Kaitlyn gently placed the jar of fireflies in Sans' hands after making sure his eyes were sealed shut.
"Okay, okay! Now you can open them but be careful!"
He slowly opened his eyes and gazed in wonder at the darting flies before him that looked light tiny stars, floating around. He tapped the jar lightly and squinted in an attempt to see them a little better.
"Tah-dah! As promised, fireflies under a nice, starry sky. Well? Were they worth the wait?" Kaitlyn was practically bouncing up and down in excitement. She was pleased to feel his fear and discomfort begin to melt away into wonder.
"these things are... alive?"
"Of course they are! They're a type of bug."
"we have something kinda like this but they're just flashing crystals... they don't even compare in brilliance though...and they definitely aren't alive."
"Crystals, huh? That's pretty cool." Kaitlyn kind of wanted to visit the Underground. She couldn't imagine what she'd see, but she knew she wanted to see it. In would be nice to have Sans take her one day...
"wow. it's just so…. beautiful…" Sans pulled Kaitlyn from her thoughts. He was still staring and cradled the jar like it was filled with precious gems. "they're stunning."
"I don't know about stunning. Fireflies aren't really hard to find, you can even find a few in the city if you're in the right place, but they certainly are pretty neat to look at."
"no…" Sans stared into the jar. "this is the most amazing thing i've ever seen… we didn't have anything like this in the Underground. not living creatures anyway."
Kaitlyn's ignorance hit her like a train. Of course he would think the bugs are precious; he had never seen them in the Underground.
What else has he never seen? She thought for a moment. She had the sudden urge to show him everything: mountainside sunrises, the beach on a stormy night, the crackle of a bonfire beneath the stars, even the park back in the city with the pond and large willow tree that rustled at even the slightest breath of wind.
She felt the prick of tears forming in her eyes when she thought about how much she took such simple things for granted that he had never even had the chance or hope of seeing until recently. And there she was, wanting him to take her to see the Underground which had only served as a prison for monsters for centuries.
"I… I'm sorry."
Sans looked up at her, his face suddenly filled with concern when he saw her tears.
"for what? earlier? it's no big deal. c'mon Kat, don't cry... it's fine! i told you I wasn't mad!"
"No, not that. Though I'm sorry for that, too," she wiped her eyes. "I just… I never really thought about how you've never seen such everyday things before. I feel like I've taken so much for granted… even today, all I did was whine and cry about my past few months, thinking I had it bad when you and everyone else suffered for god knows how many years."
She laid her head on her bent knees and folded her arms to prevent Sans from seeing her cry any more than he already had.
"How can you all be so happy?" Her voice was somewhat muffled. "Even now that you're here on the surface, all most humans do is take advantage of you guys or try to hurt you, yet you're still happy. I just feel- I'm just so weak compared to all of you!"
Sans set the jar aside and placed a hand on her head, stroking her gently as he said, "of course we're sad at times, but… we stay strong for each other and for our own sanity. humans like you and Soph and John are the reason we hang on to hope, but even we break down sometimes. no one can be strong all the time, you gotta be weak in front of someone. and i gotta say Kat, you're pretty damn strong in my opinion. moving beyond your past is sometimes harder than actually living through the present, but you did it and you did it on your own. i might've been there as moral support, but the decisions you made and actions you took to move forward were all 100% you."
"I can't believe you're saying that after everything you've seen from me today."
"well, like i said, everyone's gotta be weak in front of someone, and if that's true, then i'm glad you chose to be weak in front of me." Sans smiled softly as Kaitlyn peeked up from her arms.
"Thanks Sans… sorry for hiding all of the stuff about my abilities and Gaster from you." She raised her head and wiped her eyes dry.
"it's okay, kiddo. i hid a fair share about myself from you too. hell, there's still a lot you don't know if i'm bein' honest."
He picked up the jar again to look at the fascinating glowing creatures inside.
"i'm sorry too. not only for hiding stuff, but i'm sorry i can't be as strong as you… i really don't know if i can ever forgive Gaster or face my past."
Sans shook his head.
"heh. it feels weird… to finally say his name after all this time…"
"I know you'll do what's right. Even if I don't agree, I know that the decision you make will be what's best for everyone, including yourself. I believe in you."
"wish i could believe in myself that much."
"You should. You're worth believing in." Kaitlyn wrapped her arm around Sans and gave him a reassuring pat on the back.
Sans shook his head. "i just feel so trapped. it's like i can never outrun my past, no matter how hard i try."
