Dating start
Frisk sat as rigid as a board on her bed as she fidgeted with her hands in her lap, trying to will up her nerve. The brothers would be waiting for her to come over for breakfast like they did every day, but this morning Frisk wasn’t sure if she was feeling very much up to that challenge, especially since Sans would be there.
She still hadn’t quite got her head wrapped around what exactly had just happened the other day in the alley. She had been in a kind of a daze for the rest of the walk home back from town, and when she finally regained her bearings again they had already made it back to the apartment. Frisk wanted to question Sans about what exactly he had meant when he had …kissed her, but Papyrus was home and Frisk knew that she really couldn’t just go blabbing about something like that in front of the younger skeleton brother .
Sans had also neglected to make any mention of the incident, which was a que for Frisk to follow suit. He acted just as he always did, laid back and casual. Frisk was actually impressed that he could keep up that guise, he even treated her as he normally would have. She on the other hand was struggling. She couldn’t make eye contact with him at all, or get a grip on her tongue as she kept fumbling over her words. Papyrus had even thought that she had gotten a fever because she couldn’t control her blaring red cheeks. He ended up insisting that she go to bed early so she wouldn’t get sick. Frisk sighed to herself as she again began feeling the all too familiar warmth start to spread across her face, even thinking about it was making her blush.
Frisk was so confused, she knew that she needed to talk to Sans and actually confirm what his answer really was. He hadn’t given her a yes or no like she had expected, and if his answer was what she thought it was thanks to his surprising action the other day, she also realized that she didn’t know what was supposed to happen next. In all of the romantic movies that Papyrus had told her about, after the love interests kissed things usually just worked out in a happily ever after ending, but Frisk wasn’t so sure. What even were she and Sans now? Were they an actual couple, or were they somewhere in between? Were there steps to this sort of thing, Where there rules or labels that she didn’t know about? Frisk felt herself grow steadily more nervous as she continued to think about how little she knew about this topic in general. She had absolutely no idea what she was doing.
Frisk then abruptly shook her head and slapped at her reddened cheeks. No she was not going to just roll over to her own damning thoughts. She was not going to just sit her like a coward, she was going to be an adult and go and talk to Sans. That’s what couples did, they talked to each other, and even if they weren’t a couple and were just in some sort of other between step that she didn’t know the name of then that was fine too, as long as she and Sans were on the same page that’s all she cared about.
Frisk took a deep breath, gathering her determination, before swiftly standing and marching her way promptly down the small hallway toward the skeleton brother’s apartment.
Sans paced around his bedroom. He had been up for hours, again giving up on sleep in the early morning before the sun had even risen. He had messed up. He had messed up big time. It would have been so much easier if he had just listened to his sound rational mind and followed through with his plan to keep his distance from Frisk, or to just simply tell her no when she had propositioned him the other day in the alleyway. But no, no he had to go and make this so much more difficult for himself. God dammit he really was his own worst enemy at times.
Sans sat down on the edge of his bed, before letting out an exacerbated huff. He was terrified, but strangely at the same time he found himself feeling rather giddy. It was a confusing mix of emotions, kind of like a roller coaster, a perfect blend of fear and excitement. What the hell was wrong with him?
Sans really didn’t know what his next move should be. Well he did know what the smart thing would be to do, which was to actually be straight with Frisk for once and tell her that he just couldn’t reciprocate her feelings. Sans winced at the thought. If he did that then he would pretty much be the biggest jerk on the planet, probably even more so then Jack, and not to mention a big fat liar. The poor girl was probably already confused as all hell, and Sans knew that if he did try and play that game again then he would just go right back to where he had started, allowing himself little indulgences, keeping her hooked on him for his own wants. That wouldn’t be fair to Frisk, it would actually be very cruel.
There was always the other option however….. He could actually just give in and take a chance. Sans really didn’t like playing the risk game, especially when the odds were already stacked against him, but even so he found this choice very alluring. Would it really be so wrong to take a shot in the dark? They could keep it quiet, and if things didn’t work out then they didn’t work out right? No harm no foul, but then again what if they did work? That thought was almost even more terrifying.
