Word count: 4,173
With a startled gasp they awake from their slumber, looking around in confusion. This room was, of course, familiar. They were expecting to still be at the Judgement Hall though to save Asgore and the remaining monsters from being killed
'maybe... maybe they really did reset... so... was the human truly my friend...? did they really remember their pacifist past...?'
Slowly and quietly, they exited their room before walking down the hall and in front of Papyrus' door.
'please... don't make this some kind of cruel joke...'
With that last thought, they turned the door handle before peeking inside. There Papyrus lay, fast asleep and mumbling about him being head of the Royal Guard. The constant grin on their face grew as blue tears brimmed around their eye sockets before shutting the door and leaning against it with a shaky breath.
"thanks kiddo... i'll keep my promise to you..."
That said, they traveled back down the hall and into their room, seeing it was only five o'clock in the morning. They had to look good for the human of course.~***~ You gave out a groan in annoyance at the brightness interrupting your sleep. With clumsy actions, you felt around with your hand to try and find something to cover up your eyes. You did feel something but it wasn't your pillow or bed sheets.
Curiosity filled up your sleepy state before slowly opening up your (e/c) eyes. Up above you was the sun shining from a hole. The thing that you comfortably laid upon, was golden flowers.
'Wait... wh-why am I here? H-How'd I get here?'
No matter how much you tried to think about it, a migraine soon began in your head, forcing you to stop.
'Maybe... someone can help me...'
With that thought, you carefully picked yourself up, careful to check for any broken bones and luckily found nothing wrong before going through the door that awaited you.
Slowly, you placed your hands on the door before pushing. When you walked in, the only thing in the room was a small flower with a white bud and six golden-yellow petals. As you stepped closer, the flower suddenly spoke.
"Howdy!" It said with a smile. "I'm Flowey. Flowey the Flower!"
That voice, it seemed to make your heart speed. Why? You had no clue. You've never seen this... monster...? Before in your life.
"Um... h-hi. My name's-"
"I know exactly who you are Frisk." He interrupted with an annoyed expression.
You gave him a confused look to which he merely chuckled darkly at. "Surprised? It seems when you rest, you forgot to get rid of my memories as well.
"Escaped me the last time. I was stuck through another reset, expecting to forget it all, yet instead," Flowey gave you a smug smirk. "you got rid of your own memories.
"No one's here to get in the way though." His smug smirk grew malicious then. "When no one's around to save you, I'll take your soul and become God!
"See ya around... idiot." With that, the flower disappeared with a dark chuckle.
A sigh of relief escaped you until a figure stepped through the doorway. You're heart seemed to freeze as they stood in the darkness.
When they finally walked forward you became frozen as a... goat...? Walked up to me on two legs in a gown. She gave me a warm smile that I couldn't help but smile back. Her aura was comforting and gave off a sort of motherly nature. "Hello child, are you hurt?"
You gave a small shake of your head, making the she-goat give a bright smile. "My name is Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins. I look for anyone who falls down that hole.
"Come with me and we'll go to my home. The Ruins are a dangerous place full of puzzles. It wouldn't be wise for you to wander by yourself in a place like this."
With that said, she gently took your hand, you giving her a confused look before she looked over her shoulder at you and giving a soft smile. All your worries seemed to evaporate as you smiled back.
~***~ You gave a small sigh as you snuggled deeper into the warm blankets, your body still sore from having to dodge different attacks from a variety of different monsters and you having to talk your way out of every argument. Toriel soon found you wandering around before showing you your room. How were you going to explain to her that you were unable to stay and had to get back to the surface?
A sweet scent soon filled your nostrils. Slowly, you looked over the side of your bed to see in the middle of the room a piece of pie on a plate. Your stomach gave a small growl causing you to slowly unwrap yourself from the warm cocoon of blankets before picking up the sweet smelling desert. You did have a powerful urge to eat it now, but there's a bigger chance that you could use it on the trip back to the surface.
Very reluctantly, you carefully put it in a bin you had in your book bag and not sure why. Carefully putting it into your backpack, you took out a piece of monster candy and ate that instead before walking out and shutting the bedroom door.
