New room
Ludo sat impatiently waiting in the library of Big Sam’s estate. He had already helped himself to two brandies, and still no one had entered in to the large decedent room to so much as tell him why he had been summoned, and on such short notice at that. Ludo grumbled under his breath as he glanced at his watch. He had been here for twenty minutes. He sneered annoyed at the time as he bounced his leg peevishly. Ludo hated to be kept waiting, and he also hated it when people couldn’t seem to make it to their own god damn appointments on time. He had been told to arrive at a quarter after one, which he did precisely right on the dot. Was it really too much to expect the same consideration from the counterparty? Was it really that much to ask for?
Suddenly, the large oak doors of the library creaked open. Ludo snapped to attention and placed his confident easy grin back on to his face as he prepared to meet with Big Sam. His smile faltered however when he found that it was not Big Sam who had entered into the library, but Doctor W.D. Gaster instead. Ludo forced back his sneer as he stood from his seat to acknowledge Gaster’s presence.
“I must apologies for being so late.” Gaster said as he made his way over to Ludo. “The time has a habit of getting away from me.”
“Eh, well your here now so I suppose that’s all that really matters.” Ludo replied, though he made sure to allow a hint of his previous annoyance to seep out and coat his words.
“So, what’s the big deal doc? Sam still not feeling well enough to get out of bed?” Ludo continued. Gaster nodded his head solemnly.
“I’m afraid that the Don’s health has continued to worsen.” He confirmed. “I have been placed in charge of his endeavors until he has recovered his strength.”
Ludo’s smile completely turned downward at this news. He didn’t even try to hide his distaste for his boss’s decision to place a monster in charge.
“That so.” He drawled. “Well then, what’s this business that the Don wants with me?” Ludo questioned. Gaster smiled before motioning over to the two large leather arm chairs. Ludo sighed before he took a seat, Gaster following suit.
“Actually, it was not Big Sam that requested your presence here today, it was I.” He said. Ludo raised an eyebrow.
“You don’t say.” He replied. “Alright then doc, I’ll bite. What do you want?”
“Well, I thought that you would like to know that since Sam’s health has begun to decline he has been taking precautions, just in case the worst is to come before he can secure his legacy.” Gaster began. “He has been revisiting his will and has made some alterations.
“What does that have to do with me?” Ludo asked, completely uninterested.
“For one, he has renounced you from taking over his position if he does indeed pass away.” Gaster answered.
“What?!” Ludo screeched as he angrily shot up from his chair. He then turned to storm out of the library, fully intending on confronting Big Sam about this unheard of betrayal.
“Wait a moment.” Gaster said, stepping in front of Ludo and blocking his path.
“Out of my way monster! I aint got time for you right now!” He shouted.
“He won’t see you Ludo.” Gaster continued, completely unfazed by Ludo’s harsh scowl. “Now, why don’t you take a moment to settle down and then we can finish our discussion.” Ludo gritted his teeth and shot Gastser with a look of pure hatred before he reluctantly retook his chair.
“I know that you are not pleased by this news, but I must insist that you keep it to yourself.” Gaster explained. Ludo cocked his head to the side.
“If I wasn’t supposed to find out about this then why did you tell me?” He questioned.
“Because I have a little proposition to offer you. Gaster answered. “With you denounced as underboss Sam has decided to put me as the heir to his organization until other arrangements can be made.” Ludo snapped his gaze to Gaster at this. If he was angry before, then he was downright livid now.
“What the hell!” Ludo cursed in frustration and rage.
“Yes, I realize that this is troubling for you.” Gaster said.
“Why?!” Ludo demanded. Gaster took a moment to pour himself a glass of brandy before he continued.
“If I had to guess, it would be because of that incident with the human contact of the Pansies.” He said. Ludo froze in his seat.
“But that wasn’t my fault! That was Ricky!” He argued. Gaster only chuckled in response.
