Chapter two: Good time
This was... interesting to write to say the least. I find that UF Sans is a very complex character, which will become more apparent in later chapters.
Enjoy?
Disclaimer: If I owned it then I wouldn't need to write fanfiction.
...
"Frisk? Are you okay?" Flowey leaned over the child, it's pot sitting just next to their head. They had been quietly crying for a long while after the silence came and it was worrying the poor flower to death.
After a long moment the child nodded, taking in a deep, shuddering breath. "W...we..'re o...out."
The flower nodded, smiling brightly. "Yeah. We made it out."
Frisk sat up, finally moving from where they had fallen into the snow. Their clothes were wet, but they didn't care. They were out. They were away from Toriel even though it broke their heart, understanding how lonely she was. Frisk had been lonely, too. With a sigh the child sat up and turned around so their back was leaning against the door, pulling the flower pot close and reaching up to pat Flowey's head. "S...sl...eep n...now."
"R-right. Good idea. Don't want to go through that again."
The child nodded before closing their eyes, soon drifting into sweet slumber.
...
"Frisk... Frisk..."
The child awoke to the feeling of something patting their face. They opened their eyes to see it was Flowey, patting them with their leaves. Frisk reached up a hand to rub the sleep from their eyes and yawned.
"Frisk, you're going to freeze if we stay here much longer. We need to find shelter." The flower spoke again, a worried look on its face.
The child nodded and stood with some difficulty. Their clothes were very wet and they shivered from the cold. They reached down to pick up the flower pot, hugging it tight to their chest. There was a path leading away from the door and into the woods. They decided it was the best option to take. The two made their way down the path, passing rows upon rows of the tallest trees Frisk had ever seen. They hopped over a branch that had fallen across and continued along their way.
SNAP
Frisk stopped in their tracks and Flowey timidly glanced over the child's shoulder. Was it Toriel? Had she gotten out? The flower didn't see anything, just snow and trees and... the branch... broken into many pieces.
"Hurry, Frisk!" Flowey whispered in a panic.
And so they did. Frisk began running down the path as fast as they could with Flowey watching their back. A shadow crossed the path and the flower kept itself from squealing in fright. Soon they neared a bridge with a large gate built at the entrance and the child stopped all at once.
"Why did you stop?" Flowey turned to face its friend.
"B...br...idge." Frisk replied, pointing out in front of them.
"It... it l-looks like we can fit through the bars..." The flower stuttered, feeling the same trepidation the child was.
But before Frisk could take another step...
"Hey, don't you know how to greet a new pal?" Came a deep, drawling voice. "Turn around and shake my hand."
Timidly and hesitantly, Frisk turned around. The figure that faced them appeared to be a big boned skeleton, not quite a foot taller than the child themselves. It was wearing a black hoodie with fur around the edge of the hood, a red sweater underneath, black shorts with gold stripes, red and white sneakers and gold socks. The face of this skeleton was unlike anything the child could even imagine. It had wide eye sockets with what appeared to be white pupils floating inside however the left eye seemed to be eternally glowing red. The skeleton's mouth appeared to be in a lazy grin and its teeth were jagged and sharp like knives. One single tooth on the left side was gold and glimmering in the light.
The skeleton held out its boney left hand expectantly, waiting for the child to comply. Frisk slowly reached their hand out to meet the offered one despite Flowey's whispered protests. They had a bad feeling, but what's the worst that could happen? It was just a handshake.
Their hands met and a jolt of electricity suddenly shot through the child's entire body, sending them crumpling to the ground in a fit of convulsions, Flowey's pot rolling away from the child's arm. The skeleton still held tight to their hand, its jagged grin widening. Frisk couldn't even make a sound as much as they wanted to scream. The electricity was shutting down every single function in their body. They couldn't even hear Flowey calling out to them.
The skeleton leaned down so its face was directly in front of the child's. "Heh. Didn't anyone tell you, kid? Down here it's kill or be killed."
