[[ Brit here! This is another feelsy chapter, but things are starting to look up! Give it time! Also affectionate Pap is probably one of my favorite things right now, help. ]]
Waking up had been painful, and it was with a soft groan that Lena slowly dragged her body into a sitting position, swaying as a nauseating bout of dizziness struck her from the small movement alone. 'What happened...?' She opened her eyes slowly and was startled for a moment to find that she was, in fact, not in her apartment. The familiarity of the space kept her from panicking, though, and she breathed a small sigh of relief. She was in her friend's house, in her old room that, though it no longer held her belongings, still had the bed she'd slept in. The throbbing ache in her head made her eyes clench tightly shut from the pain, and she raised a hand to gently touch at the sore spot on her head. Her fingers retracted almost immediately as if burned, the searing pain surfacing from just that slight touch enough to pull a pained hiss from between her clenched teeth.
Then she remembered. She remembered being out, having so much fun, catching Sans gazing at her from across the room...then, the drunks. They'd surrounded them, and Sans had used his magic, he- 'Where is Sans? And Papyrus? Are they okay?!' Panic struck through her like a bolt of lightning and she moved, quickly throwing the blankets off of her legs and turning until her feet touched the ground. Then she stood...far too quickly, apparently, because the way her stomach churned uneasily and the room spun around her made her nearly fall over. It took a few long moments for the feeling to fade and, when she felt fairly confident she wasn't going to vomit, she slowly made her way across the small room, hands gripping onto every sturdy surface to help her along. The floorboards creaked beneath her bare feet, and it must have been just loud enough to alert someone, because she could soon hear feet pounding against the floor headed toward her.
The door swung open quickly and Brit stood there, brows furrowed worriedly. "What the hell are you doing? Get back in bed!" she scolded, voice soft, though, which Lena was grateful for. Every slight sound made her head throb with pain. "You have a concussion, babe. You need to take it easy..." It was obvious she was concerned, and the redhead just couldn't bring herself to be frustrated with her, no matter how much she wanted to get up. It took little coaxing to get her back into bed, and just as Brit tucked the blankets back around her hips, Lena grabbed her hand, eyes imploring. The question wasn't asked vocally, but it was still understood regardless. "Papyrus healed up just fine, and Sans was uninjured." The sigh of relief was immense as she felt a tenseness and weight being lifted from her chest. So relieved, in fact, that she allowed herself to doze off again, waking up around lunch time to the sounds of her friend's children being laid down for their naps. She'd stayed in bed as she'd been commanded, but Brit slipped into her room a few minutes after the children went silent, closing the door quietly behind her and climbing onto the bed, asking if the injured woman needed anything.
"I want to go home..." she mumbled, and she knew that wasn't a particularly wise choice by the way the taller woman's jaw clenched slightly. "I know that you're worried about me...b-but I'm worried about them. I'll be fine back in my own apartment. Toriel is just a phone call away, and so are Sans and Papyrus!" When had her eyes started watering? She couldn't tell, but the faint trembling in her fingers as they smoothed out the blanket lying across her lap only worsened as she thought about them. About Sans. The look of terror and anguish on his face was the very last thing she'd gotten a glance of, and it haunted her. She wanted to be with him, to tell him that she was alright...and so that she could feel more alright herself. Brit sighed heavily and stared at a far corner of the room, eyes unfocused as she gnawed her bottom lip in thought. When she turned her gaze back to Lena, it was uncertain, concerned.
"...You call me if you start feeling bad." It wasn't a question or a request, and Lena nodded slowly, her lips curving up into a small, grateful smile. Out of anyone, she understood, and she loved her for that. "Jordan's at work, so we'll have to hope that Papyrus or Toriel can drive here and pick us up. I need to get my van from your place anyway." As she spoke, she'd already pulled out her phone, sending brief messages to both. A response came in less than a minute, and she smiled when she saw Toriel's response.
| Toriel: Of course, my child. I shall be there within the hour. I will do my best to heal her, as well, if you are alright with that. |
She truly was a kind monster, Brit thought to herself, feeling suddenly very appreciative of the motherly aura she exuded. "Tori says she'll be here in an hour. You wanna get in the tub and wash the hospital smell off of ya before you go home to your bonefriend?" The flush of pink across the ginger's cheeks pulled a snicker from the other woman, rolling to dodge a weak slap to the shoulder.
