Chapter 35
Irrational expectationsSans walks through the common living room of the mansion, absently scratching his hipbone over his boxers. He stopped caring about what the robot had to say about his clothes during the first week and right now his only concern is to restock his dwindling ketchup supply. Going back to drinking ketchup instead of mustard made him nostalgic at first, but now he can't imagine why he didn't do it sooner. He rummages through the pantry, finding the new bottles at the very back of the highest shelf.
That damn robot, making everything difficult.
A high pitched squeal nearly makes him drop the swarm of cans and bottles floating over his head. He uses his magic to hurriedly replace them on the shelf, before taking a bottle and hiding it in his ribcage. He walks back through the kitchen cautiously, catching his brother-in-law pacing back and forth in the living room. Mettaton is exclaiming excitedly, apparently talking to a friend. Sans is about to shortcut back into his room when the robot calls him over.
There goes his happy-ketchup-alone-time.
"-and I am positively ecstatic for you, oh Sans! It's actually great to see you this time, come over here I have some important news for everyone!" the robot walks over, without a chasis, wearing only a set of fancy, silk pajamas with matching slippers over his almost-human musculature. He's also wearing a bun on his hair, just awful.
"Not now, I gotta-"
"Nonsense, this is important! It's about your flower honey!" he laughs pompously, extending one of his metal arms to pull him over.
"What's up?"
"Well, yes he's here darling, do you want to say hi? Of course, here you go." Mettaton extends his free hand and a piece of his palm slides away to reveal a lens. Alphys' face is projected in front of them and she greets Sans enthusiastically. He smiles and greets her back, picking Mettaton's hand off his arm.
"W-what I was telling Mettaton is that we've been looking through all the information we gathered and have come up with some possible locations for the soul hosts and I was calling to see if Papy-"
"Yes, yes, we know! Trust me, this bag of bones has been on top of these things like a dog with a bone!" he nudges Sans, who growls begrudgingly. "I mean the other thing! Tell him, go on! I want to see his face when you tell him!"
"Oh, ah, that…Um I, uh…spoke with Undyne a couple of days ago and I told her what happened with the…amalgamates." she stutters, shyly.
Sans' face does not disappoint, an uncharacteristic mixture of stunned worry and endearment, Mettaton makes sure to take a picture and save it for future blackmailing.
"Shit, that's uh, great that you got it offa your chest. How'd it go?" he frowns with concern. What a sentimental nerd! This is pure gold, thinks Mettaton.
"It's um, she took it okay. She was kind of surprised, but she said she understood why I didn't tell her… she uh, seemed relieved. I'm more than a little relieved myself, to be honest. We've been catching up, trying to get along again. Well, we might as well, since she's going to be my um, b-bodyguard for a while." she giggles nervously, but the obvious blush on her face makes it clear she is quite happy with the situation..
"Heh…glad you cod figure something out. Wouldn't want you both staying salty forever." he winked at her, she snickered. Mettaton groaned and pushed the skeleton's face out of the way, straightening to his full height put Sans out of her sight.
"That's enough of that, I wanted you to be happy, Sans, not to ruin my morning with your cheap jokes. Now Alphys-chan, back to business. Asgore sent a message, he will be leading a meeting with all of us next Tuesday. I'm guessing he will be telling us how to best deal with this whole 'human souls' business."
"Yes, t-that's right. So far we've figured where some of the other hosts might be. That's why I called. Maybe you could get Papyrus to start getting a group together, since we would have to see them in person to confirm they have a human soul and it's going to be,um, how do I put this?"
"A mess." Sans interjected. "Ya got any way of identifying them that doesn't involve EM scanning every poor bastard?"
"Um, well, unless we had a group of boss monsters to check all the souls in the area; no, no we don't. I was working on replicating Mettaton's scanners, but I need a better idea of what I'm looking for. All the data I have is on Frisk and what Mett gave me on Ika. It's not that useful for finding the other hosts i-if we don't actually know what we're looking for."
"Can't ya just isolate the scanner to look for one of the seven colors at a time? Pick the person with the highest concentration of one color?" he suggests.
