"Okay, okay, you can do this! You can do this. You can do this..." Green eyes stared into their reflection in the mirror, framed by freckled cheeks and untamed red hair, and Lena sighed as she felt her confidence wilting. 'I've never taught before, not officially, anyway. What if I mess up? What if my students hate me?' She reached up and smacked her cheeks gently, the faint sting just enough to pull her from her concerned thoughts. It was the first day of her being an official teacher at the School of Taobh, and she was a bundle of nervousness. She'd had a difficult time sleeping the night before and, despite all the 'sound of rain' youtube videos and warm milk and Nyquil, she'd woken up extra early and extra tired. She'd already agonized over what to wear, worried that a sweater and jeans were too casual, even though Toriel had already assured her that what she normally wore was just fine. Despite the queen's reassuring words, she still wound up going through her entire closet, her bed now covered with blouses and sweaters still on hangers. She flipped off her private bathroom's light with a huff and stepped carefully around the various pairs of pants left in heaps on the floor, the end result of her trying on and shimmying out of them in a vain attempt of trying to find ones that fit. Many of them were starting to get a little too tight, and she lamented the fact that soon enough she'd have to go clothes shopping. A voice in the back of her mind warned her to not say anything about the trip because, surely, Undyne would catch wind of it, and then she'd have hell to pay, even though the intentions behind that hell were good.

"Heya, mornin' ba-" The lazily drawling voice startled her so badly that she whirled around to face the doorway, hand clutching at her chest as if that alone could stop the rocketing heartrate. Sans' eyesockets widened a bit and he chuckled. "Woah there, sorry. Didn't mean to scare ya outta yer skin..." The faintly annoyed expression she shot him only made his grin widen, and he rolled his shoulders in a lazy shrug. "You're awfully jumpy this mornin'. Got somethin' on yer mind?"

"No. I...I'm a little nervous, that's all," she murmured softly, and he gave a small grunt, stepping forward and sliding an arm around her waist easily.

"Hey, you're gonna do great. It's a job your soul's suited for," he reassured, his soul buzzing happily in his chest at the little smile she gave him. "Workin' yourself up won't do you any good." She nodded, knowing he was right, and he took the opportunity of her head being so slightly lowered to give her a toothy peck on the cheek, delighting in the way her skin flushed a faint red. "Now c'mon, we're goin' to Tori's for breakfast. Last little celebratory deal before you all head off." He removed his arm slowly and instead snagged one of her hands in his, leading her out of her room and into the living room.

"GOOD MORNING, HUMAN! WE WERE BEGINNING TO WORRY THAT YOU WERE NOT EVER GOING TO BE READY." Papyrus was standing there by the front door, all smiles as usual, but seeing the human, he paused. Then, wordlessly, he crossed the living room in a few long strides and leaned down to wrap his arms around her shoulders, the faintest wisps of orange light glowing around his open eyesockets. "There is no need to be anxious, human. Her Majesty would not have chosen you for such a task if she did not know that you were overly qualified for it." After a few seconds of recovery from the unexpectedly soft tone to the larger skeleton's voice, she nodded, smiling brightly.

"Thanks, Pappy. I'll do my best!" He leaned forward and bonked his teeth against her forehead, making an obnoxiously loud "MWAH" sound as he pulled away, and Lena was certain she imagined the tightened grip around her hand.

"I KNOW THAT YOU WILL!" he said encouragingly, and she felt her heart swell in her chest at the sentiment. Papyrus was the type of person to believe in the best of everyone, but still, having him say that he believes in her was incredibly touching. She was about to open her mouth and say as much, but she suddenly found herself being pulled by the hand out the front door. "SANS, WHY ARE YOU IN SUCH A HURRY?" The human frowned a bit and had to walk just a little bit faster in order to keep up, but when she caught a glance at the small scowl pulling at the corners of his mouth, she dug her heels in and forced them to stop.

"H-hey, um, Papyrus? Do you think you could go ahead?" she asked hesitantly as the large skeleton caught up with them. Frowning slightly, he raised a browbone in question, to which she sent him a reassuring look. "I just need to talk to Sans about something."

