XXX – Another Evil
Today is dreary.
Quite drizzly, in fact. The perfect day for hot chocolate and popcorn.
Normally, on days like this when practice was cancelled and you had nothing else going on, you would do just that: whip up your choice of hot beverage in your favorite mug and devour your favorite snack while watching whatever your heart desired.
Rainy days were times for reflection and quiet thinking moments. With thunderstorms came times of longing for faraway places that would never come to be, no matter how much you tried to get there.
They were always bittersweet like that.
Sighing, you take a glance at your packed backpack (filled with all of your ritual items). You're really not sure what's going to come out of this meeting, if you're being honest.
Yesterday, you were excited at the prospect of entering the void again – this time to attempt contact with some unknown entity. However, late last night, as your thoughts crept on and drove away any chance of sleep, you couldn't shake the feeling that something odd was going to happen. Which, you know, is perfectly valid and all considering the situation.
Gaster popped by before you laid down in order to make sure everything was still on track. After he left, you prepared your bag and tried to sleep.
Rubbing your eyes, you grab your bag and decide to wait outside for a moment on your balcony just to get some fresh air.
The raindrops gently plop against your warm skin as you step out the sliding door,
You never understood why people hated the rain. You like feeling it drip onto your skin; it's refreshing.
The peaceful moment is short-lived, however, as you realize that you should get going.
Gathering your needed belongings, you head out into your Jeep and roll out.
…
"Hey guys," you state upon entering the Dreemurr's house.
"heya," Sans greets, stepping aside to let you walk in.
"Hey, coach!" Frisk yells even though the season is over. Trapped within their clutches is none other than Flowey, who Frisk glares at. "Say hi to her!"
"Psht. Hi," Flowey mutters, looking away from you.
"Hey. We all set?" you ask.
"yep, just gotta set up the machine," Sans replies as he goes into the living room and kneels over something. Curiosity piqued, you follow him and peek over his shoulder.
"What's that?" you ask, spying a small, rectangular, black machine resting on the floor. It's pretty compact and seems like it weighs a lot despite its size.
"the condensed machine," Sans responds, turning some of the knobs on it. "it basically has a type of magic that my dad used to direct void waves into compact forms of visible light."
"That's crazy."
"yep. is my dad here?" he asks, still focusing on the machine.
"Not yet. Should I start the ritual?" you question.
"yeah, i'd go ahead and set it up. meanwhile, i'll get this situated."
"Sounds good."
"what even does that ritual do?" he asks.
"It's supposed to draw out entities that aren't dead or alive. It's kind of an in-between thing, I guess," you answer, dropping your bag on the floor and kneeling down.
"Can I do anything?" Frisk asks, setting Flowey on the table.
"Does your dad have a garden around here?" you ask.
"Yep! Flowers, herbs, bushes, all kinds of stuff!" Frisk asks.
"Do you think he'd mind if we took three plants?"
"No, he always gives them out to people anyways."
"Good. I'm going to need a peony, an orchid, and a blue iris."
"Got it! I'll be back in a minute!"
With that, they scamper off, leaving you and Sans to your tasks.
You begin by pouring the rain and Waterfall water into two separate bowls and setting them a foot or so away from the wall. Between them, you place the stones from Waterfall. Next, you set a wooden bowl slightly in front of the stones. After that, you bring out a pack of matches.
"Alright, now we just need the flowers and a source of combined magic."
"combined magic?" Sans wonders, walking up to you.
"Yeah."
"okay." Sans then sits on the couch as you continue adjusting the makeshift shrine.
Then, the door slams open and Frisk's hurried footsteps are heard once the door closes. "I found all of the flowers you needed!"
"Good! Thank you," you say, taking the three flowers and setting underneath the wooden bowl.
"You're welcome! Are we almost ready?" Frisk asks.
"Yep. Oh, you might want to wait upstairs while we do this. I'm not sure how it's going to turn out."
"Got it. Just call me down when you're done," Frisk requests before dashing upstairs.
"Uh, so what do we do about the magic thing?" you wonder.
"'m not quite sure," Sans speaks up. "could mean a lot of things."
"What would make the most sense to you?"
He doesn't answer for a moment before speaking up.
"probably just raw magic," he answers.