"Gaster feels the same way… Trust me, I know. He really is trying to make amends for his transgressions though. He won't let himself come back fully until he does." Kaitlyn thought back to her and Gaster's conversation. "I think he truly loves you and Papyrus. He told me he's proud of you both."
Sans looked toward the sky, still loosely holding the jar of fireflies with one hand. She reached over and placed her right hand over his, taking the jar and twisting the lid slightly.
"Nothing deserves to feel trapped."
"are you talking about me? or Gaster?" He watched as the strange bugs flew away into the darkness until he could no longer distinguish their lights from the stars.
She laughed softly and shrugged, "Maybe I was just talking about the fireflies. I think you'll have to find the answer to that question yourself."
She paused.
"Is it too late to ask you a question?"
"go ahead."
"You said before that everyone needs someone they can be weak in front of… Do you think… Do you think you could be weak in front of me and I could be weak in front of you?" She felt her heart pick up speed. Why was she so nervous to ask such a simple question?
Sans thought for a moment. It's true, he did say that, but he had never really let himself be weak in front of someone before. Not even Papyrus. After everything with Gaster, all of the resets, all of the death... he just learned to kinda bottle all of his emotions and weaknesses up. But being around Kaitlyn was different. She made him feel stronger because he could be real with her. Come to think of it, he had never really shared so much about himself with anyone else besides Kaitlyn. Maybe that was why he felt like he could trust her so much... But was he really strong enough to be weak in front of her?
After giving it some more thought, Sans finally nodded. "you already make me strong, so i don't see any reason why i couldn't be weak in front of you." He took hold of her hand and entwined his fingers with hers.
Kaitlyn looked at their hands. She had never felt more content. She closed her eyes and smiled, leaning into Sans and sighing.
"Sans?"
"hmmf?" His response came out muffled as his mouth was pressed against her hair. He closed his eyes as her breathing leveled out and became more rhythmic. He thought she had fallen asleep, but after a few minutes, he heard a soft whisper from her.
"You make me stronger, too."
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Kaitlyn woke up the next day back in her own bed. She wondered briefly if she had actually dreamt everything from last night. It all felt a little like a dream. There was so much that had happened. She reached over to her phone and decided to text Sans, even though he was probably still in his room, only a few doors away.
*Did last night actually happen or did I just fall asleep and dream it?
**what? don't know what you're talking about kiddo. i'm still waiting up on the roof.
*WHAT?! OH MY GOD SANS, SHIT!
**yep. been waiting so long i'm all skin and bones… ya know, minus the skin. also minus the waiting. i'm definitely still in bed.
*You sly little shit, I was really worried for a second!
**hehe no need for any anxiety Kat. you're supposed to be my strength, remember?
Kaitlyn smiled through her blush. She could feel the bastard's smirk through the phone and laughed, feeling happy rather than frustrated.
*Guess I better step up my workout routine then… You should too! You have, like, zero muscle!
**hey now, i may not look it but i can lift a skele-ton.
*Hahaha no magic lifting aloud!
**well dang. aren't you just high maintenance? i guess i'll try putting a little more backbone into it.
*It'll take more than strength. You need to be vertebrave too.
"okay, that was a good one." Sans chuckled as he leaned against the doorway to Kaitlyn's room, one hand on his phone, the other in his favorite hoodie's pocket.
"I learned from the best." Kaitlyn was sitting up in her bed. She was dying to stretch but she'd wait until the skeleton was out of earshot before popping her aching joints back into place.
"you don't happen to mean little ol' me, do you?"
"Nah, I actually meant Paps." She decided to tease him a bit.
"please, anyone who knows Papyrus knows he hates puns. and anyone who knows me knows i'm the pun king."
Kaitlyn shrugged. "Alright then your majesty. Paps still makes a pun or two occasionally."
Sans' smile grew a fraction. "true enough."
"Thanks for carrying me to bed last night."
"no problem, Kat. it was getting cold up on the roof anyway and i guess you weren't really that heavy."
"Really? I'll be sure to eat more from now on then. That way next time you try lifting me I'll squash ya!"
Sans laughed.
"why don't you start with some breakfast then? everyone else is already up."
"Sounds good to me!" She sprung up from the bed and grabbed some clean clothes before swiftly heading into the bathroom and shutting the door. Sans smiled and rolled his eyes before heading towards the kitchen where everyone else was already chatting and eating.
Kaitlyn strolled into the kitchen fifteen minutes later. She had actually wanted to talk to Gaster again after she was done with Sans, but she figured he had been somewhere nearby when they talked specifically about him. He probably already knew what Sans thought and more than likely had guessed what Sans' answer to Kaitlyn would be when it came to him. She still worried though.