"H-he's not..." Lena's voice trailed off weakly and Brit leaned up to nuzzle her cheek, pressing a kiss to her flushed cheekbone.
"Shhhh I'm just teasin'. Now c'mon, let's go take that bath." She nodded and allowed herself to be helped out of bed and to the bathroom, even though she wanted to insist that she was fine. (The way she wavered on her feet would have made for an unconvincing argument, anyway.) The warm water was a blessing, and she only whimpered slightly as Brit gently washed her hair, being more than careful to avoid the cut along her scalp. The dried flecks of blood were washed away and, after the tub was drained and she sat on the toilet wrapped in a towel, she felt much more like herself. A gentle knock from the front door had Brit mumbling a curse, draping another towel around the cold and trembling Lena's shoulders and rushing to the door.
"Hey, c'mon in! She just got out of the bath, so give us a few minutes to get her dressed," she addressed the monster casually, leaving the front door hanging open and motioning for her to come in as she headed back toward the bathroom. Toriel lingered outside the door for a moment awkwardly before she let herself in, carefully and quietly closing the door behind her. She could hear the two humans talking to each other further down the hall, but she did not want to intrude. So she padded into the living room and sat on the couch, paws folded neatly in her lap as she patiently waited.
"Sorry to keep you, your majesty. Drying all this hair is a chore!" The humans had returned, Brit holding her friend up as she walked unsteadily toward the couch. She sat her next to Toriel and raised a hand to brush her bangs out from in front of her face gently.
"Oh, you poor dear! How could anyone do something so horrid..." The large monster looked like she could cry, her large, amethyst-colored eyes glassy and bright. "Here, allow me!" She reached an arm out and gently placed a large, soft paw against Lena's forehead, eyes slipping closed as she quickly and efficiently summoned forth her magic. Green tendrils of healing magic sprouted forth from her paw, reaching toward, onto, and into the humans' head, and after a few seconds Lena could feel her headache lessening slightly. Magic really was an incredible thing. "This should help. We are fortunate that you were not more seriously harmed, my dear..." Warm arms then surrounded Lena as she found herself being pulled to the monster's chest in a tender embrace. It was so maternal-feeling and comforting that she leaned into it, closing her eyes. "When I heard from Papyrus what had happened... I was so, so worried, as are the others."
"H-how are they doing...?" She didn't know why she felt so hesitant to ask, and she felt silly for it when the queen so easily answered, pulling away with a smile.
"Papyrus is quite well, though he is quite worried. He has much faith in your strength, though, so he is okay." She paused then, her smile faltering slightly. "Sans was uninjured..." There seemed to be more there, but Toriel didn't say, and so Lena didn't feel like she could ask. She smiled and nodded, feeling the slightest bit relieved.
"Mama?" A small voice came from the doorway and all three women turned, sighing and putting her hands on her hips.
"How on earth did you get out of your room?!" she asked, voice full of mock-surprise, though the look on her face was one of amusement. "My little locksmith." She heard a soft noise from the couch and glanced over to see Toriel staring at the child, eyes wide with awe and some other emotion that was difficult to place. The child ran over to his mother, hugging her leg, and Brit chuckled and ruffled his blond hair. "Go on, baby, say hi!" Large blue eyes flickered up to his mother's for confirmation before he looked up at Toriel, eyes filled with wonder. He extended his hand with a small wave, cheeks dimpling as he smiled.
"Hi..." Toriel looked as though her heart had just burst, her amethyst eyes tearing up the slightest bit as she gave him a warm smile, returning the wave.
