I'm Just Your Problem
Chapter 39: I'm Just Your Problem
It was a hectic morning, to say the least.
Sans was awoken by the sound of an alarm clock and rustling and bustling as Blake stumbled through the house in ludicrously bright blue pajamas with little birds on them, rushing back and forth with his arms full of cups of coffee and plates of scrambled eggs and bacon. San sniffed quietly at the air, blinking a couple of times.
He had almost forgotten about the dream. Almost.
"Hey. G'mornin', babybones," Sans brushed the hair from Frisk's eyes, and they yawned sleepily. They blinked a few times and Sans saw that their eyes had changed color again.
"Oh… hey," Chara mumbled, turning their head away and pulling off of Sans. They shifted beneath their blankets and rubbed their eyes. They suddenly flinched when Sans rubbed the top of their head and gave them a soft peck on the forehead, causing their cheeks to flush in circles. They sighed and closed their eyes for a few moments, and when they reopened them Sans saw that they were back to chocolate brown. It appeared that Chara wouldn't be hanging around much. Sans could live with that. The less that he had to deal with the loudmouthed brat…
But maybe that was his fault. If he wanted them to be on better behavior, he had to do a decent job of raising them to do so. He had to take responsibility for once. He needed to be better. And, even if Chara got on his nerves at every opportunity that they got, they were still just as much his little babybones as Frisk. If he was being honest with himself, he quietly found himself wishing for more than just a couple of words with them. But if they wanted to stay out of his way, that was fine by him.
The scent of coffee brewing was fresh in the air, and Sans took a deep breath. It was still early morning, early enough that the sun was still rising slowly over the horizon, peeking in curiously through the windows at the stretching monsters. Alphys wandered in from the kitchen wearing a long nightshirt with little smiling fish all over it, looking extremely flustered for some reason, with a widely grinning Undyne behind her with a cup of coffee in her hand. Frisk mumbled something that he couldn't hear and they held his hand for a few moments before drawing themselves up off the couch, pulling Sans to sit up with them.
"Alright, alright, I'm up already," he yawned quietly. "Just gimme a sec, kiddo. I'm getting up."
"Well, I should hope so!" Papyrus stuffed a cup of coffee into his hands. "Drink up, Sans. I added sugar for you as well as cream, just the way you like it."
"Aww, man," Sans rubbed the back of his head, grinning up at his brother. "Thanks. You're the best, Papy."
"I know I am," he responded somewhat tiredly, and Sans saw that the skeleton had deep lines beneath his eye sockets as if he hadn't slept much. Sans could definitely relate. "Just prepare yourself, Sans."
"Big day ahead of us," Sans yawned again, petting Frisk on the head with his free hand. They leaned into his touch and smiled at him kindly. "Hey, kiddo. You like coffee?"
Frisk stuck out their tongue in response. He only chuckled.
"Yeah. I know, buddy."
There was a loud rapping at the door, and Blake was bolting through the house with a nervous expression on his face.
"Okay," Blake exclaimed loudly enough for everyone to hear, Asgore and Toriel emerging from the bedroom. Asgore still had a little bit of egg stuck in his beard, which Toriel quietly pointed out to him. "Okay, everybody. That'd be my b-brother, so, uh. Just-just keep cool ."
Why was he acting so awkward all of a sudden? He had been much calmer when the other human had been introduced to them. Why was he behaving so strangely now? Sans mused over this quietly, leaning back into the couch with the blanket draped over his lap, sipping at his coffee. He'd have answers soon enough, he supposed. Blake took a long, slow breath, running a hand down his face and clearing it completely of expression before he carefully opened the door.
In the doorway stood a very tall, very gaunt looking blonde man with his widow's peak hair slicked back over his head. He had a thin, pale face with a serious expression, his razor thin brows furrowed as he looked down his nose at Blake as if he had just stepped in something disgusting. He wore a plain black suit with a white tie, clipped and tight around his rail thin body with a pair of slim black shoes that looked as if they had never touched dirt at all.
"Brother," the man tilted his head a little to the shorter man. "I see that you have… guests."
"Richie!" Blake threw out his arms in an eager attempt to hug him. 'Richie' didn't move at all, simply glowering down his sharp beak nose at him. Blake shrank a little in his gaze, dropping his arms limply to his side and looking extremely uncomfortable. "Do… do you, uh… wanna come in?"
