"Listen, kid. I know you didn't answer me before, but.."
Sans took a step forward. Ah, the same things. Same place, same words, same movements.. same failures that repeat over, and over, and over.
"..somewhere in there. I can feel it."
A part of Frisk started to come and take its turn. A part so little, you probably wouldn't even feel it yourself. But this little thing.. it's as strong as what you call the desire to ERASE; the desire to turn everything into dust.
..she wanted to reach out. She knew that Sans was suffering, and she most likely knew that, what she was doing was wrong.
"There's a glimmer of a good person inside of you."
Everything was so predictable, and yet.. there he was, still hoping he could stop the kid. Different spiels, different tricks – only those changed in each reset. Patterns broke, patterns stayed. It was all literal child's play that you couldn't beat in one try.
The knife dropped with a clatter from Frisk's hand. She broke down, and sobbed. "..I'm sorry."
Sans didn't react. An air of melancholy surrounded him, feeling nothing but sudden guilt. Frisk- no, Chara- she couldn't be trusted. He knew that she wouldn't let an opportunity like that pass up.
At that point, it was Frisk's turn. She decided to spare him.
..It was an act of MERCY, but even still..
[ Frisk, LV 1 ]
[ 2191453:19 ]
[ Snowdin – Town ]
[ ... ]
[ File loaded. ]
The sound of footsteps, slightly muffled by the snow.. it was becoming louder with each step.
"Wow. Look at yourself." Sans stopped in his tracks. "You look like you've been staying.. ice and warm."
Frisk flinched in surprise, and turned around. Sans stood calm. "A pattern broke.. he probably remembers."
Sans noticed her lack of reaction toward the joke. The way she looked at her, the way she was speechless. "Oh, uh. Is today a bad time?" The monster shoved his hands into his pockets and chuckled. Though he looks okay and all, he's actually really concerned and is screaming internally in shame.
"Oh, no. I was just about to go to Grillby's. Wanna come? My treat this time." Frisk shook her head and flashed a grin, acting as if nothing's wrong. Sans, in the other hand, is fully aware of the reset she made.
Mettaton just.. died in the last timeline. Frisk knew of how Sans would snap at certain times, but she never thought of him taking it too far, nor have even seen it herself. He killed Mettaton in front of his own brother, Dr. Alphys, and Frisk herself. He just slammed him across the room like it was no big deal.
Something was wrong, and Frisk knew that. So long as she's determined to handle everything right, she'll be able to do the impossible. Well, almost.
"OK, then, lead the way." Sans chuckled nervously. He took a deep breath, and shook his head as well. "I should really avoid raising another ruckus."
Frisk walked ahead as she crossed her arms across her chest. She shivered slightly in the cold. "Hey, Sans?"
No response.
"...Sans?" She repeated. Frisk turned around.. but he wasn't there.
"S-Sans?" She called out, looking for the skeleton. She stayed still and eyed the distance, in hopes of catching him while he runs away, if maybe he did so.
The snow fell lightly on the ground, fading away as it lands. Laughs and smiles were sure to be around every single day. The whole town's filled with glee.
Frisk let out a sigh, "Sans.. this isn't funny."
She then felt something soft and cozy being laid on her back. She kept quiet as she turned to face the opposite way. Sans was standing before her, with his hand reaching out to her. She grasped his hands, and smiled. "..Thank you, um.. should I pay you back or something?" She laughed lightly.
The monster chuckled and tousled Frisk's hair with his free hand. "Nah, don't sweat it, Frisk. You need that hoodie more than I do. B'sides.. nothing gets under my skin." The human stifled a weak laugh as she started to feel something strange growing within her – something so strange, yet so familiar.
"Uh, Frisk?" He leaned in, his hand still placed on her hair.
She snapped out of it, and glanced at Sans. "Let's go!"
The two arrived at Grillby's, and as usual.. everyone would get so excited when they see Sans enter the place. Everyone except Doggo, that is. He clarified that he liked to appear without moving. After many visits to the place, Grillby and the others had thought that Sans probably thinks of Frisk as MORE than just a friend to him, since he doesn't really bring anyone with him to eat in the diner before.
The queen- Toriel- called to notify the two about her having.. a "day off," and that she'll be visiting tomorrow. She decided that, "It would be best if the gathering is held at Frisk's house. We have not yet visited her, have we? Well, that is.. with the exception of Sans and the royal scientist."
"Oh man. Tori's gonna kill me if she hears about the rumors here." He sighed.
"You? More like she's gonna kill ME. I haven't even called her once she left the Ruins, and this is what she hears after so many years?" She stole a glance at Sans.
"Yeah, but you'll get outta that alive, so long as I'm with ya." He grinned.
Frisk smiled back, "Yeah, yeah, I get you. So what do you want to eat?"
"SPARERIBS." He winked.
"A double order of fries." She said. Grillby made a gesture as if to say, "Comin' right up!"
"Are my jokes that bad today?" Sans playfully punched Frisk's arm.
"Ah, well.. not that it's bad, I actually like that side of you." Frisk leaned in and rest her head on his shoulder. "BUT.. you've got to stop doing that sometimes, seriously." Frisk chuckled and kept her eye on Grillby. She wondered why his clothes haven't ever burned off. An abrupt feeling of weariness started to get the best of her.
Frisk had her eyes shut after having a few minutes pass. Sans noticed this, and recalled how she also wanted to sleep before the reset. He let out a deep sigh, "Glad we're not sticking around that annoying piece of metal this time."
"SANS. DID YOU KILL THE HUMAN?" Papyrus stared at his brother, who is carrying Frisk straight to his own room. "Nah, she's sleeping." Sans replied. If one can just look at him right now, they'd be able to tell that he's pretty used to doing this stuff. Not particularly something that's supposed to be surprising, of course, since the queen left Frisk in his care since years ago.
