[OOC] Determination[TopSpeedOfSound & MurderVictim] HIATUS

[TopSpeedOfSound]

The short skeleton hissed out a long sigh between his teeth. Despite not having lungs, or even breath for that matter, small puffs of mist streamed behind him as he carried on down the snowy path towards home. Sans grinned as he thought about what waited for him. His dear baby brother, probably wearing an apron over his battle body, a plate of the world's worst spaghetti in one hand and one of his own dirty socks in the other. And his favorite squishy human, probably messing with that damn conniving flower again. While it wasn't a bad thing, Frisk could be a little too forgiving sometimes... Especially when that yellow liar had tried to kill her. But it was her choice, he reasoned with himself. The thing had no power now, and if it put even one petal out of place, he would be there to put an end to it.

His mind wondering back to Frisk, Sans frowned a bit. Typically, she was a happy kid, but recently it seemed like something was bothering her. There were times when she'd greet him with a hug and they'd snuggle on the couch watching MTTV until they fell asleep, but then... . There were other times when Frisk would avoid him altogether. As nonchalant as he was, Sans couldn't help but feel put out on those nights. She would only talk to Papyrus, help him with all the chores, and then the pair would scurry off to the taller skeletons's room for a nail painting session(who knew Papyrus would be so good at it?).

With another sigh, Sans looked up to see home. He just stood there a minute, wondering if he should go inside. What if Frisk was having another one of "those" nights? Of course Sans wasn't lonely or anything, but if Frisk was ignoring him, then she wouldn't give Papyrus but a few seconds to say his hello before rushing him upstairs and closing the door. Man, no way this was getting to him, not a bit. He just missed having quality bro time with his little brother is all.

Letting out another sigh, Sans opened the door and put on a lazy smile. He could smell spaghetti cooking(or rather, burning) and heart the chef humming and moving about in the kitchen. Papy was so cool. Shuffling over to the kitchen doorway, Sans leaned against the doorframe and waved a lazy hand to his brother as he spoke,"Sup bro, I'm home."

At that Papyrus missed a beat in his stirring routine, successfully spilling some of the spaghetti sauce on the floor and stove. "SANS! DON'T DO THAT! YOU SURPRISED ME," he cried loudly, smiling at the shorter skeleton anyways. He quickly turned off the stove and moved the pots from the burners before swooping Sans up in a very dramatic, but welcomed hug. Sans' mood was a bit more chipper as he was placed back on the floor. "Is Frisk helping ya' cook, Paps," he asked, peeking around his brother into the kitchen.

Perhaps tonight would be a normal one...

[MurderVictim]

"Papyrus, maybe you should, um..."

"Wait! I don't think that's..."

"Maybe I should do that, Papyrus...?"

Frisk's passive, soft voice spoke up every once in a while as she stood in the kitchen. She watched Papyrus with worried eyes. Him burning the spaghetti was the least of her concerns; she didn't want Sans coming home to a fire, or a house full of smoke. Still, she couldn't keep from smiling at the tall skeleton as he cooked. Dangers aside, she didn't want to ruin his fun.

She leaned on the counter, soon bending over it with her elbow on the surface and cheek in her palm. It felt like just yesterday that she'd be standing in that very spot, having to stand on her tiptoes just to see over the edge. Papyrus would pick her up to sometimes let her stir or throw in an extra ingredient. She wouldn't worry too much about the way Papyrus cooked, or the aftermath of his enthusiasm. Frisk was just happy to help. Things were so simple back then.

Frisk held back a sigh. She had turned twenty years old not that long ago, and still couldn't help wishing for her childhood back. The new emotions and feelings and insecurities...They flooded her. They were impossible to escape. She thought she had gotten through the worst of it in her teen years! Apparently not. When she was a child, even facing the monsters around her was a simple task. They still were, especially now that she had made friends with everyone and they had gotten to see her grow up.

Well...Except one certain skeleton.

Frisk snapped back to reality at the sound of Sans' voice. Well, speak of the devil! She lifted her head from her palm, straightening up a bit and turning when Papyrus did. At the sight of the shorter skeleton, Frisk tried to hide her sudden blush. Her heart began to pound, and she was sure that she felt beads of sweat form on her forehead. Her hands began to shake. In an effort to not let the brothers notice, Frisk grabbed the nearest kitchen towel and began to clean up the spilled sauce.

As she carefully wiped the mess up, Frisk avoided looking at Sans. If she did, she feared her heart might explode out of her chest. This happened way too often, and all it did was leave her feeling embarrassed and guilty. She couldn't look at Sans, or hear his voice, or...Heaven forbid he tried putting a hand on her back or shoulder! The butterflies in her stomach would flutter so fast that she'd almost feel nauseous. The only thing that helped was stealing Papyrus away, as he made for a good distraction. Frisk hated leaving Sans out, but it was better than him knowing what kind of effect he had on her sometimes.

Frisk didn't want that to happen again tonight. She sucked in a deep breath, wrung the soiled towel in her hands, then turned to spot Sans trying to peer around Papyrus. Her heart hammered, but she smiled at him. "I'm trying to help," she said with a small laugh. She tossed the towel onto the counter, making a mental note to throw it in the washer later. With that, she walked towards Sans.

"So, uh...What's up. How was your day?" Despite her better judgement, Frisk gave Sans a light and friendly punch on the shoulder. She tried to keep her smile as bright as possible, but a hint of her tension was still there.

[TopSpeedOfSound]

As the two white dots of his "eyes" found the human in question, Sans felt relief flood through his bones. At least she seemed more at ease as she replied with a gentle laugh, though she seemed to tense a bit as she walked over. As she did, Papyrus shifted and placed his hands on his hips in a very sassy manner(likely something he'd picked up from Mettaton.... Sans might need to have a talk with the saucy robot later) and exclaimed,"NONSENSE! YOU DID VERY WELL IN AIDING THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HUMAN! DONT BE TOO HARD ON YOURSELF!" Sans held back a chuckle at his brothers' enthusiasm, and then his mind began to wonder.

Perhaps the reason for Frisk stealing the taller skeleton away was because she still had feelings for him..... After all, they had gone on a date all those years ago when they'd first met, so.... It made sense that Frisk would want to be alone with Paps, because she hadn't let go of those feelings. Yeah, that had to be it. Sans was just getting in the way of her... Wooing...

Something in the shorter skeletons' chest swirled.

The light pinch was a surprise(enough to jolt him from his inner train of thought), seeing as she seemed to rarely enjoy his presence these days, but he smiled at the gesture. At the question about his day, Sans gave a shrug,"My hotdog sales are up 100%. Had'da kid buy one about noon. I almost talked him into another one until I told him it was 100% dog." Papyrus smacked a gloved hand to his face and grumbled at the absolutely horrible joke.