"Hello, dear one... It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Toriel..." She sounded shy, which was surprising, coming from the queen. Lena gently pulled herself away and grabbed the boy, pulling him onto her lap, where he quickly clung to her, face burying in her chest.
"Tori..!" he said proudly, and Lena laughed at the bright smile that came over the queen's face. He started talking then, broken phrases and words about all sorts of things, and Toriel looked totally enraptured, hanging on every slight sound the child made. It was adorable, really, and incredibly endearing. A voice from another room caught their attention, and the boy turned to point down the hallway. "Sissy! Ah comin'!" The women laughed and Brit headed toward the hall.
"I'll go get 'er." With that, she vanished. The boy squirmed slightly, not liking his mother being out of sight, but Lena simply brushed through his hair with her fingers and he settled right down.
"He seems to like you very much."
"Well, I've been around them for a while. I'm their Auntie Lena!" Lena beamed, her smile stretching more genuinely across her lips. It was amazing how much better she already felt. Not quite one hundred percent, but it was still a vast improvement, and she was more than appreciative. The padding of little feet coming down the carpeted hallway broke through their conversation, and Lena turned to gasp playfully at another, slightly smaller child who was headed her way. "Hey Livy!" The little girl growled at her loudly and held her arms up to be held, but stopped when she seemed to realize Toriel sitting next to her 'Auntie' on the couch. Toriel stiffened, smiling, but her eyes were hesitant, as if she were waiting for the child to become fearful and start crying. Livy stared up at her for a long moment, then broke into a loud squeal and clambered up onto the queen's lap, burying her face in the monster's chest and leaning into her, cooing affectionately in a loud 'awww' sound.
"Awww, look at that! Livy doesn't usually just warm up to people like that. She really likes you, Tori," the mother praised, grinning and watching as Toriel's face became blissful, raising a paw to pet the child's hair softly.
"Yes, it seems that she does..." Her voice was fond, though it wavered very slightly, and her eyes were teary and happy.
After a few minutes of visiting, the sitter arrived, and it took a bit of fighting to get the children off of Toriel and into the play room so they could slip out of the house unnoticed. Lena wasn't certain who was struggling more: the children, or Toriel. Once they were finally outside, they piled into the queen's car and drove back to Taobh. Brit immediately had to hop into her car and return home, but she made sure not to leave before pressing a kiss to the redhead's cheek. As her friend drove off, Lena glanced up at Toriel, smiling warmly. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind having another possible babysitter..." She hadn't known, but that simple sentence had made the queen incredibly happy.
She had barely had time to even step into her apartment when she was suddenly swept up into a pair of bony arms, and her heart skipped a beat for a moment, face flushed, before she realized who they belonged to. A stream of 'nyoo hoo hoo's met her ears as Papyrus hugged her tightly, then seemed to realize her injury and set her down on the couch with a delicateness that was unexpected from him. "LENA! YOU ARE ALRIGHT, YES? HER MAJESTY SAID THAT YOU WERE HOME NOW, AND I DID NOT WASTE EVEN A SECOND BEFORE I CAME RIGHT OVER! DO YOU NEED ANYTHING? I CAN MAKE YOU SPAGHETTI IF YOU WANT! I CAN-"
"Pappy, hey, c-calm down!" she shouted, as it was the only way to be heard over his noisy worrying, and he quieted instantly, wringing his gloved hands together. She reached out and took his hands, stilling the anxious movements, and smiled. "I'm fine. Just a bit of a headache. Tori healed me with her magic, so I'm feeling much, much better." The relief that bled into his expression was adorable, and she couldn't help but giggle as he scooped her into yet another hug.
"I AM SO RELIEVED! I HAD FAITH THAT YOU WOULD BE FINE, BUT TO KNOW THAT YOU ARE IS VERY GOOD. I WILL MAKE SPAGHETTI ALFREDO TONIGHT TO CELEBRATE!" he exclaimed excitedly, and she chuckled.
