Alternate Chapter Title: “Hey, (mami/papi) - Part Two”, or “Sans acts like a Latin American f*ckboy - The Sequel”
• • •
"Where're you going?"
Frisk's voice activates an unregistered fight or flight response in you, and by that it means their voice makes you hide what you're doing like a closeted person would do with their phone when scrolling through gay stuff near their friends and family.
You stop halfway through getting dressed up and assess your situation before giving them an answer. Between the iron left next to your once wrinkled, button-up shirt and a bottle of (perfume/cologne) held up in your hand, finding an explanation as to why you're putting more effort than usual into something for your own, personal benefit is hard to do. "I'm going grocery shopping." Your words come out rushed, not wanting to be caught in a lie. "And then I'm going to meet with a friend."
"Is… Is it a date?"
Their bluntness makes you delay on a response.
"No," you say, words weighted down by guilt. "We'll just be hanging out like normal."
Giving up, Frisk glances at your phone and smiles when a few notifications show up on screen. "Is it Sans?" they ask again, now confident.
You try not to let your gaze widen and ignore the way your heart's already racing. "...How did you know?"
"You admitted it just now!" they exclaim, pointing a finger at you. "You're just like him." An angry look falls on their face and their arms cross with each other. "What are you trying to hide now?" They huff. "You're keeping things secret from me again!"
"I'm not hiding anything, honey." You scrunch your nose and bring a hand to your forehead, tension eating it up.
You sit next to Frisk in bed and grab them by the shoulders right as you continue with, "He just…" You think about why exactly this is a thing, until you're reminded by the 'buy me dinner first' joke you made the day of the blackout. "He only invited me over to his place for dinner. I don't even see him as a friend, so I… I really don't think him as my boyfriend would be any closer, either." You catch your breath and prepare yourself to keep going. "I mean it when I say we'll just be hanging out." When you see Frisk keep quiet, you hold their shoulders tighter and try to get them to face you. "Are you worried about me?" you ask, going further back in your memories to the day Sans had seen you and Frisk dancing. "Sans, he... He told me about what you were feeling guilty over."
They freeze under your touch. A faint, concerned frown displays itself on their mouth, one they try to fight off. "And what did he say?"
Their voice is too quiet for your liking. It feels like you're threading a needle now -- except the needle is a syringe filled with sour truths and that failing to aim at your target would result in serious consequences. You have to take all possible perspectives into account: from your own, to Frisk's, to Jerry's, and every other viewpoints related to the situation. Completely adhering to one would either make you seem too self-absorbed, too lenient, too forgiving, or something else entirely.
You pass a hand through their hair and brush their bangs off their face. From there, you press a quick kiss to their forehead, allowing them to relax for a brief moment. "That you felt guilty about all this stuff going on with Jerry and me, and that it was one of the reasons why you ran away before falling to the Underground." Frisk holds you tighter, shivers, and presses their face against your chest, staying there while you talk. "He... also said you still felt bad over the last time you ran away, and over those calls I was getting from Jerry before he came over to visit Toriel's last week." You let go of Frisk, wanting them to face you. "You shouldn't feel guilty about any of that stuff, dear," you add, placing a hand on their head. "We broke up when you were way younger, and in the end, it was… It was a choice we both agreed on."
"But why did you agree?"
You don't want to answer, though judging by how close they are to tearing up, you check the time to make sure you have some left to talk a little more.
4:30 p.m.
Sans would be arriving in half an hour, and while you're almost done getting dressed up and ready to leave, your current situation makes you wish for him to be here already.
You try not to let the situation get to you; the reminder that you've left the iron on and that you still have some stuff left to do helps with that. "He..." You stall for time, far from ready to be direct with Frisk about anything related to the past. "He said he didn't feel responsible enough to look after you sometime after you were (born/adopted), but..." A headache makes you stop for a second. Tension weighs down on your shoulders, and you can feel your hands grow sweaty, a product of anxiety. "But he still came to visit twice every week until you were four. He just... wasn't ready for this, in the end."
"And now he only visits on Christmas!"
"Lower your voice," you say, words stern. "Didn't you talk with him last time? He's trying to change now."
"Yeah, but he's still being a real butt about it. I... I couldn't get anywhere with him always saying mean stuff about other people!"
