Chapter Eleven :: Save Them

…

It's been a week of living together with the skeleton brothers. And during this course, you notice that you've been growing slightly distant from Sans.

Intimately, at least.

It's been strange. Sans has been acting far more differently than before. Instead of acting as a lover, or even an enemy, you've been getting to know him more as a friend. A really good friend. You've never known what it's like to have someone to talk to and rely on before. It's strange, but it feels good. And alongside Papyrus and Undyne, you've begun to hang out with them on a regular basis like old friends. Thinking about it now, you realise how truly amazing it's been to finally feel as if you've successfully integrated into the underground. You feel as if you've lived here for years, and everyone knows your name. The underground has become a place you call home, and where you are now feels natural and comfortable. You sigh in happiness, grateful that the locals have accepted you so easily.

But every second of every day, there's something nagging you at the very back of your mind. This isn't enough. This thought grows more and more as time passes by. And as it does, you wonder if Sans feels it too.

Sometimes you'd catch him glancing at you, and he'd find you doing the same. You look at each other completely unprovoked, just for the sake of wanting to see each other. And you can't deny it – there's electricity alive in the air. The memories of your times together spring up and spin in your minds, reminding you of the intense spark that flares every time you lock eyes. The memory of his burning hands bringing you to the epitome of ecstasy is branded on your skin, and the length of your neck tingles with the image of his tongue grazing along it, making you feel sensitive all over. You respond to him in every sense of the word. And the feeling is entirely mutual. He remembers how your dancing drives him crazy, and he remembers as your face contorts in ecstasy when you climax makes him feel insane.

But even so, neither of you act on your primal side. It's as if you're both afraid of what might happen after you do. And you wonder once again… if this carries on, what will happen? Do we even stand a chance of being together, or will we just crash and burn?

You wonder this as you're spending a dark afternoon cleaning up the piles of mislaid vinyls from the lounge floor. Since the town has heard of your dancing hobby, many locals have been donating their music collection. And from the mass influx of donations, you're slowly becoming a true collector of music. It's building a sense of purpose in you. And you're all the more anxious as it's also making you feel more human.

"Look at you, kid. You could start a DJ career out of all that." Sans comments as he descends the staircase, and you immediately brighten up as soon as you see him.

"Yeah, wow. I'm a little overwhelmed. There's so much music here, and so many genres too! I don't even know where to begin."

Sans strides over to pick up the first vinyl he sees, and grins from ear to ear once he recognises a famous old Austrian musician.

"Well if I had to choose where to start, then I'd personally choose this guy. Y'know classical music is better than Mozart forms."

You resist the urge to throw the sofa pillow at him as you laugh. And you walk over to dramatically snatch away the vinyl from his hands, squaring your eyes and teasing him back,

"Mozart must be rolling in his grave to hear his name used in terrible jokes like that. I feel bad for the poor guy."

"Nah, you shouldn't. Besides, they say old musicians never die. They're just disconcerted."

You struggle to stifle your laughter, and you roll your eyes with a groan. With your finger waggling in his face, you scold him with a teasing smile,

"If you make one more bad pun like that, I'm going to drown you out by loudly playing some tunes. And I'm not putting on that classical music either."

"Aw, give it a chance, huh? Don't hate on classical music. People who do have my symphony."

"That's it. That was your third strike. I'm putting on some music so I can't listen to any more of you!" You throw your hands up in the air in surrender as Sans laughs hard, loving every minute of your overreaction to his jokes. And as you turn on your heels to head towards the record player, Sans leans against the banister of the staircase and idly watches you for a moment.

Despite how calm and relaxed you both are around each other now, there are definitely strange points where he would take a step back and really look at you. There's something about you he can't figure out, and there's something about you that makes you so damn interesting to watch. He wonders if it's maybe because of the way you move as you pick up a vinyl, emanating your masked elegance from a flick of your wrist. Maybe it's the way your heavy eyes concentrate and scan every record, as if you're fascinated by every single one you come across. Or maybe it's the way your oversized shirt falls down your arm, revealing your bare shoulder from beneath.

Maybe… it's just everything.

He's never known what it's like to just stand back, look at someone, and really see them. It's exciting and magical all at the same time. He could stand there and watch you like that for a long time.

Meanwhile, you can feel his scorching eyes follow your every movement. And you feel immediately hot in response. You can see deep in the centre of his left socket, there's a white hot spurt of cyan flames itching to burst free, just by watching you. Your fingers tremble as you try to drop the needle of the record player on the spinning vinyl, but it scratches along the surface because of how nervous he makes you feel. Your heart rate skyrockets all the more as Sans notices you struggling. And without any warning, he's suddenly standing right behind of you with his helpful hands stretched out, gently taking your fingers through his as he guides you to drop the needle correctly.

"Your hands are shaking too much…"

"Are they?" You feign ignorance, but your voice is so quiet that it's barely a whisper. He can see right through you. I'm too affected by you to fake it now.

