Warnings: Self-harm, mentions of depression. Human Sans (Based off Toddnet's design on Tumblr.)

You swore under your breath. Your hip caught on the edge of the table, pulling at the bandaging.

"You okay kid?" Sans asked, not getting up from the couch. He was lazing in your apartment again, as per usual. Your apartment was small but cozy, the kitchen and living room the same room only separated by a counter. The couch was facing away from the kitchen, the television attached to the wall facing the kitchen. Your room was off to the side, and the bathroom was attached to the bedroom. Sans usually slept on the couch, but that was because he was usually too lazy to move. The few times he was able to get up, you snuggled in bed – totally platonic snuggling, as you told Undyne time and time again. She didn't believe you.

"Yeah just slammed my hip into the table." You responded, gingerly touching your sore hip, hoping the blood wouldn't soak through the bandaging.

"I'm hungryyyyyyy." He whined, his deep voice moaning from the other area.

"Well, what do you want to eat?" You ask, hoping to shut the guy up. You could see his tanned arm lazily wave above the edge of the couch in a vague 'you decide' kind of gesture. Before flopping back down.

"You want some spaghetti?" You asked, knowing it would rile him up. Sans popped his head up over the edge of the couch, glaring at you. His hair was starting to grow out, the shaved sides were about half an inch long and the rest flopped in his face.

His right eye was a warm chocolate brown, just like his brother's, but the left was icy blue, thanks to his heterochromia – apparently his great grandmother had the same thing. When he scrunched his eyebrows like that, you could see the hole where his piercing used to be. He took it out after graduating high school, but you still thought he looked good with it in.

"Alright! Fine! No spaghetti. How about tacos?" You suggest, rummaging through the small fridge. He grunted in approval and slunk back on the couch. "Hey, is your ass imprint ever going to leave my couch?" You called over your shoulder as you pulled out some ground beef.

"Nope. This couch and me, we're in a long term relationship. Ain't nothing gonna take my couch away from me." He said. You could hear the grin in his voice and rolled your eyes.

"It's my couch." You reminded him. He just clicked his tongue.

"Yeah, but I helped you pick it out."

"Yeah, from the thrift shop, you goof ball." You responded over the sizzling meat.

"So I have just as much claim over our couch child as you do."

"Fine, but you gotta start paying child support." You joked. Sans just groaned and flopped down on the couch.

You had moved into town when you were in the second grade. Everyone already knew each other, so you had a hard time making friends at first. One day, you saw the older kids picking on one of the kindergarteners. You made sure to give them a piece of your mind, and shared your lunch with the kid. You found out his name was Papyrus, and that he had a brother that was also in the second grade. After that, you never had troubles making friends.

You and Sans had been thick as thieves after that. Eating lunch together, causing trouble and doing school projects together. You even took each other to prom because neither of you had a significant other at the time.

After graduation, Sans was supposed to join the army – to make his dad happy – but he found an internship at the science museum. It was tough on his parents, when he told them he wasn't going into the army. So hard, in fact, his father kicked him out.

He's been couch hopping for the past two months. Mostly at your place, which you found and moved into before graduating. Your parents wanted to downsize their house and move, but you wanted to finish high school and go to college there, so they helped you with rent. Sans sometimes spent time at Undyne's, and managed some nights at home when his dad wasn't around.

You were lost in thought, your best friend's predicament at the forefront of your mind. You felt something touch your sides and you jerked so violently, you sliced your finger. You had been chopping lettuce, and now you had to throw it out because it was glistening red.

"Oh crap! I'm so sorry." Sans started freaking out, grabbing a paper towel from above the sink and wrapping it around your finger.

"It's fine." You said, shooing his away. Putting the bloody knife in the sink, you tossed the lettuce and went into the bathroom. Pulling out your first aid kit, you pulled out some bandaging and tape. With a few expert movements, you wrapped your finger. You heard a low whistle from the door.

"You have half the drug store here." He said, scanning the extensive first aid kit with an impressed look.

"You know how clumsy I am." You said, hoping he wouldn't notice the tightness of your smile. He hesitated, but grinned and stepped aside.

"That you are." He chuckled, his dimples showing themselves. You stuck your tongue out at him before smelling something burning.

