5ive here!

Sorry this update took so long. Work has been getting busy and I've been trying to get as many hours as I can to save up for a place :3

Anyway! I don't exactly... LOVE this chapter, but I needed something to build up to the NEXT one! So be prepared for that!

The party had been a success. Gaster remained until it was all done, seeing as it was important to his youngest son as well as his eldest who was opening up. In total the party only lasted an hour and a half so we didn't take up too much more of the sceient's time. Even so he didn't seem to mind much. Papyrus was ecstatic about the cake and was about in tears over it.

All in all I was happy he enjoyed the party. Everyone did. My friends even mentioned the fun they'd had before they left. They mentioned the skeleton family not being as weird as they'd thought and apologized to me about how they'd been earlier. Things were going so smooth that I was waiting for something bad.

"Hey, Grillbz."

I almost jumped at Sans's voice. "You spooked me, kid," I laughed.

The skeleton snickered. "Ya mean I SPARKED ya."

"Good one. So, what's up?"

He leaned on the wall next to me. "You didn't have ta do this ya know. But… thanks." The child sighed. "I guess ya've noticed, but Paps and I have a… I guess typical kinda relationship." Then that smile was back. "But he's mah bro. Seein' him happy makes me happy."

"Papyrus is a good kid. And you're a good brother, Sans." I smiled seeing the younger skeleton thanking Flinter for the party. "You're both good kids."

"Heh, not sure 'bout me, but yer right about Pap."

Gaster thanked Flinter as well, then turned to the two of us. He waved to Sans… which looked more than just a wave with how animated it was. "That's my cue." Sans gave a lazy 'wave' back, hand to his chin and pointing one finger. "See ya, Grillbz."

Ignoring the weird way they seemed to communicate, I nodded. It was like a secret language. Made the family look all the more close. "You want to get back to some training tomorrow?"

Sans's blue eye lit up bright. "Yeah." He waved, normal, at me as he followed his dad and brother out the door.

I sighed and went to help my dad clean up.

xxxxx

The following day I got up early and made my way toward the skeletons' home. To my surprise, Sans was outside. Up early for once it seemed. He was using his magic to form snowballs. Seeing me the ball he was forming fell. "Grillby!" The kid raised a hand, standing up. "Ah couldn't sleep. Too excited ta do some trainin'."

Another sigh. "Really? You can't possibly be up for training with a night of no sleep."

"Nah, ah'm good. Ah've been practicing mah blue magic all night." As if to show me he grabbed up one of the snowballs piled behind him with a flash of blue. It hovered up to his finger tip. "Perfectly round." Then he glanced at me. "Ya didn't bring yer mask?"

I shrugged. "It isn't snowing today so I'll be safe." Snowballs forgotten we started past their house and towards Waterfall. "Your dad isn't home?" I wondered since we hadn't taken the time to say anything about leaving.

"Nope. He took Pap ta work with him."

I blinked. "Couldn't he have just let me babysit?"

"Paps wanted ta go. He had a lot uh fun at that party and wanted ta spend more time with Dad." Sans pulled his hood up. "And ah wanted ta do some trainin' alone for once. Ya know?" When I didn't say anything immediately, he added, "Am ah selfish?"

"What? No. I can understand wanting to train alone. You'll get more one on one with me." A smirk crossed my flames. "And Papyrus won't stop me from beating you up," I joked.

The younger laughed. "As if, hot head."

We reached the clearing and got set up. Snow was still plentiful so I kept my jacket on but Sans took his off. I should know by now that he is a skeleton so of course he'd be skinny, but still it took me aback every time. His jacket was just so fluffy and warm that it was weird seeing him so small. I shook it away knowing full well that his skeleton was more than just a tiny child. "Okay, summon the blaster."

With a moment of silence, that blue light burned from his eye and bubbled up beside him forming the solid shape of the skull. It solidified with a brilliant flash. Both of their left eyes burned fiercely. Seeing the huge skull - it was roughly the same height as Sans - floating behind him was intimidating. Even so, I was ready.

Flames flooded from under my jacket sleeve and whirled into a shield at my wrist. "Okay, shoot at me."

