"Frisk… You are human, right?" The question left your mouth before you had a chance to catch yourself. You were probably too distracted by the absolute red of their eyes. It felt like you were getting trapped in all of the different shades, you couldn't look away.

Until of course, Frisk closed their eyes in a smile, tilting their head slightly. You came to your senses. "I-I mean! I've never seen a human with red eyes before. Everyone said you were the human child to save the monsters, but…" You trail off, not sure what to think. You heard albinos sometimes have red eyes, but far as you could tell Frisk wasn't an albino. You sure hope you weren't offending the child with your question, you meant it honestly.

They simply smiled without giving you an answer; now keeping their eyes closed, and walked off towards the others. You had a weird feeling in your gut, but you couldn't describe it. Everything just didn't seem right.

Until of course, the water boiled over the pot.

The pops and hisses of boiling water got your attention and you quickly grabbed a wooden spoon to shut it up. You focused on the boiling spaghetti, trying to make it to Papyrus's standards (not very hard at all, to be honest), though soon enough your thoughts drifted again.

Red eyes. You felt like you've seen them before. Red eyes. God, it was bothering you. When you tried remembering, the color orange followed with it. Maybe a sunset? You tried thinking a little deeper, maybe you could get some details. Tiled floors? A knife.

You paused mid-stir, suddenly remembering the image. Red eyes looking through a dusty reflection of a knife. Where this image came from, you couldn't remember, but the thought of it shook you to your core. The image was crystal clear in your mind, however that's all it was. Nothing more to the… memory? Dream? It surely didn't belong to you if it was a memory. It felt so out of place being in your head.

Finally managing to drop the thought, you mentally slap yourself back to attention to the task at hand. Your mind has been getting the better of you lately, you noticed. You needed to focus more if you wanted to train properly and get strong enough to not be afraid of Flowey. That stupid flower got himself under your skin, literally, and you felt like you just couldn't shake that fear. He's just a flower… Maybe you should bring a lighter with you everywhere you go? That'd help with some of the nerves at least.

Using your free hand, you quickly searched the drawer next to the oven. Thankfully your old roommate smoked (only outside the building was the agreement, of course), so when they vanished they probably left a lighter if they left most of their clothes like they did... Ah ha! You looked at the simple metal lighter, noticing a little skull-and-crossbones pattern engraved on the sides. A classic, but at the same time you cant help but think it's a bit ironic given your company at the moment.

Flicking it open and starting it to make sure it works, a small blue/yellow flame appeared. Satisfied, you snapped it shut and tucked it into your pocket. Not sure how handy it will be in the future, but it's something. You quickly finish stirring the pasta and dump out the water, ready for the food and something else to think about.

"Food's ready." You turn and say, getting everyone's attention from the TV. Grabbing some plates and silverware out of the cabinets for everyone, you grabbed yourself a serving and headed to the living room.

"Very well done! Congratulations, Human! Your spaghetti skills are close to competing against mine!" Papyrus excitedly declared, grabbing a rather large amount for himself despite not having any actual stomach. Undyne grabbed a serving big enough for two of her, and Alphys filled her plate as much as you would expect an overweight dinosaur to. Frisk even had a decent pile large as your own, shockingly. Thank goodness you were smart enough to make the entire box. The only one that didn't take that much was Sans, who barely took enough for three bites. He must be just being polite, since you didn't remember him actually eating any of the last spaghetti either.

You wondered if the skeleton brothers even needed to eat. Did they enjoy it enough to make it a mandatory thing for them? That would be pretty interesting. Most of the time they don't have a tongue, so that means they probably wouldn't taste the food either. You blinked out of your thoughts, and found your place along with the others to enjoy the meal.

The six of you sat in the living room, you and Sans sitting on the floor, and started watching Mettaton on the TV. Hm, apparently your spaghetti skills were getting better. Sure, you added a little extra seasoning this time, but you didn't think it would make this much of a difference. You smiled to yourself at the thought.

"Something funny?" Sans asked, seeming to catch your smile.