"I suppose that I shall have to," Richard sighed through his nose, walking in and looking about at the collected monsters like they were all specimens in jars that so happened to be mildly interesting to look at for a moment. Sans immediately disliked this human. He didn't like being viewed as a specimen at all. The other human had nearly lost her wits meeting them. This one was… unsettling .
"So, uh… guys," Blake cast out an arm to the monsters uneasily. "This, uh… this is my brother Richard."
"Pleasure," Richard bowed his head a little, sounding as if he'd rather be anywhere else in the world. "Blake, tell me. Are these… people the reason that there is a crowd gathered outside this apartment complex?"
"Y-yeah?" Blake shifted from foot to foot, pulling at his ear ring. "We kind of… need your expertise. I-I mean, we did our best with the paperwork, but w-we could really use your help with some of the, uh, legal jargon."
"Jargon," his brother frowned slightly in distaste, his already narrow face seeming more pointed and sharp by the minute. "Oh, for god's sake, Blake. Don't call it jargon, just give me the paperwork and I'll see what I can do."
"Thanks man," Blake said with no small measure of relief, darting off to the kitchen. "Just a sec, bro, just a sec! Left the papers on the table!"
Richard was left standing amidst the monsters for a few moments, and he stared at them all with an unidentifiable look.
"… My brother informs me that you are all from under Mount Ebott," Richard began quietly, every word sounding clipped. Toned. Practiced. "Quite difficult to believe that there are monsters among us until you see it with your own eyes. Funny thing."
If he thought that it was a funny thing he certainly didn't show it. He looked as if he had never found a single thing funny in his entire life. It was clear that everyone was pretty uncomfortable with the man standing in the middle of them all, calmly looking down his nose at them.
"It is nice to meet you, brother of Blake," Asgore said calmly as he approached the tall man, smiling kindly at him. "If you are anything at all like your brother, then I think that we will get along just fine."
"Please do not compare me to him," Richard said emotionlessly. "I'm just here to do the paperwork and then I'll be out of your hair."
There was an almost audible sigh of relief when Richard stalked like a ghost out of the room into the kitchen, his shoes clipping over the floor at a swift pace. For some reason that man made Sans incredibly uneasy. He was far too calm. Too rigid . He was definitely not very much like Blake. Sans glanced down to Frisk to see their thoughts on him, but they were huddled beneath the blanket with the quilt pulled up over the top of their head, just their little face peeking out.
"… You okay, buddy?" Sans asked quietly, petting their head. Frisk simply nodded and gave him a wary smile. He heard loud but muffled talking coming from somewhere, and Asgore gently laid a hand on Toriel's shoulder. She looked unhappy about it, but didn't say anything.
"We shall speak to the humans gathered outside to calm their fears," Asgore began slowly, and Undyne was busy strapping her armor to herself. Papyrus was watching her with a vested interest as she suited up, gleaming metal bracers slipped on effortlessly. "Soon we shall address them and announce our presence to the world at large. Things are about to change, for everyone. I hope you are all prepared."
"If anybody tries anything stupid…" Undyne pounded a gauntleted fist into her hand.
"They won't," Papyrus said firmly. "You'll probably scare anyone who would like to cause trouble. Besides, they wouldn't be here if they didn't want to just talk, right? They can't be too bad."
"I-I-I'll s-stay and h-help with t-the paperwork," Alphys tapped her claws together nervously. Sans felt for the poor monster. She'd probably faint just walking near a crowd.
"Are you ready, our little ambassador?" Asgore stood before Frisk. Frisk pulled themselves from their blanket and stood on the couch, giving Asgore a little hug around the stomach. He looked utterly shocked for a moment, his face softening a little as he smiled back at them.
"Very well," Asgore took in a deep breath as Frisk stood beside him, eyes full of hope and determination. "So it begins."
And here we go.
There were definitely more humans gathered in the parking lot than Sans expected. Several of them had cameras that were clicking away the moment that Asgore and Toriel descended the steps with Undyne and Frisk close in tow. Sans would not approach with them, but instead hung back on the steps to observe the gathering of humans from afar. If anyone tried anything dangerous, he could be on them in a mere moment. He sincerely hoped that all went well. He silently pulled up his hood, feeling foolish for wishing that he could be holding Frisk's hand instead of the queen. Things would work out. If not for the gathering of humans, then his friends. What would one even call a gathering of humans? A flock? A herd? A gaggle?
Heh. A murder…?