Sans gave a wink to Frisk before shuffling over to the couch and taking his rightfully claimed spot on the far end,"How about a movie night? Pretty sure Eclipse part one is playing." Sans didn't care much for gooey love story, but he knew Pappy loved it, and as he turned to see his brother's reaction, he wasn't disappointed. Papyrus' eyes were brimming with excitement as he swept Frisk up in a hug and carried her to the couch,"YES! I HAVE BEEN DYING TO SEE WHAT WILL HAPPEN", he chimmed as he unceremoniously dumped Frisk in the middle of the small couch and took the other end, practically glowing with excitement. Sans all but sputtered at the "dying" comment and leaned over the back of the couch.

Using his magic, Sans brought the pot of spaghetti, three plates, and three forks into the front room and set them on the coffee table. Being the lazy bones he was, he fixed his plate the same way, lazily waving his fingers the entire time and his left eye blazing in an almost menacing manner.

Waving the plate into his lap, he wasted no time in taking a bite, the pasta making his jacket glow as the food converted into magic with every swallow. It was an odd process, at least it had been to Frisk when she was younger. Speaking of which... Sans quietly watched watched her from the corner of his eye socket as he pulled the remote from the couch cushions and switched on the movie.

[MurderVictim]

While Papyrus wasn't pleased, Frisk genuinely laughed at Sans' joke. If there was anything that could put her at ease without fail, it was one of Sans' jokes. She relaxed a little, though her heart still raced at a fast pace. At least she wasn't sweating, anymore. And, hopefully, her blush had faded.

She really shouldn't have been surprised when Papyrus swept her up in his excitement. Still, she was caught a little off guard, and made a soft "oof" sound when he dropped her on the couch. But that was just another reason to love Paps. She smiled and smoothed her short hair down a bit.

Frisk fixed her plate and began to eat. The spaghetti definitely wasn't as bad as it had been in the past; she didn't have to choke it down like she feared she would. In fact, it was a comfort. Hot, homecooked food always soothed her nerves. Despite being seated next to the object of her strange behavior, she was perfectly comfortable. Even her heart had settled down.

Well, everything was fine until the movie started. Frisk wasn't a fan of the series, but she didn't mind watching it with Papyrus. She knew what was coming. The romance was awfully heavy, she knew that. She could handle it. What she couldn't handle, however, was watching it with Sans. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't keep herself from imagining her and Sans in the most gooey scenes. Every kiss, every intimate touch...She wished it was her and the short skeleton.

Her butterflies returned. She was only half-way finished with her food, yet had to stop eating. She lowered the plate to her lap and tried to keep her gaze on only the screen. If she looked away from it, she feared that one of her friends would notice. She bit her lower lip as she watched, hoping for some sort of action scene to break up the romance. The longer she waited, the more nervous she became. Oh god, this was not a good idea!

Finally, the movie progressed. With a mental side of relief, Frisk looked down at her plate and swirled the noodles with her fork. Cautiously, she stole a glance at Sans, hoping he had been paying attention to the movie and not to her.

[TopSpeedOfSound]

It really didn't take long for Sans to finish both his first and second plate of spaghetti, and as the heavy romance scenes progressed, he'd finally downed a third and set his play on the coffee table. While Papyrus' cooking definitely wasn't the best he'd ever had, just the fact that his younger brother made it full of love was what made it Sans' favorite dish. He would eat Paps' terrible food every single day, so long as it would make the taller skeleton happy.

Though it seemed that Frisk was having trouble finishing her plate. Her focus seemed to be the movie, but she looked nervous, almost petrified. But who was she scared of? A quick glance to Papyrus tale him it wasnts Paps. No, Pappy was leaning forward in his seat, eyes wide, and a confused flush on his cheekbones.

Later when Frisk was busy with some menial task, Paps would probably ask about whatever it was that seemed to be making him uneasy. And as pitiful as it was to others, Papyrus' innocence was one of his best qualities, at least in Sans' opinion, but that was all that mattered, right? Well... He supposed Frisk's mattered too.

Pulling from his inner thoughts, Sans remembered the task at hand. Figuring out what was wrong with Frisk. She never seemed to relax like she used to, never snuggled down with him on the couch anymore. Granted he guessed it might have to do with her being more grown up now, but what about human development could change her this way?

Were all humans like this? Did they all suddenly become hyper nervous when they reached maturity and start avoiding their best friends?

Or maybe that was just it. What is Sans thought they were friends all this time, but.... What if he was making Frisk like this? If they weren't really as close as he thought, then he could see why she might feel so awkward around him these days. But what if he was wrong? How would he know? Was there a way to tell?

Suddenly an idea popped into his head. It was a relatively easy test(Sans internally shuddered at the word), but would he like the results?

Inhaling a quiet breath, Sans turned his head just in time to see her turning her gaze back to the screen. His soul shriveled a bit in his chest, but he kept his expression neutral. Gently, he placed a hand on her head and ruffled her hair like he'd done when she was much smaller. He slowly leaned into her ear, a look of concern marring his boney face,"Hey, you alright, Kiddo?"

He didn't take his eyes off of her, searching every detail, every muscle twitch, and any slight change in her expression to show she didn't like him.

As he waited, Sans felt a bead of sweat slide down his spine.

[MurderVictim]

Frisk had managed to shove another large bite of food into her mouth just as she felt Sans' hand on her head. She paused, trying to work her jaw so she could swallow. Oh god, he was touching her! This was not the best time for him to be touching her! Frisk's panicked thoughts rushed through her mind, drowning out all other traces of thought. She sucked in a breath and tried to focus on swallowing the food in her mouth.

She nodded and risked another glance at him. She tried to smile, but the heat of her deep blush was a little too distracting. He was going to notice her blush. He was definitely going to notice! If anything, in that moment she looked more like an awkward teenager than anything else.

Frisk guided her gaze back to the screen, right in time for a particularly gooey romance scene. She tried to swallow in the same moment that her breath hitched, and that resulted in her choking. She covered her mouth with her hand as she coughed, placing her plate on the table to keep it from being knocked to the floor. Truthfully, it wasn't that bad. The spaghetti dislodged itself quickly. But that didn't stop her flustered body language, or her embarrassment.

She cleared her throat. "Uh, sorry." She glanced at Sans, then at the screen. "I'll, um...I'll be right back!" With that, she scrambled to her feet, awkwardly moved around Papyrus, and rushed up the stairs. She headed for the bathroom, where she left the door open at a crack.

"Jeez, Frisk! Why do you have to be such an awkward loser?" she asked to her reflection in the mirror as she leaned against the sink. She stared at herself for a moment, then rubbed at her faced and sighed into her hands. She could stand up to monsters as a child, yet fell apart the moment she obtained feelings for a friend. What was up with that?