There was no sounds as you stood in the hallway. With a bit of hesitation you began going left, knowing that Toriel's room was right and you didn't feel it was right to snoop through your goat guardian's personal belongings. You passed the set of stairs that Toriel told you to stay away from at all times which made you slightly curious yet you continued going past it and now saw Toriel sitting beside a roaring fireplace in a reading chair with a book.
"T-Toriel?"
Your soft voice caused Toriel to look up at you with a slight smile, yet her eyes still showed a hint of worry. "Oh! Hello my child. How was your nap? You look much more revived."
A small nod with a smile was Toriel's reply as you then took a nervous breath. "So... u-um... how do you get out of the ruins?"
Toriel's smile wavered a bit as her eyes now showed alarm. "What? H-How about a fact on snails instead? I'm reading a book about them right now. Did you know that-"
"The passageway. It's down those steps you want me to stay away from... isn't it?"
As soon as that sentence left your mouth, she hurriedly placed down her book before walking out of the doorway.
"Excuse me. There's something I need to do. Please stay right here until I'm finished."
In confusion your gaze remained on the doorway she exited out of before hurriedly following after her down the stairwell. Many feet ahead of you she was running through the stone interior corridors.
"Toriel! Wait!"
Either she didn't hear you or was simply ignoring it as her pace quickened.
'Why is she doing this?!'
You remained running until you finally reached a door Toriel was standing in front of. Her ears gave a slight twitch, sensing you running to meet her. With a sad sigh, she turned to look at you.
"My child... go back to your room."
Her answer was a shake of your head. With that, she lowered her head. "You don't understand... any human that leaves the ruins, dies."
With that said, her teary eyes met yours with a glare. "Asgore will kill you, then use your soul to break the barrier and destroy humanity. Any monster that sees you, will kill you with no hesitation."
(E/C) eyes met Toriel's hurt gaze, your chin held high. "I don't know much about the Underground, but I do know that if I stay here we'll all stay miserable and trapped. This isn't something I want to do... it's something I need to do. Please understand..."
The glare from your goat guardian's gaze softened slightly until it hardened again. "Very well then. You're so keen on leaving.
"Prove to me then," She held up her arms, fireballs creating a circle around her. "that you can survive out there alone."
At that, the fireballs came at you with astonishing speed. Quickly, you ducked down, one barely missing your head. You stood before feeling your throat tighten. The stick in your hand fell beside you with a hollow thump.
"I won't fight you Toriel..."
She remained quiet as more fireballs materialized and closed in on your body. When you tried to dodge this time, you weren't quick enough, one hitting you on the side, it burning where it touched yet your striped shirt looked fine and untouched.
"Fight me or leave!"
Another shake of your head caused Toriel to grit her teeth before sending another attack towards you. This time, you didn't bother dodging her magic fire attack. One hit you in the shoulder at an astonishing speed, causing you to spin in a complete 360.
Dizzy, you didn't see the fireball coming straight towards you as the pain made you lose the air in your lungs. Toriel watched as you were thrown off of your feet, landing on the ground with a thud. The familiar clench of her heart caused tears to threaten to fall. Your body laid completely still.
She felt panic start to overwhelm her, waiting for your soul to appear and crack, before breaking into pieces. That never happened. Slowly her tense body relaxed, realizing you merely just became unconscious. A small sad, yet triumphant smile was shown on her face before she took a step forward to carry you back up to your room.
However, a groan in pain was heard as the human painstakingly dragged their body into a sitting position. Toriel stood in shock as she watched you struggle to stand.
'W-What? How are they...?'
Toriel remained shocked as you focused on her, gripping onto your stomach where the fireball hit and wincing in pain. Your eyes met hers with no expression. "Mother... please... I'm the only hope to get everyone out of here and back to the surface."
More tears soon formed at the name you called her before speaking in a stern voice.
"If you go, you'll die..."
With that, more fireballs were shot towards you. Your (e/c) eyes slowly closed, knowing death was practically breathing down your neck. The crackling of the magic fire whizzed past your ears. Reluctantly, you looked to see Toriel with tears in her eyes, her magic fire attacks completely missing your body.