"Really? How do I do that? What even is raw magic?"
He sighs, closing his eyes. "'s difficult to explain, but the way i think about it is if your soul trait is a filter and, when you use magic, it has to go through your soul trait filter in order to become concentrated enough to escape into reality," he explains. "raw magic is the result of managing to cast magic unfiltered. 's difficult to do but possible. since monsters don't have soul traits like humans, we just kind of let it flow. like i said, it's hard to do."
"But how do I do that? I don't think I've ever cast magic 'unfiltered'," you point out.
"you have do it without thinking, and if we have to do it together, then we have to do it at the same time. 'm thinking we're going to have to make a link."
"What's that?"
"i know you can do this, at least. you kind of already have," he says, "the link you created with me – the emotional one you use to get sources? you're just going to have to intensify that until we can both produce enough raw magic to get this thing going."
"Okay, that makes sense."
"yep. so, i suggest we sit back-to-back while you do this. once you get it going well enough, we'll be able to do it in unison, and that's that."
"Alright, let's do this."
With that, the two of you sit crisscross applesauce back to back.
"what should i do?"
"Close your eyes. Take deep breaths, and calm down," you instruct. "Think of something you're truly grateful for. Let the magic seep through you, then remain silent until I say to speak."
After following your own steps, you close your eyes and enter the Void of Auras.
Frisk is here this time; you can see their outline in the distance. Obviously, they're a bit higher than you since they're on the second floor, but they're still there. You note that, despite being farther away, you can still feel their immense amount of determination emanating from them.
Then, you turn to face Sans, who is still sitting still. You manifest a bit of your patho-ergokinetic magic and reach out to his light-blue silhouette.
This is a little bit more than what you've been doing previously with connecting with others; what you're doing now is more of a strengthened emotional connection that allows for nonverbal communication through feelings themselves rather than thought.
Soon enough, you're able to establish a fervent connection that you almost completely lose yourself to; it's uplifting you so much that you have to constantly remind yourself to ground your mind. While using this part of your magic can become so empowering, you have to make sure you don't let go of reality. Much like the Void, if you succumb to its enticing exterior, then you'll dissociate and disappear.
With the connection established, you decide to check on Sans. Once you shift your focus to him, you find that he's shaking a little bit. Not too badly, but you can tell he's starting to get overwhelmed. Without opening your eyes, you reach your hands behind you in order to to clasp yours with his. In return, you feel his phalanges squeeze your skin. Through your magic, you see him still a bit.
Now, the link itself seems to have gained enough magic to become stable for the time being.
Now comes the hard part.
This, you haven't quite tried yet – sending actual emotion to other people. That'll be difficult, but you think you can do it if you're focused enough.
You decide that first, you'll need a soothing emotion since he seems so anxious. Okay, so relief should do the trick this time around.
You're not quite sure how exactly you should go about this. It may just be a matter of trial and error. However, using your judgement based on previous experiences, you decide that attempting to visualize a false experience might work best.
You picture a small boy, no older than seven years of age. He's sitting on the carpeted floor of his home, playing with a small mound of toys piled in the corner. On the couch next to him is his mother, who is cradling her newborn daughter. A few moments later, a brisk, heavy knock emanates from the door. Standing, the mother goes to open it, her baby swaddled within her gentle grasp.
At the door stands a man dressed in a military uniform. With a delighted cry, both the mother and son rush to the man, who sweeps them all up in a long-awaited hug.
The family's relief comes together and you sense it, directing your magic to collect it and bring it back to you.
Once you feel it wash over you in waves, you expel it back to its concentrated form with all of your might. It rushes through the link you created and -
- you almost recoil as a wave of shock bombards into your SOUL.
- Confusion?! comes the emotion.
It worked. You can feel his emotion.
Reassurance , you state.
- Slightly-less confusion and a little amazed/unnerved.
Questioning?
- Affirmative.
Okay, that's good – he seems to have adjusted rather quickly. A little faster than you expected, but hey – you're not complaining.
Happy!
- Relieved. Questioning?
You will admit that it is hard to interpret what he's asking. What would you be asking in this situation after feeling relieved that this very-critical part of the ritual actually worked?
Hm. You would ask if it was time to try the real thing.
