Alphys rummaged about, digging her arms deep into file cabinets and taking out file after file of useless information. She yawned, her eyelids dropping heavily as she resisted the urge to fall asleep. Absent-mindedly, she rubbed at the bruise around her neck.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHH!" came the scream. Alphys jumped, snapping awake and turned. Undyne was on her feet, magic crackling into a spear and eyes darting about, looking for her target. Really, it was just Papyrus stomping his foot angrily.
"AGH, BROTHER! WHY DO YOU NOT TELL PEOPLE THINGS!" he snapped. Alphys tilted her head, then straightened up and looked around the room. Sans was nowhere to be seen. She jumped to her feet.
"W-where is he?" she stammered.
Undyne mumbled something not nice and dropped her spear. She looked about with a pout "Where did that moron go?"
"GRILLBY'S." Papyrus grumbled, holding up the note written in perfect comic sans. Alphys found it remarkable how Sans could write in a computer font.
"Sans always goes to Grillby's." Undyne muttered "Why are we making a big deal out of this?"
Papyrus stared at her for a moment, completely dumfounded. He threw his arms up in the air "BECAUSE HE DIDN'T TELL ME! WHAT IF HE SLIPS ON AN ICE CUBE? WHAT IF HE TRIPS AND BANGS HIS SKULL ON THE COUNTER? WHAT IF HE TELEPORTED WRONG AND LANDED ON GRILLBY'S HEAD!?" he became increasingly more panicked as he progressed, beginning to pace about the room "OR WHAT IF THAT CHARA GIRL GETS HIM? FLOWEY? WHAT IF SOME MAGICAL ANCIENT EVIL AWAKENS AND EATS HIM- WHAT IF-"
"CALM DOWN!" Undyne snapped, smacking him once. She put her hands on his shoulders and made him look at her "Listen, Papyrus. Sans is gonna be fine, okay? He probably knows what he's doing, and maybe taking a moment to relax is going to help him keep a clear head through all this."
Alphys nodded "I-it isn't a s-sin to take a b-break once and a while." She said with a smile.
Papyrus forced a deep, heavy breathe and relaxed his shoulders. "YES, I SUPPOSE YOU'RE RIGHT. FOR ONCE, SANS'S BREAKS ARE NECESSARY." He thought for a moment "BUT THEN AGAIN, HE PROBABLY ALREADY DID ALL THE THINGS I NAGGED HIM TO DO THROUGH ALL THOSE RESETS."
"Probably." Undyne shrugged.
"I WONDER IF HE EVER DID PICK UP THAT SOCK."
"P-probably not." Alphys shrugged.
They all fidgeted a moment. Alphys took out her phone.
"I-I'm going to text him."
"PLEASE DO." Papyrus said, sweating nervously.
Alphys nodded and felt relieved when she found the chat with Sans. She made a face when she remembered how she got this message and made an even more annoyed face when she read them. Maybe she should re-read her texts more.
Alphy:
hey sans show up and jumpscare me.
Sans:
ok sans, be there in a bit.
Alphy:
k sans, thanks.
Did he really have to go and have a conversation with himself? Then again, his antics did give her his number… She wondered if he planned for that as she fumbled with her phone and sent a new message.
Alphy:
Hey Sans, u ok? O_o ?
She waited a moment and got a text back.
Sans:
yeah im good. chatting with a friend. be back when I can. tell pap to stop chewing on his fingers.
"SO?" Papyrus asked worriedly.
"H-he said to t-tell you to stop chewing on your f-fingers." Alphys said "W-what does that means-" she cut herself off and gave Pap a semi-annoyed look. The taller skeleton sweated nervously and lowered his hands, the tips of his fingers with noticeable gnaw marks.
"Is that just a skeleton thing?" Undyne muttered.
"It's the equivalent to chewing on y-your nails, I think." Alphys said. She pocketed her phone "Sans says he's talking with a friend."
Papyrus relaxed a little with the mention of this "SO. HE'S NOT BY HIMSELF. THAT'S A RELIEF. DID HE SAY WHEN HE'D BE BACK?"
Alphys shook her head.
"AH." Papyrus frowned. Undyne gave him a reassuring (?) nudge.
"It's alright Papyrus. Let's just trust Sans not to spontaneously combust." She said.
Papyrus responded with a loud yelp of terror.
"U-undyne, I d-don't think y-you're helping." Alphys stammered.
