Chapter Text
Although you loved your trip to the happiest place on earth, you were so ready to be home!
The moment you swung your door open you were bombarded with a mewling Felix, immediately demanding to be picked up. It was obvious that Undyne had kept her job in feeding him (you were sure he was at least two pounds heavier) and you smiled, thankful you had such amazing friends to keep an eye on your feline companion.
You were expected at work the next day, and you had been totally fine with that!
But now, as you were sitting at your workstation, going over formulas and mathematics, you longed for your bed.
The exponents and letters and symbols all began to meld together into a jumbled mush of printer ink and no matter how many times you rubbed your eyes they never seemed to straighten out. Thankfully nothing seemed to change in the magic levels over the time you were gone, but due to your absence you had HOURS of data to go through and log.
There was a sudden knock at the lab door and you jumped, swiveling around in fear that it was Gaster poking his head in. Things were cordial between you, but he was still the head scientist in this department.
Your hammering heart subsided when a human child poked their head in, bright smile on their face.
“Oh! Hey, Frisk!” You stood from your stool and crossed the room. “What a pleasant surprise!”
They grinned up at you, hands making quick work as they signed, ‘It’s nice to see you, (Name)!’ They then glanced around the cluttered lab, face falling just a bit. ‘Where’s Sans?’
“He went to grab some lunch for us,” you answered, “I’m suspecting it’ll be Grillby’s. Again.”
Frisk giggled behind their hand, ‘Knowing Sans, it probably will be.’
Another form joined the two of you in the lab and you glanced up, surprised to find the Queen of the Underground herself. “Toriel?”
“Hello, child,” she greeted, voice soft and face kind, “I hope we did not interrupt anything important?”
You shook your head, “No, no, not at all. I was in need of a break anyways.” Gently pushing your glasses up the bridge of your nose, you quirked a brow, “But is there something I can help you with?”
“Ah, yes, there is.” Toriel gently nudged Frisk forward, “You had something to ask of (Name), did you not?”
They nodded, pulling a folded up (and slightly crumpled) piece of paper out of their backpack. Once they handed it to you, they began to sign again. ‘We’re going on a field trip to Mt. Ebott to learn about the Underground,’ they paused for a second, ‘Well, my classmates get to learn about it.’
You unfolded the paper, reading the title out loud. “’Field trip Chaperone Letter’?” You blinked, “You want me to chaperone your trip?”
Frisk nodded again, grin wide.
Toriel spoke up, “I would have loved to go, but there are simply too many responsibilities that need me here,” her brown eyes seemed to soften, something distant in them, “I also do not think I am ready to return there just yet.”
You nodded, remembering all of what Gaster had shared with you weeks ago, understanding her desire to stay away from the mountain. “Well, I’d have to make sure it’s okay with Sans, considering we just got back from Florida-”
‘I’m going to ask Sans to go too!’ Frisk retrieved another equally crumple page from their backpack. ‘We need at least five grownups to go, so I want you and Sans to go with me! ‘Specially because it’s an overnight trip.’
“It is?” You glanced back down at your paper, skimming over the words until you found the sentence declaring that, yep, it was overnight. You silently lamented the additional nights you’d miss from your bed, but let out a sigh when you read that the trip wasn’t for another two weeks.
“Will that be alright?” Toriel placed a hand on your shoulder. “We do not want to make you uncomfortable, (Name).”
You politely waved off her concern with a bright smile, “Oh! No, no, it’s fine! I’d love to go.”
At that moment, your skeletal companion re-entered the room, a large brown bag in one hand and a drink carrier in the other. He stilled, taking in your company, “i, uh, didn’t know we were gonna have visitors.”
Toriel chuckled, “Not to worry, Sans, we will not be long.” She stepped to the side, allowing Frisk to promptly shove the form in his face. “Frisk has something to ask of you.”
Quickly setting down the drinks, Sans took the paper and unfolded it, the same confusion on his skull that had been on your face moments earlier. “chaperone, eh?”
The young child nodded, ‘(Name)’s already agreed to go!’
Flicking his eyelights to you questioningly, you just shrugged. “How could I say no?”
