Third Person POV
Sans's Perspective
Alphys, Mettaton, and every other person involved in (Y/N)'s rescue are spared from being called out to face the city's mayor for what would be the third time in one day. Sans can tell everyone is just as relieved as he is not to be held back longer than they had already, the two hours he had spent inside that office, plus the additional two waiting for Napstablook's return being enough suspense and wait for a lifetime.
With the clock now marking half past two, his next mission is to pick up his brother at his new job while Toriel came back from shopping with Frisk and Faust. He splits up from the bailiff, judge, and policewoman the moment after they pass through the doors of the city hall, being left to walk with the rest to the bus stop, where Napstablook and Sunny take up Solana's offer of driving them back home.
Only Mettaton and (Y/N) are left accompanying him, purposefully stalling the robot in order to deal with the outburst earlier ago. Quickly, Sans turns to him before he gets the chance to talk with the human, more than ready to part ways and deal with other matters pertaining to his relationship with the latter.
"Sorry about what I said back there," Sans speaks up, scratching his nonexistent throat. He finds it difficult to speak having (Y/N) as an audience, though he feels grateful when he sees them look away and pretend they aren't listening to the conversation. "You, uh, really helped us out back there -- offerin' us a room for permanent rent and all. Didn't mean to poke at old wounds."
The robot holds back a smile, lips parting to speak up in replace. "I could say the same to you, Sans. I know you didn't quit as a sentry just because you didn't want to," Mettaton replies, passing a hand through his hair as a subtle snicker shows on his face. "I've. . . heard Burgerpants say a thing or two about me, but I can't blame him. I was and still am kind of a dick, so I'm trying to be less like one now." He stretches out a hand towards Sans, a feat that would make the skeleton raise an eyebrow were he to have any. "How about this, then: I'll try to be more understanding with my employees, so long as you agree to come to me for arrangements if that wedding so happens to pop up. Truce?"
Taken aback by his words, Sans can't help chuckling when he sees Mettaton is serious about making an agreement. He holds back a grin and accepts, shaking hands with the robot as he sends a small shock of electricity to his body, a gag kept hidden at his wrist thanks to his long-sleeved suit jacket.
"Knew you had to ruin this somehow," Mettaton comments letting go of his hand.
"Knew ya had to bring up the wedding again," Sans retaliates, laughing when he sees him do the same, (Y/N) covering a smile of their own from farther away.
★
It's a much more tense situation when the monster is left to confront the human about his past job.
Uncertain, Sans grabs the steering wheel tight, giving himself some motivation and time to try bring that topic up while he made it to Papyrus's new workplace.
"(Y/N)?"
"Yeah?"
Receiving confirmation they were listening, he breathes in and steals a look at the human now free from wearing a formal suit and tie, the red light allowing him to make brief eye contact with them.
"You already know monsters used to attack humans who fell underground, right?"
It takes a little longer than he would like for them to respond to his question, his mind already forming regrets for having decided to bring up the topic in a car he borrowed from his brother and in the middle of nowhere of all places.
What would the monster do if things were to take a wrong turn during the conversation?
Both him and (Y/N) would be obliged to stay in the car fuming until they made it somewhere other than the endless lanes of a busy city.
"I do," they reply, sending some relief to his mind. Sans releases his grip from the wheel, a few marks showing on its rough, leathery cover. "That's. . . the main reason why the department wanted to act so strictly with every monster they came across with. I didn't always agree with what they were doing, but I can't deny that I felt the same way about monsters at one point -- I was. . . scared for the safety of my people."
Sans holds the wheel tighter on par with their last statement. Hadn't his brother encouraged him to go make friends with those at the Surface and for him to try to look at things from a more hopeful, positive perspective, he would most likely still have only a select few he could trust, a scenario immensely different from being surrounded with as many people as he had today.
"Can't say it ain't a normal thing to feel that way. I felt the same way about humans 'fore I started gettin' along with them better. It was and still is kinda tough tryna keep both sides in harmony -- People like those who hurt you don't really help make it better, and neither those like the bunny who got all pissed at ya when we were hangin' out at Grillby's"
The monster pauses in his conversation, a knot forming when he tries to say his next words.
"My job as a sentry was 'cuz of similar tensions," he continues, already bracing himself for the worst. "Frankly speaking, if I saw a human wanderin' around the Underground, I was supposed to capture, and then take 'em to Asgore. Either that, or. . ."
The knot grows bigger, and he can tell -- or rather, feel -- the human is as uncomfortable as he is. Gritting his teeth, he feels sweat build on his forehead and his soul strain underneath his ribcage. He doesn't dare look at the human in the next red light, unable to face them without completely giving up with what he wanted to speak with them.
