how dare a nap have this many steps chapter 67
"…Sans?"
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Adrift in a cool void, wrapped in the waves of the song of the world; musing on relaxing, lethargic nothing… A soft, familiar voice casting a light in was something Sans would really rather have ignored. He didn't budge. It was so much easier to sink and let the weight settle.
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Still, the voice bobbed up and down, just a little pinprick of violet to break surface. A soft snout beyond the dark pressed against his brow for a few moments before leaving him alone again.
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Sans sighed. His eyelids were heavy as stone. He cracked them apart and gazed into the golden glow of a star before him, its gleam the only light the dim room needed. As he groggily readjusted himself, the shifting of weight on his side caught his attention. He turned his head with a curious squint. A purple lump nestled against him. Suzy. Surprise ran through his cranium. How long had she been there? Maybe she had a nightmare? Considering everything he'd told her, Sans wouldn't be shocked. He was poor company, but he guessed it was better than nothing.
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"Ah. Sans?" Toriel slid into his range of view with a smile on her tired face. "I'm sorry, my child, did I wake you?"
"Don't worry." His voice came out raspy and lower than usual. "Sup?"
"Just checking in," she assured him. "I wasn't sure where you were. I'm glad you three managed to get some rest."
Sans raised his brow. She levelled a finger at the bed against the wall. Undyne was draped across it with her arm dangling to the floor, snoring quietly. He cracked an amused smile and then looked up at Toriel.
"So, uh, how'd it go at Asgore's?"
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Toriel's ears lifted slightly and a glimmer shone in her eyes. She opened her mouth, but quickly stalled herself and gestured to the stairs before she left quietly. Sans heaved himself from the chair on stiff legs. Undyne had all the blankets, so he draped his hoodie over Suzy to keep her cozy.
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As the skeleton groggily headed downstairs, he checked his phone for the time. It had barely been two hours. Exhausting. But, he guessed if there was any time it was good for minutes to drag, it was now.
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In the room below, Toriel greeted him with a smile. "Our world gave me a strange… wonderful gift."
"Glad it's doin' someone some good," Sans said. "So the kid was alright?"
"Perfectly," she said. "And he seems to be having a nice time with the girl you and the others rescued. I… suppose he's from one of those sideways times. But to be able to see even one of the children again… Even if it's only for a little while." Her smile turned sad and her gaze drifted off through him. "I don't deserve such closure, if you could even call it that. But. I'm glad there are some times where things were not so terrible."
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The big monster folded her arms and frowned thoughtfully for a moment. She leaned back on her desk, her snout wrinkling. "Sans? May I ask you something?"
"Yeah," he said.
"Why… did no one say that Asgore did not…?" Her ears drooped. "He… This boy, he didn't… fight him at all."
"Oh. Asgore, uh, spilled the beans, huh?" Sans smiled from the side of his mouth. "He… never said it quite like this, but it always seemed to me like he felt responsible no matter what. So. What actually went down didn't really matter to him. Dad, too, I guess."
Toriel frowned at the carpet. "I have a faint memory. Did Gaster say something? Perhaps he did. And it's slipping from me?"
"Possible," he said.
"He was a wreck, too, by the way. The child seemed to think he saved him at the border between Waterfall and Hotland." Toriel smiled to herself. "Gaster always said he wasn't good with children, but I didn't believe him, not after Chara." She tilted her head back and rubbed her brow. "Aah, my mind is still a mess, isn't it?" A slight pout formed on her lips. "Asgore remembers quite a bit, it seems. I… would like to remember. All of this. Properly."
"Yeah. That'd be real nice." He raised his brows. "Was that why you booked it? Asgore?"
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Toriel let out a long, quiet sigh. "Yes. I just had such a horrible thought of… Well. Never mind." She shook her head. "Anyway. I left after the children's bedtime. Your father said he'd stay there so I would not worry, so long as I kept an eye on you." She shot Sans a tired smile. "So, tell me, how are you feeling?"
Sans shrugged. "Could be worse."
"…Would you…? I mean, if you're comfortable," she said tentatively, "may I see your number?"
"Hm." He fished his phone from his pocket and booted up the app— it had the reading from a few hours prior. He handed it over to her. "Pretty crap. But. I'm still up. For now."
Toriel took one look at the data alongside the image of his blue soul and her hand began to tremble. She grimaced, showing fang, and then bent down to pull him into a hug. "My poor, brave boy."
Sans snorted out a laugh. "Not so much, but—"
"Is there anything I can do?" she asked. "Anything at all?"
"I, uh… Heh. Nah. Just keep it together for Paps," he said. "Oh, and, uh, if I dust, don't vacuum me up right away, I'll leave some notes."
"Sans." She sighed and kissed his head. "You're impossible, you know that?" She straightened up and brushed her hand through the fur between her horns. "Anything else I should know? You haven't lost any bones, have you? And how's your vision?"
"S'all fine." He paused and tilted his head. "Huh." He chuckled. "Hardly noticed that the world wasn't splittin' yet." He winked. "We'll see how long that lasts."
"Hopefully it's permanent," she said.
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"Oh. Uh. There is one thing," Sans said. "Not about me. I told Suz what's up."
"You…? You what?!" Toriel's eyes grew wide and round, and she quickly clapped her hands to her snout before hurriedly lowering her voice. "Oh my god. What happened?"
"She… had to know. She had a theory, but it was just off track enough that I figured the truth was better," he said. "So. Told her what I could."
"And?"
"She was upset. Obviously. But, she chilled out. Wasn't the end of the world. I…" His brow furrowed thoughtfully. "I think she's gonna be alright."
"Oh, the poor girl," Toriel said quietly. "What an impossible situation for her."
Sans nodded. "Garbage."
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Toriel sighed. She cast a look back at the upstairs before shooting him a warm, tired smile. "…Alright. Are you hungry? I can make you something that might at least give you a little buffer?"
The skeleton doubted it would make much of a difference, but he shrugged. "Alright. Thanks." He stretched his back tiredly. "Paps down there?"
"I believe he headed out to check on Flora. And your, um… Auntie and Uncle asked to see him, as well. According to the note he left, anyway."
"Ah." Another excuse to delay the inevitable. He wasn't sure if that was good, but he guessed the whole confession of his impending death thing could wait until morning. "Cool."
"Go on," Toriel said. "I'll be down in a few minutes."
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Sans trundled off, rubbing the back of his skull. Once he was safely down the hall, Toriel wilted, her shoulders sagging and her ears drooping low. She put her face in her hands and bared her fangs. Her fur bristled all along her back and neck. She sucked in a long, deep breath, straightening up as she let it out slowly. The heartache in her chest felt a little less heavy, at least for the moment.