'She... is Toriel... missing me on purpose...?'
To test out your theory that could possibly cost you your life, slowly you limped closer to her, Toriel looking at you in confusion. "W-What are you doing?"
You didn't reply as you kept getting closer. Toriel's confusion grew before speaking. "Don't come any closer..."
The distance between you and your goat guardian was growing smaller and smaller, her attacks still missing you completely.
"Please..."
Her plead fell on deaf ears as you now had your arms wrapped around her in a hug. It was silent for a few seconds before her arms wrapped around you with a sniffle. "Pathetic, isn't it? I can not save even one child..."
Your grip on her tightened slightly before you spoke, your voice slightly muffled by her gown. "I need to go if I'm going to save everyone."
"... I know. It's selfish of me to try and keep you here. This isn't a good place for you to grow up. The Ruins becomes quite small once you get used to it." She then pulled away to look at you in the eyes. "You have the determination to make it through. However, when you leave here, you cannot return. Please understand, my child."
Sadness filled your chest, yet you gave a curt nod. With a soft smile, Toriel left you with the door. You gave one last sad look back before leaving the happy home behind.~***~ Flowey soon disappeared into the earth away from their sight with a maniacal chuckle. The confused human stayed still for a second thinking over the flower's cruel philosophy on life before shrugging it off and going through the door. White substance fell from the sky from above, causing them to give a small frown in confusion.
'How is it snowing... underground...?'
With a shake of their head, they continued into the frigid cold. Even though they were a teenager, they couldn't help sticking their tongue out, trying to catch any falling snow.
The human's childish fun quickly ended as a crunching of snow made them look over their shoulder. Nothing was there. Tucking a stray strand of hair behind their ear, they quickly clenched their cold fists before walking at a fast pace.
A heavy branch lay sprawled out in the middle of the walkway, them simply stepping over it. Several steps afterwards a loud snap from behind made them freeze. (E/C) eyes looked to see the branch, now snapped. A slight knot formed in their gut before quickly turning back around and running.
The snow that once seemed so happy and care-free now filled them with suspicion and fear. They kept running, not slowing down as a bridge came into view. Hurriedly, they picked up the pace, hoping the thing following them would stop and give up.
Right as they were about to run onto the bridge with bars greatly spaced out, they froze, unable to run anymore no matter how much they wanted to. It was as if someone was holding them back and panic set in as their heart raced wildly, making it harder for them to breathe.
Crunching from behind them of footsteps approached. The human could feel their knees shaking wildly and their pulse accelerated at an alarmingly past pace. Finally the footsteps stopped and a voice spoke with a deep voice.
"Human. Don't you know how to greet a new pal? Turn around, and shake my hand."
Very slowly, they turned to see a hand stretched out to them. Shakily, they gripped the figure's hand, soon hearing a noise afterwards. The figure then took a step forward, closer to them and now in the light to see the features... or what little... the monster possessed.
"the ol' whoopie cushion in the hand trick. never gets old. you're a human, right? that's hilarious." a constant grin on the monster's face grew slightly before stuffing his hands in his jacket pockets. "i'm Sans. Sans the skeleton."
That's when the human's mind seemed to start shutting down as they gave a slightly hysterical laugh before black dots filled their vision and their (e/c) eyes rolled back into their head before feeling something warm stop them from falling into the snow. All their senses dulled until they became unconscious.
~3rd Person POV Following Sans~
'wow... didn't mean to rattle their bones that much. heh, well, at lease i know they're definitely no genocide... seems a bit more spineless than the other times. wonder why that is...'
These many thoughts ran through his head as he stared down at the human laying limply in his arms with slight worry evident. With a few more seconds of being lost in thoughts, he slowly lifted them up with little to no effort.
'sorry Pap. your puzzle's will have to wait.'~***~ "SANS! WHY WEREN'T YOU AT YOUR POST??? A HUMAN COULD'VE PASSED... WHAT'S THAT PALE, SQUISHY THING IN THE BLANKET...?"