"OH. I SEE. WELL, I SHALL BE UP AHEAD! ... DO NOT TAKE TOO LONG. WINK." He made an exaggerated motion of winking and even, bless his soul, said it out loud. Lena tried not to laugh as she waved him off. Once he was out of sight, she turned to Sans, who had taken to kicking at the ground with his slippers. His hand hadn't removed itself from hers.

"Is everything okay..? You're acting kinda weird," she asked carefully, giving his bony hand a small squeeze. After a bit of gentle coaxing, he looked at her, his eyelights dim and his browbones furrowed.

"It's stupid..." A blue flush rose to his cheekbones and he glanced away from her again, embarrassment making it difficult to hold her gaze. "Don't really care much for other people makin' yer soul look like that."

"My soul? ...Look like what? Did I do somethi-"

"No, you didn't...do anything. Nobody did. Just... 's stupid. Let's just drop it," he grumbled, and, though she wanted to press on, fell quiet and mumbled a small 'okay'. Her expression must have betrayed her concern because, with a loud sigh, Sans reached up to cup her cheek with his free hand, thumb gently brushing over the freckles there. "I just like bein' the one that makes your soul glow like that..."

Oh.

...Oh!

"Sans...are you jealous?" she asked incredulously. He didn't respond, but the way he jerked his hand away from her cheek and shoved it into his pocket was answer enough. She couldn't help herself. The idea was just so absurd that she started laughing Next to her, she could hear him growling under his breath, muttering how it wasn't funny, but it only made her laugh even harder. After a few moments, when she was able to get her laughter under control, she raised her free hand to brush away the tears of mirth that had gathered at the corners of her eyes.

"...Ya done?" he asked grumpily, and she might've thought he was mad if it weren't for the small smile he shot her when he squeezed her hand. She nodded and, after a brief pause for thought, leaned to give him a kiss right between his eyesockets, humming softly.

"You don't need to worry, Sans. My soul belongs to you," she said, giving him a warm smile. "We'd better hurry if we want breakfast!" His skull was a wash of blue, and she simply rolled her eyes and pulled him to Toriel's apartment.

"Good morning, my friends! It is so wonderful that you all could make it!" Toriel was all smiles and so obviously overjoyed and, truthfully, it was infectious. Even if she wasn't already over the moon about her new job, simply being in the queen's company would have made her feel such. Of that, she was certain, not to mention Papyrus' usual enthusiasm. Frisk bounded from the breakfast table over to the door the instant they were in the door, throwing their arms around Lena's waist in a hug.

"Hey, kiddo! Are you excited for your first day of school?" Such a typical question, and it technically wasn't their first day of school- just at this new school- but none of that mattered with the way the child practically glowed with happiness, nodding eagerly. "Me, too. You've still got my back, right?" Frisk nodded and gave her a salute, to which she giggled and pat them on the head.

As they all sat down to breakfast, the room was filled with a bright cheerfulness, and even though Sans was making far fewer puns and jokes than usual, everyone was busy talking so excitedly that it wasn't noticed too much. They all feasted on quiche and pancakes and cinnamon bunnies, and the magic that Toriel used to cook the food fortified their souls, leaving Lena feeling much better about her concerns about the day. When she offered to help with the dishes she was shooed out of the kitchen, two brown paper bags being shoved into her hands.

"You must hurry, my dear, lest you be late for your first day!" the goat monster chided gently, and the human gave a quick nod, glancing at the clock. It was still early, but she was right. If she didn't hurry, then she really would be late, and she couldn't let that happen! She headed toward the door, brown bags in hand, and pulled it open.

"C'mon, Frisk! On to our first day!" The eagerness of the child's nod made the butterflies in her stomach dance happily, and a wide, bright smile spread across her lips. "We'll see you guys later!" Frisk slung their backpack across their shoulder and ran out with a wave, practically tugging Lena out after them. She sent Sans a little wave and smile, and then they were out the door. They climbed into her SUV and started toward the school, her heart and soul alight with hope.

