NOTE: There's writing in bold and sign language underlined up ahead

You're surrounded by the darkness of sleep but you start hearing voices echoing through the emptiness.

"You need to stay calm." A voice you don't recognise speaks, low and scratchy.

"I know, but it hurts so bad…" It sounds like Sans, but somehow different, higher pitched, younger…

"Just a little more. It'll be over soon, I promise."

"Okay… One more time… Argh!" The sound of the screams that follow fill you with horror.

You sit upright with a gasp as you feel an incredible ache in the back of your eyes. You wonder what you just dreamt was about for a moment until you feel movement next to you. When you turn to your side you see a faint glow leaking out of Sans' left eye as he squirms, his features twisted in agony. You try to shake him awake but he shoves your hands away in his frenzy.

His eyes shoot open and the flare of his magic is so intense that the air itself feels heavier. You feel yourself getting pushed off the bed and you're hovering above the ground. You shout his name and he seems to realise what's happening, dropping you gently to your feet. He rubs his face, willing his magic to die down.

"I'm sorry…." He mutters as you climb back on to his side. "I was dreaming about things I haven't thought about in a long time." The small skeleton forces a grin onto his distressed face and you look at him sorrowful, forgetting about the pounding in your head.

"Want to tell me what it was?" He shakes his head.

"Not really." He looks at you with a twinge of embarrassment lighting up his cheeks. "Could you please hold me? Just for a little while…" You nod quietly and crawl behind him, pulling his head so that it's resting on your chest as you stroke his skull softly. He sighs. "Thank you. Usually I just rock back and forth until this feeling goes away… I'm glad you're here…"

"Do you want to talk about anything else then? It might help." You suggest while moving your fingers in slow circles at the place where his vertebrae meet his skull.

"Sure." He grips at your shirt like his life depends on it.

"Okay, what would you like to talk about?"

"Anything's fine. I don't know, tell me your hopes for the future." He proposes while nuzzling his face into you.

"That's hard… I've never really thought beyond here and now, you know?" He nods but you think about it for a moment either way. "I suppose right now, I'm hoping my arrangement with Grillby goes well. And I want to be better at controlling my magic so that I don't accidentally hurt you or anyone."

"You'll get there soon." Sans assures you, holding you a little tighter. "Is that it?" He asks quietly.

"Unless you want to count being happy with you, I guess it is." You feel him smiling without even being able to see his face. "What about you?"

"I want that as well. And I want to give you all the things you deserve. Hmm, guess I should find myself a job too." He pulls back to inspect your face. "Are you okay?" He asks out of nowhere.

"Yeah…" You smile softly at him. "Just got a bit of a headache, but I'm sure it'll go away."

"I was afraid my nightmare might have affected you as well…" Your thoughts drift to the voices you dreamt about.

"Oh…" You say simply. You're not sure if you should tell him about it. Looking at his tired eyes you decide to keep it to yourself for now. "No, I'm good. Just relax."

And he does, it's like he's melting in your arms, exhaling as he tries to forget whatever memories he was dreaming about. He lets out a content hum. He lays his head on your stomach, his arms around your hips.

"Scoot down a bit." He tells you and you do as he says. He turns you on your side so that his ribs are pressed against your back, one of his arms draped over your hip and his face buried in your hair. It doesn't take long for him to doze off again. You have some difficulty falling back asleep so you draw circles on the bones of his hand absentmindedly. He sighs behind you and it warms your heart. Intertwining your fingers with his you close your eyes once again, wondering why it was that you dreamt about that conversation. There's a growing anxiousness inside you as you consider what it might mean if it is what you think.

As if he sensed your worry, Sans squeezes your hand and pulls you into him, your bodies so close you could feel a faint thrum in his chest against your back. It was almost like a heartbeat but at the same time, nothing like it. You somehow knew it was his soul. In your own chest you feel a gentle tug and, reacting to it unconsciously, his hand moves up to that exact place, still laced with yours. You hear him let out a noise that you could most closely describe as a small whine. It's so uncharacteristic you almost want to laugh, but not wanting to wake him you just smile and hold his hand tighter to your chest.