"Salutations," Asgore greeted them in a rumbling tone, and the crowd hushed considerably when he began speaking. Sans couldn't help but admire him a little bit. He always had that impression with crowds. Maybe that was why monsters all seemed to love him so much. "My name is Asgore Dreemurr. Golly. It is very nice to meet you all. I would invite you in for tea, but I do not think that there is quite enough room for everyone at the table."
He gave a small, meek wave to them as a couple of people tittered nervously. Undyne stood around looking tough, standing surprisingly still, her one eye flashing back and forth over the crowd for any sign of danger.
"As you might have already heard," Asgore continued quietly, but it was so silent in the crowd he could have whispered and they would have heard him. They had been so loud and clamoring before, the stark contrast really was stunning to Sans. "Monsters are indeed returning once again to the surface. This is a momentous occasion, as most monsters have never once seen natural sunlight in the entirety of their lives. It is… a most beautiful thing. There is so much beauty here on the surface, it sometimes boggles the mind. I only wish that I could have given my people the chance to see it sooner. Please know that we monsters come in peace. We wish no harm to anyone-"
"Is it true that you eat children?" someone in the crowd called out, and Asgore gawked at him with open mouth before snapping it shut. Before he could speak Toriel laughed melodically, shaking her head.
"Only if your children are butterscotch pies," she winked at the man that had spoken, causing him to duck awkwardly out of the sudden gaze of the chuckling people.
"We wish no harm upon anyone," Asgore continued with a smile.
"However, I believe that you deserve a word from our ambassador." Asgore nodded to Frisk, and Sans froze.
Frisk couldn't speak in front of others.
This was going to go horribly, horribly wrong and why was he still just standing there?
How quickly could he get to them? Could he distract the crowd with something? God what was wrong with his head why didn't he put his foot down harder this was all going wrong! The silence itself was deafening. What if they tried to reset? Frisk opened their mouth a couple of times without making a noise. They looked fretfully back and forth across the crowd while they pulled at their sleeves before finally taking a long, slow, deep breath.
"… Monsters are really, really nice," Frisk began softly, but again it was so quiet that Sans had no problem hearing them, even with the distance. "Ever since I… fell, into the mountain, monsters have been nothing but kind to me. They took me in when I… when I didn't have anywhere else to go. They treated me like… like family. All monsters want is to love, and be loved. I think that if people can have love inside them like monsters do, then everything will be okay. For everybody."
It was so silent that Sans could almost hear their heads spinning.
"Um. T-that's all," Frisk finished quietly. There was a surprisingly raucous amount of clapping and flashing of cameras going off. They looked over to Sans, pleadingly, and he got the message. He trotted down the steps at a brisk pace until he was right next to them as the crowd began to steadily increase in volume with their questions, and Asgore tried to placate them with the response that all questions would be gladly answered.
"You okay, buddy?" Sans leaned in as they took his hand, shaking ferociously. Their cheeks were flushed and their eyes were wide, but they weakly smiled back and nodded once. He gave them a tight hug before pulling away, grinning. "I'm proud of you. You're such a brave kid, Frisk."
They hugged him around the middle and he chuckled, squeezing them back. He heard the shutter snap of someone photographing them, but he didn't care. Sans tried hard to pretend that he didn't
see the long, ludicrously bright pink limousine rolling up behind the crowd, causing many of them to start spouting questions at the robot with glistening black hair beneath a wide brimmed yellow sunhat, waving cheerfully to them all. He did not have time for that narcissistic calculator Mettaton. That was another problem altogether. All that mattered right now was Frisk. He took them by the hand and walked around behind Asgore where it was more difficult for anyone to see behind the large monster, and propelled them both into a shortcut.
They reentered the world from the void with a little pop of displaced air in the living room, and Sans ruffled their hair, grinning widely the entire time.
Blake stuck his head in from the kitchen, looking back and forth between them and the door in bewilderment.
"How do you keep doing that?" he asked, clearly distressed. His short hair was a mess and sticking out in multiple directions, and he was still in his brightly colored pajamas.
"Mmmmmmaaaagic," Sans smirked, waving his hand through the air. Blake snorted and shook his head, flinching when he heard a loud, clearly staged cough from behind him. He spun immediately on the spot, looking guilty and returning to the kitchen.