"Oh- Uh-" Undyne fidgeted, scrambling for the words. "Uh- I'm sure he won't die! I mean…. He WON'T die!" Undyne grinned, satisfied with her reassurance. Papyrus seemed comforted by this too.
"YOU'RE RIGHT UNDYNE! I'M SURE SANS IS MORE CAREFUL THAN TO DIE!" Papyrus said.
Alphys decided not to point out Sans has gone this long without dying before. Instead, she turned back to her search and scanned the files intently. If Gaster had been a liable scientist, he probably wrote at least something down. Well, something that could help. Alphys wrapped her tail around her feet and thought. Was there anywhere else Sans would probably hide something? She let her mind wander back to when the two were good friends. The strange skeleton always had an odd way of just…putting things places. His wallet in his slipper, a bottle of ketchup in his eye socket… No good. All the places she could think of were on Sans's person.
A flash of green caught her eye. She scrambled up and back, darting behind Undyne and instinctively wrapped her claws around her own throat. The warrior turned immediately, a spear in her hand as Papyrus spread his feet apart in a battle stance.
"Howdy!" Flowey chirped. "Papyrus, how are you doing?"
"FLOWEY!" Papyrus grinned. He took a step foreward but then stopped himself. "Er….FLOWEY I AM QUITE CROSS AT YOU! YOU TRIED TO KILL ALPHYS-"
"Oh golly, I did?" Flowey frowned "I'm awfully sorry, Pap. I thought she was gonna hurt me."
"H-he's lying." Alphys tried to shout, but it came out more like a whimper.
"Papyrus, you don't actually believe him, do you?" Undyne growled.
Papyrus fidgeted and shook his head "NO. I DON'T. FLOWEY, WHY DID YOU ATTACK ALPHYS?"
Flowey's smile only seemed perkier "She was eavesdropping. That's rude."
"IT'S ALSO RUDE TO KILL PEOPLE!" Papyrus snapped, stomping his foot. "AND YOU'RE GOING TO TRY TO KILL SANS TOO-"
"Oh you already know about that." Flowey said, dropping the kind façade almost instantly. "Well I guess that means you won't tell me where he is then." A sinister grin crept across the flower's face "I suppose I can just make him come to me. Killing YOU always gets him to do what I want!"
Alphys froze. Undyne glared. Papyrus yelped.
The Flower cackled.
Sans finished and leaned heavily against the door, curling in on himself and waiting for a response. It took a long time to hear. And he decided to watch himself nervously fidgeted his feet.
He told her about the RESETs, first and foremost. Otherwise, everything else wouldn't make all that much sense. He told her about how he died, twice now, how him and his small group of friends ventured about the True Lab in an attempt to discover some sort of help for him. How a past-him recorded a message practically telling him to just let go. He told her of how Flowey attacked Alphys, and that Alphys overheard the plant talking to a Chara. Practically all he had left out was the story of the True Lab, that was for Alphys to share or not, and the more...not enjoyable, parts of those experiences. Like watching his brother die repeatedly. Like watching a kid lose control of themselves because of some other force. Those nasty bits were omitted.
And now, in an ironic turn of events, he awaited his judgment.
To his surprise, the door behind him gave way. He fell onto his back as the door was opened and found himself staring upwards at Toriel. Usually, seeing her face to face for the first time would bring a grin to his face. And it almost did. But he caught himself, stopping in his smile when he saw her looked down on him, the corners of her mouth turned down to a frown. She stooped, her purple gown bunching up around her knees as she gingerly put her arms around Sans, picked him up, and put him on his feet.
"Sans." Toriel said, slowly. She made a face, apparently trying to find the right words to speak to him. She straightened up suddenly to her full height, being close to twice Sans's. Her hands were wrung and she looked down to the side, behind her. The warm air of the Ruins clashed with the cold of Snowdin Forest and a wind swirled up around the two of them. Sans stayed silent, looking up at her and waiting for her to respond. He fidgeted with his mittens in his pockets.
"Would you like to come inside?" Toriel offered after a moment. Sans forced his usual shrug and wink.
"sure." He walked down the hall behind her and waited a moment as she pushed the ancient door shut. Quietly, the two walked down the dimly lit purple halls listening only to the sound of their footsteps. Sans knew the layout of the Ruins already, but let Toriel lead the way up the stairs and into the living room. Toriel pulled out a chair for Sans which he took after a moment, settling in without looking at her. She then retreated into the kitchen, returning a few moments later with a jug and two glasses.