You're startled awake by a phone ringing. You try to move but you find you're still tangled in Sans' embrace, who shifts in his sleep, slowly waking up himself.

"What's that?" He asks drowsily.

"I think it's your phone." You answer him biting back a chuckle at his confusion.

He sits up and rubs his eyes. "Where did I leave it? Need to stop that incessant beeping." Looking around the room, his gaze stops at his jacket on the floor. Using his magic, he lifts it off the ground and into his hands, digging through the pockets. Finally finding the source of the ringing he picks up with a lazy "Hello?" after looking at the caller ID.

You take the time to close your eyes and stretch your arms and legs as he talks, letting a little moan escape your lips from the amazing feeling. When you open your eyes once again you see Sans staring down at you with a light cerulean hue glowing over his cheekbones.

"Uh, y-yeah, sure Tori…" He stumbles at the words, hanging up the call seconds after. "You just made the loveliest sound I've ever heard in my life…" His voice is low.

You feel yourself blushing as well as his eyes stare into yours. "What did Toriel want?" You ask to direct the conversation to a different topic.

"Oh, she's trying to get a teaching license and she's got some stuff to do for that. She wants me to look after Frisk till she's free."

"Sounds like fun." You say smiling.

"Yeah, we'll have to pick them up from school. In the meantime we'll get some, um…" He glances at the time and laughs a little. "…lunch. That brings me back." He says while stretching himself as well, which confuses you as he has no muscles that would need stretching.

You get up and off the bed and walk to the kitchen. There's a note stuck on the fridge from Papyrus.

I LEFT SOME SPAGHETTI INSIDE FOR MY BELOVED SIBLINGS! ENJOY!

You grin with a warmth enveloping your soul as you read it. "How nice, don't have to do any cooking." Sans contemplates as he sees it as well.

"You cook?" You ask him with a raised eyebrow.

"Some things here and there. Had to feed Pap somehow when we were younger." He opens the fridge and takes the spaghetti to heat it up.

"Oh?"

"Mm, yeah, I pretty much raised him by myself." He says with a casualty that somewhat throws you off.

"I'm sorry… Well, you did an amazing job, Papyrus is great, nice and a real sweetheart." You tell him, moving up behind him to snake your arms over his ribs. He chuckles turning his head back to leave a kiss on your cheek.

"Thanks, but that's all him. I just kept him out of trouble." His expression falls. "Most of the time…" You feel his sadness in your soul. "Anyway, let's eat." He says before you can speak.

You eat slowly and in silence, a tension hanging in the air that you don't quite know how to get rid of. Once you're done, you wash the dishes and turn back to Sans, leaning against the sink.

"So what are we doing today? Are we addressing my magic's issue?" He shakes his head.

"No, I don't think that's a good idea just yet. Especially with Frisk coming over… I was thinking we could take on the smaller yet very important matter of getting you a proper wardrobe."

You frown slightly. "Can you even afford that right now? I feel like such a freeloader."

"You're not, but we'll end up spending more washing your one outfit every other day." He smirks mischievously. "Unless you want to walk around naked. I mean I won't oppose, but I think Pap might find it just a little odd." Your eyes widen and blood rises to your face so fast you think it may be some sort of record.

"Buying clothes it is." You mutter. The small skeleton in front of you lets out a hearty laugh.

"Thought so."

And so after a quick trip to the bathroom to freshen up you're off to do just that.

Sans gets you a few pairs of jeans and some fitted sweaters to go with it, a couple of sweatpants and some simple shirts to walk around the house, along with a jacket and some underwear. The last items had you blushing the colour of Sans' ketchup bottles as he went to pay for it. You don't feel very comfortable with him getting you any things whatsoever, let alone undergarments. The shoes you have are perfectly fine if a little worn so you refuse to let him buy you any.

By the time you're done it's already around the time you're supposed to get Frisk from school so you start walking there.

