As a small side note- if any of the answers to the reviews made zero sense let me know, I am so tired right now it's not even funny. *sigh* Off to sleep now! :)
Idiot. Sans wanted to scream at himself as he splashes cool water on his face. You're such a coward. He looked at himself in the mirror. Pathetic. Sans wanted to be anywhere but here at this point, but he couldn't just leave. He finds himself teleporting over to the bar. it was far enough away from where Riley was.
Sans was pleased to find Grillby working as the bartender. Grillby greeted him, asking if he wanted some ketchup, Sans shook his head, chuckling weakly,
"I think i'm gonna need somethin' a little stronger than that, pal…" Grillby asks what's wrong.
"I… heh. it's stupid." Grillby says tell him anyways.
"Alright. Fine. I really… like this girl… but can't tell her…" Grillby nods sympathetically. "And she's out with this guy now and… I think they like each other? I dunno, Grillbz. this is all a huge mess." Sans puts his head in his hands, chuckling. "I don't know what to do…" Grillby says he should go for it.
"As much as I'd like to… I can't. She's…. god, Grillby, she's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. I can't even imagine for one second why she would want to go out with…" he gestures to himself, "This."
Grillby is about to retort, but Sans cuts him off,
"Just… gimme the strongest stuff y'got so I can forget about what happened, alright?"
Grillby doesn't budge. Sans looks desperately up at him,
"heh. C'mon Grillbz…"
The fire elemental just stares at him.
"I'm not gonna ask her out, alright? She's probably off with Iro right now…"
Grillby sighs.
Sans sighs.
"Sans?" a horrifyingly familiar voice sounds behind him.
Riley.
Grillby walks off quickly. Thanks for the help, Grillbz.
Sans turns slightly, getting a glimpse of her. Getting a glimpse of the most beautiful girl he's ever seen.
"Oh uh… heya." He doesn't meet her gaze. She sits on the bar stool next to him,
"Is everything a-alright?" She seems just as nervous as he is. Sans wants to scream,
"Yeah. everything's fine."
She taps a rhythm on the bar,
"Can I uh… t-tell you something?"
"Shoot." Sans hates how casual he sounds.
"My… M-My scarf." Sans glances at her, she looks afraid. Sans stays silent. "When I… when I was a kid…" there were tears welling in her eyes, Sans want to reach out and grab her hand or something in reassurance, but he's frozen. "M-My dad he…. he…" She's crying now. Sans can't let that happen. He grabs her hand, gently squeezing. A split second later, she wraps him in an embrace. "I-I'm sorry f-f-for crying… I just…" Sans shushes her, returning the hug.
"Do you wanna go somewhere else to talk? It's kinda loud in here…"
She nods, wiping tears away as she releases Sans. He doesn't let go of her hand as he leads her out of the building. It's pouring outside, but they stay under the covered walkway. There were a few monsters there, but it was a lot quieter than inside. The two find a seat on a nearby bench, sitting close to each other.
"You don't have to tell me, if it's too much…" She shakes her head, sniffling.
"N-no. you deserve to know." He nods. Riley takes in a shaky breath,
"My d-dad was abusive. N-Not at first… but he lost his j-job and started drinking. He n-never hurt me to me, but he hurt my m-mom. And s-sometimes my sister, Ally, s-stepped in… It g-got bad. He th-threatened to b-burn the house d-down and… my mom… didn't believe h-him… and…" Sans gives her hand a reassuring squeeze. "A-and he did. M-me and my mom got out… but my… sister…" She buries her face in Sans' shoulder, crying gently. "O-Of course, w-we didn't get out c-completely unscathed... " He exhales, letting out a breath he didn't even realize he was holding in.
"Your scarf…"
She nods. Riley pulls away from him, chuckling softly,
"I-I don't know why I still cry a-about it… it was o-over 10 years ago, now… heh" His soul aches for her,
"I'm sorry…"
"Don't be. I-It's my dad's fault a-and he's in prison now. now and for the rest of his life. It's… okay."
Sans finds himself looking at her silken black scarf, he inhales,
"C-can I?"
She looks at him, something like fear flashing in her eyes.
"I-It's not pretty, Sans… I… I dont want you to see me l-like that."
"Please."
Riley doesn't meet his gaze, but nods. Sans raises his hands to either side of her face, as soon as his fingers find the edge of her scarf, she stiffens. He pauses before proceeding, his hands shaking as he pulls down the silken fabric.
"Oh." he lets out a quiet breath.