Sans shook his head harshly. No, he was getting too involved in this what if way of thinking. He knew he had already made his choice when he had kissed Frisk in the alleyway and there was no going back from it unless he wanted to be a spineless good for nothing piece of worthless garbage. Sans stood from his bed as he made his way to exit his room. He had already chosen his path, now all there was left to do was walk down it.
When Frisk entered in to the apartment she was met with the same scene as every other day. Papyrus looked to be just finishing up his cooking as Sans sat at the table with his newspaper and coffee already at hand.
“GOOD MORNING FRISK.” Papyrus greeted enthusiastically as she made her way forward.
“Mornin kid.” Sans also drawled, keeping to his usual casual character. Frisk only offered up a sheepish smile in return as she kept her eyes down cast while she carefully took her seat across from him. She could already feel her face heating up again. This was already more difficult then she thought it would be.
“FRISK ARE YOU FEELING ANY BETTER? I HOPE THAT YOU ARE NOT COMING DOWN WITH ANYTHING.” Papyrus said noticing her slightly flushed appearance as he placed a bony hand on her forehead to measure her temperature. Frisk stiffened and forced herself to crush down her blush.
“No I’m fine Papyrus, honest. You were right about going to bed early last night. It was a good idea, I feel fit as a fiddle.” She replied as eagerly as she could. Papyrus beamed back at her.
“WELL OF COURSE I WAS. AFTER ALL THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS ALWAYS EVER VIGILANT. NOTHING GETS PASSED THESE EYE SOCKETS. A NASTY FLU WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO SNEAK UP ON MY HUMAN FRIEND, NOT ON MY WATCH, NO SIR NO HOW.” He proclaimed proudly while striking a pose.
Sans coughed from across the table while he hid his face behind his newspaper, obviously trying to stifle his laughter. Papyrus remained oblivious however, before he patted Frisk on the head and presented her with her breakfast.
“BEHOLD FRISK, MY LATEST MASTERPIECE, SPAGHETTI OMELETTE!” He declared. “THE NEWEST ADDITION TO MY SPAGHETTI BREAKFAST REPERTOIRE.”
Frisk giggled at Papyrus’ antics. Though the younger brother was definitely improving with his cooking, he still liked to create some pretty crazy dishes; just Papyrus being Papyrus she supposed. Frisk then picked up her fork before taking a sample. The delicate fluffy egg casing was stuffed full of garden vegetables with a thick hereby tomato sauce and goat cheese. What was even more surprising was that the spaghetti in the spaghetti omelet wasn’t actually even noodles, but seemed to be made up of zucchini that was thinly sliced to look like pasta. Huh, looks like today's concoction was actually a pretty good one.
“SO HOW IS IT?” Papyrus asked her expectantly. Frisk quickly took another eager bite.
“Definitely one of your best.” She said. “I think you even managed to top spaghetti pancakes.” Papyrus’ jaw then fell slack in astonishment.
“REALLY? I HAVE BESTED EVEN YOUR FAVORITE?” He asked stunned. Frisk nodded encouragingly.
“Yup, looks like I have a new favorite now.” She replied as she savored the taste of her breakfast. Papyrus then smiled so big it looked like his cheekbones were going to crack from under the pressure as stars burst forth from his eye sockets.
“NYEH HEHEHE HAZA! THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS VICTORIOUS ONCE AGAIN! YOU KNOW I THOUGHT THAT IT WAS A RISKY MOVE TO NOT USE ACTUAL PASTA IN THE SPAGHETTI OMELET, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE MY INGENIOUS IDEA PAYED OFF!” He continued on cheerily. Sans continued to snicker at Papyrus’ overjoyed outburst, not really trying to hide it anymore.
“WELL THAT JUST ABOUT ADDED THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF PEP TO START OFF MY DAY.” Papyrus then said. “THANK YOU FRISK, I THINK I'M GOING TO HEAD OUT A LITTLE EARLY THIS MORNING AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS GOOD MOOD I'M IN .” Frisk continued to laugh lightly along to Papyrus' enthusiasm.
“No Papyrus, thank you for that wonderful breakfast. I can’t wait to see what you’ll cook up next.” She said, and Papyrus’ chest puffed out at the added compliment.
