No One is Happy with This (Undertale)

7 ~ An Offer for a Trade

You can put your plan into action almost immediately. Your house is the frequent gathering place for all your friends, it's just where everyone hangs out.

Especially on nice summer days when you don't have school.

Regardless. Almost everyone is at your house, and in the kitchen to boot. You, Alphys, Undyne, and Sans are sitting at the table. Flowey's flower pot is sitting on the windowsill, and Asgore is standing nearby. Toriel and Papyrus are at the counter, where Toriel is trying to teach Papyrus how to roll out a pie crust (this is her twenty seventh attempt, third today.)

"Um. So, Sans." You say, loud enough for everyone to hear. In the days since Sans' warning, he's acted completely normal towards you. But, then, you haven't done much in your investigating since then.

Sans lifts his head off the table, blinking a little. He was probably at least three fourths asleep. "whu-?"

"Um. So. Remember how the other day we were talking to you?"

For a moment, Sans' expression is totally blank. Then, it changes, for the briefest moment to something you've never seen on Sans' face.

Panic.

But just as quickly as it's there, it's gone. And now his expression is a decidedly more irritated one. An "i know what you're doing, kid, and it's not gonna work." expression.

You hesitate.

And then you glance at Flowey. He's also wearing a look you've never seen on him before. Confidence. In you. He gives you a single nod. A "you can do this, Frisk." nod.

You look back to Sans. "Yeah, um. Back when we were in the park. You were talking about how you don't wanna eat in front of us, because your mouth doesn't open."

Sans is glaring at you. It's REALLY intimidating. If you didn't have as much determination as you do, you would probably just curl up in a little ball and cower, and even with your determination, you still really, really want to.

But the words have been said. Both Undyne and Alphys are looking at Sans.

You just have one more little bit to add, at Flowey's suggestion. "I mean, you weren't always like that, were you?"

And then, you metaphorically lean back in your seat (you're far too nervous under Sans' gaze to actually do so) and let Undyne and Alphys do the digging, just like Flowey said.

"Yeah," Undyne picks up, just as Flowey had said, "you never did tell us what happened."

Sans frowns at her. "i never said anything happened."

"N-no, but you k-kinda implied it!" Alphys must have reached the same conclusion you did, now that you've prompted her. "You told Papyrus that h-he hadn't seen it any other way! S-so was it always like that?"

Sans almost seems at a loss for words. Then, "that's none of your business."

"None of our-!!" Undyne snorts. "So your jaw wasn't always stuck, then?"

"How d-did it get stuck?"

"Yeah, Sans!" Papyrus walks over. He's not wearing his gloves, and his hands are covered in flour. "What happened?"

"nothing."

"The more you deny it, the more we'll argue!" Flowey chimed in, in a rare moment of not-scared-stiff-of-Sans.

"It does seem a little strange..." Toriel makes a small attempt at prying without seeming like she's prying.

Sans continues to protest, and everyone else continues to pressure him. You can't believe it. Flowey was so right. It's... Surprising.

Well. Not really. You suppose that if Flowey doesn't have emotions, it would be a lot easier for him to analyze how people think and act.

"why are you doing this?" Sans' voice cuts through your thoughts. You realize he's talking to you, you specifically, ignoring the others' arguments. They all fall silent, anyway, at his sharp voice.

You blink a little.

"why, frisk?" He repeats.

You shrug, keeping a cover of nonchalance. Flowey instructed you on this part, too. "I just wanted to know."

Sans' hands curl into fists on the tabletop. "have you ever considered, frisk, that maybe, sometimes, people keep secrets for a reason?" His voice is barely audible. "that maybe, this is for the best?"

You frown. "No. Secrets... it's bad to keep people in the dark. Secrets are mean."

For a moment, Sans has an indescribable look on his face. Almost as if he thinks you're an idiot. Then, suddenly, he relaxes, leaning back in his seat, folding his hands behind his head. "well. if that's the case, i guess i'll tell ya what happened to my mouth."

You smile a little. That was easier than you had expecte--

Sans' grin turns hard. "but, if secrets are bad, i don't see why you should be keeping them, too. i'll tell you what happened to my face, but only if you tell them," he nods to the assembled monsters, "what happened with you."

You frown a little. "What? I don't understand."

"what happened to you in the underground?"

Something inside you twists into a painful knot. He can't mean-...

No, no he can't. He can't possibly.

So you nod. "Okay. I'll tell you."

Sans' grin widens.

"I first woke up in the Ruins, on that bed of flowers. So I got up and walked into the Ruins, where I met Flowey. He tried to convince me that his attacks were good to touch, "friendliness pellets," he called them. When that didn't work, he just flat out tried to kill me. But Mom came and saved me, and led me part of the way through the Ruins. Then she asked me to stay in a room but-..." You blush, just a little. "I didn't listen, and I left the room. I kept going, through the puzzles in the Ruins. Eventually, I met Napstablook, and bought a donut at the spider bake sale. And, after a while, I made it to Mom's house. She made me a butterscotch-cinnamon pie, and I took a nap. She wouldn't let me leave, though, so I had to fight. But I didn't want to fight, and eventually, I convinced her that I was strong enough to leave, so she let me-"

You stop as Sans stands up, the legs of his chair scraping against the floor as he rises. He leans over the table, hands spread across its surface.

For a long time, he just looks at you. Then, he says, "y'know, kid, i don't understand how you realistically expect me to give up a story i've kept secret for longer than you've been alive, when you can't even just give us few more details to a story we already mostly know." He starts to walk away, then pauses, standing in the doorway. He looks over his shoulder at you. "it's called equal exchange, kid. you gotta be willing to lose a little in order to gain a little. once you've figured that out, you can come ask about my story again."

And he walks away. You don't hear any doors open, but you know it's unlikely that he's in the house anymore.

Everyone just sits there, staring at the door where Sans had been.

§

A/N

So anyone who's read the first two books (which, if you're here, you really should have already) you may have noticed that I tried to include a few "like father, like son" moments in this chapter. Those were fun.

(Also, I'm going to take an AP exam in the morning... ugh. Wish me luck!)

Anyway, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it! Comments and votes are my Favorite Things, and every notification I get makes my day!