Welp. Here goes nothing.
Affirmative.
It seems as if your guess was right, so you open your eyes.
"Are you ready to try it?" you ask, your hands still clasped in his.
"i think so. let's stand and face the shrine."
The two of you rise, with your hands still clasped within his. You release your left hand and bring it to your side, and he does the same.
"What now?"
"you need to enter a hazy, unfocused state."
Okay, so basically, you'll just have to drift off into a daydream or something. Cool, you're good at that.
As you begin zoning out, you distantly feel your magic being riled up. You're not really sure how it's doing that, but you try to ignore it in case you disrupt it.
After a few long moments, you feel the magic subside before you cautiously open one eye and draw yourself to the present. You were hoping you got the chance to peek at what raw magic looked like, but it seems you were too late.
"...Did it work?"
"i think so. let me check the machine. it should have captured..." he babbles on about science stuff that you don't really understand, so you just turn to the shrine.
You see that all of the gemstones are actually cracked in half. The water from both sources seems to be gone, yet there are no wet spots surrounding the area below. The flowers, on the other hand, are still there, but something is different about them.
They're all purely white. Every bit of pigment within them seems to have sucked out.
"That's weird," you comment, looking back around to Sans. "Hey, you got anything over there?"
"yeah. the waves we needed were captured," he answers, sitting on the couch with the device on his lap. He seems to be fiddling with some of the wiring.
"Good. Did you see the raw magic?"
"i actually don't think you can see it, now that i think about it," he says, looking up. "because 's not associated with a soul trait, so it doesn't have a color."
"Oh," you reply. "That makes sense."
"yeah. okay," Sans presses a button on the side of device, and then you feel a slight shift of the atmosphere before you see Gaster and Chara appear.
"There we go!" you say, smiling as you see Gaster tear up.
Sans seems to be in a state of stupor. "dad?"
Then, it occurs to you that this is likely going to be a very personal moment for Sans and Gaster and that it would be very awkward if you were to stay.
"Oh...uh," you trail off, thinking of an excuse. "I'll go get Frisk!"
"I'll come too," Chara adds, looking at you with a slight smile. "I'll meet you up there."
…
"Hey!" Frisk yells when you walk inside. Chara is already standing next to them. "Chara told me it worked."
You chuckle. "Yep. I think we should give them a few minutes."
"Same here. Gaster wouldn't shut up the entire time. He was too excited to see and talk to Sans again."
"Aw," you comment. "I'm glad we're making progress now, though. It really signifies how far we're starting to get."
"I think so too," Chara states. "Honestly, ever since Gaster got into contact with you, we've been a lot happier lately. Well, as happy as we can be under the circumstances."
"That's good. Do you guys think we should bring the drawings we made last time down?"
"Yeah, I think I put them in my drawer over there. Let me see if I can find them." Frisk hurries over to rummage through their drawers, leaving you and Chara to talk.
"I brought some notes," you say, remembering your bag that you left downstairs. "I did some more research with Gerson, and we came upon some information that might help us out."
"Perfect. The void seems stable enough for us to visit for a moment today, so that will also be helpful," he replies.
"Here they are!" Frisk says, dashing back over to where the two of you are with the drawings in their clutch. You take the papers in your hands and look over them before quickly flashing them to Chara.
After a few more minutes of chatting, Sans eventually texts you and says it's okay to come back down.
"Alright, they're done. Let's go!"
...
"Hello, dear," Gaster states upon seeing you tread down the stairs behind Frisk.
You nod at him in acknowledgement, walking towards your backpack in the corner. "Hey. I'm really glad that worked."
"We are too," Chara adds, smiling lightly.
"'m glad we were able to put that old thing to work," Sans adds as he gestures towards the machine, which is now lying on the floor.
"Indeed. Now, if we are finished with our formalities, I believe that it is time we take care of business," Gaster interjects.
You pull out a notebook of yours that's filled with questions as well as research you've been gathering over the weeks. Multi-colored sticky notes line the side of
"someone's prepared," Sans snickers from his seat. You roll your eyes and have a seat next to him.
"Gaster, I think you should start," Chara notes from where he's standing.