“OH I DO LOVE A GOOD CHALLENGE.” Papyrus said as he began to stride toward the door. “JUST YOU WAIT I’LL THINK OF SOMETHING THAT WILL BE SURE TO BLOW YOUR TASTE BUDS AWAY.” He then waved a fond farewell to both Frisk and his brother before he left for work.
Frisk continued to snicker to herself. The younger skeleton brother’s energy was absolutely infectious, it seemed that he could push away any rain cloud, no matter how big. A firm hand on her shoulder however quickly pulled her back to the present again as Sans sauntered up next to her still chuckling.
“Heheh, thanks kid you sure know how to put that extra spring in his step.” He said as he glanced her way, but he found that she was pointedly staring hard at the floor. Sans raised an eyebrow at her stiff and silent form.
“Hey…are you alright? You’re not really feeling sick are you?” He asked concerned, and Frisk managed to shake her head, but her lips remained tightly pursed. Frisk began to feel her frustrations grow. Why was this so damn difficult? She took a deep breath as she chanced a shy peek at him.
“Umm.” She managed before her lips locked themselves back up again. Sans tilted his head in confusion before he led her forward into the living room.
“Here why don’t you take a seat and uh, when you’re feeling ready try telling me what’s eating at you?” He suggested as he settled himself next to her on the couch.
Frisk fidgeted as her cheeks grew warmer. This was so stupid, she was being ridiculous. All she had to do was ask him just to make sure, that shouldn’t be such a hard task to complete. For Pete sake she had been in situations much harder then this one, she had been cornered with no foreseeable escape many times, her back pushed up against countless walls, yet somehow she had never felt so trapped as Sans waited patiently for her to speak. Why did his gaze seem so much more intense than usual?
“I-I just wanted to umm, you know about yesterday, and well …” Frisk huffed, great now she was blubbering on like a moron. She took a moment to sort out her words.
“What I mean is … about yesterday with that well….” Frisk cleared her throat. “What did you mean by that exactly?” She finally struggled out. Sans paused before realizing what she was talking about.
“Oh you mean I wasn’t obvious enough?” He questioned her with a smirk. Frisk face turned about a thousand shades redder.
“No! I mean I just wanted to make sure.” She said. Sans chuckled.
“Huh, and here I thought I was plenty clear, you know returning your kiss and all.” He said self-assuredly. Frisk startled.
“W- What do you mean by that?” She asked.
“hehe, did you forget? You snuck into my room a few weeks back and planted one right about here.” Sans said, taping a finger to his cheekbones while eyeing her smugly. “You know it isn’t really playing fair to sneak up on a guy when he’s sleeping.” He continued to chide. Frisk buried her deeply flushed face into her hands.
“You were awake?” She questioned apprehensively.
Sans felt a large self-satisfied grin tug at his cheekbones. He didn’t think that he had ever seen Frisk this flustered before, it was actually rather adorable. He never really thought that she would be the shy type, unless…. Oh. Right .He had forgotten about her past.
Now that he thought about it, Frisk had probably never been involved in a romantic relationship before. Oh wow, he was an idiot, and suddenly Sans felt a heaviness settle on his shoulder blades. He would be her first experience with this sort of thing; that was a lot of pressure to put on a guy.
Sans then felt a nervous knot form in his soul. Hell, when was the last time that he had even been in a proper relationship? He had gotten so use to simply chatting up ladies in the bar who were interested in his company for the evening. It was simpler that way, there were no complicated feelings, or mixed messages, things were always clear, just one night with no strings attached, both parties were on the same page, and in the morning they went their separate ways with no hard feelings. He had honestly given up on that whole relationship shtick a long time ago. He couldn’t even really remember the last time that he had even taken a girl out on an actual date.
But this, this was different, very different. He already knew that this wasn’t like those other times, he knew that what he felt for Frisk wasn’t just a onetime fling, it was definitely more than that, and he owed it to her to take this seriously. If he was going to do this, then he had to do it right.
Sans cleared his throat as he poked Frisk lightly on the shoulder, trying to cox her out from hiding behind her hands.
“You know I’m only teasing you right?” He asked as he rubbed at the back of his neck. Frisk didn’t respond, just burrowed her reddened face further away from view.
“Sorry.” She finally squeaked, and Sans felt guilt swell in his soul.
