Best Enemies Forever
They were slipping on a pair of slippers to match their tutu when Sans caught back up with them. The moment he appeared though, sulking out of the darkness, the 'Human' turned quickly and Sans immediately has to dodge the old boot flying right past his head. The 'Human's' stance was fierce and defensive, their fists lifted as they were ready to FIGHT.
Right. Sans supposes that's fair.
"look." Sans began, lifting his hands out. "i know i killed ya, and it didn't work, i don't hate myself enough to keep putting myself through that. let's just call it even and move on."
He killed them and they killed him.
"I'll never forgive you!" They raged, red eyes like fire.
When they had sped past him when he had been at his telescope he had thought they were curled in on themself, sheepish, but he had obviously been wrong. They were seething.
"i think i can live with that." Sans shrugged, but he feels bitter all the same.
He's not the one that needs forgiven. It's what they deserved. Even if he can't remember why he snapped and broke his plan on just following, making sure they didn't hurt anyone before the end, he knows that whatever it was that made him act, they deserved it. For everything they've ever done.
But they are still seething, their stance still defensive.
"you can be angry all ya want. i killed ya. sorry not sorry."
"I'm not angry about that!" They snapped. Sans tilted his head uncertain. "I always knew you were a scared, paranoid ass but I never thought-!" They could see he wasn't understanding and they cut off, still seething oh so violently.
"what?" Sans pressed. They shook their head.
"There's no point when you can't even remember doing it. You'll just deny it."
Sans huffed and put his hands in his pockets.
He hates them. He really does.
"But like I said before, if you're not going to help then stay out of my way!" They yelled. "Because if it's you, I'll come back every time! Just for spite."
He. Hates. Them.
He wants to kill them again. Just for spite. Maybe plunge them straight into the water beside them. Drown the life out of them. They wouldn't be able to drag him down and kill him too if it ends like that.
But it wouldn't matter. They'd just be right there again..
And to put them through such a slow and awful death when it wouldn't mean anything... That seems a bit much.. even for them.
But oh how he hates them.
And oh how they hate him.
They were storming off and Sans let them as he stood fuming over everything. They were accusing him of something but he just couldn't place what. He's trying to think, remember what he can't... He really can't remember. Only knows. He killed them, but then he also died.
Of course.
The 'Human' doesn't get far, not even out of Sans' sight, when their phone rang. They froze, absolutely solid, as if rang again.
Papyrus...
The 'Human's' back is turned towards Sans but he can still tell that they don't know if they should answer it... but that they want to. The phone rang again and Sans growled lowly to himself, ready to snap at them to not keep Paps waiting when the 'Human' finally answered it all on their own.
"HELLO! THIS IS PAPYRUS!"
"Hi..." The 'Human's' voice is small, the anger and rage they'd been aiming at Sans entirely gone. It only makes Sans angrier, but the sound of his brother's voice cuts through it again-
"REMEMBER WHEN I ASKED YOU ABOUT YOUR CLOTHES?"
When he had asked them very suspiciously about their clothes? Yup. Hard to forget.
The 'Human' did not respond.
"WELL, THE FRIEND WHO WANTED TO KNOW..."
Undyne.
"HER OPINION OF YOU IS VERY... MURDERY."
Now Sans was the one to freeze. The 'Human' glanced back at him and Sans braced for i, but the red eyes that he anticipated to be mocking, sneering, they were genuinely... sad...
"BUT I BET YOU KNEW THAT ALREADY!"
Sans couldn't keep the red eyes' gaze, but neither could they. They turned their head away at the same time as him.
"AND BECAUSE YOU KNEW THAT..." Papyrus on the other end sounds just as hesitant and guilty as Sans was fighting not to feel. "I TOLD HER WHAT YOU TOLD ME YOU WERE WEARING! A DUSTY TUTU! BECAUSE I KNOW, OF COURSE... AFTER SUCH A SUSPICIOUS QUESTION... YOU WOULD OBVIOUSLY CHANGE YOUR CLOTHES! YOU'RE SUCH A SMART COOKIE!"
The tutu at their waist is still deflated and dripping from their splash into the water earlier, and the now matching slippers were digging into the dirt beneath them as the 'Human' remained standing in awkward discomfort as Papyrus continued to speak.
"THIS WAY YOU'RE SAFE AND I DIDN'T LIE! NO BETRAYAL ANYWHERE! BEING FRIENDS WITH EVERYONE IS EASY!"
Sans' hand in his pocket gripped at the torn sides of the photograph he was carrying. Them. With everyone. The sun on the surface-
"Papyrus." Their voice is still small, even smaller.
"WHAT? WHAT IS IT?" There is more than a hint of concern and nervousness. The 'Human' gripped the phone tightly, Sans thought it might break.