You frown and quirk a brow. "I highly doubt that's all of it, even if he is that way sometimes." You sigh and try to find a way around this, only to fail with each thought that comes to mind. "It's fine if you don't trust him yet, but it's not right to-"
Frisk stands up, hands fists and feet stomping against old, creaky floorboards. A glare's present on their face, meant more at who they exclaimed about rather than at you. "He only came over last week to see who my new friends were. He... He doesn't even check up on me anymore, but then… But then he still called you all those times ju- just to say me falling down was all your fault!"
You look at Frisk in the eyes and give it your best not to frown again. "How do you know that?" It's a stupid question taking into consideration how persistent they can be over certain situations, and even more knowing they had a talk with Sans about it before having him reveal this to you himself.
"You got sad every time Jerry called, and I heard him saying it was your fault one time. But… But when I asked Sans about it, he said it wasn't something I had to worry about!"
"And that's because it's true. None of this is your fault, and none of this is stuff you should be worrying about."
"By you're my (mom/dad)!" they shout, voice breaking. "Do you- Do you really expect me not to care? Maybe Jerry visits me sometimes, but you're always here. I can't just ignore you!"
"You're not ignoring me, honey. This is something only I can deal with."
"That's what Sans said!" Frisk sounds a level or two beyond exasperated by now; as a consequence, you make it your mission not to worsen the situation by telling them to calm down while you do the same. You take a tissue and clean the sadness away from their face, though it continues to pour down no matter how many times you do it. "If… If I made it safe and with new friends out of the Underground, how come I can't help you with this kind of stuff?"
You try to find peace of mind, a challenge too big for you to take without having energy drained from your body. "Just like you made your journey through the Underground, this is part of my own journey -- I don't need your help to overcome it. Simply you being here by my side is enough."
Frisk softens up and pulls you into a hug. They murmur something against you, though you can barely hear it with how hushed they are about it. "What?" you ask, not quite catching their words.
"So… So none of this is my fault?"
You hide their face against your neck and hug them back, twice as tight. Then, you shake your head and pull them closer, kissing their cheek in the process. "Of course it's not. The first time you ran away, you were only four, and it was all because your father and I were arguing way too much about something stupid." You stop, eyes stinging with pent-up tears. "If anyone's guilty here, I think it's him and me."
The alarm on your phone rings, signaling for you to make your last arrangements before leaving off to Sans's home.
You let go of Frisk and pat their head; they smile at that, giggling when you poke their waist and tickle their sides. "I have to finish getting ready now." You turn your back to them as you make way to the dresser. Once there, you list and organize what you plan to bring with you as a 'just in case' and fix the few tear marks on your face, wanting to leave things in order as well as look your best. Though it feels silly to be preparing so much for something so simple, it provides enough reassurance for you not to back away from this at the very last minute.
You look at Frisk when you're done and see them smile when they catch you staring.
"I should be back by eight," you say, smiling back at them. "Are you really sure you're okay being left with Undyne?"
Frisk nods. "As long as she's not cooking, the house is safe!"
"Well, lucky for you, food's already waiting at the stove." You chuckle and gather your keys, wallet, gum, and pretty much every other thing you can think of inside your bag.
While you're not sure why you're nervous over meeting the skeleton at his home, being well-prepared for the occasion makes it easier for your mind to rest. Truthfully, the night at Toriel's and the motorcycle ride the day after had helped you ease in more with Sans by your side, though that still didn't mean you weren't wary around him. You check your phone when hearing it ring again, but with a different tone this time -- messages rather than an alarm, a call, or a calendar event.
i'll be there in 15 mins.
i'm already in your neighborhood, but i stopped to go look for somethin'.
you ready, pal?
I think so.
nice.
i wanna show ya somethin' before we get to my place.
Care to elaborate over what is that 'something'?
take it i'm still a stranger to you?
Somewhat.
What do you want to show me?
there's a place that sells sweets nearby.
i'm kinda there right now, just passin' by.
saw the line, and it turns out it's the new pâtisserie thing that opened up last week.
it's makin' muffet's bakery some good competition, so i went to check it out.
what kinda sweets do you like?
Well…
I don't know what's your plan, but...
I guess (f/d)'s pretty good.
then we'll go buy some there together first.
on me.
What's your plan, Sans?
