You wake up in your guest bedroom, Sans gone from your arms and book placed next to the empty side of your bed, a note left on top of it. Disoriented, you sit up in bed and reach for the note, rubbing sleep away from your eyes before you can make sense of the words scribbled on paper.
hadda go back to my place.
you were out like a light, so i didn't wanna wake ya.
– sans.
The note leaves a smile on your face, mind wondering if he had used the same powers as those he slipped on you when your unstitched wounds were too severe for you to move around properly.
You stand up from the bed and stretch, a long, loud yawn leaving your mouth, how tired you still felt prompting you to check the time on your phone.
Still far from getting a hold of your surroundings, your eyes search around until you notice your phone left at the bedside table, screen blown up with over five missed calls and more than ten text messages left unread, including in two voicemails marked as urgent. Anxiety floods your thoughts when you make that observation, only simmering down to the slightest level possible after you read who the notifications belong to.
Your cousin was trying to contact you, the reminder you hadn't kept in touch with him in awhile making guilt crash into your thoughts.
It had been long since you caught up with family matters outside of Faust, most of your relatives in strong disagreement about your divorce and some in deep disappointment over your choice of what they called 'siding with the monsters'. To have one of your more understanding cousins attempting to keep himself in touch with you is enough to put out the worry building up in your mind, excitement replacing those fears.
You click on the messages first, pulled in by the thought of making amends.
Answer me!!
I've been calling you for the past two hours and you haven't answered any of them.
I know you're not ignoring me -- I know you wouldn't.
Especially to me, your all-time favourite cousin.
. . .I /am/ still your favourite cousin, right?
– Sent five hours ago
Four hours.
Are you serious??
If you don't answer in the next hour, I'm gonna drive up to that house you've moved into and ask that goat lady why you're not picking up.
– Sent three hours ago
I warned you!
Past midnight or not, we gotta talk. >:(
– Sent one hour ago
Alarms go off in your head when you see how long it's been since he sent that message. Given where he lived and the fact that he often drove a motorcycle, he could be here in less than half an hour.
You rush to get ready, scrambling to have everything in place while your mind starts to come up with assumptions as to what he could possibly want to talk about with you. It's a race against time, feet going one way and thoughts going another. Shirts and bottoms end up scattered in bed as you hurry to find something decent enough to meet up with family. Shoes find themselves in the same condition on the floor, mind making a reminder you had to go shopping for clothes other than your work uniform, pajamas, and courtroom suit.
It takes a few more minutes of you hurrying around until you're ready to go, steps rushing down the stairs as quiet as you can make them.
The soft ding-dong of the doorbell rings not five minutes into you making it to the living room, giving you no time to gather yourself together. In front of you stands your cousin the very moment you open the door, eye and skin colour the most notable factors to give out at you being related. The difference in reactions is the most striking, however, his upbeat self a large contrast from the puddle of confusion and stress you were currently.
He brings you back to Earth when he speaks up, happiness contradicting the anger and annoyance left on his text messages. "How's it going, chief? Can't believe it's been two years since you last had a word with me! You could've at least told me about the engagement, y'know?" A smile shapes his lips when he goes to hug you, continuing when you both pull back. "Is it true you have a thing with a math tutor at that non-profit school everyone's talking about? I know you married early, but I didn't know you were that eager about doing it again!"
Mind conflicted as to how you could approach him, you look around Toriel's home and decide on letting him enter the living room, instructing him to be quiet and take his shoes off before entering.
"So you can wear shoes in, but I can't?" your cousin asks, a joking tone to his voice. "And what are you wearing, anyway? Are those supposed to be bedroom slippers, or are they dead rats?"
"We're not allowed to wear shoes inside the house unless they're bedroom slippers," you explain, smiling when he does the same. "It's not like it's eight in the morning, y'know. Your job may be at unholy hours of the night, but I'm only a cashier at a pastry shop, and Toriel's a school principal."
"I had to visit you somehow! And what better day than the one I find out you're engaged to someone else? That confrontation with the mayor was really something else! Who knew the most law-abiding officer in town would end up smooching a monster?"