". . .I had to take care of 'em myself."
Sans can hear the human breathe sharply and sees them cover that noise with their hand not a second after. He then catches them looking to the window next to them in a vain attempt at hiding from his sight.
"'Course I didn't actually do that, 'cuz, well. . . I promised Tori not to. And I didn't like the idea in the first place, considerin' how hypocritical it was to say kindness's an honourable trait all monsters are meant have -- Then acting all two-faced by refusing to spare humans when it came to it."
The next red light takes too long to change, the fact that he could take that spare time only to look at (Y/N) avoiding his gaze making him less than enthusiastic about continuing with what he had to say -- all the things Gerson advised him to tell the human about before he got too deep in his relationship with them. A breakup could be due were he to tread wrongly with his words.
"That's actually why she left her position as the Queen, even if I still kept working under Asgore. 'Sides workin' half-assedly as a sentry, though. . . I was also in charge of judging the human if they made it all the way to the Judgment Hall. Don't ask how a washed-up guy like me won that position, but it kinda just happened. I left the human to make their own choices instead of capturing 'em, and waited to see how far they made it in their journey."
The next time he hears the human make a noise similar to that of a sorrowful hiccup, he has to take the nearest emergency lane and park by a worn patch of grass, close to an intersection where three roads met. It was way too busy of an area for him to choose to stop in, but he couldn't bring himself to wait longer.
Setting the car on parking, he unbuckles his seat belt and tries to approach the human still looking out the window, placing a hand against their back.
"You, uh, doing okay there, pal?"
Watery eyes, trembling lips, and a strained smile greet him when (Y/N) turns around. They shrink back on their seat, trying and failing not to let him see them the way he was right now.
"I'm okay," they assure him, voice choppy as tears go down their cheeks. Sans can see their (s/t) complexion already puffy and tear-stained, a sign they had been crying prior to him stopping the car. "It's just I. . . I kind of expected something like this, but it still caught me off guard. The background checks I did during my old job. . . They weren't as. . . direct as you're telling me now, but they were still there. I was aware this wouldn't be easy, but it still kinda just gets to me, y'know?" The human wipes their tears away with the back of their hand, taking in a shaky breath. "But enough about that -- What did Asgore do when he found out you weren't doing your job as a sentry?"
"He let me keep on doing that so long as I took up the other offer. I was meant to warn and judge the human before they went to face off Asgore, where they were then meant to confront him in battle to see who was stronger -- to see if the human had changed in their journey, and if they were capable enough to face him."
With caution, he reaches out for the human's cheek, irises growing brighter with interest when he notices they don't brush him off. Instead, they grab his hand in theirs, allowing him to cup their cheek as their gaze casts down at their lap. He feels his soul grow less painful in its strain when he feels their touch, allowing for his tension to level down more.
"I didn't exactly feel myself in the right mindset to be judging others when I was pretty much lost on my own, but I had to do it. And eventually. . . It became a natural thing for me to do."
"What do you mean when you say you were lost?"
Afraid they were going to press onto that subject, his hand moves away from their cheek and grabs the back of their head, fingers tangling with their (h/l) strands of hair. He toys with them for a while, until he finds the strength to speak up again.
"I grew hopeless. Didn't really think much good would come out from being stuck in that place for Hell knows how long. Things were gettin' tougher down there, and Asgore's decision wasn't exactly helping make progress happen, so there was a time when I felt I was going through the same cycle -- that it didn't matter tryin' if the world wasn't gonna change, or if it was just gonna be stuck the way it was."
"So, do you. . . Do you feel any different now?"
"A whole lot more," the monster confesses, managing a softer look towards them. "We're. . . actually movin' forward -- Things are changing. Paps's improved his cooking, Tori's school grows bigger every day, Undyne and Alphys are dating now. . . And I got to witness the day you won the custody case against Jessie. I'm hella proud of everyone, and I'm happy things're going the way they are, even with all this conflict with the mayor and Jessie not backing off when they were supposed to. That's why I wanna see us win against the mayor next, and why I came up with the thought of proposing in the first place."
His soul lightens when he feels the human's close by, their hands finding their way to his waist as they bring him in for a tight hug. A different, stronger sensation courses through his body when they press a warm kiss against his neck, then another, and then a third, a roused breath escaping his teeth and forcing him to grab onto their back, returning their embrace.
"I'm proud of you, too, Sans."
He strengthens his hold on the human and presses himself close enough to feel their heart beat against his ribcage, those few words being the ones he needed to hear the most.
"Thanks, (Y/N)."