"Alright. So, I'll begin by explaining the occurrences within the void. On what appears to be a random basis, there are instances where we encounter foreign creatures. We have taken to calling them 'void demons'. From the variations we've seen, they are extremely similar in form and function, but we have not received a chance to view them clearly up close. As of now, I do not have any visual depictions, but hopefully I will be able to obtain some in the near future. While we are able to drive them away, we are not sure how many of these creatures exist and what they are planning to do."
"As far as we can tell, they've been attempting to break into our timeline to do stars know what," Chara adds, his ghastly hands folded together.
"We've been able to prevent them from accessing the timeline thus far, but time is of the essence. We need to figure out what they are, where they're coming from, how many there are, and why they're here," Gaster finishes.
"interesting. have you guys noted any particular weaknesses in terms of magic types?" Sans speaks up from beside you as you jot down some notes.
"My attacks are more loosely-based on DETERMINATION. It's not all there because I'm half a SOUL, obviously, but I haven't really noticed any immediate effects."
"My magic is far too limited to tell since I am merely a shell of a SOUL," Gaster answers.
"What magic do you use, exactly? Before you fell? And how does that compare to what you can yield now?" you cut in, pen at the ready. "I don't think I've ever seen you use any outright. At least, not like how we have in the past."
"Before, it was a combination of my sons' magic as well as a touch of foreign magic I learned from someone dear to me. I could teleport and summon Blasters. Now, I'm limited to a more...figurative energy type. I can't seem to figure it out." He chuckles lightly, placing his foreskull in his right hands.
"you never were good at interpreting the energy types," Sans notes with a chuckle. "but then again, i suck at it too."
"What does that mean?" you ask, looking over to Sans.
"energy magic is always more difficult to study than the other types," he explains. "that was the category i told you had too many subfields to go through accurately, remember?"
"Oh yeah. What makes it so hard to study?"
"it entirely depends on the type of energy magic, so if it's not an elemental-type energy, then it's harder to pinpoint. energy magics have to have a way to be inadvertently leaked into the atmosphere. otherwise, the caster will get too overwhelmed."
"So like with what happened at Muffet's when I first starting using my magic?"
"yeah, the overload and all that. but basically, since energy magic is constantly being leaked out into a system's atmosphere, it provides a certain mood to the area."
"Essentially, the wielder can be viewed as a personified version of the energy magic they cast," Gaster rewords.
"Oh, okay, got it. That actually makes a lot of sense."
"i figured you would be good at linking stuff like that," Sans replies. "i was never good at that. always had to get paps to help me out, heh."
You're about to ask more questions but then you realize you're beginning to get off topic. "Wait, so you think you have some kind of energy magic in the void?"
"As paradoxical as that sounds, yes," he replies. "I have a few theories, but they all get a bit too complex to delve into."
"That's fair. Anyway, I wanted to ask you guys some questions about the demons," you flip to a page in your notebook dedicated completely to finding out more about these creatures. "Do you find that certain demons act differently? Do you think they could almost have different types of personalities?"
"They do act differently," Chara speaks up. "This is something that struck me as odd. I noticed that, while they were all similar in size and form, they all had a defining characteristic. Like, some would have scars, others would have what I thought were burn marks, just stuff like that. One in particular was way more aggressive than the other ones, and I think Gaster encountered one that was nearly docile? I don't know, it was just weird."
You make a note of that on your paper. So, you're definitely dealing with more than one.
"Okay. Next question, directed towards Frisk, Chara, and maybe Sans. Do your RESETs leave any kinds of lingering effects in the new timelines?"
Frisk and Chara glance at each other briefly before Frisk speaks up. "There were some things. A few were more noticeable than others. I think that everything with the monsters stayed the same underground-"
"oh it did," Sans mumbles bitterly, clenching his fist. You discreetly move your hand to gently rub your fingers over his in what you hope is a gesture of comfort. He relaxes again soon after.
"Can you be a little more specific?" Chara asks, eyes narrowed in guilt at Sans' reaction.
"Anything that didn't happen previously. Or maybe you encountered something entirely random? An anomaly or glitch? Or, perhaps you might have noticed that there were physical aspects that you noticed had changed? Very minor details?"
"going back to timeline seventeen-" Sans says, voice quiet.
"God, Sans, I'm sorry-" Chara mumbles, face in his hands.