He glanced back down at the paper, “it’s overnight, too? where would we be stayin’?”
‘Mettaton is sponsoring the trip, so he’s letting us stay in his hotel,’ Frisk answered, ‘He says it’s so ‘enrich the rising stars of tomorrow’ or something like that.’
“Aw,” you cooed, much to Sans’ chagrin, “That’s really sweet of him.” Without much thought, you reached over and plucked an ink pen from the nearest table, skimming through the rest of the paper before signing your name on the provided line. “It sounds like a lot of fun. I’m in, kiddo!”
Frisk could barely contain their excitement when you handed the paper back, their expectant chestnut eyes flicking to Sans. He seemed to hesitate, mouth pulled into a firm line, but reluctantly signed his own name to his paper.
‘Thanks, Sans!’ Frisk beamed brightly, folding both sheets together and stuffing them back in their backpack. ‘I’ll let you guys know when to meet at my school, okay?’
“sounds good, pal.” Frisk and Toriel bid their goodbyes, leaving you and Sans alone in your shared lab.
He was quiet, uncharacteristically so and drastically different from this morning. You eyed him curiously as he moved to the table he’d plopped the signature brown bag (from Grillby’s, of course), shoulders tense while he retrieved the food from inside.
“Sans?” You neared him carefully, fingers ghosting over his shoulder to alert him of your proximity. “You okay?”
He didn’t turn to face you, checking the burgers to set yours aside, and replied, “yea, ‘m fine.”
Your brow furrowed at his lackluster answer, “You are not fine, your smile is droopy.”
His hands stilled in the bag, phalanges flexing as he was reaching for the piping fries, and his shoulders sagged. “just… didn’t wanna disappoint the kid.”
“Disappoint them? How would you have done that?”
“i’m,” he shifted on his feet, sneakers squeaking a bit against the tile, “i’m not ready… to go back.”
A wave of realization washed over you and you suddenly felt horrible. How could you be so insensitive?! Monsterkind was trapped under that mountain for hundreds of years… And you signed to attend a field trip to what could have been categorized as their forced prison by your own kind.
“Sans, I… I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize…”
“it ain’t your fault, (Name). just didn’t expect to be drawn back into visitin’ so soon, ya know?” He shakily snatched up one of the straws from the table and impaled it into your cherry cola, still refusing to look at you.
“If you don’t want to go, I’m sure Frisk will understand,” you started to reason, wringing your hands together, “I’ll understand, too. I should have known, I mean, both Doctor Gaster and Queen Toriel didn’t seem too keen on returning either.”
Sans chuckled bitterly, “figured my old man would wanna steer as far away from that mountain as possible. lotsa history down there he’d probably like to forget.”
Sans suddenly looked so… Tired. He always sported lines under his sockets, but now they were more prominent, remniscent of the time he visited you in the hospital. Your heart ached for him, guilt eating at you as you couldn’t escape the horrible truth that because of your species and their intolerance and desire to hold power over the monsters, monsters were slaughtered by the thousands until they were trapped underground.
And Sans was raised in that darkness, with only stones in the ceiling to serve as any kind of hope, and kind of wish that life could be something more.
You could only imagine a younger Sans, standing in the darkness, wishing desperately for a way out, only to wait for years to finally feel the sun or the rain or see the stars.
Without much thought, you reached out and snagged his sleeve to pull him into you. He let out a strange yelp of surprise at the weight of your arms embracing him, sockets wide. Because he was shorter than you, his face was shoved into the crook of your neck which caused a pretty dusting of cyan to paint his cheekbones.
“I’m sorry, Sans,” you muttered, holding your friend tightly. “Nothing I can say can make up for what happened to monsters, or you, in the past. It was really inconsiderate of me to not talk to you about this first.”
Sans’ sockets drooped slightly, suddenly feeling a warmth stirring in his ribcage. His arms raised to wrap around your waist, hesitantly at first, as you normally didn’t see this side of him much. What if you thought differently of him? He’d worked so hard to keep his past, well… In the past. That’s where it belonged.
But…
Here, being held so dearly by you, he felt as if his past didn’t matter.
