Disclaimer:

I do not claim to own the original game nor its many AUs; as such Flowerfell and Echotale, but this plot and possible original characters/AU belong to me. Any famous songs, TV show/movies/books and manga names, and brands that are mentioned in this work belong to their rightful owners. This is purely for fun and my inner fangirl.

© Willa Field

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7:

Safe and Sound

Sans, Asriel

(Third POV)

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Sans The Skeleton hated work with a passion. He was always lazy, but being a few feet from the door that leads to his beautiful Frisk, just made this harder.

Just standing at his station as his phalanges tapped impatiently on the wood while he watched as monsters laughed and strolled by him, hating them for something that was unfair to hate them for. Their happiness as they held onto each other, enjoying their love.

It just reminded the skeleton of what he used to have, joking and playing with Frisk as they made their way to Grillbs' or to his house.

So, yeah, Sans hated to work even more now. But he had a job to, a part to play. This made him miss the time before Frisk fell, hating that feeling, but the searching for her distracted him from the hole in his chest. This was just torture, watching other lovers and wishing he was them with his beloved Frisk:

He growled before taking a gulp of mustard, the only thing that didn't change, and leaned back on the shelf of the old station. His eyes were trained on the Gate, just hoping to see a glimpse of her:

It had been a month now, and even though Asriel gave him reports about her progress, the skeleton just wanted to see her eyes on him again, to have her smile at him once more. He wanted to have her love again, but Sans didn't have much faith left. He only had the dark thoughts, of doubts and loneliness, from the first three years without her gentle love.

Again, the skeleton feared that he would never have the true ending he wanted, he would be alone and without them forever.

This will never end, he recalled with a dulled amusement while the ancient skeleton popped a cigarette between his sharp teeth as he turned his sockets to the town's entrance, lighting it as he smirked harshly. He was in an endless loop of just getting a glimpse of his desired ending and then something throws reality back at him, reminding the now-skeptical skeleton that there might be a happy ending for them, only the hope of one.

Sans idly wondered if this was his punishment for all his sins. He loved the one he once killed, and now, he was being slowly killed by the hole she leaves. If the male was honest, it was a fitting punishment:

"BROTHER! ARE YOU BEING A LAZY SACK OF BONES AGAIN?!"

The shout broke the dark spell and Sans turned to see his cinnamon roll of a brother stumbling towards his big brother, a grin stretched across his face. Paps probably sensed his depression before he left for his own job with Undyne at Asgore's castle, so Papyrus came to check on him.

Their relationship slowly improved, but there were hurt feelings on both sides. Sans, reliving the bullying from Papyrus, and Papyrus, well, hated that his brother pushed him away the first months without Frisk. But, they knew that wouldn't break their bond so easy.

After all, they were brothers and they would never stop loving each other. Besides, the Angel of Monsters would be sad if she knew they were still distant from together, so that helped as well.

No one wanted her sad, especially not now. They wanted Frisk's full return to be happy:

"'Course not, bro, I'm working myself down to the bone."

"G!"

He chuckled around his lit cigarette, enjoying the sight of Pappy rolling his slightly lit sockets, before sighing as the young skeleton came to stand next to him and leaned on the polar of the Snowdin's entrance:

"I'm sorry I came, I just worried about you, brother. How are you doing?" Sans sighed, rubbing his face while he thought of how to phrase it so Paps wouldn't worry any further.

"I'm fine, Pappy, it's just hitting me hard today. I just…..miss her so much." The older Skeleton brother whispered lowly, hating that he sounded so weak again, but he couldn't bring himself to care as a few stray tears disobeyed him.

Papyrus sucked on his teeth, not knowing how to soothe his beloved brother, however, at the same time, he knew there was nothing he could say that could stop the pain.

There was one person who could with a single sweet smile, a touch of a hand. But, she wasn't fully healed from her injuries yet. As days grew on, he would pray Frisk would rush to his brother, to be only meet with an even more broken Sans:

Papyrus asked Asriel once why he couldn't just heal her and then their waiting would end, but in this world, wounds from the outer world couldn't be healed. So, they couldn't do a thing but wait and hope that the older brother wouldn't go insane from the loneliness. Hoping that they wouldn't lose both of them.