"I'm so proud of you, babybones," Sans kissed the top of their head. "That took some real cajones. Stars know I couldn't have done it. I don't have the guts," he pointed at his belly, and Frisk giggled. God how he'd missed that sound. He didn't even know just how badly he missed it until he could hear it again, it was like music in the air. It was like healing for his soul. He felt just a little bit lighter from hearing it. Frisk still wouldn't let go of his hand, but he didn't mind. He didn't want them to. He nodded his head subtly toward the kitchen.
"Wanna go spy on these dorks?" Sans asked quietly. Frisk only gave a little snort and shook their
head, smiling as they followed him into the kitchen. Sans saw that Alphys and Blake were sitting at the small wooden table while the tall gaunt man leaned over a stack of papers, and he didn't even glance up at Sans. Papyrus was leaning against the counter with his arm and a half folded tightly together, looking upset about something. Alphys was constantly readjusting her glasses nervously, unable to keep her eyes anywhere but her work as she scribbled something out with a pen.
"Hey, buddy," Sans said jovially as he approached Richard with his hand extended. "Don't think we've been introduced. I'm Sans. Sans the skeleton," he added with a wink. Richard glanced over to him slowly before tightly grasping his hand. The whoopie cushion set off a loud, wet noise, and Sans grinned up at him expectantly.
Richard did not laugh. He didn't move. He didn't even blink.
"That's… uh. Your cue to… laugh?" Sans retracted his hand uneasily. "Or. You know. Emote? At… at all?"
"… Hilarious," Richard said expressionlessly as he turned back to the paperwork, using a bright red pen to etch something out and neatly write down a few notes. "I can see why Blake likes you." He said it so coldly, so venomously, Sans hardly realized that Blake had flinched and coughed awkwardly into his hand, eyes downcast.
"That should about do it," Richard reshuffled the papers and passed them across the table in a neat little stack. "You're welcome, by the way."
"Thanks again, Rich," Blake beamed widely up at him.
"I told you not to call me that." Richard responded in such a clipped, even tone that it made Blake flinch deeply, and he rubbed the back of his neck and looked away.
"R-right. Yeah. Right, of-of course Rich. Um. Richie. R-Richard," he sputtered awkwardly. Richard only rolled his eyes.
"Hey," Sans frowned at him, feeling Frisk squeeze his hand. They knew when he was getting angry, they could sense the danger coming from a mile away. They really were a bright kid. Still, Sans tried to keep it under control. "Come on, man. Lay off him already."
"No idea what you're on about," Richard replied coldly, turning those blank, emotionless eyes toward the skeleton. Frisk squeezed his hand and Sans took a quiet breath, forcing a grin.
"Take it easy, buddy. I'm tryin' to give you the benefit of the doubt, here. Don't go disappointing me now."
"Call your damned father," Richard turned his icy gaze back toward Blake. "You know. Speaking of disappointments."
Blake cringed deeply and rubbed his ear ring uneasily. Sans felt the sudden urge to kick the man in the shins and give his head a good introduction to the table, but Frisk's grip held him back, kept him grounded.
"Keep in touch," Richard stood and readjusted his white tie. "And pick up this place the next time I'm over, you're living like a slob."
"Y-yeah," Blake said immediately, cutting off the very impolite response that Sans had staining his tongue. "Yeah. Of course, Richard. It was- I-I mean, it-it was n-nice-"
"Spit it out, Blake."
"Thanks," he rubbed his spiky short hair awkwardly.
"Don't mention it," his brother nodded curtly. Then he did something that Sans didn't expect from a man of his caliber. He stood before Blake and ever so gently clapped a hand to his shoulder. He didn't speak, Sans couldn't even tell if he was breathing, but he knew the gesture for what it was. After a moment Richard sighed through his pointed nose and pulled away, not even looking back as he brushed beside Sans and Frisk as he headed for the door. Frisk shivered as he passed, like the man was bringing a cold storm with him, and Sans could almost feel… something. Something that he wasn't sure how to identify. It bothered him deeply.
"Richard?"
The gaunt man paused without looking around, and Sans was surprised to see that it was Papyrus who had spoken, softly, like he wasn't expecting to be heard at all. However, Richard did not continue, slightly turning his head without looking at them to imply that he was listening.
"You seem to be upset about something," Papyrus continued quietly. "If you ever need to talk to someone, we're all here for you. Okay?"
Richard seemed… unsettled, at the very least. His lips pursed tightly and his brows furrowed for just a bare tic before his face was cleared of almost all emotion. For just a moment, just a very brief second,
the gaunt man looked so… sad. Sans wasn't sure how to respond to that.