The skeleton's grin and that shiny gold tooth were the last things Frisk saw.
...
Frisk awoke with a start, their body quivering and tears running down their face.
"Frisk! Are you okay? D-did you die?" Flowey asked hesitantly. It knew the child only awoke in such a manner after death.
Frisk nodded slowly, their eyes wide. "S...sk...ele...ton." They gasped out.
"A skeleton?"
The child nodded. They pulled Flowey's pot closer and gently hugged the flower. "T...tr...y a...ag...in."
Flowey nodded.
After a moment of respite the child once again picked up the flower pot and headed down the path. Flowey nervously glanced this way and that, keeping an eye out for any other monsters. Once again they passed the branch, it snapped behind them just like before. Frisk ran to the bridge and didn't hesitate to pass the large gate, walking between the bars. And then they were falling forward, a deep pain in their chest ripping a strangled scream from their lips. Flowey's pot went skidding across the bridge, nearly falling off the edge.
Frisk caught the fall with their hands but collapsed over onto their side anyway. There was a large bone sticking out from their chest, glowing red with magic and the child's blood.
"That was pretty rude, kid. I was going to greet you properly and everything." Came the skeleton's voice. Frisk didn't have the strength to turn and look, but they knew it was the same one from before. "Well, guess there's no help for bad manners." They could practically hear the shrug in its voice.
...
Again Frisk woke up crying. And again Flowey asked if they had died. Frisk explained, as best as they could, what had happened. Leaving out the death details, as usual.
"So we can't just run away?" Flowey asked.
Frisk shook their head, gazing down sadly.
"Then you will have to outsmart this skeleton, like you did with Toriel." Flowey slapped its leaves together.
The child shrugged slightly. They didn't know anything about this monster and they weren't sure if it was up for talking. Not that Frisk was going to be much help there.
They set out along the path again, the branch snapped, but this time Frisk didn't run, they just calmly continued towards the bridge. Well, as calm as they could be with someone who had already killed them twice hiding among the trees. Frisk stopped when they reached the bridge, waiting for what they knew was coming.
"Hey, don't you know how to greet a new pal?" Came the skeleton's voice. "Turn around and shake my-" Frisk turned before he could finish, holding out their right hand. The skeleton stared at it a long moment, it's eye sockets seeming to widen in confusion. "Hand..."
Suddenly the skeleton chuckled, retracting its left hand and offering it's right instead. They shook and nothing happened.
"I'm Sans. Sans the skeleton." He offered, still holding tight to Frisk's hand.
"F...F...Fr...isk." The child choked out.
"Jeez, what's wrong with you, kid?" Sans' grin lowered a fraction.
"They can't speak properly. It hurts them." Flowey offered, feeling defensive for its friend.
"I didn't ask you, ya weed." Sans sent a glare in the flower's direction, his left eye glowing maliciously. Meanwhile Frisk pulled their hand, trying to free it from the skeleton's grip, which only became tighter. "What's the matter, kid? Don't like holding hands?" He chuckled.
"P...pl...ease." Frisk begged, giving the skeleton a pleading stare.
After a single, painfully tight squeeze Sans let go and Frisk quickly pulled their hand to their chest.
"Uh... just so ya know, kid. I can't let you pass this spot right here. I'm gonna have to kill you." His grin widened again, the one golden tooth gleaming.
"W...wh...y?" Frisk asked, shuddering in fear.
Sans shoved both hands into his jacket pockets and shrugged his shoulders. "It's my job; kill any human who tries to pass through here. Boss's orders."
"You could just let us pass. Just this once." Flowey offered.
Sans grin became malicious, his red eye glowing brighter. "Now that would just take all the fun out of this, wouldn't it?" He removed his left hand from his jacket; it was glowing red just like his eye. Suddenly bones appeared in the air, glowing with the same red magic.
Frisk's eyes widened with fear at the sight and they instinctively took a step backwards. "N...no. P...pl...ease."