"I-I'm sorry I-I w-warned yo-"
"You are so beautiful, Riley."
She looks over at him in surprise. He places a hand on the side of her face, there were burn marks scarring the sides. But he didn't care. She was so, so beautiful.
A few tears of disbelief fall from her eyes and onto her cheeks, sans wipes them away.
"Y-You're just saying that." She turns away, his hand falls from her face.
"No. I mean it, Riley. You are so beautiful." He gazes directly into her green eyes, meaning every single word. She lets out a quiet sob, burying her face in his shoulder once more.
"Thank you…"
So. He knows who I really am now. They sat together on the bench outside, the sound of the rain comforting her, the feeling of his arms making her smile through her tears.
"Are you alright?" He murmured. He held her in his arms tightly. She nodded slowly, looking up at him with a smile.
"You're the first person I've ever told about this." She whispered. She was so grateful to him. Never had she expected anyone to still look at her the way he did after she showed them her scars. He still saw her as a friend, as an actual person. He looked past the scars to see who she really was.
"Why me?" He asked. "Why not… Alphys? Why not… Iro?" She had thought about this a lot. She trusted Sans more than anyone.
"I… I trust you, Sans. I feel safe with you." She smiled. "You're the first friend I've had since… Ally." She was going to cry again. Stop. Augh.
"Hey…" He smiled, "I'll always be your friend, Ri." She quickly wiped away her tears again. He gently pressed his hand to her cheek again. "You have these… all over?" She nodded slowly.
"Look." She pulled her scarf off of her neck to reveal the dark marks there. "My upper body was badly burned… so the scars are worse. Here, around my shoulders and down my chest and back. My lower arms are…. Not as bad, that's why I got three quarter sleeves." She shows him her lower arm and wrist, she winces looking at the splotchy colors. Less noticeable, but still there. "And…" She pulls up her dress just enough to show him her lower thigh, "Here, up to my hip. My lower legs:" She held them out for him to see, "Pretty bad… I guess. I did this for Alphys and Undyne. I hoped no one would pay much attention to my legs. You can see how dark it is.." She traced her finger across her knee.
"Oh. Riley… How… how old were you?" She did the math in her head quickly. She always tried not to think about it.
"Twelve. I was twelve." He was thinking, as his expression changed to horror she knew he was thinking about Frankie. She had only been three years older than Frankie when this had happened.
"I… I'm sorry."
"I… I try not to think about it." She sighed.
"Look at me." She turned so she was facing him. "These don't make a difference to me at all. You're beautiful, Riley, both inside and out." She shook her head with a smile.
"This… this is why you're my best friend." Then she pulled him into another tight hug. God, I wish we could be more. But she believed so firmly in her soul that no one could love her. Not her, who was covered in scars. Not her, who carried so much baggage.
"Hey." Sans grinned. "I'll always be your friend, Ri. No matter what." He took her hand and pulled her up. He always knows what to say.
"You know… You're a good dancer, Sans. You should… get b-back in there." His cheekbones turn bright blue and he looks down at his hands.
"Actually. I'd much rather…" He frowned, and there was a long pause before he continued. "I'd much rather do this." He gently took her hand and pulled her into his arms, humming softly he led her around the little walkway, safe from the rain. Her cheeks turned bright red. He'd rather stay out here with me…?
"You're so beautiful, Riley." He said again, as if to reassure her. She wasn't sure she could quite believe it, though he spoke with such confidence. God, she wanted to kiss him. You need to just get this off your chest. It's better to be rejected than to never know, to always be tormented by it.
"Sans… I have to tell you something-"
"There you are!" Iro… She was half-relieved, half-frustrated, but she scrambled to pull up her scarf again. "I was worried when you disappeared. Oh! Hey, Sans." Sans stepped away from Riley as if she were fire, his cheekbones a burning blue. Iro grinned. "Oh...heh…. Am I interrupting something?"
"No…" Sans mumbled. "S'alright."
"So, uhh… anyways. They're cutting the cake. You wanna come in and get a piece?"
"Sure." Riley smiled, but she looked back at Sans sadly. On the skeleton's face was a look of defeat, dismay. Doesn't matter. He could never love you, Riley. No one could ever love you.
Frankie found his dad sitting outside alone. Sans had a look of utter defeat on his face. Whatever he was upset about he had given up- given in. But Frankie was too exhausted to notice.
"Hi, Dad…" Frankie murmured, pulling Sans into a tight hug.
"Hey, kiddo. What time is it?"