A soft guitar riff starts. Before The Beginning. John Frusciante. Your heartbeat is sounding like an excited drumbeat in your ears. And before you let yourself get too carried away, you try to swiftly get past him by stepping aside. But your foot catches the rim of a misplaced vinyl record, and it slips beneath your toes. Suddenly, you're flying towards the floor, and you instinctively grab a handful of Sans' shirt. Your strength is too much, and you're pulling him down with you. You're both shouting in surprise as you fall backwards, crashing amongst the heap of boxes beneath the table. And when you open your eyes, it's as if you're completely lost for words.

The electricity burns wildly in the atmosphere as you find yourself suddenly lying on the ground, with Sans lying on top of you.

Sans holds his hands out, propping himself up by his arms as he leans over you with his face literally inches away from yours. His eyes are about as wide as yours, and he's just as surprised as you are to suddenly find yourselves so dangerously close to each other. Your head lights up like fireworks, and his blush burns bright over his bones. Your hair lays in an unkempt mess, framing your heated face as you're frozen in shock. And your lips part in shock as you're gasping with your last breath. His mouth is practically on the edge of yours, begging to be kissed.

With his hands caging you like this, the urge to lean upwards and press your lips to his almost overwhelms you. Every part of you is pleading with you to do it. Every inch of you wants to be touched by him. And you can see in his conflicted expression that he's so tempted to do this. His eyes are wide and easy to read. His shaken smile is occupied with the brush of your lips, ever-so-slightly grazing his as you breathe deeply against him. His perspiration crawls down his heated skull, highlights of cyan colours tinge his cheeks as his eyes shimmer with insatiable desire. His eyes are near to closing, his fingers itch to feel you, and they slowly move to thread through your hair. It's soft.

You're so caught up in the heat of the moment that your head starts to spin wildly out of control. You've forgotten everything that's kept you apart from him. All that's important right then and there is that he wants you. His palm reaches over to the shape of your face to hold you gently, and softly strokes his thumb over your cheekbone. His callous fingers feel so safe and familiar to you, it's almost a comfort when he holds you like this. And you slowly close your eyes as you feel his lips gradually press down against you, almost as if it's the most natural thing in the world. His kiss is agonisingly slow, soft and sensual. And you kiss back just as slowly, as if you're yielding entirely to him. He controls you now. Yet he feels as if you control him just as much.

He pulls back, his eyes are slits as he looks at your flushed face. You look unsatisfied, as if this kiss wasn't nearly enough. Your lips pout, and your heavy lids barely cover the lustful glaze in your eyes as you silently beg for more

And so, without another moment to spare, Sans dives forward to kiss you again, only this time he's more demanding, and he kisses you like he needs you. He's desperate as he moves his lips over yours, and intakes sharp breaths in uneven intervals as if you're taking the last of his breath away with every kiss. He holds your face in his hand as he pulls you towards him, and holds on to you for as long as he can. It's been an entire week since he last felt the warmth of your lips on his, the feel of your skin on his hands, and your liquids dripping over his fingers as you climaxed from his skilful touch. It's been too long… please… I want to feel you again. His desperation to experience all of this again is shown through the harshness of his kiss. He wants you just as much as you want him. And you're so tempted… to go further… and further…

But… but I can't… I can't let this go on anymore… I'm sorry, Sans…

You gently press your hand to his shoulder, and reluctantly guide him away from you. A string of saliva connects your tongues together, before it finally snaps apart as you turn away to shuffle from beneath him. Sans watches you helplessly as you push yourself from the floor, and you try your best to ignore his wanting gaze, his bated breath, and his inviting arms as you straighten your oversized shirt. It takes a few moments to calm down your racing heartbeat and cool down the burning temperature building deep within your abdomen. And when you do, you turn back to Sans with a half-smile.

"Um, you want to take a trip to Grillby's? I hear Undyne and Papyrus are over there playing a game of poker. Might be fun, right?"

Sans sits up with a discoloured blue-tinged blush flourishing above his flustered smile. He's too caught up in you to the point that he doesn't question you further, and he simply nods in complete and total compliance.

…

…

"I'm stuck in a real bind here… I don't know what I'm going to do with Sans, I really don't. There's so much I want to say to him, there's so much I want to do with him, sometimes I'm so close to just turning off my brain and giving in to him. But I… ugh, I know I can't. I won't allow myself to do it. Why? Because somewhere in the back of my mind, there's something that mercilessly reminds me that I'm human. And that changes everything! I don't understand what being a human means, I don't even understand myself most of the time… but I feel like just being a part of the human race makes me responsible for all the suffering in the underground. If it wasn't for humans, then you'd all be living free above ground, living all your dreams and living happily. Instead of being stuck down here like caged animals. It's… it's upsetting to see. And I feel like… it's all my fault… it's my fault…"

You clear your throat, choking back the emotions in your throat, before continuing.

"So… this is why I stop myself before I get too carried away with him. It's… really difficult. Like earlier today, we… um, we kissed. Under a table. And it felt like it was the most natural thing in the world. I just… I didn't want it to end. I really didn't. I wanted to stay like that for as long as I could, with him. But as long as I'm in this human body, I can't allow myself do that to him. I just can't do it. So… as much as it hurts me to do it… I'm going to keep my distance from him now. As much as I… as much as I love him, I can't ever be with him. That's all there is to it."