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Her journal sat askew on her desk. She picked it up and fondly added the human boy, Makena, into her notes. He had looked so happy and at ease in Asgore's home. She had to admit, she still wasn't entirely comfortable leaving the child there, but the other humans were with him, and Gaster was there. That would have to be enough, especially because whatever time was changing was inconsistent between the house and the rest of the underground. Small consolation, she supposed, but if Asgore was wrong about his own memories, Mak could simply rush outside to be safe again.
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Next, delving into her notes about the monsters with the void souls, she scrawled in a little more about Suzy. The poor girl was having a monumentally strange time. After this was all over, Toriel wanted to be sure she was alright. She hoped she would remember the child. Sans would remind her, wouldn't he?
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Once she was satisfied, she snuck back upstairs on quiet feet. Suzy and Undyne both slept soundly, seemingly unbothered by the pale golden light of the mysterious star. Toriel took hold of the cozy chair the little crocodaur snoozed in and gently turned its back to it. As she moved away, her eyes lingered on the star's glow. She gulped and cautiously reached her hand out to it. Her fingers passed through as if nothing was there at all. She didn't feel a thing.
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She closed her eyes a moment and imagined her phantom son. Asriel. She could visualize a small boy with sleek white fur, long ears, and little horns growing from his head, but his face was beyond her, except for the notion of pale, gleaming eyes. With him, formed from nostalgic essence, stood Chara, with that big, sly smile on her face she wore when she was up to some mischief. Her second daughter, though— the sister Sans pined for— was still just a shadow.
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Toriel rubbed her eyelids and sighed to herself. Her soul ached. She looked around the room that seemed to become more finished by the day without an ounce of effort on her part. She absently ran her claws along the wall, then paused to stare at the faint marks they left. Something about it made her feel a little more solid, somehow. She tried to push aside a chill beneath her fur as it intrusively reminded her of the impermanence of her situation. She wasn't the only one. Toriel looked at Undyne and her ears drooped. She tiptoed up to the blue monster and gently tucked her into the bed she was sprawled across.
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Just as she was about to leave, a shift of movement in the corner of Toriel's eye paused her. She turned back to the room. Suzy stirred stiffly. As if shocked by static, the little monster shot upright in her seat, yellow eyes large and wide. She looked around swiftly, her jaw dropping.
"Where is he?!" she demanded.
"Oh dear, my child, are you alright?" Toriel asked, drawing closer. "What's wrong? Who are you looking for?"
Suzy stumbled out of the chair and onto the floor. "Where's S-Sans?!"
"Sans?" She tilted her head. "I believe he's downstairs, hun."
"Wha…?" Suzy's shoulders sunk and she let out a long breath. "Ohmigod." She ran past Toriel as quickly as she could, almost stumbling on the stairs.
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Toriel hurried after her, reaching the living room just as the kid found Sans at the threshold to the kitchen and threw herself at him. He had a bottle of ketchup with no top on it in his hand and he raised it up awkwardly so as not to spill any on her.
"Whoa, kid, what's up?" he asked. "Nightmare?"
"No!" she barked. She pulled back and looked him up and down frantically. "You're okay?! He didn't hurt you?!"
Sans stared back at her blankly. "…Uh. What?"
"The guy! The big gooey shadowy guy!" she said. "H-He tried to take you but I wouldn't let him and then he said some weird stuff and—"
"Whoa. Slow down, bucko," Sans said, eyes wide. He put his ketchup on the table and squatted down to match Suzy's gaze. "What's goin' on?"
"Little one, are you alright?" Toriel asked worriedly.
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Suzy gritted her teeth. She looked back and the big monster and then at Sans again, frowning certainly. "I-I'm not making it up, I swear, I—!"
"Nobody thinks you are, kid, it's just you're talkin' real fast and I'm half-asleep," Sans said. "So let's, uh, start again, yeah?"
"Do not worry. Just take it slowly," Toriel said.
"Okay. Okay okay." Suzy nodded. "A-After you fell asleep, the star started leaking again. But this time a guy came out of it!"
"A guy? What kinda guy?" Sans asked.
"I dunno, he was tall but he didn't have a snout or a tail or anything. He was, like, a big shadow man or something!"
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Sans's left eye flickered as a chill rushed up his spine. Those words— shadow man. That brought back a lot of memories. He nodded and the kid continued.
"Th-The world went all weird, like the colour was turned down. And he talked like… super messed up for a minute until he didn't. And you kinda passed out and he picked you up!" She clenched her fists. "So I BIT 'im!"
Sans couldn't help a grin. "Bit the void man, huh?"
"YEAH! I chomped him right in the arm!" she said.
"My, how brave," Toriel said. She cast a worried look at Sans, but he held up one finger and turned back to the kid.
"So why'd he pick me up?"
"He talked about you being sick. And how he wanted to help you," she said. "But I-I wasn't just gonna let some freaky guy come outta a star and take you somewhere! So that's when I bit him and then he asked if he came to the wrong time. And he asked me if I knew Gaster. I told him he'd kick his butt."
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Sans froze. His soul thrummed hard in his chest and his eyes darkened. "He said all that, huh?"
"There's more!" Suzy insisted. "He kinda like, kept saying someone was making you sick? And he mentioned a line. I dunno what that means, but he said I should tell you that… that he's going to e…" She scrunched up her face. "Eliminate the source of your pain. He told me I should tell you that and then he touched my head and he made me fall asleep, I think?!" She looked between the bigger monsters with wide eyes. "I don't know who the heck that was but he can't come back, right?!"
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Toriel put her hand to her mouth. Sans racked his mind frantically. He thought, in a haze, his father had talked to him that night. He looked at Toriel.
"Wait. You said Dad didn't… come home, right? He's at Asgore's?"
"That's right," she said.
The skeleton put his hand to his brow and frowned at the ground. "Wait. So if he didn't…? Oh. Shit."
"Sans," Toriel scolded.
Sans sat on the floor and grabbed his phone to quickly text Asgore, asking if Gaster'd been with him all night. The reply came back after just a few seconds: he had. Sans's bones rattled faintly. Suzy quickly sat down with him.
"Y-You believe me, right?" she insisted.
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The skeleton grimaced. He tried to process. Some phantom with the voice of his father? He replayed the faint words he thought had been Gaster's.
.
.
I knew I felt you here.
What happened to you? You're a mess.
Your head is so heavy.
I can save you. I'm sure. I won't let that thing drain your life away.
.
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"He mentioned… a line?" Sans asked. "Did he explain?"
"No," Suzy said quickly. "But, like… He kept saying, like, it was a person? Who did something to you? But that doesn't make sense, right?"
Sans's eyes went wide, the left flickering with distressed blue. His soul sunk and frosted in his ribs.