Sans heaved a heavy sigh, turning his face into your neck. “you really wanna go?”
His voice was soft, vibrating against your skin and it sent a shudder down your spine. That was… New. Mentally shaking your head, you answered just as softly, “I won’t go if you don’t want me to.”
He instinctively tightened his arms around you, “we can go.” He leaned back, not quite meeting your gaze at first, but a tiny smile pulled at his mouth, “it just might be weird.”
You snorted a little, “You? Weird? I perish at the thought.”
Sans chuckled at your quip, a sweet silence shared between the two of you. He was distantly aware of how nice your hands felt still draped over his shoulders, his own phalanges mindlessly tracing tiny circles into the fabric of your white lab coat.
You were sure that he could hear your heart pounding in your ears. Yeah, you’d hugged before. Hell, you’d kissed before! While the latter action had yet to be discussed between the two of you, this was slightly different. You desperately wanted to know where you stood with him…
Then, as if something switched in him, Sans took a step back from your arms. That same, automatic grin reemerged, hiding something behind it as he chuckled, “well, we better eat before the fries get cold.”
He brushed past you, your (e/c) orbs wide and blinking from his emotional whiplash. You peered over your shoulder as he gathered his food and promptly marched to his workstation. Feeling your heart fall slightly, you realized he didn’t want to eat with you.
Had you upset him after all?
Nervously chewing your bottom lip, you gathered your food as well, moving to sit at your own station a few seats down.
~*~
Five o’clock had rolled around faster than you realized.
You stood from your seat, twisting and stretching from a long day staying hunched over hours of data. A tired yawn passed through your lips, wanting nothing more than to go home, shower, and snuggle in your bed with your beloved Felix.
That was, until you remembered the date.
It was the fifth.
Digging your phone out of your bag, you weren’t surprised to find multiple texts from Undyne.
*Hey nerd! You ready for an awesome night of ANIME?!
*It was your turn to pick, BUT I’ve picked for us!
*We’ll swing by around 6, so don’t be late!
You wanted to groan, and began typing some kind of excuse as to why you couldn’t have anyone over, but as your eyes flicked up to your counterpart still hunched over long reams of data your fingers stilled.
Anime night was usually strictly between Alphys, Undyne, and yourself, with the exception of Sweets now. However, if you really wanted to test the waters between Sans and you, maybe…
“Hey, Sans?”
He hummed in response, not looking up from his work.
Pocketing your device, you quietly padded over to him, nibbling on your bottom lip. “Are you free this evening?”
He glanced up for just a moment, the pen that was recording certain influxes of magical residue stilling over his paper. “um, i’m not sure yet. what’s up?”
You did your best to hide the giddiness that bubbled up in your chest, hands clasping behind your back. “Well, tonight is anime night. Alphys and Undyne are coming over,” jeez, why did you feel so nervous suddenly, “Would you… Want to come over?”
Ignoring the way his normally calm soul fluttered in the confines of his ribs, Sans flicked his lights back down to his work. He had a lot of work to catch up on, especially if they wanted to rebuild TIMM anytime soon… But the way you looked at him and the sweetness in your voice?
Well, it would be a sin for him to say no.
~*~
You’d rushed to grab a shower once you got home, attempting to at least look presentable before you had company. With your hair blow dried and a light tinted lip balm swiped across your lips, you threw on a comfortable outfit that didn’t scream tryhard: A simple pair of black leggings and an oversized, off the shoulder sweater.
There was a seed of doubt deep in the pit of your stomach and you suddenly stilled in front of the bathroom mirror. You’d been fussing with a particular lock of hair that wouldn’t stay out of your eyes, but that didn’t seem to matter now.
When did you even begin to entertain the idea of being with Sans? The past few months of your life had been chaotic to say the least… But possibly because he was the only semblance of normalcy you had, you found yourself drawn to him.
There was a sudden knock at your door and you hurried over, swinging it open to come face to face with a grinning Undyne. “Wassup, nerd?!”
You grinned brightly upon seeing her and Alphys, but cocked a brow when you glanced down and noticed the precarious box that Undyne had shoved under her arm. “You brought beer?”