Grillby silently hands you a soft drink, with a strong hint of alcohol mixed in it. As you've lamented all your thoughts to him, knowing by now that he's a good man who can keep a secret, he looks through his thick glass lenses in sympathy as he leaves the drink on the bar for you. But you reach into your pockets as you protest.

"Here, I'll pay for this. It's the least I can do after you listened to me talk so much…"

Immediately, Grillby leans over the bar and places his burning hot hand over yours. He pushes your hand away as he shakes his head, and you figure out he's refusing any payment you give him. With a grateful smile, you take the cold drink between your hands, and thank him.

Then, you look over your shoulder towards the busy room behind you. At a round table in the distance, you can make out Sans sitting between two large royal guards dressed in their chunky black armour. The only difference you can make between them are the rabbit ears on one and the dragon fins on the other. And on the other side of the table, there's Undyne concentrating hard on the hand of cards in her grasp. You strain your ears, and you can make out their voices.

"…looks like another straight flush. I win again." Sans announces with a smug grin as he lays down his cards to the table.

The royal guards fold their cards and groan as they finally give up. Meanwhile, Undyne looks in disbelief at her cards, and slams them down on the table as she screams in frustration.

"Naaaargh! Are you fuckin' kidding me? That's the fifth time you've won! That's it, Sans! I'm not playing this fuckin' game with you ever again!" She yells as she dramatically flips the table aside and sends the packs of cards flying with the royal guards jumping and stumbling back in surprise. Meanwhile, Sans remains completely static on his chair with an unshaken smile, and comments sardonically,

"Alright, Undyne. Same time next week for the next game?"

She grumbles under her breath, and silently seethes to herself as she reluctantly nods and crosses her arms in a huff. Then, as Grillby interrupts the conversation by angrily pointing to the mess she created, Sans leaves the scene whilst Undyne cleans up the broken table under the watchful eyes of the pissed off barman. You greet Sans with an amused smile as he takes the stool beside you,

"Undyne's a pretty sore loser, huh?"

"Don't worry about it. She's just feeling a little discarded." He grins widely as he waits for another one of your overreactions, but he's surprised when you only giggle quietly and squeeze the drink in your hands. He notices immediately that your mind is clearly on other things, and he shrugs patiently, "So, I noticed you were having a chat with our buddy Grillby for a while there. Didn't seem like it was light conversation either. What's on your mind, eh? You wanna talk to me about it?"

Oh God… there's so much I want to say to you…

You're silent, and your eyes glaze over at your rippling reflection in your drink. For a moment, you're completely overwhelmed by the urge to be completely honest with him. You want to tell him everything that's on your mind, you want to open up to him and tell him how much he really means to you. But… you refuse. You know you can't let yourself do that to him. Instead, your mind wanders to something that you've been aching to ask about for a while now, and you decide that now might be the perfect time…

"Actually, there's someone I've wanted to know about for a while… if you're willing to tell me." You look up from your drink, your eyes are hardened as you ask, "Who's that woman in the ruins? You sometimes disappear at strange times in the day to meet her. What's the story there?"

Sans blinks in surprise. This is sorta out of nowhere. But he doesn't think too much about it, and he awkwardly scratches his skull as he begins to explain.

"Well, there's not much to say, really. She's an old friendly lady who keeps to herself. We met one day when I was practising knock knock jokes on this huge door in the ruins. She lives behind that door, but it's sealed shut on our side. I'm sure if she wanted to leave, she would've by now. But she seems pretty adamant about staying in there. I don't ask her too much about it. I just keep her company by telling her jokes. She's a great audience. And, man, she's got some great one-liners that'll have you in stitches! She's got such a great sense of humour. I'm sure you two would get along great, if you ever meet her."

"Can I?" You ask enthusiastically. Sans' eyes widen as you ask, completely surprised by your request, and you squeeze the drink tighter between your hands as your voice becomes a little quieter, "You said she gets lonely, right? I'd like to meet her and keep her company too. If that's alright with you."

"Sure, I guess. I'm sure she'd love to meet someone new." He pushes himself off the barstool, and his cheerful grin grows wide as he holds out a hand for you, "Alright, if you're up for it, let's go now. I'm sure with a bit of luck, we'll go by that place where Papyrus and I make snowmen. My brother makes these really cool sculptures, you have to see-"

"Sans!" Papyrus immediately shouts as he suddenly crashes through the bar window, much to Grillby's silent dismay, "I heard you call out my name! Are you telling the human about my amazing snowman-making skills? Because if so, believe everything that he is saying, human. I have mastered the craft of capturing my own likeness in snow sculptures, just as I have mastered many other crafts of this calibre! Come on, I'll help you to make your own snowman as great as mine!"

Just as quickly as he arrived, Papyrus jumps back through the broken window and speeds into the cold air. Grillby doesn't know where to direct his fury as his head quickly switches back and forth from Undyne's mess to the broken glass left behind from Papyrus. And Sans stifles his laughter as he turns back to you.