"I could, but the scanners are mostly programed for monster energy, and though we have some for human magic we don't have one to scan for both at the same time. Besides the host's colors m-might interfere with the reading, if those images are anything to go by. The combination of the two souls might be read as another color, so we can't assume that will work. The only way is to do it when they're using their powers but the I chances of that are pretty slim." she taps the screen and an electromagnetic scan of Ika appears on screen. Just like when he saw the old lady in person, the scan shows a light blue soul overlapping a dark blue green monster soul. She's right, this isn't that simple.
"Alright, both of you pause the science babble for a moment. I'll be right back. Good morning tall, dark and handsome!" he struts away, stretching his arm to leave Alphys talking with Sans while he greets his husband, who is already fully dressed in his weekend exercise attire. The two scientists throw ideas around while the husbands chatter happily, ways away from them.
"Good morni-what's going on?" Frisk walks into the living room, confused.
" 'Mornin kid. We uh-"
"GOOD MORNING TINY SKELETON! It seems my love and my brother started a meeting behind our backs! Care to join me as we catch up?"
"Sure, let me just get my cereal. Hi, Dr. Alphys!" they wave at her, she waves back awkwardly.
"Wait, darling! Let's all move this to the table; we can have a breakfast meeting!"
"Don't make it into a thing, let Alphys finish what she's gotta say." Sans growls as they all shuffle into the big dining room, followed closely by the head butler, Jaques.
"A-actually, I think it's a good idea. We can get ready for Asgore's meeting and we can catch up?" she says, hopefully.
"Oh course, Alphys. You still have many more juicy details to share with me!" Mettaton says with a smirk.
She snickers nervously as they settle on their chairs. The maids bring their breakfast over and set the table, Jaques places a conference drone at the empty end of the table and transfers Alphys' call to it with a polite bow.
Alphys explains to them her findings on how the barrier worked and some of her theories as to how the hosts came to be. Frisk and Papyrus ask her many questions, while Sans exchanges documents from his handlink with her and makes tentative plans. She can't resist the munchies, as she watches them eat and joins them with some fruit and pastries. Later a sudden burst of japanese rock from her side startles the doctor, who scrambles to answer another call. Her old friends snicker, knowing who's calling, while Frisk stares between them cluelessly.
"She just started talking with her ex-girlfriend again." Sans mutters to them. "Iguana say I didn't see it coming, but I knew nofin can kill reel love." he says louder.
"No puns at the table, Sans!" Papyrus says, narrowing his eyes.
"Nor anywhere else for that matter. I'd rather you be sarcastic, at least that's almost funny." the robot muttered.
"I don't get it." Frisk whispers to Sans who is about to start explaining the joke when Alphys interrupts.
"U-um. Undyne wants t-to join the conference! If that's alright with you guys?" she's blushing again.
"Never mind, just check it out." Sans nudges Frisk with his elbow.
"EXCELLENT! We can have a rehearsal meeting! That way we will be DOUBLY prepared!" the taller skeleton beams at Alphys and she links the calls. They all hear her before they can see her.
"GOOD MORNIN' PUNKS! and Alphys…Hey, is that the nerd? Long time no see, Sans! And…who is that?" Undyne puts down what looks like the mother of all deadlifts with one arm before leaning farther into the camera.
"Hi, I'm Frisk…oh." They try not to laugh as the puns hit home. "I-it's nice to meet you."
"HOLY SHIT YOU WEREN'T KIDDING! They still got the flowers and everything!" she exclaims, they flinch, at her loudness, rather than the observation.
"Language, Undyne!" Papyrus says, his serious tone, undermined by the happy smile on his face.
"More like volume." Mettaton adds.
"My bad, I saw the pictures but I didn't think- whatever. The name's Undyne, punk! It's nice to meet ya!"
"Same here." they wave and smile at her nervously.
"Nice to meet ya, Undyne Punk, I'm Sans."
"Shaddup nerd! You know, Paps told me you started training again. Don't make me give him ideas on how to take it up a notch. " she sneered.
"Could you like, notch do that?" he drawled, getting a bark of a laugh out of her.
"You know what? I could use a second opinion. Thank you Undyne!" Papyrus growls.