There are so many children there. As they come out of the building and past you some of them stare at Sans for long periods of time, ones with fascination, and others with confusion, maybe even some with displeasure but you try to ignore those. You finally see Frisk as they leave the door, they start to look around until they spot you and Sans and their eyes light up as they run to you, throwing their tiny arms around the skeleton.

"Hey kiddo. How was school?" They let go to sign some things and Sans smiles. "They learned a lot of new things." He translates.

"Oh yeah? What's your favourite subject?" You ask them. Their hands move quickly yet again.

"Science! Heh, I'm proud." Sans grins. Frisk motions some more with a cheeky grin, making him laugh. "Geez okay, just this once." He picks them up and sits them over his shoulders.

Frisk grabs at his skull and smirks at you, causing you to laugh as well. You make your way to the house and when you arrive, Frisk is set back to their feet.

The first thing they notice when they step inside is the glass cylinder of Chara's soul fragments. You feel ashamed and like you should have maybe hidden it away in Sans' room before leaving. You don't think that they'd want to see the soul of someone who used them to commit such vile actions, but much to your surprise, the child runs up to the container like it's an old friend. Frisk sits on their knees in front of the coffee table and Sans puts a hand on their shoulder.

"You might want to stay away from that, kid." He warns. Frisk shakes their head and puts a hand to the glass.

This time you definitely see the red haze gather at where Frisk is touching it and something tugs at your heart. The child's expression changes to one of compassion when they look at you. They take their backpack off their shoulders, pulling out a notebook and scribbling on it.

Leaving your new things by the door, you walk over and sit down on the couch behind them, taking the book to read what he wrote you.

He's sad. Wants company.

You choke back a sob, raising a hand to cover your mouth and closing your eyes. You manage to not be there for him even after he's already dead… You feel Frisk taking the notebook from your hands and hear them write on it once again. You open your eyes to look over it when they're done.

He's sorry too.

That does it. Tears start running freely from your eyes and onto the words, blurring them out. You feel a small hand over yours and see Frisk's eyes watering as well. You wipe the tears from their face with your thumbs just as they fall, flashing them a small smile to show them you're okay.

"Come on, no sadness, if Toriel finds out that I made you cry, she's going to kick my butt…" You mutter jokingly. They crack a smile and sniffle.

They sign something and then write it down so that you know what it means. I won't tell.

"Ewe better not. I haven't goat any intentions of finding me a new soulmate if Tori decides to ram her." Sans quips, causing the child to giggle.

I think Chara's groaning at your puns. Frisk writes down so that you can understand it as well.

"Ah well, he's given me my fair share of grief. He can deal with it." He glares down at the crimson fragments. "You two are too soft on that little demon." Frisk punches Sans' side lightly and signs something heatedly. He raises a brow bone at the kid. "Fine, but I'm not forgiving him." He mumbles sitting down next to you with a stern expression.

You look at Frisk confused and he translates what he said on the paper. I said Sans needs to understand that you love Chara despite everything. You smile at the child feeling the waterworks threatening to spill again. You feel like in the past couple of days that's been happening a lot.

You pull Frisk into a tight hug and they return it just as strongly. When you pull back they notice something on the floor out of the corner of their eye. They pick it up and bring it over to you.

"Oh, hey, Pans!" You exclaim as they hand you the stuffed panda you got from the fair. The small skeleton eyes you strangely. "Um… Panda Sans…" You explain slightly embarrassed. They both dissolve into a fit of laughter.

You can't help but giggle with them.

Until Papyrus arrives, Frisk finally gets around to teaching you some sign language. You're starting to get a good handle of the basics by then, and you can already do some common phrases, such as 'What's your name?' and 'How are you?' and the respective answers.

You greet Papyrus with what you've learned when he steps in and Frisk gives you a thumbs up at your success. At one point all three of them are invested in teaching you. You're amused at the way Papyrus signs. He somehow manages to do it loudly, his movements as grand as his personality. You have a small conversation with them and grin proudly when you're done.

"You're good at this." Sans says pleased with your progress.

I try. You sign in response with a widespread smile, your eyes shining enthusiastically.

