Minor content warning:
Some of the events in this chapter might discomfort audiences below 13 or those affected by moments of high tension.
★
You hug Sans before he steps foot out of your home. He hugs back after a few seconds, his body radiating a faint, almost ghostly warmth the longer the hug lasts between you.
“Thanks for helping out yesterday,” you speak up, letting go of him and taking a step back. “I. . . I had fun, and I didn’t really think you would stay after what happened with Faust last night.”
“Don’t mention it, (Y/N). I had fun, too, so I’d say we’re even.”
Stepping in, Faust approaches the skeleton with a hug himself, though he gives it with much more strength than you do. He doesn’t hesitate and asks the monster when he would visit again.
“It's a bit tough to say right now, but if things work out, you can ask me again later,” Sans replies, placing a hand over Faust’s head as he ruffles his hair and lets out a laugh. “For now, make sure ya don’t fall back in math, alright? You need to keep going now that you’re getting better at it.”
Their conversation ends with another quick, final hug on the child’s part. Faust waves goodbye at Sans while you do the same, closing the door only when you see him take the bus and drive off.
You head to your room as soon as he’s gone, hurrying to tidy everything up before you ring your ex one final time. Faust follows you up the stairs and heads back to his room while you enter yours, flicking on the light when you step in.
Looking around, you begin to feel strange. Though the bedroom’s as tidy as you left it yesterday, there’s hints of someone being here recently, mainly by the wrinkles on one side of the bed and the pillow sunken a bit more compared to the other one next to it. You approach the bed when something catches your eye. Under the raised pillow is a small, sphere-like object projecting a natural sparkle and closely resembling that of a star. Below the item is a cut-out of a nice cream wrapper labeled with the same flavour as the one you bought at the park. You turn it around and read the words on the packaging.
“You rock!”
You burst out a laugh after reading that sentence, conserving both items in your drawer as soon as you’re done inspecting the star-like object a second time.
★
The mood grows sour when Jessie shrugs off your questions. They keep some distance and refuse to sit down for a breather, leading you to do the same. You’re staring directly at them while Faust stays back, conflicted on what to do as his eyes go from Jessie, to you, and then to the set of rooms waiting upstairs.
“Where were you when he ran away? I tried calling you so many times, I didn’t call anyone else waiting for you to show up!”
Faust flinches at the sudden raise in your voice. He clings onto your leg, hiding himself behind your back. Softly, he tugs at your shirt as if to keep you from doing that again. You clench your fists and press your lips together into a tight line, holding back the impulse to lash out more at Jessie to avoid scaring the child further.
“I was busy working.”
“Working where? I thought you were supposed to be away." You breathe in, heart pounding as anger continues to grow within you. "You take him away from me, you tell me you’ve moved back overseas, you ask me for the credit transcript. . . And all of a sudden, you- you’re sending me pictures of times I go out with friends! You-“
The feeling of two hands on your torso is accompanied by a push and you losing your footing. You fall back on the couch behind you, Jessie now standing in front of you while Faust moves away to a corner of the living room. His choice of finding refuge reminds you of the day he got an ‘F’ in Math, and the days when you were still getting used to being patient for him to open up to you more.
“Shut up already! I didn’t ask for this. You think you’re being so goddamn progressive living with monsters and going out with Sam, but you forget you used to jail up monsters barely two years ago. You were in charge of arresting monsters, but then you take a huge turn and decide the way they’re treated is bad!”
“Because it is!” you exclaim, eyebrows closing in as a deep, unrestricted frown forms on your lips. “Some of them were being imprisoned even though they did no harm.”
Your attempt at standing up from the couch is prohibited by your ex. They trap you on one place by placing both their hands on your shoulders, hovering above you as a bead of sweat trails down their forehead and all the way down their face. Their body is shaking and their jaw is clenched tight enough to make you fear they could break it.
“Did you forget why you used to love me? Look at me in the eyes and tell me you don’t like me anymore. Prove you like that Sam guy more than me, and I’ll take you seriously when you say you like being with monsters.”
Their breath hits your face as they press closer and continue to hold you back. You don’t dare to push them away or fight back when seeing Faust frozen on one place, shock denoting through his eyes and quivering mouth.
“Tell me,” they persist, squeezing your shoulders enough to make you scowl at the sensation.
“I. . .”
You look at Faust again and hesitate, a pang in your chest making you close your eyes to take in a breath and let it out.
“I do like him, but we’re not going out. I’ve made good friends with him, his brother, and a few others, too.”
“What about me, then? Don’t you still love me?”
You look down at your lap to process your thoughts, looking back up once you’re firm on your decision.
“I used to,” you reply, the feeling of their fingers on your skin growing more intense after you say those words. “You used to be a great (husband/wife), but not anymore. I’m sorry for what I did that made you stop liking me. If you could tell me now, I would be more sincere in my apology.”
A single, loud cackle makes your eyes grow as you face them directly. Jessie lets go of your shoulders, though they still keep you on one place by pushing you again and pressing down on your body until the back of your head hits the armrest.
“You really don’t know what you did wrong? Even after what I just said?” Jessie leans in close enough to graze their nose with yours and grab onto your chin, a deep frown on their face. “You left me behind. You didn’t think about how I felt when I saw you quit your job just ‘cuz you didn’t like how monsters were being treated by the law. I only adopted Faust with you because I thought that would make you happier, and you would stop thinking about all that stuff for once. But I was wrong. You betray me a year later saying you’re gonna take him to a school run by monsters! All that, and you still dare ask why I left you?”
“Listen, Jessie, I-”
You feel Jessie’s body freeze over yours and see Faust push himself between the two of you. The boy tries to separate you and lets out a broken breath, his body trembling in the process. Tears stain his reddened face as he pleads for the fight to end and for Jessie to take a step back. You can feel yourself shaking when they get off of you and leave you be on the couch, body going limp when being set free.
Faust stays by your side, an action that makes Jessie glare at you with even more displeasure than before. They take a few steps back and let out a huff, calming their heaving breaths before making their way over to the door. They stop when grabbing onto the handle, looking back at you one final time.
“I’ll see you in court this Saturday. You better have a good reason why you’ve changed so much. You’re a goddamned hypocrite and a traitor, (Y/N) -- And you know it.”
The door finally closes shut, leaving you alone with the uncomfortable silence of your home and Faust wiping his tears away with the sleeve of his shirt. It’s not until a few seconds that it hits you, the reality of the situation making you cover your face with your hands, trying your best not to let your anger or sorrow burst.
It doesn’t last long when Faust asks if you’re okay. Without a word, you hold him tight and close your eyes, trying to forget the scenario and the day that awaited you soon.
After today, you didn't want to see their face again.