A/N: Hey! Here's Sans' chapter. Now you'll see how I'm approaching his character. Enjoy!

PS: Thanks for coming back Ronin! I'm not entirely sure, I might come back with this surge of inspiration for fanfic lol thanks for sticking around though!

Sans

I groggily opened my eyes, peering up at my ceiling, too lazy to look at anything else right now. Mahogany. Coincidentally, that was the same color in both of my homes.

I groaned, turning head a bit to look out his window, half expecting to see snow. As I thought, it was just another beautiful day outside. Birds were singing, flowers were blooming. My teeth curled downward slightly in to a grimace.

the last one.

I decided to milk every moment I had to just lie in bed before anyone (Papyrus) barged in to my room. I shut my eye sockets, drifting close to sleep, with the commotion of a waking household in the background. Funny enough, there was only one other person, but he was so loud you'd think it was whole family.

"Sans? SANS! WAKE UP YOU LAZYBONES!" I heard my brother call through my door.

I started falling asleep again.

"DANG IT SANS! THAT'S IT, I'M COMING IN!"

Waking up again, I grinned to myself. knew you would, pap.

Papyrus soon barged in, coming to a halt in front of my bed. "SANS!"

I popped open an eye socket, grinning. "oh, hey bro. 'sup?"

"DONT YOU 'SUP ME!" Papyrus yelled. "WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS! WE HAVE TO GO PLAN FOR FRISK'S BIRTHDAY! IT'S TOMORROW!"

"just five more minutes, bro. i'm sure they won't get too bonely without us." It wasn't a lie. I'd been on time to this planning session before, and I just didn't feel like being on time today.

"OF COURSE THEY'LL GET BONELY! WHAT WILL THEY THINK IF THE GREAT PAPYRUS DIDN'T ARRIVE ON TIME!? THEY'D SURELY BE DEVASTATED!" he yelled persistently. His face suddenly sunk though, processing the pun.

"SANS! HOW ARE YOU TOO TIRED TO GET UP, BUT NOT ENOUGH TO KEEP YOU FROM YOUR STUPID PUNS!?" he yelled, pretending to be angry. I could see him fighting a smile.

"what can I say? no rest for a punny man like me," I said with a wink.

"THAT'S IT! HURRY UP AND GETTING DRESSED! WE'RE LEAVING IN TWENTY MINUTES!" Papyrus proclaimed, storming out of the room. Probably so that I wouldn't see his smile.

I grinned to himself, always enjoying my brother. He's really cool. It was for him that I finally forced myself to get out of bed and dress myself...after that five extra minutes in bed. He wanted to sleep for the sake of sleep, and his dream. Those were the only things that changed in my life, and I was wondering if I'd see that girl again. It'd been a while.

I grinned as I rode down the highway with my bro, the wind blowing against him. I always loved it when I got to ride my bike; I wasn't always able to. So, I was happy that for at least one more day I could ride my bike. I could feel a rush as I sped down the highway, the wind tickling and trying to pass through my bones, the sound of my bikes and Papyrus' sports cars motors combining.

Riding my bike was still fun, unlike a lot of other things now. But I still felt unnerved. Like someone was watching my joy, and was getting some sort of amusement out of it. I just wished it could stay amused for longer.

"Finally! Took you punks long enough!" Undyne huffed, as we made our way up the house's sidewalk to the door, after parking our vehicles in the tiny parking lot. She, Asgore, and Alphys were standing outside Frisk and Toriel's house. The house was a pleasant light blue color, with white trimmings on the door, windows, and edges. It was a cozy house, only two stories tall, with the second floor being especially small, only containing two bedrooms. It was so cute and cozy, it looked like it was ripped straight from a book. Despite the fact that the monsters would've built a mansion for the queen and savior of monsters, Frisk and Toriel simply asked for this nice little house. My grin remained as I approached the three who were waiting for us. Toriel was dropping off Frisk at a friends house for the day, so that we could plan for the child's birthday in secrecy.

"I'M SORRY UNDYNE!" Papyrus exclaimed apologetically. "MY LAZY BROTHER WOULDN'T GET READY ON TIME!"

"you said it yourself bro. i'm just a lazy bones."

"SANS!" Undyne and Papyrus yelled at once.