"Oh shit!" You raced to the kitchen in time for the smoke alarm to go off. The beef was fried, literally. Blackened lumps of meat stuck to the pan was all that was left of your home cooked meal. As you wrestled with the fire alarm, Sans was tossing the burnt meat in the trash along with the bloody lettuce.

"Maybe we should order pizza." He said, his voice shaking from trying to hold back laughter. With a sigh, you went to your 'take out' jar. As you reached in to count out the bills, Sans took the jar from your hands and placed it to the side. "I got this. It was my fault tacos were ruined in the first place."

"You sure?" You didn't like it when someone spent money on you. You always felt like a burden when someone had to do something for you.

"Very sure. Besides, how many meals have you made me the past few weeks? How many times have you let me hog all the covers at night? I owe you at least three pizzas." He grinned, his whole face lighting up. Sans always had the best smile, even when you were kids.

"We should invite Undyne and Alphys over." You suggested. Undyne graduated with you, but her girlfriend Alphys was five years older, and was one of the head scientists at the museum Sans had the internship at. They both lived at Alphys' house.

"But then we'll have to buy a whole 'nother pizza." He groaned. You just chuckled and tossed some bills at him from the jar and picked up your phone. Shooting a quick text to your friends, you let Sans deal with ordering the pizza. He was always better at talking to strangers than you. You made him order for you whenever you went out together.

"Pizza will take forty-five minutes to get here."

"You got delivery? I could have just picked it up." You said, but he just shrugged and sat on the couch, patting the seat next to him. "And the others will be here in about an hour. Wanna text Pap?"

"Sure. He loves get togethers." Sans took out his phone and sent a quick text before turning to you. "Alright. Sharing hour has now begun."

Sharing hour was a game you played, starting back in the fifth grade, when some boy stuck gum in your hair because it was too long for a boys haircut and too short for a girls. He found you crying in the tube slide and made you talk to him. Since then it had been a ritual for the two of you; intimate sharing hour and get everything off your chest in complete confidence.

Despite the name, these times lasted between two and six hours at a time.

"Have something you want to get off your chest?" You ask, not sure why he was calling a sharing hour now.

"Yeah. I have this… friend, see? We've been really close for a while now, and I thought we told each other everything. But lately my… friend has seem really distant. Not having real talk as much, covering up injuries and frowns and stuff. I don't know what to do, cuz I can't help if they won't open up, you know?" He said, bouncing his foot and looking at the crack in the living room table intently. You raised scrunched your eyebrows.

"Why do you think this friend is blocking you out?" You ask, worried about his friend.

"I dunno. Everything seemed to be going good, but about two or three months before graduation, they just… closed off. I've tried getting them to talk but it all seems to go right over their head."

"I think you should just confront them." You suggest. "It's best to be open and honest."

Sans looked at you with piercing eyes, as if trying to tell you something without using words, but the meaning was lost on you. Sans blinked and sighed as he ran a hand through his bangs.

"Maybe I will. Anything you want to talk about?" He asked pointedly. You fidget but don't let him see how uncomfortable you were.

"Nothing new. Just freaked out about starting college. You know how I stress out and over exaggerate everything in my head." You say light heartedly, looking right above his right shoulder, but not at his face. You could see him scowl from your peripherals.

"You've been losing weight." He said suddenly, startling you a little. Instinctually, you look down at your stomach. You guessed it looked a little flatter, but you weren't really trying.

"I guess I've just been really stressed lately." You said, but you were remembering all the days you were stuck in bed, too tired and emotionally dead to move. Two, three days in a row you could barely move, let alone eat.

You realized you only really ever ate when Sans was over.

"Well, maybe I should stick around a little more to make sure you actually eat." He said and bumped your shoulder with a knowing grin.

"My door is always open to you, you know that." You smiled warmly at him. His expression seemed to melt a little, but before you could think about it too much, his shot you a shit-eating grin and pulled you into a head lock. Messing up your hair, he growled at you jokingly.

"S-sans! Stooooop!" You laughed and tried to fight, but secretly you liked this kind of contact. It wasn't sexual but it was nice, the warmth of it.

"Fine." He said, pinning you to the couch with an arm thrown across your chest. You tried struggling, but he was much heavier than you. Sans started fake snoring, and you groaned in defeat. You weren't getting up anytime soon.