Never in his life had five words shaken him so soundly. From the crest of his skull to the bottoms of his slipper-covered feet, he felt terribly unsettled, his magic a noisy buzz within the marrow of his bones, as if they were suddenly filled with a thousand angry hornets. It was a feeling that he wasn't quite so familiar with, but the lack of control over his magic was making it difficult for him to keep his usual calm and laid-back facade firmly in place.

But what the hell else was to be expected of him when his girlfriend just said her soul was his?

"My soul belongs to you." That was what she said, and fuck, if it didn't shake him down to his very core, he didn't know what else would. 'She didn't know what she was sayin',' he told himself firmly, reminding himself that humans often said something along those lines. 'My heart is yours' was a common thing for people in a relationship to say. ...Still, that did very little to calm the frantic fluttering of his soul. The warm bursts of magic fighting against his ribs was uncomfortable, and his mind kept finding its way back to her, distracting him. He wasn't able to focus on eating at all, the actions mechanic. If you'd asked him what he had for breakfast, he couldn't tell you, so lost in his thoughts that he didn't even know.

He went to his shift at the nice cream parlor, but everything was a blur. Between customers and bratty, screaming children and dozens of scoops of ice cream, he was barely present. His mind was elsewhere, and, by the end of his shift, he was so eager to get out of there that he cut a doorway right under his feet, in front of all the customers. He plummeted through the Void and landed neatly on the couch back in Lena's- in their apartment, his eyesockets staring, unblinking, straight ahead of him.

'She and Alphys did talk about it... Does she... Could she have been saying...?' Surely he was over-thinking this, right? There was no way that what he was thinking was really what she'd meant. It was just a simple phrase. A poor choice of words, but a figure of speech, nonetheless. There was no way she would want to actually do something like that with him...to bond with him. Even thinking the word made his magic surge, a blush erupting over his face as his hand flew up to cover it, despite being home alone. Papyrus was gone at work. Mondays were his short days, where he only worked one job. Usually, he'd spend the time with Lena as soon as he got home from work, but now she had a job, too.

"What is wrong with me?" he groaned to the empty room, leaning his skull back against the back of the couch and closing his eyesockets. He was getting ahead of himself. He knew that. Still, he couldn't help the little bits of hope that struggled to bloom within his soul. The hope scared him, but it felt oddly comforting, after feeling so hopeless for so long. 'Should I talk to her about it...?' He shook the thought off, shaking his skull to try and rid it of the idea. If he could hardly stand still with her saying what she did, how would he manage to get through asking her if she wanted to be his...?

He couldn't.

Sighing, Sans reached for the remote and turned on the tv, immediately flicking through channels. It was less an action of looking for something to watch and more of just being something to do, to expend a little of his anxious energy.

A news channel flicked by and, curiously, he turned back to it.

'-at roughly five o'clock this morning, a local human was found dead in an alley on the west end of Tristin. Known as a more infamous part of town for crime circles, police are now investigating the murder. There has been no confirmation, but it seems as though the cause of death is by immolation. Experts believe that the fire used was actually magical in nature, but we won't know for certain until the autopsy is completed.'

A faint sense of unease nipped at Sans' mind but, as the news anchor moved on to the recent sports report, he changed the channel. As disconcerting as it was, he had bigger things to think about...

Like what to do with this sudden surge of longing deep within his soul.

There was something incredibly heart-warming about being able to walk Frisk to their class, hand-in-hand. The child was a close friend now, but something about it made her think to her friend, and the possibility of having a child of her own some day. She'd never admit to feeling envious of the queen, but she was. The relationship she shared with Frisk was one that she'd never experienced herself as a child, and one that she felt a longing for, deep in her soul, to experience as a mom. 'That won't happen for a long time...' So she was happy having the chance to get what she could for the time being.

As they approached the door that was to Frisk's classroom, she took just a moment to fully realize that this wasn't just theirs, but hers now, too. Her dream of being a teacher was finally being realized and, even though she was standing right outside her very own classroom, she was still having a little difficulty believing that it was really true. Surely she would wake up and all of this was just a magnificent dream...right?