Sans looked over the side of his couch to see Papyrus slightly covered in snow, a curious look on the taller skeleton's face. With a shrug, he brought up the back of his hand and put it to the human's forehead and keeping his focus on them. "a human."
"OH...WELL I HOPE THEY LIKE SPAGHETTI!"
Then Papyrus started to walk towards the kitchen before freezing and looking at his brother. "DID... YOU SAY A HUMAN???"
The shorter skeleton looked up for a second, his grin growing a bit. "did i? sorry, i'm a bit of a bonehead."
"SANS!"
"what? you're smiling."
"I AM AND I HATE IT!"
Quickly his brother came running over where the human rested, staring at them in awe. Sans couldn't help but chuckle. "careful Pap. they're bone tired."
Instead of Papyrus commenting on his brother's pun, he got up before laughing giddily. "I CAPTURED A HUMAN! NOW I'LL BE ALLOWED IN THE ROYAL GUARD! UNDYNE WILL BE SO PROUD!!!"
"good job. how about you make some celebratory spaghetti for us and the kid before they're taken away?"
The taller of the skeleton brothers put up a proud stance with his hands on his pelvis and his chin held high. "THAT'S A GREAT IDEA! THEN THEY'LL KNOW HOW I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM THE BEST SPAGHETTIOR THEY'VE EVER SEEN!!!"
With that, he ran into the kitchen just as the human began to stir awake. Sans took his hand away from their forehead before gently putting the rag back on. Slowly, their eyes fluttered open. The human's facial expressions clearly showed confusion as they looked around before landing on a grinning Sans.
"hey. how ya' feeling kid?"
Their gaze remained on his a few seconds longer before giving a small shrug.
'not as talkative this time around i guess.'
"well, you don't have a fever. so, i'm pretty sure you're going tibia 'kay." Sans said while winking at them.
They gave smile before laughing a small bit. Sans own grin grew upon hearing it.
'that's better.'
"What happened....? Where am I...?" Curiosity shined brightly in their (e/c) eyes, tightening the blanket around their body.
"well, after i said hi, you went bone white," A slight grin went on their face at the pun, going noticed by Sans as he continued. "and fell over. so, i brought you back to my place."
"I passed out?"
He nodded. The human gave a small frown before looking back up at Sans. "Thank you. Sorry for being a bother. I'm not exactly a bag of bones."
Sans gave a chuckle at the bun before shrugging. "it's all good. you're really light."
"Welp," The human gently slid the blanket off of them before holding out a hand. "I won't be an inconvenience any longer than I have to. Thanks again."
The skeleton's white pinpricks in his eye sockets kept glancing from their hand then back to the human's warm smile. "you're leaving so soon?"
"I mean," A blush quickly covered their face in embarrassment before putting their gaze to the side.
"I'm in a guy's house that saved me and I've never met before. Don't get me wrong. I'm extremely grateful, but I'd feel like I'm intruding."
Sans' thoughts were still stuck as his left eye showed a not-noticeable blue in shock and sadness. 'never met before...? did they... forget everything when they reset...?'
"S-Sir...? Are you okay?"
The human's worried voice broke apart his thoughts. Quickly, he dulled his left eye color back to it's normal white hue and grew his signature grin. "fine. as for you being a bother, i don't have a bone to pick with ya'. i'd say to stay and rest your bones until a day or two from now."
A laugh came from them causing Sans to chuckle a bit.
"SANS! DINNER'S READY! GET THE HUMAN!"
"coming now bro."
They gave a confused look to the kitchen before looking at Sans. He simply shrugged. "my bro made dinner."
Slowly, they nodded, still confused before holding out their hand for Sans to grab. "Better not keep him waiting Sans."
His grin grew at the human's act of kindness. With that his grip met theirs and soon he was on his feet. He gave their hand a slight squeeze before giving it a quick yank. The human gave a gasp in shock before being buried in Sans' jacket.
'wow. i'm taller than them this time around... strange...'
"forgot to mention," Sans softly murmured in their ear, him being taller, but the human was only maybe two-thirds off from them being the same height. "i'm not much for formal introductions. more of a hugger."