"Oh, just thinking about how often spaghetti will be a meal in this apartment now." You laughed a little, running a hand through your hair. "Not that I mind, it really is an easy meal." You quickly add, not wanting to be taken in the wrong way.

"Indeed! Therefor it is an easy meal to improve and master!" Papyrus agreed. Before you could say anything in response, the lights and TV suddenly turned black.

"Uh… shoot. Power went out." You looked around in the darkness, hoping that your eyes would adjust quickly enough. There didn't seem to be any light outside, though you finally noticed the slight sound of rain beating against the apartment. "Was it raining when you guys came back?" You asked Undyne and Papyrus, though they shook their head.

"No, but it was starting to get dark." Alphys answered. The rain rolled in quick then. You reached for the lighter in your pocket, though you wouldn't know what to do after that. The only candles you had were a few miniature ones in the bathroom…

"Well SCREW THIS! Not everyone is lucky enough to see in the dark!" Undyne shouted, and suddenly bright cyan lit up the room. She was holding a glowing spear made of magic, which she lifted up above her head.

"Wait! Don't stab the-" Undyne immediately pound the spear into the floor besides the couch, cutting off your concerns. Man… you really needed to get some insurance around these guys… You noticed Sans straining his smile a bit, apparently thinking the same thing.

"Well, now that we have light… We need some entertainment." Sans said, drawing your attention away from the new apartment damage. "You have any cards, or games?"

"I think I have monopoly in my closet somewhere, that should give enough time for the power to come back." You suggest, and everyone nodded. "I'll grab it then." You quickly got up and to your room, digging around your closet before eventually coming across the long white box with bold red lettering. Wow, this was an old copy, and not even the original game like you thought. It was a version consisting of only horses. Well, it's the same rules anyway you figured, and brought the box out.

.

After a few close calls of nearly going bankrupt, you somehow ended up winning the most money and buying all the lots. You knew buying the last two horses on the board would be worth it in the end, even if Sans occasionally teased you with his "get out of jail free" card every time you ended back in there as broke as you were for the first half of the game.

Papyrus was the first to go bankrupt, since he wanted to buy every horse he landed on, and refused to put barns on the sets he owned since he knew that'd just make you pay more if you landed on it. Apparently he wasn't very good at being heartless, and you found that adorable in the skeleton. Undyne was next to go bankrupt, followed by Alphys and Sans. Not speaking a word, Frisk was the one winning for most of the game until they landed on your fully decked out final horse, bankrupting them. They seemed sad about loosing, but they accepted it quickly enough with a smile and thumbs up to you.

The power came back on half way through the game, but of course you guys couldn't leave the game unfinished. This of course meant that by the time you finally won, everyone was dead tired and ready to pass out.

Papyrus's solution was to have a sleepover for the others, since he didn't want them out late. He dragged out the bed mattress from the spare room and put it beside the couch, and showed the other's your ex-roommate's dresser so they could all get pajamas. Poor Frisk was stuck with a terribly oversized t-shirt, but they didn't complain.

Sans and yourself went back to your room. As much as you'd love to have a sleepover with all the monsters and Frisk, you felt like sleeping in your room for tonight. Besides, you wouldn't have been able to fit in the living room with them either, never mind Sans. You weren't about to go through the trouble of moving your mattress tonight.

Sans left the room to let you change, and by the time he came back in you were already face down in a pillow, sinking ever slowly into the mattress. He laughed before settling in next to you. Man… he was so warm. You quickly rolled around and draped an arm over him, trying to steal some of his heat. He didn't mind, and gave you a squeeze.

How long have you guys known each other? It couldn't have been very long at all, but the past… week? Two? The days just all ran together, and it felt like much longer than what it probably had been. The fact you were sleeping with Sans so casually now… It made you smile a bit. You felt Sans look down at you, grinning a little himself.

"You feeling good?" He asked. You nod and give a little hum, enjoying a moment, but had a slight ping of guilt appeared in your gut. You lied about earlier. About Flowey. Sans deserves to know, and you knew it. Sure, he had his own secrets, ones plenty dangerous as well, but if you asked he usually told you something.

