Vzzzt. Vzzzt. Vzzzt. Vzzzt. Vzzzt. Vzz-

"… Hello…? Hi, Pap… Yeah, it's me. Sans is asleep… No, he's okay. He just wanted to stay over after he took Asriel home… Oh, I'm sorry, we didn't hear our phones earlier. I'll let him know you called when he gets up… Okay. Bye, sweetie."

…

January 11th, 213X

…

Frisk let out a long sigh, setting Sans' phone back on the nightstand before laying back against the pillows again. Glancing over, Frisk found Sans hadn't moved from the moment they'd fallen asleep. Frisk had been holding him until the phone vibrated. Sans always seemed to sleep more soundly when someone was holding him. Perhaps that was left over from so many years of going to Papyrus when he had nightmares, and vice versa.

Frisk slid back over and retook their place curled up against the broader man's back, an arm draping around Sans' stomach. With another sigh, Frisk fell still and closed their eyes.

"Was that Papyrus…?" Sans' deep voice asked, nearly startling Frisk.

"Uh… yeah. Have you been awake the whole time…?" Frisk murmured, holding Sans a little tighter and pressing their bare chest to his back.

"No. Heard you say goodbye, that's about it."

"I'm sorry I woke you."

"'S'alright." Sans turned over to face Frisk and pulled them into his broad arms against his barrel chest and pressed a kiss to their forehead. "What time is it…?"

"Midnight. Papyrus was worried when you never went home."

"Yeah… probably should've texted him or something… I'll make it up to him."

"He said he wanted you to call him back in the morning. Something personal he wants to tell you."

"Heh. I've got a few guesses as to what it is."

"Me too." Frisk lifted their head and stole a kiss from Sans' lips. "Hmm…"

"Hmm, what?"

"Nothing. Just realizing this is one of the few times we've been almost naked in bed together and it hasn't led to anything." Frisk was just in their boxers while Sans was in a pair of black lounge pants, one of the handful of clothing articles he always left at Frisk's place because he slept over so often.

"I mean, I could fix that," Sans chuckled, his arms wrapping a little tighter around his partner's middle while Frisk's hands settled on his chest.

"I don't know. You still seem pretty tired."

"I can get up late."

"As usual."

"Hey, now…" Sans lifted his head to kiss a sensitive spot under Frisk's ear, making his younger partner shiver and swat his chest.

"Don't you start that," Frisk laughed softly. They sat up, pushing Sans onto his back, and easily straddled his waist. "You know I hate it when you distract me like that."

"You love it." Sans' hands rose to Frisk's shoulders and trailed down their toned and lean torso slowly. Sans had always thought when he was younger that he was strictly straight, but Frisk had one of the most beautiful masculine bodies Sans had ever seen and he could barely keep his hands off them some days. Sans often joked that he was still technically straight because Frisk was genderless, but he really wouldn't have cared what gender Frisk was in the end. That was one of the many reasons Frisk loved him so much- he didn't care what form Frisk was in. Sans would still love them and be equally obsessed with their mind and body.

Frisk watched Sans' fingers catch the waistband of the dark boxers, Sans flashing them a grin before his hands slipped around to Frisk's back and pulled them down into a kiss. It began slowly, but grew deeper and more heated when Frisk's own hands began to explore across Sans' dark skin. Their fingers hesitated only once on the long scar that stretched across Sans' torso, and Sans' own fingers rose to the scar on the left side of Frisk's chest, an involuntary reaction that made Frisk lift their head and meet Sans' gaze. They were mismatched, the brown eye blind but unnoticeably so to others. It was the blue eye Frisk was interested in, and they found just what they expected. That blue eye was slowly turning a lovely mix of jade and lime green, giving off a dim glow.

Frisk smiled softly and Sans raised an eyebrow until Frisk leaned back in and Sans saw the glow reflected on their pale skin. "Heh… it's always you, isn't it…?"

"Always me?" Frisk asked, stealing one more kiss before Sans could answer.

"You're the one who does this to me more than anyone else ever has… Even Pap can't get the light to come out as often as you…"

"Well, I am the light of your life." Frisk laughed quietly as Sans rolled his eyes, but the green light grew just a little brighter.