"Wait. I'm sorry, this… This is real?" Toriel asked.
"I'm not making it up!" Suzy said shrilly.
"I don't think you are, dear," she said, kneeling down to put a hand Suzy's back, "but we know a dream can be more than real enough and—"
"It wasn't a dream, he picked up Sans!" the kid insisted. "And I think he picked me up, too! I passed out on the floor!"
Toriel looked at Sans worriedly. "Sans, what do you think?"
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The first thing that rushed through Sans's mind was panicked and paranoid. Suzy stared at him intently, clenching her fists. He knew she was serious, but the implications were almost too much to bear. He pushed it down and steadied himself.
"So… the leaks were a guy tryin'… to get in," he said quietly. "And he did."
"Yeah!" Suzy said.
"So it is real?" Toriel pushed.
"It's super real!" the kid said.
"Okay. But he… left. After sayin' all that. That he wanted to…" Sans heard the words again: a line; the source of his pain. "Oh. Shit." He looked at Toriel worriedly. "I… I think he's goin' after my sis."
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Toriel's eyes went wide. "Pardon?!" she said shrilly.
"What?! You think so?!" Suzy demanded, grabbing onto his arm.
"Someone talked to me. I'm sure." Sans put a hand to his brow. Why had he thought it was Gaster? "If this guy followed a line here. And out again. That's the red line. It's the trail the time kids left. I got no clue why he'd care about me bein' sick, but if… if he thinks it's them, then…"
"Why on earth would he sound like your father?" Toriel asked. "And how much power would one need to…?" She shook her head in disbelief. "My goodness, that's… How is that possible?"
"I dunno," Sans said. "But that doesn't matter." He grabbed Suzy's shoulder. "Kid, you're real brave. And a good bodyguard. Thanks, huh?"
"Yeah?" Suzy's tail wagged. "Uh, thanks! I tried."
"But what do we do?" Toriel asked. "Surely we can't block off all of these stars, can we?"
The skeleton shook his head. He pushed himself to his feet. "I ain't worried 'bout that for now. If he's followin' the red line, he's not gonna be back here anytime soon. But that means he's after the kids." His head swooned and he grimaced. There were those shards of altered light glimmering before him again like the air was fraying. Felt like the inside of his head was, too. "I… Shit, I gotta warn 'em."
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Sans headed for the door, but Toriel rushed to grab his shoulder.
"Wait, where are you going?" she asked, bending down.
"I…" Where was he going? His head hurt and his soul beat like a drum. Didn't he have any way to reach out, no matter how unlikely? No matter how busted? "I got no choice. Gotta try my machine again."
"No. No! Sans. No. I forbid it. Not after what happened last time," Toriel said, frowning. "We are not taking that risk. There must be another way."
"Not that I can think of," Sans said. "I'd try that dream spell but I can't cast it on myself and Asgore already noped out."
"And after what happened to your father, he was right to!" Toriel said. "In the state you're in, you wouldn't survive it!"
The skeleton grimaced under her stern, worried gaze. She sighed and put her hand on his head.
"I just… do not want anything bad to happen to you."
"Tori, I'm screwed anyway. If… I warned her. That some freak's huntin' her..." If he could just see that she was alright for himself— "That'd be enough."
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Toriel gritted her teeth, her ears pinning back. She looked at Suzy, who was standing with a grimace on her face, her fists clenched. "Sweetheart, why don't you go back up and rest with Undyne?"
"What? But I—!"
"I will look after Sans for now," Toriel assured her. "This all sounds very frightening. And you were so brave. Tonight, you should rest, and tomorrow I will have a special treat ready for you. Would that be alright?"
Suzy looked between them cautiously. Sans nodded.
"S'okay, kiddo. You did good. Seriously," he said.
"But what if he comes back?" she asked.
"Doubt it. But. If he does," he grinned, "I can count on you to just keep bitin' the guy, right?"
"Yeah. Yeah! I'll crunch the big jerk!" she said.
"Wake Undyne. Tell her what happened," Toriel said. "She will keep you safe."
"O-Okay. Yeah." She frowned at Sans. "But if something happens to you, I'm gonna bite you, too!"
"Wuh-oh." Sans laughed. "Probably deserve it at that point, huh?"
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As the kid scampered upstairs, Toriel leaned in towards Sans and lowered her voice.
"I… believe I might have a compromise," she said.
"Okay," Sans said, raising his brows.
"The spell your father made combined two and added his own composition, did it not? Astral projection and dream manipulation, if my memory serves me. Perhaps, if we just pick one or the other, it would be safe."
"Oh. Damn. Okay, that's a thing," Sans said. "I still got the focus nodes. Think Paps has the book."
"I believe he's at Flambé's," Toriel said.
"Snag it. Give it a try." Sans nodded. "We need anything else?"
"We'll see," she said. She straightened up and handed him his ketchup. She wrinkled her nose as he took a swig. "Let me at least get you some toast with that."
"Nah." He shot finger guns her way. "I'm gonna be toast if we don't get goin'."
Toriel snorted and quickly shook her head. "I-I should not laugh at thaaat…"
"Nah, s'good, don't wanna get too burnt out on all this hot garbage." He grinned.
Toriel scoffed. "Alright, alright, get out," she said. "Before I change my mind."
xXxXx
Papyrus was easy to find— the second the two monsters entered the restaurant, he shot up out of a booth on the right, waving and grinning.
"Nyeh heh heh, greetings, family!" he said brightly. He gestured back to the table where Kio and Scathkath sat. "I was just having a nice catch-up session with dad's work family! They're extremely interesting!"
"Nah, not really," Scathkath said with a grin.
Kio nudged him. "Speak for yourself! I'm incredibly interesting!" She laughed at herself and smiled warmly at the two newcomers. "Your Highness. Sans. It's good to see you both."
"You as well," Toriel said with a smile. "I hope all that work today didn't take too much out of you."
"Nothing that a couple drinks and a long, long nap can't fix," Scathkath said, smiling sideways. He turned his dark eyes on Sans, his ears cocking to the side. "How's your dad doing? Getting into more trouble? And how're you holding up? "
"World's still collapsin', you know how it is," Sans said with a shrug.
"I suppose that means you don't have time to sit down with us," Kio said with a worried frown.
"Unfortunately not," Toriel said apologetically. She put a hand on Papyrus's should. "Would you excuse us for just a moment?"
"Of course, no problem," Scathkath assured them.
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Toriel gently guided Papyrus back towards the door. His brows raised with suspicion and he ducked in close.
"You both look so serious, is something going extremely wrong?" he asked. "I can help, you know! I am excellent at helping."
"We need the book again," Sans said.
"What? Why? I mean, of course." He pulled out his phone and produced the book of Dirges with a simple tap of a button. "But. Why?"