"Sorry, kid. Unfortunately for you, I really like my job."
...
Frisk sighed after relaying the last run to Flowey. The flower was always shocked when Frisk awoke crying or screaming, but the child was already getting used to the feeling. They had died so many times in Toriel's house. But it was becoming clear that they were not getting past Sans very easily. His attacks were fast and appeared out of nowhere. Not to mention that, unlike Toriel, he had no intention of keeping the child alive.
Frisk ventured out again, Flowey clutched tightly in their arms. "Frisk, if this path is no good, then maybe we should try going through the woods? It's worth a try, right?"
After a moment of contemplation the child nodded and turned to head into the trees. They walked on for a short while, navigating over fallen branches and through built up snow drifts, which made the child shiver in their wet clothes. They had only walked to around where Frisk assumed the bridge was probably at when they heard a shuffling behind them.
"Yer not trying to avoid me, are ya, kid?" It was Sans. "Because that would be pretty rude."
Frisk turned around, nearly falling in the deep snow. They shivered from both the cold and from fear. "I...I...I'm-"
"What's the matter, kid? Cat got your tongue?" The skeleton laughed at his own joke.
The child instantly closed their mouth, frowning deeply. They held Flowey closely, hugging the flower pot to their chest.
"So what's with the daisy anyway, kid?" Sans asked with lopsided grin, his hands stuffed in his pockets. "Bit cold for planting, dont'cha think?"
"I'm not a dasiy!" Flowey squeaked, sending the skeleton a glare before quivering back as Sans returned it tenfold.
"M...my f...fr...iend." Frisk spoke up.
"Friend?" Sans laughed. And he kept laughing. He laughed so hard he doubled over and held his gut, even though he didn't have one. Once he was finished he reached a bony hand up to wipe away imaginary tears. "Heh. Ain't nobody got any friends around here, kid. Around here, it's kill or be killed. But you already knew that, didn't you?"
...
"So we can't go around, either..." Flowey drooped.
Frisk shook their head sadly. "W...wh...at-"
"I don't know what we should do. We can't just stay here forever. Even if you freeze to death we will just end up right back here anyway." Flowey muttered, then glanced up at the child's face. "S-s-sorry. I didn't mean it that way, Frisk."
Again the child shook their head. "S...Sa...ns."
"But you said he just wants to kill us."
"T...try."
Flowey sighed. "I guess we don't have much choice at this point, do we?"
Frisk took a deep, determined breath and stood up.
They were back at the bridge and didn't waste any time turning around to face Sans. He hadn't even had a chance to speak yet, which seemed to take the skeleton off guard.
"What's this? You gonna fight me?" Sans asked, his hands once again stuffed in his pockets.
Frisk shook their head. "T...ta...lk."
The skeleton snorted. "Who, you?"
The child huffed, sending him a glare. "Y...y...ou r...re...m...mem...ber."
At that Sans' grin turned into a serious frown. "I don't know what yer talkin' 'bout, kid."
...
Frisk sighed and banged the back of their head against the door.
"Frisk?" Flowey asked with worry, watching them intently. Oh how Frisk wished their friend could remember the resets. It was painful to explain every time, especially since each time came with more questions.
The child merely held up their fingers, a count of their deaths. The flower understood that.
"Frisk... there has to be a way. We already got this far, right?"
"T...ta...lk." Frisk replied.
"But... isn't it painful?"
"N...no c...ch...oice."
They were at the bridge again, Frisk sighed as Sans began his usual spiel. "S...S...ans." They spoke up without turning around.
He stopped mid-sentence, his left hand half-way out of his pocket. There was a long silence before the skeleton chuckled. "Alright, kid. I'll bite." He shrugged, his hand returning fully into his pocket. "Who told you my name?"
"Y...ou d...did."
"Heh. Nice try, kid. But this is the first time we've met."
Frisk turned around, giving Sans a serious stare. "N...not s...su...pri...sed b...by h...ow I t...alk?"
