"...dang. what smells like food down there?" Sans wondered aloud, having easily detected the aroma of the spicy dish his brother was cooking up, even from all the way upstairs and behind his closed bedroom door.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK SMELLS LIKE FOOD, SANS!?"
"i dunno. food?"
"WELL, WHAT ELSE COULD IT BE?"
"...food-scented candles?" he guessed as he descended the stairs from his room
"WE DON'T HAVE ANY OF THOSE, SANS...ALTHOGUH, I SUPPOSE SUCH A THING WOULD SMELL LIKE THIS, SO IN A WAY YOU HAVE A POINT."
"honestly, i don't think any lame candle could amount to what you're whippin' up in here," he continued, taking in another breath of the alluring scent the spaghetti pepperoncino was giving off. "yeah, this would probably even impress the queen herself."
"REALLY? QUEEN TORIEL? WOWIE...DO YOU THINK I SHOULD WRITE THIS DOWN AND GIVE IT TO THE HOTEL RESTAURANT AS WELL?"
"go for it, bro. they'd probably go nuts over it."
"NYEH...PERHAPS SO. BUT, IF YOU'LL PARDON THE PUN, THE PIE YOU MADE LAST NIGHT SMELLED PRETTY GOOD, TOO. MY DATE SAYS THAT SHE'S INTRIGUED BY THE IDEA OF SUCH A RECIPE, AND WOULD LIKE TO GIVE IT A CHANCE! MIND IF I CUT A COUPLE PIECES OUT?"
"already took care of that. hope you don't mind i made 'em kinda small."
"OH, NO, THAT'S NOT A PROBLEM. AND THAT'S CONVENIENT JUST IN CASE SHE DOESN'T LIKE IT."
"...so, speaking of which, when's she gonna show up?"
"WHAT TIME IS IT? CHECK THE MICROWAVE UP THERE IF YOU WILL, I'M A BIT PREOCCUPIED," Papyrus asked of him, scooping a heaping portion of the spicy pasta into a large container and packing up a couple other plates.
"uh...five to eleven."
"IT'S THAT LATE ALREADY!?" he panicked. "WE'RE SET TO LEAVE IN FIVE MINUTES! SANS, FETCH THE PICNIC BASKET FROM THE PANTRY! I'VE GOT TO PACK THIS LUNCH UP AND CHANGE BEFORE WE HAVE TO GO!"
"ah...you know what? leave the packing to me. you go gussy yourself up."
"BROTHER, I FEEL AS THOUGH I'VE BEEN UNFAIR TO YOU IN CALLING YOU LAZY AND USELESS SO MANY TIMES, YOU REALLY ARE AMAZING AND RELIABLE, AND I'M INDEBTED TO YOU FOR ALL YOU'VE DONE, I'M SHUTTING THE DOOR NOW, THANK YOU!"
By the time he'd said everything he had to he'd made it to the top of the stairs, and then promptly shut his bedroom door to get into his date apparel. He did mean everything he said, but another reason he was really laying on the compliments was to try and keep Sans in a good mood for when...'the big secret' was revealed.
"...I REALLY HOPE THIS ALL GOES OVER ALRIGHT," he mumbled to himself as he slipped out of his old battle body and donned his new formal look; the knitted sweater vest was a muted shade of green with an intricate argyle pattern stretched across the middle, supposedly crafted by the Snowdin shopkeeper herself.
"SPLENDID-LOOKING," he nodded to himself as he admired his reflection. "GUESS WE WERE LUCKY TO SNAG THE LAST ONE IN STOCK...SORRY I CAN'T STAY FOR LONGER, MIRROR. I'VE GOT PLACES TO BE WITH A CERTAIN SPECIAL SOMEONE!"
At that point he'd already turned away and grabbed the pot of Golden Flowers he'd been keeping hidden behind the window curtain(no romantic meal was complete without a fabulous centerpiece, after all) and then proceeded to burst out of his bedroom and rush back down to see if his brother had everything set to go.
And to his surprise, he was standing right there by the door, basket in hand.
"it's all taken care of, bro."
"IS IT? WOW...THAT WAS FAST. I WAS ONLY GONE FOR TWENTY SECONDS."
"i have my way of doing things quick."
"WELL, THAT'S IMPROVEMENT! I MUST SAY, YOU DON'T SEEM AS LAZY TO ME AS YOU ONCE WERE."
"heh..."
Really, Sans had just 'shortcutted' the food into the basket and then did the same to get himself to the door to spare him the fuss, which just disproved Papyrus' statement. He didn't know that, however, number one, and number two, at least he still got the job done, so really, it wasn't quite as lazy as it seemed at first.
