Chapter 7. Future
The human smiled at the skeleton. "Thanks, S-Sans..."
The two sighed deeply in unison, and tension filled the air of the room once more.
"this was… nice." Sans said quietly. "getting to talk to you again. the real you. even though you're not."
"You're not making any sense, Mr. Skeleton Man." Frisk interjected. "But I'm happy to help, in any way I can."
Sans rose up from the couch with a final-looking stance, bony hands resting in his pockets. "it's been a pleasure, but i really gotta go now." He uttered sadly. "just pretend none of this ever happened. it's all just a bad dream. and hey, if you don't like it, just reset, okay?"
Frisk got up from their seat abruptly. "What do you mean 'reset'?"
Sans stopped in his tracks. "...you know. reset?" He asked, muddled. "you've never died before?"
The human shook their head.
"listen, kid. just forget what i said, i'm in too deep as it is." Sans made his advance towards the TV and looked down at the racing static. "but… be good… won't you?"
"Are you leaving?" Frisk asked with lament. The monster nodded, not looking at them. "What are you going to do?"
Silence.
"listen, kid." Sans announced. "do as i say, not as i do." The television sparked, making the child flinch. "what am i going to do, now?" He chuckled darkly. "i'm going back to hell."
Frisk sincerely didn't know what to say to this. They just felt their own heart sink deep down. They wanted to help the creature.
Sans turned back around, but his eye sockets were empty. "i'm going to bide my time. i'm going to wait for that kid to give up and go home. or i'm going to wait for my body to turn to dust. heh. whichever comes first."
"Sans," the human spoke up before they knew what they were doing. "Whatever you're facing, you don't have to do it alone."
The skeletons teeth drooped slightly. "what are you saying, frisk?"
"Let me come with you."
The monster took a step back, a bit caught off guard. "no, no no no, frisk, you can't do that." He murmured, tiny white specs returning to his eyes. "you gotta stay here. have a future. you don't want what i have."
Frisk took a step forward with certainty. "I do. I wanna help." The innocent one looked down at the shaggy carpet. "I wanna help in any way I can."
"kid..." He whispered.
"And you're wrong." Frisk announced. "I don't have a future here. I feel like I was meant for something bigger. I feel like… I have somewhere more important to be." The child glared down at their small hands. "If what you said is true, then I shouldn't even be in this dump of a house. I should be out there, making a difference." They looked back up with a sincere smile. "I wanna make people happy."
"oh frisk..." Sans weeped. "you have made this bag of bones very happy. i promise you that." He inhaled softly. "but in this timeline-"
"In this timeline, I'm not meant to go to Mt. Ebott." The child interrupted. "In this timeline, I have no future. I make no impacts on people. I'm not important." Frisk put their foot down. "But in other timelines… I can feel it. I'm important. I have the power to make a difference. And I'm determined to prove it."
"frisk… you want to just… disappear?" Sans said with sorrow. But he did not get an answer in words, only an expression filled with raw certainty. "oh." He concluded. "i can't change your mind?"
"This is what I want to do."
"i see." The monster chuckled. "i can't exactly say no to a human with that much determination." He shut his eye sockets in deep thought.
Sans walked towards the television and stuck his bony foot into the screen, its flashing pixels chaotically dancing. He grinned widely and held out his phalanges invitingly. "gimme your hand."
Frisk nodded and stepped ever closer. They placed their palm in his hesitantly. The small, crooked bones wrapped around Frisk's hand tightly, and the screen glowed brighter and brighter. Soon, the two were entrapped in a vortex of spinning light. The abyss of white noise flashed rapidly, and a gust of wind blew all around them. "i know a shortcut."
