AN: I am so sorry this chapter took so long! Working full time is exhausting but I am back with what feels like a vengeance. Or at least, with a chapter full of fluff before I get the plot moving some more. :)


Chapter Twelve - Contentment

"What are you grinning about?" Sans asked Frisk as she nestled back in beside him. She had returned from the kitchen with one of her self-satisfied grins, and he had to know what was up.

"Nothing." She replied quickly, feigning innocence as Sans wrapped the blanket back around the two of them. "Chip?" She offered him one, still grinning a little.

He shook his head, he had already eaten too much. "Come on." He whispered as she returned her attention to the movie - Alphys had insisted that they watch Frosty the Snowman. "Did you eat the last of the cocktail weenies or something?" They were Undyne's favorite, but tied for Frisk's, and neither of them were very good at sharing, no matter how many of them were made.

"Nope."

"Then what is that grin for?"

She was silent except for the crunch of her chips and the occasional sniffle, but the pink on her cheeks made him burn with curiosity. Deciding that he'd get it out of her eventually, he relaxed and let his arm fall back around her side.

"What's in your pocket?" He asked, finding a bulge that hadn't been there before.

She quickly pushed his hand away with an expression like a cat caught trying to eat a pet canary. "Nothing."

"Doesn't feel like nothing." He replied with a grin of his own, trying to get her fingers out of the way so he could figure out what she had.

"I'll show you later, just trust me you don't -"

"Oi! Hand check!" Undyne called.

Frisk's hands went up first - bad move - because Sans' went up clutching whatever was in her pocket. It wasn't until Alphys and Undyne started laughing that he realized that it was - of all things - mistletoe. Great.

"Just couldn't wait, could you?" Alphys teased, and Frisk groaned.

"WHY DID YOU MOVE THE MISTLETOE?"

"I was trying to make sure you guys wouldn't use it against us.."

Well that had gone great. "Nice try Frisk, but it looks like you two are under the mistletoe and you know what that means." Undyne said in that annoying singsong voice she had.

Sans felt himself blush, but he could do this, it was just a first kiss with his best friend in front of all their other friends - but Frisk, looking determined or something similar - seemed to have other ideas because before he could think or move she was getting closer - a bit too eager to respond he all but jolted forward, and instead of a kiss he felt her teeth crush her lip into his.

Frisk made a cry of pain and pulled away from him, squeezing her eyes shut tight and holding her mouth with one hand.

He felt something wet on his teeth, touching his fingers to it he came back with blood. Their friends seemed at a loss for words - served them right, this was the second time their meddling had gotten her hurt - but that wasn't the point. "Are you okay?" He asked, and she nodded, but didn't move her hand. "Can I see?" He put one hand on hers and she allowed him to pull hers away.

Her top lip was split open, and already beginning to swell. He had seen worse, he had helped her learn to ice skate after all, but still. Humans just had too many soft parts for their own good.

"How bad is it?" She asked, sounding a little funny.

"Well your bottom lip is fine. Would you like me to rough it up as well so they match?" He joked, wracking his brain to remember the correct remedy.

"How about an ice pack instead?" She asked. Right. Ice packs for bruises and swelling, he knew that.

"I'LL GET IT!" Pap was on his feet before Sans could react, and he suddenly became aware of giggling from Alphys and Undyne.

"She's fine, thanks for asking, guys." He gave them an annoyed look.

Frisk put her hand on his. "It is a little funny." She smiled despite him being pretty certain that smiling had to hurt.

Papyrus returned then with an ice pack, which Frisk held tenderly to her face as they continued the movie, Sans trying his best to contain his frustration - not only at their friends - but at himself. They couldn't help but meddle and he couldn't help but injure her. He hated to think of her as fragile, but she was human and humans were pretty frail, all things considering, and it seemed to him that it was only due to their determination that they didn't fall apart.

Frisk nuzzled her head into his shoulder, and he gently lay his head on top of hers. Strange forces and differences aside, she seemed to be happy with her unnecessary softness, and Sans had to admit that it suited her well, even if she did injure easily. She was beautiful, warm, and content to snuggle up with him, and that was all he really wanted. Except maybe a do-over on that kiss, but that could definitely wait.

"How's your lip?" He asked, once she had given up on the ice pack.

"A little tender, but I think I'll make it."

"Maybe I should kiss it better."

She giggled. "Maybe later."