"That sounds really good. ...Oh, but how are you doing?! Tori said she healed you, but..." He blinked in confusion for a moment, then, when he seemed to suddenly realize what she was talking about, set her down and tilted his head downward, allowing her to see. There was the faintest of green lines where the deepest part of the crack was, but it was otherwise completely gone. "Thank god... I was worried about you." He looked up with stars in his eyes, a grin across his skeletal face.
"WOWWIE, YOU WERE WORRIED ABOUT ME? THANK YOU, HUMAN! IT IS MOST APPRECIATED!" He reached out and pat her on the head as he quickly jumped to his feet, hands on his hips. "I APOLOGIZE, HUMAN, BUT I MUST RETURN TO MY APARTMENT NOW. DINNER WILL BE READY AT FIVE, SO I WILL SE E YOU THEN!" He bent over and pressed his bony teeth to her forehead gently, pulling away with a laugh of "NYEH HEH HEH!" before leaving her apartment, being sure to close the door behind him. She felt her cheeks ache with her grin. Papyrus was always so sweet, always knew a way to cheer her up. She was so lucky to have such a kind friend. Suddenly feeling very tired, she decided the best thing to do would be to take a nap right then and there, curling up on the couch, an arm wrapped around her waist. She tried not to imagine that it was a certain skeleton's.
She failed.
She awoke to her phone beeping at her from within her pocket, and she sat up a little too quickly to try and see the time, her head spinning slightly. 5:15 PM. She was late! Frowning, she got herself up and paused, glancing at her bedroom before shaking her head. If she was already late, she wasn't going to waste any more time by trying to change clothes. Besides, it was dinner with the skeleton brothers. They wouldn't care if she was wearing baggy sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt. She slipped her shoes on and immediately headed out, not bothering to lock her door behind her (not out of forgetfulness, but because she was that trusting of her neighbors). By the time she made it to their apartment, Papyrus was only just serving up the pasta, greeting her with a wide grin.
"HELLO, HUMAN! I WAS WONDERING IF YOU WERE GOING TO STAY HOME."
"I'm so sorry, Pappy, I fell asleep and...I guess I was more tired than I thought. I'm sorry," she rambled slightly, to which he simply waved an oven mitt-clad hand at her, telling her not to worry about it. She smiled gratefully and moved to sit at the table as Papyrus handed her a plate full of angel hair pasta. The sauce was rich and smelled of Parmesan, and Lena didn't even realize how hungry she was until the delicious aroma wafted over her. "Mmm, this smells great!" The tall skeleton beamed at the praise, and he quickly gave himself an equally-full plate and sat down across from her, picking up his fork and digging in. It was slightly humorous to see him holding a fork with oven mitts, but it was also just so 'Papyrus' that it didn't seem out of place in the slightest. She picked up her own fork and twirled a bunch of the sauce-coated noodles around it, putting it into her mouth. The instant it touched her tongue, she hummed pleasantly. According to what Sans had told her of his cooking skills in the Underground, he had improved immensely. Speaking of whom...
"So, is Sans going to be joining us..?" she asked curiously, and she didn't miss nor like the way Papyrus tensed the slightest bit before sending her a huge smile.
"THAT BONEHEAD HAS STARTED ANOTHER PART-TIME JOB, AND HE FORGOT THAT HE WORKED TONIGHT. SILLY HIM, ALWAYS FORGETTING TO REMIND ME OF HIS SCHEDULE!"
"Oh..." She couldn't help but sound slightly disappointed, though only about as half as she actually felt. The meal continued on in silence for a few minutes, then Papyrus dove into telling her all sorts of things, like who his favorite TV star was (spoilers: It's Mettaton) and about his interview for a part-time job he had coming up. Lena was thrilled for him, and told him as such, and he looked incredibly proud when he told her that it was at Muffet's cafe. Even after the food was eaten and the leftovers put away, they continued to talk, and she couldn't help but realize that the later and later it got, the more Papyrus wanted to talk. She started to wonder just how late Sans worked, but figured it would be nosy of her to ask.