Richard didn't speak, but he did silently nod once toward Papyrus with an expression that Sans couldn't place before he finally left, quietly latching the door behind him. Sans wouldn't be too bothered if the man never came back. He didn't look forward to Richard being his problem. Stars and stones that guy was fucking creepy.
There was an audible sigh of relief from Blake, and Sans blinked as he and Frisk strode over to the table. Sans had almost forgotten that the human was there at all, he had been so silent. Even Alphys made a little bit of noise, tapping her claws together nervously.
"So, uh…" Sans began conversationally, noting how distressed Blake seemed. "Is your dad a cactus?"
"What?" Blake blinked at him curiously.
"Because that guy was definitely a prick."
Blake snorted and covered his smirk with his hand, and Sans relaxed a little.
"He seemed…" Alphys stuttered quietly. "Um. Well. He was very… here?"
"What are you trying to say, Al?" Sans rubbed the top of Frisk's head before placing his hands on the table, glancing over the papers.
"N-nothing," she blurted quickly. "He w-was v-very helpful!"
"Richie - Richard really isn't so bad," Blake insisted quietly, noting the odd stare that he was getting from Papyrus. "I mean, he can be a little, um. Stiff, sometimes," he pulled at his ear ring habitually. "But, still. He-he dropped literally everything when I told him we needed help, and took the first flight here that he could. Richie really isn't so bad. He's just… not, eh… good at expressing himself."
Frisk nodded for moment before approaching the man in the chair, patting him on the arm with a kind little smile. Even though Richard had clearly been frightening to Frisk, they were still trying their best to make Blake a little more at ease. How in the world could he have possibly been landed with such a kind soul?
Frisk really was a great kid. They saw that Papyrus was looking forlornly at the door, as if he wanted to chase after Richard and tell him something. Frisk ever so gently took his remaining hand in theirs, smiling wanly up at him. Papyrus sighed quietly and patted their head when they hugged him around the leg, returning the smile in kind.
"… Oh my god that is so cute," Alphys giggled quietly, snapping a picture with her phone.
"Yeesh," Blake rubbed the back of his head as he sipped quietly at his cup of coffee. "Where'd you get that phone? It looks ancient."
"The garbage," Alphys replied calmly. She was… surprisingly coherent around Blake. She didn't seem to stutter quite as much as she usually did. Blake laughed weakly and shook his head before he realized that she was serious.
"… You really aren't joking," he blinked.
"You can find all sorts of fun and fancy stuff in the garbage!" Papyrus said cheerfully as Frisk clung to his leg. "I found some cool shirts and a neat television one time."
"I didn't know dumpster diving was a thing that monsters did," Blake blinked.
"No, we literally have a garbage dump under Mount Ebott," Sans explained. "Humans tend to toss a whole bunch of garbage down there and it all winds up going through Waterfall. It's kind of how monsters have managed to salvage some forms of technology over the years."
"That sounds terrible !" Blake gawked at him in outright horror. "What the hell! I-I had no clue people were using the mountain as a garbage dump, that's awful! And definitely illegal! I mean, what the shit, man?"
"It's really not as bad as it sounds," Alphys informed him quietly. "So long as monsters do their best to keep the pollution to a minimum, it's not so hard."
"Still…" Blake said uncomfortably. "It's not right . Humans are the ones polluting the place, why should monsters have to clean up the mess?"
"You also forget that we have magic on our side," Sans clicked his fingers. A burst of blue tinging magic swarmed over his fingertip and spun in a circle before fizzling out, leaving the human gawking at him in amazement. "Like she said. We've got it under control."
"… You guys are so cool," Blake leaned back in his chair, grinning widely.
"Well, of course we are," Papyrus flicked his scarf back, picking up
Frisk to let them cling around his neck. "I tend to rub off on people."
"Gross," Sans grinned at him. "The less I know about you rubbing off, the better."
Blake laughed and blushed a little, trying to hide his snickering behind his hand.
"Sans, don't be disgusting," Papyrus deadpanned at him.
"Can't help it, bro. I guess you could say it's just in my bones."
Blake was outright giggling at this point, earning a very strange look from Alphys. Papyrus only sighed and closed his eye sockets, trying to pretend that Frisk wasn't sniggering just as much as Blake.