"Gonna try a basic dream spell again," Sans said. "Tell you 'bout it later, okay? Might be on a timer."
"Oh?! That's… Wait!" He narrowed his eyes suspiciously and leaned down to stare into his brother's eyes. "Is this SAFE, Sans?"
"It should be, dear," Toriel said. "We'll explain the whole story in the morning, alright?"
"If you don't mind me saying. Because I'll say it anyway. This. Sounds. Extremely suspicious," he said.
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Sans sighed, chuckling quietly. "You're a smart guy, Paps."
"Of course I am!" Papyrus put his hands on his hips. "So what's going on?"
"Some really weird crap happened back home." Sans put up his hands to stall his brother's alarmed squawk. "S'okay. Everyone's fine. Kinda hard to explain quick, though, and we gotta go, but basically, I think there's somethin' goin' after our missin' kids, and we're gonna try to get through to them again."
"OH?! But…?! BUT! Are they okay?!" he asked. "How do you know?! And ALSO—! Oh." His face flushed. "Yooooou were in a rush, weren't you?" He rubbed the back of his skull. "You're completely sure you don't need me?"
"No." Sans grinned sideways. "But I'll call ya, alright?"
He crossed his arms and tapped his foot. "That's not very time-efficient."
"Honestly? I'd kinda rather you go hang out with Suz after you're done. If ya don't mind," Sans said. "She had a rough night."
"Oh?! Hmph. Alright." Papyrus handed the book over to Toriel. "Acceptable."
Sans grinned and thumped him on the arm. "Knew I could count on you." He jerked his thumb at the door. "Tori?"
"Mhm." She tucked the book under her arm and gave Papyrus a hug with the other. "Thanks, hun. We'll see you soon."
"WAIT." He pointed at Sans. "You."
"Uhh…" Sans grinned sideways. "Somethin' wrong?"
"Don't you dare leave without this." He wrapped Sans in a tight embrace and glowed his soul bright and warm against him. "You're a mess."
"Heh." He slumped. He appreciated it more than Papyrus could know. "…Yeah. Thanks."
"Of course!" Papyrus patted his brother on the shoulder and smiled at him. "I'll see you two soon!"
"Take your time," Toriel assured him as she pushed the door open, letting in a soft bluster of snow.
"Okaaaay, bye!" He called after them as they left. "Good luck with your mysterious hijinks!"
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Sans and Toriel headed home through the cold. As soon as they entered the living room, they could hear Undyne guffawing upstairs, so all was well.
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They went to the basement, to the dog shrine for privacy and space. Someone had put a large, green card table down there, though. Toriel chucked it up into the kitchen to get it out of the way and it rolled until it clunked into the front door.
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When she returned, Toriel looked around the shrine itself with a bemused smile. She plunked a coin into the golden box beneath the image of a white dog held within it.
"For luck," she said. She handed Sans the book of Dirges. "You'll have to decide which spell we try."
Sans nodded. He carefully skimmed pages upon pages of complex Dirges, his pointy fingertips careful on the ancient, magic paper. Before Gaster, the writings of some other skeleton from a thousand years ago lingered in the margins. More hastily-scribbled sets of text than the main body of work, but clearly from the same hand, if one looked closely.
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Sans found the two spells Gaster had combined within a few pages of each other. Like Toriel said: one for astral projection and another for dream manipulation. They both looked difficult, but the dream one a little less so. It also looked much less likely to dust him outright. He only had his soul's health ratings from a few hours ago— he was sure it was worse now. He wasn't sure he had the energy to sustain trying to shoot a phantom of his consciousness physically into another dimension— or even down the street, for that matter.
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Doubt set in. Without that extra spell his father had crafted, was it even possible? Reaching in a dream alone should be much simpler than what Gaster tried, but what was even the point? If Sans's own dreams couldn't reach when they should, why would this help? He steadied a tremble in his fingers. He probably just wasn't strong enough. Maybe if he'd known to try back at the start of this it would have worked, but now? What chance did he really have?
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Sans let out a quiet sigh. "Dream spell, I think," he said, returning the book to her with the page held open.
Toriel's eyes skimmed the notes quickly. "Are you certain?" she asked. "…I'm confident I can cast either on my own, as they're originally written. But I worry you won't be able to handle the effects of trying both. So. Please be sure."
"I'm sure," he said. "I dunno much about, uh, astral projection, but dreams, I know my way around pretty well."
Toriel nodded. "Alright. I'll prepare a circle. You don't happen to know where your father keeps his chalk, do you?"
"Check his pockets," he suggested.
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She went upstairs, leaving Sans alone to stew in his worries for a minute that felt like an hour. When she returned, it was with a box of salt. She held it up and winked.
"I could not find it, but this should do in a pinch."
Sans snickered. Toriel smiled. She surveyed the room for a moment, then bent and poured the salt in a thin, steady line. She formed the first circle and then built off it, drawing symbols indicated in the book and weaving the notes into the pattern. When she was done, she picked Sans up and plunked him in the centre and stood back to observe her work.
"Alright. Are you prepared?" she said.
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Sans sat down. He grabbed the focus nodes from his phone's inventory and stuck them to the top of his skull. They made him look like he had little horns.
"Think that's it," he said.
Toriel nodded. She read the spell once more and then placed the book aside. "I'm ready," she said.
Sans stuck his thumb up. "Go for it."
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Toriel braced her paws on the floor, drew a deep breath in, and then blew it out slowly in flame. Her magic glittered around her body and a faint shimmer of a green aura stained the room with healing magic. She squinted, her irises shining, and her soul surged, singing a melody like a solemn lullaby. The salt at her feet shimmered lavender and the melody spiralled in plumes like smoke. Sans's eyelids got heavy. As the magic circle beneath them began to blaze, the skeleton slumped in place.
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It only took a minute more. Spell complete, the violet magic drifting in the air wafted away. Toriel wiped her brow and quickly bent down to lift Sans up into her arms. His soul flickered. She hoped that meant it was working.
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Hurried footsteps thumped on the stairs and she turned to see Undyne, scruffy-haired and groggy-eyed, peering down at them.
"Hey, you nerds okay down here?" Undyne asked. "Uh." She pointed a claw at Sans. "What's with him?"
"We're trying a spell out. Don't fret. All is well," Toriel assured her.
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"Uh. Okay. Coooool." The blue monster cocked her head to the side. "So, uh, Suzy didn't just have a super realistic nightmare, did she?"
"No, apparently not," Toriel said, ears drooping.
"That's messed up. Okay. I'll send out an alert for people to be on the lookout for the guy," she said as she pulled out her phone and began to type into it. "Issue is, I guess, not everyone can see those star things, right?"