"WELL, HUMAN, YOU HAD BEST GO HOME AND GET SOME REST! EVEN IF HER MAJESTY HEALED YOU, IT WOULD STILL BE WISE FOR YOU TO TAKE IT EASY!" He gently nudged her out the door, and she tried not to feel hurt when the door closed behind her after they said their goodbyes. 'What was that all about...?' She shrugged it off and did as suggested, going home and taking a long, hot shower before curling up in bed. Even with her long nap, she still felt so tired... She fell asleep and dreamed that she was chasing a bluebird, trying to catch it, but it kept flying just out of her reach.
'I'm such a coward...' White eyelights glowed dimly in dark sockets as Sans stared hard at the ceiling above his bed. He threw an arm over his face, his bulky sleeve covering his eyes as he closed them, breathing a sigh. A part of him was relieved. She was awake, walking, talking, eating... She was fine. She was talking and laughing with Papyrus, complimenting him on his cooking, and everything was good.
...Except that everything wasn't. Even through walls, he could sense her soul; how it wasn't quite as bright or vibrant as it always was. 'Maybe it's just still recovering from before,' he told himself, but he knew better. As he sat in his room and listened as his brother lied to her, talked to her, made her laugh and smile and try desperately to cheer her up, he knew better. He knew that it was his fault. He just couldn't do it, couldn't bring himself to face her after letting her get so badly hurt. The sight of her blood brought back vivid recollections of a nightmare, of her blood on his hands, bony phalanges slick with it, and he shuddered.
Chara had been right. She'd only get hurt around him.
So he kept his distance. Any time he could sense her soul approaching, he would open a door through the Void and leave. He'd hide in his room any time she came over for dinner. He slept all the time anymore, but he didn't get a single moment of rest. The dark circles beneath his eyesockets were ever darker, making him look weary and worn down. He thought back to how he felt waking up that morning before the incident, curled into her, arm wrapped so snugly around her waist, hands intertwined. It made a place deep in his soul twist, a painful longing that he slept to try and ignore. It never worked. Instead, he started seeing her in his dreams, some of them pleasant, most of them not.
He felt like he was beginning to go mad.
For a week, this continued. He'd teleport himself to and from work, never leaving his room, except for after Papyrus went to bed, eating cold spaghetti standing in front of the fridge before he'd return. His mattress was filthy, his room was filthy; it always had been, but now it was even worse. He felt filthy. Like guilt slithered across his skull and between his bones, and pierced his soul like the fangs of a deadly serpent. Poisoned.
On the seventh day, Papyrus had come into his room without knocking, looking very clearly concerned. He asked questions, and Sans pretended to be asleep, face buried in his pillow as he struggled to breathe evenly. This was probably the worst thing he'd ever done. He never didn't talk to his brother. They both knew what was wrong, Sans knew that there was now way to fix it. After a few moments of one-sided conversation, Papyrus sighed, and quietly closed the door behind him. Sans squeezed his eyesockets shut and hissed out a long breath, a wave of pain crashing over his soul, but he ignored it. He ignored it because this was what was best for them. For her. She wouldn't be hurt like that again if she didn't associate with him.
It was really all for the best...
The week after she'd gotten back had really been kind of a gray blur. Undyne and Alphys had come over insisting to see her and to get the whole story of what had happened, because apparently Papyrus had just told them a short and sweet version that left a lot of questions unanswered. 'What if's were going to be the dust of them, so they came to check on her themselves. As Lena retold the tale, there was a lot of yelling (mostly on Undyne's part), threatening of persons not present (again, Undyne) and hugging (also Undyne, surprisingly). It took a lot of gentle coaxing from Alphys and a lot of insisting that she wasn't going to die before Undyne released Lena from her death-grip-like embrace. It really was endearing and touching that the badass captain of the Royal Guard (former) was so worried about her. Lena felt herself smiling the entire time, and when it came time for them to leave, she laughed as Undyne made yet another threat toward persons she didn't know and they went on their way.