The small tug on her arm pulled her attention from her thoughts and down to the child who was still clutched tightly at her hand, a small questioning frown on their lips. She smiled and raised her free hand to pat them on the head, then pulled the door in front of them open. The chatter of children could be heard faintly from outside but, with the door now open, she could hear it more properly. Frisk immediately broke away from her and ran into the room, tackling a small yellow dinosaur-looking monster in a striped sweater. They looked familiar...

"Hi Monster Kid!" Ahh, Lena could remember the armless monster child now!

"Yo, Frisk! You're in my class, huh? That's AWESOME!" Frisk nodded eagerly and immediately slid into the empty desk next to Monster Kid's. Taking in a slow breath to steady her nerves, she stepped into the room and closed the door behind her, the soft click resonating loudly enough to draw the attention of her students.

"Good morning!" she said cheerfully, giving the children a small, if only a little nervous, smile. "My name's Miss O'Brennike, but you all can just call me Lena! Today's my first day teaching, so try to go easy on me." Her little joke made a few of the students giggle, and her smile widened. "Now I know the roll-call sheet has your names, but I'd like for you all to introduce yourselves. We can each take turns saying our names and a little something about ourselves! I'll start." She moved to stand behind her desk, hands clasped behind her. "My name is Lena, and I love cinnamon bunnies!" A small rabbit monster near the front perked up at that, a smile gracing their small, shy-looking face.

"Psh, we can see that," a voice came from the back of the room, and Lena managed to conceal the sting she felt from it easily.

"Alright! Who would like to go next?" Frisk's hand shot up and they walked to the whiteboard, grabbing a bright red dry erase marker and writing in big, neat letters.

"I'm Frisk and my favorite flavor Nice Cream is strawberry." Lena giggled as the child capped the marker and gave a small bow before returning to their seat. Monster Kid stood up next, nearly falling out of his chair in his enthusiasm, but he quickly righted himself and faced the class with a wide grin.

"Yo! I'm Monster Kid but, uh, you can just call me MK. Someday, I wanna grow up and be a cool guy like Papyrus!" His eagerness was astounding, and a few students laughed and teased as he quickly sat down, though he seemed unaffected by it. Lena reminded herself to tell the tall skeleton about that when they got home. He was sure to be pleased.

Each of the students went, one by one, and Lena found herself smiling sincerely at them. Some seemed a bit uneasy with speaking in front of a group, a few were shy about speaking to her, but all of them gave it a chance, and for that she was grateful. One student, however, hadn't stood, and after a few moments of silence, the other students began glancing back towards him. He was sitting with his legs stretched out under his desk, chair leaned back precariously, staring out the window pointedly ignoring her. Lena cleared her throat gently to try and get his attention and, when that didn't work, glanced down at the sheet of names on her desk.

"Ven?" His long, pointed ears perked slightly at that, and she at least knew she got the right name. "Would you like to introduce yourself?" The child scowled, his yellow eyes narrowing as he sent a glare her way.

"Not to you," he barked, and a few of the other children began whispering to themselves. Frisk stood and signed something at him quickly, their hands practically a blur. Monster Kid was quick to hop up onto his chair and frown back at the older child.

"Yeah, that's right, yo! That's not cool!" Sneering, the child (who resembled a bat somewhat, if Lena actually thought about it) stomped his yellow boots loudly against the linoleum.

"It's bad enough having more of them coming to our school now!" he growled, and a couple students closest to him began edging away fearfully. Monster Kid's frown deepened, mouth parting and showing the faintest hint of his sharp teeth. "Filthy humans."

The armless little dinosaur-child suddenly barreled at the back of the classroom at an amazing speed, sending his head straight into Ven's stomach. The wind knocked out of him, he toppled back out of his chair and hit the floor with a loud clatter. Lena felt her chest tighten as panic began to set in. This wasn't at all how she was hoping for her first day to go.

"P-please, no fighting!" she cried, but her words were lost as the rest of her students began shouting over one another, cheering for the two participants in the sudden brawl. Frisk jumped out of their seat and weaved between the desks to the back of the classroom, jumping between the two monsters and holding them apart.

"No fighting!" they pleaded, hand movements deliberate despite how rushed they were, and Ven barked a hollow laugh.