“No No, don’t be sorry, I uh really didn’t mind all that much to be honest.” He said sheepishly. “Actually you can feel free to do that whenever you want.” Frisk peeked out at him from between her fingers.
“Hey seeing as how I still got a little bit of free time left before I’m back on a full work schedule and all why don’t I take you out?” He then suggested. “Just the two of us. We can go someplace quiet, and uh, we can work out any other questions you have, and no teasing I promise.”
“Like a ...date?” Frisk asked surprised and Sans smiled, his cheekbones taking on a light dusting of blue.
“Well not like a date, a date.” He answered. “So whaddya say kid?” Frisk felt her heart speed up a little in excitement.
“O- ok.” She replied before she could chicken out.
“Great, well um, hows about we take a bit of a trip? We could bring lunch with us, have a picknic or something, talk, and just take things nice and slow, sound good?” Sans asked.
“Yes! Definitely!” Frisk said, perking back up immediately at the suggestion “I mean um, that sounds nice.” She continued, tempering her enthusiasm. Sans chuckled.
“Ok uh, just give me a little bit of time to pack up some things and then we can hit the road.” He said.
“Right.” Frisk replied standing from the couch. “I’ll um, go get ready to then.” She said.
“Thirty minutes or so enough time for you?” Sans asked and Frisk nodded.
“That sounds good.” She said still fidgeting. Sans smiled fondly at her still pink cheeks.
“I’ll see you in roughly a half hour then.” He said.
“Oh right!” Frisk replied flustered as she turned to leave, but before she began to make her way toward the apartment door, she suddenly felt a certain boldness take a hold of her. She then pivoted on her heal and pressed a quick peck to Sans’ cheek. She pulled away shyly and quickly made an exit.
“S- see you soon.” She stuttered while she left.
Sans stood slightly stunned in the living room, his sockets wide and blank in surprise as his powder blue blush continued to take on a darker hue. Wow, he hadn’t expected that, but then again he had told her that she could do that whenever she wanted. A goofy grin then started to spread across his face as he raised a hand to his cheek. Heh, lucky him he supposed.
When frisk made it back to her room she was an anxious and giddy mess. She laughed nervously to herself as she paced excitedly around her small living space. She was going on a date with Sans. The thought almost didn’t seem real to her. Then another thought took over her gleeful mind. She hadn’t ever been on a date before. Well, unless she counted that awkward forced romantic business dinner date that she had with Alico which had definitely spiraled out of control. Frisk felt a shiver run up her spine at the unpleasant memory. But this was different then that, she was actually going out on a date willingly, as herself, with no alternate motives or angles, with someone that she was actually romantically interested in, that was definitely something new right?
Frisk quickly snuffed out the questions. Nope, she wasn’t going to make herself all fretful again. Even if her date with Alico had been under false pretenses, she had played the part well enough to fool him, which means that a real date would be a walk in the park. She was just going to be herself, Sans had said that they were going to take things slow and figure it out together. Though even when she tried to pump herself up she still felt slightly stressed.
Frisk then looked down at her trousers and vest. Well she supposed it wouldn’t hurt to put in a little bit of effort. She was supposed to look nice for a date right? Frisk then stalked over to her end table before grabbing the white gift bag from its surface.
She couldn’t think of a better situation then this one to wear the dress that Sans had gotten for her. Mettaton did say that it would be appropriate for picnics after all.
Sans dug through the linen closet before pulling out an old checkered quilt. He hummed satisfied as he shook it out. This would do quite nicely for a picnic blanket, now all he had to do was find that old wicker basket. He wondered where Papyrus had stashed it. As he searched around the apartment he couldn’t help but wonder how he had ended up in this entirely strange situation, not that he was complaining or anything, it just seemed so improbable to say the least, especially with everything else that was going on.
Sans almost felt a little guilty. Here he was going on a date when there were so many other crucial things that needed his attention. Sans quickly ushered those thoughts away. No, he wasn’t going to think about that right now. He and Frisk had worked hard, and Sans knew that there was only a small window before he would have to return to his work again, so he was going to allow himself this little break. Besides, Frisk deserved his attention too, he knew he wouldn’t be able to devote a lot of time to her in the future with finding Gaster tasked to him, so what little time that he was allotted he was going to give to her.
