"SANS!"
"Whaaaaaaat…?"
"Get off your lazy ass and come help me!"
"But I'm working."
"You're sleeping at your post as usual."
...
January 9th, 213X
...
Slowly dragging himself from his chair in the sentry station, Sans tucked his hands into his hoodie pockets and strolled out the side door to see Undyne waiting for him with crossed arms and a scowl. "'Sup, Undyne?" He asked with his usual lazy, wide grin. The tall and slender woman's single piercing eye glared down at him and she straightened her black uniform jacket with clear annoyance.
"I just got a call from Asgore that Asriel's gone missing, slipped out of the castle when no one was looking. We need to get over to New Home and help find him. I've already got the boys setting up a perimeter and Papyrus is joining the search parties."
"This happens every year around this time, Undyne. The kid just wants to get out and have a second to himself for once," Sans insisted with an unconcerned shrug.
"Sans, this is serious. You know how easy it is for him to get stressed and anything could set him off," Undyne growled, her hands moving to her hips in a gesture that told Sans he wasn't going to convince her.
"Alright, alright… Take down the perimeter. I'll go get him." Sans began strolling away toward his white pickup parked behind the sentry station.
"What do you mean, 'take down the perimeter?' What if he gets out of the city? Then we'll never find him!" Undyne growled, following him to the truck and glaring at him as he so nonchalantly flopped into the seat, started the engine, and began surfing the radio as if he had all the time in the world, rolling the window down at the same time.
"You have no chill, do you? Leave it to me. If I don't call you by noon tomorrow, send in the cavalry. Start with the park outside Echo." Sans clicked in his seatbelt, but before he could put the truck in gear, Undyne reached in through the open window and laid a hand on Sans' arm.
"Sans," Undyne spoke in a suddenly quiet tone. "How do you know where he is? Why do you always know how to find him? You're the only one other than Frisk who can make him go home when this happens."
"It's January 9th, Undyne," Sans told her with another smile, one that seemed almost… sad. "Tomorrow, noon. No sooner, or else you'll scare him away. Then we'll have to search half the damned country. Capiche?"
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. But… listen, do you need anything for him or yourself before you go?" Undyne rarely softened, but the concern in her gaze was that of an old friend who'd seen Sans deal with such delicate matters far too often. Asriel could be dangerous, and Sans was the type to let the younger man beat the hell out of him just to get out his frustration and rage. Sans always came out on the winning end, but not without a black eye or a cracked rib.
"Actually… Yeah, there's one thing. Try to keep Asriel's dear ol' dad from freaking out. Tori too, because I know she'll blame Asgore for all this. Tell 'em… Sans'll explain when Asriel's ready to come back. I'll call you tomorrow morning and let you know if we're gonna be gone another day or so, 'kay?"
"Got it. Take good care of the kid," Undyne stepped back and with one more reassuring grin from Sans, the truck pulled away and headed eastward.
...
It took two hours to pass through Waterfall, stopping along the way to get fuel and coffee, and then another hour to reach New Home at the foot of Mount Under. Sans had never really liked the city, having grown up in a small college town in Waterfall. He preferred Snowdin above the rest of the country. It was quiet, people were friendly, and nothing ever happened.
Weaving up Alder Boulevard, Sans scanned the right side of the road occasionally until he saw just what he was looking for. He indicated and turned right into a parking lot, pulling into one of the many empty spaces. There were only a handful of cars around, probably belonging to joggers who liked the adjoining park and people bringing dogs to Frisbee sessions. Sans nudged his door open and stepped out, glancing outward toward a stand of old oak trees where he saw a familiar mess of blonde hair and a green hoodie.
Bringing his cup of coffee, and a second cup of hot cocoa he'd picked up, Sans nudged the pickup door shut with his shoe and made his way around the short fence. The younger man didn't seem to notice his approach until Sans sat down a few feet away in the grass. Slowly, Asriel raised his head and glanced over. His tired, surprised expression told Sans that Asriel hadn't expected to be found so easily and so soon. "What do you want?" Asriel's voice was hoarse and his eyes were watery, wet spots showing on his baggy sleeves.
"I thought you could use some hot chocolate," Sans told him with a shrug and a smile, setting the cup down on the ground between them. He knew not to get too close to Asriel too quickly. Asriel needed space now more than ever, physically and emotionally.
"Dad sent you," the blond murmured, reaching out slowly to take the cup as if he was worried Sans would reach out and try to grab him. To Sans, it was a good sign that Asriel was accepting the cup at all.
"Kinda. He called Undyne because he knows I'm the only one who can find you before you starve yourself," Sans answered before taking a sip of his coffee. "I told her to tell him that I'd come find you, but I'm not gonna drag you home. Said I'd call her in the morning and let her know you're okay."
"You're gonna stick around that long?" Asriel asked dryly.
"You betcha. Someone's gotta make sure you don't go out clubbing too late." That earned a weak smirk from Asriel and Sans' smile softened. "I won't intrude, kiddo. I just wanna make sure you get dinner and a warm place to sleep. Last year you would've gotten pneumonia if I hadn't dragged you to a hotel. Speaking of which, my ass is already frozen just sitting here, man. You gotta be really uncomfortable."
"A little, but it's okay," Asriel murmured. "I'm not going anywhere. You can go sit in your truck if you want."
"So can you if you want, bud. Whenever you're ready, we'll go find something to eat, alright? No rush." Sans rose, dusting snow off his jeans. He paused for a moment, then stepped forward slowly to ruffle Asriel's hair, finding that the younger man didn't flinch away. That was an even better sign. "I know you hate being stuck, kiddo. And you know… just like the past twelve years… you can always call me when you feel trapped. I'll drive across the damn country to make sure you can get out and breathe. Frisk will too."
"I know… I just don't wanna inconvenience you guys like that…" Asriel's shoulders hunched and he tucked his head, making Sans draw back and give him space.
"It's not inconvenient when we both agree that getting the hell away from all this with you is pretty relaxing for us too." Sans' smile grew warmer when Asriel glanced up at him with a touch of surprise. "We get world-weary too, Az. Myself especially. Life may be all rainbows and sunshine these days, but sometimes you want a little rain to remind you how good it feels to come back from being sad. I'll be in the truck, buddy. You relax."
Asriel watched Sans stride away easily, and he wondered how the older man could always be so laid-back when he had his own hurricane of turmoil to deal with too. Asriel was one of only a handful of people who struggled with the same knowledge as Sans, and it made all of their lives that much harder, wondering when everything would just… reset.