You lie there for a moment, staring at the wall past his ribs, replaying the events of the day in your mind. How Flowey waved you over as if you were a friend, or… you thought more about the expression he wore before his face distorted. It seemed more of a forced smile, now that you focused on it. It looked exactly like the one you gave a puppy that you were trying to help train years ago.

Shuttering at the thought, Sans seemed to notice how deep in your thoughts you were. "Hey… You okay?" He asked, shifting to his side to better look at you. You swallowed, trying to stop your buzzing mind before looking up at him.

"I realized I never actually… thanked you for getting that seed out of me." You say, noticing that it startled Sans.

"What brought this on?" He asked, concerned. You told yourself earlier you didn't want to tell him what happened at the park… but it was dangerous not to. As much as you loved that park and wanted to keep training there, all it would take is a single vulnerable moment, and the seed incident could happen all over again. Or worse. You weren't about to let your selfishness be a plot point of some amateur author's stupid story.

"I saw Flowey."

Sans Froze. "Like… in the kid's drawing?" He asked, forcing a shaky smile and hoping for the best. You shook your head, and watched the smile immediately drop. His eyes watched you carefully.

"At the park. When we were leaving I looked back to see what I tripped on during the fight, and I saw Flowey there." You couldn't meet his eyes. What was he thinking now? You purposely didn't tell him about it earlier, not that it has been terribly long, but you had a chance to tell him and you didn't take it. No, you blatantly lied to him and he trusted you enough not to dig further. Would you loose his trust? You bit your lip, looking further down the bed. Sans's hands appeared around your shoulders, pushing you back a little as he sat up.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked, voice quiet but not angry. Not yet.

"I… I wanted to keep training at the park. It's one of my favorite spots to go, and I was afraid that if I told you Flowey was there, you'd never let me be there again." You answer honestly, still avoiding eye contact. Were you judging him wrong? Would he actually keep you away from that place because of a possible danger? Why were you so worried about what he thought anyway? Your mind scrambled to one thought after another, anxiety clearly having a party in your head.

"Hey its… its okay." Sans brought a hand to your cheek, lifting your face to see his. He looked concerned, but in no way angry like you were worried he'd be. His fingers rubbed soothingly along your jawline and cheek for a moment, before bringing his forehead to yours. "I'm not going to stop you from training… but you were right about me not wanting you to go to the park."

He pulled back a little, making sure you had eye contact. "Flowey isn't something to mess with." Your breath got caught in your throat. He really was cutting you off from the park. "We'll keep to training in other places though, if you still want to continue." Sans said, looking almost hopeful at the end.

"Of course." You answer, watching Sans's expression falter just for a split second. He… didn't want you to train?

"Right, well, get a good night's rest then. We can bring Bro to the beach tomorrow, and hopefully get some good time in." He rubbed your arms slightly, and laid back down on the bed. You have a moment of uncertainty, but you lay back in the bed anyway.

Soon enough you were getting cold, so you wrapped up around Sans to try and get warm again.

.

You wake up with a pounding heart, bolting up from the bed. You looked around the dark room, eyes quickly adjusting to the blue glow from your clock and orange nightlight. You couldn't remember your dream, but you felt like your heart was ready to explode from the stress of it.

"Ugh…" You mumbled into your hand, rubbing your eyes before looking back at Sans. He was still asleep, snoring ever so slightly. At least you didn't wake him up, you said a silent thanks and slipped out of the bed. You opened the door as quietly as you could, making your way down the hall and to the bathroom, closing the door without the loud click. You took a deep breath, soaking in the darkness of the bathroom. The cold air of the apartment helped your heart slow down a bit, but not enough to calm your nerves. You splashed your face with water, counted to ten, and rubbed your temples. Something felt off… but you couldn't place it.

"Stupid nerves." You muttered, looking at yourself through the mirror. The light was still off, so your reflection was mostly hidden. The nightlight by the light switch was bright enough to see the outline of your face features at least. You rubbed your cheeks, squishing them slightly to attempt to release some of your jitteriness. Last time you felt like this antsy it ended up being Soul sick… You paused, looking at your chest.