"it's in the past. as i was saying, you were there. we'd never met you on the surface before that timeline."
"Okay," you note. "Other than me."
"i feel like the town outside of ebott changed a few times as well," Sans replies.
"I think so too," Frisk adds. "From what I remember, the layouts were altered. And there were a few differences with the buildings, too."
"Do either of you have a theory on why that is?" you ask, glancing between Sans and Gaster.
"I'll be honest with you. I haven't the faintest clue as to what could cause that. It's quite perplexing to think that the Surface could have changed in so many ways during a period of RESETs – a time where mostly everything is supposed to stay the same."
"i'm with him on this one," Sans responds, scratching the side of his skull. "it shouldn't be like that. that shouldn't be possible, and yet i experienced it with my own eyesockets." He looks like he's deep in thought. "unless..."
"Unless what?" you prod.
Sans remains quiet for a few moments. "'m gonna have to do more...research on it first. 's too vague for now."
You pause for a moment, wondering what he could be thinking about. "Okay then."
"i'll let you know if it works out, though," he adds quickly.
"Alright, sounds good. Now, going back to that timeline thing. I noticed that, with the loops underground, doesn't it seem like something is...protecting it from time?"
"what do you mean?"
"You guys all agree that the Surface changed a few times during a few RESETs," you begin, trying to think of a way to best elaborate your train of thoughts. "If the Surface has changed, then why not the Underground? Is there something protecting it?"
Your questions leave the group in silence, but before any of them can speak up, you continue.
"And how do we know that the history of each timeline has been kept constant if changes are occurring up top?"
"There has to be an outside force connected to this somehow," Gaster speaks up. "Chara, we have to be missing something."
"I don't know what we could be missing," Chara responds, looking as lost as you feel.
"I think we should take her into the void again," Gaster replies.
"i don't think that's a good idea," Sans interrupts. "she hasn't reacted well-"
"But I've been doing better," you argue. "And besides, worst comes to worst you can just teleport me out, right? And weren't you okay with me teleporting?"
The skeleton doesn't answer, his expression unreadable for a few moments before he looks up at you and sighs.
"well, yeah, but those are just shortcuts," he answers. "an' if my theory is right, then it'll be a lot more dangerous than i thought. can't risk you getting caught up in..." He doesn't finish and just shakes his head.
"Sans, you don't think that...?" Gaster cuts in as well.
"i don't know. like i said, 'm gonna have to do research."
You get the feeling you're missing something other than their little theory. "What are you guys talking about?! Will you please fill me in? I hate being left in the dark like this!"
"not now, but when i get a more solid basis i swear i'll tell you," he says, looking to you. "this kind of research takes months for me to complete accurately, so it'll be a while, but i will tell you."
You hesitate, not wanting to agree but doubting they'll fill you in anytime soon. You can't help but feel a little hurt.
"Okay," you reply defeatedly, looking away. Communication is key, huh?
Sans doesn't say anything more, so he glances back at Chara and Frisk.
"alright, let's quickly do this. will you two be there?"
"Yes," Chara says.
"okay. you both need to be on the lookout for anything weird. if you see anything suspicious, you need to tell me. for her sake." You're about to interject when he shifts his attention to Frisk. "stay here, kid. chara, check up on them from time to time, alright?"
"Of course."
"good. as for you," he glances over at you a little more gently. "do not let go of me. like i said before, if you notice anything strange tell me, alright?"
You nod slightly at his instructions, a little fed up with him and Gaster despite your magic telling you to let it go for the time being. He pauses in his movements for a second, thinking about something before he continues moving.
Sans proceeds to wrap his right arm around your waist, pulling you to his chest. Your eyes slightly widen as you realize how close he is. You feel his other hand on the back of your head.
"close your eyes. gaster is going to create a little space for us to breathe 'n all that. ready?"
"Yes."
With that, he blips out of reality and into the Void, where your feet oddly find something halfway sturdy to stand on. You open your eyes, peeking your head out of Sans' grasp as you try to look around.
Unsurprisingly, you're standing in the middle of a pitch-black area. There's nothing to see for miles in any direction.
"In this room, you are protected by the Void's influence," Gaster states, appearing beside you. Sans lets go of your head but keeps his arm around your figure.