“Eh, it was on sale,” Undyne replied, making her way into your quaint apartment. She headed over to the fridge to place the twenty-four count box of beers inside to stay cool. “You ready for a kickass marathon?!”
You closed the door behind Alphys, the large bag she had hugged to her chest catching your interest. “Depends, what exactly are we watching?”
“I-It’s a surprise,” Alphys piped up, “It had to ship from Japan, s-so it took a while to get here.”
Suspicion etched over your features as you silently regarded them, eyes squinted. “It’s not…-”
Alphys’ face lit up, quickly waving a shaky hand, as if to wipe away your accusatory thoughts. “I-I-It’s not hentai!”
A relieved breath puffed through your lips and Undyne cackled as she kicked off her boots, flopping herself down next to where Alphys had sat on the large sofa. As she made herself comfortable, she glanced around. “Where’s little blue?”
“Ah, Sweets has a late shift tonight. He said something about their bakery catering to a huge wedding on Thursday, so they’re pretty slammed.” You perched yourself on the arm of the loveseat, “He might just pass out as soon as he gets home, whenever that is.”
There was another knock at the door and you perked up, cheeks tinting slightly. For once, Sans was on time! However, he usually just teleported inside… Him knocking was strange.
You almost skipped over to the door, checking to make sure your sweater was scantily showing your shoulder, smile wide as you turned the knob and pulled the door open to find-
“Ace?”
Alas, there stood your tall neighbor, three pizza boxes held in the space between the two of you.
You suddenly felt a little embarrassed, tugging the fabric of your sweater back up onto your warm shoulder. “W-What are you doing here?”
Ace had noticed the drastic change in your demeanor. It was painfully obvious he wasn’t who you hoped he would be, but kept his grin neutral. “undyne shot me a text and invited me, so long as i brought food.”
Undyne peered around you, sharp teeth glinting as she eyed the pizza in his hands, “Oh, HELL yes!” Two long, blue arms reached around you and plucked the said food from Ace’s hands, Undyne chanting ‘Food, food!’ as she retreated back to the inside of your apartment.
Tucking a bit of hair behind your ear, you stepped to the side and let him in, a kind smile on your face. As he passed you, you hopefully poked your head out into the breezeway, looking back and forth for that telltale blue hoodie of your companion.
Upon finding nothing, you withheld a sigh and closed your door, tugging anxiously at the hem of your sweater. Alphys noticed this and tilted her head slightly, “(Name), is everything alright?”
“Huh?” You blinked before shaking your head with a smile. “Ah, yeah, I’m okay.”
No one in your abode believed you, all sharing knowing glances, and Undyne took it upon herself to slam the pizzas on your coffee table. “Alright, we’re wasting perfect anime time!”
After shrugging out of his leather jacket and placing it on the back of one of you kitchen chairs, Ace made himself comfortable on the loveseat, as Alphys and Undyne had already claimed the larger couch for themselves.
You made your way to your kitchen to grab plates and napkins, as well as a beer for each of your guests and yourself. The tall skeleton noticed the cans precariously balanced on the stack of plates and shot you an amused grin. “are we gonna have to keep an eye on you, doll?”
You huffed, shooting him a glare and handing him a chilled can, “No. I’ll be perfectly fine, thank you very much.” Ignoring his judgemental smirk, you sat down next to him, basically meshing yourself into the arm of the loveseat as you popped the tab on your can. “So,” you started, changing the subject quickly, “What are we watching?”
Undyne busied herself with working your television, the blue screen of your BluRay player flashing on screen as she sneakily deposited the first disk into the provided drive. “Something amazing! Don’t you worry!”
After a few moments of black screen, followed by a few ads and previews, nothing but some grungy typed words filled the large television and you almost choked on the first sip of your beer.
JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE
A high pitched squeal broke through your throat as you stared at Alphys and Undyne in disbelief. “YOU DIDN’T.”
Alphys clapped her hands gleefully in front of her, “We did!”
“But, how?! The Stardust Crusaders box set wasn’t supposed to be available for another six months!”