Papyrus breathed a sigh, touching Sans' cheek to force him to meet his sockets, before leaning his forehead against his as he brushed the tears clean. If anyone didn't know them, they could think that the orange cinnamon roll was the older brother when they saw this:

"G, dear brother, I know I don't understand how deeply her absence hurts you, no one can. But just keep hope, not for me, but for the human. You don't want her sad, don't you? If you give in now, she would be alone, she might have us, but it wouldn't mean anything to her if you aren't beside her."

The younger skeleton hoped that reminding his brother of how much he means to Frisk would help Sans to tighten his hold on his hope until she will return to him. Because Pappy had a growing feeling that the human will be there in no time.

And, thankfully, it seemed to work as a snicker fell from Sans' teeth. He pulled back and rubbed his head, smiling softly while Pappy made a protesting sound and slapped playfully at Sans' hands.

His brother was right, his mind agreed a grin as he watched while the innocent skeleton puffed his cheeks in annoyance, he couldn't give up on her. Not after all they went through together, not after her fight to come back to the Kingdom of Monsters.

He will make sure this would be it, the true ending they were waiting for and looking for. This would be it.

"I said let her go! You know the punishment for disobeying me! LET HER GO!" A familiar voice growled, echoing to the playing brothers, bringing them back to reality as they snapped their heads to the fighting:

"Is that—"

"Asriel…..yeah, that sounds like….."

"Oh, come on! Asriel, we can be free with its soul! Think about the monsters for once! You are our prince for the Queen's sake!"

Another, rougher voice shouted, sounding like whoever it belonged to was struggling with something, and a second later, the brothers knew what as a feminine scream ripped through the air. The scream sent Sans' non-existent blood to a boil as his aura slowly brightened, barely hearing Papyrus' gasp before his boots hit the pathway.

"Brother, wait!"

That stupid dog will burn, he growled loudly in the halls of his mind as he shouted over his shoulder:

"Paps, go back! She can't see you yet! Go!"

Sans didn't bother to see if his brother obeyed, his attention was on the growing figures ahead of him, his anger tinting everything red as he saw Asriel trying to keep Drake's greedy paws away from Frisk's shining soul; it flowed high and proud above her chest as she hung unconscious over that stupid dog's arms. But, the Prince was growing tired, and his attacks were faltering as he growled out breathlessly.

"Damn it, Drake! That girl will save us! Now, this is your last chance, stand down and give her to me! That is an order from your Prince!"

"Oh, a human saving monster kind? That's hilarious! You are insane if you believe that. Gaster was right, your family has gotten soft. Looks like it's up—"

At the mention of Gaster's name, Sans' control broke and he called her soul, fighting the urge to blast his ass all over the path until Frisk was safe in his arms.

But once the flower was neatly cradled in his hold, he growled loudly, like a wolf protecting its pup. Asriel shuddered at the sight, Sans looked as if he were about to dust Drake's body and sparked his ashes in Hotland's lava. Erasing any sign that he even lived.

He wouldn't be so brave in a few, he gulped as he watched Drake turned to the very angry skeleton with a rumbling growl.

The growl quickly faded into a whimper as a glowing yellow bone stopped inches from Drake's face, Sans stalking forward as his sole pupil glowed like the sun and a creep grin spread across his teeth:

"Drakey, Drakey, I thought you learned your lesson last time. Do I have to teach you more manners? And to not listen to Gaster?"

"G, I just wanted to save—" The dog creature stammered out, his hands held up in a gesture of surrender while he backed up. But it was too late, he was too deep as the grin on Sans' face grew and he strode closer and closer, clicking his tongue disapprovingly.

"Drake, dude, you would know by now," Sans' voice grew deeper with every step, handing his sweetheart to her brother and pressed a tender kiss to her temple, before he turned back to the cowering dog monster; his eye blazed brighter as his dragons stood behind his shoulders while he spoke once more:

"I won't believe anyone who hurt my loved ones." Sans growled deeply, sending a bone to pin him by his wife beater to a tree and he stepped closer to the mutt, him leaning down to his eye level:

"Now, you have one chance. What did Gaster tell you?"

-.-.-.-.-

Asriel flinched, slowly sitting down with Frisk in his lap as he watched the scene unfold in front of him, hoping Sans wouldn't go too far with that stupid dog.