Accepting your defeat, you let your arm dangle over the edge of the couch and started to drift off. Just as you were about to fall asleep, the caller rang. Shoving Sans' sleeping form off of your own, you went over to the caller and pressed the button.

"Hello?"

"Um, delivery for Sans?" A male voice said from the other end.

"Come on up." You hit the buzzer and let the delivery boy up. Two minutes later, there was a knock at your door.

"The total is $25.50 please." The boy said, handing over the two pizza boxes and a bottle of soda. You tried balancing it as you reached for the money but the boxes were skillfully taken from your hands as Sans handed the boy the money.

"Thanks kid. Keep the change." Sans said, his voice even deeper from sleep. You shot him a look but he just shrugged and smiled. "Don't look at me like that."

"Should we wait for everyone or…?" You ask, your stomach growling. Sans just chuckled deeply and pulled a piece from the box, handing it to you.

"They're not going to get mad. It's their fault for not being here sooner."

There was a single knock on the door before it was thrown open. Undyne practically ran in, followed by Alphys and Papyrus. Undyne had somehow grown even more since graduation, standing at almost 6 feet and solid muscle. She gained more muscle mass since joining the police academy, but she had always been strong. Her red bangs fell over her eye, but that didn't stop her from seeing what felt like absolutely everything.

Alphys was much shorter, only coming to her girlfriend's shoulder. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a small pony tail and her glasses made her eyes look huge. Papyrus was as tall as Undyne, despite being three years younger. Tan skin and dark brown hair, just like Sans, but his face was longer than his brother's.

"Damn! Look like we missed first slice dibs!" Undyne explained loudly as she moved to the kitchen.

"T-thank you for inviting us over." Alphys smiled at you. You just smiled back.

"No problem. I missed hanging out with you guys. You've been so busy lately." You said, and the shorter girl just giggled quietly.

"Sup Alph. How's the science going?" Sans asked, talking with half chewed pizza in his mouth.

"Sans! How many times must I tell you to finish chewing before talking?" Papyrus exclaimed, stating at the half dissolved crust and cheese with mild horror. Sans smiled sheepishly and swallowed his bite.

"I-it's going good! Y-you really should c-come by the labs a-at some point. Otherwise your i-internship will g-go to someone else." She said, adjusting her glasses. You looked at Sans with shock.

"You haven't been going to the museum?" You asked, your mom side coming out. He smiled, but it was more of a grimace.

"Haven't had the time. I'll go back starting Monday, alright?" He said with a shrug, helping himself to a third slice of pizza.

"A-alright. I'll make sure they know y-you're coming." Alphys gave a shy smile and nibbled on her girlfriend's crust. They were the perfect couple in that aspect, Undyne liked the cheesy part but hated the crust. Alphys was lactose intolerant but loved the crust.

"Hey, who wants to watch a movie?" Undyne asked, already digging through your movie collection.

With a unanimous, mumbled agreement, everyone settled down to watch whatever movie Undyne picked out.

"She is quite like you, brother." Papyrus said, talking about the main character. She was always tired and found it hard to do things most of the time. You had seen the movie, so you already knew the main character was going to be diagnosed with depression later on. The compassion between your best friend and the protagonist shocked you.

He was right. You berated yourself for not noticing it before. Sans lazed around, found it hard to motivate himself to do anything… and you were positive you had woken up to sobbing at some point this summer. Sans gave a deep chuckle, but you heard the tightness in it.

"Nah bro. I'm just lazy." He grinned, but you were staring at him intently. He caught your eye and waved you off, making some off handed pun to diffuse the situation.

The movie when on, the main character learning that she didn't need to change herself to make friends and find love. It was cheesy, sure, but it was entertaining to make fun of. At one point, the antagonist made a snarky comment.

At this point in the movie, the protagonist was able to brush it off, but it really stuck with you. Why don't you go cut your wrists or something?"

The protagonist just laughed it off and went with her friends, leaving the bully with her shocked friends. You stared at the screen with a blank expression, hearing your heart beat in your ears. You felt Sans' hand on your wrist, trying to get your attention. You finally glancing over to him, locking eyes. He asked you what was wrong with his eyes and eyebrows.

You just smile tightly and shake your head. He raised one eyebrow and gave me an unamused look. You pulled out your phone and sent him a quick text so as not to draw any attention to you. 'sharing hour tonight?' You saw him take out his phone and raise both eye brows at the message. He typed a quick response and pocketed his phone.