"Please don't encourage him," he said flatly. "Come along, little one. Would you like to watch a movie together? There are so many that it's hard to choose. Why don't you pick the next one, hmm?"
Papyrus carried Frisk toward the living room, and Sans watched them go for a moment. Then he realized the starry eyed stare that Alphys was giving him, and he shifted uncomfortably.
"… Oh my god," she whispered, clearing her glasses. "Blake can blush. Number one ship of all time."
"What are you talking about Al," Sans gave her a level look.
"N-nothing!" she said quickly, covering her smile. "Nothing a-at all, SSans."
"Guess I'll go crash with my bro and Frisk," Sans shrugged.
"Oh!" Blake clicked his fingers together, remembering suddenly. "Speaking of bros. Richard helped talk me through the adoption process. You're definitely going to need official citizenship before you can legally adopt Frisk, we should have all of the paperwork turned in by tonight. Just in case anyone decides that they want to try to pull a fast one on you, I have my own papers ready thanks to Richie to legally claim Frisk under my name until we can get custody switched over. Nobody is going to take your kid from you, buddy," Blake finished proudly. Sans felt a swell in his chest and he had to resist the sudden urge to hug the human.
"I… thanks, man," Sans said softly, beaming at him. "I can't… I can't tell you how much this means to me."
"Don't even worry about it," Blake's ears began turning a light shade of pink. He was trying to look everywhere but Sans. "It's really no problem at all. I'm sure that anybody else would have done the same."
"Don't say things like that," Sans said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You're not just anybody. You're a swell guy, Blake. I don't know where we'd be without you."
Blake spluttered and stuttered, pulling at his ear ring awkwardly and looking away down to the papers.
"We've… we've still got some s-stuff to do…" he shuffled the paperwork, clearly uninterested in assuring that any of them were in order. Sans just chuckled and shook his head, turning on the spot and trudging toward the living room where Papyrus was cheerfully showing Frisk all the different movies that they had to choose from.
He dropped onto the couch and closed his weary eye sockets, just wishing for a little bit of rest. It had been so hectic, and the morning was barely half over and he wanted to just crash so badly. He felt a sudden stir as Frisk clambered up onto the couch and before he knew it they were in his lap, hugging him around the neck and giving him a soft, gentle peck on the cheek. Sans laughed and cracked an eye socket, kissing them on the forehead as Papyrus settled in beside them.
It was such a strange feeling, flowing through his chest. He had his friends backing him, and he could hear Undyne yammering about the monsters introduction as she held the door for the king (and Mettaton, unfortunately, so much for escaping that egotistical maniac). He didn't care much about the movie, it was just a distraction from a perfectly good nap. He had his brother nearby. He could feel Frisk's soul so warm, so bright, so full of life next to him.
He had his friends. He had his family.
And, for just a little while, he felt contentment such that he had not felt in many, many years.
Maybe, just maybe, things would turn out okay.
"… Sans."
"Yeah, Paps," Sans quietly answered the skeleton trying to sleep in the recliner. He shifted on the couch trying not to wake Frisk, but they seemed to already be awake although their eyes were closed. They mumbled something that he couldn't hear, cuddling up beside him and hugging him around the middle.
"Have…" Papyrus pulled his blanket up to his chin, staring up at the ceiling. "Have you been having bad dreams again?"
"No, of course not," he lied immediately. He didn't want to admit that he was still having nightmares of waking up in Snowdin. Of that damned weed breaking him down, ripping his limbs off, tearing and violating and laughing as he hurt his little babybones. Of him. He didn't need to bring that onto Papyrus's plate, he was already dealing with so much. "Everything is fine, bro."
"Because you've been… saying things," Papyrus continued uncomfortably. "In… in your sleep."
Sans froze.
Oh god.
Oh god.
"Everything is fine," Sans repeated softly, rubbing the back of Frisk's head as they clung to him a little tighter.
"Alright, Sans…" he sighed. "I believe you."
Sans felt like total scum for lying to his brother like that when it was so plainly obvious, but Papyrus absolutely did not need to deal with Sans's problems too.
"… So," Papyrus said just as Sans was about to fall asleep. "So, um. Apparently we're loaded now."
"Humans really like gold, I guess," Sans shrugged, shifting the blanket so that it would properly cover Frisk's shoulders, and he couldn't tell if they had actually fallen asleep or not.