"I figured you'd jump to defend her. Humans are all the same!" Frisk's back was turned to her, but if the way the older child tensed was anything to go by, their expression was not a happy one. "Why do we have to have some dirty human as our teacher anyway?!"

"That's enough!" Finally raising her voice, the room quieted and all eyes flew to the front of the room, where Lena stood, hands balled into fists at her sides. Ven's bright yellow eyes flickered down to her hands, eyes widening for a brief moment before they narrowed again into dangerous slits. She stepped around her desk and walked between the rows of seats toward the back, the group of children parting to let her pass. Monster Kid looked up at her apologetically, his tail curled between his legs, much like a puppy that's been scolded. "The first rule of my classroom is that there will be no fighting," she said firmly, her voice conveying an amount of confidence and control that she wasn't exactly feeling. She could hear MK muttering an apology, ducking their head slightly, but Ven simply glared at her, his ears lowering as he bared his fangs.

"I don't have to listen to you! I'm not afraid of you!" he shouted, a faint lilac glow beginning to emanate around his head. The air crackled weakly with energy and the room was filled with a few sharp gasps. Using magic against one-another was forbidden.

"And I'm not afraid of you," she said gently, despite the fact that her heart was ramming uncomfortably against her ribcage. She stepped closer to him, and he immediately shrank back a bit, continuing to shout insults at her. This continued until he felt his back press against the wall, and his eyes widened.

"I could hurt you! I could kill you!" he yelled, and despite his words, his voice trembled. She took another step closer and a look of fear flashed over his expression.

"You need to go to the principal's office." She frowned down at him, waiting for him to move, but he didn't. After a few tense moments, she reached a hand out, palm up, "Do you want me to take you-" The movement was faster than her eye could register, but he reached out and slapped her hand away, claws digging into her skin. A sharp pain blossomed across the back of her extended hand and she recoiled, pulling it back to cradle against her chest. Ven was trembling visibly now, his eyes wide and glassy with fear. For someone who spoke out so much, he really was just a terrified little boy, wasn't he?

"What is going on?!" Lena whirled around to see a fellow teacher at the door, a large bear monster wearing a snowflake print sweater. She quickly hid her hand behind her back, using her uninjured one to gesture to the two boys.

"Monster Kid and Ven had a little bit of a spat. I was just about to ask them to go see the principal." The bear, Ersa, if she remembered correctly, frowned at the children and gestured with a large, furry paw.

"Come along, then, boys. I expected better of you..." Seemingly broken from whatever trance he was in, Ven quickly shoved his way past Frisk and a few other children, rushing out into the hallway as Monster Kid trailed woefully behind. Once the two of them were gone Frisk tugged on the human woman's hand, frowning in concern. Shaken, Lena glanced around the room. 'These children need me to lead them...' Giving their hand a small squeeze, she summoned up a smile and pat them on the head.

"Alright, well, let's go ahead and get down to work!"

The rest of the day was a breeze, in comparison. She wasn't really exactly sure what she was supposed to do after the falling out between two of her students, but moving on to talk about human history was the quickest way to get things back on track. Even though it had been some time since the monsters had surfaced, there were few who had strayed far beyond the area surrounding Mt. Ebott. Bringing up the world map and comparing it to the size of the approximate size of the Underground, Lena led into a passionate discussion about the world.

"S-so the world is r-r-really that big...?" the small, shy little rabbit monster squeaked from the front, and Lena nodded, smiling brightly.

"It really is. I haven't even seen too much of the world. Aside from a few short trips to my family's home country, I've mostly lived here." A few monsters thrust their hands up into the air eagerly, though a few talked without being called on.

"What's your home country?"

"How big is your family?"

"Why'd you decide to live here?"

Chuckling, she held her hands up in front of her, "One at a time, please!" When the room fell quieter again, she gave a thoughtful hum. "My family's home country is here," she paused, tapping at the map, "in a country called Ireland. The language they speak there is Irish, and it's much different than the English we're speaking now." This brought on a new onslaught of questions, but she shushed them gently, moving onto the next topic. "My family is...rather large. I'm the youngest of ten siblings- three older sister, and six older brothers! My mom and dad have a lot of siblings, too, so that means I have a lot of cousins..." Shrugging her shoulders, she turned back to the map when a small...bird-type monster?...jumped up.