Sans finally found the basket stored neatly on the top shelf of his brothers bedroom closet. Sans made a mental note to be sure to return it back exactly like how he had found it. Papyrus was a bit of a stickler when things weren’t put in their proper place, and if he noticed the basket missing then that would definitely lead to his brother asking questions that Sans didn’t want to answer.
Sans packed the blanket into the basket before heading to the kitchen. He opened the fridge, scanning through the various items. There were some leftovers from Papyrus’ dinners but Sans wrinkled his brow at them. Leftovers weren’t exactly romantic, but then again Sans wasn’t really much of a cook either, plus he didn’t have a lot of time left. He could always just pick up a few burgers from Grillby downstairs, but then would that be suspicious? Sans huffed, this was turning out to be a little bit more difficult than he had thought. He would have to be sure to clarify to Frisk about how imperative it was that they both keep quiet and tread carefully, though he was fairly sure that she already knew that.
Sans went to the pantry and pulled out a loaf of bread. Sandwiches would be just fine for a first date. Besides, he had told Frisk that they were going to take things slow. He didn’t have to pull out all of the stops right away. They were just going to talk and sort out a few things, no pressure.
When Sans had finished packing the picnic he went through his mental task list, making sure he hadn’t forgotten anything. He had food, the blanket, the basket, Yup everything was accounted for, but before he could make his way to go and get Frisk he paused and looked down at his appearance. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to freshen up a bit first. Sans then made his way into the bathroom.
He looked in the mirror, examining his reflection, Making sure he didn’t have any scuffs on his skull. Eh, it wasn’t exactly flawless, but Sans really didn’t have the time to complain much. He then grabbed his brothers bone cologne from one of the shelves before dabbing a small dollop under his jaw and behind his ear cavity. He would just borrow a little bit, Papyrus wouldn’t even miss it. When he was finished he made his way out of the washroom to go and see if Frisk was ready, but then he caught a glance of his vest in the mirror. He did a double take.
It didn’t exactly look all that nice, the fabric was wrinkled, and Sans spotted a stain near the hem. He decided it would be best if he made a quick change, he was pretty sure that Papyrus had just done some laundry a few days ago, so he should have a fresh clean vest and shirt hanging in his closet. Sans quickly discarded his old cloths before pulling on his new clean white dress shirt and butting up his nicer vest. He was just about to grab for his tie when he remembered the ones that Frisk had gotten for him. He turned back to his closet deciding on the yellow one with the watermelons printed all over it. He couldn’t help but smirk at how well the pattern would fit the occasion, and if he ended up hitting a snag on the date then he could maybe use it to come up with a comedy routine to break the tension. Sans neatly tied the necktie securely under his shirt collar, even making sure that it was centered properly. He then quickly gave his appearance one final once over in his bedroom mirror.
“Not too bad… well for a guy that doesn’t have any skin at least.” He said to himself. He then glanced to the clock by his bed. Well it would just have to do, he didn’t have any more time left to get any more gussied up.
Sans waltzed his way out of his room, grabbing the picnic basket before heading out of the apartment and down the hall to Frisks bedroom. He paused outside her door, clearing his throat briefly and smoothing out his clothes.
“Relax Sansy, we’re just going out for a little lunch, no biggie.” He said quietly to himself when he noticed himself feeling rather jittery all of a sudden. He then raised his hand and wrapped a knuckle on her door.
“One second!” Frisk called from the other side. Sans heard her shuffle quickly back and forth across her floor before he heard a bang and Frisk quietly grumble a curse under her breath. He had guessed that she had most likely stubbed her toe. Sans snickered to himself, guess he wasn’t the only one that was feeling a little anxious.
A few moments later the door opened and Frisk stood before Sans with a nervous blush clad in the sundress that he had bought for her. Sans also felt his cheekbones warm up again as his sockets took in her appearance. The dress really did suit her, probably even better than he had thought it would when he had first seen it in the store window. Now he was very glad that he hadn’t returned it after all. Sans gaze then fell downward, and he could help but smirk when he noticed that Frisk wasn’t wearing her heels with the dress but instead decided to pair the garment with her boots. He couldn’t help but admire her choice, even if the fashion standard of the time didn’t agree with it. Frisk fidgeted in front of him and it was then that Sans realized that he had been staring a little bit too long.