But, thankfully, Frisk was there and she was his moral compass. He would never bloody his hands in her presence, however, he wouldn't let him off so easier. Not with Gaster's name mentioned, no good came from his name.

This was why everyone was so worried for Sans. A deal with the mad scientist only meant good for him and only him. If he was talking around to the Snowdin monsters, then that meant Gaster was trying to get Sans' attention. And it worked.

"He just said the Royals wouldn't get the last soul we need. We should just take it and save ourselves, I just wanted to be a hero!" The dog whimpered loudly, cowering when the skeleton put another bone against his neck and a growl escaped from the walls of his throat:

"So he told you to murder an innocent soul, one that didn't hurt any monster, and YOU listened?"

"How do you know it didn't?! It might have!"

Sans scowled deeply, grabbing him from the tree and turned to the Prince, who was glaring at the shuddering dog monster now. That statement made the two males angrier than ever before this situation. This mutt didn't have a clue about this precious human:

Because throughout the Ruins, she never once harmed a monster, not even when they wanted to fight her and take her soul; she would just smile tenderly and do whatever she had to calm them down and befriend them. And that was even clearer when their mother had to attack her, once to comfort her worries before letting her daughter go deeper into the Monsters' world, but now just to play her part:

"You see Asriel, alive and well? And, Assy, tell Mr. D and I, did the human killed anyone in the Ruins?" Sans required, gesturing to the sleeping girl in the goat's arms a bit harsh. Asriel growled and resituated Frisk against the tree before he turned back to the pair with flames dancing from his ambers and hands:

"Why, no, G. She was so sweet, but she was so fucking scared, and this ass made that worse. Do you know how long it took us to soothe her fears?" The goat sneered, not caring anymore that Drake's whimpering got louder with every passing moment before he was turned back to Sans, who now were raising a non-existent eyebrow.

"Oh? She didn't kill anyone? My, what do you call that then?" Sans scowled deeper, cocking his head as he tightened his hold on the creature's shirt collar.

"I believe that is what you call innocence, G."

The goat monster watched as the skeleton's false cool attitude melted away as he slammed the monster against the nearest tree and put his face close to his as Sans' growly voice grew even more demonic with every word, but Asriel didn't care, his anger was still burning from the realization that Drake hurt her. This was a fair punishment for what he did.

Popping up when he knew he was with Frisk and that she was too weak to fight any stronger monsters with the way she faced any fight. Asriel knew that she was going to have to eventually as they went on, but he thought they had more time to prepare her for it.

However, being the dumb dog Drake is, he didn't think about the effect his actions would have, not only for him, but for the other 'guard' dogs. Because if the dumbest of them attacked them so early, why wouldn't the smarter ones later?

After he got the flower settled with the Skeleton Brothers and she trusted them—which the goat monster wasn't worried about—he was going to see his father and Undyne about this. Something has to be done, and it has to be now:

And apparently, Sans had the same thought as him while he growled out the next words:

"See? She didn't do a thing to anyone! I want you to know that the next time you meet. Better yet, why won't tell the other monsters that Gaster talked to this warning; if anyone goes hard on her just like you did, they would have a visit from me or Asriel. Are we clear?"

"Y-yes, sir! I'm sorry, I didn't know you knew it."

"HER! She is a female, for stars' sake!" Sans screamed angrily as he threw the dog to the snow, letting him stumble away with a sneer before an annoyed breath slipped from his mouth, turning to his soul brother as he stuffed his hands into his jeans:

"You ok, kiddio?" He asked, feeling odd using that nickname again and on someone else then his beloved Frisk. But, calling her that now seemed odd, so Asriel was dubbed kid and kiddio now.

Asriel sighed deeply as he made his way to where the flower laid and gently guided her soul into place, before rubbing his neck while he shifted his gaze up to the towering skeleton with a guilty expression placed on his face while he moved from his crouched position to meet his sockets:

"Yes, he just surprised me. Poor Frisk, though, she was doing so great, but I think the sudden attack brought back some memories. I'm sorry, G, I tried to protect her; but that mutt didn't want to listen to reason."

Sans frowned in anger, his eyes moved to Drake's fading figure with a soft flame glowing from his eye. He wanted to rip his head off; Asriel could tell as he watched Sans' fists shake slightly. But the skeleton thankfully decided against it as he turned his back on the cowardly monster, a scowl turning into a slight smile before he placed a hand on the younger monster's shoulder:

"As, don't sweat it, we all knew there would be dumb asses who would follow the old rules, not the peaceful ones. But, what I'm worried the most about here is my loving 'father'."

