Chapter Text
The distant sound of sizzling and the faint scent of toast made Sans, confused and a bit dazed, slowly blink his eyes open. He hazily brought his hand up to his face, slightly grimacing at the pain it caused him. Rubbing the sleepiness out of his eyes, he looked around, taking in his surroundings. He was in.. Someone's bedroom? Soft blankets were carefully draped over him, and the open windows brought a fresh and warm atmosphere to the room. It didn't appear at all familiar to him. Why was he there?
Just as he was about to sit up, he happened to spot his hand. It was bandaged. Staring at it for a few more moments, he began to slowly recover from his disorientation. The memories started flowing back to him, and he suddenly recalled why even the smallest shift stung.
-
Smoke filled the air as flames engulfed the librarby, monsters fleeing in all directions. Noises of cracks and crashes echoed through Snowdin, the cold biting harder than ever. Sans was slung across Papyrus' shoulder, as the tall skeleton sprinted to the safety of Waterfall, taking frantic gasps of thick air and blinking the smoke from his eyes. The dim glow of crystals could barely be made out from so far away, and Sans' heart dropped when Papyrus stumbled to his knees, coughing. He was far too panicked to teleport now, so what little hope he held flickered away in an instant.
"Boss, they aren't here yet! Are you sure this is gonna work?" He heard a voice call, sounding scarily similar to Sans' own.
"Yes, do not fret. They will arrive soon. I am sure of it." Another voice responded, sounding a bit irritated.
"Absolutely sure? Like, positive?" The first voice spoke again, and Sans could hear the smile in his voice. The only response to his words was a defeated sigh, before the crashes resumed, louder this time. They seemed to be nearing Sans and Papyrus, and his alarm only grew. Who were they? Why were they doing this? Hundreds of questions spun in his head as he desperately tried to pull Papyrus into the forest and out of the open.
The crashing got closer and closer. Papyrus was frozen in place, hyperventilating, and Sans wasn't reacting much differently. A large figure, nearly as tall as Papyrus, spotted the two brothers on the ground with his big red eye. An agonizing moment passed between them, Sans trying to look anywhere but the frightening skeleton's unavoidable gaze. It was impossible for him to miss the uncanny resemblance between him and the fearsome axe-weilding individual, the only differences being the gaping hole in his head, the void in his right eye, and the blood soaking his t-shirt. His teeth formed an intimidating smile, as his eyes narrowed.
"..Boss, I found Classic." He spoke, striking deeper fear into both of the skeleton brothers.
If Sans thought his bloody counterpart was spine-chilling, then the next skeleton to step into view was downright petrifying. Not only his nightmarish appearance, but the physical dread that sunk into his soul upon seeing him. The black goop that seemed to flow throughout him nearly made Sans shiver, as the dark monster looked down at him curiously.
"Hmm.. Perhaps Dream will care if we hurt Classic himself, rather than his universe." The gloomy skeleton stated, picking Sans up by his neck using one of his curling tentacle-like limbs.
"I guess we'll see, now, won't we?"
-
The sound of talking in another room alarmed Sans a bit, as he took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself down. Sunlight shone in through the window, puzzling sans even further. Not only was he in some stranger's bedroom, but in a bedroom on the surface?
The speaking from the other side of the door continued, and Sans could hardly make out what the person was saying.
"Yeah, I know I don't have any sick days left. I just really need today off... Why? Does it matter? I have a guest. No, I can't hand them the phone." As Sans listened, it became apparent that the woman talking was on a call, and she was becoming increasingly more annoyed as time passed. Assuming it was her house that he was in, he decided against making it known that he was awake while she was so irked. He really wasn't in great condition to be kicked out of her house, and if he ended up by himself, he would be completely and utterly screwed.
He was constantly reminded of that fact, as his aching only grew as time passed. His eyes landed on a few pieces of monster candy on a small bedside table, and he sighed softly, feeling a bit reassured. Reaching for it slowly, he managed to fight through the pain and grab the candy. Once it was unwrapped, he ate the candy, and his soreness began to subside. He would never take his ability to move painlessly for granted again. Only then, did he begin to wonder.