We'd gone through this many times. With each start of our training we would test the power of the Gaster Blaster. A soft hum followed by an exploding ZOOM sent a brilliant light shooting forth from the skull's mouth. I had my shield ready and planted my feet. Still the power of it pushed me back. I held my own and put as much energy as I could into my shield. Just as I felt it giving way, the beam stopped. I pulled my shield back into me and gave Sans a thumbs up. "You almost broke my shield that time!"

That familiar, faint glow of yellow entered his other eye. And just like any other time the blaster had been there, that yellow never reached it. The skull was truly just a piece of his blue eye. "So are we sparin' tuhday or…?"

I summoned a staff from my flames, readying myself again. "I want you to use your blaster and your bones. Mix it up a bit."

"Wait- Both? Uh…" He glanced over at the floating skull who just purred and rubbed against him. "Ah don't know if ah can do both."

"That's what training is for. Practice." I flipped my staff around, the flames it was made of whooshing around. "I'll dodge the blaster's attack and hit the bones."

After a second or two, Sans sighed. He summoned a few bones to his other side. They flickered and eventually became solid white. The struggle in his face showed that it was straining him. He concentrated and finally- ZOOM. His blaster fired again and I rolled to the side. Bones poked up beside me and I jumped up before the ones below could touch me. While airborne, I saw the ones he'd summoned moments before flying at me. Easily I swatted them away and got my shield out to block the blaster's shot. The blow threw me to the ground. A sharp sting and I felt a small bit of my health drain.

"Oh crap-! Grillbz!" Sans was running over. "You okay?"

I sat up to brush the snow off my jacket. "For a first time, that was not bad at all." I grinned at his worried face. "You took a bit of health off me. Good job, kid!" Taking the offered hand, I got on my feet. "And you thought you couldn't do it."

"One thing's fer sure… Ah can't keep that up." Sans was visibly exhausted. The glow in his left eye was faltering, flickering. Drops of sweat shined his brow. "Ah don't know how ya do it, Grillbz." The light went out and the Gaster Blaster vanished along with it. Sans looked up at me with his tired, white eyes.

"You get use to it. Training makes you stronger and pretty soon you'll be able to do a lot without feeling anything." I roughed up his skull. "You need a break?"

Happily, he nodded.

"I could give him a break or two."

The sudden voice had me flinch and I turned back seeing some kids hanging out at the treeline leading back to Snowdin. Almost instantly I recognized two of them. It was the monsters that had been picking on Sans the day I'd first met him. As for the other three, they were older monsters from my school. Younger than me but I knew they were troublemakers. Kids always picking on others and playing pranks.

"You've been hanging out with these kids along, Flame dude," one of the older monsters scoffed. "You like hanging out with a bunch of freaks?"

"Because you'd know all about that," I shot back, playfully. Still I knew I'd already said too much. Monsters like this would be set off if you so much as breathed funny near them.

He pushed off the tree he was leaning on, claws ready. The dog growled at me. "At least I'm not a pedophile!" he snapped.

I held back the 'pedoFIRE' pun. "Are you trying to fire me up?" I muttered, trying to keep my cool. Part of me knew it was dangerous for Sans to be in a real right with how frail he still was. I couldn't let this escalate too far. "Listen, we're trying to train. Could we-"

"That stupid kid couldn't learn to fight even if it were to save his stupid brother!" One of the other kids - a bird creature - laughed. "Bonehead!" she blurted out with a chuckle.

Sans's grabbed onto my jacket, tugging. "Ah don't like those monsters," he muttered, the yellow in his eye glittering softly.

"Me neither," I said, sounding like I wasn't worried. "Come on, let's go train in Waterfall. There's a lot of room in there."

"Oh no you don't!" A solid spear of ice shot up between Sans and me. It pushed the both of us back and knocked the skeleton to the ground. "We wanted to have a little fun with you boys," the bird laughed, fluttering her wings. Another spear of ice sprang up beside Sans, too close for my comfort. The squeak he'd made when his voice failed to yell had my soul flinch.

The last older monster that hadn't said anything yet, smiled and barked, "Play nice or else." It wasn't much, but hearing that gruff voice had me shiver.

"You're really threatening a kid? What's wrong with you monsters!" I got myself up. The first dog rushed then, a knife materializing in his hand. He thrusted it forward and I easily moved, grabbing his wrist and throwing him back the way he'd come. "I really didn't want to fight anyone today, but you threaten a kid…" My flames built, burning through parts of my jacket. "You're playing with fire!"