The skeleton let out a breath, his right pupil fading out into darkness. Then he shrugged, chuckling. "And here I thought I was doing so well. Guess the jig is up."
Flowey glanced back and forth between Sans and Frisk. "W-what? What's going on?"
"H...he r...re...mem...bers."
"And so do you, kiddo."
...
Frisk pounded their fists into the snow out of frustration.
"Frisk?"
The child didn't bother to explain; they merely picked up Flowey and headed for the bridge.
"Frisk? What's going on?" The worried flower stared at its friend as they were jostled around by the child's running.
Frisk was winded by the time they reached the bridge. This time Sans was waiting for them, leaning against the pillar with his hands shoved in his pockets as usual.
"Eager to die again?" The skeleton chuckled. "You even got here in record time."
"S...st...op k...ki...ll-
"Sorry, can't hear you. You'll have to speak up."
...
The child groaned. This was just becoming frustrating now. It was obvious that Sans was just playing with them.
"F-Frisk?"
The child sighed. "F...Fl...owey, w...we c...ca...n't ma...ke i..it."
"What happened?"
Frisk explained as best as they could. Flowey had nodded along and asked questions. The entire thing was tiring and Frisk was getting sick of doing it over and over. "S...sl...eep a...gain."
"But you just woke up."
"W...ant y..ou t..to r...re..mem...ber."
And so Frisk forced themselves to sleep, saving their progress. Flowey woke them back up soon after they had fallen fully asleep. They couldn't waste too much time.
"What are we going to do, Frisk?"
"T...ta...lk."
Sans was waiting at the bridge again, clearly he saw no point in doing the same actions over and over when they all knew what was going on. "That took you a while. I was beginning to worry I might have to go looking for you."
"T...ti..red" The child replied.
"Huh? What's that?" Sans pushed away from the pillar. "If you're getting bored I've got more than just bones up my sleeve." He chuckled at his own joke.
"N...no m...mo..re k...ki...lling."
"Sorry, Kid. I told you already; it's my job. And I like it." He shrugged, stepping towards the child. "But I guess it is getting a little old, killing you in the same way every time." His grin widened and he pulled his left hand from his jacket; it was glowing red. Suddenly what appeared to be a strange spiked and horned animal skull appeared, floating above Sans' head. "This is a blaster. It's called that because...well, you'll find out in a minute." He chuckled.
Frisk took a step back, holding Flowey close. Said flower was terrified, huddling down inside its pot. "P..pl...ease." The child pleaded.
"Heh. Maybe next time, kid."
...
"So... what'll it be this time?"
"P...pl..ease l...li...sten."
"Kinda hard, all things considered, kid." Sans chuckled.
Frisk frowned at that, letting out a huff of frustration.
"Nah, I get it. You want me to spare you, but I'm not going to. I'm going to keep killing you until I get tired of it."
...
"W...why?"
"Why? Because I like this." Sans snorted. "Look, kid, I don't have to work hard; you just keep coming back here, letting me do it." He shrugged. "Too bad. You had the bad luck of coming through here when I was actually on patrol."
...
"Why do you keep trying? I'd imagine dying over and over again isn't pleasant. Unless you like that sort of thing, huh?" Sans shrugged, letting out a chuckle. "But I guess you don't have much choice, do you?"
"P...pl...ease-"
"Kid, did anyone ever tell you that your conversation skills suck?"
...
Frisk sat in the snow, huffing and grumbling.
"No luck, I take it?" Flowey asked, watching its friend with pity.
Frisk shook their head and sighed. "W...wo...n't l...li...sten."
"Do I even want to know how many times you tried?"
The child shook their head again. They sat there a long while, wondering what to do. Suddenly the crunch of snow was heard and the two glanced up.
"What? Did ya get sick of me already, kid?" It was Sans. He stood in front of them with a bored expression on his skull.