You've always been a quick learner. By the time Toriel comes to get the child after dinner, you're already good enough to understand Frisk fairly well without them having to write it down or Sans translating it. At least if they sign it slowly.

Goodnight Star. I had a lot of fun. And don't worry, secret's safe. You chuckle at the last part.

"Thank you, for watching Frisk today." Toriel smiles warmly. You return it without a moments' hesitation.

"It was lovely, they're a joy to be around." You say ruffling their hair. When they leave you shut the door gently and lean against it. Your eyes go to Chara's soul pieces. "You think what Frisk said is true? Can he hear us? Can he feel lonely? Is he really sorry…?" Sans shrugs.

"I don't know. Kid likes to see the best out of every situation."

"A broken soul is still a soul. It feels just like any other." Papyrus says quietly as he steps from the kitchen. You both stare at the taller skeleton surprised. "I think you should believe whatever it is your heart tells you."

"Pap…" Sans mutters not knowing what to say. You find yourself at a loss for words too.

But deep down, you suddenly realise that you know what you want to do with him.

"He wants company." You say slowly. The two brothers watch you closely as you walk over to the vial. You move your hands over the surface and see the red follow them. In your chest, your soul is shaking and your heart beating fast and hard. You open the top and the scarlet haze lifts out of it. Sans freezes in place when it swirls around you. You watch it closely as it gathers in front of your face. "Now you can be with Asriel." And it fizzles into nothingness.

You hide your face in your hands and sob silently as the hot tears fall out of your eyes. You feel skeletal arms surround you from both sides as both Papyrus and Sans try to comfort you. You feel something sparking inside you, fuelled by your anguish.

"Don't let it take over." Sans whispers in your ear, sensing your magic starting to overflow out of your soul against your will.

You try to stop it but your heart is aching so badly. You know in the depths of your being that this really was the last goodbye. You're hoping he's gone to a better place and that you did the right thing by finally letting him go, but it still hurts. It hurts so much.

"Sans, why is it so hard?" You ask through the tears, things around the room starting to shake. Your brain is telling you that you shouldn't feel this awful, that Chara hurt you, but your heart doesn't listen.

"Because you love with all your soul." He answers holding you close.

"But we love you too, and we're here for you." Papyrus adds.

"You'll be okay…" Your soul responds to his, feeling it reach out to soothe you. As you cry softly, the magic inside you settles against all odds. You twist slightly to hold on to Sans and hide your face in his neck. Papyrus lets go to rub your back gently. "It's okay…" The shorter brother murmurs, his phalanges running through your hair.

Pulling away you wipe at the tears uselessly, they just keep streaming. "I need a little time alone…" You tell them quietly.

Sans asks if you're sure and you simply nod. You go to the bathroom and just sit there for a while, letting your sadness spill out. You decide to strip off and climb into the shower, turning on the hot water and sitting under it, letting it mix with your salty tears and hoping it'll wash away the pain.

You hug your legs to your chest, resting your face on your knees as you sob.

When you finally start to calm down, not even sure how long it's been, you turn off the water, which you didn't notice had gone cold too. You don't make another move to get out of the shower, much less the bathroom.

Taking your hand up to your chest you trace the large scar between your breasts with your index finger. It feels numb. You feel numb…

You gather the willpower to lift yourself to your feet and notice a towel and some clothing on the floor by the door. Sans must have heard the water running. Slowly you dry yourself and put on one of the sweats and shirts he got you today. You don't even bother to gather the clothes you were wearing before from where you mindlessly threw them to, leaving them in a crumpled pile to pick up later.

Outside the bathroom, Sans is sitting on the ground, his back to the wall and head leaned back, legs stretched out in front of him. His eyes are closed and he doesn't show any signs of moving when you come out. You must have been gone a really long time… Silently and carefully you sit down next to the sleeping skeleton and gently lean your head against his shoulder. His skull falls to the side, resting on top of your own.

Your eyes fall shut as well.

NOTE: Hope you liked this chapter, thank you for taking the time to read it :) Please leave any feedback you may have, motivates me to keep going even when university is making me want to rip my hairs off lol