"How is it here?"
"Magic," replies the scientist.
"Of course," you mumble, rolling your eyes.
With that, you try to see if you can sense waves of anything out in the surrounding darkness. To no avail, you open your eyes.
"There's nothing around here right now," you say. "At least nothing sentient."
"Very well. I don't think it will show itself anytime soon, but that is of no matter at the moment." Gaster snaps his fingers, and suddenly Chara is here too.
"Will you summon your DT trail?" Gaster asks.
"Yup. Here you go." Chara faces the darkness and remains still as he stands. This goes on for a few moments before a long line of red appears in your vision. It starts at what you assume is the end of the transparent little room and stretches on for as far as you can see.
"This is Frisk and I's trail of DT," Chara begins. "As you can see, when we RESET, SAVE, or LOAD it leaves its mark on the Void in the form of this trail. This is all from one timeline, by the way. All in the Underground."
"Really?" you wonder, shifting next to Sans.
"Yes."
"Now tell me, dear," Gaster speaks up next to you. "When you use your magic to analyze it, what do you feel?"
You concentrate on the path of red, squinting as you send your magic out towards the path. In return, you begin feeling waves of...
"...Hope, but then I get despair. And a lot of it, at that. Eagerness and determination, but also boredom. More despair – it seems like it's coming from two sources. More hope. And the cycle continues." You glance at Gaster. "Why?"
"That's how we were feeling. And maybe Sans, too," Chara answers.
"Yes, yes, but what about beyond that?" Gaster questions.
"What do you mean?"
" Beyond the timeline. Beyond the mountain and the exosphere and the infinite galaxy. Beyond time itself."
You don't answer. How are you supposed to get a reading on something like that?!
"What are you-"
Your eyes widen.
Two points of light pressure emanate from the sides of your forehead. Upon snapping yourself out of your shock, you realize that they...they feel like Sans' fingertips, but...
...they're not. They can't be, because Sans is still holding you with one hand while his other is stuffed in his pocket. It also can't be Gaster, because he's standing right there.
A shiver crawls over your skin as goosebumps appear on your skin and your breathing draws out in uneven huffs. The pressure increases a little, and suddenly you feel...
...really warm. Cozy. Protected.
Protected.
"...Protected!" you say, snapping out of your haze. "It feels protected! Wait..." you note that the fingertips are gone, but you sense something new.
Something sentient.
Your breathing rate increases as you raise your hands to Sans' chest and curl into him, backing up slightly.
"Sans," you say. "Something's here. It's right there. It...it touched me. I felt it."
You see a flash of red out of your peripheral vision before you feel Sans' grip tightens as he pulls you back.
Chara walks up, holding a red knife in his hand.
"It's not a demon," Gaster mumbles.
You come to a sudden realization. " It is not an it either. A who . It is a who ."
But, as soon as Chara lunges and Gaster vanishes, it all fades an instant.
"What?" you ask.
"what is it? are you okay?"
"Th...they're gone," you mumble. "What happened?"
"i don't know, but you spaced out for a second back there. come on, let's get you back."
...
Sans blips you back into the living room, where Frisk is eagerly waiting.
"What happened?" they ask.
"yeah, you said that person touched you," Sans replies.
You explain to them briefly what happened.
"i knew it. dammit!" Sans curses, holding his faceplate in his hands. "this is exactly what i thought was going to happen."
Before you know it, Gaster and Chara are back – both with annoyed expressions.
"We lost them," Chara grumbles.
"But, we know who they're after now," Gaster says, eyeing you.
"Why, though?"
"you said you felt protected in there. does that mean the entire timeline is being protected by someone?"
"Someone who was in favor of the keeping things the way they were?" Chara mumbles.
"I don't understand. Why me? Who was that?" you wonder. You can't understand why anyone would have such an interest in you.
"We'll look into that later. For now, you should be safe. Whoever that was shouldn't have access to the current timeline."
"we'll keep an eye on you, too. and the void."
"So what do we do next?" Frisk asks.
"That was our next point to bring up," Chara says. "Frisk, do you have that map I told you to bring down when we were upstairs?"
Frisk nods and pulls out two messily-folded pieces of paper and spreads them out on the coffee table.