A deep red blush filled the human's cheeks, so confused and fighting with their inner thoughts. Yet their arms still wrapped around him.
'I feel like... I know them. I-I can't remember though... probably someone looked like him down here...?'
The surprisingly warm arms around them soon vanished before he shoved his hands in his pockets. His grin remained constant, but now a slight blue tint was on his face.
'Are they... blushing...?'
"BROTHER!? WHAT ARE YOU DOING? HURRY BEFORE THE SPAGHETTI GETS COLD!"
(E/C) eyes met Sans pin pricks as he gave a shrug. "better get in there."
Sans led the way with the human slowly following behind.
~1st Person POV~
I gave a small tired and relieved sigh as Undyne stood with a big smile while gently holding the reptilian scientist's hand who had a dark blush. After persuading Alphys to tell the truth and admit their feelings towards each other, it made me extremely happy with a small mixture of jealousy.
'Wish I was that courageous...'
"T-Th-Thank you human... for everything." Alphys stuttered out. "I'll tell their families what I've done... a-and... good luck with Asgore... I know you can do it."
"Thanks from me too punk. Good luck with Asgore. I'm sure he'll let you go, no problem." Undyne said with a wide smile before going very serious. "But if you hurt him, It'll be worse for you."
I gave a nod to show I understood. Totally not intimidated by the fish warrior's glare and sheer height whatsoever. With that, I have one final wave before beginning to walk through Hotland, saying hi to any monsters that I met and already spared along the way.
As I finally walked through New Home I came into a surprisingly bright corridor with fancy white pillars. My heart accelerated in anxiety at the thought of meeting the King of Monsters himself; Asgore Dreemurr.
'After everything... I'm close to getting to the surface... but,' Pictures of all the friends I've made came to mind as I gave a sad sigh. 'do I really want to go back... and leave everybody behind... Papyrus, Alphys, Undyne, Toriel... Sans...?'
"wow," A sudden voice caused my head to snap up and meet the very skeleton I was thinking about.
"something must be really be ribbing you the wrong way... you're usually more cautious than this."
Sans deep tone caused my heart to give a funny lurch as I met his figure, a grin (like always) was on his face along with his hands shoved in his jacket pockets. Subconsciously, a grin automatically grew on my face seeing him.
'Stupid infatuation.'
I gave a small shrug. "Just got a lot on my shoulders I guess."
"yeah." Sans own shoulders seemed to slump as he looked a bit depressed despite his grin. "your journey's almost over. you didn't gain any EXP or LOVE which is good. that means i get to be a lazy bones."
"EXP? LOVE?" I asked in confusion.
The older skeleton met my gaze. "they're acronyms. EXP stands for "execution points" while love stands for "level of violence".
"you didn't gain any EXP nor LOVE," Sans then started walking towards me, my breathing getting harder to control. When he was in front he took both hands out of his pockets before gently grabbing mine, a warmth quickly spreading across my (s/c) cheeks as he did so. His gaze stayed on my own and I could see many emotions swarming in the eye sockets. Relief, proudness, admiration, and... adoration? Before I could analyze it farther, his voice brought me back to reality. "but you gained love. does that make sense? maybe not."
A wide smile spread across my face before nodding. "It makes perfect sense."
With the last bit of confidence, I quickly enveloped my arms around Sans' neck, burying my face into the crook of his neck as tears started to burn and threaten to fall.
"I'll miss you a ton Sans." With a teary chuckle, I finished the pun. "A skeleton..."
At that, Sans arms wrapped themselves gently and tightly around my torso and gave an airy laugh himself. "i'm so sad i can't even think of a good pun...'
"i'll miss you though... more than you'll ever know."
The warmth from the both of us lasted a bit more until we reluctantly pulled away. I looked up at Sans' face and felt as if my heart was breaking seeing blue tears about to overflow over his sockets. With a sad smile, I took his hand before gently placing my other on his shoulder and pressing my lips to his cheekbone.
As soon as they were there, they weren't as I looked to the ground with a blazing blush. With that, I hesitantly dropped his hand before walking away, not having the courage to look back and knowing I've burst into tears if I did.
~More To Come~