"There's no need to worry," Asgore said warmly, grinning from the pun I've probably used a thousand times in this world alone. "Toriel hasn't come back from dropping off Frisk yet, so we're waiting for them." My grin grew. Despite all else, I at least appreciated the guy's warmth and fondness of puns.

As if on cue, Toriel's convertible came riding down the road, the top down as always. Toriel found small cars to be cute, but her hulking frame didn't allow her to own one comfortably. This was her solution.

"Sorry I'm late," Toriel apologized once she parked her car and climbed out.

"It's fine," Asgore answered, smiling. "So Frisk is at MK's?"

She looked away run him peevishly. "Yes. Where else would he be? I said I was dropping him off there."

damn. that's bone cold no matter how many times I hear her say it.

"A-alright...should we get going now?" Alphys spoke timidly, trying to change the subject before Asgore got too depressed. "I-I set the reservation for 1:30, and it's past 1:00...I-I think..." It's Grillbyz II; there's no need for reservations.

"Yeah, come on, let's go!" Undyne yelled impatiently, marching towards her and Alphys' SUV. She had insisted on getting the 'biggest, most bad ass car she could find'. Ironically, Alphys was the one who knew how to drive. No monster thought Undyne driving was a good idea, let alone any human.

"A SLEEPOVER!?" Papyrus exclaimed excitedly.

"Sh...please try and be more quiet for now, dear Papyrus," Toriel sweetly warned him from down the bar.

The group was sitting at the bar in Grillbyz new restaurant, which was nearly identical to the first. The seating right to left was Alphys, Undyne, Papyrus, me, Toriel, and Asgore, much to Toriel's chagrin.

Before anything else could be discussed, Grillby came to take our order.

"U-Um...a salad please..." Alphys asked feebly.

"Give me the biggest steak you got!" Undyne demanded with a toothy grin. "And I want it rare!"

"Hm...I know you don't have spaghetti..." Papyrus said, clearly straining not to yell. This was in vain. "OH! I KNOW! A BURGER!"

I chuckled at my brother, who seemed proud of his decision.

"...What will you have, sir?" Grillby spoke politely.

I considered whether or not I should make the joke, and ended up shrugging as I reached in to my jacket pocket.

I pulled out a candy rib and began to chew on it. "i'll have the ribs, thanks."

As usual, Undyne and Papyrus groaned, Alphys looked down embarrassed, Asgore chuckled, and Toriel began to laugh out loud. I looked her way and smiled. I was glad I made the joke again; it always got her good. And yet seeing her smiling face, her eyes crinkling as tears started to form, made me smile no matter how many times I saw it.

Grillby, of course, was unfazed. "I see. And what will you have, ma'am?"

"I-I'll have...h-have a..." Toriel wheezed between her laughs, having trouble ordering with her laughing fit. "Oh my GOD Sans...I'll have a..."

"She'll have the chicken Caesar salad," Asgore ordered for her.

Toriel's laughter died quickly. "Who said I needed you to order for me?"

Asgore shrugged and grinned sheepishly. "You seemed to be having trouble ordering, so I got you what I'd think you want."

She turned her head, giving him the cold shoulder. "You didn't even get the order right, you-"

"She'll also have extra chicken, because she loves chicken more than she wants to admit; but no tomatoes, because she feels like they burst in her mouth and drool down her chin, and the juice looks like blood to her; and no onions, because she doesn't like things that make her and her friends cry."

Toriel slowly turned her head to him, as everyone sat with their mouths agape, minus Grillby and I. I was shocked by his knowledge too the first time, but ever since that first time, I've simply remembered this moment fondly.

"You...remembered..." Toriel spoke.

Asgore smiled. "Of course I did. How could I forget?"

"...You should order," she spoke as coldly as she could, turning away.

Asgore grinned and asked for fish and chips.

Grillby left us alone, and Asgore smiled as he reached in to his shirt's breast pocket.

"Hey Tori?"

"Don't Tori me."

"Aw, come on. I got something for you."

Toriel rolled her eyes. "What?"

He pulled out a salted snail and placed it on the bar in front of Toriel. Her eyes widened slightly.

"For your salad," he said warmly.

"I..." Toriel whispered. Nobody else noticed, but after seeing that face several times, I could make out a very faint blush.

