OMG! GUYS! You're the best. Thank you to all who reviewed (especially to SneaselxRiolu who pointed out a mistake in ch.1, oops!)
I do not own Undertale
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Frisk had managed to convince herself that she'd never see Sans again, partly to get over her embarrassment. After all, what were the odds? Yet a month later, she found herself turning towards the door an afternoon when his aura registered on her senses will all the subtlety of a sledgehammer.
He was actually very well dressed, wearing a 3 piece suit in a dark color that contrasted sharply with his white bones. As soon as she saw him, Sans waved with a smile so wide it crinked his eye-sockets. A bit self-conscious about how her fast search of him must have looked, she awkwardly waved back. He got his order and asked if he could sit with her. Though there were other tables available, he insisted on her company being eggs-ceptional.
Finding her a second time, and on a totally different time than last time, Frisk could see the question in his eye…. Erm sockets, but he refrained from asking. She found that very curious.
Once again, despite his having ordered actual food (some onion soup and chicken in a creamy sauce) she never caught him eating. Perhaps her avoidance of his eyes helped, but the guy truly had to be eating whenever she blinked or looked away. Her curiosity only grew, but she took that as a good sign. Sitting near Sans was still an exercise in self-control, but if she was getting curious about him then that meant her fear would diminish as time went on. Maybe some day, she'd build a tolerance to powerful monsters just as she'd managed for most monsters years ago. The though filled her with determination.
Deep enough within her thoughts to neglect some attention to the present, Frisk managed to miscalculate the placement of her coffee. It spilt and she was sure it'd be all over the notes she typically kept on her table, but as soon as she began a movement to try and save them, Sans' power spiked.
Feeling like a flash-bomb went off, it took Frisk a moment to get over her disorientation and gather her bearing through her galloping heart. Having actively being used, she could detect no ill-intent from the spell used. It still felt like standing a lucky inch to the right when thunder struck. It was scary as hell and left her feeling phantom sparks on her skin despite the almost cold quality of his magic.
Fortunately, Sans was too busy to notice how long she took to recover. Unfortunately he had her (unscathed) notes in his hand and something had seemingly caught his attention.
"Wow. This isn't precisely light reading…."
(Nervous laughter) "No, it's…." Frisk paused, he had pointedly avoided going into their personal lives, but this was a chance for her to make a statement. She'd bite. "It's actually work. I'm a freelance editor and translator, but since I learned the monster common tongue I frequently get asked to translate articles so both races understand it."
He raised an eyebrow… eyerigde? making Frisk actually stare. That shouldn't be able to move like that. Suddenly, she understood the purpose of his magic had been to move fast enough to save her work. He had spared energy and risked the other monsters' anger for a virtual stranger. "Anything interesting lately?"
This was her chance! Frisk launched herself into an explanation of her latest assignment. It was a social study about how humanity had changed in the centuries since monsters' reappearance, but also dabbled in some of the challenges monsters themselves faced. Though mostly integrated into society, they were still a minority, and some discrimination could still be found. Frisk wasn't necessarily a monster activist, and usually wouldn't have launched herself so fully into explaining this particular piece, yet…
She wanted to look into his eyes. She wanted to understand Sans, connect with him. She wanted to figure out how he ate. Maybe she was being a bit selfish, trying to build tolerance through his presence, but she was tired of the limitation and secrecy of her Gift. Maybe if she made it clear she had no qualms with monsters in general, just maybe...
He wouldn't pull back if he looked into her eyes and saw fear.
After that, something seemed to change. His grin had become something else, something softer. Even his power felt different. It was just as tight against his body as usual, but it fairly leaked a warm sentiment, something that made her feel cherished though it only lasted a second before resuming its usual cold-wind-and-smoke feel.
"Oh. Erm… here. They should be good despite the near dip. Sure seem a latte of work went into them."
"Thank you. I think I did espresso myself quite well."
Was it just her, or was the grin he shot her even brighter than usual?
They ended the day in a bright note, but Frisk was still amazed when Sans asked for her number with a decidedly blue skull and avoiding looking at her directly. It was somehow terribly endearing, though she had to consciously avoid the errant thought that she was pretty much calling a hurricane cute. Still, when they met the next time it would once again be a coincidence instead of planned.
She was just returning home after some grocery shopping at dusk when a familiar feeling washing over her soul warned her of Sans' proximity. He was coming closer to her, but he wasn't alone. Indeed, after a couple of blocks she caught sight of the skeleton, hunched in the pants and hoodie combo she had met him in and walking besides a very tall monster. If she was truthful, the skeleton walking beside him was closer to what she had thought him to be gauging only by feel; tall, loud and with a confident gait, he didn't care that some humans cowered or plain changed lane to avoid walking beside them.
Sans had been walking with his eyes closed, but opened them as they came closer to her, a momentarily confused expression on his face until his eyelights landed on her and Frisk gave a tiny smile and wave. The tall skeleton abruptly shut up and paid close attention to both her and Sans, gauging their reactions. He felt somehow similar to Sans, despite being vastly different. His energy was a bit wilder, and very much warmer. Where Sans felt very cold and wispy like smoke or vapour, this other skeleton felt like fire, all heat and a restless aura. Though he was well above average, beside the tinier monster, his magic seemed almost harmless. Still there was something there, some movement, some pattern that invariably reminded her of Sans beyond their shared species. Perhaps a family relation?
"I'd felt in my boned we'd meet again, but didn't expect you here, dear"
Dear? Frisk felt her face heat as she greeted him back "Hello Sans. It was unexpected."
"SANS? WHO IS THIS LADY?" The tall skeleton asked. Loudly.
"Right Pap, this is Frisk. Frisk, this is Papyrus, my little brother"
So, brothers it was. Half proud to have felt the relation, Frisk still appreciated the irony of this being the LITTLE brother.
"Nice to meet you Pap-" "WHAT DO YOU MEAN MY BROTHER? HADN'T YOU TOLD HER ABOUT ME SANS?!"
"… Sorry bro. Guess I'm too much of a bone-head."
"IT'S OK BROTHER, NOW I CAN IMPRESS THE HUMAN WITH MY COOLNESS!" Now Frisk couldn't help the chuckles escaping. Papyrus' enthusiasm was catchy.
"WHERE ARE YOU HEADED WITH THOSE BAGS?"
"Um… home?"
"FEAR NOT! FOR I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, and my lazybones brother, SHALL HELP YOU CARRY THEM!" Despite his brother's claim of laziness, Frisk couldn't help feeling Sans was honestly tired, though she knew she couldn't explain why she thought so. For a skeleton, he was oddly expressive sometimes.
"It's ok Papyrus, I really appreciate it, but it's nearby and I wouldn't want to impose"
"BUT WHAT IF SOMETHING HAPPENED TO YOU? IT IS OUR JOB TO PROTECT PEOPLE! NOT ONLY THAT, BUT IT'S THE GENTLE-SKELETON-LY THING TO DO!"
Their… job? Unfortunately Papyrus' enthusiasm also made it really hard to say no, which is how she ended up not only leading the skeleton brothers to her apartment, but also headed with them to dinner at a monster restaurant nearby. She really needed to learn how to say no