"Well, I suppose this is your last day with us," John said. He and Kaitlyn were the only ones left at the table; everyone else had either gone out back to play with the dog or were planting flowers out front with Sophie.
"I guess so… Coming back here and seeing you guys… It kinda makes me wonder why I left in the first place."
"Sophie used to say the same thing after you left. We both supported your decision but she hated that you had to go."
"I'm sorry, John." Kaitlyn looked down into her cup of coffee she was drinking.
"Don't be. I think it was good for you and helped you through a rough time. If you hadn't gone, you wouldn't have made such wonderful friends or have a job you love so much. I also don't think you'd be as happy if you had stayed. I've missed your smile as much as I've missed your presence and your aunt, but I'm glad it's back." John took Kaitlyn's hand and squeezed lightly. "She'd be proud of you. She always was."
"Do you really think so?"
"I really do." He smiled softly and stood up from the table.
"Well I guess I better go help my lovely wife with the garden lest she come in here and start griping at me." John winked and took Kaitlyn's empty plate to the sink on his way out.
I hope I can be as happy as they are if I ever find someone, she thought to herself. Sans face briefly flashed through her mind but she shook it off. She didn't like Sans like that! Right…? She decided not to dwell too much on it and headed out back to check up on her friends and Daisy. She had initially been a little worried that the dog might try to gnaw at Papyrus or Sans since they were made of her favorite treat, but while Daisy showed favoritism, especially towards Papyrus, she had never attempted to take a bite out of them.
As she suspected, Papyrus and Undyne were playing fetch with the large Shepherd while Sans watched beneath the shade of a large oak tree. The pool glistened nearby and was still a little warm from being heated. When Daisy spotted Kaitlyn, she bounded over and dropped a chewed up Frisbee at her feet.
"Alright girl, here we go!" She reeled back and let the Frisbee fly to the other side of the yard.
"HUMAN KATE! IT IS VERY NICE TO SEE YOU UP AND ABOUT! I WAS BEGINNING TO WORRY IF YOU WERE SICK!" Papyrus yelled from a few feet away.
"Nah Paps, I just got bit by the sleeping bug I guess." She said back as she walked over to sit beside Sans.
"A BUG OF SLEEP? SANS! PERHAPS THAT IS WHY YOU SLEEP SO MUCH, YOU LAZYBONES! YOU SHOULD REALLY GET THAT CHECKED OUT."
"nope, i just like to bug you is all."
"SAAAAAAANS!"
Kaitlyn laughed alongside Sans while Papyrus began stomping his feet and Undyne rolled her eyes. Daisy just cocked her head to the side and brought the Frisbee over to the stomping skeleton.
"Back to the real world after today…"
"yeah, i haven't broken the news to Paps about this being our last day here. i know he'll want to stay…" The large skeleton was back to playing with Undyne and Daisy.
"So much has happened in just a few days… it's crazy. Is there anything you want to do before we leave?"
"i don't know… i guess i wouldn't mind going out somewhere with everyone. ya know, make the last day special."
"We could go to the park and have a picnic for lunch! It's nice and warm out today and I bet Paps would love it. I know Daisy would." Kaitlyn laughed as the dog and Papyrus began chasing Undyne.
"You'll never catch me alive!" She yelled, running so fast she was almost just a blue and red blur.
"you think anyone else will be there? i don't want to go if it'll cause trouble, especially with those two." Sans nodded towards the pair of running monsters.
"I think it'll be fine as long as we all stay close with one another. If you guys stick with me, Sophie and John, it should be okay."
"alright, sounds fun. do you want to go see Luce one more time before we go?"
"Not yet. I know I said I moved past it yesterday but it'll take some more time before I'm okay to see her again. I should also tell the others at some point too I guess."
"i'll handle it."
"Really? Are you sure?"
"yeah, i'll let them know about Luce without giving away too much. you're still working past it so i don't want you feeling upset if you talk to them."
"Thanks, Sans… Just-... Thank you."
"no problemo Kat. you want me to let Sophie know about going to the park and all?"
She nodded with a smile.
"okay, cover for me." He winked and was gone in a second.
Damn teleporting! Forgot he could do that… Kaitlyn thought after staring at where Sans had been sitting moments ago.
She closed her eyes and contently listened to the sound of monsters playing with the dog while the pool trickled with water.
She hoped this peace would last forever.
Unfortunately, fate had other plans and wasn't quite done with Kaitlyn yet...
Very chill kinda chapter but I should be uploading the next one soon! Thank you for reading and I'm nearly finished with my redone chapters so the story will move forward again shortly!