Frisk's eyes widened and the child shot up to their feet. This was the first time he had come to them. "W..wh...y-"
"I was bored waiting for you." He replied with a shrug. "Also, I got to thinking. If we are going to keep living this same day over and over again, then we may as well make it a bit more interesting, right?"
Frisk didn't like the idea of that.
Sans raised his left hand and summoned a bone, instantly sending it flying straight for the kid. Frisk didn't have the time to dodge and was pinned to the wall by their right shoulder, causing them to release a strangled cry of pain.
"That sound never gets old." Sans chuckled.
"Frisk!" Flowey watched in horror as the child squirmed and cried out, their arm hanging limp and useless as blood seeped into their sweater around where the large bone protruded.
"This thing has been getting on my nerves." Sans raised his left hand and a red glow surrounded Flowey. "Always crying "Frisk! Frisk!" every single time I kill you." The pot lifted up in the air and with just a flick of the skeleton's wrist it smashed against the wall not two inches from the child's head. Flowey and the pieces of pottery fell to the ground. "It gets old really fast."
"F...Fl...ow-"
"Don't worry, kid." Sans stepped forward, making sure to stomp on the flower, which let out a scream. "See? It's still alive. For a minute." He shifted his foot, grinding the poor creature beneath the snow. He didn't stop until the screams did.
Frisk's chest was racked with sobbing. How many times have they watched their friend die now?
"Eh... it'll be back." Sans spoke with annoyance in his voice. "But for now... I'm gonna have a good time."
...
When Frisk awoke they instantly curled into a ball, crying loudly.
"Oh, no! Frisk, what happened?" Flowey reached out with a leaf, but the child merely flinched away. "W-what did he do to you?"
Frisk shook their head, refusing to look up from where they were huddled around their knees. This had been their most awful death yet. They didn't even want to think about it let alone tell Flowey. They had been slowly ripped to shreds, piece by piece, for hours. And all the while Sans laughed and cracked jokes.
Despite Flowey's attempts to rouse the child they refused to move or even acknowledge that the flower was there. It wasn't long before Sans showed up again.
"What's the matter, kid? You givin' up already?" He snorted. "And here I thought we were having such a good time. I'm really starting to get attached to you." He laughed. But when Frisk didn't respond Sans raised his left hand and a red glow appeared around the child. "Hey... You listenin' or what?"
Frisk was suddenly raised from the ground, finally eliciting a response from them. Their eyes shot open and they tried to struggle, futilely thrashing about.
"Hey, now. Settle down, kid." The skeleton beckoned with a boney finger, bringing the child forward towards him. "Let's have a little chat, huh?" He chuckled.
Frisk was dangling at least a foot off the ground, their eyes level with Sans' own. The child hiccupped, tears streaming down their face. They had given up struggling since it clearly wasn't going to do them any good. "N...not f...fu...nny." They choked out.
"Aww, c'mon. It was a little funny." He reached up his right hand to pat the child's face, causing them to flinch away. "You can't go giving up on me now, kid. Things were just getting good. We were getting to know each other so very intimately." His left eye flared with malicious intent.
Frisk sniffled, shivering from the memories. They didn't want to go through that again. Toriel had never been that cruel despite all the times she had killed them. Toriel had loved them. Sans loved killing them. Or torturing them, as the case may be. He knew Frisk remembered every death and he used that fact to further torment the child.
"It's alright, kid. You'll be just fine; sitting right back here after it's over, right? What's the big deal? You've already died so many times you gotta be used to it by now." Sans shrugged, pulling Frisk closer. "And besides, you died before I was finished last time." He reached his right hand up again, stroking the side of Frisk's face with his boney fingers. "Humans are so interesting; so different from monsters. Soft and easily broken."
"D...do...n't." Frisk whined, more tears filling their eyes. "I c...ca...n't-"
Suddenly the hand that had been caressing their face smacked into their cheek, hard. "Nah, kid. I'm not going to do the same thing again. That took up so much time and repeats are always boring." The skeleton shrugged. "How about we play a little game instead?"