Your blurry gaze lifted to make out who was speaking to you as you fought to keep the instinctual fear that choked your breath down. This didn't sound like Gaster and it had been silent for so long. Squinting to clear the image, you tilted your head a bit more to take in the monster outside of your prison.
He, you were pretty sure it was male by the voice, was a short skeleton wearing a heavy jacket with a fluffy collar. After careful study of the expression, you saw that there was sweat beading on the monster's skull, his mouth pulled down in a frown. He seemed to be radiating concern and wasn't acting aggressive.
Your shaking subsided a little as your gaze moved down his body, openly taking in his features. He shifted underneath the attention but remained quiet as if he sensed the situation called for it. He had drawstring shorts on and on his feet, pink fluffy slippers...
You swallowed and your attention trailed back up to his face.
"...You...aren't Dr. Gaster..." Your voice is raspy from disuse, barely audible. The skeleton stared at you for a moment longer before answering in that same soothing baritone echo.
"no. i am sans the skeleton." He answered, white lights in his sockets flickering between your face and your exposed soul, "i 'donut' mean to be rude in asking, but do you have a name?"
A vague memory stirs at the pun. It had been so long that most of your memories had deteriorated but didn't the Doctor mention that name and also puns in the same sentence? It was useless to try to call anything up, so you just swallowed again to wet your parched mouth.
"It's _ ." You whispered, trembling as he begins to look around the glass cage you are in, "are you here to take me to Dr. Gaster?"
The skeleton freezes and his widened eye sockets take you in. Your attire was a thin hospital gown that ended mid thigh and your skin was extremely sickly, hair limp.
"how long have you been here?" The infliction in his voice is disbelieving, "gaster has been gone for...for a very long time."
You frown at Sans, "I have always been here. What do you mean by 'gone'?"
A brief look of confusion touches the lights in his eyes but then he was glancing over the cage again.
"we need to get you out of this. can you tell me how to free you?" Sans asked urgently and then his gaze fell on your exposed soul, "can you call your soul back in?"
The question makes hot tears burn your eyes, "I...can't." You choke out and his gaze is severely worried once more.
"why not, _?"
You close your eyes and shake your head at the question. There is a heavy beat of silence before the skeleton sighs.
"look, my younger brother is expecting me. i don't want to worry him but i also can't leave you here. Would you...mind if i protect it?"
You stare at him, exhausted. At this point, you would probably be relieved if he took hold of what was left of it and crushed it to dust. You shake your head in reply, and lift one arm to point at a lever that was the 'release'. Sans hurries to it and pulls it down. The hiss of pressure releases and the few tubes that were actually connected to you blew out. You moan in pain and Sans makes quick work of the glass panel keeping him outside.
Even though he had been friendly so far; your trembling comes back in force; the teal glow in your left eye sparking nervously. Sans approaches you like a wounded animal and kneels in front of you. When you see one of his boned hands reaching forward, your squeeze your eyes shut, hot tears spilling down your face as you brace yourself to be hurt or killed.
Hard and warm phalanges are brushing the quickly falling tears away and you force your eyes open to look at the skeleton.
"i won't hurt you. i swear." The quiet noise of distress he makes causes you to choke on a sob, "humans don't usually have magic."
The statement is casual and you feel exhaustion biting at the edges of your consciousness.
"I'm not fully human anymore." You gasp and Sans' brow bones furrow in confusion but he doesn't press anymore. He withdraws his hand and unzips his parka, your nervous eyes following his movements as he lifts his shirt to bares the bright teal soul hidden within his left rib cage. It is bright, strong and you tremble with some unknown emotion as you stare at it. The whites in his eye sockets drop to your broken, dim soul and he reaches for it.
You flinch and brace yourself but end up sobbing in relief when his bony hands cradle your soul like it is precious, cupping it in a protective gesture. Sans looks at you before moving the soul closer to himself, expecting resistance. A human soul was determined and stubborn to part with its host but he is shocked when there is absolutely nothing that fights him. Being extremely careful, the skeleton places your soul in his right rib cage.
You are so tired. So confused. But his soul being so close to yours fills you with an indescribable warmth. Sans rearranges his shirt and zips the parka back up as your eyes fall shut.
The last thing you hear is his deep voice reassuring you and being lifted effortlessly.