Sans said not to look at your Soul without him close by… but he was asleep. What if Flowey did something before you got knocked out in your training session with Papyrus? You immediately brought a hand in front of your chest, concentrating and pulling a fist away. The world spun around you for a moment as your chest felt too tight, before a quiet popping sound echoed around the tiny room, and you fell back against the wall.

"Ooph…" You rubbed the back of your head, pushing yourself off of the wall and looking up to see the floating red heart hovering between you and the reflection. It looked normal. You sighed with relief, grabbing the Soul carefully. You felt the telltale pressure around your body as you gripped the Soul, though you were careful to avoid the blue band and the white scar on it. You didn't want to risk touching them. Last time you touched the blue part, Sans thought you were getting attacked. Last thing you wanted was him to wake up thinking that.

You gave one of the bumps on top of the heart a slight squeeze, feeling the Soul squish almost like jell under your fingertips, and feeling like someone grabbing your left shoulder tightly. You quickly released the heart, watching it drop a couple inches before slowly floating back into place in front of your chest. You smiled to yourself, taking two fingers and thumb and pushing it away from you, feeling an almost… resistance? You let go and it quickly floated back into its default spot.

You were enjoying the experimental time with your Soul, especially since Sans usually tried to get it back in you as soon as possible. Sure, it was sensitive, but you weren't about to let it anything happen to it if you could help it. You just wanted to know more about it in general. Before the monsters showed up, a Soul was a concept rather than a physical… thing. Who could blame you for testing it out?

That got you thinking… You did have time to experiment, it wasn't like you would be able to sleep any time soon… You turned the sink on a little, getting a few drops of water onto your hand. You knew what hands felt like if they grabbed your Soul, but what about other things? You moved your hand to be above your soul, and let some water drip down onto it.

You sharply gasped, reeling back and bumping into the wall again. It felt like someone just poured a cup of water down your back, but at the same time it felt so different and weird.

"Okay… enough experimentation." You quietly say to yourself, shivering slightly and wiping at the back of your neck, even though there wasn't actually any water there. You looked back at your Soul, which was just casually floating in front of your chest again. Grabbing it lightly again, you turned it around in your hands to look at it closer again. It looked so… nice. Especially without the seed stuck in it, that's for sure.

Man, you couldn't wait to train enough to be confident against Flowey. Maybe after a few Undyne sessions you'll be able to go back to the park without being afraid of that stupid flower. You smiled to your reflection, imaging the day. The red light of your Soul shifted to a lighter tone, making you look down at it. It's once solid red color became clouded with light orange colors, though it didn't look… wrong. You watched it, curious for a moment, before it slowly faded back to Red.

You didn't know it could change colors! You carefully grabbed it again, bringing it up so you could look at it better, and started waiting. Something would happened if you waited long enough… There it was! The color got clouded again, but this time turning to a light blue. You felt excitement fill you as you watched the change, and you felt like a kid with those "mood changing" rings. As your excitement rose, the blue color faded back to the solid red. You wondered what the colors meant, maybe you could ask Sans about it later.

But for now, maybe you should head back to bed… You noticed a slight headache forming in the back of your head, probably from bumping it against the wall earlier, you figure. You must have woken someone up doing that as well, since it sounded like someone in the living room was watching TV quietly now… at least you think. You couldn't recognize anything being said. You could swear it was getting louder though.

Not paying attention to the background noise, you grabbed the heart and got ready to shove it back into your chest, pausing when you felt your thumbs stick to it. You pulled the Soul away and looked at it, noticing a black color bubbling up from the sides of the glowing blue band. You pulled your thumbs away from the Soul, watching as thick inkiness trailed from your thumbs to your soul, dripping slightly. You breathed heavily, feeling the strange sensation of… something at your sides.

This… This wasn't normal… You swallowed and looked up at your reflection, noticing a white, cracked face hovering above yours, darkness towering behind you, and pale hands with holes resting on your shoulders.

The figure smiled at you, and the whispering grew louder.