“Uh you look really nice kid.” He managed to get out from behind his wobbly smile. That dress looks good on you.” Frisk’s nervous blush darkened as she also looked over his appearance, noticing that he was wearing the tie that she had gotten for him.
“Thank you, and um, You too. The tie looks good.” She responded quietly while averting her gaze. Sans shuffled where he stood. Jeez what was with all of these butterflies all of a sudden?
“So I got the grub, you ready to head out?” He asked. Frisk nodded.
“Ok uh, great so why don’t you head on down through the bar. The cars just outside by the curb.” He suggested, and Frisk cocked her head to the side.”
“You’re not going to come yet?” She questioned, and Sans rubbed at the back of his skull.
“I’ll meet you there. It may look a little suspicious if we’re seen leaving together with the basket and all.” He explained, and Frisk nodded in understanding.
“Oh yeah, I guess that would raise a few questions. She said.
“I’ll see you outside then.” Sans said with a wink. Frisk flashed him a brief smile, before turning to head down the stairs. Sans watched her go and when she was out of sight, he turned on his heels toward a short cut he couldn’t really help the extra pep in his step as he practically skipped through the tear that would take him just outside of Grillby’s.
Frisk made her way through the bar. She knew that her dressed up appearance would actually be considered fairly normal as she often had to take on different personas when meeting with clients. She still couldn’t help her blushing though as she walked through the crowd. She tried to smother the butterflies that were fluttering like mad in her stomach. She shouldn’t be so nervous. It was Sans, he was her friend after all, but she still wanted to make a good impression. She wanted to show him that she wasn’t just a kid, that she was confident, that she was an adult, that she knew what she was doing, but she was pretty sure that she had already messed that up.
When she made it out of the bar and rounded the corner to the Buick parked on the curb, she was surprised to see that Sans was already waiting for her, leaning his weight against the passenger door. A curious smile tugged at her lips as he shot her a cheeky wave. She knew that his shortcuts were somehow related to his magic as she had been vaguely made aware of them when Sans had saved her from Ludo and transported her back to Grillby’s with him, but she still had no idea how they worked. She had wanted to ask him about it, but from how quiet Sans was about his powers around everyone including his brother, she had gathered that he would probably only end up dodging her questions. Still frisk was pretty much certain at this point that the shorter skeleton brother had a lot more tricks up his sleeve then what he let on, and that his powers where somewhat outside of the ordinary even by monster magic standards.
Sans opened the door for Frisk as she approached. She smiled at him in thanks and took his offered hand as she stepped up into the vehicle. She settled herself in her seat as Sans made his way around to the driver’s side.
“So where exactly are we going?” Frisk asked as Sans strayed up the engine. His grin grew a tad larger in response.
“You’ll see when we get there.” He answered vaguely much to Frisk’s dismay. She furrowed her brows at him, but was also excited by the prospect of a surprise.
When they left the city’s borders Frisk’s curiosity began to become too much to smother. She began asking Sans all sorts of questions, and he would reply to each one with just as much or more elusiveness as he had her first question.
Sans chuckled as Frisk began to grow impatient with him. He actually found it quite enjoyable to push at her buttons a little. He thought that the pout that she made when she was slightly vexed with him was pretty damn endearing. He was also glad that she had relaxed in his presence some. She was no longer nervous, distracted by her own curiosity. The tension that had surrounded the two of them had dissipated and Sans was glad to find that it had been replaced by the happy warmth that usually surrounded Frisk now that she was comfortable with him again.
The rest of the ride was filled with easy chatter and terrible jokes as Sans continued to drive down the winding country road. Frisk had opened the window and was enjoying the last of the warm summer breeze. She admired the pleasant scenery as it rolled past her window. It had been such a long time since she had been outside of the city, she had almost forgotten what the countryside had even looked like.
Soon enough Sans spotted the picnic area by the river bank that he had thought would be perfect for a relaxing afternoon when he had made his previous trip out of the cities limits . It still looked just as inviting as it did the first time that he saw it. Sans then pulled the Buick over to the side of the road.