"should we go outside and wait for her to show up?"
"CERTAINLY! HERE, HAND ME THE BASKET, WOULD YOU, BROTHER?"
The skeleton brothers stepped out the door and into the snow, the taller of the two stowing the Golden Flowers away.
"so, which way is she gonna be coming from?"
"FROM THE EAST! DON'T BE SURPRISED IF SHE CATCHES YOU OFF GUARD, THOUGH!"
SINCE SHE'S GOING TO STEP OUT OF THE GARAGE ANY MINUTE, NOW...
A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his skull, and he kept shifting his gaze in all different directions. Sans found his brother's silent apprehension pretty obvious.
"nervous?"
"EXTREMELY."
"hey, it'll probably go over okay. just do what i told you, remember? confidence, chin up, and lay on the charm. just don't forget to be yourself at the same time. you know, find that middle ground we worked on...and make sure you exercise your sense of humor. that's ALWAYS important."
"OH, THE DATE ISN'T WHAT I'M WORRIED ABOUT. WHAT I'M WORRIED ABOUT IS HOW YOU'LL REACT WHEN YOU SEE WHO MY DATE IS."
"why? is it someone i know, too?"
"...YES, AS A MATTER OF FACT, SHE IS. SOMEONE I WOULD THINK YOU KNOW QUITE WELL AT THIS POINT."
"well, now i'm just narrowing down my guesses," he shrugged. "...weird. i'm goin' blank. you said she was a member of the royal guard, right?"
"TRUE."
"hm...speaking of the royal guard, that reminds me. you have any idea where undyne is? i haven't seen her around since breakfast...did she go to see gerson or somethin'?"
"OH, SHE'S LIKELY CLOSER THAN YOU MIGHT THINK," he answered, flashing him another nervous smile. Any moment now, he would have to face his fears.
"...she's takin' a bit to get here," Sans remarked, looking far down the eastward path. "i don't see anybody comin'."
"W-WELL...BEING FASHINABLY LATE IS NOTHING TO-"
He was interrupted by the sound of the shed door opening, and both of the brothers turned to face it.
"THERE SHE IS!"
At that moment, Undyne walked out of the toolshed wearing her signature formal look with the jacket and scarf...Something Sans didn't notice right away.
"oh, hey, undyne."
"Hey, Sans," she greeted as she approached them.
"which one didja see, bro? undyne or your date?"
"BOTH!"
"huh?"
Sans looked past the door, then around them again, but found no one else but the former captain.
"...i don't see-"
"Whoa...Hold up. Izzat YOU, Pap'?"
He turned back to the two other monsters to see Undyne marveling at his brother's getup.
"THAT IT WOULD BE. HOW DO I LOOK?"
She whistled in response.
"Wow-IE. Looks amazing on you!"
"WELL THANK YOU VERY MUCH, UNDYNE. I WAS HOPING IT WOULD...AND MIGHT I SAY THAT YOU LOOK QUITE DASHING AS WELL."
"Ah, come on. You're makin' me blush...We, uh, ready to head out here?"
"READY AS EVER! WELL, ERM..."
...wait a minute.
"...FIRST, I'M GOING TO HAVE TO FULLY EXPLAIN ALL OF THIS TO SANS, OF COURSE."
It was at that moment that everything finally dawned on Sans.
And at the same moment, Papyrus turned back to face him, Undyne following suit, and he cleared his throat, putting one hand behind his back as he opened his mouth to speak.
"SANS...THIS IS THE MOMENT I'VE BEEN READYING FOR THIS WHOLE TIME. AND EVEN THOUGH IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'VE ALREADY FIGURED IT OUT, I'M GOING TO SAY IT ANYWAYS, SIMPLY BECAUSE I DON'T LIKE TO SKIMP OUT ON DETAILS, AND...WELL...YOU DESERVE TO HEAR IT, AFTER EVERYTHING YOU DID TO HELP ME."
He took in another deep breath, and then dropped the bombshell that'd already detonated.
"...UNDYNE IS MY DATE. WE ONLY MADE THINGS OFFICIAL A FEW DAYS AGO, YES, BUT IT TURNED OUT THAT THE TWO OF US HAD ACTUALLY BEEN FEELING THE SAME ABOUT EACH OTHER FOR A WHILE. WE JUST DIDN'T HAVE THE NERVE TO ADMIT IT TO EACH OTHER UNTIL WE WENT TO WATERFALL THAT DAY...BUT SINCE THEN, EVEN THOUGH IT'S ONLY BEEN SO SHORT A TIME THUS FAR, I'VE BEEN HAPPIER THAN I EVER IMAGINED I WOULD EVER BE. UNDYNE WAS THE BEST FRIEND I COULD HAVE EVER ASKED FOR, AND...NOW THAT WE'RE TOGETHER, I THINK SHE'S THE ONE."