"God, now I know how Pap feels when I do that…"

"Oh, just enjoy it, Sansy." Frisk caught him up in another kiss and soon pulled Sans back into that lovely haze. Frisk eventually found Sans pushing them back and trapping them playfully against the sheets, taking over the way he liked to do whenever he was particularly comfortable and happy. Frisk just enjoyed it and gave him control once Sans tugged away their boxers, ever the willing recipient of Sans' once-tentative love and affection.

…

Come late morning, Frisk finally sat up with a deep sigh, rubbing their eyes with the back of one hand while the other held them up. They glanced down to find the other half of the bed empty, and their brows furrowed in confusion. Sans almost never got up before them. He liked to stay and hold Frisk as long as he could, and just be lazy. Finding Sans' phone gone from the nightstand and his lounge pants discarded in the hamper, Frisk was a bit concerned.

Pulling on some fresh boxers, slim jeans and a black tanktop, Frisk wandered out of their room to find Sans sitting at the little kitchen table with his phone to his ear and a pen and notepad before him. He was wearing his glasses, usually hidden away inside his hoodie. Frisk paused to listen for a moment.

"Mhm… yeah, sounds like the R-Block capacitors are fried. Shut off the main charger for the block and get them replaced. Shouldn't effect S through Z's charging."

Frisk sighed silently. It was someone from the CORE, asking Sans for his help. That meant Dr. Aria and Dr. Gaster weren't around. Sans had helped expand the CORE in his twenties thanks to his being one of only few people who understood Gaster's work. Now whenever something went wrong and the main CORE designers couldn't be reached for advice, the maintenance supervisors called Sans.

Frisk quietly made their way into the kitchen to get a drink, Sans glancing at them as they passed. "… Yeah, shut off the block and let me know if that helps. If not, it isn't the capacitors. It's either the block chargers or the cables in between. If all the other blocks are charging just fine, then it isn't the relays… Yeah, I'll keep my phone on me. If it's just the capacitors, just text me. If it's something else, call me back and I'll guide you through the check… No problem, Hane, I keep my number in the CORE files for a reason. Just make sure you tell Aria and Dad when they get back. Talk to you later. Bye."

Sans hit the red 'end call' button on his smartphone screen and put it and his glasses down on the table before letting his head rest in his hands. "What the fuck is going on…?" Sans whispered to himself as he stared down at his notepad. There were two whole years of notes about breakdowns and problems that had arisen in the CORE. None of it made sense. Brand new machines would receive energy surges that wouldn't effect other machinery around them, not even those along the same cables. Whole rows of capacitors would go out, except for the first in the row. Pipes would burst as if over-pressurized despite all gauges reading normal, safe pressure. Cable jackets would be found melted despite the line being inactive. If Sans didn't know better, he'd say someone was doing it to mess with the CORE. But security cameras never caught footage of anyone sabotaging machinery.

A mug appeared before Sans, steaming with fresh coffee, and he realized he'd been sitting there racking his brains for a whole twenty minutes. He looked up to see Frisk holding their own mug, watching him worriedly.

"Morning, babe," Sans murmured with a weak grin, though he knew his smile wouldn't hide anything. Frisk set down their coffee and sat down across from Sans.

"Hane again?"

"Yeah… uh… a bank of capacitors went out. Nothing crazy. Sounds like a surge."

"Aren't there surge protectors?"

"A really big, industrial version, yeah… but there should never be a surge. The CORE creates electricity at a set rate. If there was a surge… that would've meant someone ramped up production, and that would've fried everything, not just one bank…"

"Are they just old, then?"

"No. Block R was replaced last October. Each block is meant to be replaced every five years. And unless the manufacturing team made a mistake- which Dad would've caught because he inspects every new bank- there's no reason for it to have died like that… Shit, just last month Block D outright blew up when it was drained and disconnected, nearly killed the guy replacing cables. That's… God, that's practically impossible… I still don't know how it happened…"

"… Do you have any theories?"

"None that make any goddamned sense when applied to logic."

"What about your Dad?"

"I don't know… Haven't talked to him since November. Block D blew up the day after Christmas when Dad was out of the country."

"You haven't talked to your father in two months?"

"We have nothing to talk about," Sans answered a little too aggressively, making Frisk go silent. They'd unconsciously tensed up and drawn their hands back. Sans' intense gaze softened and he reached across to lay a calloused hand on Frisk's. "I'm sorry, babe… I-"

"I know. You don't like thinking about him." Frisk took his hand in both their own. "From all you've told me… I don't blame either of you for not wanting to talk to or about each other."