Frisk looked to the door, hoping the brothers hadn't noticed her leave, or at least didn't see much in it.

[TopSpeedOfSound]

As she turned to look at him, Sans couldn't make out her expression. It was something like embarrassment mixed with... With what he wasn't sure. But he didn't think it was good. Especially as she started choking. He gently patted her back as Papyrus stared horrified at the pair, startled by the sudden outburst. He could only watch speechless as she stood up , reassuring that she was alright and quickly excused herself to the bathroom. It all happened so fast, Sans almost forgot to breathe(not that he needed to, but it was a habit of sorts).

He only noticed his own expression when he looked to Paps and saw an even more terrified face from his younger brother. Catching himself, Sans calmed down his pounding soul and sat back against the couch. He couldn't lose his cool, not with Paps here. It would only cause unnecessary stress for the taller. He could do this. He needed to ease the tension. Yeah, just crack some lame joke and ..... And what? He couldn't stay here.... He could go run out for a bit, he needed to resupply his ketchup stock anyways, so it would be a perfect excuse to leave... Whatever this was.

As he turned to Papyrus with a small smile, the younger beat him to the punch," SANS.... IS... IS FRISK ALRIGHT? SHE'S NEVER DONE THAT BEFORE..." It took all of three seconds for the shorter skeleton to give a small snort(fake of course, but Paps didn't have to know that) and reply calmly,"Yeah, she probably just inhaled her food instead'a eatin' it," he chucked.

A thick silence filled the room, and it made Sans feel so guilty.

It was his fault after all.

He should've just let Frisk be. He should've been content with being... Whatever it was he was to her. But... Actually knowing that he was the cause of her odd behavior..... It hurt.

He needed to leave .. now.

With a deep breath, he stood and stretched with a yawn,"Whelp, I'm gonna head out for a bit. I need s'more ketchup. Just gimme a call if ya need anything while I'm out." He didn't give Papyrus a chance to argue as he walked to the door, calling out a quick," You should go check on her bro.", before he was gone.

---

Papyrus stared at the door for a moment after his brother left. He wasn't sure what had just happened, but he knew it wasn't good, and he knew that despite Sans' jokes, he was in a bad mood. Paps looked up to the bathroom door, opened just a crack, and furrowed his bony browser. Frisk was acting stranger and stranger every day. Now, he, the Great Papyrus, would get to the bottom of it!

With all the energy and spirit of a wild stallion, Papyrus ascended the stairs and rushed into the bathroom,"HUMAN! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!"

---

Sans sighed as he walked through the light snow sprinkling down through the woods. He pulled a packet of ketchup from the confines of his pocket, tore it open, and sucked its contents dry before repeating the action until he was finally out. He sighed again as he realized he couldn't hide from this behind his favorite snack. He would just... Have to make do, he supposed.

"You know, it's a crime to litter."

Sans quickly spun around, left eye blazing, and gaster blaster aimed at entity behind him. He knew that voice anywhere.

But ten feet away sat a plump yellow flower, unflinching, but frowning at the aggressive nature of the skeleton before them. "Geeze, what's wrong with you? Can't show any mercy for a poor little flower?"

The gaster's maw lit up in preparation for a launch. " And why should I show ya any mercy? You're a lying little creep with a disgusting knack for coming around when ya aren't wanted," Sans snapped, his facade of calm and collected vanquished by Flowey's mere prescience. It was no secret that he all but hated the flower that had turned all of the Underground into hell during several timelines. And several of those timelines ended up with Papyrus dead.

"You won't kill me, Sans. I know you won't. Because Frisk would be upset if you did."

Sans frozen at the statement, was furious, but not denying the truth of it. With a shaky breath, he closed his eyes and let the gaster disappear. There was no point in having Frisk dislike him more than she already did. But why was it just him? Why was he the only one she didn't want to be around? Was it his jokes? No, she laughed at them all the time, even when she was avoiding him. Did he do something recently to make her upset or uncomfortable?

Flowey slowly inched closer, stopping right before the short skeleton,"Wow, this is the longest I've ever heard you keep quiet. What's the matter? Human got your tongue?"

Sans let out a shaky chuckle, too lost to be angry," Yeah, somethin' like that.... Hey, I gotta question for ya."

The flower seemed to tense a moment before nodding for him to continue.

"Did.... Did I do something to upset Frisk? Has she said anything to you about it," he asked quietly, hands in his pockets and left eye still emitting a fiery blue smoke. He didn't know what else to do. Maybe Frisk had said something to the flower that could help him make it up(whatever it was that he'd done).

It was quiet for a few minutes before Flowey spoke again,"No. She hasn't. But if it's really making you this upset, then why don't you just ask her? Who knows, maybe she'll tell you herself."

And with that, they were gone.

Sans let his flame die down and sighed. Maybe he should just be direct with Frisk... But what if her answer hurt even more than this? No, he'd survived just fine before Frisk came to live with them, he would do fine without her now.

Turning on his heel, Sans headed for home. The least he could do was make sure Paps didn't notice anything was wrong. Using his handy "shortcut", Sans made it back home in no time flat. He quietly opened the door, feeling tension crawl through his bones, but he just felt so sleepy.

He didn't see either of the other two and assumed them to be holed up in Paps' room again. With a sigh, he plopped down on the couch and closed his eyes, almost instantly falling asleep.

[MurderVictim]

Frisk jumped as the door flew open. She had been splashing water on her face to calm herself down, and when Papyrus rushed in she whipped her head up. Water dripped down to her shirt, but she could ignore that. She quickly shut off the water and turned to the tall skeleton. Her surprised expression met his concerned one.

"HUMAN! ARE YOU OKAY?" he repeated. He took a step further into the bathroom, but didn't risk getting too close to her.

"Y-Yeah, Papyrus! Of course!" Frisk grabbed a towel and wiped off her face. The water hadn't helped as much as she wished it would have. "I just swallowed wrong, that's all."

"THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT."

Startled, Frisk looked up from her towel and at the skeleton. Despite her many growth spurts, Papyrus still towered over her. She searched his face and found such heavy concern, that she wasn't even sure if she was still talking to the same guy. Papyrus wasn't normally like this. Not at all. "What do you mean, Papy?"

"I MEAN...WITH SANS."

"What about Sans?" Frisk looked down.

"YOU ACT SO STRANGELY AROUND HIM. BEFORE IT WAS ONLY EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE, NOW IT'S ALMOST EVERY DAY." Papyrus' expression softened as he put a hand on Frisk's shoulder. "I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, IS CONCERNED."

Frisk forced a smile. "It's nothing, Paps. I promise." She gently took the hand on her shoulder and held it reassuringly. "I'm just being a weird human."