Then the door closed, and her waving hand faltered, and her smile fell.
That was how it had been all week. For reasons she didn't know, she just wasn't quite herself. Part of her wanted to blame it on the concussion, which still very much had a small effect on her. Or maybe having been fired. That hadn't happened that long ago, after all. But something told her that those things, as valid as they were, just weren't it.
That something was the way that her chest ached every time she went to the skeleton brother's apartment and Sans wasn't there. A paranoid part of her mind told her that he was avoiding her; maybe she'd done or said something stupid when she'd been drinking? Maybe. Or maybe he was grossed out by how affectionate her friend was toward her. It was certainly true that she was more physically affectionate than other people were with their friends.
An even deeper, darker part of her mind told her that she'd misinterpreted everything from the very beginning.
He just showed you his soul so that it wouldn't be unfair. You pushed him into it. You were selfish. He never felt that way about you. Holding hands is something that friends do. Maybe he just accidentally started holding you in his sleep. Maybe Brit or Papyrus moved the two of you that way to tease you. He doesn't feel that way about you. You read everything wrong. There were no signs. He doesn't love you.
The pain that thought brings is palpable, like a hot stripe across her chest, burning, scalding. She tries not to think about it, busies herself with looking for jobs online. But that only brings her to wonder what's to happen with her future. A degree with no purpose. She'd never be able to be a teacher like she wanted now, she'd never be able to follow her dreams. Dreams are called dreams for a reason: they end once you wake up. A few days she spent alone in her apartment, not answering calls or texts and replying much later with a vague excuse.
She slept a lot. Hours upon hours she'd spend napping. Papyrus jokingly said that his brother's lazybones attitude was beginning to rub off on her. She'd laughed as she tried not to think about it too much.
But thinking was something your mind tended to do when you were alone, and she was alone a lot for that week, so thinking was a lot of what she did. Though she tried to keep them light, her thoughts almost always ended up growing heavy, dragging down into darker territory, and she wound up blasting music through her headphones at full volume to try and drown them out. Other times, she'd just sleep to avoid them.
She was in the middle of another nap when a loud knocking came from her front door, stirring her from her sleep. Slowly pushing herself up, she glanced toward the door from the sofa, wondering if she maybe imagined it. Just as she was about to lay back down, though, it happened again, and she slowly got to her feet. "I'm coming!" she called, raising a hand to cover a yawn while her other hand reached out for the doorknob, twisting it and pulling the door open. Papyrus was standing there for a second, then he was letting himself into her living room, pushing the door closed behind him.. "Oh, h-hey Pappy! Sorry, I was taking a nap." He frowned slightly at this, which surprised her, and he began to wring his hands.
"HUMAN, I...HAVE A REQUEST, IF I MAY BE SO BOLD AS TO ASK IT," he said, voice slightly uncertain, and Lena quickly nodded, leading him to sit on the couch. He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it, suddenly looking incredibly guilty. "I...WAS NOT HONEST WITH YOU. SANS HAS NOT BEEN WORKING. HE HAS BEEN IN HIS ROOM." As he spoke, he became more confident with his words, and he started to ramble. "HE DOES NOT HARDLY EAT, AND I SEE SO VERY LITTLE OF HIM. HE SLEEPS ALL THE TIME NOW- EVEN MORE THAN BEFORE! I DID NOT KNOW IT WAS POSSIBLE. AND..." He trailed off, and the amount of concern in his expression made Lena swallow hard. "HIS SOUL...It is...very dim. He is unhappy, and...I have tried to help, but there is so little I can do, it seems." She felt a little overwhelmed by the sheer amount of talking, and it took her a moment to fully comprehend what was being asked of her.