“Whelp, we’re here.” He announced before hopping out of the car. Frisk looked around puzzled by her lack of surroundings.
“Where exactly is here?” She asked as Sans opened up her door for her and helped her out of her seat.
“A nice quiet place to talk some.” Sans answered as he pointed to the spot by the riverside. Frisks eyes brightened up immediately as she took in the sight.
The sun glinted off of the calm river water in a dazzling way as Frisk almost felt like she was being drawn to it. There was a sturdy weeping willow tree right by the river bank, its delicate drooping tendrils swayed gently in the wind as some dipped in to the rivers slow moving current. Sans had suggested setting the blanket up right under its canopy as it provided a perfect amount of shade from the sun. He also thought that the thick trunk would make a nice place to lean against.
After Frisk had helped him lay the blanket flat, she couldn’t help but to brush her hand along the soft grass surrounding her . When was it last that she had actually had the time to pay attention to something so insignificant? The more that she thought about it the more she realized she couldn’t recall.
Sans was just making himself comfortable by the tree trunk when he noticed Frisk fiddling over by the blankets edge.
“Whatcha doin?” He asked her as he saw her unlacing her boots.
“I think I’m gonna go stick my feet in the river.” She replied. Sans smirked and tilted his head to the side curiously.
“What for?” He asked and Frisk paused as she spread her toes over the grass, relishing in the feeling.
“Just want to.” She said. Sans chuckled.
“Ok then, I’ll get the food set out.” He said. “Have fun.” Frisk smiled back at him before making her way over to the river side.
Sans watched her fondly as she hitched her dress up and wadded into the shallow waters. He tried to focus more on unpacking the food like he said that he would, but his pinpricks were constantly being dragged back to her happy form in the river as she splashed playfully. It was rare to see her like this, so carefree and immersed in the moment. The last time that he had seen this side of her so clearly was probably back when they had all gone out to the movies together when she had been playing cops and robbers in the streets on the walk home with his brother and Undyne. Sans found his grin taking on a softer note, she looked so happy here.
He also felt a bit of a proud swell in his soul. Looks like he wasn’t as rusty at this whole dating game as he thought that he was, but then he began to feel a bit apprehensive. He knew that part of the reason why he had decided to take her out here was so that he could make it clear to her that this was a bit of a risky gamble, and also make sure that she understood the dangers involved by being with him. As much as he wanted to show her a good time, and maybe even charm her a little bit, he knew that it was important that she understood what exactly it was that she was getting into. He was going to have to bring her back to a very harsh reality shortly, though he supposed he could watch her enjoy herself for a little while longer, he’d wait until she came back from the river at least.
Frisk sighed contently at the cool clear water lapping around her ankles. The babbling of the river, the light breeze through the willow tree, the chirping of birds, and buzzing of insects, it was all so peaceful. Frisk couldn’t remember the last time that she had been so entirely at ease before. It transported her back to her childhood, when she had been living with Toriel. She remembered that she used to fall asleep to these sounds coming in from the open window in her room, and when she glanced back at Sans who was lazing on the picnic blanket, she recognized that familiar feeling of safety and comfort. Something sparked in her soul right then. It was something deep and intense and entirely new. Frisk found herself smiling and waving at Sans in that moment wanting to get his attention.
“Sans, you should come try this, it feels really nice!” She called. He chuckled and waved back at her.
“Nah, that’s ok kid. I’ve found a pretty comfortable spot right here, I don’t think I want to give it up quite yet.” He replied. She smirked at him and his lazy ways, but found that she felt oddly endeared by them also.
Frisk then pulled herself out of the river, walking back barefoot through the soft grass toward the blanket. Sans had just about finished setting up the food, which consisted of sandwiches and some cut up apple slices. Frisk smiled when she saw that he had actually taken the time to cut the apple slices to look like little rabbits.
“Where did you learn to do this?” She asked as she raised a taunting eyebrow at him, picking up a rabbit apple slice. Sans glanced to the apple slice in her hand before his cheekbones took on a light blue hue.
“Oh uh, I used to do it for Papyrus.” He explained as he rubbed at the back of his neck. “It was the only way that I could get him to eat them when we were little.” Frisk’s smile took on a kinder note.