Her laughter now booms and Frisk stares curiously. She's as exuberant as Papyrus, but perhaps because they're already used to him he doesn't seem nearly as intimidating. Her mouth is full of sharp teeth, her face is covered in scars, and her muscles are amazing. They didn't think it was possible but she looks even tougher than she does on those youtube videos Sans showed them!
"Okay, introductions and tasteless humor aside, let's get back on track." Mettaton, wipes his lips daintily and stands. "You called this impromptu meeting to update us, but also because you were going to ask us for some help. So shoot, sweetness, tell me what you need"
"Oh um…as I was saying, here's the map with the anomalies we've found so far." A spinning hologram of the globe appeared over the table, dotted with little colored lights; some areas shine brighter than the others. The area around Mt. Ebbot is the brightest, and Frisk feels a twinge of sadness, seeing how far they are from their old home.
"I shall have the Guard teams prepared to search these areas by the end of next week, doctor!"
"T-that's great Papyrus. I've been working on the portable EM scanners, but they need to be calibrated to identify hosts, specifically. I don't want them to go off every time you pass by someone with a similar colored soul. Until I have more information we're kind of guessing, for now." she laughs awkwardly, pushing her glasses up her muzzle.
"Can I help? If I'm close to them I can tell if they…have a human soul or not." Frisk asks, a little put off when everyone turns to them curiously.
"T-that would be, I-I mean…" a persistent beeping from Frisk's hand-link interrupts Alphys' awkward approach. As they excuse themselves to reply a sudden stream of text messages, she looks at the rest of them helplessly. Sans shakes his head no at her frowning. Papyrus on the other hand exchanges thoughtful looks with Undyne, while Mettaton's busy examining the map.
"Flowey wants to join in too. Is that ok?" Frisk asks, looking up.
"Of course, we need all the input we can get!" Papyrus claps his hands, walking over to stand behind Mettaton. The robot leans his head back and whispers something to him.
"Here, lemme get that." Sans leans over to Frisk, showing them how to link the video call to the drone on the table. In a moment Flowey is projected alongside, the other two holograms.
"Howdy! Looking good, Frisk! Lazy bones." he nods in acknowledgement at Sans, who waves lazily. Then he looks around "Golly, this might as well be the meeting, everyone's here! Hi, Fishstick!"
"Hi, yourself weed!" Undyne replies, with a friendly growl. Sans chokes on his food snickering, Frisk gives him a look and he leans over trying not to laugh in their face as he tries to explain. After the greetings and pleasantries are exchanged, Mettaton steers them back into the conversation, urging Alphys to get to the point.
"Oh, right. Sans I…I've been going through some of the old Royal Scientist's research, about the barrier but I, uh, may need help translating his handwritten notes, they um…"
"No problem doc. I dunno if that can wait 'till you send them over, so I can just cook up a program to translate the thing. You think yer gonna need help decoding it?" he seems unfazed, and it catches her off guard. His father always seemed like a sore subject, one she didn't want to bring up in a table full of people that didn't even remember Gaster existed until a couple of decades ago.
"That would be amazing, Sans! T-thanks a lot, I mean I might have to call every now and then to get a second opinion." she manages.
" 'S fine, I'll be yer second mate." he shoots her double pistols and a wink, glancing at Undyne pointedly, the doctor blushes.
"Alphys, darling, sorry to interrupt but I have a question." the robot says, loud enough to get all of their dwindling attentions back on him.
"Go ahead, Mett."
"I understand that these are the places where there's strange events and high magical readings. But this entire process: tracking the possible hosts, figuring out which of them are actually real; that little side project of finding some human mages, figuring out what the barrier has to do with this, plus catching this crazy lady who is trying to steal the human souls…" he counts his points on one hand. "You know I'm not one to kill a party, but this is going to take years."
The others are quiet now as what he says fully sinks in for some of them. Frisk half knew this, but hearing it laid out so plainly hit them a little harder than they try to keep a traight face but their jaw is trembling a little. Sans grabs their arm under the table and they share a look with him. The idea is daunting but it's encouraging to remember their friends will be here no matter what.
"Why are you so certain, love? We're going to catch Dahlia soon, you'll see!" Papyrus says, confidently.
"I know that, but-" his husband starts.
"Even if we catch her, there might be others. They could be dangerous to us, or to the public. The king won't let idiots with so much power running around loose. We're gonna have to make sure they don't do anything stupid." Undyne puts in. Mettaton nods at her, acknowledging her point.