"...But... Pappy, if he doesn't want to see me, then how am I supposed to help..." He turned fully toward her, tone urgent.
"HE DOES WANT TO SEE YOU, HUMAN! HE IS...HE IS A BONEHEAD." Papyrus heaved a sigh and slumped over slightly, frowning. "WHEN WE WERE IN SNOWDIN, UNDERGROUND... HE WOULD OFTEN HIDE THINGS FOR THE SAKE OF 'PROTECTING ME'. IF HE WAS HURTING, HE WOULD NOT COME TO ME BECAUSE IT WAS 'BETTER FOR ME'. HE IS A NUMBSKULL WHO THINKS THAT HE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR EVERYTHING, ALWAYS!" His tone got slightly heated toward the end, and he seemed surprised by it himself, immediately sitting up straighter and looking over at her apologetically. "SO, IF YOU WOULD NOT MIND... I WISH FOR YOU TO TALK TO HIM."
"B-but what about...? I..." Oh. "Does...does he blame himself for what happened...?" she asked, and though Papyrus didn't answer, the way he tensed told her all she needed to know. Frowning, she got to her feet and headed toward the front door, not even bothering to grab her coat or shoes as she jerked it open. "I'll do my best, okay?" She sent him a flash of a smile before she closed her front door behind her. The cold crispness of the late winter air cooled her face and cleared her mind.
She was filled with determination.
Sans needed to eat something. His mind was swimming uneasily as he stared up at his ceiling- the same one he'd stared at for the larger part of the week. It wasn't fatal, just weakening, his body being devoid of the usual overflow of magical energy that it typically had. His senses all felt foggy, particularly his spiritual sense. The usual onslaught of soul auras and energies was nearly vanished, making him wonder briefly if he was now suddenly the only living thing around for miles. A stupid question, really, and he knew that.
He vaguely heard the door open and grunted as he rolled to his feet, pushing himself up and shuffling his slipper-clad feet toward the door. "Hey bro," he muttered, reaching out and twisting the doorknob for once instead of using magic. "Good timin'. I'm starved... Up for some leftov...ers..." The last word died in his metaphorical throat, eyesockets widening as someone who was most certainly not his brother was standing in front of their now closed front door. It was Lena, her hair mussed and hanging loose around her shoulders, green eyes bright despite the small dark circles under her eyes. His first instinct was to run away, but her voice cut through the silence, startling him despite how gentle it was.
"Wait, please. I just- I...I'm sorry if I've upset you..." She sounds so sincere, and it's so ridiculous that Sans almost wants to laugh. That she, of all people, is apologizing to him. "You've been avoiding me, and it..really hurts." His face falls into one of surprise and she presses onward, stepping closer to him, and he reflexively takes a step back. It's odd, having his body and soul being so completely at ends with one another. She remains silent for a while, and he realizes it's because she's expecting him to speak. So, giving an exaggerated, lazy shrug of his shoulders, he makes a small noncommittal grunt and tears his eyes away from her. "...Have I...done something wrong?" she asks, and her voice is suddenly so small and sad that his soul lurched in his chest.
"No, you didn't... Look, yer a human. We're monsters. Just not meant to be-"
"I know you're only saying that because of what happened... You never had a problem hanging out with me before then. It wasn't your fault..." He sighed and raised a hand to scratch at the back of his skull, eyelights flickering up to meet her face. "That sort of thing...i-it just happens. I would never let what some assholes think get in the way between me and the people I love. ...And the person I love." Her bottom lip was being tugged between her teeth gently, face flushing a faint pink, and oh, his soul did a funny little flip in his chest. 'No,' he thought, 'No no no, no way... I fell asleep and smoked too many dog treats.'
"Y' don't know what you're talkin' about... Heh, joke's not funny, kiddo." She flinched slightly, an expression of hurt flashing across her face, and he felt his soul cry out. Why was he pushing her away again? 'She'll be safer if she doesn't associate with me...' She looked torn between saying something and remaining silent, and just as he was about to say something else, she smiled. Her lips pulled back into a smile, and her soul's aura dimmed, and the contrast of those two things made him want to reach out and grab her, to hold her.