“W-Well, Mettaton had some modeling work to do over in J-Japan, and you know him,” Alphys chuckled. “He felt bad about not being able to v-visit you in the hospital, and when we t-told him that JoJo was your f-favorite anime he made it his mission to get it for you.”
Large, heartfelt tears brimmed your eyes as you were thoroughly moved. “He… He did?”
Ace quirked a brow bone from his spot on the sofa, confusion etched on his features. “um… what’s the big deal?”
Your wide eyes turned on him, mouth agape, “What’s the big deal?! This is only the best show ever.” You leaned forward, intimidating Ace with your harsh stare. “Ever.”
He pushed himself back into the cushion, finding your obvious obsession adorable, if not a little scary.
Undyne snorted from her seat, “Eh, she only likes it for the beefcakes.”
“While that may be true, the story is amazing,” you countered, taking a successful sip of your bubbly drink. You then blinked, gaze flashing over to Ace. “Aw, man, you won’t really understand what’s going on… Stardust Crusaders is part 3 of the show.”
Amusement tugging his grin a little higher, he rested his skull in his hand. “well, why don’t you give me a summary of it, babe.”
Your eyes lit up and you fully turned to face him, tucking your legs underneath yourself as you sucked in a breath. “Well, it all started in 19th century England, where this guy named Dio Brando gets adopted into the Joestar family, but Dio despises the son Jonathan and wants to basically take his place. A lot of stuff happens and Dio fails but then he turns into a vampire and kills Jonathan’s dad, but Jonathan has this power called hamon and he trains with this guy named Will Zeppeli and…”
Ace just sits back as you quickly recant all of parts one and two of this anime, soul swelling at how absolutely excited you are to share this with him. He even chuckles that, when you get to part two, he could practically see hearts blipping in your eyes as you spoke of that particular protagonist, claiming that, “Even though he’s cocky he’s just such a hunk.”
By the time you’ve finished your small summary, you’d scooted closer to Ace’s side in your excitement. Undyne, after having served everyone their pizza slices, pressed play and you quickly settled down.
The corner of Ace’s mouth hiked up a little at the fact that you didn’t move back over to your previous spot. He silently relished in the warmth you gave off, eyelights training on your shoulder that decided to peek back out of your sweater.
‘she didn’t wear it for me though,’ he reminded himself, steeling his gaze back onto the television, halfheartedly listening to the narration going on.
~*~
Six hours and ten episodes later was when you decided to call it a night. The pizza was finished and your coffee table was littered with beer cans.
You, on the other hand, had large tears biting at the corners of your eyes, cheeks alight with a stain of pink. “My poor baby Polnareff… He blames himself for Avdol’s death…” Clutching your empty can, you tossed your head back in distress. “It wasn’t your fault, Jean!”
Alphys passed a claw under her eye, wiping away her own tear. “This part is definitely more h-heartwrenching than the others…”
“But there’s so much action!” Undyne stood and began gathering the discarded cans, the only evidence that she’d been drinking being an indigo flush across the bridge of her face. “I don’t know if I can wait another month!”
After wiping your tears away you glanced up at the silent monster in your party. “So, what do you think so far?”
Ace had been admittedly engrossed in the show and it’s aptly named bizarre nature. He found it beyond adorable how invested you became, and in the back of his mind, he’d wished he could just binge anime with you until the morning light. A lazy grin spread across his face, “well, like undyne said, the action is pretty awesome. but i never pegged you as someone who enjoyed this kinda stuff.”
You flushed, scratching at your cheek absentmindedly. “Eh, well… I didn’t have a lot of friends in school, so I passed a lot of my time by reading comics and manga.” You tugged your knees up to your chest, gazing at the now paused television. “It’s not that I was lonely exactly… I think I just liked being able to escape into another world for a little while.”
Ace then chuckled, “so it’s not because they’re beefcakes?”
You scoffed, “Them being beautiful gods among men is only part of the reason.”
A full laugh rumbled around in Ace’s chest and it only brought more warmth to your face, your hand whipping out to lightly smack him before giggling yourself. You then slipped from the sofa and began to help Undyne clean up, chatting with Alphys about the episodes you’d binged.
