After you got over the shock of the side of him that Sans showed you he suggested you go to that park you've come to know so well. He says that a monster from the Underground has set up shop there and maybe you'll like it.
"How did they get it open so quickly?" You ask, curious.
"Well, it consists of a cart he pushes around everywhere he goes. All he needed was a license to sell his stuff, which he got fairly recently." As you pace in silence something Sans said earlier tugs at you and you bite at your lip, deep in thought.
"Hey… It's not like I wanted you to worry about me, but that's not the reason I tried to keep it secret…" He raises his brow bones at you. "I didn't want you to know because I didn't want you to look at me and feel sorry. I didn't want you to think I was weak…"
"Why would I think that? Have you looked at yourself in the mirror?" His words sting as you think about what lies underneath your clothing, even though you know that's not what he meant, he couldn't possibly know about it. "It's obvious you're carrying an astounding weight on your shoulders but you still stand tall. You even have a couple inches on me." At this last part you let out a quiet laugh and your heart warms. You feel unworthy of his praise but you accept it gratefully.
As you near the park you catch a glimpse of a monster wearing red and yellow. He's handing out ice creams to little kids and they giggle when they lick at the treat. At closer inspection you see that the monster looks like a blue furred rabbit, with long ears and a very large pouf of fur between them. When you come near him he promptly smiles widely at you and Sans.
"Hello, would you like some nice cream?"
"Nice cream?" You repeat.
"Yeah, it's kind of like regular ice cream, but it tastes magical." He says winking at Sans. You're a bit confused at this exchange but given what you know of the skeleton next to you, you presume that it's a pun and he means to say that it's magic food.
"I'll have one for the lady."
The monster reaches into his cart and pulls out a nice cream, handing it to you. It looks delicious and like energy is fuzzing around it. Carefully, you bite into it and close your eyes as the flavour floods your senses, making you feel refreshed and renewed. A soft 'mmm' escapes you as you lick your lips to get any of the tasty treat stuck to them. "It's so good." You murmur. It's as though, for a moment, nothing in the world matters and you're okay. It must be the magic infused into it but you don't care, you just embrace the blissful feeling. "I guess not all magic is destructive…" You whisper to yourself.
"Did you say something?" Sans asks. You shake your head and thank him for the delightful snack. "There's 21 flavours. Believe it or not he always seems to give you the one you need the most."
"So each one has a different effect?" You ask fascinated. Your eyes seem to shine with curiosity. "So I'm guessing this one makes you feel revitalised. What else is there? I bet there's a healing kind! Oh and definitely one to motivate you!" You stop dead in your tracks as it dawns on you that you're making yourself look like a fool but when you see Sans grin at you, you realise you don't mind. You feel giddy.
"Actually, that one's supposed to make your soul lighter. If only for just a little while…" The fact that this feeling is merely temporary makes you frown. But even so, for now, it doesn't affect you as much as it should, so you resolve to appreciate it while it lasts.
"Okay, so, I have a question." You squint your eyes at Sans. You feel silly and playful. He flashes you an amused, lopsided grin.
"Shoot."
"How are you and Papyrus related?"
"We're brothers." He seems confused but entertained.
"No, I know, but… how? You're just nothing alike, aside from, you know, being skeletons and all that. Are you sure you weren't switched at birth? Wait, were you even born? Now, this is opening up a lot of questions…" Sans just laughs at you. It's so uncharacteristic of you to ramble on without a filter. Isn't it… You're unsure whether this is how you would've always been, had things gone differently. He doesn't make a move to answer you so you just continue along, just talking about things that come to your mind, always with a beaming smile plastered on your face.
You feel the effects of the magic wear off sometime later. You're surprised to find that even though you're no longer 'enchanted' (lacking for a better word), you're not as heavy as you had been before. Sans, who'd mostly been listening to you talk rather than saying anything himself, gives you a comforting pat on your back.
"They do say laughing is the best medicine." You nod in agreement. "We should get some lunch." Once again you feel like you're being bothersome, he's paying for so many things for you and there's nothing you can do to repay him.
"I feel tempted to refuse, but I get a feeling you're not going to let me…"
"And you'd be right to trust that feeling." Deep inside, you promise yourself you're going to make it up to him someday, somehow. "So what would you like?"
"Surprise me." You've always wanted to say that.
"I'd take you to Grillby's if I could, but he hasn't gotten around to opening a joint on the surface yet. He has the best burgers you'll taste in your entire life." That sounded really good.
Instead though, you end up just going to a nice little diner close by. Thinking about what Sans said before you order a burger and he just asks for a bottle of ketchup, to which you raise an eyebrow. When the waitress brings your food by, Sans just chugs the ketchup as if it were a drink. "I'm pretty sure that's not what you're supposed to do with that…" You snatch the ketchup from his bony fingers and take a swig yourself. You violently shake your head and stick your tongue out in disgust. "Nope, definitely not." When you set the bottle back in front of him you can't help but laugh at his wide eyes in a look of complete and utter astonishment. You dig into your burger. "What?" You guess that's not something that a normal person would do.