"Almost midnight." Frankie still didn't let go, so Sans wrapped his arms around him hugging him back.
"Oh boy." Sans yawned. "Did you have fun?"
"Yes! I love weddings! I…" The kiddo yawned, and then giggled. "I saved you a piece of cake. It's in the car with Uncle Paps."
"Thanks!" Sans said, but he couldn't bring himself to smile. "We should go home. It's hours past your bedtime." Frankie nodded sleepily.
"Mmkay." Frankie pulled away, and took Sans' hand happily.
"Say, Frank?"
"Mmhm?" Frankie said. Sans led his son through the reception hall, which was mostly empty by now, back out towards the front parking lot where Paps' car was.
"What do you say you try and sleep in your own bed tonight?"
"My own…?" Frankie frowned, he was a little afraid of the idea. He hadn't slept without Sans in weeks. The idea of being alone… it was terrifying. But, he was nine. That was pretty old. And Justice would probably sleep with him, and he'd have Sir Barkley. So he wouldn't be all alone. And he had a new superman nightlight. That would keep him safe. And his room was right next to Sans' room, so if he got scared, he could just walk a couple feet down the hall and crawl into Sans' bed. "A...alright…"
"Really?" Sans frowned. "Are you sure?"
"I can try…" He wasn't 100% positive, but since today had been a good day maybe he wouldn't have a bad dream.
"If you even get scared a little bit, Frankie, you can come to my room." Sans said. "Alright?"
"I know. It's 'cause you're the best, Dad. I'll try to be brave, I promise."
"Aw, kiddo. You are brave, but sometimes even the bravest people get scared. And that's alright."
By the time they got home Frankie was half asleep, despite the excitement of the day. Sans carried him inside, the house, Papyrus following after them excitedly. Sans pulled back Frankie's blankets and laid him down on his bed.
"Look, Justice is right here." Sans smiled. "And here's Sir Barkley."
"Thanks, Dad. I love you."
"Love you too, kid." Sans grinned.
That was the last Frankie remembered before he fell asleep.
He was standing in the reception hall of Alphys and Undyne's wedding, but it was completely empty, and the lights were off. The only light shining in on the room was from a window. It cast gray shadows on the walls. Frankie shivered. He was utterly alone.
"E...everyone else m-must be outside." He frowned. He had to find his Dad. "D-dad?!" His voice echoed through the room. He hurried to one of the three double doors in the hall, and pushed against it. Locked? It wouldn't budge. He hurried to another. The same- it was locked. "Dad?!" The third was also locked. "DADDY?! WHERE ARE YOU?!"
"You're looking for someone?" A familiar voice hissed.
"B-Brendan?" Frankie turned slowly to see Brendan standing in the center of the room, but his jaw hung- broken. A chill ran down Frankie's spine. Was that what he did? It was terrifying. "I...I… B-Brendan, I'm sorry… You...you were hurtin W-wren. I couldn't let you-"
"You did this to me!" Brendan whispered, his eyes wide.
"I didn't mean-"
"And… now…." Brendan slowly raised a hand, pointing a finger at him, "You'll...pay…"
"No! Please, don't touch m-me!" Frankie gasped.
"Touch you?" Another voice hissed. Brendan's father stepped out from the shadows, his baseball bat held tightly, and raised high. "Who said… we were going to touch you?"
"Wh-what…?" Frankie whispered. Then, much to Frankie's utter horror, Brendan and his father stepped aside to reveal Sans. The older skeleton was on on his hands and knees. There were cracks in his bones, his cheekbones were streaked with tears, his eyes held agony.
"D-dad?!" Frankie gasped.
"You're going to pay." Someone hissed. Another Red X member stepped out from the shadows. And then another.
"Don't touch him!" Frankie screamed, his fists engulfed in yellow magic.
"YOU'RE GOING TO PAY!" Brendan shrieked. Brendan's father raised his bat, and swung. Sans reached out for help, but it was too late. The bat hit Sans' skull with a resounding crack, and Sans turned to dust before his son's eyes. All that remained was his blue coat.
Frankie screamed at the top of his lungs, falling to his knees. Tears streamed down his cheekbones. All that remained… was Sans' blue coat.
Frankie woke up screaming again. He took in a gasping breath and then sobbed, his bones shaking. They had killed his father, again, and it burned- ached in his soul. He was delirious, gripping his blankets as if he were still holding on to Sans' coat.
"DAD! COME BACK!"
"Frankie?!" The door to Frankie's bedroom burst open, Sans stood in the doorway. "Frankie, are you alright?!"