"That was rude but still, Undyne is right. We can't leave this alone until we catch the others. It will take the teams at least a couple of months to question all the suspects. Plus, in this room there's only three people who can see souls, and that's three too many. Even if we split up, which let's be honest here, we won't…" he glances at Sans pointedly, who refuses to let go of Frisk's arm. "How are they going to identify the hosts, let alone catch them? While you may find suspects you can't force them to take the scans. One lady you're chasing can make things go through her and the other can tell the future. Who knows what else these other hosts can do. We can't just sit around and wait for detectives, we need to do this ourselves!" he finishes, with righteous indignation.
"You mean we get to go behind the government's back? Woohoo, anarchy!" Flowey chimed in with an evil little grin.
Frisk shakes their head, then turns to Sans. He is slumped on his chair, one eye closed, the other roaming the table idly. But his hand on their forearm was firm, trying to be reassuring and steady, but too stiff in contrast with the rest of his body. He didn't like this, and neither did they, but not exactly for the same reasons.
"I could help, if you want." Frisk offers again, voice certain, despite the nerves.
Everyone pauses their conversation and turns to them. They put a hand over Sans', sliding it off their arm and putting their own on his shoulder as they stand up. The others couldn't pretend they didn't hear Frisk now. "I can tell when a monster has a human soul, if I see them in person, so…I can help you find them."
"That's not such a bad idea. Certainly, it might be good for you to leave the country for a bit, at least until we catch Dahlia. We can beat her to it if we hurry! Find the hosts before she can, some of them might even help us catch her!" Papyrus put in, pacing excitedly.
"Yeah, get em out of your house ya doofus! Everyone in the Guard knows where you live!" Undyne guffawed.
"Just because everyone know where he lives, doesn't mean anyone can get in without permission, darling." A light flashes menacingly under the hair that covers the side of Mettaton's face. "But I agree, we could split up and track the hosts separately to save time. That Ika lady said there might be one in New Orleans and I see she was right about that too." he points out a bright cluster in the map, somewhere near the coast.
"She's been right about everything so far, actually. Even if she was a little, uh, hard to understand at first." Alphys muttered.
"She's a total nutjob, but she can definitely see the future, trust us!" Flowey nods.
"We can't just take Frisk around the world to find these freaks. Some of them might be as crazy as Dahlia is!" Sans growls, tensing as if he too, wants to stand up.
"Or they might be like Bliz, using their powers to help people." Frisk says firmly, returning to their seat next to him. "Either way, I want to help if I can. I'm going to be running around anyway, right?"
Papyrus exchanges a sympathetic look with his husband and the doctor, while Undyne just frowns thoughtfully and Flowey bounces in place excitedly.
"I want to go with you! I called mom just now, she's calling Asgore to move up the meeting since we're all here already. I told him what you've all been rambling about and he seems to like splitting up the plan. He's worried about what the hosts will do with their powers and the faster we can get them under control the better." Flowey says.
"He what?!" this time, Sans does stand up.
"Oh my goodness, I have to freshen up. Frisk! Come here, we can't let you see the king in your pajamas! Hustle sweetie!"
Mettaton practically drags all of them away to put on more presentable clothes. He fusses with Frisk's clothes, until Flowey's screeching from the dining room becomes unbearable. In a couple of minutes they're all back at the table, slightly more presentable and in Frisk's case infinitely much more nervous.
"You done? Gee, you act like he's never seen you in pajamas. The guy probably saw you when you were getting made, numb-bolts." Flowey hisses at Mettaton, who somehow managed to get in a business suit in those few minutes.
"That's beside the point, I refuse to be underdressed before royalty!" he snaps, walking over to throw a dress jacket and jeans at Sans in an attempt to make him more decent. He grumbles but puts them on anyway when Papyrus gets up to 'help'.
"Asgore doesn't care what you wear, Mettaton, get over it." Undyne rolls her eyes, wiping her sweaty face with a towel hanging around her neck.
"Greetings everyone, thank you for responding so quickly. Hello my children!" Toriel's gentle voice cuts through the bickering. She waves at Frisk and Flowey, who greet her joyfully. After they all settle around the table she continues.