"So are you coming?" Sans asks as he points nonchalantly to the shattered window. You blink in hesitation, doubting that you have the energy to keep up with these skeleton brothers for much longer. And with one last longing look at Grillby's trashed interior, you reply with a sigh,

"Alright, but I'm taking the door way out."

…

…

You arrive at the bridge where you first met Sans. The snow mound that you fell on top of has melted away, and the paths look practically untouched. It wasn't too long ago when you first fell into this world, but it seems like it was over a lifetime ago. And you finally realise that the moment you woke up here until now is everything you know. Aside from a few strange memories of a distorted past, this life is all that you have. As you stare vacantly at the snowy ground where the snow pile once was, you feel as if you're visiting your old birthplace. It's where everything began.

You look over your shoulder, peering to the skeleton brothers in the background. Papyrus is working hard on his sculpture whilst Sans takes a nap at his sentry station, completely oblivious to Papyrus' lecture about how Sans' lumps of snow are looking surprisingly better than usual. Sans' sculpture certainly is… something. He's dotted the eyes of the lump with red marker and drawn a crudely large smile on the surface. And you commend him for at least making the effort for that little touch.

But then your eyes wander down the long stretch of path in the opposite direction. Sans has told you to follow it until you reach the end, and that's where the door is located. You're filled with determination to finally meet this mysterious woman. And before you know it, your legs move before you tell them to, and you're suddenly wandering down the snowy paths with nervous bated breath. You look back over your shoulder every now and again and catch a glimpse of the brothers far off in the distance, until they disappear into the thickening fog. That's when you knew for sure – you're alone.

Eventually, you reach the end of the road. And Sans was right. You stand before a large door ingrained into the walls of the ruins. It looks impossible to open, but you recall being told that it can only be opened from the inside. Its sheer size is intimidating enough, and your fist lingers in the air before bringing it forward to knock against the door. And after swallowing all your nerves, you finally manage to knock hard and loud. Four knocks. That should be enough.

After a few minutes of total silence, you begin to wonder if she's going to answer at all. When it seems like she isn't, you frown. Disappointed, you slowly turn with your head hanging down in dismay… until you suddenly hear a distinct shuffling noise sounding from behind the door. You freeze in terror for a moment, before you hear a friendly voice call out to you.

"That was too many knocks, my dear. It's tradition to start a joke with only two."

That… wasn't exactly the kind of response I was expecting.

Against your better judgement, you act before you think, and you knock twice on the door with a blank state of mind.

Knock. Knock.

"Who's there?"

Suddenly the pressure's on. You're in the presence of another comedian, and you want to make a damn good first impression. But unfortunately for you, humour isn't exactly your strongest suit. You find yourself more nervous than you've ever felt before. It's as if you're standing in front of a crowd of millions instead of one voice behind a door. Your words are lost in your throat, and you sound incredibly hoarse as you finally speak up, saying the first thing that comes to mind,

"Uh… it's, uh… it's the d-doorbell repair man…"

There's a long pause between the two of you, and you feel as if your entire head is coloured as red as beetroot. Shit, I've messed it all up already. But before you could even think of turning on your heels and bailing out, you suddenly hear a roaring fit of laughter sound from behind the door. Your eyes widen at the sheer volume. She has a loud distinctive laugh that makes you realise just how much of a sense of humour this woman has. It's contagious, as you suddenly find yourself giggling alongside her. Now you know what Sans meant by his description of her. And, thank goodness, you didn't completely blow your first impression to her.

"Well, my child, that was certainly unexpected." She says as she slowly comes down from her laughing fit, and clears her throat before formally greeting you, "My apologies. I was expecting another dear friend of mine. He and I are quite fond of our knock knock jokes, and this greeting has become sort of a tradition of ours now. But your response was very good too! I am very impressed."

"Oh! Thank you so much!" You tell her bashfully, and you feel your face flush with colour once again. You wonder if you'll ever get used to the over-friendliness of each and every monster you meet, and your heart already grows fond of her. Which begs the question why she won't leave the confines of her own cell. Slowly, you approach the door, with the burning question on the edge of your tongue, "Um, I was wondering… would you like to come out of the ruins and meet us? Sans is just a little up ahead, I'm sure he'd love to see you. And so would I! I know we've just met, but I've heard so many good things about you. It'd be great if I could become friends with you too. So… will you come into the underground?"

There's an awkward pause between the two of you. You can tell you've definitely touched a nerve by asking that question, but you're too curious on finding out the answer to be courteous. You don't even realise just how much you want to know the answer as you subconsciously stand only a few inches away from the door, with your ear close to pressing against it. You hear the woman shifting uncomfortably on the other side, before she finally replies with a waver in her voice,

"My child, you sound very kind. But as much as I would have loved to meet the both of you, I… I cannot leave this place. I am sorry."

"But you can open the door from the inside, yes?" You press her forward, a little more hurriedly this time, and she sounds all the more reluctant as she replies.