"YOU WOULD...TELL ME IF SOMETHING WAS WRONG...RIGHT?"

Frisk paused, and her face fell for a moment. The last thing she wanted to do was lie to him. Papyrus didn't deserve that. But, she also didn't want to make her problem his, either. With a soft sigh, she smiled again and patted his hand. "Of course I would, Papyrus."

There was silence for a moment. Frisk was beginning to wonder if she had said the wrong thing, when her favorite tall skeleton pulled her into a tight hug. She embraced him back, letting the tension leave her body before gently pulling out of it. "So, how 'bout we go to your room, and you can tell me how things have been going with you and Mettaton?"

Frisk grinned at the light blush that crept along Papyrus' cheekbones. Without another word, they headed out of the bathroom. After Papyrus put away the rest of the spaghetti, they vanished into his room.

---

Frisk found herself walking amongst a patch of yellow flowers. Pollen and pedals floated around her, and beyond them she saw nothing but darkness. Confusion hit her hard, followed by a sense of dread. Had she reset again? It wasn't often that she reset accidentally, but it was something she also feared.

Looking down at herself, she found her adult figure and height. She looked at her hands and clenched her fists, letting out a relieved breath. This was a dream. Just a dream.

"It's kill or be killed!"

Frisk snapped her head up, suddenly finding herself in the hall of judgement. She knew this place all too well. It's pure, golden light would forever be burned into her memory, no matter which timeline she was in.

"It's a beautiful day outside."

A chill ran down her spine. Frisk whipped around and spotted a familiar figure.

"Birds are singing-"

The words were so familiar in her ears, Frisk could mouth them perfectly. She could recite them perfectly.

"Flowers are blooming-"

"Wait, please!"

"On days like this-"

"This is a just a dream! Please!" Frisk forced herself to step forward.

"Kids like you-"

"Sans!"

"Should be burning in hell!"

Sans' left eye shined bright as bones erupted out of then air. Frisk felt herself being dragged forward by her very soul. She clenched her teeth and tried to pull out of it, but could only work on dodging the bones that were hurled at her. "Stop!" she cried as she was struck. A bone pierced her arm. "Please!"

Her voice was swallowed by the hall. She clenched her hands, and found something in her right hand. She didn't need to look down to know that it was a knife. Her knife.

Her vision tunneled, and before she knew what was happening she was rushing forward. Bones hit her over and over, draining her HP. But all she needed was to hit him once.

'No! No, please! Don't hit him!' All she could do was think and watch as her body moved without her control.

Her arm raised with the knife aimed high.

'Please!'

Red smeared her vision. For a long moment, all she could see was grainy, deep red. Her stomach twisted, yet a feeling of pride surged through her.

---

Frisk sat up with a gasp. The room around her was dark, and quiet save for Papyrus' snoring. Her gaze bolted from wall to wall. When she was satisfied that she was no longer in the judgment hall, she felt her body. There were no wounds, but the phantom pain lingered. Her soul ached.

That nightmare wasn't new, but it never got any easier to deal with. Frisk took in ragged breaths to calm herself. Tears gathered in her eyes, and fell before she could stop them. Shakily, she rose from her pile of pillows and blankets on the floor. Yet again, she had fallen asleep in Papyrus' room.

But she couldn't be in there, not after that dream. Seeing just the very outline of Papyrus' body as he slept made her sick - Sick and disgusted in herself.

Making her way to the door, Frisk let herself out as quietly as she could. She climbed the door shut behind her, and as she did so she glanced at Sans' door. Whenever she had those kinds of nightmares, she went to the short skeleton first. He was very last monster she wanted to see after such dreams, but he was the only one who could understand.

She sniffled softly as she realized that she couldn't go to him that time. Not after what had happened earlier. It had upset him enough to make him leave, so surely he wouldn't want to deal with her problems so soon afterwards. Sighing at that thought, Frisk turned and headed down the stairs.

She was surprised to find Sans taking up the couch. She lingered near the stairs for a moment. What now? She couldn't go back to Papyrus' room. She couldn't go to Sans' room. It was far too cold to go outside. She could go to the kitchen, but in the end she decided to carefully sit at the end of the couch.

Despite everything, Sans' presence still brought Frisk comfort, even after reliving his anger and hatred. She leaned her face in her hands and let herself cry.

This was just not her day.

[TopSpeedOfSound]

Where most nights were haunted by night terrors that had Sans waking up in full on panic mode(and typically a few things on fire), tonight's dream was endless black. A void. It was a rare relief on nights like these. He wouldn't wake to a searing pain in his soul, his eyes wouldn't be blurred by endless waves of tears, he wouldn't be questioning his sanity the next time he opened his eyes.

In the darkness of this dream however, a light appeared. It was warm, and soft, like the how all of the monsters imagined the sun might look. And in that beautiful ray of sunshine sat a figure, curled in on themself like they were scared or hurt.

Sans instantly recognized them as Frisk and tried to call out to her, but he had no voice. Not even air passed through his teeth, just silence. Fear began to pulse through him and he tried to run to her, but every time he got within arms reach, she would stand and run away, the sunlight following her as she did. Even so, Sans continued to chase after her. She seemed so distraught and lonely, he couldn't just do nothing.

And then he heard it.

Her quiet sobbing filled his skull and it reverberated through every bone in his body. His soul echoed back the sound, getting louder with each hiccup and hitch of her breath. It filled him with guilt and dread.

He should be there to protect her, to hide her away from the things that terrorized her young mind, like he did Papyrus. But he hadn't, and now she was crumbling right before him, and he couldn't do anything to help her.

Finally finding his voice, he called out to her.

Slowly, Frisk turned to face him, and he froze at the sight.

She was covered in blood, and in her hands was a skull..... His skull.

---

The sound of quiet sobbing jolted Sans from his normally deep sleep. His eye was blazing once more as he searched for the cause of the sound. When he finally found it, he tensed, his eyes returning to their normal white dots.

Frisk was crying on the other side of the couch, her face buried in her hands and her shoulders shaking softly. Did she have another nightmare? She'd had many when she was younger and came running to his room for comfort when they were especially bad. Back then he would hold her in his lap and rock her back and forth until she finally calmed down enough to tell him about it, and then, with a gentle round of reassuring her everything was alright, they would slide under his covers and go back to sleep.

However, it had been a while since she'd had one this emotionally crippling for her.

" Frisk..," he whispered, starting to reach a hand out to her, but paused. She hadn't liked it when he'd touched her earlier, so what if that wasn't the right thing to do? What if she needed Paps more right now? After all, no one in Underground could disagree that Papyrus' hugs were the best. Maybe he should wake him up...