"Human Blake has been very kind to us," he said quietly. "King Asgore had Blake help him pick out entire plots of land today for as soon as monsters are able to get them. Houses are going to be built for monsters on the surface. Things are changing, so fast, Sans. It's… it's a little overwhelming."
"Yeah," Sans sighed, getting his phalanges tangled in Frisk's hair. They frowned a little and he realized that they weren't asleep at all, but were simply keeping their eyes closed and listening to them talk. "It is kinda scary, huh."
"So I've been thinking…" Papyrus rolled his hand through the air. "With all of the money that we have now and such a large amount of land just on the outside of the city, we could build a house.
We could get a car, and a garage, and we are going to furnish the crap out of that place."
Sans snickered once, noting quietly that Frisk was smiling softly.
"It sounds great, Paps," Sans answered quietly. "Man. Sure would be easier just to move our old house up to the surface."
"Don't be ridiculous Sans," Papyrus said with exasperation. "How would we even carry it?" Sans snorted.
"… Good night, brother," Papyrus finished quietly. "And good night to you, little one."
"G'night, Paps…" Sans answered softly, smiling as he closed his eyes.
"Good night, Papy," he heard Frisk ever so gently whisper. Sans blinked his eye sockets open, carefully placing a hand on Frisk's cheek. Sans lay awake for what felt like an hour afterwards, just listening to the sound of breathing, feeling Frisk's heartbeat, their warmth. He scritched at their head gently. They slowly opened their eyes to glance at him, looking a little confused from his expression.
"So, uh…" Sans said lowly after a few silent minutes as he tried to find the right words. "I got a question for you, kiddo."
Frisk looked at him nervously, uncertain.
"Don't worry, it's-it's not a question like before," he said lowly, choosing his words carefully. "It's something, uh. Personal."
"Like… intimate?" they blinked at him.
"Sort of. I just… thought that I should ask for your permission. It feels like I've been plannin' stuff out, and it doesn't seem right to leave you out of it or not get your thoughts on it. I… I wanna know what you think."
"What is it, Sans?" Frisk asked gently, tilting their head a little on their side and looking at him curiously.
"Do you… I-I mean. D'you mind, if, uh…" he closed his eye sockets for a moment. He was so afraid. He was so scared of their response. He knew what they would say. They couldn't possibly want to be around a monster like him. Not for any longer than they had to. And yet, they ever so softly brushed his cheek with their fingertips, smiling kindly at him. They were such a good kid. So full of hope. Of mercy. Of love.
He just wanted to hold them close and keep them safe.
He wanted to hear them laugh again with that melodic little giggle, that beaming smile that radiated joy. They were like nectar and ambrosia to him. He just wanted them to be happy.
But could he even give them that? Could he give them the happiness that they deserved? He wanted so badly to. He wanted to see them smile again.
He summoned up his words and wished for the help of liquid courage before letting out a sigh, looking them in the eyes.
"Would you… like it?" Sans asked cautiously. "If… if I were to, um. Aadopt you? Like… officially. I know you're already family and it's just a piece of paper, but-but I'm freakin' terrified of somebody takin' you away from us babybones, it scares the livin' daylights outta me and I don't wanna panic because the last thing I wanna do is panic and shit shit please don't cry… !"
"Y-yes," Frisk mumbled through a wave of tears. "Yes, yes please. I'll be good."
Sans didn't want them to cry, if they started crying then he was inevitably going to start crying. He just brushed their tears away with his phalanges as they beamed at him, giggling a little and kissing him on the cheek.
"I want it," Frisk chirruped happily, squeezing him as tightly as they could. "I… I wanna belong somewhere."
"You do belong somewhere, babybones…" Sans kissed the top of their head gently, the scent of their hair filling him with determination. "Right here. With people that love you. I love you, babybones. And I want you to have a good life. The best, whatever I can give you. I just… I just want you to be happy."
"I am happy, you bonehead," Frisk rubbed their cheek against his, sighing and cuddling next to him.
"Hey, leave the skeleton puns to the professional fools," he chuckled quietly, hugging them back. "I know I might be bone tired, but I've still got some good ones up my sleeve."
"You might have a whoopie cushion up your sleeve, maybe…" Frisk giggled again. Sans sighed contentedly and closed his eyes, holding them close. He was going to keep them safe. He was going to make them the happiest kid in the world, like they deserved. He was going to have a family.
Oh god.
Oh god I'm starting a a real family.
What in the actual fuck am I doing with my life.