"Dad…? Is it really you…? You're…?"
"Aww, kiddo, I...I'm sorry..." Sans held out his arms and Frankie grabbed him, quickly pulling him into a hug.
"D-dad… D-dad… don't…. please don't… don't leave…."
"Shh… I won't leave, kid, I promise."
"Th...they… they killed you..." Frankie whispered. "I watched them k-kill… you." Sans was silent for a long moment before murmuring,
"It was just a dream. Just a dream..." Frankie sobbed harder, pulling Sans closer. He knew that. He knew it was just a dream, but a terrible fear gripped his soul. If Red X found him, would they hesitate? Probably not. And because Sans had protected Frankie last time would they kill him first? "Hey… Frankie… It's alright. You can come sleep in my room. I won't let anything happen."
"O-okay."
"It's going to be alright, kiddo. I'm not going anywhere."
"Y-you promise?" Frankie whispered.
Sans nodded firmly. "I promise."
REVIEWS FOR CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE:
Ed's. Curious. Kitten: *leers at Mettaton* You had ONE JOB!
I have officially given up on my teeth. They're candy coated at this point. GO GET YOUR SKELETON MAN, RILEY! DON'T LET YOUR DREAMS BE DREAMS!
I cannot even tell you how much I absolutely love your last comment. I just. I can't even. SHE HAS DONE IT. SHE HAS FOUND HIM!
Unfortunately... her dreams are still dreams.
OppsieDasi: Wait...
What?
No!
No no no noooo! No! No!
SANS! COME BACK!
Oops... sorry? Nyeheheh! Hope this chapter made it better? ;)
CitrisDragon: Holy crap. You're killing me with all this fluff. Just make them kiss already!
Seriously though, I absolutely love this story.
I am pretty sure this involves spoilers but... mmmmmmm *cough* soon *cough*
Davewott: OMG SO MUCH YES! I love IT!
AWESOME! :D
Midnightsalem: ERROR ERROR DOES NOT COMPUTE THE FLUFF ITS SO CUTE!
It's hilarious that we've promised pain. I just... wow. It has come so far. I'm glad you like it! FLUFF ALL AROUND! Probably more pain too, but... FLUFF!
HourglassMadness: (When Sans said that Riley was with Iro)
THE NEXT FEW HOURS ARE GOING TO BE VERY UNPLEASANT FOR YOU!
Oh my gosh when Sans thought that, I was filled with the sudden urge to go NO MERCY on Iro's back! The thing is, Iro seems completely oblivious that he's getting in the way!
(Cue the science teacher from Frankenweenie)
I really...nnnnnhhhgggg... I really can't say anything to this without completely giving away something and it irks me. But yes, Iro does need to get out of the way. SANSLEY, IRO! SANSLEY!
sonicxjones: I'm glad you like that pun, I got all the TIE in the world to make em.
Why. Why must you all do this to me?
Anonymous: OMG I SCREAMED WHEN I READ THIS! Are we going to find out about Riley's scarf next chapter? Is she just insecure? :0 I'm not even going to resist the fact that I love Sansley anymore, this chapter was perfect!
This is the most beautiful thing I have ever read. Trust me, I still scream sometimes it's gonna be amazing. I promise. And also- YES. SANSLEY! :D
Guest: Riley: ERROR ERROR
*Error appears*
Error: Who called?
Author: CUT!
Error:: Whoops.
Yes. Riley, shhh... It's okay. It's just gonna get better.
StarBee24: AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! SO MUCH CUTE! And he teleported away hehehe...so adorable XD
yessss and hopefully loads more to come. ;)
anthonyabc268: Great job the creativity is amazing i like how erm ... Cute it is (manliness gone for a few secends) but hey at least undyne have that punk a little push hehehe
This is probably the second most beautiful thing I have ever read. Shhh... it's cute. You know it. Yesss... and later she will be nudging them more, methinks.
AceLegends: I love this. Keep it up.
One tiny detail I really liked is how you guys managed to dodge the question of what Frisk was wearing. Boys wear suits, girls wear dresses, so what would frisk wear? I really like how you managed to keep them gender neutral so far, and this is just one tiny detail that adds to the perfection of this story.