"HUMAN, FOR NO PARTICULAR REASON, WILL YOU HOLD MY HAND?" They seemed to be getting to the part of the movie that always upset Papyrus.

"Of course Pap, come here." She patted the spot beside her, and Papyrus scrambled into it, taking Frisk's offered hand in his.

"The kid in this movie is as good at keeping themselves warm as you are, Frisk." Sans teased, as the title snowman carried his human charge into the greenhouse.

"THIS IS NO JOKING MATTER, SANS." Papyrus exclaimed, a tiny orange bead shining in one of his eye sockets. Oh Papyrus. Sans knew that he would be okay in a minute when the movie ended happy, but he still couldn't help but be concerned over his brother's discomfort.

"You know it's always the same ending, right Pap?" Undyne said in her best attempt at a soothing tone.

"IT COULD BE DIFFERENT THIS TIME." Pap sniffled a little.

"You can't cry Pap, you have to stay strong for me." Frisk insisted, head-butting him gently. Sans had never realized it before, but she seemed to have picked up the gesture from him and his brother. It was cute that she did it as well.

"WELL.."

"You heard the girl Pap, baby bones needs you."

"I'm not a baby bones!" Frisk said indignantly, as the snowman became a puddle.

"I didn't mean you."

Frisk shot him a look of betrayal as Papyrus, bound by duty, pulled Frisk close and began reassuring her and the baby that the movie didn't have a bad ending. "SEE, EVERYTHING IS OKAY NOW." Pap said as the movie ended, as if he wasn't the one that was worried about it.

"Do we want to watch another movie? I brought How the Grinch Stole Christmas." Alphys said with a yawn.

Frisk yawned too, still in Pap's captive hold, who was drooping as well.

"I think it's bedtime." Sans replied. "Especially for these two sleepy-heads."

"For once I'll have to agree with you." Undyne said, and Alphys nudged her.

Frisk yawned again. "Did you two fill up my car, or am I going to need to stop on the way home?"

Sans suddenly wished he had opted for another movie because he really didn't want Frisk to leave. He knew it was a bit ridiculous, but he wasn't quite ready to return her to her parents. "I'll drive you home after Pap's story."

"THAT WAY THE BABY CAN HEAR THE STORY TOO!"

Frisk smiled softly, no doubt amused by the thought. Not even the loud 'aww' from the peanut gallery could ruin the thought for him.

After seeing Undyne and Alphys out - Papyrus having loaded them up with food, the three of them trotted upstairs to Papyrus' room to read their story.

"WOULD YOU LIKE TO PICK THE STORY?" Papyrus offered, gesturing to his bookshelf.

"That's okay Pap, pick something good out for me." Frisk replied, perching on the edge of his bed.

"FLUFFY BUNNY IT IS!"

Sans tried his best not to seem disappointed. Papyrus had so many books to choose from, after all. He had made sure of it. "Can't argue with the classics."

Of course, Papyrus was asleep within minutes, even with the added excitement of Frisk being there to hear his favorite story again. Unfortunately, that hadn't left Sans with much time to think of ways to convince Frisk to stay, or even if he should.

"I had better get you home." He said, the door to Pap's room clicking closed behind them.

"Yeah.." She said softly, almost as if she didn't want to agree. He also noticed that the swelling in her lip seemed to have gone down, which was good on the not-getting-murdered-by-her-protective-mother front.

He suddenly realized that neither of them had moved or spoken for a few moments. "Or you could - heh - let me grab my keys."

"I could what?"

"You could stay over, if you wanted." He was really not enjoying this newfound awkward feeling between them, but he couldn't say he didn't expect it.

"I probably -" she paused, chewing at her bottom lip. "Well, it was still snowing still when Undyne and Alphys left.."

It had slowed down quite a bit from earlier, the roads were fine, but.. "I wouldn't want to take the princess out in unsafe weather."

"I suppose you had better cuddle with me to protect me from the cold."

"I think we can make that happen." He felt like he had won some kind of award. She was staying. It was like a dream come true.

"Which side of the bed do you want?" He asked as he closed the door to his room behind them, knowing full well that the uncertainty between them would dissipate, at least for the most part, once they were snuggled up and comfortable.

"Which side do you usually sleep on?" She asked, sitting cautiously on the end of his bed like she hadn't napped there more times than he could count. This seemed different, somehow.

"Wherever I drop, usually." Why was he being so cautious all of a sudden? She used to come over after school to nap with him. Why was this any different?