Gently and subtly, he took her by the hand, earning him a smile from her.
"...SHE'S WONDERFUL, SANS."
He sighed at the sight of his brother, awaiting the worst. His eyes were not only dark, but wide as saucers, and his smile was worryingly small.
OH, PLEASE DON'T FREAK OUT, PLEASE DON'T FREAK OUT...!
Finally, he gave a verbal response.
"...i'm still kinda tryin' to wrap my head around all this," he said, seeming thoughtful. "y-you and...undyne. she's...but didn't you say that it was someone she knew?"
"WELL, SHE KNOWS HERSELF BETTER THAN ANYONE, DOESN'T SHE?"
"but that...that's...uh...true, i guess, but...but it's...and isn't...oh...oh, jeez, oh man..."
"Um...You okay, there, dude?" Undyne asked him, noticing his suddenly wobbly knees.
"uh...hold on just a moment, i'm still taking everything in."
He stood there for a few moments, hands slowly rising to his head. This was impossible...Or was it, really? As a matter of fact, he wasn't so sure that he should be surprised about it at that point. They were so close...But he didn't think it would ever be THIS kind of close. It seemed so out of the blue, but at the same time he felt as though he should have see it coming from a mile away. What would this lead to? Where was he supposed to go with this? What was he suppsoed to say? What was he supposed to THINK?
"...ARE YOU STILL TAKING IT ALL IN, BROTHER?"
"i need to sit down. this..."
He slumped down and landed in the snow, eye sockets flickering on and off like lightbulbs as he sat there trying to process everything.
"...all i can think of are questions."
The couple exchanged glances, then the fish monster stepped forward.
"...Look, Sans. I know you're-"
"mind if i talk to you for a minute before you go, undyne? i just wanna ask you a few things. uh, in private, if you don't mind, bro. just wanna step back into the house for a bit."
"OH, NO...DON'T GET MAD AT HER, SANS, THIS ISN'T HER FAULT, I'M THE ONE YOU-"
"i won't get mad at her, papyrus. i promise. i just wanna see if i can sort everything out."
"...ALRIGHT."
"We shouldn't be too long," she assured him as she followed Sans into the house, shutting the door behind them and following him to the table that Rocky was sitting on. Once the skeleton was sure they were out of earshot, he turned to face her, an eyebrow raised.
"you. and him." he asked. "...are dating?"
"Yep..."
"why? how, even?"
"Well...I think the ball started rolling when I realized just how much he really cared about me, and from then on stuff just...started to bud out."
"i thought you liked girls."
"I'm willing to make an exception."
"and it had to be him, did it?"
The fish monster sighed.
"Look, man, I...wasn't expecting this to happen any more than you were back then, probably. But after knowing each other so well for so long, I think it's safe to say that Papyrus is...He's the best thing that ever happened to me. And I'm willing to bet you can say the same about him yourself, right?"
"too true...and that's where my biggest concern comes from."
"Understandable," she nodded in agreement. "...But you don't have to tie yourself in a knot over it. I care about him just as much as you do, so as long as I'm breathin', I'm gonna do everything I can to make sure he's safe and happy...That's what you want, isn't it?"
"hm...you get the idea. my question is whether i can trust you with that," Sans answered. "even with everything i'm worried about, i gotta say, i'm...pretty proud of him. he's changed a lot over the past month or so...not as carefree. not as naïve...i didn't like it at first. thought my innocent little bro was startin' to drift away."
"Yeah...But, like, he's gotta grow up at some point, right?"
"that he did...he takes more responsibility for things, now. like that incident back at the hotel. guy felt so horrible for not telling you anything and takin' my stupid advice that he started to think his 'the great papyrus' mentality was his overinflated ego talking...and i mean, he's still confident. still optimistic. still the nicest guy anyone could ever hope to meet. but he's more...mature, i guess. he acknowledges whatever issues he has and does everything he can to fix them...i'm proud to see how much he's grown up."
"Same," Undyne agreed. "...Same and more."
"m-hm...so...you're dead serious about this whole thing, huh?"
She nodded.
"That guy means the whole world to me. Maybe more than that...To the moon and back, prob'ly. Back last fall, I lost almost everything. My house, my job, my reputation, my dignity, and...two of the people I loved most...He was all I had left."