"Nothing, you're just…" He takes a sip of his tomato-y 'beverage'.
"I think the word you're looking for is weird."
"More like extraordinary." He smirks.
After you're done eating you just walk around town for a while. Sans tells you some terrible jokes and you throw him disapproving glares mismatched with a small smile playing on your lips. You don't really pay attention to where you're going until you find yourselves back at the park, which appears to be empty now.
"What time is it?" You ask, as you notice the daylight fading away. "I hadn't realised it had been so long…"
"Want to stay and watch the stars again?" Without answering him you're already making your way to claim your usual spot on the swing.
"Hey, push me!" You dare him. You didn't really expect him to take you up on that but you feel his hands on your back as he pushes you forward. You feel a girlish giggle rise up in your throat as he uses more and more force, sending you higher each time. "Wait! I'm going to fall if it goes any higher!" And just like that you slip backwards, your grip on the chains isn't tight enough and you feel as if you're dropping out of the sky. You yelp loudly, bracing yourself for the moment your head's going to hit the pavement, but instead, Sans' arms wrap around you and he breaks your fall, holding onto you as if you were weightless. In your chest your heart's beating wildly and a rosy tinge dusts your cheeks as you struggle to catch your breath, the fright you felt being replaced by an unfamiliar sensation enveloping your soul.
"Got'cha."
"T-thank you…" He settles you down on the floor and you stumble a little, trying to regain your balance.
"I've finally seen a falling Star for the first time. Forgot to make a wish though."
You run a hand through your hair and sit back down. The first stars are starting to come out and you look at them just like you do so often. You can sense Sans' gaze on you as you take in a deep breath. Those celestial bodies hold a special place in your heart. Every night you greet them as old friends and they return your welcome with a shy twinkle that soothes your soul.
"I'd like to learn the names to all the constellations in the sky. Each night I like to see if I can form the images in my brain. It's like they're telling me a story in their wonderful language. Showing me how they've gone through space, aimlessly and fearlessly. Every night they come out, they map the paths that many of us follow, trusting them to be our guide. Sometimes I try to catch a star between my hands so that I can keep it close and hold onto it when life seems darkest." You feel shy saying that last comment, knowing that it's a stupid thing to do. "I once heard that everything is made up of stardust… Planets, comets, satellites, humans and monsters… We all come from the stars because each of them has broken a piece of their soul to make ours." You reach your arm up and open your hand, you can almost feel them reaching back. "They shine for us so that we can marvel in their beauty, swim in their vanity and beg them for more. And we don't even know how much they've done for us… They give us warmth and light and hope… They give us life… And they never ask us for anything in return."
"Gee Star, that's… beautiful… No wonder you chose that name." You feel your face burn red as you look at Sans' face glowing equally blue. "But if you ask me… Not even the brightest star in the entire universe shines as brightly as you when you're smiling…"
Once again you feel your heart frantically thumping away, a strange feeling pooling in your stomach and you divert your gaze from his intense one. It's something you've never experienced before and you're not sure what it is or what to think of it or what to even do with yourself. You're painfully aware of how your entire body is tingling in a new and interesting sensation and you can't seem to pinpoint the reason for that. Your breath is hitched. Could it still be the nice cream? No that was hours ago…
You hear Sans stepping closer and your heart skips a beat. Why are you feeling like this? It must've been all the adrenaline from falling earlier. It's having unusual effects on you… That must be it. You feel your ears burning, your face scarlet. He places a hand on your warm cheek and pulls your head to look at him. "Are you okay?" He asks concerned.
You can't seem to form a coherent sentence in your mind. "I… uh…" You feel stupid but you don't know what else to say. You inadvertently jump when a ringing sounds through the park, startling you, and Sans backs away quickly, digging through his jacket pockets.
He takes out a cell and puts it to his ear (does he even have ears?). "Hey Paps, everything alright?" His back's turned to you as he speaks to the skeleton at the other end of the line. You take this moment to get a hold of yourself and your emotions. You feel equal parts intrigued and scared at these new feelings you've never encountered. Are you sick? Sans hangs up and returns the phone to its previous location. He turns to you with a neutral expression. "Papyrus is insisting we go back 'IMMEDIATELY'. He didn't say why, said it was a surprise."
"We…?" You admit you weren't expecting to return to the skeleton brother's house anytime soon, if ever.
"You didn't think I'd let something as precious as you go, did you?" He grins at you mischievously. "You're my very own fallen Star." At that your stomach does an unwarranted flip that you intentionally ignore.
"I'm not precious…"
"Unique, exceptional, remarkable, call it what you will."
"None of those, definitely none of those…" You whisper embarrassed and self-conscious.
He takes your hand and pulls you along with him, and for a second you could swear you felt a sort of electrical current jolt through you when his fingers intertwined with yours. "Guess we will have to agree to disagree."
NOTE: Hope you liked reading, I sure like writing it :)