"Asgore will be with us shortly. Flowey has sent the information to me and I have to say I agree with Mettaton." He beams at her, flattered. "It would be prudent to put as much distance as possible between you and anything Dahlia may use to track you. Moving periodically will make it harder for her to find you and indeed, the few of us who can see souls unassisted cannot afford to be quite so mobile. All of that said I do hope you can ensure their safety, Papyrus." she said, her voice still poised but deadly serious.
"Of course, Mrs. Toriel! I can guarantee they will be more than safe! I will have my best guards escorting them wherever they go!" he puffs his chest proudly. "Alphys and myself have safe houses in all but six of these locations. We can leave those to the rest of the team and make sure Frisk has a safe place to stay!"
The ex-queen nods patiently, glancing around the table. Everyone looks wary but excited at the prospect of working alongside each other in another colossal endeavor. It had been many years since they all worked together like this. Only Sans seemed dour, eyes narrowed and a frown over his dark sockets. Before they could address it further they were interrupted by an incoming call. Frisk grips Sans' hand under the table as the king requests to join their video conference.
"Howdy everyone, it's so nice to see you together after all this time."
Frisk stare, dumbfounded, unable to join in the greetings the others threw around. The king looked so much like Toriel, it caught them off guard. He had a similar facial structure, but the planes of his face were bigger, wider. His eyes were surrounded by redness too, only darker like he hadn't slept in a long time and his horns curled so far from his head they disappeared off-screen. But the biggest difference was the amount of hair; not that Toriel was hairless, by any means, but Asgore was definitely hairer. He had a mane and a beard of a tawny color, streaked with white and dark browns.
His voice is deep and rumbling, as is his laugh, he didn't seem to notice them as he talked to the others amiably. He was wearing a flower print shirt and they could see hedges and flowers behind him, he was gardening. It clashed horribly with the mental image they had of him, even seeing him online had not prepared them. His eyes were a deep amber and held some sort of sadness, similar but not quite the same as the one in Toriel's. They didn't realize he'd spoken to them until the others turned to them quietly.
"You alright there, kid?" Sans muttered, they nodded, gathering their courage and standing up.
"Sorry, I was distracted. You don't look like I imagined, um, your majesty. My name's Frisk, it's a pleasure to meet you." They give the king a polite smile which he returns gently.
"The pleasure is mine, little one, I'm sorry I didn't contact you sooner, my name is Asgore Dreemur. I was just asking about your ability to sense the other human soul hosts. Alphys told me you need to be close for it to work, is that so?" They nod, still nervous, but holding his gaze.
"I think I have to touch them at least once. After that I can feel where they are if I concentrate. But I'm sure I could tell them apart from regular people just by looking."
The king nods, and just like that he turns to the others. Frisk sits back down, making their ribs expand and contract with an unnecessary sigh. Sans bumps their shoulder with his.
"Are ya sure ya wanna do this? We could just, you know, lay low until it blows over." he says, plaintively. It's clear he'd rather they stay as far away from this mess as possible.
"I'm sure. I want to help; I don't want her to do that to anyone else and…this is something I want to do for you guys and for me. It's something only I can do that will help everyone, why wouldn't I want to?" they say, eye shining with certainty. His own are wavering.
"I…just want ya to be safe. This mess ain't yer fault, there's no reason you gotta clean it up." he grumbles, leaning close so only they can hear.
"I know I don't have to, but I want to." they say honestly. They'd said something along those lines years ago. The words and the smile they give him trigger a sharp, almost painful lurch in his soul. Something so precious should never be allowed to break. Bringing them into his life only brought them suffering, always put them in danger. But through all that darkness they still shone, and that in itself was utterly beautiful. So, how could he say no to them?
"Earth to numbskull!...Earth to lazybones!….EARTH TO SMILEY TRASHBAG!"
"Flowey! That's no way to address your friend. Apologize this instant, young one." Toriel admonished.
"Mom, he's totally ignoring me! Geez, fine. Sorry I called you a trashbag…you bag of bones! Now stop staring at Frisk and answer me!"