"WHY SHOULD SHE SLEEP IN YOUR ROOM?" He loudly asked, suspecting them.
A certain thing came rushing to Sans's mind after the question. "Dunno, go and ask a flower in Waterfall, I guess?" He replied without looking back, and shut the door close. His room is.. like another world, indeed. He sighed. "Better clean this up, eh?"
He carefully placed Frisk onto the bed as he looked around for any signs of danger. Despite the fact that they're in his own room, there are other things that could possibly happen, whether or not it's partially absurd. Apart from doing a reset, breaking the patterns in a timeline is just as risky.
Flowey remained patient as he gave the window a cold stare. There was an air of tranquility that continued to worry the golden flower. Though it was supposed to keep him calm, silence just didn't make it right. Sans insisted on taking care of Frisk for the rest of the day, though the flower wouldn't approve of it, so he forced him out of the house along with the human. In the end, he just regretted his decision.
Frisk had always been there beside him, laughing and smiling, like usual. She never spoke of his wrongdoings in the past, and even if that were to happen, she wouldn't act like it was all just something she chose to do to give him the "worthless pity" that he didn't need.
She's quite merciful for a human, one would say. She, along with Chara, hated humanity. The difference is, however.. is that she would never decide to destroy mankind for such little reason. That is, if you choose to put aside her previous acts of indifference toward everyone.. but that was a different case.
Without hearing at least one single word from Frisk for almost two days, the flower felt empty. This time, he really feels like there's nothing but just emptiness inside him, besides determination. There isn't hatred, there isn't adoration, there's simply nothing, to be precise. Almost as if he really IS nothing but a soulless, worthless living thing.
He sighed in complete despair, filled with impatience. "Smiley Trashbag's winning most of her time these days.. geez. No wonder she doesn't talk to me anymore."
He just kept staring, in hopes of catching sight of Frisk or "Smiley Trashbag" walking straight to the Blook Acres' way.
...
"..But nobody came."
Frisk gasped out of pain, and began coughing out blood. Bones impaled her chest, her throat.. a merciless feat done by someone who used to trust her. Her eyes were wide open, fully aware of what was happening. She suffered and remained breathless in no less than a minute. It was almost as if she was being choked, while her lungs were being crushed..
..as someone she used to call a friend watched her die in agony.
..It was an act of MERCY, but even still..
..he chose to refuse it.
"If we were really friends... you won't come back."
Frisk abruptly pushed herself up in a violent speed, "No, stop!"
Sans flinched at the sudden scream she made and turned around quickly, "Woah, what's bugging you?" He then lightly grasped her shoulders and let her lie on the bed again while being cautious.
Her chest was rapidly rising and dropping, her breathing short and quick. Sans ran his skeletal fingers through her hair, stroking it. "Hey, kid, everything's fine."
Frisk slowly sat up and calmed herself down. It wasn't long until she pulled Sans in for a hug. All he could do was to stay still and just simply be there by her side. He could feel her clutching his shirt tightly. "Frisk. I told you, as long as I'm here, you're safe."
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.." She panted, as she realized that no matter the odds, the guilt she created herself would still be able to live inside her as long as she chooses to sweep it under the rug.
"..Kid. Y'know, that flower of yours in your house.." Sans sighed, "..didja water it properly? It didn't seem like it had any manners."
Frisk stole a glance at Sans as she muttered, "Flowey.."
Sans looked down and continued to stroke her hair. "So?"
She gave a him a light push, knowing that nobody could've ever known about her keeping the soulless flower inside her home. Sans, and especially Dr. Alphys, have earned themselves a bad impression of Flowey. The human remained silent for a moment or two, until she let out a few words. "...My house."
"Yeah?" He directed his gaze toward Frisk's eyes.
"..What are you doing in my house?" She furrowed her brows, her cheeks flushed slightly.
Sans curbed his laughs, aware that now is a partly serious moment. "Kiddo, you're in MY house. Your precious 'Flowey' kicked me out, so I brought ya here."
She averted her gaze and let out a sigh. "..He probably hates me now."
"Really? Wow." He rolled his eyes, "Why'dja think so?"
"Well.. I've never talked to him for at least a day now. I, um, spent half my day working on.. Mettaton's "surprise." I didn't come home afterwards, since he offered me some kind of dog and free gold for me to be able to stay at the Inn." She coughed slightly, "Didn't have a pretty sleep, though. It was loud, and-"
"Welp. You can sleep here all you want. I'm gonna getcha something to eat, OK?" He stood up from the bed and tousled Frisk's hair once more, soon leaving the room. A faint sigh was heard coming from downstairs. She mumbled to herself, "God, my hair's a mess now.."
"I wonder how Flowey's doing."
"Heya, bro. Frisk wants to eat something. Ya got any to spare?" Sans asked as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his hoodie.
"SPAGHETTI, YOU MEAN? BUT OF COURSE! I ALWAYS HAVE MORE FOR THE HUMAN." He claimed, showing a happy, confident grin.
"Thanks, Paps. I'll wait over here." He threw himself on the couch, and exhaled deeply.
"AND YOUR SOCK?" He eyed Sans suspiciously. "MOVE IT AS WE SPEAK."
"OK." He nonchalantly replied.
"FEED YOUR PET ROCK AFTERWARDS, SANS." He ordered, still eyeing his brother suspiciously.
"OK." Sans nonchalantly replied once again.
Papyrus sighed in defeat. "ONLY NORMAL FOLKS CAN DREAM OF SUCH SLOTH.."