He sits on the spot opposite to the one you had dozed off with Sans in, a bit of uncertainty to your step when you're left to sit on that same place again. You grow lost in thought, reprimanding yourself for letting negativity cross you.
"So how did you two meet? His name is Sans, right?"
It's become physically impossible for you to snap out of it, thoughts lost in an unwanted spiral as words fail to leave your mouth. You feel yourself shaking and a cold sheet of sweat trail down your back, eyes closing and promptly snapping open when your cousin calls out your name once, the concern etched in that single word overwhelming. His eyebrows furrow when you look at him, a deep frown falling on his face, replacing his enthusiasm.
"He is treating you right, isn't he? More importantly. . . Are you treating each other right?" He stops to frown a second time, worry crossing his face. "If this was only a ruse to get publicity for the monsters' situation, you should stop it. You shouldn't put up with another relationship like Jessie, nor should Sans."
"Wait," you speak up, finally capable of wording out your thoughts again. "Where did you get that ruse idea from? I fell for him since that time he invited me to see some flowers from the Underground!"
"The news, honey," he states, shaking his head. "You're not safe from the mayor or those working for him. They'll both gladly damage your image if it means it'll benefit their cause. You chose not to take the path the department set up for you, so now they're gonna keep making it difficult for you." He covers a yawn and stretches right after he speaks, two actions that make you take notice of the bags under his eyes and the worn work uniform he wore. "So if it's not a ruse. . . Are you happier now, (Y/N)? And don't you dare lie to me -- I'm pretty sure that behaviour Jessie showed with you recently wasn't the first time it happened."
He glares sharply at you, daring you to be untruthful. You give into it, trying your best not to underestimate his weak but nonetheless well-intentioned attempt at making you open up to him.
"I'm happy," you reply, staring at him. "He's a very. . . interesting guy."
"Interesting in what sense?"
A smile grows on your face when he asks that, sheepishness presenting itself when he smiles in return, a calm, patient look to his expression when he looks at you.
"Well. . . Aside from being a math and science tutor, he also worked a few jobs at the Underground, one of them I think had to do with star-gazing. He's also really chill-looking, but then there's times were he gets real worried about things and all." You halt speaking to breathe in and huff afterwards, conflicted as to how much you could say to him. "And then when I thought he wasn't a romance type of guy, he goes and gives me a note saying he likes me, too. I- I wasn't even completely sure after that, though -- until I kissed him that one time, and he said he liked it. He even gave me a book about monsters, and I'm not sure if I can tell you this, but-"
"Jesus, (Y/N), calm down," your cousin interrupts, a laugh erupting in between his words. "You're all over the place. I get what happened before might make you more guarded, but you really shouldn't worry as much as you're doing just now. As long as you're both treating each other right, you should enjoy your relationship with him. I didn't ask you to excuse yourself or why you're dating him." He faces his lap, staring at his hands before returning to you again. "I may not know him yet, but if you've been supporting each other so far. . . I think you should go for it -- Go for that engagement, if you feel it's the right choice. Maybe you were scared to act and stand up for yourself in the past, but I'm sure you've learned plenty now judging by how you dealt with all that stuff at the town hall."
Overwhelmed with his visit, his words, and your doubts, you can't avoid the urge to hug your cousin the next time he pauses, an act he returns by hugging back, the way he does reminding you of home and simpler times: when you were as happy-go-lucky as he still was, and when you didn't worry as much as you did on the most recent years, beginning shortly after your relationship with Jessie became too much for you to handle.
You let go after a few seconds, smile returning when you see him grinning at you, an expression similar to the bailiff, policewoman, and Undyne's when you were about to step inside the judge's office.
"Do you want a soda or juice?" you ask, standing up from the couch. "We should catch up now if you're free."
"Juice is fine," your cousin replies, grin growing brighter when you turn back to him. "We're still not done talking about you, though -- You must tell me how he proposed to you!"
A chuckle slips in with his comment, his encouraging demeanor a more-than welcome one.
"Fine with me so long as you tell me why you're working so late and why you have bags under your eyes."
It's him who laughs next, the look he sends you denoting his surprise at you mentioning that topic.
"Fair's fair. We have a deal, (Y/N)."