"Hey, you didn't answer my question!"

"Oh, I'm sorry! Ask me again," she said gently, giggling at the pouting expression on the child's face. (How they could manage that with a beak, she had no idea.)

"Why did you decide to live here?" they asked with more emphasis, clearly frustrated at having to repeat themselves, and she opened her mouth to answer...but was interrupted by a flurry of hands.

"So they could date my uncle Sans!" The room erupted into giggles and 'oooh's and Lena felt her cheeks burn faintly in embarrassment.

"Actually," she cut in, "I used to live with my best friend and her family in Tristin but, after getting to know Frisk and his friends and family, I decided to move to Taobh." The bird-like monster child seemed satisfied by this, and a quiet chatter fell over the classroom.

"How come you don't live with your family?" a little spider monster asked suddenly, and Lena felt a stab of an unwelcome feeling cut through her as the eyes of her students turned to her once again.

"Well... Humans, once they get old enough, move out of their parents homes to live on their own. Though most of my siblings do still live with our parents, we have a...difference of opinions that just made living on my own much easier." She could already see the questions beginning to arise and she turned around to face the whiteboard. "Now, I'd like for you all to take the print outs of the world map that I handed out and write about a place you'd like to visit. Do some research and tell me about the things you'd like to see and do while you're there." A couple groans chorused from them and she turned, hands on her hips. "Hey, now, this'll be a fun way to slowly start expanding your world! In fact, I'll do it, too!"

The shrill sound of a bell cut off anything else she had to say and the children all quickly hopped up from their seats and fled out the door. The lunch bell would not be denied. She gave a small sigh and smiled out at the messy desks, only taking the time now that she was alone to glance down at her throbbing hand. There were four shallow cuts along the back that, amazingly enough, didn't bleed much. It was already dried and beginning to try and heal over. 'I suppose it's my own fault for getting too close...' She sighed and picked up her brown sack lunch set on the edge of her desk.

"Lena" it said written neatly across the front in beautiful handwriting, and the little heart next to it had been colored in green marker (by Frisk, she had no doubt). It brought a bright smile to her face and she couldn't be too upset about the day's events.

The faculty room was sure to be full of teachers grading papers or enjoying their own lunches together, and while she had every right to join them, a part of her felt...well, too nervous. So she found herself walking outside to the playground, where a few groups of children were sitting on the concrete eating. She picked a bench up against the side of the building and sat down, letting her eyes linger just for a few moments on the children at play. She was surprised to see Ven out there along with them, since he hadn't returned to class. 'Not like he'd want to with me there...'

"I didn't expect to see you here." She looked up- way up- and saw a familiar face, smiling and giving a small wave.

"Hey, Kupanda! I didn't know you...erm, worked here?" she half stated half asked, and he shook his head slightly.

"I got called because my friend was causing some trouble," the tall monster said, staring out at the groups of children with a small, thoughtful frown. Her eyes followed his and, raising a brow faintly, mumbled something the monster didn't quite hear. "Sorry? Way up here, hard to hear things sometimes..." He chuckled and moved to sit on the ground next to the bench. She quickly tried to scoot over so he could sit as well but he waved her off.

"S-sorry... Are you talking about Ven, by chance?" He nodded and, after a moment, sighed softly.

"I want to apologize on his behalf. He...is a difficult child. And his feelings about humans are not quite as friendly as most."

"Yeah, I figured that out..." she mumbled, idly rubbing at her injured hand, and Kupanda's amber eyes narrowed as he moved to grab her hand gently.

"Did he...?"

"I-it's alright, really! I got too close, and-" He sighed, laying his far larger hand across the back of her own. A strange, faint green glow began to emanate from his palm, and a tingling buzz of magic warmed the skin on the back of her hand. He glanced up at her when her hand gave the slightest twitch, expecting a fearful glance, but instead found her eyes focusing on his magic with a curious expression. Smiling slightly to himself, he allowed the magic to fade and withdrew his hand, watching as she ran her fingertips over the now mostly-healed marks along her skin. They'd faded to simple green-tinged scars and, when she looked up at him questioningly, he chuckled.