I wish this timeline could just extend past this one freaking day. Just to know if they'd finally get together.

There was a time where I thought I loved Toriel myself, and was jealous of this moment she shared with Asgore. But as I experienced Toriel several times over several timelines, that love faded, and I realized I only loved her like a childhood friend. Now I just wanted to know if the two could actually fall in love again.

"Let's get back to planning!" Toriel proposed, trying to get past the moment she had just had.

Papyrus unwittingly helped. "AH YES! YOU RECOMMENDED A SLEEP OVER!"

"Yes! When Frisk falls asleep, you all come in with your sleeping bags. Then, when they wake up, we can all surprise them!" Toriel proposed happily.

"WOWIE! THAT SOUNDS LIKE A GREAT IDEA!" I was happy to see Papyrus so happy.

"A sleepover? Count me in!" Undyne added.

"O-oh...I-I'm not sure if I have my things in order so that I can sleep over..." Alphys worried. "B-but if everyone else is going, I will too! Maybe we can stay up and watch anime..."

"Am I allowed to sleepover too?" Asgore asked hopefully.

"I have a spot for you in the backyard of you insist," Toriel said coldly.

ouch. that still gives me chills.

"sounds good," I added.

And that was that. Once again, these plans were made.

Everyone was whispering excitedly as they laid awake in the living room of Toriel's home, with Papyrus and Undyne competing over who would surprise Frisk the best, and Alphys actually watching the anime she'd put on the old fashioned TV, the volume close to mute so as not to wake Frisk. As for Toriel, she was in her bedroom. As for Asgore...well, he actually was sleeping outside.

oh Tori. you can be cruel when you want to be.

As for me, I was just lying in my sleeping bag, debating whether or not I should sleep soon. The end of this timeline was coming. It always ended with Toriel leaving a slice of butterscotch-cinnamon pie in Frisk's room for when he woke up the next morning, to start the surprise. Than, I would stay awake with my friends for a bit, before eventually falling to sleep. Then, the timeline was over. When I'd wake, I'd be back in my bed in Snowdin, assumably the same day that Frisk landed in the Ruins. And the new timeline would start from there, with Frisk coming to Snowdin two days later. But I'd still remember what had happened.

Ever since a certain...incident, I've been cursed with the ability to monitor the time and space of my universe. This ability was useless for a while, only helping me with uh, shortcuts. But it was put to use when Frisk came, as the human's Determination was so strong, they could use it to reset timelines to their desire. A whole timeline, just rewinded, and no one would remember what happened. Except for me.

At first, I couldn't remember any of these timelines that were reset. But as the resets kept happening, more

memories started surfacing of what was lost...than more... Now I remember things from Tori's favorite joke, to the image of Papyrus' scarf lodged in the snow. I remember...everything. I've even observed the nature of the resets.

I've catalogued two types of resets. Soft resets, where I would blink and end up where I was a few minutes or hours ago, but still be in the same timeline. I assumed this was when Frisk screwed up somehow, whether it was dying or a choice they regretted, but they didn't want to reset the whole timeline...these soft resets happened a lot when I would be forced to kill them near the end of a certain timeline. In fact, they'd happen until...well, until I couldn't kill him anymore.

Than there were hard resets. Where the whole timeline would just go all the way back to those two days before Frisk appeared. Sometimes, Frisk would randomly just hard reset. In case he regretted something from a while ago, I guess. But there were also certain times in each timeline when no matter what happened, the timeline would reset at that point. I got the feeling Frisk didn't have control over this. It just sort of happened. Like how it would tonight.

I mulled over the idea of Frisk not having control. Though Frisk was the one with the Determination, I always got the feeling that they weren't the ones doing these resets. These atrocious things. It was almost like someone could be controlling them, using their Determination for their own goals. I had no real proof...it was just a feeling. I thought this because even in timelines when Frisk was supposed to be a cold blooded murderer, experiencing those same timelines over and over revealed occasional moments where Frisk looked...different. Like he was lost and confused...like he was the Frisk I know now. The one I love.

maybe it's chara pulling the strings? i swear frisk looks and feels just like she did when they're in that timeline. but I still don't see how chara could come back from the dead, let alone manipulate determination. Maybe it was...somebody else...?