“Come now Ludo, Sam might not be a genius but he is far from stupid. He knows when one of his underlings is lying to him. He knows that you framed Ricky.” Ludo’s blood ran cold at Gasters words. The boss knew? Then why hadn’t he said anything? Why hadn’t he acted? Why wasn’t he the one at the bottom of the river right now instead of Ricky?
“Then why did he spare me?” Ludo asked, still very confused.
“Because I advised him to as his consigliere.” Gaster answered.
“You told him to let me off the hook?” Ludo repeated in disbelief.
“Yes.” Gaster replied. “When Sam first heard of your betrayal he was absolutely furious. In fact, he was about to order for your head on a platter, but I convinced him to stay his hand.”
“Why would you do a thing like that?” Ludo asked full of suspicion.
“Because you are the under boss of the Gambino’s, and as much as Sam disliked to admit it, you hold power over a fair number of those involved under the Gambino’s organization. To have you killed would only result in uneasiness and possibly even an upheaval.” Gaster said.
“And he thinks that having a monster in charge won’t do the same thing?” Ludo spat.
“It very much will lead to similar if not the same results.” Gaster said in agreement. “Which brings us back to the reason why I asked you here today.” Ludo, though still absolutely furious, settled back in his chair, deciding to at least hear Gaster out before leaving.
“We both cannot run this operation on our own.” Gaster began . “You have been cut off from that title, and frankly speaking, lack a certain quality to really be making political decisions on such a grand scale.” Ludo sneered at the comment, but held his tongue.
“However, you do hold fear over, and have the respect of all the other members of this organization. I cannot take that role, even though it has been appointed to me, because I am a monster. No one in the Gambino’s organization would be willing to follow my leadership, so I propose a partnership.” Gaster continued.
“I’m listening.” Ludo said.
“If Sam does indeed pass away, then I will have full authority over the Gambino operation. Which means that I can reinstate the title of Don over to you.” Gaster said his thin smile stretching a little further.
“In return, however, I will still run the operation behind the curtain. You will get all of the prestige, money, and power that comes with the title of head of the Gambino’s and not have to worry about the tedious on goings of the business side.” He concluded.
“So in other words, I’ll just be your puppet.” Ludo said as he narrowed his eyes. “You just want my pretty face at the head desk while you pull the strings behind the big screen? No thanks pal. I aint being no one’s pawn.”
“I see.” Gaster said. His thin smile slipping away. “Unfortunately for you, you really don’t have another option. Well, technically you do but it would lead you to the bottom of the river.
“Is that a threat?” Ludo growled.
“Yes entirely.” Gaster replied. “You see I have already saved your life, which means that it would not be too hard to un-save it. Especially since Big Sam would already like to see you dead for your transgressions.” Ludo winced at his words before he pulled on his wolfish smile.
“And what’s to stop me from taking full control once you give me the title of Don? You said it yourself, when it comes down to it you can’t control the Gambino’s underlings. They will never follow the word of a monster.” He snickered.
“That is true.” Gaster replied. “But in order for the Gambino’s empire to remain standing, you will need the soul smokers, and without me you will not be able to procure them, which means that the Gambino’s organization will crumble and your title will be worthless as you will have nothing left to rule.”
Ludo scowled as he strummed his fingers on the arm rest of his chair, weighing out the pros and cons. After some brief deliberations he realized that he didn’t really have that much of a choice.
“Alright doc, looks like you got me.” Ludo said. "I suppose there are worse things than being the figure head of every human crime ring in Ebott."
“I’m glad that we could come to an agreement.” Gaster said as he stretched out his hand. Ludo chuckled as he reached out and took it in his own.
“You said it partner.” He replied.
Gaster briskly strode down the hallway after his meeting with Ludo had ended. It had gone precisely as he had expected, leaving him in a quite pleasant mood. Gaster stopped when he came to the door of Big Sams bed chamber. He knocked before letting himself in. Big Sam lay under his silk sheets and goose feather comforter in his king sized bed by the window. His face was ashen as he struggled out wheezy gasps of air. He turned his head weekly over to Gaster in his doorway and nodded to him.