"There was definitely something strange at play," Toriel said. "It may be the void magic. I can't be sure, though. I did not see it myself."
Undyne looked up from her phone and grinned. "You hear she bit the guy?"
"Yes." Toriel couldn't help a chuckle. "Very brave of her."
"Pff! Hell yeah it is!" Undyne flicked finger guns her way. "You're pretty alright, your Highness."
.
Toriel chuckled. "You may forget the titles and call me Toriel, if you wish."
"Ah! Right! Yeah." Undyne rubbed her hair. "Sorry. Does, uh…? Does all this bother you too much? You seem to be holding it together alright."
"Of course it bothers me," the woman said. "But, there is so much going on. So much is at stake, is it not? I can only keep pushing towards finding the missing children as best I can with the knowledge that we'll all be back to normal when they return."
Undyne folded her arms. "Yeah. Same, I guess. Sucks when time just decides to throw you all over the place for no damn reason, though."
Toriel smiled ruefully. "Yes, it does."
"Gah. I hope I come outta this as well as you did," she said. "Pretty anxious for this crap to be done, to be honest." She sighed and turned back up the stairs. "I'm makin' some tea, you guys want any?"
"I don't know when he'll be up," Toriel said, "but I would love some. Thank you."
Undyne stuck her thumb up and disappeared back upstairs.
xXxXx
A mug of tea and a few chapters of an old, nostalgic fantasy novel later, Sans stirred from a blanket and pillow nest Toriel had made him in the meanwhile. She perked up from her seat, tossed the book aside, and leaned in over to him to cup his face.
"Sans?" she asked.
.
The second his eyes opened, the despondent look on his face told her all she needed to know. Her ears drooped and she pulled him into her arms.
"I'm sorry," she said.
"You tried," he replied.
"Did it work at all?"
"Yeah. I mean. I could make it do whatever," he said. "But… I didn't find anyone." He put a hand to his brow and grimaced. "Shit. How do I…?" He clenched his fingers and his shoulders sagged, his grin straining his face. "Heh. Useless as always."
"Don't say that," Toriel said swiftly. "Come, there has to be something more."
"This's the only one that doesn't kill me," Sans said, carefully pulling the nodes from his head. "I mean, not that I don't mind blowin' up to get the message across, but—"
"No. Sans. No," she said sternly, frowning deeply. "That's completely crazy. Think. This can't be the only way. Shall we get your father? If he tried the spell—"
"You're stronger than him," he said.
"But he has more determination," she said. "Could that effect it? Or perhaps he can be the one to dream again."
"It's… possible," Sans said glumly.
"Then we have a chance," she said. She tilted her head. "Honey, what is it?"
Sans quickly put a hand up. "Nothin'. S'fine."
"…You want to see them yourself, is that it?" she wondered.
.
The skeleton winced and laughed dryly. "Jeez, Tori, see right through me, why don'tcha?" He winked. "I mean, I know it ain't hard on account o' bein' a skeleton and all."
Toriel snorted out a quiet laugh. She rubbed the fur on her head and frowned thoughtfully. "I… wonder if…?"
"Listen," Sans said quickly. "Forget it. The most important thing is to just get the message to them. It doesn't have to be me. And Asgore might actually agree to that. But…" He grimaced and sighed. "I mean, Dad already tried this way with the nodes and, the way he told it, he could hardly control it. Makin' any sort of actual contact woke him up and he forgot big details."
"And his way had him unconscious for quite a while," Toriel said quietly.
"It used to be so easy." The skeleton folded his arms. "When the kid was here, it was… just kinda a given that our dreams were always the same. Wasn't an effort at all. So this… I don't get this."
Toriel frowned. "When you say it that way, it sounds like it does have to be you."
"I know dad wouldn't mind givin' in a shot," Sans said. "But the ol' nerd's been through it today, too, and—"
"It sounds like a waste of both of your times."
Sans's shoulders sunk. "Exactly."
.
Toriel crossed her arms, her fur bristling. She scowled at the floor so intently that it was a wonder it didn't start to clean itself up. "Damn it all. Maybe…" A gleam shone in her eyes and she straightened up. "I have a thought."
"Sup?" Sans said.
"Your father, he… boosted his strength today, did he not? With d—?"
"No. Nope, no way," Sans said quickly. "We can't."
"Did he use the entire amount he took?"
"Uh. No, but—"
"Then it's an option, isn't it?" Toriel asked.
"Now who's talkin' crazy?" Sans said, eyes wide. "That's more dangerous than anything I said."
"No it is not, several options have you completely dying afterwards!" she said incredulously.
"If you mess with determination. And you get it wrong. It might be permanent, even with my kid turnin' time back."
"I understand that," she said. "However, it's not as if I am without it."
.
She held out her hand and her flame crackled to life in her palm. The soft heat glimmered through with sparkles of pink and purple, and embers of red sparked within.
"It already resides in my soul," she said. "And I am a boss monster. I believe I can endure it. And it might be just enough."
"Think maybe askin' Asgore again is the way to go," Sans said.
Toriel frowned. "If we do, your father will know. He will take your place to protect you. If you're comfortable with that—"
"Ugh." Sans slumped. "Not really."
"Then let me do this." She got to her feet. "I will go to the lab on my own if I have to."
.
Sans's head was pounding. He put his hand against the wall to help prop himself up. "If somethin' stupid happened to you again—"
"It would be entirely my own doing," she said.
"I don't want those kids comin' back to their mom bein' a puddle."
"They would not. I'm confident," she said. "The determination is pure. From a human. Just a drop or two would be enough for my power to increase."
"We need to ask Asgore first," Sans said. "He might change his mind."
Toriel flinched. "I do not wish to."
.
Sans blinked. "…Uh. What?"
"I do not wish to." Her eyes took on an intense sheen. "Maybe… I am selfish. But. Sans, I… More than anything, I want my memories of this time to stay."
"It, uh…" His soul thrummed uncomfortably. He should have known. "It may not work out. Even if…" He shook his head. "We wouldn't know until re—"
"I know," she said. "I'm willing to take this risk." Her ears drooped and she clasped her hands together. "I know it may seem extreme, but I don't think it's unreasonable to work in our own self-interest this time. If it works, I get a larger chance to save my memories. And you can speak to your sister yourself. What do you think?"
"Tori, I…" He rubbed the back of his skull. "I dunno if—"
"I trust you with this. Unconditionally." She locked eyes with him, steadfast. "We will do whatever you choose."
.
Sans's head ached. He matched eyes with the monster he now called mom and saw a subtle pleading in her stalwart gaze. His fingers passed over the thin cut in the side of his hand. He could feel determination brimming there, too.
"I hope… you can see it from my point of view," she said. "To be the only one—"
"You aren't the only one," Sans said quietly. "Most people don't even know anything happened."