"I noticed something earlier when we were tracing the appearances of the Gaster Followers," Chara says. "They all happened in locations that form a pattern. See, here's Muffet's bakery, this is (Y/N)'s apartment. Notice anything?"
"they're an equal distance apart, but in a curved way," Sans notes.
"Yeah. We think the next follower appearance will be around here." Chara points to a certain section on the map.
"that's in the middle of a lake. how would that work?"
"There could be an island or something," you suggest, reading the name of the lake. "Hey, isn't that the lake where Alphys and Undyne are getting married?"
"slykuth? yep."
"Wait, Sans. Aren't you and Papyrus supposed to watch me on Tuesday?"
"we are."
"What if we could use that day to scout out the lake, then?" Frisk suggests. "We could rent a boat for the day and invite some of our other friends to split the cost. Then, we could just have a lake day while you guys go visit the spot?"
"how would we get there without raising suspicion among the others, though?"
A devilish smirk appears on your lips as an idea crosses your mind. "Leave that to me. I have an idea."
Sans looks a bit concerned while Frisk just nods. "Okay, then. How does that sound?"
"I'm down. The lake is so much fun!" you say, growing excited. You haven't been to a lake in forever!
"that could work, i guess," Sans replies. "i know paps would like to go."
"I could see if Burgerpants and Quinn are down. Who else would you want to invite?"
"i think alphys and undyne will be working, but we could see if anyone else would want to go," Sans thinks.
"Then it's settled. I'll get a boating license tomorrow and will take care of our...other method of transportation. Sans will meet me on one sector of the lake while you guys go to the boat rental shop. I'll text you with more details once I get them."
"'m kinda scared."
"Don't be. It'll be fun," you reassure. "But we're going to need exact coordinates."
"I'll figure that out," Frisk volunteers. "I like doing all the coordinate stuff."
You chuckle lightly. "Alright then. Anything else?"
"After you have the remaining shards, we will figure out what our next move is. But this has been a productive meeting and I feel we are getting closer and closer to our goal."
"I think that's about it for now. Frisk, thanks for setting us up."
"Have fun on the lake," Chara says, waving at you before he disappears.
"Sans. I love you and Papyrus. Take care of each other."
"Bye!"
…
As you walk back outside in the driveway to where your car is parked, you're interrupted by Sans, who has popped up next to you.
"hey, can we talk if you have a minute?"
"Sure."
"okay. look, today...today really meant a lot to me. 'n it wouldn't have been possible without you. thanks to you, i got to see my dad for the first time in god knows how long, and..."
You shush him, smiling a little. "There's no need for that. It was the right thing to do."
"there is a need," he retorts, lightly grabbing your wrist as you try to turn. "and for what i said earlier, about the research..."
"It's okay, Sans. You have something you need to keep secret for now. That's okay."
"but it feels wrong, when you're doing all of this for us," he says. "when the time is right i will tell you, though." Sans hesitates, and he looks like he's debating something. "i promise."
You smile a little. "Thanks."
"'n don't go off and act like what you're doing is no easy feat, 'cause it's not," he says. "you're reuniting my family. that's something i can never repay you for."
"Sans, it's really not a prob-"
A small squeak escapes you when he wraps his arms around your torso and rests his head on your shoulder, leaving you wide-eyed and breathless.
"thank you," he mumbles. "'ve missed him so much. pap has too. you really don't know how much this all means to me."
You snap out of your daze before you hug him back tentatively. "You're welcome."
The hug lasts a while longer before he pulls away. "alright. i'll see you later, i guess?"
"Yep!"
…
You're happy to be home as you plop your things down onto the couch and sigh in relief. Man, what a day, huh?
You spy Temmie asleep on the middle of the hallway floor.
"That's odd," you mumble, frowning. She typically sleeps on one of her little set-ups.
Shrugging it off, you gently scoop her up before you lay her down on the couch. Then, you walk into your kitchen to quickly grab a snack.
But something...something is off. You can't put your finger on it, but...
…
You look around the area, trying to see if anything is amiss. During your scope, you see something on the refrigerator.
It's a piece of paper. Upon closer investigation, you find that it's taped and that there is something written on it that is not in your handwriting:
you guys are on to me! :O ;D