"Don't..." Their resolve wavered. "Nevermind."
"WHAT IS IT, HUMAN?" Papyrus encouraged though. "YOU CAN TELL ME. THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS A GREAT LISTENER NYEH HEH."
The 'Human', though, did not seem all too certain, they even dared another glance back at Sans who was still looking at his own reflection in the water and not at them. No. Not at them, not even in the corner of his vision where he could see their timid expression. That timid, manipulative expression.
"Don't... Don't be upset.. if it doesn't work out... okay?"
They had turned away from Sans again, their shoulders hitched upwards protectively.
"OF COURSE IT WILL WORK OUT! OH! MAYBE YOU ARE NERVOUS! BUT DO NOT WORRY, FOR I KNOW YOU CAN WIN HER OVER IN THE END! LIKE YOU DID ME! AND SANS!"
"Pap..." Their voice trailed off, but Papyrus seemed to be listening intently to them on the other end of the phone, waiting for them to continue. The 'Human' sighed.
"IT WON'T GO AS BAD AS YOU THINK. I PROMISE." Papyrus said again. "UNDYNE IS A WONDERFUL PERSON! ONCE SHE SEES HOW MUCH OF A TRUE FRIEND YOU ARE SHE WON'T THINK ABOUT HURTING YOU!"
"Yeah..." The 'Human' finally agreed, but it isn't exactly in their voice.
"IT'LL BE FINE!" Papyrus promised once more. The 'Human' let out a strangled laugh.
"Yeah..." They said softly, lowering the phone. "It'll be fine.."
"... ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" Papyrus asked in concern. There was a moment of silence.
"I'm just feeling a bit homesick." They admitted, but then their voice lifted as they forced a smile neither of the brothers could actually see. "But talking to you makes me feel better, thanks."
Sans' fists clenched even tighter at the lie.
"OH! THEN PERHAPS WE CAN TALK WHILE YOU WALK!"
"N-no... That's okay. But.. I promise, if I get too down again, I'll call you this time. Okay?"
"I WILL TRY MY BEST TO BE ABLE TO ANSWER AT ALL TIMES!" Papyrus promised.
"Thanks." They said softly and he heard them hang up without a goodbye...
And Sans said nothing as they began to walk back into the darkness ahead of them...
... Shyren was hiding in the corner, but somehow encountered them anyways.
The 'Human' didn't make a sound as the monster hummed weakly, apprehensive about the whole ordeal. The 'Human' had barely registered Onionsan's attempts at conversation and now they stood in front of the broken monster they still couldn't bring themself to look up, to engage in the FIGHT they were in. Ever since their conversation with Papyrus, something somber had settled inside them.
Shyren hummed again, this time leaning in towards the 'Human' out of concern. The note fell flat but the movement seemed to gain more of the 'Human's' attention and they looked up. Shyren offered them another weak hum only to cower again, wanting to flee in her anxiety. The 'Human' took a deep breath before starting to hum softly back. It was hoarse and not quite right but Shyren seemed to perk up at it.
The 'Human' smiled, but Sans could tell from his place at a distance that it was forced.
Shyren on the other hand, seemed encouraged by it regardless. She started humming along. As the tune evened out and grew a bit louder with each passing second, Sans realized he recognized it from somewhere... He just wasn't sure where to place it.
The song continued, both performers growing louder with each passing tune. The 'Human' had eased up, or at least... it was no longer forced. The song came naturally to them.
And they were beginning to draw a crowd.
It's all too familiar.
Sans flipped his hood up and leaned up against the wall as he stayed in the shadows and watched. It could all go bad so quickly.
The battle turned concert ended and the 'Human' bowed with Shyren. When they stood back up though, Sans saw the exact moment the red eyes found him, even in the shadows. Their smile that was on their face but had never truly been in their eyes finally disappeared. It quickly reappeared though as a chorus of calls for an encore came but the 'Human' only waived and began to retreat, leaving Shyren in the spotlight as they escaped back into the darkness.
And Sans, like always, followed.
He stood at the fork in the path unsure of which way they would have gone first. The right was the path to the castle, but he had noticed that they always took the time to do the little detours along their path, no matter what. It was unsettling to Sans.
They'd seen it all before, so redoing it all, to the smallest detail was...
Sick.
But they were sick after all he had decided.
A soft noise draws Sans' attention and he begins to make his way down the main path. As he walked closer, the sound grew more distinct; it sounded like a music box... It's notes echoing down the corridor.. Sans lifted his head in realization. That's the song. The one the 'Human' had been humming.. But where was it coming from?
The source of the tune was now only around the corner and he peeked out cautiously, still remaining in the shadows.