Still curious though...what's behind the scarf? Will grandpop's Eleanor have more significance later? What about Red X? If Frisk is true pacifist, why were there resets after reaching the surface? Was it someone else, or did Frisk have a motive? Welp, I'd just like to say it again; I really love your story, and you don't know how difficult it was to not review on old chapters! I just couldn't wait till I caught up so I could review lmao
Ah! That's awesome! I'm glad you noticed. That was just something where I was kind of like: uhhhh... what should Frisk wear? I dunno. Guess I just won't even say anything. And I *hate* that because I like to paint a picture but I think for Frisk it's important to just... not sometimes. It's harrdddd though!
So, Guess you got the answer to your first question. I'm not sure about Eleanor. I guess we'll have to see what happens. Parts of this story are just developing as they're written I think. Red X is definitely going to play a HUGE role later. I know that for sure. As for the resets and stuff... augh I don't know... my cousin and I haven't really discussed it in detail. Just basically: They happened sometimes. So... we probably should do that. :P
Yes! Review away! :D
Guest: (OHH MY GOD I READ THIS IN CLASS AND THE SLOW-DANCE SCENE KILLED ME!
(( In a good way though heheh...))
IM 100% CERTAIN THAT MY FACE LOOKED LIKE THIS) \/ \/ \/
•/_/•
shit... please no one notice me /
But GREAT chapter (like always), I really enjoyed that part (even with some of my classmates lookin at me "Bugger off, You can't understand how this feels!")with the slow-dance!
(OH HELL YEAH UNDYNE!)
"Come on Riley! Show us what you're hiding under that scarf!"
Heheh... I have sent my cousin some of everyone's reviews while she was in class and she's always like "STOP. I AM SMILING LIKE AN IDIOT AND EVERYONE'S STARING AT ME!" (This is an example of how EVERYONE'S REVIEWS ARE AWESOME AND SO ENCOURAGING! THANKS SOOO MUCH! :DDDDD ) AHH! I'm so glad you like the slow-dance scene! More cuteness soon mayhaps. :)
Anon: Aaaaahhhhhh Sansley is so cute! I can't wait for them to finally get together... :)
I love their reactions to their feelings for each other (so much blushing) and I think it's hilarious they haven't figured out each other's feelings yet (because they both blush so much!). XD
Ahh! You all ship Sansley now and it's amazing and like a dream come true. It's so funny because the original idea for the story was just Frankie and Sans and then we thought mmm maybe Sans should get a girl... maybe Sans should get... a human girl? I dunno. risky... so what should her name be. Wait... wait... If we're shipping Sans with a girl- a human girl- what about... what about Riley? RILEY?! YAS! I SHIP IT. (that is 100% truthfully the conversation that happened when we decided on Sansley). ANYWAYS! Yes, the blushing is my FAVORITE! Soooo cute. :) I'm gonna have to post a little draw I did recently that I like to call blush (on our tumblr). It's amazzzing. (because blush).
Secretkeeper626: Is there a 'M or MissingNo. style rash or scar underneath that scarf?
Well... I think this chapter answered your question! The mystery of the scarf has been solved! :D
SilerofWorlds: If you hear crying, its because this chapter was too damn cute for its own good, and has given me a chronic case of the feels.
Seriously though, keep up the great work. This story has been amazing so far.
Aww! Thanks! That's awesome! We're so glad you like it!
I guest as much: Great update! The whole way through reading this was just like fluff on fluff on drama, and it was awesome. I loved the Frankie/Wren moment and I could literally feel the tension when Sans asked Riley to dance. But now I'm wondering why Sans pulled the disappearing act, now Riley is probably going to get the wrong idea, go into a relationship with Iro because she thinks she has no chance with Sans, and eventually have a dramatic conversation with Sans in the rain that helps them both come to understand their feelings for each other after a long period of both giving the other the silent treatment and dancing around conversations with each other! Actually, never mind, I'm probably reading too far into this, I can't wait for the next update!
Thanks! Those are fabulous ideas. There is however one thing that wouldn't work based on something no one knows yet... so... I guess you'll find out soon! *singing* Secret! Secret! Hush... hush... hush! ;)
Asreil: Whoooooooooohoooooo OMG 10/10 MLG NO SCOPE DORITOS AND MT DEW OMG 8373947494666/10 BEST CHAPTER EVER OMG ... Wait where is frisk?OH RIGHT SHE FUCKING LEFT ME. that means I can say dirty words...Wenier
Wow. Okay... shhhh... It's okay. Breathe in... and just calm yourself...
I know I always end these little sections with WOW! but seriously, that is the only thing I can think of to say! Getting reviews from you all is sooo awesome! THANKS SO MUCH! :D See you on the next chapter!
-MH_C