After that truth, the males stood silently as their eyes fell upon the sleeping beauty, fear slowly took ahold of them at the thought of Gaster. Rumors and Sans' own words painted the former scientist quite the sadist, using pain to further his experiments' progress and as his version of entertainment. The thought of him touching the innocent flower turned both of their stomachs, but Asriel had a sad feeling that the skeleton was even worse than the goat did.

He might carry guilt for this, bringing him into their lives. He just wanted to protect Frisk, but instead, he might have caused her more danger:

If he was still the brutally honest plant monster, Asriel would have laid into him and tell him that he led the older skeleton right to Frisk, but he knew that would make things worse. And the goat monster didn't want to cause his best friend any more pain.

With the thought in his mind, the goat smiled as he held his arm as a gesture of comfort before he winked playfully, wanting to lighten the mood for a while.

"Well, right now, don't worry about that. This is finally happening, she is now."

The skeleton chuckled softly, his mood lightly turned into a happier one as he moved his sockets down to the slightly wiggling girl, dressed in an old-fashioned yellow dress and a cape with his jacket tied at her hips:

"It looks like she will wake up soon," Sans noted, shifting his eyes away and up back to the goat monster, a yellow tint danced across his cheeks at the thought of her meeting him once more, but other thoughts worried him more.

"Did she remember anything on the way here? About you or your mom?"

The other male sighed, wanting to give him some good news, but he didn't think this would comfort him:

"I think she is, but only in snippets. I think this will take time."

Sans sucked on his teeth, trying to stay calm, but the idea sent his soul to a stop. He had to act like he didn't know her, didn't have feelings for her? He had to act as if he didn't love her? Just be like they were before this happened? For stars know how long?

At times like this, Sans hated Error; no matter much he had some sympathy for him now. He hated him for putting him and his family through this torture, to interact with the beautiful flower but to know that she didn't remember them; they had to start over.

However, he had to remember he did give them a good chance to save her and get their happy ending. So, the skeleton just breathed an annoyed breath in and nodded slowly, giving up on the thought and decided to move on.

"I guess that should be right. Error wouldn't make this that easy." Sans mumbled, snatching his cheek before he gave a slight grin to Asriel as he backed up to his station:

"Anyway, now that Drake is dealt with, I should get into place. It's been a while, it'll be so fun."

He flashed a bigger grin as his hand came up to a whoopee cushion in his holed hand before he ran back, leaving Asriel to chuckle just as Frisk stirred back to consciousness.

Asriel quickly returned his gaze back to her and knelt at her side, soothing her loose strands as her bright eyes opened, before she gasped and she jumped up as her eyes darted around in. The goat tried to soothe her as he forced her into a comforting hug with Frisk struggling to run and hide:

"Sweet girl, shh I got you. That mutt is gone. He's gone. I'm here." He whispered softly, running a paw through her hair.

They stayed like that for a few more moments, but he didn't mind, really. He liked moments like this, him comforting this fragile girl until her fears disappeared. He felt like an actual brother, soothing his own loneliness.

But, soon, the brunette calmed down and pulled back with a small smile placed on her face, thanking him with her small hands. The goat grinned, ruffling the braided brown hair as he stepped back, jerking his head down the path:

"If you feel better, we could probably get into town before its grate closes. You're tired and I am sure you want you'll want to sleep in a bed for a while before we continue on."

Frisk grinned suddenly, nodding eagerly, before she ran ahead, leaving her brother to stand there in confusion and shock.

What the hell? He questioned as he ran after the giggling girl, was she that eager to rest?

"Frisk! Slow down! You are going to trip. Why are you running—"

As he shouted out to her, he saw Sans' shadow slowly loomed closer to her, her feet carried her near to the grate. His eyes widened, cocking his head to the side as he watched her expression grew more and more eager as she neared Snowdin's entrance:

Something was happening, she knew something.

Asriel just stopped and hid behind a nearby tree, peeking out as Sans neared behind the panting girl, reaching his hand out in a shake before his deep voice echoed throughout the forest:

"Hey, dove, don't you know how to greet a new pal? Turn around and shake my hand."