"You're not helping." She stuck out her tongue.

Maybe he was just overthinking things. He flopped into bed, pulling her down with him. "How about this?"

"Saans." She squawked, pulling herself out his awkward embrace. He closed his eyes and pretended to snore, and she smacked him with a pillow. "You promised me cuddles, you weirdo." He responded by flopping his arms out, one of them landing in her lap. This earned him another smack. "Come on." She dropped the pillow onto his face and lay her head on it, and he responded by scooping her up into his embrace, rolling both of them over to their sides in order to wrap his legs around her as well. "This isn't cuddling! It's like a weird bear trap!" She tried her best to wriggle out of his embrace. "Saaannnns I didn't sign up for this."

He couldn't help but giggle at her, still doing her best to wriggle away from him. "Looks like I've captured a human." He teased.

"Oh my god, if you start that again I swear."

"What am I starting?"

"That ridiculous capturing game again. Just don't get Papyrus started on it again, okay?" It had been her and Pap's favorite game when she was younger, but she had grown out of it faster than he had.

"But it's his favorite game."

"Sans please."

"Oh all right. But it looks like you owe me a ransom." He did have her captured, after all.

"Sans." She groaned, pressing her head into his arm.

"Those are the rules." He sang.

"Whatever it is, no."

"I can't have a kiss?"

She sighed. "Sans, you could have just asked in a normal way."

"Nah, this way is more fun."

"Okay, fine. But only because I was going to anyway. Now let me go."

"If I have to." He loosened his embrace and she rolled over to face him.

"You're the worst sometimes, you know that, right?"

"I try my best to be." He smirked.

"Okay, that smirk has got to go."

"And how are you going to -" She silenced him by pressing her lips to his mouth, gingerly with her split lip. His magic crackled somewhere in his ribcage, a warm emanating from his soul. He wasn't quite sure how to kiss her back, but making up for inexperience with enthusiasm, held the back of her head gently in one hand, pressing his closed mouth against hers. Despite his magic sparking where her lips met his, it seemed more like she was kissing him than he was kissing her, but she didn't seem to mind. Or at least, he hoped she didn't.

She was grinning when she pulled softly away from him, and he couldn't help but return her expression. She was so cute, her hair falling around her face and a blissful smile brightening up the room. Or perhaps it was the blue glow from his own blushing cheeks. It didn't matter.

He also couldn't help but go for another kiss, a shorter one this time, quickly pressing his mouth to hers. She all but jumped him when he pulled back, giggling and pressing a handful of short kisses to his mouth before burying her face into his neck with a coo.

"Happy?" He asked, pulling her closer with one arm.

She murmured something affirmative, and contented with her answer, he pressed a kiss into her hair, his entire body still crackling with energy. He felt like he could run a marathon, but he was also more than perfectly content to lie there with Frisk in his arms.

"We should sleep." She murmured, pressing a kiss into his neck, his magic crackling where her soft lips met his bone.

Although not feeling as tired as he had previously, he had to agree, and they rearranged themselves to lie more comfortably on the bed, Sans curling himself back around Frisk as she lay on her side, his fingers curling around her soft stomach.

That reminded him. "I'm going to share a little magic with you, if that's okay?"

"Gotta take care of baby bones." She replied, and he grinned, pressing another kiss to her hair. She smelled like cinnamon and warm sugar, and he never wanted to let her out of his embrace.

Having almost forgotten what he was doing, he called out to their little one with comforting magic, their response timid but stronger than before, with a magic that felt so similar but yet different from his own, like it was evolving into something else. Still, he offered them his energy, starting to feel sleepy as it was drawn from him, Frisk's skin growing warmer beneath his fingers.

"How are they?" She murmured sleepily, moving her hand to rest on top of his.

"Sleeping now, I think. They're getting stronger." He replied as she rolled onto her back, entwining their fingers on her warm stomach.

"Good." She smiled softly, her blinks growing slower until her eyes stayed closed. "Sleep now?"

He murmured in response, wrapping his arm that lay beneath her head around her shoulders, and laying his heavy head beside hers.

"Goodnight." She said softly, attempting to nuzzle him but running out of energy halfway.

"Goodnight." He replied, removing his fingers from hers long enough to pull the quilt over them, before entwining them again with hers, where they belonged. Soon enough, warm and content, they fell asleep.


I hope you enjoyed! Please be sure to review and tell me what you think!

Purrs,

TigerLily