She faltered for a minute as she let what little was left of the pain from so long ago ebb away.
"...But he was all I needed. He never let me down, kept telling me just how much he cared, and that he'd always be there for me. With me. At my side no matter what, and he always brings a smile to my face just by being himself...Just by being that sweet, good-natured, caring, one-in-a-million person that I'm so to have gotten to know..."
She blinked away a tear forming in the corner of her eye.
"...I couldn't have asked for a better person down here to've fallen in love with," she smiled, which she followed up with a scoff. "Tch...Alphys was disloyal. Left me and did what she did at the abyss when I needed her most. But him? He's said it countless times, and he's proven it over and over again...He'll always be there for me. With me. At my side through the good and the bad."
That was when Undyne grew a determined smirk on her face.
"...And I'm gonna return the favor a thousand times over. I'm gonna make every day of his life from now on the best he's ever had! And there's gonna be LOVE. So much, he's gonna DROWN IN IT! DROWN IN IT!"
"jeez, don't say it like that."
"Sorry."
He sighed again, seeming a lot more at ease than he had been earlier.
"...a'ight. i understand. you're not one to disappoint, either, so...i'm gonna trust you to keep that promise."
"I won't let you down. And I won't let Papyrus down."
"do you swear?"
"Absolutely."
"...well, you shouldn't. it's rude. especially in public where everyone can hear you."
"Oh, my gosh..." she snickered. "...Not THAT kind of...Though I guess I could ease it up, yeah."
"m'kay...well, i guess i shouldn't keep you guys any longer. come on, he's waitin' for ya."
They both headed back outside, finding Papyrus in the exact same place and the exact same pose he'd been in when they left him.
"OH, THERE YOU TWO ARE. IT'S A GOOD THING THIS PICNIC BASKET IS INSULATED, OR THE FOOD WOULD HAVE GONE COLD BY NOW."
"sorry, bro."
"HOW DID EVERYTHING GO, UNDYNE?"
"I think it's safe to say it went well."
"OH, THANK HEAVENS. I WAS WORRIED SOMETHING MIGHT HAVE GONE HORRIBLY AWRY FOR A MINUTE, THERE..."
"nope. it's all good. you two have fun, okay?"
"WE WILL, SANS. AND...THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR UNDERSTANDING."
Before he turned to leave, he bent down and scooped his brother up into an embrace.
"heh...no problem. proud o' you."
He put Sans back down into the snow, and then turned to his date.
"SHALL WE GO?"
She took him by the hand, flashing a smile as they started down the path.
"Let's do that lil' thing."
"hey, one more thing."
They both turned back to look at him.
"YES?"
"...watch out for angry trees."
Undyne raised an eyebrow.
"What the heck's that supposed to mean?"
"eh, you wouldn't get it. later."
The pair shrugged, then kept heading west into the underground taiga.
"...Your holdin' my hand awful tight," Undyne acknowledged. "Nerves?"
"NOT PARTICULARLY. I JUST DON'T WANT YOU TO GET FROSTBITE."
"You don't have to worry about that. I've got gloves on, too, you know."
"TRUE. BUT YOU CAN NEVER BE TOO CAREFUL...BESIDES, I JUST DON'T WANT TO LET GO."
"Aw..."
.
14:
Everything needed to conduct the second experiment is here. Another Golden Flower from
the garden, the dust, and the doses of hope, love and compassion needed. I've already
sprinkled the dust over the vessel, and now all I need to do is inject the traits for the SOUL
in through the center florets, since there isn't a face there yet. The dose of DETERMINATION
added is only a milliliter; slightly less than Asriel's initial amount, but even that little can
reach great lengths. Plus, from what I've seen from other monsters, they can handle up to
ten times this amount before the body threatens to melt. I've seen the Captain of the Royal
Guard generate her own and retain form.
...I hope she and Papyrus are doing well.
In other news, I've decided to try and absorb the human SOUL to see what happens. I've
considered it in the past, and I've kept deciding against it, because I was too worried of
what might happen to me physically and how the control over the body would be altered.
But now I'm ready to take the risk.
I'm going to absorb the SOUL right now, and give further feedback once it's been returned
to containment. Asriel is out and about right now, so now is the best time.
That's all for now.
A/N: ...u mad, TimeBlade? ;-P
This took a little longer than I thought it would; I ended up rewriting several paragraphs and lines of dialogue multiple times, and I'm still not sure the talk Sans and Undyne had is the most well-written it could've been. Ah, at least it gets its point across, right?
Oh, and sorry I shoe-horned a SpongeBob reference in there, but I couldn't help myself. XD