"It'll just be like that for the next few days, until it heals...though, it may be sooner. From what I can tell, your soul is particularly...receptive...to green magic." They sat in a small comfortable silence after that, Lena eating her lunch and the monster beside her looking out at Ven playing with a group of children. He teased them and yelled out what sounded like pretty obvious bluffs but was, from what they could tell, harmless otherwise. 'I'd say all bark and no bite, but...' She glanced at her hand and figured that wouldn't be quite accurate. "He feels bad about that, you know," he said suddenly, surprising her. "He might not act like it, and he'd never say it, but he does. He's not a bad kid, just..."

"I know," she agreed, and the relieved smile Kupanda sent her made her wonder how many people he tried explaining this very thing to...people who perhaps didn't take it so well. "I don't think he's a bad kid. Rough around the edges, maybe...but I'll prove him wrong. I'll show him that not all humans are bad."

From the determined glint in the human's green eyes, he had no doubt that somehow, someway, she'd succeed.

Ven was incredibly quiet for the rest of the day and, aside from barking a few harsh comments at a couple classmates who started talking about his 'guardian', all was well. By the time the final bell rang and the children began filing out of the classroom, bags in tow, Lena was more than ready to go home. As she gathered her papers and role-call sheet in her bag, she was nearly bowled over by Frisk and Monster Kid rushing up to her desk. "Woah, what's the rush?"

"Monster Kid is coming home with us today!" Frisk signed excitedly, the monster next to them nodding with vigor. Smiling, she slung her bag over her shoulder and started walking toward the door, motioning for them to follow her.

"Is that so? You live close by anyway, right, MK?" she asked curiously, and the little monster nodded again.

"Yeah! It's super awesome living so close to my best human friend!" She couldn't help but chuckle as there seemed to be literal stars in the monster's large, red eyes.

"Well... I don't usually do this, but how about we stop and get some nice cream on the way home? My treat?" The children brightened so much that she jokingly thought she'd need sunglasses, and Frisk's hands went crazy thanking her while Monster Kid started whooping and hollering down the hallway. This...this part of her day she could easily look forward to, regardless of however many hiccups happened. It made a small place inside her heart (and, she figured, her soul) feel warm and bright and content.

They all piled into her SUV and, after a quick stop by the Nice Cream Parlor, she was pulling into the parking lot in front of her apartment building. She turned around in her seat to see Frisk happily eating their ice cream, held in one hand, while they held Monster Kid's chocolate cone for him in the other. It was just another sight that brought a warm tenderness to her heart, made her wonder why on earth anyone could hate them when they were so innocent.

"Alright, kiddos," she said as she unbuckled herself, opening her door and stepping out, "I'll walk you home, since I don't want you-"

"-walking alone?" The gentle voice came as a slight surprise, but Lena smiled up at the kind monster. Toriel eyed the ice cream with only a slight narrowing of her eyes, then burst into delighted giggles. "Well I hope that you have saved room for butterscotch-cinnamon pie, my child, because there is some waiting at home for us!" Frisk nodded eagerly, moving their hands to sign only to realize they were full. Their big brown eyes shone and Lena could see the queen's heart practically melt at the look alone.

The day passed by at a snail's pace which, usually, he was thankful for. A slow-passing day meant more time to nap, more time to lay about and do nothing...but all it did today was make him anxious, nervous. His thoughts were still very much centered on that morning and, though he tried to reason with himself and snap himself out of it, it did little good. Instead of trying to reason with himself, he was trying to talk himself out of the very idea even existing.

'No way she'd wanna bond with a monster like me... Even if I am a boss monster. Low HP, my LV and EXP...' He shuddered and, all too suddenly, he was grateful that she was unable to read those things like he could. As much as down-talking himself seemed to work...for a little while...he couldn't help but think about the reason why he'd want to. And, no matter how he phrased it to himself, it seemed like a stupid question.