'I'll hold you to that'. He caught your eye again and smiled. You smiled back, less sure of yourself. As the movie wrapped up, you rubbed your thigh over your pants, trying to get the tingling sensation to go away.

Everyone stood and stretched, flicking on the lights and gathering scattered shoes and jackets. There was only two extra pieces of pizza, and you convinced Papyrus to take them home with him. With his dad deployed and his mom always working, it was hard on the kid to have to cook for himself every night.

You could tell Sans wanted to protest, wanted you to eat them, but you'd rather Papyrus eat over yourself.

Alphys and Undyne left first, wanting to beat the rush hour traffic home. Papyrus only stayed long enough to help clean up before giving you a strong goodbye hug and whispering something to Sans. You didn't want to pry, because the brothers certainly had a lot of talk about when they got together, which seemed to be rare.

By the time the two of you were alone, it was late and you were exhausted.

"Sans, are you going to crash on the bed?" You asked, yawning and going into the bedroom to change. You slipped on some sleep short and kicked your jeans off to the side. You'd pick them up in the morning… maybe.

"Yeah, give me a second." His voice came from the living room. A minute later, he sauntered into the room and went over to your dresser. After the first week of him staying with you, you just gave him a drawer for his clothing. It made it easier for you both.

He pulled his shirt off over his head, and your eyes were instantly drawn to the large scar on his chest. You remember when the accident happened. You were both nine years old. Someone tried to hassle Papyrus and pulled out a knife. Sans threw himself in front of the blade and spent three weeks in the hospital because it wouldn't heal right.

You had visited him every single day during those three weeks.

"See something you like?" Sans asked, a cocky grin matching his raised eyebrows. Your face turned bright red and you spluttered, trying to explain that you weren't staring. He just chuckled and pulled an oversized t-shirt on.

He wasn't fat, not in the slightest. He wasn't a lanky guy either, but he was small enough that his extra-large sleep shirt was so baggy it made him look like a toddler wearing his father's shirt. You thought it was adorable.

"Come on you weirdo. Get under the covers." He said, pulling the comforter back so you could slip in next to him.

"Did you hear what you just said?" You asked, laughing. You got in the bed and pulled the blankets up over your lap. "You're the weirdo here."

"Eh you caught me." Sans responded, his leg brushing yours as he got under the covers as well. "So, what's been eatin ya? You've been real quiet lately."

"… I don't know where to start." You admit, feeling weird about being honest, even if it was just about something as small as not knowing where to begin.

"Alright, start with what happened during the movie?" He suggested, taking your stuffed penguin and hugged it, resting his chin on its head like a pillow. He had gotten you that penguin when his family took you to the aquarium when you were eight. The penguin had been your nighttime companion every night since then.

"Something the bully character said bothered me." You said, wrapping your blankets around your shoulders like it could protect you from this sharing hour.

"What did she say?" He gently asked.

"Something about… going and cutting her wrists… or something." You tried covering it up, but Sans knew exactly what you meant.

"Are you okay?" He asked, and you knew he didn't just mean physically. It was a loaded question. You fought with yourself for several minutes, trying to figure out if you really wanted to open up to him or keep your secrete for another three years.

"No." You whispered, shocking yourself with the confession.

"What's wrong?" He asked, knowing if he didn't push you a little you would close yourself off and never explain what you meant.

"Everything." You retreated into your blanket cocoon farther, as if you could escape this. Sans ran a hand through his bangs, making the hair stick up in every direction.

"Care to explain?" Sans said, handing you the penguin to hug.

"I don't think I can handle college Sans. The semester starts in less than a month and I'm not ready at all. I'm going to fail out… I'm not smart enough for college." You were shaking, staring off into space and trying to keep yourself from crying.

"You're plenty smart! You were in the top 40% of the whole grade when we graduated." Sans tried to console you.

"Yeah? You made top ten and you didn't even try!" You shot back, wanting to get your emotions out somehow without crying.

"But you're not me, and I'm not you. You're a star musician. I couldn't carry a tune even if it had handles and specific instructions."