"But to be aware. To feel it. Like something is wrong, or different, or the same as you've known somehow without any way to place it," she insisted. "To be the only one in this household left in some void of forgetfulness. You can't imagine how it feels."
.
Sans smiled sideways. She was right, to a point. It wasn't the first time she'd expressed something like that to him either, ever since she learned what had happened with their time kid. As far as he knew, she'd still been keeping it quiet that she didn't get back quite as much as she would have liked of the original Starhome. She had enough red in her that her eyes could burn with it, and yet she was still left in the dark. It really wasn't fair, was it?
.
The skeleton shrugged. "Welp. If y'really feel that strong about it, I'd be an even bigger piece of crap than usual to say no, right?" He winked as her jaw dropped. "Plus, uh, the more time we waste arguin', the longer it'll take to get that message to my sis, yeah?"
"Ah!" Toriel's eyes glimmered and she lifted him into a hug, crushing his shoulders and making him wheeze. "Thank you."
"D-Don't thank me yet." He laughed as she loosened her grip and he patted her on the shoulder. "Gotta check your soul first and then—"
"You're right, we are wasting time," she said.
xXxXx
Once again, the lab was a mess of controlled clutter. The floor just a few feet from the western door had a big tarp laid out, covered in metal parts assembled as if according to a blueprint. Some large boxes filled with scrap parts were scattered nearby and stacked by the closest set of large monitor screens. A few too many high-heeled boots clunked around on the second floor.
.
Though Toriel tried to walk with the utmost silence, Sans sauntered in, looked up the escalator, and cocked his head to the side curiously.
"Yo, Alphys?"
"Sans, what—?" Toriel began shrilly.
"Just don't want her to get an alert ping and worry," Sans told her under his breath before raising his voice. "Alph?"
"Aah! S-Sans?" Alphys stuck her head out over the escalator. "Your Highness!"
"Please, call me Toriel," Toriel said.
"Oh! U-Um! T-Toriel, ah…" Her cheeks flushed. "What, um…? What are you guys doing here?"
"Dream experiment, gonna use the downstairs, that cool?" Sans said.
"Of course!" She laughed. "Jeez, S-Sans, usually you just come in, y-you know you don't have to ask. I'm s-surprised you even stopped up here."
"Teleport's been on cooldown for like a week," he joked.
"Ooooh. Right, right, b-because you're…" She shut her mouth quickly. "S-Sorry, I… Yeah. Of course. Wh-Whatever you need."
.
"Is that who I think it is?!" Mettaton called.
"Oh no," Alphys muttered. "I-It's nothing!"
Despite her words, the robot monster thrust his torso out over the edge of the upper floor, tossing his hair dramatically. "Oh! Perfect! Good to see you!" He leapt out down the length of the escalator and clattered onto the floor, standing proudly with his centaur-like body and three sets of legs clad in high-heeled, pink boots.
Toriel leaned in closer to Sans. "Legs," she said under her breath.
"Yuuuup." He grinned sideways. "Six, huh?"
"Huh?" Mettaton demanded.
"Had four last time," Sans said, gesturing to Mettaton's legs.
"Yes, well, after what you said, you hooligan, I did a liiiiittle more research. And turns out! Humans love six-on-legs. So I had Alphys whip up two more!" He struck a pose, glitter sparkling in the air around him as he winked. "Pretty great, n'est pas?"
.
"M-Mettaton! I told you, I didn't make those," Alphys said as she coasted down the escalator— she was already in her pyjamas.
"Pffff, nonsense, Alphie, darling," the robotic centaur said, waving a hand absently at her. "Who else would have?"
"I told you. Ugh. O-Our timelines aren't lined up properly or something," she groaned. She looked at Sans. "I didn't sp-spend hours making him two more legs when I h-have all your stuff t-to do, I promise."
"I know," Sans said with an amused smile. "So." He pointed at Mettaton. "Still hilarious. We gotta go."
"We do," Toriel agreed.
.
"Waaaait, wait wait wait," Mettaton said, his long arms reaching out. He clasped Sans's hand in both of his and leaned forward. "I didn't jump down here just to give you a show, you know."
"…That's a first," Sans said.
"I need you!" he insisted. "That computer! It's fantastic! Fascinating! And if your timeline thingymajiggy is true, I will lose the entire thing!"
Sans tilted his head. "You mean that computer you stole?"
"Yes, exactly!" Mettaton nodded frantically. He batted his eyelashes. "Couldn't you find it in your cold little soul to help me save all these precious memories? As, let's say, a reward? For saving everyone's lives?"
Toriel looked between them, raising a brow; her mouth pulling into a thin, unamused line. Alphys sighed and shrugged.
"We're actually in quite the hurry," Toriel said.
"Got it on a small drive or somethin'?" Sans said.
"Uh." Mettaton blinked. "Nnnno?"
"Kay. Do that. Mail it to me. I might have a thing," Sans said. He winked. "That repayment enough?"
"EeeeeEEEEEE!" He dragged the skeleton into a hug. "YES! Perfect. Thank you, my short and slovenly friend!" He pulled away and pranced back up the wrong escalator. "I will do! Exactly that!"
.
Alphys leaned in close to Sans, whispering, "W-Will that actually work?"
Sans shrugged. "Dunno. Evidence says possibly. Anyway." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder towards the elevator. "We gotta go."
"Do you, um, need anything?" she asked. "D-Did something happen?"
"Undyne's got the deets, if you want," Sans said. "We gotta get to work. Shouldn't be too long."
"O-Okay." She smiled and patted him on the shoulder. She looked up at Toriel and, though she shrunk a little, she stuck up her hand. "Just, um, c-call me if you need any help, alright?"
"We will. Thank you, dear," Toriel said. She seized Sans's arm and half-dragged him towards the elevator before anyone else could intercept them.
.
With the punch of some keys in the elevator, Sans sent them downwards. The chunks of time smearing as they dropped were a dizzying mess. They hurried to the room where Gaster had given his impromptu determination lecture. Sans brought Toriel to the machine at the back and booted it up. A red soul spun on the screen as it loaded. Toriel looked at the instrument's needle arm with a resolute stare.
"Feelin' okay, still?" Sans asked.
"Perfectly," she said.
"You're gonna have to jab yourself," he said. "I'd, uh, do the thing, but my eyes are kinda crap."
"Ah." She patted his head gently with a small glow of healing magic in her palm. "Of course. Where?"
"Centre of the soul."
"Alright." She grabbed the needle and brought forth the glow of her violet soul. "Tell me when."
.