Why wouldn't he want to bond with her? Her soul was the most beautiful he'd ever seen. It wasn't completely pure, by any means, but it was kind, warm, compassionate, giving, loving... Even with the little flecks of darkness here or there, all it did was make the brightness stand out. He would be a hypocrite to try and damn her for the dark flecks when his own soul had its share. But even his ugly, tattered, scarred soul was worthwhile to her. In her eyes, it was beautiful, and she'd even said so herself. She loved him. Of that fact he was grounded, certain. It was unshakable, and he'd be a damn fool to dare question it.

So what was he so afraid of?

Perhaps it had less to do with her and more to do with himself. It was the darker parts of his soul that he was most afraid of her seeing, of really seeing. Secrets that she would uncover and learn, the things she would see through his eyes in the form of old memories...he wasn't sure how she would react. He knew that she loved children, adored teaching, and the fact that he'd done what he did so many times in the past would, without a doubt, not sit well with her. Would it be enough for her to grow to resent him? Hate him? Leave him? The very idea chilled his soul.

The sounds of footsteps climbing the stairs outside caught his attention and he quickly squashed the fears down as best he could, quickly picking up the remote again to resume flipping through channels. The front door swung inward and in she walked, the very item of his affections, her soul fluttering brightly from within her and making him smile with a glance alone. "Heya babe. How'd it go?"

"It was...stressful. I was so nervous the whole time, but most of the kids really seem to like me!" She sounded so excited, and the way her face practically glowed with her smile made his soul do a funny little flop in his chest. She kicked off her shoes and set her bag down and immediately climbed onto the couch with him, and he lifted an arm so she could curl into his side. "Do you ever really pick anything, or do you just wait for Papyrus to choose?" Giving a small lazy shrug was his only form of a reply, and she snorted, reaching to take the remote from his hands. The feel of her warm fingers sliding over his bony ones was nice, and it soothed his soul just from that simple touch. He frowned, however, when he saw the back of her hand, and he quickly grasped her hand to hold it closer to his face, inspecting it.

"What's this...?" he asked quietly, eyelights flickering over to her to see that she was avoiding his gaze. "Babe?"

"It was no big deal, I just...got a little too close to one of the students-"

"Someone attacked you?" he interrupted, voice rising just a bit, and she flinched, the tiniest bit of movement.

"They didn't mean to... I-It was an accident..." she muttered weakly, and he growled low in his chest, startling her. "S-Sans-"

"Who?" It was less a question and more of a demand from his tone. She frowned up at him, moving to sit up and away from him.

"Sans, really, I'm fine. Kupanda healed me, and he said they didn't mean it." He grit his teeth in mild frustration as he realized who it was she'd been talking about. Ven. A troubled brat from the underground, liked to pick a lot of fights. "...h-he's a good kid," she said softly, and he snorted, eyelights flicking to the side in a show of rolling his eyes. "Sans." Her voice was firmer now and he gave a soft growl, almost quiet enough to be a sigh.

"Yeah, alright. I know who yer talkin' about and...I get it," he grumbled, his arms moving to wrap around her. He snagged the healed hand and brought it up to inspect it once more, giving the back of it a toothy kiss. "Jus' don't like thinkin' 'bout you gettin' hurt is all..." Her expression softened at that and he leaned down to nuzzle his nasal ridge against the side of her cheek. "...So he's gettin' moved to a different class, right?"

"No, Sans," she sighed, "he's still my student." He gave another low growl, moving down a bit to nuzzle at her neck, and he felt her stiffen slightly. Pulling away, he pressed his teeth to her cheek in a kiss, faintly noticing that she looked a bit redder than before. "Bonehead..." Her arms wrapped around him in return, and he felt himself relax. What could he say? It was hard to be mad with her around.

[[ Affectionate Sans is affectionate! Prepare yourselves, because this next chapter is gonna have EVEN MORE OF IT! MUAHAHAHAHAA~!
Also may begin the introduction of sexual themes in these next upcoming chapters. I'll start marking those chapters with an (*) after the chapter name so you all know to be wary. Just the natural progression of their relationship, guys, and you knew it was coming. It's been at the M rating for a while now. Anyway, hope you guys look forward to it and enjoy! (Working on writing it now. It's 4 AM. I haven't slept lmao kill me pls ]]