"I should, though… Ma would kill us if she knew we didn't even spend holidays with him anymore…"

"It's not entirely your fault. He never takes time off for anything anyway. I think even if you asked, he'd make an excuse."

"Likely… but… I could at least try, y'know…? I'm just not looking forward to the awkward silence and the small talk."

"I could come with you, if you ever got him to agree to dinner."

"I don't wanna make you go through the torture either."

"He might be more willing to start talking to me. I don't want to mediate, because it's not my business to make him get along with you, but I could establish a little common ground that doesn't have to do with the CORE. Something less troubling, maybe."

"Actually… that's not a bad idea…" Sans sighed. "If I ever talk him into it, I might take you up on the offer."

Frisk let their fingers trace Sans' rough knuckles, offering him a smile. "You don't have to dread it so much, Sans. He's your father and he cares. It might take a little digging to bring that out again, but… just like you, he's carrying a lot on his shoulders- past, present, and future. Just be patient and understanding. He's just as scarred as you are, if only a little more on the outside."

"How are you always so nice?" Sans asked quietly, tilting his head as a little grin came to his lips. "You have this uncanny knack for making peace."

"Experience, mostly," Frisk answered simply. They didn't elaborate even when Sans raised an eyebrow. Frisk never did explain those sorts of things.

"Babe… are you ever gonna tell me?" Sans asked quietly, and Frisk's gaze drifted down to their hands.

"Maybe one day… you already know part of it, but… there's some things I'm still coming to terms with myself."

"… Okay." Sans didn't push. Frisk didn't keep many secrets from him, but those they did were difficult and, whenever they did share one, Sans was always floored by their capacity for taking abuse and hatred while remaining gentle and pacifistic.

Frisk eventually glanced to Sans' phone on the table, the lock screen displaying 11:03am. "Don't you have to work today…?"

"Yeah, not til five, though."

"Why so late?"

"Undyne had someone cover my usual time, but no one can be on til midnight. Then tomorrow it'll get back to the usual nine to five." Sans stood up from his chair and caressed Frisk's cheek as he passed by. "You want leftovers for breakfast or an omelet?"

"You can take the leftovers for dinner at work." Frisk stood and followed, opening up the fridge to get the eggs and some odds and ends to chop up and throw in, like ham and some spring onions and cheese. "Do you want anything else?"

"Got any potatoes around?" Sans asked as he pulled out a large skillet from under a counter.

"In the pantry."

Sans fetched a few potatoes out from the tiny closet pantry and a second pan, pulling out a chef's knife from the wooden knife block on the counter and a wooden cutting board. Frisk filled a small bowl with water for the potatoes to soak, and began cooking up the ham while Sans chopped the potatoes.

It was all so… normal. Sans had always known a home life with Papyrus, but he'd never really thought about what it'd be like with a partner. As brothers, Papyrus and Sans had generally let the other live as they pleased, like roommates, once Papyrus was old enough to have his own life outside their home. He had taken over most of the housework while Sans worked to support them both, but they had more evenly split the work now that they both had jobs. While Sans definitely brought in more money, Papyrus was earning enough in training to at least cover a quarter of the household costs and his own activities. Sans didn't mind paying for anything. While being a sentry wasn't incredibly profitable, Sans never spent much money anyway. He liked cheap things just by default.

With Frisk, things were a little different even though they weren't living together yet. Frisk was just as neat and efficient as Papyrus, but they didn't put up with Sans being too lazy. The upside of that was that they knew how to get Sans to get off the couch and do things, while Papyrus had never quite had that power. Beyond that, Sans often caught himself doing Frisk's laundry for them without being asked, or doing the dishes automatically after a meal, because… well, because Frisk would appreciate it. And that was all that mattered. Papyrus' happiness mattered too, but he was just too much fun to annoy. Frisk, on the other hand… Sans just loved to see them smile, and loved when they thanked him with a simple kiss and a hug. That was sometimes even better than the fantastic sex. Just feeling… appreciated. Frisk was never shy about how much they loved and appreciated Sans, while others would take those things for granted. It was great to feel useful again after Papyrus had grown up. Maybe that was it right there- feeling useful, and being loved beyond what family could provide.