But he could live with it. He would try. He would fight until his last breath and keep on fighting for his family, for their lives, for their happiness. It was his problem now, and he would tackle it head on for once in his life and try his damnedest to give them the life that they deserved. A life free of strife. Free from pain, free from fear.
It dawned on him slowly, but when it did it hit him like a sack of bricks.
They were out .
They still hadn't reset. Maybe they really weren't going to again.
They were out.
They were finally free .
He didn't realize just how much freedom meant to him until he finally had it, looking back on what his life used to be. A sad, miserable mess of alcoholism and repeating the same jokes to the same people in the same timelines over and over again. And now it was changing. Everything was changing.
He was free.
Frisk had given him, given all of them so much more than access to the surface.
There was no more prison holding him back.
They had given him the most beautiful gift in the world.
And someday, he was going to repay that kindness.
Someday, he would be a good person.
Someday.
It was sometime around early morning when Sans was awoken. Nobody else was even up yet, and the moonlight drifted in through the window shades, casting long, deep shadows over them all. He had to do a double take at the shade in the corner, feeling as though he were being watched. But of course nobody was there. He blinked when Frisk shook him gently by the shoulders, not speaking.
"Frisky-bits?" Sans asked quietly. He saw their glimmering red eyes shining in the dark, and his soul sank a little bit. Why couldn't he just have Frisk with him? He was already missing Frisk. But he was being unfair to Chara. They weren't all bad.
"It's me," Chara said quietly, not taking their hand off of his shoulder.
"I can tell," he whispered dryly, but shook his head. He didn't need to be rude to them. "What is it, babybones? Are you okay?"
"Y-yeah," Chara looked away, frowning. He hated seeing that upset look on his kid's face. "I-I just… you know what, never mind. It's nothing."
"It's not nothing if you woke me up," he said gently, running a hand through their hair. They flinched for a moment but eventually looked away again and sighed deeply.
"… Bad dream?" Sans asked quietly, and Chara didn't respond. "It's okay, babybones. It's just a dream. Its' not real. Okay? It's not real. You're… you're safe here. I won't let any bad dreams get to ya, okay?" he winked at them, smiling. Surprisingly, Chara actually gave a little smile back, leaning in and pressing their forehead to his chest.
"Alright. Okay, Sans," Chara said at last, their voice so soft that he almost didn't hear them. "… Thanks."
"Don't mention it, buddy," he kissed the top of their head and their cheeks flushed a bit. "… Hey. I can't sleep much either. You want a drink?"
"Is there chocolate milk?" Chara asked.
"Tell you what. I'll go make you some chocolate milk and we'll sit down and watch one of those movies 'til everybody else gets up.
Sound good?"
Chara responded by nodding a couple of times, sighing and pressing their head against his chest again. He could feel Frisk's soul, Chara's soul beating and pounding like a drum. It was very strange. Chara's presence felt just a little… different from Frisk's. He didn't even notice that there was much of a difference until he felt for it. They were just.. strange. He didn't know how to place it.
Sans meandered into the kitchen while Chara followed, and they hopped up onto one of the wooden chairs at the table and sat patiently for him. Sans dug around noisily in the cabinets and refrigerator for a bit, digging out the milk and some powdered chocolate with a spoon. He heard shuffling behind him and turned his head as he stirred, careful not to spill any.
"… Sans?" Blake blinked, rubbing his eyes with one hand while he straightened his pajama top with the other. "What are you doing?" "Making chocolate milk," he responded tiredly.
"It's four o'clock in the morning," Blake deadpanned at him. "Why on earth are you making chocolate milk?"
"Because I've lost control of my life," Sans said without missing a beat.
Papyrus stood amongst a field of golden flowers, the sun shining brightly through the treetops and casting beautiful dancing shadows over the blooming plants. He knew it was just a dream, but he could still feel the gentle warm breeze on his bones, the soft scent of pollen and honey and earth drifting through the air, the feel of bark on his fingertips. He still had both arms, and he flexed them carefully to test them. It felt… good, being whole. He still felt like he was missing something though. Something important that he wasn't picking up on. He hated that feeling. However, that didn't stop him from sitting down across from the smiling skeletal figure in the long coat. He sat in the shadows like he was enjoying the shade, his fingertips steepled together as he smiled at him.
"It's so good to see you again, Papyrus," Gaster said softly as the skeleton settled down across from him. "We have so much to discuss. You see, I have this little… problem ."