When the program was running properly, displaying a white heart-shape and some basic parameters, Sans stuck his thumb up. Toriel took a deep breath and plunged the needlepoint into her soul. She winced and held it in place. The program on the computer screen began to load and the instruments hummed. The base of the machine vibrated low through the floor. Sans tapped his fingers on the table.
"It's just makin' a profile," he said. "Since you've, uh, never done this before." He turned to look at her. "Doin' alright?"
"It just stings a little, not to worry," she said.
.
After a few more moments, the machine chimed pleasantly. The screen shifted into the image of a soul with a small fraction of red inside. Sans stuck his thumb up.
"You're good."
As Toriel pulled the needle away from her body, the image on the screen showed a dotted line just a tiny ways out from the red that was already displayed. Sans nodded to himself.
"Okay. Easy," he said.
"Is it?" Toriel asked. She leaned around him. "What does it mean?"
"The red in there's what you already got." He pointed out the dotted line. "That's the max. We don't wanna go too close to that. But… Uh. Gimme a sec." He clicked on a dropdown menu and clicked on an option that linked to the apparatus downstairs that actually held the concentrated determination.
A bunch of red text in old skeleton raced across the screen and plunked itself in the centre:
.
.
PURE DT EXTRACTED - CONTAINED - STORED
SOURCE : HUMAN - RED SOUL - ALIVE (BOYD DUNLEAVY - ADULT (-50)
42/100
USE WITH EXTREME CAUTION
.
.
Sans nodded to himself. "Says forty-two, yeah?"
Toriel leaned forward and squinted. "Yes. He used quite a bit, didn't he?" she said quietly.
"Did you see his eyes?" Sans asked.
"Ah. Yes, I was…" She sighed. "I was distracted. I did not ask. Determination did that?"
Sans nodded. "Guess they ain't goin' back, huh?" He switched back to Toriel's panel and scribbled her data and a long code underneath it onto a napkin from his pocket before he shut the whole thing down. He got up and stretched. "Okay. Hope you're ready."
"I am," she said. "…Do you think he'll have left some chalk in here?"
Sans shrugged.
.
A quick search didn't turn up any chalk, but Toriel had thought to pack more salt, so it wasn't the end of the world. They'd have to go buy more later, though. Magic circles took up quite a lot to draw.
.
Back to the large experiment chamber they went. It was still littered with twisted, obsidian bones spiking into the walls, though Alphys had finished welding the gaps in the metal. Sans felt like he'd been here all month. There was trouble at the console in the control room, though. In the skeleton's eyes, shards of time lingered over both screen and buttons. It was almost unreadable. He sighed.
"You okay for another manual jab?" he asked.
"Anything," she said. "It doesn't bother me in the least."
"Good, 'cause I don't trust my eyes on this thing right now," he said. He beckoned her closer and handed her the napkin he'd scribbled on. He did his best to enter the correct values into the machine. "Tell me if this matches, will ya?"
Toriel read carefully. "It does."
"Great. Now, enter a V, then B-M. Then confirm"
She leaned around him and did as he asked, and the screen changed — or, for him, two thirds of it did. He rested his cheek on his fist and rubbed his brow, laughing dryly.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Just had to be now," he said with a tired grin. "Okay. Uhhh. There a bar that says codex?"
"Yes."
"Click that."
She did. He took the napkin back and entered the long code that he'd recorded from upstairs, then hit confirm.
.
The machine popped up with a bright red set of two buttons: one with a six-pointed star and the other with a skull and crossbones. He reached out with his magic to grasp the door in blue and shut it. Then, he hit the star.
.
In the large chamber, the massive machine that resembled a skull descended from far above with a low rumble. Its false jaws moved in from the sides and pressed together tightly as the gaps like eye sockets shone white. The light changed slowly to pink, and then red, blazing hot as if they were about to catch on fire. A deep, melodic hum made the metal vibrate gently and then, abruptly, it stopped. The machine's eyes dimmed and the computer in the booth let out a chime and the screen changed to a simple smiley face.
.
"There," Sans said. "It'll be in the machine."
"Perfect," Toriel said. She headed for the door to the chamber.
"Careful, yeah?" he said.
"I will be," she said. "Into the soul again?"
"Straight into your body, anywhere. Come back here and sit down, though, it might be kinda intense."
"Noted."
.
Toriel quickly crossed the floor and stood before the ominous machine. Light gleamed in its dark sockets again and, slowly, the mandibles opened up. A black capsule slid forward from the back and stalled between them before its lid flipped up on its own. There was a metal plunger on one side and a clear barrel and needle on the other attached to a closed hose. Inside shone an eerily bright, red substance that produced no light. It only filled its container about a sixth of the way up.
.
With careful fingers, Toriel grabbed the determination's container. It disconnected without effort and she inserted the plunger before she returned to Sans in the control room. His eyes fixed upon the red in the syringe and he smiled sideways.
"Welp. Uh. Sorry I can't offer much in the way of support."
"Don't worry," she said. She sat down in the largest chair, rolled up her sleeve, and instantly stabbed the needle into her arm and pressed the plunger down.
"Just goin' straight for it, huh?"
"Might as well," she grunted.
.
The moment the red was gone, Toriel pulled the needle out and put it aside on the console. Her hackles raised. Her soul's hum grew loud in the room and she breathed deeply. A faint aura in violet mulled around her and her eyes flickered with red until they beamed with it.
"…Feelin' alright?" Sans asked.
"I…" Toriel closed her eyes. Her fingers clenched into the legs of her pants. She drew in a few long, deep breaths. Her melody sang out, strong and clear as she sighed and flame blew from her mouth.
It engulfed the whole room with an intense, comforting warmth as red overcame its usual subtler colours. Sans winced. He reached out and put his hand on hers. The energy prickled through every strand of her fur. It was warm, but still soft to the touch. She gently grabbed his fingers. The fire dimmed down, pink and purple prickling within it again. She opened her eyes and they had returned to their normal, violet hue.
.
"Yes. I think… I feel fine," she said with a tired smile. "Hah… Oops." With a wave of her hand, the flames disappeared into faint, glittering magic. "That was fascinating."
"Not too bad?" Sans wondered.
"No. It felt…" She chuckled. "Like I could lift the mountain." She got to her feet. "Alright. I think I'm ready. Are you?"
"I… Heh. Yeah. Guess so," he said. "I, uh, hope you get what you're lookin' for outta it."
"I hope you do, too," she said. "Come. Let's hurry."
.
Once more, with the nodes on his skull, Sans sat in a magic circle made of salt. Though she had been no slouch before, Toriel cast with such confidence and the whirling of flames that Sans found darkness overcoming him the second she finished.
.
He could still feel his body. He flexed his fingers in unseeing darkness. Toriel's hum reverberated in his skull and a little, violet flame lit between his bones. That hadn't happened the first time. Maybe it was a good sign.