“Sans, you’re really sweet.” She said before she could stop herself, and then her cheeks flared into a blaring blush again when she realized what she let slip. Sans paused, his cheekbones also darkening.
“Heh, that’s rich coming from you sweetheart, considering that you’re really one in a melon.” Sans said in an effort to stave off Frisk’s as well as his own embarrassment, though he was pretty sure that he just made it worse when Frisk’s face continued to darken. In his panic he started to ramble off another one.
“H-hey what do you call a fruit that commits aquatic crimes?” He stammered. Frisk blinked at him confused.
“A water felon.” He answered with a shaky grin as he plucked up his tie and swung it for added comical effect. Frisk deadpanned for a full second before she erupted in to a fit of bubbly giggles.
“Sans that was a bad one.” She finally got out from behind her laughter. Sans felt himself relax again, as he also chuckled along.
“What? I thought that it was clever.” He protested.
The two enjoyed the rest of their lunch after that. Sans continued to overwhelm Frisk with fruit related humor and she even played along for a few of them, but Sans noticed that it was starting to get late … He knew that he couldn’t put off the more important conversation that he needed to discuss with Frisk any longer.
Frisk had just settled back down from one of his puns. All the food had pretty much been eaten at this point, save for a few discarded crusts. Sans fidgeted as he tried to think of a way to open up to the particular subject at hand.
“So you having a good time?” He asked. Frisk smiled at him and nodded.
“This was a really good idea.” She answered. “I’m glad you took me here.”
“Yeah me to.” Sans said, he then cleared his throat.
“Um Frisk, about this whole you and me thing, I gotta ask ….are you sure you really want this? I mean I don’t think I have to tell you how dangerous this is for you, and I want you to know that if you ever get second thoughts its ok, I understand. You can back out of this whenever you want and uh, I won’t have no hard feelings or nothing.” Sans began to explain. Frisk starred at him a little surprised, but she supposed it made sense that he was worried. She would be lying if she said that she wasn’t just a little bit afraid of the potential consequences.
“I do want this.” She answered back, her cheeks turning pink again. “I’m not going to lie to you though and say that I’m not scared, because I am a little bit ….I also don’t really know what I’m doing, or how any of this stuff really works.” She admitted sheepishly as she shied her eyes away from his. “So um, if that’s a problem for you, I also understand if you have your own reservations about all this. I won’t be mad at you.” She said peeking back at him. “Just as long as you tell me, because I’m not really even sure what we are now.”
Sans was quiet for a second as he looked over her nervous appearance. He hadn’t realized that she had been so clueless. He felt a little bit bad for not being straighter with her, he made a mental note to be clearer with her in the future.
“That’s all fine with me kid, and uh, you can just call me your bone - friend heheh, that is if you want to.” He said, losing a bit of his nerve after he had delivered the punchline of his joke. Frisk perked up and stared at him sternly.
“You’re serious?” She asked, still unsure, and Sans nodded.
“Yeah course I am.” He replied timidly. Frisk still swept her gaze over him for any sign that he was still joking. Though she didn’t think that Sans would be so cruel as to play with her emotions like this, she had to admit that sometimes she couldn’t tell. When she was satisfied a small smile broke across her face.
“I think I would like that.” She answered much to his relief.
“Good, good then.” Sans said, stifling the flutter that stirred in his soul when she had accepted him. “Well um, I hate to cut this short and all but it is a bit of a drive home, so whddya say we pack up and start heading back?” Frisk nodded in agreement.
“Ok.” She replied.
When they had finished packing up the basket they made their way back to the car. Sans started up the engine and turned around to head back to the city. The drive home was more on the quiet side, peppered only a little with light conversation here and there, but it was entirely comfortable. It had been a long day and both of them were tired, and also happy. Sans glanced over at Frisk, she was staring out of her window again, spacing out it looked like. Her cheeks were still painted slightly pink. Sans smiled to himself before he took one of his hands off of the steering wheel and reached over to her. He then gently grasp one of Frisk's free hands and threaded his fingers through hers. Frisk looked over a little surprised as Sans returned to facing forward again. Neither of them said anything, and then Frisk pursed her lips, her pink cheeks getting just a little bit pinker before she turned back to the window, squeezing Sans hand lightly in return.