"Sorry to interrupt all of you, it has been great to catch up with you, my friends. But I need to leave soon and I believe I've already made a decision." The way the king's voice carriers across the room cuts through the chatter. He doesn't raise his voice but his calm and commanding tone is enough to get them all in order. "I will allow all of you to direct this project, if we can call it that. This endeavor is to be kept as private as possible, for both monster and humankind's sake. Papyrus?"
"Yes, your majesty?" he stands straight, chin high.
"Have your teams track down any possible host candidates. I will make sure the police and Guard continue the search for Dahlia. She cannot be allowed to obtain any more of souls. Mettaton, you are excused, I understand you have an incredibly busy schedule."
"If you'll excuse me your highness, I'm the one who says what goes first on my schedule. Nothing is as important as the well-being of my family…and my fans of course! What do you need me to do?" he says, obviously enjoying the attention.
"Actually I want you to take your travels as an opportunity to find the candidates, if you can. Your tour may not take you to every place we need to see, but you are the most capable of travelling without arousing any suspicion. Please share what you find with all of us."
"It will be my pleasure, your highness." he says, looking smug even as he bows his head to the king.
"What about Frisk?" Flowey interjected.
"I believe that they should be sent to one of the safe houses that is far from Mt. Ebbot, but still close to one of us. I don't want them somewhere we cannot reach them." Toriel says.
"Yeah but no one here can go with them. Everyone knows who Mettaton is, Papyrus is pretty famous too and I'm going to be taking care of Alphys. So that leaves Sans…" Undyne counted them off with a wary scowl.
"And me! I can go with them!" the flower insisted.
"B-but Flowey…what about the research?…" Alphys said.
"Crud, I know that, but…" he looks at Frisk intensely.
"We all have a role to play in this. It would be best if we stay where we are needed most. I trust Papyrus' guards and Sans can keep them safe." Toriel said with finality.
"Very well, I too trust Papyrus' judgement. If that's settled; Alphys, you and Undyne will leave the host search to Papyrus and Mettaton. Focus on finding out more about the human souls and mages; there might be a way to prevent the worst from happening without having to capture all the hosts. Flowey, young one, please stay with Alphys, it's clear she needs your help in her research."
"…yes, dad." he muttered. They all stayed quiet for a moment, though Undyne looked as if she was trying not to laugh.
"As for Toriel and I, regrettably our duties keep us here for the time being. That said, all that's left is to decide where our, own host will begin their search." he finishes, turning to Frisk.
"I'd like to go to New Orleans if that's possible. I know she's weird but I trust Ika and I think she's trying to help. She told us that's where another host would be and it's not too far from everyone." they say confidently, Papyrus beams at them proudly.
"That lady could've been lying though. It's too risky." Sans growls. Frisk tries not to look at him, knowing they will see his fear and concern.
"Even if she is there's no point in keeping Frisk in one place. Dahlia won't be able to leave the state that easily anyway. I say the more they move the better. " Mettaton countered.
"I agree, I will send a team ahead and take every precaution to ensure your safety. Whatever you choose, you will be safe because we are on your side. Besides, I'm sure my brother will take care of you, wherever you go." Papyrus gave his brother a look.
"I'd rather you didn't go, but it's your choice. If you see anything crazy, call us, you hear!?" Flowey says to them, they nod firmly.
"Are we all in agreement then?" Asgore calls the attention back to himself, sparing Sans a glance.
Everyone around the table voices their agreement loudly, Sans says nothing and pretends to doze, though his eyes are dark and his mouth too tense.
"Then it's settled. Like Alphys suggested we have connected our hand-links. Whatever you do, keep them on your person. We will be able to keep track of you and help you if necessary. Papyrus, Mettaton, Alphys; I will contact you regularly to monitor your progress. And Frisk?"
"Yes, sir?"
"Thank you for helping us so readily. I know this situation is not easy and you did not involve yourself by choice, but the way you've taken on this responsibility with us…I genuinely respect it. So, thank you and best of luck on your search. Farewell friends, we will be in touch." the king smiles at everyone one last time before the call ends.
From then on it devolves into inane conversations between those left behind. Papyrus and Undyne catch up and Mettaton takes Alphys' call back onto his hand link, hoping to press her for details on her preparations for Undyne's arrival. Flowey is talking with Frisk now, while Sans sits by their side, numb with fear and reeling from seeing everything slip from between his hands again.