Are you trying to make this a date?
You know what I said was a joke, so there's really no need for you to do this.
not really.
unless you consider it that way, i'm fine with finally gettin' the chance for us to be friends fo' realsies.
and i know you were jokin' around, but i like takin' opportunities when i see 'em.
You put the phone down and back away, needing a moment to take in the weight of the monster's words. While you're not sure if he truly means them or not, you can't avoid taking them into consideration. You want to ask why he wants you to be his friend, yet by the time you pick up the phone again, there's already another message up on screen.
i'm here.
Your eyebrows furrow at that message while your hand scrolls to see just how much time passed since he sent his previous one. It's a ten-minute interval between them both, making you question why you'd taken so long to find an answer. You leave your bedroom and rush off to the living room, already hearing the motorcycle from afar. Behind you, Frisk sits by the couch, eyes following your movements like a cat after laser's light.
"I mean it," you say, facing them. "It's not a date."
Frisk grins, props their elbows over the armrest, and rests their chin on top of their hands. They then let go of that pose, sit up straighter, and reply with, "Then why did you both bother dressing up?"
Their comment makes you look back outside to see the driver, focusing on him rather than on the vehicle he's in. His trademark jacket's gone for today, and a casual polo replaces his usual, plain t-shirt. When he takes off his helmet, you look away, feeling caught. "Friends dress up to go out. It's really nothing big, dear." You take out your phone when you hear it ring again. Another message shows through, this time by a different sender.
Made it, finally!!
It's Undyne.
Before you can reply, a few more messages pop up, her typing speed deemed worthy of a challenge.
And is that Sans outside??
I knew it. ;3c
You laugh at the sight of her last message. The little face at the end is a surprise to see with the serious image you have of her, so you associate her use of it with Alphys. With her being the one most likely to send messages like those, it's not so far-fetched of a possibility for her to be influencing Undyne in her texting style.
So THAT'S why.
If that's the case, take all the time you need, (Y/N).
I'll cover for you until the end of your date, so no worries!
Who says it's a date?
I do.
You're going over to *his* place, eating dinner made by *him*, and it's just the two of you!
What else can it be?
A friendly way of getting to know the person responsible for judging people at the Underground.
Who was also a sentry for Asgore.
And who's still a stranger to me.
That's it.
Well, geez!
You're no fun.
For now, I don't intend to be.
Again, thank you for looking after Frisk, but…
I still can't overlook what happened down there while I wasn't around for them.
Looking after them right now is the only way I can at least apologize to them for what I've done.
What do you mean?
Did something happen??
No.
I just wasn't there for Frisk when they needed me the most.
So now I can only try to redeem myself by being more strict than I've ever been.
And that includes not taking whatever this hangout thing with Sans is as a date.
So, what I'm getting at here is…
You'd *like* it to be a date??
Maybe.
I mean, I haven't dated anyone in around 6 years, so…
...Yeah.
A strong maybe.
>:3c
I see.
Please don't get any ideas, Undyne.
I really mean it when I say dating's not in my plans.
Well...
I can't promise I won't.
But I'll try. ;)
You sigh, lock the phone, and put it back away in your bag. You check yourself out in a mirror before leaving and open the door slowly, cautious of those waiting outside. Undyne's waiting by the front yard already while Sans is parked near the sidewalk, the former who grins wide at the sight of you.
"Ready to go out?" Undyne asks, grin growing. "Have fun, you two!"
Everything's fine up until you see which car she's gotten down from and who the driver is.
Papyrus.
Just as you're done adjusting to the idea of having dinner with Sans, doubts over being left alone with him surface.
Undyne's message about it being 'just the two of you' makes more sense now, and realizing you're far denser than cake with over-mixed batter doesn't help much with that, either.
• • •
So...
I was down with the sickness for one week, then had to move out the week after, and now this week I took two missing vaccines and I'm sick again due to that, which resulted in a sudden and huge delay in my update schedule, but I'm finally back now. (Phew!)
I'm still very, very, very tired, lol. But I found out one of the main reasons for getting sick again was due to lots of stress and little rest, sooo I'll be focusing more on my hobbies (like this one!) in order to avoid anything like that from happening again.
As a result, story updates might be a lil' wonky in their schedule (until I get enough rest) but more frequent from here on out!!