"Yes. I can open this door. But I refuse to come out. I apologise profusely, dear. But… this is the choice that I have made."

Suddenly, you find your hands shaking by your sides. Your heart plummets in your chest as your wide eyes stare in desperation at the locked door. She's… she's really not willing to come out? You don't understand this at all. Instinctively, you spin a delusion in your mind that she's simply too afraid to leave her home. You wish with all your heart that you could break the door down and set her free. You wish with everything that you have that you could do something to change her mind. With a mad smile, your irrationality enslaves you as you press your hands against the door, pushing hard against it as you bargain and plead with everything you have.

"Hey, c'mon, it's really not bad in the underground, y'know. I swear it's true. Everyone here is so nice and welcoming, so you wouldn't have a hard time fitting in at all. You won't be lonely out here. You'll have so many friends to keep you company all the time! And I know this might sound a little crazy because we just met, but believe me, I know all of this from first-hand experience! If… if you just give this place a chance, you'll change your mind about it, you'll see! Just… c'mon, come out of there… please… please give the underground a chance…"

Your voice trails away as you don't fully understand why this is upsetting you so much. It's almost as if you're seeing the true face of what the underground has done to creatures like her. This woman you've met is the result of all the atrocities the humans have made by casting all the monsters down here, forcing them to live a life in a cage. So far you've met creatures who are truly happy down here, and you've met the majority that simply work with what little they have to keep going. But now you've met someone unlike anyone you've met before. You've finally met someone who truly cannot stand living down here any longer. It's broken your heart to a million pieces. And you slide helplessly down the door as she replies,

"I apologise if I am disappointing you."

You're frustrated and confused as your head hangs low, and your hands are balled into fists against the tightly shut door.

"…why won't you come out?"

"I have my… reasons. But I am more than prepared to accept loneliness than to suffer a life out there."

"Why? What is it about this place that makes you hate it so much?" You suddenly realise that you're pushing the envelope too far by raising your voice and prying too much into this stranger's life, and you anxiously take a step back as your voice wobbles with reeling emotions, "I only ask because… I don't understand this. I don't understand it at all. I can't imagine someone suffering so badly in a friendly place like this. I'm sorry if I'm acting childish and stubborn, but… please, tell me. Help me understand."

The woman sighs heavily. She's still reluctant to say anything further, but you figure she must have noticed how upset you're getting over this. I have my reasons too. So, with a hefty exhale of breath, she dons a stern tone of voice as she explains.

"I cannot allow myself to disclose my identity. But I will tell you this. I have a history I wish to leave behind me. My past is riddled with bloodshed and heartbreak. I have lived through so many battles, so many wars, and it has worn down this silly old lady to the point of reclusion. My child, I am very tired. So this is the life I have prepared to accept. In order to distance myself from the evil rooted in the underground, I will not come out. I hope that this information is enough for you to understand."

…it's enough.

You take in everything that she has told you, and you feel as if your heart has fallen to the very dark depths of your being. This friendly old woman who has a laugh as big as her heart has had to go through so much in her life… because of the humans. They were the ones plunging their world into war and destruction, they're the ones who forced the monsters into lives in reclusion, and the horrors that this poor woman must have endured… it's all getting too much to take in. And she wouldn't have had this kind of life… if it wasn't for me.

I'm a fallen human, a trespasser in this world, foolishly giving in to a peaceful life when there are downtrodden creatures like this woman suffering from the atrocities by my blood race. And my past… I can't remember my past, but I must have contributed in some way. I'm human, after all. I must have been part of it all. I must have. I… must be at fault too. It's my fault, it's all my fault. I hate this… I hate what I am… I… maybe I…

…maybe I can change it all.

You want to help this woman in the ruins. You want to help Undyne and Grillby and Papyrus. You want to help everyone you know in the underground. God, I want to help you, Sans. And you know just how to do it. You know exactly what you must do to set them all free. You're more determined than ever before as you finally make up your mind.

My human soul. This is the key to unlocking the barrier. And it will lead them all to freedom.

"Are you still there?" She calls out to you, her voice is very uneasy as she notices how quiet you've suddenly become. And it's almost as if you crawl up the door as your claw-like hands guide you back to your feet. Then, your voice is hard and stern, emotionless and broken, as you ask,

"Would you be happier… if everyone was living above ground?"

You hear a small sharp intake of breath, as if she wasn't expecting that kind of answer from you.

"Well, um, I suppose it is everyone's dream to be free of this place. And… yes, I admit it. I would like it too."

"So it's your dream too, huh?" You almost choke back a sarcastic laugh, as if you should be surprise about this. But really, you're far from it. Instead, what she tells you next surprises you the most.

"To be perfectly honest, my biggest dream is for humans and monsters to live free and peacefully alongside each other. I want no more hatred to drive a wedge between us. I want no more war to drive us apart like this. I would like it very much… if we could all live together as one world. That's my dream."