“Hello doc.” He greeted tiredly.
“Hello Sam.” Gaster replied as he made his way over to Big Sams bed side. “How are we feeling today?” Big Sam chuckled slightly before exploding into a coughing fit.
“Not so good doc, not so good.” He finally managed when he had settled down again. Doctor Gaster nodded before producing a vile of clear liquid and a syringe from his lab coat pocket.
“We will get you fixed up in no time.” Gaster said as Sam eagerly extended his arm out. Gaster grasped his wrist before injecting the syringe into the crook of his four arm. Sam turned his head away until Gaster removed the needle and placed a cotton boll over the pinprick. Sam sighed in relief as the supposed medicine that Gaster had just administered seemed to take effect, leaving him feeling numb to any pain.
“Doc that’s some good stuff you’re giving me.” He mumbled as he drifted off back to sleep.
Gaster smiled to himself as he turned to leave the Don to his slumbers. It wouldn’t be long now until Sam reached his expiration date. A few more dosses of the poison that he had been giving him laced with painkillers would see to that. It had been rather difficult at first to get Sam to consume the poison at regular intervals when he had first arrived, but soon Sam became predictable and Gaster was able to sneak it into his brandy that Sam enjoyed every night while he read his favorite book, the beautiful and the damned, before he went to bed. It did not take long for the mob boss’s health to plummet after that, and when it did the good Doctor Gaster was there to offer him his professional help as well as the best medical care and drugs that money could buy.
It had become much easier from that point onward to make sure that Sam received his proper dosage. It also helped immensely in further gaining the mob boss’ trust. Now that Sam had recognized Gaster as the heir to the Gambino’s organization, and Ludo had agreed to play his part, there wasn’t any reason for Gaster to keep Sam alive any longer. Though, Gaster decided to stretch Sam’s demise out for at least a week more. He wanted to make sure to avoid any and all suspicion after all.
---------------------------------------------
“This is one of our nicer units. It’s fully furnished and has even been given a fresh coat of paint.” The landlord of the apartment building chimed happily as he opened the door for Sans to look inside.
“Uh huh.” Sans mumbled in response as he half listened to the overly cheery speech the landlord was giving him in an effort to sell the apartment. He ended up wandering over to the far wall and knocking on it with his knuckles.
“This place sound proof?” He then asked, turning back to the slightly confused landlord.
“Well practically.” The landlord responded with a proud smile. “The walls were built and insulated with the intention to give the tenants the utmost privacy. I can personally guarantee that you won’t ever hear your neighbors no matter what they get up to.” He finished with an overly forced laugh.
“Really?” Sans said raising an eyebrow. “What about if you need help?” He asked. The landlord cocked his head in confusion.
“Pardon?” He said. Sans turned back to him before repeating himself.
“What if you were screaming for help? Could they hear you and get to you in time?” He said. The land lord stood stunned for a moment, unsure if what he had just heard was meant as a joke or not.
“Well?” Sans continued. The land lord fidgeted nervously where he stood.
“I-Im not sure.” He replied shakily.
“Hmm.” Sans hummed in response. “Whelp, I’ll let you know buddy, but I think I’m going to keep looking around.” He said as he passed the now very wary looking landlord and headed out the door.
When he made it a little ways down the block he took out the brochure and his pen, before drawing a frowny face over the advertisement for the unit that he had just visited. He sighed to himself as he pocketed it again. This was the fifth complex that he had been to today, and so far still had no luck at finding a place for Frisk that he was satisfied with. In reality He knew that he was being nitpicky, and that his demands were a little ridicules, but he couldn’t help it.
The fact that Ludo was still after her scared the hell out of him, and he’d be damned if he just let her set up shack in any old place. He wanted it to be somewhere decently close so that if there was some sort of an emergency he could get there quickly, or rather she could get to him quickly since he had his short cuts. He also wanted it to have a good security system, but most complexes scored well below his expectations. He had personally tested many of them by waltzing right through the lobby and into the elevator, with nobody even attempting to stop him, or ask him if he was a tenant there. It made him anxious.