"Do you enjoy warm cider?" she asked. Sans nodded, realized she wasn't looking at him, and then said:
"yeah."
Toriel nodded in response and mutely poured two glasses and taking a seat across from him. Sans took his glass and stared vacantly into his wavering reflection-…
His eye sockets widened, and so did the blue inside both of them. He didn't know his lit his eye- He didn't know he can light BOTH his eyes. Slowly, as though to look like he wasn't panicking, he put the tip of his mittened hand under his right eye socket and prodded at it. Toriel tilted her head slightly and watched as he did this. Slowly, again trying to appear casual but failing as it was he was trembling, he reached and took off the mitten on his right hand.
The tips of his fingers were dimly glowing blue. He quickly shoved the mitten back on and stared ahead at the wall.
"Sans?" Toriel frowned. "Is everything all right-?" she stopped herself and shook her head "Sans. What is wrong?"
"I-" Sans muttered. He looked at her and their eyes locked. "Were my eyes glowing blue when you opened the door?"
"…Yes?" Toriel said, frowning. "Is that not supposed to happen?"
Sans shook his head. "Tori…. el, when I use my magic my left eye lights up. ONLY my left eye." He fidgeted "And usually, I know when I'm doing it."
"You did not realize it this time." She said it as a fact, not a question. "Does this mean you are using your magic now?"
"I don't know." Sans said, the corners of his grin turning downward. "I might be. But I don't feel like I am." He sighed and took a sip of his cider. "And the right eye is glowing now, too."
Toriel put her paw over his hand and gave him a reassuring smile. "Do not fear, my friend. I am here with you. We shall figure this out."
Sans smiled at her "thanks." He sighed, relaxing back into his chair and closing his eyes "eye really appreciate it."
"It is all right to be afraid." Toriel said quietly, ignoring the pun.
"wouldn't help." Sans said, peering out of his left eye. He closed it again. "still. i don't feel like i'm using my magic."
"When was the last time you did?" Toriel suggested.
"earlier today." Sans said "when…flowey attacked alphys." He eyed her and she sighed under his gaze.
"Sans…" she took a breath "My child, Chara, has been dead for a long time." She paused. "I understand you heard her name, and therefore believe she may have something to do with the flower's attack. But I do not believe Chara would have provoked an attack or be able to have anything to do with this at all."
Sans didn't believe her but didn't let it show. "kay." He said.
She seemed surprised "That is it?"
Sans shrugged "i came to ask you what you may know about this, and you just told me. no point pushing it."
"Oh." Toriel said. She fidgeted with her claws as Sans continued to prod lightly at his eye sockets. They sat there for a while in silence, listening to the sound of a ticking clock and the small monsters scurrying about outside. The silence lingered on for what seemed like forever. And Sans was slowly falling asleep when her shrill laughter brought him back awake. He eyed her as she tried in vain to cover her laugh, her ears and shoulders bouncing along with it.
"I-I apologize." Toriel said. She took a breath and calmed down "There is simply so much to talk about that we seem not to be talking at all."
"seems so." Sans said with a wink. He shrugged "it's really hard to figure out what we should talk about when there's so much going on." He shoulders slumped slightly "…sorry to drag you into this."
"Do not apologize." Toriel said with a smile "I am happy you came to me when you thought I could help. I am simply ashamed for not being of more assistance. I apologize." She bowed her head.
Sans chuckled "nah, i'm sorry."
"No, Sans, do not blame yourself. I am at fault." Toriel insisted.
"knock knock."
Toriel tilted her head. "Who is there?"
"sorry."
"Sorry who?"
"sorry we're about to get stuck in an apology loop."
The two of them stared at each other for a moment before they both broke into laughter. It lasted several moments before Toriel pushed herself away from the table, wiping a tear from her eye.
"Hold on a moment, I believe I may know a friend who can help us with this conversation." She said. Sans looked at her questioningly as she walked over to the bookshelf, reached on top of it and took down a dusty sealed bottle and two small glasses. She turned back at him and winked, shaking the bottle "His name is Graham Beck."
Sans grinned "wow. so nice to meet ya."
A/N
What a nice ending to the chapter. Graham Beck Bliss Demi-Sec is a type of sparkling wine. I chose it specifically because it supposedly tastes like Butterscotch. DRINK YOUR CARES AWAY SANS.
…
Any of my readers under 21, don't drink. It's bad. People 21 and older, drink responsibly.
Anyway.
Tra la la, Two Blue Eyes and Demise, A Demon with Sufficient Lies.