I blinked sleepily. There was no point in thinking about this. I'd never find out. I'd just experience it again and again. Besides, thinking about this made me so tired. Living like this made me so tired. Living the same damn lives, over and over. Watching my friends die, and being powerless to stop it. Feeling myself die. Making it to this happy ending, only for it to be taken away again and again. Hoping the next timeline won't be a bad one. Hoping my brother will still be happy in the next one. I'm tired of wondering what would happen if we had more time. I'm tired of knowing everything that could ever happen in the time we have.

i'm...tired.

That was it. I was still tired. And I was only getting more and more tired. I didn't know how much longer I could do this. But all I knew was I was tired. So all I could do was give up. Staying up didn't change anything. I'd tried that several times before.

And so I took one last glance at all my friends. Shy Alphys, crazy Undyne, my dear bro...before lying down and drifting off to sleep, preparing for whatever hell was coming next, and hoping that the next timeline they could all stay alive. With that, I finally slept.

"S...Sans..." a weak voice called.

"ugh...five more minutes bro..." I mumbled, not ready to wake.

"S-Sans...I'm n-not..." The voice was breaking.

Something was starting to register as wrong. Without opening my eyes, I answered, "what's wrong...?"

A pause. I was about to fall back to sleep, when I heard, "N-nigh...n-nightma..."

"nightmare? aw, I'm sorry bro," I apologized, sympathy filling me. Though I was still too lazy to open my eyes.

"I-I'm..."

"hang on," I said, finally making myself open my eye sockets.

How it took me so long to notice what was wrong is beyond me.

Opening my eyes, I didn't see Papyrus. I saw Frisk.

"frisk...?" I asked groggily, rubbing my face.

"I-I'm sor..." they started saying, their voice clearly shot with underuse and emotion.

I suddenly realized what was different, and eye sockets shot open, my eyes glowing brighter. "frisk!? how...?"

"I'm sor..." he tried again.

It hit me. I shot up from bed, sitting up, and looked around. Not only was Frisk not Papyrus, but I was still in Toriel's dark living room, not Snowdin.

"wh-what...?" I whispered, too shocked and confused for emotion. After scanning the room, finding my sleeping friends still there, I shakily turned to Frisk. My bones were rattling. I couldn't believe this. I was so shocked, I almost felt empty in fact. "how're you...?"

"Dr-dream..." he attempted to explain.

Dreaming...? Am I dreaming...? I haven't waken up in Snowdin...and the kid's talking...is this just a really nice dream? Makes sense...

I considered going back to sleep, neglecting my cruel mind. But I couldn't help myself. Even though I didn't want to think about the possibility that my suffering was finally over, as it'd hurt when I found out it wasn't. But after all this time, I still couldn't help but hope. Maybe this wasn't some sick dream. Despite how unlikely that was, I still had to make sure.

I shot out of bed, ignoring Frisk as I desperately searched for a clock. The hard reset of this timeline happens at 12:00 A.M. I knew because a few times I attempted to stay up to avoid the reset, but at around 12:00, I kind of blink, and the next thing I knew I was in Snowdin.

which is why none of this should be happening! i shouldn't even be here, let alone hear frisk speak! it has to be a dream!

After running for what felt like days, I finally found a random clock. My heart jumped at the time. 1:30 A.M.

I stared at the clock for at least a minute. I was in complete disbelief.

there's no way this is happening...there's no way the timeline is moving forward. after all this time...? why now?

"...Wh-what?" I whispered.

This is all a trick. It has to be.

"What!?" I repeated.

I heard footsteps. I turned around to see Frisk, in his fuzzy blue onesie pajamas, crying. Their eyes opened fully, which never happened, to reveal bright brown eyes, filled with tears, with their face contorting around his sniveling nose, their breath and voice hitching with each sob.

"I-I'm...sorry...f-for everything I did...Sans...I'm so sorry!" he sobbed out quietly.

That was too much for me.

My bones were clacking like castanets, as I observed Frisk; something I thought I wouldn't have to do for a long while. I willed myself to speak. "...what?"

A/N: Hope you enjoy! More will be developed on Frisk, and why this is happening. Tell me if Sans ever feels OOC, and if so how and I'll do my best to fix it. Alright, have a good one :)