As sans made his way through Grillby’s bar and up the stairs he hummed to himself. Maybe he had been a little hasty with the last apartment. it had been the best one that he had seen all day. The soundproofing problem could be fixed easily enough. He could just buy Frisk a phone for emergencies. Sans then buried the thought away as he came to his apartment door, eh he’d get to it later.
“Hey Paps.” He called as he made it in to the living room, tossing his coat on the couch before flopping over the lumpy sofa cushions himself.
“SANS? YOU LOOK TIRED, EVEN MORE THEN USUAL. ARE YOU ALRIGHT?” Papyrus asked as he peeked out from the kitchen in his ‘kiss the cook’ apron. Sans chuckled dryly as he settled himself further into the worn out cushions.
“Heh, ya you could say I’m bone tired.” He quipped, causing his brother to huff and roll his eyes.
“FORGET THAT I EVEN ASKED.” Papyrus replied.
“Sorry Paps I’ll stop this time.” Sans said as he scratched at his skull. “I’m actually having a bit of trouble.”
“TROUBLE WITH WHAT BROTHER?” Papyrus questioned.
“Well I told Frisk that I would help her find a new place but …I don’t know, it’s turning out to be a lot more difficult than I thought.” After Sans finished, he heard the mettle ladle that Papyrus was holding clatter to the floor.
“Paps?” Sans questioned as he peered over the back of the couch. “You ok?” When he caught view of his brother in the kitchen he paused. Papyrus looked absolutely shocked.
“FRISK IS LEAVING US?” He asked in a very distressed tone. Sans immediately jumped of the sofa.
“Hey now Paps, what’s with all the fuss?” He said as he tried to force on a placating smile. “You knew that she wasn’t going to stay on our couch forever right?” Papyrus only seemed to sink at his words.
“I SUPPOSE NOT, BUT SHE ENJOYED MY SPAGHETTI SO MUCH, AND GRILLBY ALWAYS LIKED IT WHEN SHE PRACTICED THE PIANO DOWNSTAIRS WITH UNDYNE. SHE EVEN LAUGHS AT YOUR HORRIBLE JOKES. I KNOW THAT IT MAKES SENSE FOR HER TO WANT HER OWN SPACE BUT I JUST THOUGHT...” He trailed off before he forced himself to straighten back up.
“WELL I GUESS I’M JUST BEING SILLY. SHE WILL ALWAYS BE ABLE TO VISIT, AND I’LL MAKE SURE THAT SHE EATS DINNER WITH US AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK, NEYHEHEHE!” He declared, though Sans could tell that his brothers jovial attitude toward the news that Frisk was moving out was very very forced.
“I’m gonna miss her too Paps.” He said as he patted his brother on the arm. Suddenly Papyrus seemed to brighten up as he quickly leapt over to the door.
“Bro?” Sans asked, confused as he watched his brothers dismal state change dramatically to overly excited before his eyes.
“SANS! I JUST GOT THE MOTHER OF ALL GOOD IDEAS!” Papyrus declared, his sockets sparkling like stars. “HURRY WE HAVE TO GO DOWNSTAIRS AND SORT IT OUT WITH GRILLBY BEFORE FRISK GETS HOME. WE'LL MAKE IT A SURPRISE!” He said happily as he bounded down the stairs, taking two at a time to the bar below. Sans stood dumbfounded in the doorway before gradually following after his brother, curious to see what Papyrus had managed to think up of this time.
Frisk hopped down from the rooftop across from Grillby’s, stretching out her arms as she made it into the bar. Boy she was beat. Today had been such a heavy work load with three drop locations all at opposite ends of town. Frisk was absolutely covered in sweat and soot and all that she could think about was a nice warm bath, a hot meal and her comfy couch bed. She smiled drearily in greeting at the patrons inside the pub, also making sure to wave hello to Grillby at the bar before ascending the stairs to the apartment. When she made it inside she was greeted with Sans smiling at her form the couch.