.
He concentrated hard on the song of the world, replaying it over and over again in his mind as he wished for either of his siblings to appear to him. His soul lit bright in his chest, beaming through his t-shirt as its song, slow and melancholy, tried to reach out.
"C'mon, sis," he muttered.
.
Darkness, still. Darker, and darker and— red. A little pinprick of red, so small it would have been easy to miss in a blink. Sans's soul sped. He wanted to follow it. Instead, light rushed up to meet him. He winced and shielded his eyes as impenetrable white seared through the blackness.
.
It took him a moment before he could look again. There was a red orb shining in the field of white. Did that mean something? It reminded him of the sun. He moved towards it, mesmerized.
.
There was a form in the red, now that he looked a little closer. Someone small, sitting curled up, hugging their knees. His soul sped a beat. Something about this was familiar. He snuck in closer.
.
He knew what he saw in the red light was a human. A kid. A girl, he thought. Coloured red but each aspect still visible, like she'd been painted using a monochrome palette. She had soft features that he thought he might recognize. Her hair moved slightly as if she were submerged in water.
.
He reached out a hand, but hesitated. All that red, was it determination? Did it matter in a dream? Could this be who he thought it was? Who he desperately hoped it was? There was a scar on her cheek that started near the corner of her left eye. That was definitely familiar.
.
He sat down on his knees, leaned forward, and tilted his head to the side. "Kiddo?"
She slumbered peacefully. He scooted closer. Cautiously, he extended his hand to the orb. His bones clunked against it as if it were glass, but he could feel a hum resonating through it as if it were a soul itself. Like frost, blue spread from his fingers. He drew his hand back and stared at it skeptically.
.
His eyes were drawn by a faster movement than he'd expected. The kid shifted; looked up through bleary, red eyes. Her brow furrowed slightly and she rubbed a hand through her hair.
.
Sans's eyes sparkled. He leaned forward and gently touched his hands against the bubble. The blue spread.
"Kid?" he asked.
The kid inside the bubble stared through it at him with shock on her face. His bones ached all over. There she was.
.
She said something, but Sans couldn't hear it. He flinched. The kid dashed up into his face, tapping silently on the other side of the bubble. She pointed at him, then at her ear, and she shook her head.
"Yeah, me neither," he said quietly. He stuck his thumb down,
She wilted; looked so sad that it made his soul ache. Just as quickly, though, she started to smile despite big, red tears floating away from her. She formed her hands into a heart and grinned at him.
.
That did him in. This wasn't right. Her face shouldn't be new to him— her voice shouldn't be so distant. Her name shouldn't be lost to time. All he wanted was to snatch that kid out of her red bubble and drag her back home with him and their family, where she belonged. Even so, he grinned. His soul swelled in his chest. Wherever she was, she was alive. He could hardly ask for more.
.
He clenched his fingers and the blue deepened. He quickly summoned up some bones to spell words in the air. "come home."
The kid's eyes went wide and she nodded. She looked around and patted her pockets, then pouted to herself. She said something, but she looked confused and embarrassed. Sans tilted his head. He wasn't much good at reading lips. He drummed his fingers on the side of the bubble, wondering if there was anything she could do.
.
The kid seemed to be thinking just as hard as he was. Her brow was furrowed, and she folded her arms and floated, sitting cross-legged like a tiny, frustrated monk. She raised one finger and cupped both hands together. With intense focus, a round bubble of energy floated up between her palms. Its shape warped, but then it warbled and collapsed. The kid rubbed her head. She looked up at him apologetically and shook her head.
.
"Ah, damn," he muttered. He scratched his head, but noticed the blue remained for a moment on the bubble's surface when he pulled away. His eyes went wide. He grinned, waved at her; beckoned her closer.
She looked confused. He traced a line in blue. It lingered for a second before evaporating. The kid's eyes lit right up. She grinned and began to do the same, but he couldn't see anything where her finger traced shapes.
"wait" he quickly wrote in front of her eyes.
She stalled and looked back at him with confusion. He put one hand against the red surface and then the other, just a little ways away. The blue magic lit up enough space between for her to write. He nodded at her and she beamed.
.
She was quick in her scribbles. "R U OK?"
There was just enough time to read them before they faded away, and they came through a very nostalgic shade of purple. He couldn't help his surprise, but he nodded. She looked overwhelmingly relieved.
"happy ur dreamin at least" she told him.
He nodded again. "Yeah, that's great, kid, but you gotta come home," he muttered.
She tilted her head, puzzled. Sans moved one hand away and wrote as much back to her before giving her the sheet of blue again. She stuck a thumb up quickly.
"ASAP we got thrown off a bit" She waited for it to vanish. "time stuff it was weird"
He nodded. "u safe?" he asked.
She smiled and nodded right away. "we have help its ok"
.
Help? What kind of help, he wondered. His vision was starting to blur. He grimaced. He didn't want to lose this. Wasn't going to have a choice in a minute, though.
"where r u?" he asked quickly.
"too far" She looked apologetic. "kinda lost tbh but gonna find you"
His soul spluttered. She looked very certain regardless. He nodded.
"Damn, kiddo. Trust you, but still." He sighed.
"also wat about world moving eractlcaly?" She couldn't spell erratically.
"world is mess. u r anchor" Sans tried to explain. "need u"
She nodded hurriedly. "wat do u mean world is mess tho?"
"different times happenin at once. pain in the ass" The fingers on his hand began to dust as he wrote. "it will fix when u come home"
Her brow furrowed and she tapped the surface worriedly.
"wakin up" he told her. "az there?"
She nodded again.
Another relief. Sans frowned and tried to make his eyes focus. "gotta warn u theres a weird shdow guy out there i think he tryin to find u"
The kid's eyes went wide. She nodded hurriedly. "found us" she replied.
.
Sans could've been sick. The kid quickly scribbled more.
"battled and he's trapped in ice. we r ok."
The skeleton wilted with relief. "wat the heck was it?"
The kid froze. She looked nervous. Biting her lip, she traced the letters once again. "Gaster. NOT dad"
.
Sans blinked, wide-eyed. The blue dust of wakefulness was starting to overwhelm him.
"how do we help?" he asked.
She wrote as quickly as she could "need something to see where u are like dad said" The kid looked resolute. "we r comin home asap"
.
She pressed her hand against his and the whole orb washed over purple. It was a comforting colour. She looked surprised, but she grinned, too. This time, her finger tracing on the edge of time laid out a pattern in bright red. She drew a heart and then pointed at him. He laughed to himself despite everything. Kiddo was too cute for her own good. He started to trace the shape himself, but his vision faded. He fell away limply into blackness, with a simple, soft melody playing through his skull. It felt new, but he knew every note of it.