There they were... They stood in the middle of the room with the long forgotten statue that Sans... had honestly forgotten. They stood... looking up at the 'rain' as it fell, pattering against the red umbrella they had placed carefully over the statue, and the soft musical chime rose up from its' base to dance around the two of them.
Sans stood listening for a minute or two, the tension in his bones relaxing and he breathed out heavily as he dared to close his eye sockets.
... It's been a long day...
He opened his sockets and watched the 'Human' carefully.
This had no benefit to them... Even more than usual. No gift or useful item would be given from this... Only the soft, gentle music... No other purpose.
And they just stood there, a hand against their chest, fingers clasping at their sweater.
"Sans..." Their voice caught him by surprise, he hadn't been sure that they were sure he was there- "Can I... ask you a favor?"
"what?!"
The request is so ludicrous, so out of nowhere- They have nothing to suggest he would ever agree to anything they'd ask, the opposite even, and yet those words had escaped their lips! The hostilities were mounting, the anger rising inside Sans as he tensed again. His eye socket was threatening to flash blue.
"I wouldn't ask... but..." They continued, their tone still the same. Soft... "It's something important. That, if I do actually die, I... I want to have it with me..." The fingers on their chest, holding onto their sweater, tightened.
Sans was silent, glaring. Then he openly scoffed and shook his head in continued disbelief. Their shoulders tensed up, hearing him.
"Please..." They whispered, lowering their head. "There's a locket in New Home. It's in a gift box in one of the bedrooms..."
"well when you get there you can steal it." Sans offered casually.
"It wouldn't be stealing." They countered lowly, anger returning. But they don't push it.. or Sans. They simply turn away and start walking again. They've already accepted he was indeed not going to be of any help at all. Sans watched them grab another umbrella and wander off through the rain.
And Sans had to admit... his curiosity was peaked...
He made his way straight to the River Person, and in a matter of minutes he found himself at New Home. Watching the 'Human' wander through the Underground, he had almost forgotten how quickly the journey actually was... How quickly all of this could be over with... If the 'Human' didn't have their little games to play...
He wasn't planning on actually getting them this thing, he just wanted to make sure it wasn't something dangerous... He told himself... But at the same time, he really was just that curious... As to what inanimate object could be so important to them when every person they knew seemed to not matter in the end.
New Home is not a place he goes to often. He's only actually been inside a few times. This trip only serves to remind him of why. It was faded and barren, the only real colour being splashes of yellow from the flowers the King liked to tend in his free time... Well, actually, all the time. Sans can't stand the sight of them.
Sans snooped around the halls, eventually entering the nearest bedroom. He'd never been in this area of the house before and something ominous chilled his bones as he eyes the two empty beds... Perfect for children. He avoided looking directly at the dust covered toys... Not wanting to think about it. About how the cycle of gaining hope and losing it seemed to be the fate of all monsterkind.
The locket is exactly where they said. Sitting their in an open present box on the floor. Bending down to view it, his unease increases.
Best Friends Forever, it said.
He'd seen this heart locket before...
A prickle of memory played at the back of his mind but he couldn't come up with anything- oh wait! Sans pulled out the two pieces of torn picture from his pocket.
There it was. Resting against their chest as they smiled brightly... Something in Sans' rib cage moved... Some weird sensation... Sans took the locket with him. Though not entirely sure why...
...He arrived at one of the best spots in the Underground... It was dark and the air cool just like the rest of Waterfall, but the view was spectacular. You could see for miles, and the King's castle towered upwards magnificently towards the ceiling. The glittering gems really did look like a starry sky... At least almost. At least that was how he had always imagined it. But he didn't have much to go on, now did he? At least not now...
From there he could already hear an excited voice echoing down the hallways, and it took him a second to realize it was, yet again, the Monster Kid.
"Ummm, maybe she wouldn't beat up the teachers..." He heard the child say. "She's too COOL to hurt an innocent person."
Oooh boy...
The children appeared out of the cavern and the 'Human's' eyes immediately rested on him, his white eye lights making him clearly visible in the darkness.
"Yo!" The Monster Kid called to Sans. The 'Human' and monster walked together under the umbrella as they approached Sans. He turned his gaze back over the rest of the Underground. The duo beside him stopped to do the same for a moment. The 'Human' looked at the castle and then glanced back towards Sans, their eyes falling in disappointment despite having known he wasn't going to look into their request...
They would have been angry if they'd known the truth. Maybe that was why he had taken it...
The locket rested up against the worn, torn picture, Sans' fisted hand on top of them both. His own little spite.
... It didn't feel like the only reason though...