“Heya kid.” He said as he quickly stood from his seat and made his way over to her. “Boy you look a little rough, Busy day?” Frisk nodded.
“Ya, it was.” She replied. “I could really go for something to eat, I’m starving.” Frisk then made her way over to the kitchen, and was surprised to see that Papyrus wasn’t there. In fact it looked like he hadn’t even begun cooking dinner yet which was strange because it was already so late. Frisk turned back to Sans who was still standing by the door, his large smile still kept tight on his face.
“Hey Sans Where’s Papyrus?” Frisk asked. Sans seemed to stiffen a bit before he shrugged back to her.
“Good question, but I’m sure he’ll turn up eventually.” He replied quickly. “Say, how’s about you go and take a nice warm bath while we wait for him to get home?” Sans said as he slung an arm over her shoulder and begun to lead her toward the washroom.
“Well, I was hoping to get some dinner first.” Frisk said in protest, but Sans continued to usher her along.
“Oh don’t worry, I’ll heat something up for you while you’re washing up.” He said not giving her a chance to refuse as he quickly nudged her in to the washroom. “And don’t be afraid to take your time, you know relax a little.” He said before he shut the door.
Frisk starred confused at the now closed washroom door. That whole encounter had been a little odd, but she shrugged it off as she turned toward the tub and twisted the hot water knob. Though she had wanted to get some food into her belly, she couldn’t deny the fact that she really needed a good soak. She smiled as she stripped off her dirty street cloths before sinking into the warm water, sighing as her taught muscles loosened up in the heat. Sans had definitely been right about taking a bath first, in fact she was even going to follow his advice and take her time. She hummed happily as she sunk lower into the water, letting her body completely relax.
She stayed in the bath until her skin began to prune and the water started to lose its heat. She dried herself off with a white fluffy towel before she went to grab for her night shirt, only to find that it wasn’t there. That’s right, Sans had rushed her in here so quickly that she hadn’t gotten a chance to get it. Frisk frowned as she instead grabbed her dirty street clothes. She made a slightly sour face as she pulled them on, not happy about wearing the grungy things right after she had just gotten herself squeaky clean.
When she exited the washroom she was immediately confronted with Sans again as he leaned on the wall at the end of the small hallway to the living room. She jumped, not expecting him to be there.
“Heya.” He greeted with a lazy wave. “Finished already?” Frisk eyed him suspiciously. He was acting a little strange today.
“Ya.” She replied. “I forgot my night clothes though. I’m just going to grab them to change.” She said as she made a move to pass him. Sans however, side stepped right into her path. Frisk raised an eyebrow at him before trying again to step around him, but Sans only stepped to the side and blocked her again.
“Hey no need for that, why don’t I just grab em for ya? You go back and wait in the washroom.” He said his smile growing even larger.
“Sans what’s going on?” Frisk asked entirely unamused.
“What ? Nothing.” Sans replied, though Frisk could see a few sweat drops forming on his skull.
“Hmm, ok then.” She said as she pretended to turn back around, but as soon as Sans dropped his guard she spun on her heels and darted around him. Sans cursed under his breath as he made a move to grab her. Frisk just laughed as she easily dogged him and ran into the living room. Sans chased after her. Papyrus was going to be so disappointed if Frisk found out about her surprise before he was ready to show her.
“Come on kid knock it off, come back here.” Sans said, in his best scolding tone.
“Not until you tell me what’s going on.” Frisk replied smugly.
She was standing at the opposite side of the couch from Sans, meaning that he couldn’t make a move to get to her unless he wanted to run around in circles. Frisk just smiled at him tauntingly, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to reach her. Then Frisk’s gaze fell to the side of the couch and her brow furrowed in confusion. Her end table was gone.