Ace shook his head, his smile reaching high into his cheekbones. He moved to gather a couple of cans from the floor when a blinking light caught his attention. Leaning down, he noticed that your phone had been slightly nudged under the loveseat.
Without much though, he plucked the device from the floor, his only intention being to set it on the coffee table. The screen illuminated under his touch, a message bubble popping up on the screen from around six hours ago.
*hey, sorry i won’t be able to make it
*see you tomorrow
The messages were from Sans and suddenly your attire and disappointment from earlier made sense.
You were expecting him, and he blew you off.
Heaving a small sigh, Ace quietly placed your phone on the table as he had intended to before, and continued to gather empty cans.
After your apartment was clean and the television was switched off, you and Ace bid goodnight to your friends, waving goodbye as they departed down the breezeway.
The two of you reentered the apartment, Ace mumbling that he needed to grab his jacket and boots which was obviously fine. He planted himself on the chair to tug his boots back on his feet, glancing up when he noticed that you’d stopped chatting on about various things.
You stood next to the loveseat, slightly angled away, your phone illuminated in your hand. Your delicate brow was stitched together as you read the messages, the light flush from the alcohol now drained from your cheeks as you just looked defeated.
Ace quickly shoved his other boot on and snatched his jacket from the back of the chair, approaching you like he would a startled animal. “hey,” he started, keeping his voice soft, “you okay?”
“Huh?” Your head snapped up, quickly switching off your phone and placing it face down on the table. You sucked in a little breath through your nose, forcing a smile on your lips. “Yeah! I’m fine. Just a little tired I think.”
He saw straight through your bullshit lie, but chose not to push. “you should head to bed then, doll.”
A stiff silence fell for a few beats before Ace spoke up again.
“could i join next time, too?”
You blinked up to look at him, a little color back on your face. “What? Really?”
Avoiding the cute look on your face, he glanced off to the side, rubbing the back of his neck nonchalantly. “yeah, i mean… if that’s cool with you.”
Your smile turned genuine and you nodded. “Yeah, that would be fun!”
Letting out a breath, Ace relaxed, tossing his jacket over his shoulder. “can’t wait, sugar. i’m gonna get outta your hair for the night.”
You watched as he crossed your living room, calling out his name just as his phalanges touched your doorknob. You froze when he glanced back at you over his shoulder, brow cocked in interest. Your fingers twisted in the front of your sweater, suddenly feeling a little warm but forced yourself to speak. “You’ve… Changed a lot, Ace.”
“oh yeah? how’s that?”
Shrinking under his curious gaze, you pulled your bottom lip between your teeth as you struggled to find the right way to word your thoughts. “Just…” A shrug raised your shoulders. “You’re… Different, is all. But it’s a good different.”
It was Ace’s turn to feel a little warm under his collar, his fingers tightening around the knob. He really didn’t know how to respond to that, but flashed you one of his signature grins before muttering, “good night, sweetheart.”
Once the door closed with a quiet ‘click’, you were left alone in your living room. Your shoulders slumped as you eyed your phone on the table, the wave of disappointment washing over you again.
He said something had come up… But you felt like that wasn’t entirely true. Your heart twisted a little and you sighed, beginning to plummet into less than pleasant thoughts until a gentle pressure swirled around your ankles.
You blinked, taking in the bright orange fur of your cat. A sweet smile crossed your lips and you quickly scooped him up, “Where have you been all night, mister?”
Felix purred in response, butting his head up into your chin, earning a soft chuckle from you. Swiping your phone from the table, you turned and padded down the hall to your room, your body aching for sleep.
~*~
Ace wasn’t sure how long he lingered outside your door, hand still on the doorknob. It was unlocked, no telltale ‘click’ of you engaging the deadbolt, and he just longed to turn around and go back inside to you.
But he didn’t.
He couldn’t.
A breathy chuckle pressed through his teeth, lights gazing at the wood of your door in mild amusement. “’different’, huh?”
With a shake of his skull, Ace headed to his apartment, the twisting of his soul actually enjoyable for once.