"Right, Sans?…Sans?" they turn to him, unable to keep themselves from glancing at his chest. His magic is wavering.
"Sorry 'bout that, I'm so tired I couldn't ketchup with the conversation." he slips the ketchup bottle from his ribs and takes swig. A line of ketchup dribbles from the corner of his mouth and either he doesn't notice or doesn't care. Frisk takes a left over napkin and wipes it off gently, his eyes meet theirs, tiny pinpricks of bruised red.
"I'll call ya later Flowey, I'm going to be late for training if I don't get ready." they say.
"Yeah, yeah…take care of the lazybones for me. Both of you numbskulls, just…stay safe, ok?" the flower says, trying not to let his concern show too easily.
"We will, I promise. Talk to you later!" they hang up and take Sans' hand, dragging him off the chair and to their side of the house. He lets them, arm limp and feet dragging petulantly.
They sit him on the couch, take his dress jacket off and throw it over the back of it, then plop down next to him.
"I'm really sorry, Sans. I know you wanted to keep me…safe. I know you care about what might happen to me, if I go out there and start looking for these people, these monsters I guess." he doesn't reply, but they know he's listening. "I don't want to force you to do anything, but I want to do this for myself. Whether I like it or not I'm in this mess and I want to do what I can to help clean it up, you know? No one else should have to...to die because of this nonsense."
"It doesn't hafta be you. They can fix it, you heard 'em." he grumbles, bitterly before putting the ketchup away under his shirt. "You can help from here, ya don't gotta go right into the mess." he takes their hand in both of his and looks into their eyes with some sort of desperation. He's pleading, they realize, and the thought makes their soul ache with a strange sort of pity.
"I know that…but I really believe it's the right thing to do. I can't sit around knowing she's out there looking for them. Looking for me. I know I'll be safe with you, but the other hosts, they don't even know-"
"It's not up to you to save them!" he almost shouts, unwilling to acknowledge the irony of him saying that, when he's doing the same damn thing. "For all you know, they're just like Dahlia." he says more composed.
"For all we know they're just like Bliz." they counter evenly. He was starting to miss the days when they were a shy, stuttering ball of awkward.
"I don't want to wait around until something happens to anyone else. What are we going to do if she kills more people? She takes their powers, then who's going to stop her? I know you're all strong but I'm not willing to let her try and hurt any of you…you're all the family I have right now." the emotion in their voice makes him choke on his retort and his voice all but dies when they reach out and embrace him. They're not looking for comfort, their mind is already more than made up. They're trying to comfort him.
How did it come to this? Sans knows he's being overly protective, he knows they can take care of themselves and he knows that he's not going to let anything happen to them, no matter what. But in spite of that, he can't help the desperate worry that weighs on his soul, the old scar throbs as if in warning. Even his soul knows he can't take another hit like that. They squeeze him harder and his face slumps into their shoulder. They smell vaguely of the cinnamon milk tea they had before. He wraps his arms around them, claws gripping their shirt. He refuses to lose them again.
"Sans…"
"Jeez kid…I gotcha. I'll be here either way. I don't care where the hell you go, I'm gonna be there to look after ya…Friends 'till we kick the bucket remember?"
"I'm glad…I'm always here for you too you know?" they pull away and offer him a smile, showing him their pinkie.
"Yeah, I know." he says, unable to stop himself from smiling back and twining their bony fingers together.
"I know that was a little awkward but…"they glance at his chest. "you don't have to get all red over it!" they say, pressing their mouth closed to keep a smile away. He follows their eye, for the first time he can remember unfazed by seeing red spreading on his shirt. Happy-ketchup-alone time had definitely flatlined for today, but not all the fun as of yet.
"Yeah, you got my bleeding heart going with that little speech, what can I say? It shook me up from my head tomatoes."
He winked, before hugging them back fiercely, sharing the ketchup stain. They laugh in surprise, trying to shake him off but only succeed in rolling them both off the couch. They hit the ground still laughing. When he feels their soul flutter with such fierce joy next to his, he closes his eyes letting his own heart join in for just a moment; promising to himself that no matter what happens, he would never let anything or anyone take that joy away.