Sans saw his chance and vaulted over the back of the couch, grabbing Frisk as he fell. She shrieked in surprise before tumbling down to the floor along with him. Sans landed hard on his spine. He immediately regretted his actions as Frisk ended up tripping over him before flopping over his ribcage, effectively knocking the wind out of him.
At that moment Papyrus walked in through the door. He was then confronted with Frisk and sans piled on the floor in front of him. Sans groaned slightly as he tilted his head back and offered his brother a pained smile.
“Hey bro.” He greeted.
“SANS WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING?” Papyrus demanded as Frisk hissed in pain after picking herself up off of Sans. His bones had definitely not provided her with a comfortable landing.
“Oh you know, just being a distraction like you asked.” Sans answered as he managed to roll over to a sitting position, before gently straightening out his spine as he stood. A few of his vertebras popped as he did so, earning a stifled whimper as he rubbed the tender spots on his back. Yup he would be feeling that one tomorrow.
“SANS WHEN I SAID DISTRACT HER I DID NOT MEAN FOR YOU TO TAKCKLE HER!” Papyrus scolded.
“Distract me from what?” Frisk asked as she managed to right herself again. Both the brothers flinched at her question, forgetting that she was still in the room with them.
“OH, UM, ABSULUTLY NOTHING WHATSOEVER.” Papyrus said, his voice sounding very stiff all of a sudden. Frisk raised an eyebrow at Sans who had his overly large smile plastered across his skull again. She sighed to herself before deciding to humor them both and play along.
“ACTUALLY FRISK, THERE IS SOMETHING THAT I REQUIRE YOUR ASSISTANCE WITH IF IT WOULDN’T BE TOO MUCH TROUBLE.” Papyrus continued. Frisk smirked as she noted his hands fidgeting in an effort to quell his excitement.
“Sure thing Papyrus. What do you need?” She replied.
“WELL I HAVE BEEN TRYING OUT SOME NEW PASTA RECIPES AND COULD REALLY USE A TASTE TESTER.” Papyrus said. Frisk grimaced at the thought of being Papyrus’ ginny pig. The last time that he had gotten creative with his spaghetti she had ended up chewing on a fork load of glitter. He had thought that the sparkles would help the noodles catch the light in a more appetizing manor. She forced on a smile anyway and nodded.
“OH GREAT I'M SO GLAD!” Papyrus exclaimed. “BUT UH, FOR THIS BATCH YOU WILL NEED TO BE BLINDFOLDED.”
“Blindfolded?” Frisk repeated. “Why?” She asked.
“WELL UM, SO YOU CAN BETTER CONCENTRATE ON THE FLAVOR WITHOUT THE DISTRACTION OF YOUR SITE.” Papyrus concluded happily. Frisk cocked her head to the side, but bit her tongue and continued to go along with whatever the brothers had up their sleeves.
“OK, SANS THE BLINDFOLD PLEASE.” Papyrus instructed as he stretched out an awaiting hand over to his brother. Sans stiffened as he patted down his pockets.
“Uhhhh…” He replied eloquently. Papyrus huffed and put his hands on his hips.
“SANS DON’T TELL ME THAT YOU FORGOT THE BLINDFOLD.” Papyrus sighed. Sans shrugged.
“Sorry bro.” He said with a smile and a wink. “I’ve been a bit tie-d up, but don’t worry here we can use this.” He continued as he undid his neck tie and held it out. Papyrus rolled his eye sockets.
“FINE, I SUPPOSE IT WILL HAVE TO DO.” He said. “ALRIGHT FRISK, CLOSE YOUR EYES AND TURN AROUND.” Frisk sighed inwardly, not really all that thrilled with the idea of being blindfolded again. However, she complied and did what she was asked as Sans wrapped his tie around her eyes effectively blocking out her vision.
“ALRIGHT FRISK NOW WE WILL LEAD YOU OVER TO … THE KITCHEN.” Papyrus said.