Your heart swells as she opens up hers to you. Everything that she's said, everything that she's experienced and everything she wants… this only cements your motivation even further into stone. Even with your life on the line, this adds more fuel to the fire as your burning determination flares deep in your soul. And you nod against the door, a small smile on your face as you choke back the tears, and you tell her with all the confidence in the world,

"Yeah. That's my dream too. More than anything, I want us to live side by side together in peace. And I promise you, I will make this come true. No matter the cost."

Suddenly, you push away from the door as you catapult into a running start. Your feet dig through the untouched snow over the pathways, and the woman doesn't call after you. She can hear the heavy footsteps crunching through the snow, growing quieter as you march onwards. By the way you are striding away, your fast paced steps are rushed and quick, as if you're walking with a true sense of purpose. And you feel like you are. Now that you're sure about what you're going to do with your soul, you feel as if you have a duty to fulfil. You're a military woman on a mission, and nothing can sway you from your primary objective. Nothing.

But you burst through the fog all too soon. As the misty air clears away, your eyes grow wide in shock as you immediately see the skeleton brothers both working on a sculpture in between the two they had already made. Even Sans seems lively as he gently pats down various areas of the sculpture. You feel as if you can't move when you notice exactly what they're working on, and you feel as if you've turned into a statue yourself. And as Sans finally looks away from his work, he suddenly catches a glimpse of you and his smile immediately brightens. Your heart soars, and he walks over with his trademark grin stretching from ear to ear.

"Heya. How'd it go with the old lady?" He asks you lazily, and you try your best to snap yourself out of your thoughts to reply.

"She's… just as kind as every monster I've met down here."

Sans laughs happily, and gives you a friendly pat on the shoulder as he appreciates the compliment. But he has no idea how deep that comment truly ran. Then, his eyes flicker over to the sculptures, as if he can barely contain his enthusiasm.

"C'mon, we got something to show you."

With his arm gently laid over your shoulders, he guides you closer to the small sculpture sitting in between Papyrus' impressive lookalike snowman and Sans' smaller lump of snow, with a large smiley face crudely drawn over the top with red marker. The sculpture in between these two is a jagged snowman lookalike of you. It has parts where it looks exactly like you, due to Papyrus' impressive skill in sculpting, and lumpier parts where you can tell Sans had tried his best to do a good job as well. It's a perfect and imperfect gift to you. And upon seeing it closer, you realise how much love and effort they put into this gift to you, and you feel tears sting the corners of your eyes, threatening to break free into streams. Desperately, you try to hide your emotions by clapping your hands over your face, and your quiet sobbing is masked by wobbly laughter. And Sans can barely contain his uncontrollable smile.

"Nice work, Papyrus. I can always count on your handiwork to make up for the parts that I butchered." Sans compliments his brother and gives him a small and playful punch on the arm.

"Of course, brother. Aren't I always picking up the slack for the both of us?" He replies with his chest puffed out in pride, before he lands an accidental punch against Sans' back in a heavy-handed pat on the back. Sans almost bowls over in surprise, and Papyrus apologises profusely until Sans bursts out into a wild array of messy laughter.

As the two brothers have fun in the background, their voices become muffled as you're too preoccupied by the snowman version of yourself, staring back at you with its lifeless eyes. There's a small smile sculpted on to its face, and you trace the curve of its lips with the numbed ends of your fingertips. Isn't snow supposed to be cold? Why can't I feel it?

Then, your curious fingers wander to its rounded chest, and your hand digs into it mercilessly. You're clasping a large clump of snow in your palm, and you remove it from the sculpture almost as if you were taking away its heart-shaped soul. And you stare vacantly as the pile of snow dripping through your fingertips as it disintegrates into slush.

But you continue to tightly hold on to it. The snow barely bites at your fingers, and it looks incredibly insignificant in your grasp. Strange… it feels… like it's equivalent to my own soul. I might as well be holding on that right now. Even so, knowing that it's safely encased deep within your being is enough to move you forward. You know what you want to do with it. You're prepared with your life to hand it over to Asgore. You're willing to give up everything you know, everything you are, for the sake of the ones that helped you shape it all. In a way, you believe that your soul belongs to the creatures of the underground more than it does to you. In a way, you believe that you'll be providing a service for them. You only wish you could have done this sooner.

I want to do this more than anything else. For the sake of everyone I love… Papyrus… Undyne… everyone… and especially you, Sans… I want to do this all for you. I want you all to be happy… and free.

And slowly, the snow melts away in the palm of your hands… into a small puddle of water.

…

…

The day goes by in a blur. You spend the evening staying close by the skeleton brothers, doing whatever they want to do. Even as they suggest rifling through more of your vinyl records, you refuse and tell them to do whatever they liked, and you would be more than happy to join in. Surprisingly, Papyrus chooses to spend the night watching a television show starring his favourite celebrity, Mettaton. So all three of you share the couch, with Papyrus sitting happily on the edge of his seat between you and Sans. This is fine, it's even fun at times, until the evening steadily goes on… and on… and on…

Before you know it, the evening drags on until very late at night, and Papyrus calls it a day once the programme ends. And suddenly, you panic. The day has gone too quickly, and you thought you had more time to spend it with him and Sans. Although you enjoyed spending every minute simply being by their side, it wasn't nearly enough time. You aren't prepared for goodbyes just yet. I'm… I'm not ready for this!