No, if that were the case, she wouldn't have come to him.

Ok.

Cautious, he placed a light hand on Frisk's shoulder and leaned a bit closer, but not too close. "Frisk? Hey, kiddo, what's wrong? Have another bad dream", he spoke gently.

He wasn't sure how to handle her right now. In the past, he would have instantly swept her into a hug, but now... He didn't know. He didn't want to upset her anymore than she already was, but he didn't know any other way to comfort her.

Screw it. He couldn't stand to see her like this.

Gently, slowly, he scooted next to her and wrapped his bony arms around her, gently pulling her into a soft embrace. He kept his arms loose enough that if she wanted to pull away, she could, but tight enough to make her feel safe.

" Hey now, what's wrong, kid? That bad? It's ok, you're awake now. It was just a dream, alright? See," he said, taking one of her fleshy hands in his boney one and holding it out in front of her.

[MurderVictim]

Frisk gave a startled gasp when she felt Sans touch her, not having heard his whisper. She looked at him, eyes red and shining with unshed tears. Her surprise only came from not expecting Sans to wake up. Normally, if she wanted his attention while he was asleep she'd have to work for it. Jostling his shoulder a bit normally did the trick.

Now, she just felt guilty for waking him up. After what had happened, she was so sure that he wouldn't want to deal with her. Yet, as he pulled her into a hug, she realized how wrong she was. Before, her heart would have fluttered with heavy, confusing emotion at him holding her. Now, she wanted to stay buried in his arms forever, where the images of her nightmares couldn't get her.

She didn't speak, only hugged him back as tightly as she could. He felt so sturdy, like nothing in the Underground could or would ever break him. Of course, Frisk knew better. She tensed in his arms, and pressed her face to his shoulder. She looked up only to see their hands joined together, fitting like they were made for each other.

That was it. That was the symbol of the best ending she had ever gotten. Sans and her, their friendship strong despite the hardships they continued to face. Papyrus was alive, as was everyone else. She had stopped trying to get back to the surface years ago, never to know what truly awaited them all beyond the barrier. But what she had now, what she could have had in every timeline, was all she needed.

A sob caught in Frisk's throat as she looked away. "Sans, I..." She paused, trying to force her words out. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She wanted to apologize for what had happened only hours ago, yet could only focus on what had happened in the other timelines.

It made her sick to her stomach. Sometimes Toriel didn't show up in time, and Flowey successfully convinced her to kill. Sometimes an outside entity named Chara would take her over, and kill for the fun of it. During those resets, she never fought as hard against Chara as she could have. Sometimes, however, it was all Frisk. She would get curious. Curious of what would happen, curious of how strong Sans really was.

Whatever the reason for her genocide path, it was almost always the same ending. She'd face Sans and die over and over, until she'd get lucky and land a single blow. She'd laugh at his fallen form, or cry, or do nothing but stare. Either way, she got past him.

One time, when given the chance to spare him, she'd taken it...Then plunged the knife into her own body. They had been going in circles for so long. Death, death, death. She just wanted it to stop, and whatever Sans could do to her wouldn't cut it anymore. She was sure that had been the last reset, but they were all blended together in her mind, so it could have been any timeline.

As she thought of this, Frisk clung to Sans like he was her only lifeline. He had had her blood on his hands so many times, yet he was the only one she could truly trust with her broken soul. She hid her face against his hoodie like she had done when she was a child in the same situation.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." Her soft pleas were muffled by the fabric of his jacket and her tears, but that didn't stop her from saying them. She apologized again and again, finding that the word just wasn't strong enough.

"I'd take it all back if I could."

[TopSpeedOfSound]

Sans wasn't at all expecting Frisk to cling to him like she was, but he didn't complain, didn't push her away. He just held her all the tighter, very subtly rocking them back and forth like he had in the past. And though he was the one who was supposed to be comforting her, she would never know how at ease he felt from just this. His insecurities, his doubts, the painful cooling of his soul, it all disappeared as he held her.

As she buried her face into his jacket, he rubbed her back with his free hand, not letting go of hers with the other.

It was in these moments that he noticed just how fragile humans were, or at least this human. When they'd first met all those timelines ago, Frisk had been brave, strong, independent, and had a certain 'loner' vibe about her. Like a child just wanting to explore some strange new world.

But as she'd grown older in this timeline, it all seemed to weigh down on her more and more.

He could tell she was trying to hold it all in and act like nothing was wrong. After all, he was a pro at that, so it was easy to tell when someone else was attempting it. Most of the time it was little things that gave it away, like how she would sneak sad, guilty looks at him and Papyrus, or when she would just kind of zone out and stare off at nothing with this kind of deer in headlights look. After all, after the first reset he'd been the same way.

It had all felt like some twisted, messed up dream.

However, Sans never talked about the timelines with anyone. He kept it to himself, content with being the one to bear the weight of it. He was the only one in this world who stayed awake at night wondering when the next reset would be.

He wouldn't even dream of talking to Frisk about it either, not after witnessing her first night terror. She apologized so many times, that she'd worked herself into a frenzy of sobbing apologies that didn't stop until she'd finally cried herself to sleep.

And in those moments, Sans knew that he would always forgive her. Even if she got bored and decided to reset again, he would still forgive her.

In this world where she was god, she had to live with every choice she made, and with that small justice allowed him to forgive her.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

The phrase was a cause for alarm as she seemed to become even more delicate in the skeleton's arms. Was she going to work herself up again? Would she have another panic attack? He ran a bony hand throuhg her soft brown hair, making gentle 'shush'ing sounds to try and calm her.

"I would take it all back if I could."

He felt his soul freeze at that. Did.... Did she know he remembered? No. This timeline he'd decided it would be best to just act like he never remembered anything from before, in hopes of ending the cycle of hostility between them, and be it that, or Frisk finally deciding she was done killing, it had worked.

It was best to keep on pretending, he decided.

"What? For earlier? Don't sweat it, kiddo. I'dda choked too if some creepy skeleton got that close to me," he joked with a genuine smile.

Gently he pushed her back, just enough to grab her chin with his bony fingers, and tilted her head up so their eyes met. " Hey, look at me a sec. Ya don't have anything to be sorry for, kay? I just spooked ya a bit, so that was on me," he grinned, using a thumb to wipe away her tears.

Trying to break the tense moment up, he pulled her back against him and laid down. "Now, how about we get some shut eye? Paps has special training with Undyne tomorrow, so you can come run around with me. I'll even let ya wear my jacket," he said, shimmying out of the worn, blue fabric to lay it over Frisk with a wink.

Slowly he let his eyes drift closed, though he wasn't really asleep. He listened to Frisk, hoping she'd calmed down enough to get some actual rest.