Frisk wrinkled her nose. She could tell that he was lying by the way that he paused, but she didn’t question it as she felt Sans lead her forward. It sounded like the older brother was stifling his laughter. Frisk felt her heart sink. She really hoped that she wasn’t being lead into some sort of prank.
It wasn’t long before Frisk realized that they had actually left the apartment, even though Papyrus kept trying to pretend that they were still within the small living space. Sans wasn’t really helping to keep up the guise as he kept snickering at his younger brothers over acting.
Frisk felt herself being lead down the hallway, but they passed the stairs down to the bar and continued till they reached the wall at the end. Now she was really confused. All that was here was a small storage closet that Grillby used to keep his cleaning supplies and old paint cans in. She heard Papyrus open the door and then Sans nudged her forward into the room. She was then walked forward a little bit further before she was brought to a halt.
“FRISK WE ARE GOING TO TAKE YOUR BLINDFOLD OFF BUT KEEP YOUR EYES CLOSED OK?” Frisk nodded as she felt Sans loosen the knot holding the tie around her head in place. She felt the fabric slide away from her face but kept her eyes squeezed shut so she wouldn’t disappoint the younger brother, who had clearly put a lot of work into… well whatever this was.
“ON THREE YOU CAN OPEN YOUR EYES.” Papyrus Explained. Frisk smirked to herself at the sound of the delight present behind his voice it sounded like he was about to burst from excitement at any moment.
“OK, ONE TWOOOOOOOOOOOO... THREE!” Papyrus shouted and Frisk opened her eyes. If she was confused before then she was absolutely dumfounded now as she found herself in the middle of what looked like a small bedroom. She cocked her head to the side as she met with the gazes of a giddy Papyrus and a very smiley looking Sans standing in front of her, both awaiting for her response.
“WELL WHAT DO YOU THINK?” Papyrus finally blurted out.
“Um …. I don’t understand.” Frisk said. “Where are we exactly?” She asked.
“WE ARE IN YOUR NEW ROOM!” Papyrus declared happily. Frisk paused before immediately scanning over the small space again. The whole room was freshly painted in a soft shade of pastel yellow. There was a little bed in the corner that was all made up with a thick patterned quilt and fluffy goose feather pillow. There was a small desk placed against the opposite wall that even had a few empty picture frames on the table top, waiting to be filled, and by her bedside was her end table that Sans had given to her which still held all of her cloths. As she continued to spin around and take in all of the details, she noticed the bright array of potted flowers placed on the window sill. She then turned back to the brothers with wide eyes.
“This is for me?” She asked.
“NEYHEHE, I KNEW YOU’D LOVE IT!” Papyrus exclaimed as he scooped Frisk up into a surprise hug.
“But… how ?” Frisk asked still shocked.
“WE SPENT ALL DAY ON IT!” Papyrus explained. “AND DON’T WORRY, GRILLBY HAS BEEN INFORMED AND IS 100% ON BORED. WE HAVE ALREADY WORKED OUT YOUR MONTHLY RENT AND EVERYTHING!”
“This is…. Papyrus, Sans this is amazing!” Frisk said.
“YOU COULDN’T HAVE EXPECTED ANYTHING LESS FROM THE GREAT PAPYRUS. NOW WE CAN BE PROPER ROOMIES, BECAUSE NOW YOU HAVE YOUR OWN ROOM.” Papyrus said proudly.
“WELL THEN, I THINK THAT SURPRISE WENT WONDERFULLY!” He continued happily as he clasped his hands together. “FRISK I HOPE THAT YOU HAVE DRUMMED UP A BIG APPETITE TODAY BECAUSE I THINK I'M GOING TO BREAK OUT THE BOW TIE PASTA TONIGHT IN ORDER TO CELEBRATE!” Papyrus declared as he strutted off toward the kitchen in the brothers apartment. Frisk continued to gawk at everything and Sans watched her take it all in with a pretty proud smile on his face. Man he owed his brother big time for this one.
“Hey I told you that I’d find you a good place to stay.” Sans said. Frisk spun around to face him, a big childlike smile already stretched across her face.