When Papyrus goes to the television set to turn it off, you quickly shuffle across the couch to grab hold of the sleeve of Sans' jacket. He's just about to stand up, but he's immediately halted as he feels you tugging on the edge of his clothes, and his eyes widen in surprise. Instantly, he's frozen, giving all of his attention to your terrified gaze. You try to mask the fear in your voice as you smile up to him, trying your best to appear as if nothing is wrong,

"Hey, um… I know this is going to sound strange, but… would you mind if you sleep in my bed tonight?"

Sans is incredibly tempted to ask why, but he doesn't have it in him to refuse this request. Slowly, he nods his head, and a small tinge of a cyan blush flourishes over his skull.

"Sure, if you want me to…"

Your smile widens, and you breathe out a sigh of relief. He immediately picks up on this, and as you seem to stay unusually close by his side as you ascend the stairs, he wonders why you seem like you can't stand to be far away from him for too long. Until he finally notices how truly shaken up you are. Sans pauses on the top step, and he's about to turn and ask you about it, but as Papyrus goes to open his bedroom door, you quickly stride past Sans with your arms spread out wide. Before he can even react, you're suddenly hugging Papyrus with all of your remaining strength, and your eyes are tightly squeezed shut. He feels large in your arms, his broad shoulders take up most of your embrace, and he feels so warm too.

Papyrus passes Sans a surprised look, but Sans appears just as shocked and confused as him. Hesitantly, he takes your shoulders into his gloved hands and patiently holds on to you. He's anxious at first, until he can faintly hear a silent sob sound from your lips. With your face buried into his armour, you tell him sincerely,

"I, uh… I just wanted to say goodnight. That's all. And… and I want to thank you for all that you've done for me. You're such a good person, Papyrus. I couldn't have asked for a better friend. Please never change for anyone. Please."

Papyrus smiles widely, and doesn't waste time to encase you in his trademark bear hug.

"Human, what did I tell you about making me catch tears in my eyes?" He laughs as he picks you up from the ground and squeezes you tight. You giggle as you desperately hold on to him for dear life, and after a few moments, he places your feet back to the ground as you finally slip away from his arms. And with one last longing look, he gives you a quick pat on the shoulder before he turns to his room, with his large goofy smile that you've grown to love. "Goodnight. And sleep well."

"You too, honey. Goodnight."

You wave with a smile, desperately masking the sadness behind it, and your eyes intensely follow him as he finally disappears into his room. And as the door clicks shut, you feel your heart ache a little bit more. The reality of your decision is beginning to hit you hard in the face… and it's absolutely terrifying.

Then, before Sans can intercept, you hide your blank expression as you hurriedly head towards your bedroom with Sans in tow. When you rush inside, you linger in the middle of the room, completely and utterly lost. Whilst you have your back to him, Sans watches you worriedly, shuts the bedroom door, and slowly approaches you with anxious steps.

"What was that about just now?" Sans asks you gently. Suddenly you feel your breathing become heavy and unsteady, and you clasp your hand over your mouth as you feel your lips trembling with emotion.

I can't let him see me like this… I can't…

You keep your back to him as you try desperately to hide your broken expression, but you can feel Sans' worried gaze follow you as you head towards the edge of your bed. He tries to reach out to you again, and his concern is barely masked in his voice as he calls out to you,

"You're being unusually quiet now, buddy. I know you, and this is not like you at all. If there's something on your mind, you know you can tell me, right?"

You sink down to the bed, holding your face in your hands as you double forward, and you try your hardest not to let your true feelings show. It becomes harder and harder when you hear Sans' feet step up to you, and he lingers overhead like a protective guardian angel with his hands loosely holding your arms. He lets you know that he's here, and you stifle a small sob.

"C'mon, you can tell me. You can speak to me about anything and I'll listen, I hope you know that by now. I want you to be honest with me, y'know. Be honest with me… the way I am with you." He's hesitant as his worry begins to shine through all the more, and his voice becomes hurried as his tight fingers clasp on to you, "I'll show you that I'm honest with you, alright? Because I want you to believe me when I say that I am. And right now… you're acting as if you're leaving to go somewhere… am I wrong?"

Suddenly, Sans almost jumps in complete surprise as he feels your arms slide around his waist. You shuffle to the very edge of the bed, desperately burying your hidden expression on your face into his torso, and you hold on to him as tight as you possibly can. Sans can feel the way your fingers are trembling against him through the material of his clothes, and he can see just how vulnerable you are right now. He's never seen you so broken like this before, and he intakes a sharp breath as he can barely take seeing you like this, but he remains strong for the both of you as he brings his gentle hand to softly stroke through your hair. The messy strands tangle through his fingertips, and it's an immediate comfort. Already you can feel your breathing even out, and you gratefully squeeze him tighter.

"It's okay… it's okay…" He whispers to you over and over, and cradles your head in his hands as he continues to stroke your hair. He doesn't want to push you if you don't feel like talking about it. He doesn't want to make you do anything you don't want to do. And knowing this alone brings small tears in your eyes.