"You got an internship at a science museum. I'm enrolled at a community college. I'm not going anywhere with my life! And you… your future is it literally the brightest thing in the world. You can do anything you want…" You felt a single tear roll down your face. You quickly wiped it away with the back of your hand and sniffled.

"Are you kidding me? I got this internship to piss my dad off. There's no way I'm going to get a science degree or whatever. You, on the other hand, can do some serious good in this world. You just gotta work towards it."

"Papyrus was right, wasn't he?" You asked, wiping your eyes again.

"What?" Sans was thrown off by the change of conversation.

"During the movie. Papyrus said you were like the girl. He was right, wasn't he?" Your voice was neutral, but you were worried about him. Sans sighed and leaned his back against the headboard of the bed.

"Yeah. I just didn't want him to worry about me." He gave a humorless chuckle. "I've known for a while that I have depression. I mean, I never went to the doctors about it but I'm pretty sure." He looked over at you and his grin faded from his face.

You were looking at him with wide eyes. You could feel them filling with tears and you honestly felt awful. You should have been there for your best friend. You threw yourself at him, wrapping your arms around his neck.

"Hey, hey, hey! Why are you crying?" He asked, surprise coloring his tone.

"I-I'm so sorry Sans! I should have n-noticed or something b-but I didn't! You m-must have had to g-go through all that alone!" You cried into his shoulder. You felt his arms wrap around your waist and pull you into a hug.

"Don't beat yourself up over it. I tried to hide it from everyone… I didn't want anyone to worry about me."

You straightened up, using your sleeves to wipe your cheeks. Your nose was running, and Sans handed you a tissue from the bedside table. You blew your nose and tossed it towards the trashcan but missed. Sans watched you calm down with a fond smile.

"The only person that ever cried over me was Pap, when I got kicked out of the house…" He chuckled again, placing his hand on top of your head.

"I don't want to lose you Sans." You mutter, wiping your face again. He sat back, blinking owlishly.

"You think…?" He narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Why would I leave you?"

"I'm going to be stuck in this dead end town for the rest of my life, but you're so smart you could be working for NASA someday. You'd be better off if you went off to find your destiny. And I don't have one of those…"

"Destiny?" He chuckled again. "That's just fairytale trash. My 'destiny' is whatever I want it to be, and right now its here with you."

"I'm just paranoid." You said in a defeated tone. Sans reached over and took your hand, tracing your knuckles with his thumb.

"Why did that line from the movie mess you up so much?" He asked quietly, soothingly rubbing the back of your hand.

"Sans… we've told each other everything, right? Everything since second grade, right?" You asked, your nerves starting to give out.

"Of course. Well, I've told you everything." He said. You shot him a look, and his face turned sheepish. "Alright, I hid one thing, but that was for your own good."

"If I tell you something, do you promise not to tell anyone? Promise not to tell anyone." You made him agree before taking a deep breath. You sat up and crossed your legs. Sans sat up as well, copying your position, facing you. He took both your shaking hands and held them tight. His hands were always so strong and warm.

"I promise I won't tell anyone." His eyes were so intense, you knew there was no chance he would tell another soul.

"I…" Your hands started shaking even more. Sans picked up on it and held your hands tighter. It was just Sans, you told yourself. He's your best friend. He's going to help you… "I've been c-cutting. Since sophomore year."

Sans gasped sharply. His hands tensed over yours. You might have been imagining it, but it seemed like his own hands were shaking as well.

"T-that long?" He asked, voice trembling. His voice went up at the end, slightly hinting hysteria.

"That long…." You whisper.

"And you never told me? After all out late night talks? After everything we've been through together?" He asked, sounding shaken and hurt. It reminded me of when he first got attacked, shakily telling you to call the cops.

"I've never told anyone. I've never even hinted to someone that I was… mutilating myself." You cringed at the term, but you needed to be blunt or you would chicken out.

"Where? Show me." He whispered.

"I d-don't think you want to see…" You say, startled that he would want to see your scars.

"Show me." He said with more command in his voice. He let go of your hands so you could move freely.

You kicked off the covers and stood. Your fingers played with the waistband on your sleep shorts before glancing up at Sans again.

"Are you sure you're sure?" You ask again. He just nods. "They're on my leg, so I'll have to take my pants off…"

"We bathed together when we were kids. Just show me." He had a point. You realized your defeat and took a deep breath. You pulled off your sleep shorts, vaguely glad you decided to wear you're not stained and or ripped underwear.

