Disclaimer: I do not own Undertale.

Iterations

Close Call

The next few days were spent getting situated. Frisk took residence on their couch. She bought some clothes that were actually her size. Papyrus put up a third mailbox for her even though she did not yet know enough people to actually get mail. Sans let her keep the clothing she had borrowed and she would be lying if she said she did not wear the hoodie most days. There was something comforting about wearing it. She picked up a job working with Sans at his hot dog stand. She was finally settled in enough for them to start planning for the future.

She should have known things were going too smoothly.

It was odd. He did not know when it happened, or even if it was a gradual thing, but it was as if he was always attuned with the kid. Even though her stay with Toriel varied in duration from one run to the next, he always knew when she would exit the Ruins. His hyper-awareness of her did not stop there, either. He knew generally where she was all the time. It was how he was always at his station– or at his telescope, or in front of the hotel, or the corridor in Asgore's castle– when she passed by. He reclined in his chair, propping his legs up on the table. He was waiting for her to come to work.

Sometimes, they came together, taking his shortcut. Others, she wanted to walk. He did not blame her either. Waterfall was a nice walk if one was feeling up to it. Which he rarely was. He had not yet started cooking. In fact, he had not even flipped the sign to 'Open.' He was all for postponing opening until she arrived.

There was suddenly dread running up and down his spine. That was new.

It had to be the kid.

What had she got herself into this time?

He focused and followed the feeling out of his booth and into a shortcut that he had never seen. He knew that, somehow, it would take him directly to Frisk.

Apparently, he had developed a danger meter for her too.

She had forgotten how unprepared she had started this run. And as previous runs taught her, if it started out badly, it ended that way too.

This one was no exception.

The newness of this one was refreshing after so much of the same. But it was also so very dangerous. Doing the same thing over and over, one gets used to it, no matter how tired of it one gets. But the moment things start going in a different direction, it is possible to forget what should be done.

Like every time before, Undyne ended up finding her. Like every time before, the warrior was dead set on taking her soul. Like every single time before, she decided to throw her spear at her target. Frisk always dodged to the right. Every time, without fail, she had jumped right. It was instinct. Automatic.

Frisk took a step to the left.

And immediately regretted it as the spear ran through her and pinned her to the wall. Undyne stalked toward her, a new spear in hand. She groaned inwardly. She was going to die. Again.

But then, Undyne was stopped in her tracks as something whacked her in the back of the head, sending her helmet flying. She whipped around and ran out of the room to pursue her attacker. Before she had even cleared the doorway, Sans was there, yanking the spear out and picking Frisk up. They were through a shortcut and in his room before she could even register that he had come for her. The ball of blankets turned blue with his magic as he tossed it off the bed and laid her down. He patted down her pockets and sighed in relief as he found a Cinnamon Bunny. He ripped off a piece and stuffed it in her mouth. The bite recovered enough HP for her to regain her senses.

"Wha– " He cut her off by stuffing another piece into her open mouth.

"don't talk. eat."

She obeyed. The Cinnamon Bunny brought her to full HP. As she swallowed, she realized her shirt was ruined. The wound was, of course, gone. But the hole in her shirt and the blood stains? Not so much. She was glad she had not been wearing the hoodie. It was her favorite. She then wondered which iteration the state of her clothing began bugging her more than nearly fatal wounds. Then again, blood stains on her clothing were a regular thing before she had entered the Underground...

"you awake and aware again, yet?"

She jumped, startled. "Um, yeah."

"so, undyne knows about you now."

She grimaced. "Seems like it."

"let's hope she doesn't realize that i threw that bone at her head. it's bad enough that she's after one of us."

"Thanks for that, by the way."

He waved her off. "just try not to die."

She made the mistake of blinking when she tried to reply. He had, in typical Sans fashion, disappeared.

A/N: And here's number 5. Let's try to keep this pace.

Thanks for reading.

Until next time friendlies,

Dfsemina