"I'm sorry, but...I wasn't joking...but I understand." He sucked in a sharp breath as tears began to trail slowly down her freckled cheeks, and she seemed surprised by their presence, quickly raising her hands to wipe them away. "Ah, I'm...s-sorry, I don't..." Her smile widened even though her brows furrowed, and she took a step backward, toward the door, and it took all Sans had in him not to follow her. "I better get back...sorry to bother you." She stepped out and the door closed, and Sans hissed, hands raising to grip at his skull.
"Dammit." He was an idiot. For all of his scientific knowledge and background, he truly was an idiot. "...And the person I love." He couldn't let himself believe it. It would only make protecting her that much harder. His soul cried out in agony as he felt her walking further and further away toward her own apartment, its light feeling dimmer and dimmer with each step she took.
Papyrus was no fool. Sure, he was innocent in some ways, and naive at times, but he wasn't blind, nor was he stupid. He knew that his brother tried to keep secrets from him, to 'protect him', but Papyrus loved his brother very dearly, and there was no one who knew Sans better. He could tell when he was hurting, and lonely, and afraid. He noticed how little Sans ate at times, and how he would come home from Grillby's drunk some nights. He noticed that Sans waited, intentionally, until Papyrus had gone to bed before getting up to eat, because Sans knew that he would notice. He took all of the lies and pretended not to know any better, because that was how Sans coped best until this point. He would go until he couldn't go anymore, and then he would cave and come to Papyrus for help, for comfort.
Except this time, things were far different.
He had noticed them, out on the balcony that night which felt like so long ago. He'd seen how his brother's eyes had shone with such pure adoration and longing as he stared so lovingly at the human's soul. Papyrus couldn't blame him; it truly was a beautiful soul. What he hadn't expected was the touch, the emotions that flickered across his brother's expression, the way Sans' soul had shone so brightly. His brother was in love, and Papyrus couldn't be happier.
What upset him, though, was the way that Sans went ahead and did something so intimate, and was now pushing the human away. It was hardly fair, Papyrus decided, to either of them, and he had an unusual amount of determination to get the two of them to realize their feelings for one another. And they had, finally, but he still had a nagging worry in the back of his mind that somehow, because of his brother's stubbornness, it would be all for naught.
That worry was confirmed when Lena reentered her apartment, teary eyed and smiling, and Papyrus felt his soul twist beneath his ribs at the heartbroken expression on her face. "I told him," she said simply, and he was quickly to stride forward, wrapping his arms around her just as she reached out for him, pressing her forehead against his sternum and trembling. A sigh escaped him as he raised a hand to gently pet her hair, trying to soothe her. Of course, leave it to Sans to be difficult in the process of 'doing what was best' for someone.
"He is the biggest bonehead..." he mumbled, and she gave a watery laugh, nodding against him slightly before pulling away. "Perhaps we should have another movie night! Human Frisk has been very eager to spend time with you, as have I, the Great Papyrus!" He tilted her chin up to gently wipe a glove-covered thumb beneath her eyelids, wiping away her tears and giving her a reassuring smile. "Do not give up hope, human!" He leaned forward and gently pressed his teeth to the top of her head in a pseudo-kiss, making an obnoxiously loud "MWAH" sound as he pulled away. Lena giggled, unable to help but smile. Papyrus truly was the best of friends. "WE SHALL COME OVER THIS WEEKEND! PREPARE FOR AN AMAZING MOVIE NIGHT EXPERIENCE UNLIKE ANY YOU HAVE SEEN BEFORE! MY BROTHER, FRISK, AND I SHALL BE HERE BY SIX!" With that he released his hold on her and strode out the door, feeling determination burning within his soul.
He believed in them, and there wasn't any way he was giving up just yet.