You watched his eyes widen as he took in the scars and cuts on your thigh. He crawled forward on the bed, almost in a trance. You stepped out of your pants and went to sit on the edge of the mattress. Sans' fingers traced some of the thicker scars.

His finger caught on one of the most raised and flinched. He pulled back, afraid that he hurt you. You smiled weakly at him and took his hand away from your leg. His eye caught the bandage currently secured to your hip, mostly hidden by the waistband of your panties. His face went slack with shock. Without asking for permission, he gently pulled the bandage back. The gauze had stuck to the drying blood and you flinched when it pulled free. His fingers were even lighter on the cuts, their presence barely brushing the injuries.

With a heavy sigh, he replaced the bandage and made sure your waistband would keep the gauze in place. Staring at your thigh, it was obvious he wasn't really seeing anything.

"All this… and I never noticed?" He asked, shaking his head.

"I was very good at hiding it." You said, paraphrasing him from earlier.

"You never went swimming after freshman year." He realized.

"I always had cramps, didn't I?" You mused.

"And you stopped wearing short before senior year."

"I felt more comfortable in leggings and skirts."

"And you always flinched when someone touched your legs or stomach." Sans could feel his stomach sinking. His whole world was turning upside down.

"Maybe I should have told you back in high school." You said half-heartedly.

"You fuckin' think?" Sans said, sounding tired.

"I'm sorry…" You didn't know what else to say. Sans stayed silent for a second before sighing and pulling you onto his lap. You tried protesting, seeing how you were in just a shirt and your underwear. He wasn't having any of that, and used the slightest bit of force to make you stay still and rest your head on his chest.

"Don't apologize. I'm just glad you felt comfortable enough to tell me now." He said, his chest rumbling from his voice. You sighed and rested your cheek against the fabric of his shirt, taking in his comfortable scent and warmth.

"I just feel so lost sometimes. I was afraid to tell anyone. What if they thought I was a freak? What if they didn't want to deal with my bullshit anymore? What if they left me?" You sob once and felt his arms tighten around you. "What if you left me?" It was nothing more than a whisper, but he heard anyway. He brought you in close and rested his mouth on your hairline.

"I'll never leave you. Nothing you could ever do would scare me away." He muttered into your hair, almost like he was praying. His constant mutterings and the slight rocking clamed you down greatly. You grabbed his shirt in your fists and refused to let go.

You felt his hand trail down to your leg again, his thumb gently rubbing the scars. You just sat there, letting him hold you for a while. It had been a long time since the two of you just sat together, silently taking in each other's presence.

"Can we go to bed now?" You ask sleepily. That was definitely one of your deepest sharing hours. Sans yawned and nodded.

"Yeah, it's been a long day for us both." He let you sit up and moved over to his side of the bed. Settling under the blankets, you rested your head back on his chest. Within minutes, you were asleep and smiling for real, for the first time in months.

The sun greeted you the next morning. Sans was still passed out, his bangs sticking up and his mouth open. He was drooling a little and softly snoring. Somehow, during the night, his shirt had ridden up, exposing his stomach.

With a light touch, you traced the scar that cut from his left shoulder to his right hip. It had faded a lot in the past few years. You remember it being paper white against his tanned skin. You could still faintly see where the stitches were as well, but the whole thing was starting to mellow out and match his skin tone a little more.

His stirred a little under your touch, blinking sleepily and smiling at you.

"Mornin." He grimaced and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He saw the look on your face and dropped the grimace. "Somethin wrong?"

"I'm just thinking." You say, your finger still tracing his scar.

"Dangerous business, thinking. Penny for your thoughts?" He grinned and sat up. His shirt fell back into place, so you pulled back and sat up yourself.

"We've changed so much since we first met." You mused.

"Isn't that what happens when you grow up?" He asked, amused.

"Why does life think we're indestructible?" You ask. You see his confused face and elaborate. "It throws us the most unrealistic things and expects us to be fine after. Your attack, my cutting. We can't win…"

"Of course we can. Look at me. The doctors said I would never recover from the attack." He said with an easy grin. You sucked in a shocked breath. You never knew that. "They said even if I didn't bleed out, the infection would make me too weak to survive. I took great pleasure in metaphorically flipping them off when I was discharged."