[MurderVictim]

Frisk paused for a moment after her heard Sans' joke. Did he not remember? No, he always remembered! Besides her, he was the only one who the resets didn't fully affect. He had never alluded to that fact, though. Frisk wasn't sure why, as surely he had similar nightmares and night terrors to her own. Was it to protect her, or keep the peace between them? In some timelines, despite her taking the kinder path, Sans still appeared to hate her. He wouldn't touch her, hardly joked with her. It was like all he saw was the monster dust on her hands, specifically Papyrus'. Frisk couldn't say she blamed him.

She'd give anything to never see that side of Sans again. Apparently, pretending it never happened was the best way to achieve that. So, she smiled. It was small, but it was genuine. She sniffled as she looked up at him, put at ease by his laidback nature. She was finally starting to see why she had such powerful feelings for Sans.

His jacket smelled like snow and pine needles, undoubtedly from his time spent in the woods. There were traces of hot dog and ketchup too, and it all mixed together in a scent that was undeniably Sans. That very jacket brought back memories of that timeline, of every time he let her wear it. As a child, she practically swam in it. Sometimes she'd steal it from him, giggling as she playfully dared him to take it back.

She snuggled up against him, letting her weight lay on him. Her brain always expected hard, cold, uncomfortable bone. Yet, to her, his entire body was warm and soft, like she was lying with another human.

It didn't take long for Frisk to doze off. As she did, soft words tumbled from her mouth, completely unrestrained. "I don't know what I would do without you, Sans."

[TopSpeedOfSound]

He could feel her relaxing against him, feel her soft, plush skin pressing into his bones. And while he liked the feeling, Sans knew it wouldn't be too comfortable, as he was fully aware that some of his bones were sharper than they looked. So as she rested fully on top of him, the short skeleton used a bit of magic to somewhat cushion the more sharp parts of his anatomy. But even through his magic, he could still feel how her fragile skin caved to his bones.

He really could get used to this.

Before his mind could go any further, he peeked opened a lazy eye at Frisk's final words before she slipped into peaceful sleep. Sans gave a soft chuckle and wrapped his arm around her," Yeah, me too, kiddo. Me too."

---

Like every morning, Papyrus woke early with a long, dramatic stretch and a just as exaggerated yawn. Gloves still on his hands, he rubbed his eyes groggily and muttered out quietly,"GOOD MORNING, HUMAN....."

.......

At the lack of response, the tall skeleton peered down at the empty mound of pillows and blankets, eye sockets wide. Was Frisk already awake? How strange. When it came to getting up in the morning, she was just as bad as Sans. Sometimes she was even worse! Papyrus smiled proudly at the thought that maybe his good habits were beginning to rub off on her.

With that, he stood up from racecar bed and straightened out his sheets, just as he did every morning. Once done, he gathered Frisk's abandoned pallet and made a nice, tidy stack of the pillows and blankets. As he admired his handiwork, he adjusted his sleeping boxers atop his skull and made to leave his room. After all, Frisk deserved the best breakfast ever made by the Great Papyrus for getting up at a decent hour.

It took all of three strides for Papyrus to reach the bottom of the stairs, but as he was about to head to the kitchen, soft snoring caught his attention.

Sans was asleep on the couch, snoring softly with one arm hanging off to the floor, and the other wrapped tiredly around a sleeping Frisk who was laying on top of him. And even wearing his jacket to boot! Papyrus didn't know if he should be disappointed, or joyous at the spectacle before him. But the longer he looked at the pair, he just couldn't stay upset with them.

At least they weren't avoiding each other anymore.

Papyrus smiled and tiptoed his way into the kitchen. Today they would most definitely have the most delicious breakfast ever! And they would have it together!

---

Sans awoke to the smell of bacon, eggs, and slightly burnt toast. Man, Paps really was getting better at cooking. Or maybe Sans was so used to eating whatever his brother made, so it just automatically smelled heavenly.

Either way, the smaller skeleton gave a cat-like stretch and yawned, though he stopped short as he noticed something was laying on top of him. Looking down, he couldn't stop the light blue tint that spread over his cheekbones.

The events from last night came rushing back and he smiled softly. Man, since when had Frisk become so cute? She was all curled up on top of him and their legs were tangled, there was no way he could move without waking her up. Well, maybe he could just stay like this a bit longer. After all, he really didn't have much to do today except go see Alphys for a status check on breaking the barrier, and then Tori had texted him yesterday morning asking him to bring Frisk home for a visit.

All that could wait though, he thought as he snuggled back down and wrapped his arms back around his human heating pad.

"OH! SANS, YOURE AWAKE! PERFECT! I JUST FINISHED MAKING THE BEST BREAKFAST EVER! WAKE UP THE HUMAN SO WE CAN ENJOY THIS DELICIOUS MEAL!"

"Well, that was short lived," he chuckled, casting one last look to Frisk's sleeping face. Placing a hand on her back, he gently shook her and leaned down to whisper in her ear,"Hey, Frisk, s'time to get up."

It seemed to be ineffective.

With a sinister grin, he leaned into her ear once more,"If I knew a nightmare was all it took to get ya all over me, I would'a hoped you'd had more~"

[MurderVictim]

Frisk was engulfed in comforting warmth. Her dreams were blank, consisting of just an empty void where she couldn't move or speak. But she didn't struggle. She simply let herself float, content to stay right there. It was like she was wrapped in a thick blanket, or snuggled in one of Toriel's hugs. There was something more, however. A hint of blue magic crackled in front of her every so often. It popped and sparked, yet completely harmless. Was that where she was? In a void of blue magic?

Before she could go deeper with that thought, Frisk found herself startled by a voice.

---

In reality, Frisk grumbled in her sleep at Sans' first attempt at waking her up. It certainly wasn't unusual behavior for her. Sleeping in was one of her favorite things, as she was nowhere near a morning person. That morning wasn't going to be any different, especially given where she was sleeping.

Unfortunately for her, she probably should have woken up the first time.

Upon hearing Sans' teasing words, Frisk shot her head up with a snort. She scrambled back so she could sit up, hurriedly brushing her messy bangs out of her face. One side of her hair stood up in a funky bed-head style, while the other was a little frizzy. Without a doubt, Frisk always woke in the most hilarious ways.

Most notably of all was the blush on her face. "Hey," she said, drawing the word out in an attempt to seem casual. "I mean, uh...Good morning? Maybe? What time is it?" She frantically smoothed out her hair and clothes as she looked to the kitchen, finally noticing the smell of food. What a perfect distraction!

"Oh hey, food. Let's go get some." With a nervous grin, still trying to play off her embarrassment, Frisk stood and headed for the kitchen. Once there, Sans would be able to hear her compliment and thank Papyrus for making such a delicious looking breakfast.