“Sans this is wonderful …. But I can’t accept all this.” She said. “I have to pay you back.” Sans just waved off her concerns.
“Don’t worry about it. It actually didn’t cost us a dime.” He said with a shrug. “Just a bit of sweat and a sunny afternoon.”
“But how did you get the bed and this desk?” Frisk asked. “And what about the paint?”
“Heh, well we got lucky with the bed and the desk. We managed to find it on the curb ready to be hulled away to the dump. It only took a little elbow grease to get it looking like new again, and Grillby already had the paint in the storage space when we were cleaning it out. He was just going to throw it out anyway, so we figured why not use it to brighten up the place a little?” Sans explained.
“I still can’t believe you did this all in one day.” Frisk said.
“You know I didn’t think we’d be able to pull it off either.” Sans replied. “But you know Papyrus, once he gets an idea in that thick skull of his he won’t ever let it go.” Frisk smiled and laughed before her gaze fell to the flowers sitting on her window sill.
“So where did you get those from then?” She said with a smirk as she pointed to the colorful blossoms. “Did you dig them out of the gardens in the park?” Sans rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as he averted his gaze to a spot on the floor.
“Whelp uh, looks like you got me there kid.” Sans said. “I might have spent a few dimes on those, but I don’t want any compensation, think of it as a welcome home present.”
“Sans, you didn’t have to do all of this.” Frisk said.
“Yeah, I know, but I remember how you said you wanted to have a big garden someday, and hey, I know this isn’t exactly a cottage in the country side, but maybe it can be a decent proto type at least.” He replied with a shrug.
Frisk smiled warmly at him in response, and Sans could tell that his cheeks were tinting a prominent blue thanks to that look. It was one of her rare smiles where he could practically see her soul beaming behind her bright brown eyes. It was a soft warm glow like candle light, or like early morning when the rays of the sun were just breaking over the horizon. He could really get used to being on the receiving end of a look like that. Sans then cleared his throat as he broke his train of thought away from his silly wonderings.
“Anyway, I’ll let you get settled, and don’t worry too much about dinner. I got a couple of burgers hidden in the fridge that we can have after Paps goes to bed.” He said as he turned back toward the door, but before he could reach for the handle Frisk shuffled forward and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind in a type of shy hug.
“Thank you Sans.” She said softly. Sans stiffened where he stood, unsure of how to respond. He decided that his best bet was to return her gesture with a light pat on the arm.
“Uh, no sweat kid.” He managed out from behind his wobbly smile. Frisk withdrew her arms as she sheepishly stared at the floor. Her face was as red as Sans had ever seen it.
“Sorry.” She said. “I guess I’m not too good at that yet.” Sans chuckled at her embarrassed state.
“Well you definitely got the element of surprise down for those surprise hugs.” He replied with a grin and a wink. It seemed to work to defuse the tension as Frisk peeked up at him from behind her bangs and smiled. His grin also grew wider.
“Besides I’ll always be around for you to practice on.” He continued before he could stop himself. Frisks cheeks turned even brighter at his comment.
“And Paps, Paps will be there to.” Sans added quickly when he managed to catch his slip of the tongue. Frisk giggled.
“I’ll be sure to ask him for pointers.” She said.
“Heh, he is the best.” Sans replied as he fidgeted where he stood. “Uh, speaking of which I’m gonna go make sure that he doesn’t burn the apartment down. You take your time, get yourself moved in. I’ll see you over in the kitchen for dinner.” He said as he continued his way out of the bedroom before shutting the door behind him.
He took a moment to recollect himself in the empty hallway, letting out the breath that he had been holding as his rigid shoulders relaxed again. Jeez he really did have it bad didn’t he?
Just as he was about to make his way back to the apartment, a happy high pitched squeal sounded from inside Frisk’s room behind her closed door. It startled him at first, before the sound of laughing and old bed springs being bounced on followed suit. Sans smirked to himself. Yup, this was definitely something that he could get used to.