"I never knew that…" You said in horror. Sans just chuckled in that Sans way and ruffled our bedhead.

"And look at you. You held all that in for how many years? Look at how many scars are on your skin and realize that you fought through that. Think of how many people gave in, and realize how strong you are. You're here, with me, today. Both of us could be dead. One of us should most likely be dead, but we're here. Yeah, life threw some crap at us, but we threw crap right back at it" He grinned wide and rested his forehead on yours.

"You always did know exactly what to say, even when we were kids." You smiled back at him. You hadn't felt this light in years.

"You're not going to tell anyone, right?" Your grin dropped.

"Not unless it's completely necessary." He said firmly.

"Sans!" You were shocked that he would even consider telling someone. He saw the betrayal in your face and hastily explained.

"If something were to happen to you, I would tell someone if it meant saving your life. But I'm not going around blabbin to everyone. I promised, did I?" He grinned at you, and you felt right at home. His smile was one consistent in your life.

Sans was the one consistent in your life.

"You did promise." You smiled and punched him lightly on the shoulder.

"Owwwww, you bully!" He pouted, but couldn't keep the pout for long before bursting into laughter. You felt your smile naturally come to your face, and it shocked you a little bit. It had been so long since you had been able to smile so easily.

"Hey…" He got your attention. Turning your head towards him, his hand caught your cheek, gently cradling your face in his palm. "Don't ever think you're alone, okay? Cuz I'll be with you every step of the way."

"And I'll be there for you Sans." You said, resting your cheek on his palm more. It felt nice, his warmth on your face.

"That's what best friends are for." He grinned and dropped your face just to rest his forehead on your again. His bangs brushed your nose, making you want to sneeze. Something dawned on you.

"Was I the friend you were talking about? When we were talking yesterday?"

"You're not as oblivious as some think you are." Sans said with a half smirk before dropping it and adopting a more serious expression. "Yeah. You've been worrying me for a while, but I thought it was just stress or something. If I knew what really was going on… well, let's just say I wouldn't have been so passive about it."

"I'm sorry." You say again, adverting your eyes.

"What for?" He asked, confused. It was still early, you had to admit to yourself.

"For keeping this from you. I should have told you the first time I cut. Maybe it wouldn't have gotten this bad…" You admitted, feeling weak. Sans pulled back and squished your face between his hands, making you look at him.

"Do not apologize. Yeah, you should have told me, but that's in the past. All the matters now is that we're going to open and honest with each other from here on out. Right?" He asked, intently staring into your eyes. Not able to talk, you tried to nod, the movement muffled by his hands. With a rueful smile, Sans let go of your face and plopped down on the bed. "Alright, good. Now we go back to bed."

He rolled over so his back was to you and pulled the blanket over his shoulders. Glancing at your clock, you saw it was only six in the morning. You hadn't gone to bed until at least after three. To show your agreement, you flopped down next to him, batting his shoulder to tell him to roll back over.

Sans chuckled and flipped around to face you. Lying next to him, you snuggled into his chest and sighed.

You couldn't help but smile as you fell back to sleep.

I dunno why, but this is my absolute favorite chapter so far. I guess it's because I've always wanted a close guy friend or a brother or whatever. I've always had girl friends, but I've never been real close to any guys, and I feel a guy best friend is a different kind of friendship compare to a girl best friend. Not that girl best friends aren't perfect!

I also lowkey wanted to make this romantic, but I took out my loneliness and craving for affection/ shameless romance in the last chapter, so I had to keep it platonic.

I said there would be a gap between updates because I knew this next one was going to be a long chapter. I seemed to have upset some by announcing the delay after the last chapter? While I don't understand why that's any reason to get upset, I apologize. Life and school get in the way sometimes, but that doesn't mean this story is dead. I'll still be updating… Just not as often.

This was a mix of suggestions. Someone asked about a chapter where Sans and the reader stay in bed all day, which I also touched on in the last chapter. I also adore Toddnet's human Sans, so I figured I would mix things up a little.

If anyone has any questions about the chapters or anything, message me here or submit them to the tumblr blog! I know sometimes I leave out important things or leave other plot points hanging. If you want clarification or explanation, I'm more than willing to clear things up!

Until next time

~Starlight