[TopSpeedOfSound]

Yep, she was definitely cute. Especially when bolted up at his last comment, her face flushed and hair an absolute mess. Maybe adorable was a better word. An adorable, sleepy mess who, he noticed as she walked off, was still wearing his jacket. Sans merely chuckled and stood, cracking his bones as he stretched.

As every single bone was popped, Sans couldn't hear Papyrus call out for him to hurry up and fix his plate.

Once finished, the short skeleton meandered into the kitchen as well. He just stood in the doorway, watching while Paps took down the plates from one of the higher cabinets and handed one to Frisk.

Sans couldn't help but to smile as he watched her. His jacket, though not consuming her form like it did in the past, was still rather baggy on her. Funny, seeing as he was just a bunch of bones, but it always seemed to fit him perfectly. Although, maybe it wasn't so funny, after all, Sans ate a lot.... More than any monster should need in one day.

But all that intake didn't get by without consequences.

Every time Sans had a meal or snack, the food converted into magic, and when he had a surplus of that magic, it would sometimes make his bones swell, primarily his ribcage. Sadly it did nothing to boost his energy levels, but that was alright. If he were anymore active than he was right now, he might just deflate.

Shrugging it off, Sans grabbed a plate from Papyrus and moved into line for their small buffet. He snagged the two nearly black pieces of toast, two of the most "well done" pieces of bacon, and only a small amount of scrambled eggs since they actually seemed to be perfectly cooked.

It was a small habit he'd gotten into since Frisk began staying with them. Sans would take the nearly inedible portion of whatever Paps made for himself and let the other two enjoy their meals. It didn't bother him, seeing as it was only a few out of his many meals during the day.

Moving back to the couch, Sans plopped down lazily and began to pile his food into a sort of burnt breakfast sandwich. He licked the crumbs and butter from each bony fingers before taking a bite, more crumbs scattering all over him and his plate. He didn't seem to mind though as he continued on with his meal, his chest glowing every so often as his food digested into magic.

Once finished, the stout skeleton let out a content sigh and propped his feet on the coffee table. Paps was giving him an annoyed glare, but didn't say anything about it.

"SO, DID YOU BOTH SLEEP WELL?"

Sans peeked a lazy grin to Frisk,"Yep, best sleep I've had in a long time, what about you, kid?"

[MurderVictim]

Frisk always felt bad when Sans took the most burnt food. She knew he was doing it for her sake and Papyrus', so they could enjoy one of their few meals of the day. The few times she had snagged the less desirable portions of the food, she ended up not being able to eat all of it. The last thing she wanted to do was insult Papyrus' cooking, but everyone had their limits.

Now, it was like a wordless agreement. She didn't feel any better for it, though. Sans deserved to fully enjoy his breakfast like everyone else.

Frisk followed the brothers back to the couch, easily taking her usual spot between them. Unlike the previous night, she was feeling relaxed and comfortable. Sans was sitting right next to her, yet she was perfectly at ease. It had to have been from her nightmare - the mornings after such dreams were often easygoing if she woke up with Sans. Her fears and guilt were momentarily vanquished, thanks to the short skeleton.

Frisk looked up as Papyrus spoke, glancing to Sans when he answered. She smiled, looking back down at her food before she answered. "Yeah, same here." She flashed an appreciative look at Sans, then took another bite. A moment went by before she said anything else. "Oh," she chimed before swallowing the food in her mouth. "Toriel called me yesterday and asked if I could visit her soon. I think she texted you, Sans?"

Toriel never beat around the bush when it came to her wanting to see Frisk. Before, it was a little embarrassing. But now Frisk felt warmed by it. Toriel was more of a mother to her than her own biological mother, who she couldn't even recall the face of. The older she got, the less time she could make for Toriel. So she visited whenever she could, or jumped right to it when the queen asked.

"I probably shouldn't make her wait," Frisk said with a small laugh.

[TopSpeedOfSound]

Sans just nodded with a quiet grunt at Frisk's answer. He was glad he could help her, even if in those moments she was terrified and he was her only escape. In a way, he was glad she needed him, sick as it was. It felt good to be needed.

And though he would never tell a living soul, he needed her and Paps too.

On the nights that he couldn't hold himself together and the nightmares of the past timelines were all too real, that's when he needed them the most. But he was proud. Even if he burnt himself to ash, Sans would never go to either one of them.

Because he was supposed to be strong.

Nothing should be able to shake him.

He was unbreakable.

And on the nights that Papyrus or Frisk didn't come to wake him from the terrors in his mind, he would weep the rest of the night in silence.

He would never show them his weakness, he could bear it and shoulder theirs' as well. He hadn't reached his breaking point yet, and he wholeheartedly believed he could carry on this way. He had to. Papyrus wasn't strong enough to bear this, and Frisk, though getting better, was still fragile. Neither of them could carry his baggage. There was far too much.

Frisk's words were a welcome distraction from the void of Sans mind. He nodded thoughtfully at her comment," Yeah, she did. She was 'Goat'ing to come over for a visit, but ya know Ashore wants to see you too."

He chuckled a bit his own joke, ignoring the groan from Paps as the taller skeleton stood and collected their plates to take them into the kitchen. "WELL, YOU SHOULD GET READY NOW AND LEAVE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! IT IS MOST IMPOLITE TO KEEP THE QUEEN WAITING!"

Sans just gave a grunt, wiping the crumbs from his shirt. Slowly he stood and made his way up the stairs to his room. Typically he kept the door locked, especially when he wasn't in the house, but now he didn't, seeing as neither Frisk nor Paps went in there unless he was home.

It wasn't that he'd told them not to, but... Sometimes he left things in there that were better off not being seen.

Besides, the scorch marks across the wall and bedpost were better left for his eyes only.

Shutting the door behind him, Sans pulled off his shirt and dropped it to the floor carelessly. Paps would probably sneak in for his dirty laundry later anyways. Opening his drawer, he pulled out a clean white turtleneck and slipped it on.

He tried not to look at the scorches, he really did. But sometimes he just couldn't help it.

His eyes just seemed to magnetize towards the black smears.

His eyes went dull as he stared at them. They reminded him of how weak he was, how pitiful. And how he couldn't protect Papyrus all of those times he'd died.

Slowly he turned away from them, gathering his composure before he walked back out of the room. A little less enthusiastic, he sauntered to the bathroom and brushed his teeth.

Hey, he may be a skeleton, but he still cared about his dental hygiene.

[MurderVictim]

Frisk giggled and snorted at Sans' joke.

She thanked Papyrus for taking her plate, then stood. She stretched and went to straighten out her shirt, pausing when her fingers found the hem of Sans' jacket. It was so comfortable, fit so naturally on her frame, that she had completely forgotten that she was wearing it. The events of the previous night came flooding back, leaving her unable to stand there with a blank stare on her face.

