it down a bit. That way, Papyrus was satisfied and he would be able to vent a little.
"'m fine, bro. jus' thinking a little too hard, y'know?"
"ABOUT?"
Papyrus frowned, tearing his gaze away from the stars to look over Sans with a skeptical expression. The shorter skeleton sometimes forgot how sharp his brother really was when it came to other people's feelings. He just always seemed to know.
Sans gave a shrug, looking away for a moment while he considered what he wanted to say here. It would be hard to explain, for sure, but he could manage to at least give an idea.
And, though he didn't want to admit it, he wanted the comfort that came with at least letting some of his feelings out to someone he trusted.
"uh... you're kinda puttin' me on the spot here, pap." He shifted slightly, chuckling, and stuck his other hand into his hoodie pocket before continuing, "it's just... this is all real nice. what if it... goes away? like, we'll just wake up back in snowdin again. and all this'll... never have happened. prob'ly doesn't make any sense, but... y'know."
Papyrus frowned as if thinking that over, but nodded.
"WELL... I DON'T THINK YOU SHOULD WORRY ABOUT THAT. EVEN IF WHAT YOU SAY IS TRUE, WE WOULD STILL BE TOGETHER, RIGHT? SO... EITHER WAY, WHAT MATTERS IS THAT WE HAVE EACH OTHER. AND EITHER WAY, WE'D BE ALRIGHT! SO, THERE'S NO NEED TO FEAR!"
The taller skeleton's positivity was almost contagious, and Sans found his smile becoming more and more genuine. Maybe Paps was right. Maybe this time would be different. Maybe the human would let things be.
He nodded and allowed his eyes to close. It felt peaceful out here; like nothing could go wrong. And even if it did, he'd have his brother and his friends. Even if the cold of Snowdin chilled him down to the bone, he would be ok.
Laying there with his brother under the stats stirred another feeling deep in his soul. Something he hadn't felt in a while.
For now, at least, Sans was satisfied.
And that feeling lasted all night long, only faltering when he opened his eyes yet again to the sight of snow falling outside his window, the scent of burnt noodles, and the sound of Papyrus knocking on his door.