All of a sudden, you pull him forwards, snatching him away from the ground and invite him to lay beside you on your bed. You don't even pull the covers over the both of you as you're too afraid to unfasten your arms from around him. And it shows as his wide eyes never falter away from you. He can tell you're desperate to keep him close as much as you can, for as long as you can. He can tell in the way your hands are shivering that you're afraid… but of what he's completely clueless.

He has no idea that the fear is slowly sinking in. You're giving up your human soul to Asgore. You're setting the entire monster race free. You are sacrificing your life for the sake of everyone you love. And you realise now… that you will never be able to see them again.

Sans boldly brings up his bony hand, and pushes a wayward strand of hair clinging to your sodden face. Finally, your eyes blink open, and you realise just how much you've been crying. You internally scold yourself for doing something you promised yourself you would never do. I never wanted him to see me like this. I never wanted Sans to see me cry…

But your fears of him looking straight through you quickly dissipate when you see… he looks at you anyway. He really looks at you. His tender fingertips trace the trails of tears running over your warm cheeks, speckled with light tinges of a blush as he touches you softly like this. He holds the shape of your face against his callous palm, caressing the last of your tears away with strokes of his thumb, and he holds you so tenderly as if you are precious porcelain. Immediately you feel better. Even in the face of total self-destruction, Sans finds a way to make you feel loved. He lights the fire within you to keep going. You're doing this for him, for everyone you love… you're doing this to save them all.

"Hey, you wanna hear some jokes? If you want some cheering up, I got a ton that might tickle your funny bones."

You shuffle forward as you nuzzle your head beneath his jawbone, and you sigh against him as you feel his arms wrap around your waist to pull you closer to him.

"Tell me every joke you know." You order him with a smile, and he stiffens in shock against you.

"Really? You're putting me under a lot of pressure, y'know. But I'll give it a try. For you." He affectionately runs the nubs of his fingertips up and down your spine, idly taking in the shape of you as his mind attempts to concentrate on his arsenal of jokes. But he's having a harder time when you're wrapped up so lovingly in his arms, it's almost as if he doesn't want to think about anything else. But through his clouded thoughts, he thinks of the first one that pops into his mind, "Uh, w-well, I'd tell you a chemistry joke, but… I probably won't get a reaction."

"Hah! You did this time." You laugh as you bury your uncontrollable smile into his neck, and he feels warmer and warmer as you do. With your lips brushing so close to the base of his neck, it almost feels as if you're practically kissing him there. And you can see visible beads of perspiration run down his skull as you try your best to keep your eyes open. You want to stay awake for as long as you can with him, with the feel of his protective arms holding you close like this.

"Alright, alright, I can think of a better one. Have you ever heard of the joke about an airplane?" When you slowly shake your head, your hair softly brushing over his jaw as you do, his grin grows wider as he replies, "You haven't? Well, it would go over your head anyway."

He tells one after the other, and you laugh to every single one. He loves hearing your reply to each one, and the sound of your laughter somehow hits his ear in all the right ways. And even as you gently begin to drift off to sleep, he doesn't want to stop telling you more and more jokes. And as much as you want to stay awake from every one he makes, Sans assures you with an affectionate smile,

"It's alright if you fall asleep. I'll make sure to keep telling jokes, until they're all you'll be dreaming about. Heh. I'd tell you a joke about sleeping, but I'm afraid you might get tired of them."

Sans waits for a reaction from you, but he's left with the quiet sound of your gentle breathing as you finally drift to sleep. Even as your hands are locked firmly around his waist, you still manage to fall asleep in his arms, with your face pressing against the base of his neck. The feel of your gentle breathing against his bones is soothing, and he wonders if it's because the edges of your lips softly graze against him with every breath that you take. Even so, he cradles your head into his hand as he pulls you close against him, and he holds you tight as he wants to keep you there for as long as possible. You fit so perfectly in his hands, he feels so happy to simply be with you like this, and he never wants to let you go. Even as you dream, he hopes that you'll feel better now that you're resting in his arms.

He has no idea… it works. You dream of yourself, sitting on the edge of Mount Ebott. You've escaped the underground, and you've managed to come out to the surface alive. The snowstorm has lifted, and the sunset towards the horizon paints the sky with a beautiful array of warm colours overhead. Beside you, Sans sits close with a genuine soft smile aimed directly at you. The way he looks at you then… is everything you ever wanted. It's exactly how you look at him. With all the feelings you hold for him in your heart, you look at him like you love him dearly. You dream that he does the same.

And as the sun fades beneath the horizon line, Sans' fingers lace between yours, and you're encased in the evening darkness with his hand holding yours. With tears in your eyes… you wish with everything you have that this was real…

…

…

…

Chapter Eleven End. Chapter Twelve coming soon…

Thank you so much for reading this chapter! I'm glad this didn't take two weeks to update this time! Please let me know what you thought of this chapter in a review, drop me a message or follow me on Tumblr! Cheers again for reading and supporting me, and see you all soon~!