"that's where the journey ends, doesn't it, kiddo?" He said slyly indicating the palace. The 'Human' looked back up at him, MK oblivious to what he meant. They didn't seem angry, just… blank. They sighed and their shoulders slacked as they looked away. They began to walk towards the exit and both MK and Sans followed.
They looked over their shoulder, frowning slightly as Sans stood there beside MK. The rain was coming down but they took their umbrella and placed it back in the awaiting basket. MK darted ahead of Sans and fidgeted excitedly at the base of a ledge that was too tall for all of them.
Sometimes Sans genuinely had to wonder who designed these things… He had the advantage that came with his shortcuts, but seriously how does everyone else do it?
MK seemed to be wondering the same thing.
"Yo, this ledge is too steep!" They complained loudly. They were frowning as they turned to the human then back to the ledge, then back to the 'Human'. "Yo, you want to see Undyne, right?" The human nodded slowly. "Climb on my shoulders!"
The 'Human' followed the other's advice and Sans watched in amusement as they slumped over the top of the ledge and pulled themselves up. But… How did they ever expect to drag MK up with them? The little monster didn't have anything to hold on to the 'Human' with!
MK seemed to be realizing this as well. Suddenly they were turning to Sans.
"Yo! You mind helping me up?" They asked. Sans shrugged. He'd given up on trying to send the kid home…
"sur-" The 'Human' slammed their fist into their hand threateningly. Sans looked up at them, his left eye socket twitching involuntarily. Their face was serious. Determined. Murderous.
Everything about them screamed NO. Absolutely not. Nope.
They repeated the motion again with their hands and Sans' smile almost faltered in surprise as he saw it more clearly now that he was looking directly at them.
[Stop] They signed once more with a sense of finality. Wait, were they really-? He wasn't imagining-? A coincidence? [Danger] The surprise was clear on his face but their own face was serious and unmoved by it as they stared.
"huh." Sans breathed out with a small chuckle. "i'm not gonna lie kid, that was sort of unexpected."
How, or just… Why did this kid speak Hands? How had they known Sans understood Hands? It'd been years since he'd needed it. It was rusty and nearly forgotten, but undeniably there in the back of his mind. But how had they discovered-
[Fish]
Sans had to laugh out loud. Yeah, he'd gotten that. Who else could it have been? But seeing Undyne simply referred to as "fish" was just too much.
"Y-Yo! What are they doing with their hands?" MK asked. Sans settled down and starred at them.
"um… talking." He answered truthfully. MK's eyes widened in awe.
"With their hands?" They asked. They turned excitedly back to the human. "What are you saying?" The 'Human' wanted to cringe.
"they're saying we should split up." Sans said. MK's face fell and they looked between the 'Human' and Sans. "it'll give us a better chance at seeing a glimpse of undyne." Sans explained. MK seemed to buy into this.
"Oh yeah! That sounds like a great idea!" They hesitated. "Wait! But what if one of us sees her and the other doesn't?!"
"uhh…" The 'Human' took out their phone and then pointed at Sans. What? Were they doing the entire silent thing now?
"I'll call him if I see her." They promised aloud now. "And he can teleport you to where I am!" MK's eyes lit up as they turned to Sans, seeming to shake with excitement.
"Teleport?!"
"uh-" The 'Human' was turning to leave now, not coming back to his defense. Sans watched them go, the Monster Kid still waiting in anticipation. Sans smiled down at them. "yup." He said. "teleport. but i like to call 'em shortcuts. sounds lazier." MK was laughing, but standing next to Sans expectantly.
"Take me somewhere! Wow! Being touched by Undyne! Teleporting! THIS DAY CAN'T GET ANY COOLER!" They paused and then gasped. "Teleporting to Undyne would be cooler!" They exclaimed. Sans sighed as he wrapped his arm around the kid.
"alright. alright. can't make no promises about undyne though. gotta know where she is for that to work."
They were walking together through another section of waterfall, Undyne nowhere in sight. Which Sans had known, but MK was entirely disappointed. Sans eyed them as they chatted away.
"heyya kiddo, can i ask you a question?"
"Yo! What's up?"
"do you really trust that other kid?"
MK blinked and tilted their head giving Sans a confused look.
"Psh. Why wouldn't I? They're a kid just like me!"
"that…" Sans had nothing to say to that. Nothing he could say to that. The kid just didn't understand… Nobody did. That 'Human' wasn't just a "kid". Wasn't even a kid anymore. He didn't even consider them human.
"Yo! It's Undyne!" Sans followed their gaze and sure enough, Undyne was walking quickly a fair distance away from them. MK was turning to Sans excitedly. "You gotta go get the other kid, right? I'll run ahead!" They exclaimed as they rushed off. Sans sighed.
Welp. He better go find them again. Now that they weren't running for their lives who knew what chaos they could have gotten themself or somebody else into.