How did he end up in this person's bedroom? Sans remembered being thrown out of the portal by the goopy skeleton, but nothing after that. Right as he hit the ground, he fully expected to die. Honestly, he considered it a miracle that he wasn't dust yet. The girl who took him in must have just.. Picked him up? He suddenly became more aware of the bandages wrapped around his injuries. Did she bring him to a hospital, or did she put them on alone? Were monster-accessible hospitals even a thing on the surface??
Well, at least she didn't run screaming when she saw him. If she did, then there would be no chance of him still being around. It gave him some reassurance that people would be accepting of monsters on the surface, not like he made it out to be in his head. He would figure out all the other stuff later, when he recovered and was able to think straight again. Closing his eyes once more, he found himself unable to stop worrying about his family back underground. Were they safe? Did they all make it to Waterfall, or did they get lost in the smoke? Was Waterfall still safe?
None of his questions could be answered then. But, he knew they would be eventually. The one thing that allowed him to rest, was knowing that the heavy sheets of this stranger's bed and the magic in the candy on her bedside table would keep him alive, carry him into the next day. Only then, would he know what to do.
-
You clicked the 'hang-up' button on your phone with a relieved sigh. You didn't hesitate to sit back down, taking a moment to recollect your thoughts after the call with your boss. Through a seemingly endless loop of arguments, you finally managed to negotiate something with him, and get the day off to make sure the skeleton in your bedroom didn't dust while you were brewing a pumpkin spice latte.
Come to think of it, you were fairly sure that you heard some shuffling from behind the door while you were mindlessly debating whether you were allowed to control your own life or not. You decided to go and check on your 'guest' and make sure he had everything he needed to recover. Hoping you could finally figure out what his deal was, you silently opened the door, and glanced at his sleeping form on the bed. The candy wrapper on your bedside table revealed that he had been awake, at least, long enough to realize how injured he was. This offered some assurance to you, knowing that you wouldn't have to fly to another country that could heal him enough to walk. The candy probably contributed a great deal in making sure he wasn't sent into a coma, and you were very grateful for that.
You walked closer to him with the intention of pulling the blanket back up to his shoulders, but you couldn't ignore the expression he held. He still looked a bit distressed, but far less than how he appeared when he first lost consciousness. You pondered what could possibly be going on in his life, and what he might be dreaming of. Would you get more involved than you would like to be? Maybe. But, you saved a life, and you were sure that there wouldn't be too much backlash for your actions. However, you did know one thing: you did not want anything to do with whoever messed him up this badly, and you prayed that they wouldn't go after you for saving him.
You hadn't really noticed it before, but this skeleton monster seemed really familiar. Could you have seen him on the news before? It was entirely possible, considering how everything revolved around the group of larger 'boss monsters' that he seemed to be a part of. But, why on earth would he be somewhere near your own home? You switched on the news to see if anyone was searching for him, or if he was even missing in the first place.
The news reporter was seemingly interviewing the king of monsters, Asgore, about what he thinks of the surface. You were sure that at this point he would celebrate if he could go a day without being asked that question, but he still replied with a smile on his face. In the background, there was a tall skeleton chatting away happily with another, much shorter skeleton. Upon closer inspection, the small skeleton looked completely identical to the one in your bed in every single way.
Huh. Maybe the news was streaming something recorded a few days ago? But, that wasn't normal for this channel..
You kept looking between the screen and your bed, your confusion only growing the longer you tried to comprehend what was going on. Surely the public would notice if one of the bigger monsters went missing?
With a soft sigh, you left your room, and sat on your couch. Any moment now, the police could knock your door down and arrest you for kidnapping. You couldn't hold down a small sarcastic smile at the realization that a kidnapping was exactly what this was. Just, motivated by saving the victim's life.
Somebody out there really wanted him dead, and they might just try to take your life to make up for it. You shook the thought from your head, but it still lingered. There was no way to know for sure.