The nightmare had felt so real. They always did, as they should. They weren't mere illusions, or over exaggerated fears. They were memories of the past, forever burned into her skull. No matter what timeline she was in, how good she behaved, she would never be able to forget.

It was for the best, really. Those nightmares were a harsh reminder of her sins, a desperate plea from her conscience to be a true pacifist. They were also one of her few punishments. Karma was going to smack her no matter how many times she reset. And Frisk knew she deserved any and all consequences she was given. To her, she wasn't given enough.

Why was Sans trying to pretend that nothing had ever happened? Why was he okay with her living with him and Papyrus? Dammit, why didn't he hate her! As appreciative as Frisk was for Sans' forgiveness - if one could even call it that - she knew it wasn't right. After all she did, after all the damage she caused. Hell, if she concentrated she was sure she could still feel Papyrus' dust between her fingers. It disgusted her. Didn't she disgust Sans, too?

Frisk looked up to the second floor, eyeing the part of Sans' door that she could see from where she stood. Deep down, she knew she'd have to talk to Sans about all of this. She had to talk to him about a lot of things. But she was too afraid of what would become of such talks.

Sighing, Frisk drew her arms around herself in a light hug, pressing the jacket closer to her. She buried her face in the fabric, ignoring how the zipper poked at her. After a moment of standing there, finding comfort in Sans' jacket, Frisk straightened up and headed for the stairs.

Her clothes were kept in a side closet at the end of the hall. She kept the different stacks as neat as she could, keeping them distinguished between what was dirty and what was still clean. The monsters around Snowdin, as well as Toriel, were all kind enough to lend her clothes and give her whatever fell from the surface. Toriel even knitted her sweaters and scarves with her signature blue and purple stripes. That was the easiest way to recognize Frisk, afterall. Just look for the blue and purple stripes.

While Papyrus was busy in the kitchen, Frisk quickly ducked into his room to change. It was bothersome not having her own room, but they all made due and worked things out fairly well. She reluctantly switched Sans' jacket for one of her sweaters.

With jacket in hand, Frisk made her way to the bathroom. With the very same comfort one would expect between old roommates, she headed inside the open door and reached around Sans to grab her hair brush. "You need to be more careful with your jacket, Sans," she said with a grin. "I almost stole it for the whole day, again."

While smoothing out the tangles in her hair, Frisk offered the hoodie to its owner.

[TopSpeedOfSound]

Her just finished rinsing by the time Frisk walked into the bathroom, and he smiled at her words. "Eh, I don't really get cold, ya know. No skin off my nose if you needed it more", he teased as he took the offered jacket and slipped comfortably into it.

He could smell Frisk in the fibers. He could feel his soul shifting uneasily in his ribcage at the thought and quickly dismissed how nice her scent was.

It was a thought for another time, preferably when he was alone.

"We'll go see Tori first. Hopefully she doesn't intend to keep ya the whole day", he mused, more to himself than Frisk. That was another habit he'd gotten into since she'd come to live with them, thinking out loud. Thankfully he never said anything too damning, but sometimes he wouldn't even notice he was doing it.

Sans knew it was because he hated the quiet. Hated when he couldn't hear anyone talking or moving about in the house. He'd really only started doing it after the first time Papyrus had died.

The silence had mad him feel so lonely.

Casting the thought aside, he zipped his hoodie about halfway and ruffled Frisk's soft hair she was trying to desperately brush. He knew that while she laughed most things off, she would probably pout when he messed up all the hard work she put into smoothing out her crazy bedhead. But he also knew she wouldn't be upset with him but for all of five seconds before they were back in their normal routine.

" I'll be waitin' downstairs, kiddo. Lemme know when you're ready to hit the road," and with that he made his way back downstairs. He walked into the kitchen and found Paps humming to himself as he washed the dishes, completely enveloped in his chore, but enjoying it nonetheless.

Sans smiled softly, pain in his eyes as he wondered how he'd ever made it through life without his brother there. How had he found the strength to carry on when Papyrus had died? Now, he couldn't even imagine life without his tall and spunky sibling. It was like trying to breath with no air. It just simply couldn't be done.

Wiping the odd look from his face, Sans just smiled,"Hey Paps, I think you're running late."

Papyrus looked to Sans, then to the clock sitting up high on the wall before his jaw dropped and his eyesockets widened. " OH NO! SANS! WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SOMETHING EARLIER?!"

"I dunno, you looked like you were having fun washing the dishes, so I thought I'd let you finish."

"SANS! WHEN I GET BACK HOME-!"

"I'd say you have five minutes to get there before Undyne comes looking for ya."

Papyrus sputtered incoherently as he dashed through the house and out the door.

Sans chuckled to himself. Paps was fun to poke at, especially when he was running late. But he wouldn't tell the taller skeleton that, he was sure Papyrus already knew. It was a kind of sibling thing. Sans would get on Paps last nerves, and Papyrus would makes puns even worse than Sans, but at the end of the day they still loved each other.

Feeling a bit lighter, Sans walked to the front door and waited for Frisk. "You done yet, kid?"

[MurderVictim]

"Ugh! Sans!" Just as the skeleton predicted, Frisk pouted as she tried to shoo his hand away from her hair. "C'mon, that's not cool." Of course, she couldn't help but laugh, even as she was forced to bring her brush back to her hair to straighten it out. Her hair was always kept to a short length, so it wasn't too difficult to tame, luckily for Sans.

"Okay, I won't be long," she said as she set her brush down. As Sans left, she grabbed her toothbrush. She continued her usual morning routine, following it with washing her face and putting on fruity smelling body spray.

Frisk looked at her reflection, and again was forced to pause. That was her reflection, her face. There was no doubt about it. But how many times in previous resets had she seen someone different? Sometimes Chara stared back at her with a wide, crazed grin. Sometimes it was still Frisk, but with a cold and blank expression. Sometimes she only saw a girl with a terrified look in her eyes, not knowing what she had gotten herself into.

It was nice to see just...Her. Normal Frisk. She hoped with all her heart that this would stay. Not just for her sake, but for everyone else's.

Frisk might have stayed there a while longer, if Sans hadn't called out to her. Snapping back to what she had been doing, Frisk set her body spray down and looked to the door. "Yeah, just one more sec!"

Leaving her reflection behind, Frisk hurried out of the bathroom and to Pap's room, where she had left her shoes.

"Okay, I'm all ready!" She smiled at Sans. It'd be nice to walk with him to the ruins, right where it all started. Quality time with one of her favorite skeletons was something she hadn't had in a while, and hopefully it wouldn't be ruined by her flustered emotions.