At the cross roads
Frisk sat on the couch in the skeleton brother’s apartment wrapped up in a blanket with a box of tissues at her side as well as a pile of crumpled up used ones accumulating in a small waste basket at her feet. Frisk sniffled miserably as she rubbed at her puffy eyes and drew the woolen blanket tighter around herself. Even though it was toasty and snug in the brother’s apartment, Frisk just couldn’t shake the chill that clung to her stubbornly.
Toriel then came from around the corner, beckoned by her daughter’s coughs and snuffles of displeasure, while carrying a steaming mug of noodle soup.
She had appeared at the brother’s apartment late last night when the news finally reached her about what had happened at the cemetery. She had just been going over the final agreements between the Pansies and the other monster gangs of Ebott, when she had received word. She then wasted no time in storming through the rowdy bar, pushing past numerous drunken patrons before practically bursting through the brother’s apartment door in a heated dramatic panic. She had to admit that she was a little bit embarrassed by her display after she realized that Frisks condition wasn’t as serious as she had originally feared, though she was still cross that the brothers had let Frisk out in the open and exposed her to such a risk in the first place.
Frisk had explained then that it was really all her fault, and that she had pressured the brothers into allowing her excursions that day. Toriel then quickly turned her disappointment to her daughter and gave Frisk a scolding that she would not soon forget. Frisk remembered feeling just like she had when she was little and had gotten into trouble. She stood before Toriel with her head bowed in regret and slight shame. Her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment as Toriel gave her an earful. Both Papyrus and Sans had made their escape then from Toriel’s motherly fury, taking shelter in the kitchen nook. They stood silently as they awkwardly over heard the lecture that frisk was receiving as her punishment.
However, after Toriel had vented her frustrations, and received a proper apology from her very red eared daughter, her kind nature took over again and she quickly switched back into her caregiving mode. She stayed over that night, taking up residency on the lumpy green couch in the living room, and worked it out with the brothers that she would watch over Frisk while Papyrus was at work the next day and while Sans went to discuss the ordeal that happened at the cemetery with Asgore.
“Here Frisk, this should help you feel better.” Toriel said pleasantly as she passed the mug of soup over to Frisk.
Frisk readily accepted the mug, taking a big gulp and savoring the warmth that she felt chasing away that persistent chill as the hot soup made its way down. She sighed contently as Toriel took a seat next to her and placed a soft fuzzy palm over her forehead.
“I’m afraid your fever has not broken yet dear. How are you feeling?” She asked, being careful not to touch the tender wound by Frisk’s temple. Frisk nuzzled more into Toriel’s touch, feeling very comforted by it.
“I’m ok mama, just a little tired.” She managed out, her voice sounding congested thanks to her plugged up sinuses.
“Why don’t you take a little sleep? I’ll stay with you while you rest.” Toriel then suggested and Frisk nodded in agreement.
She had been trying to read before, but that task was just proving to be too difficult as she found it hard to focus on the written words in front of her. Frisk then placed the book on the coffee table before she laid down, resting her head on Toriel’s lap. Toriel smiled fondly down at Frisk as she got comfortable, before affectionately petting her hair. Frisk smiled easily as she closed her eyes and listened to Toriel who had started to hum the lullaby that she had used to sing to her when she was little.
Toriel continued to run her palm through Frisks short locks as she also became quite comfortable in the surrounding cozy environment.
It had been a long time since she and Frisk had had a moment like this. Things had just become so busy so quickly and it had taken so much time to reconnect with Frisk. Toriel had to learn who her daughter had grown up to be, and she often found that at times Frisk was a completely different person then the lost little child that she had known and loved all those years ago. Frisk had become strong and independent, sometimes a little too independent in Toriel’s motherly opinion. Of course, Toriel knew that she couldn’t just hop back into the same role that she had played all those years ago, but sometimes it still stung her deeply to realize how much of Frisk’s life that she had missed out on. That was mainly why moments like this were a real treasure.
Now sitting in the surrounding cozy quiet of the brother’s living room, Toriel was suddenly reminded of the past. Frisk had always been quite cuddly when she was young, often sneaking in to Toriels room in the middle of the night to sleep next to her, and when she was sick she was even more so affectionate, wanting to be comforted and held. Toriel smiled down at her daughter who was currently nuzzled asleep in her lap. She supposed some things really haven’t changed all that much after all now that she really thought about it.
Toriel continued to hum absentmindedly. She was so comfortable that she lost complete track of the time and almost dozed off herself on the lumpy sofa. When the door to the apartment suddenly opened it gave her a small startle as she had been so lost in her own thoughts. She quickly turned toward the disturbance where Sans stood in the doorway, an apologetic smile on his face.
“Sorry.” He said when he realized that he had surprised her. “Didn’t mean to take you off guard.”
Toriel relaxed again when she saw that it was only him.
“Not at all.” She said simply. “This is your house after all. I’m just being a silly old lady and succumbing to my own day dreams.” Sans chuckled lightly before making his way forward into the living room. His pinpricks fell to Frisk dozing soundly over Toriel’s lap.
“How’s she doing?” He asked, his voice a rough whisper as to not disturb the sleeping girl.
“Well her cold is still proving to be a nuisance and her fever hasn’t let up yet, but besides that she’s doing fine. She’s just a little warn out from fighting off this bug.” Toriel answered, her warm gaze falling back to Frisk. Sans hummed in response.
“How about your meeting with Asgore?” Toriel then questioned.
“Eh….” Sans paused, his expression turning to one of reluctance. “Well it’s not the worst possible outcome that could have happened, but this incident is sure proving to be a pain in the side." He then answered. Toriel chuckled under her breath.
“Yes I agree. Asgore has already been getting impromptu visits from numerous police officers and investigators concerning the issue, though I believe he will be successful at sweeping it under the rug. He has made sufficient negotiations with Chief MacDonnell in the past.” She said and Sans nodded in agreement.
It was true after all that the chief of police was currently one of the Pansy's allies…well at least he was for the right price, and he was usually open to strike up deals with many of the criminal organizations in Ebott, but Sans still felt sour about this whole mess. As usual monsters were taking the brunt end of the blame for the scandal at the graveyard, with many tabloids publishing bogus information contributing to the pointless fear mongering that was keeping the two races far apart. He had even glimpsed a newspaper heading claiming that until more evidence was released it was safe to assume that the murder may not have even been the cause of gang violence, but was the result of a monsters “natural animalistic blood lust” as was written in black and white as plain as day. Sans grimaced inwardly at the memory of the words. It was no wonder human and monster relations weren’t making any progress, as long as someone could make a buck off of the animosity between human and monster kind then the prospect of peace would remain worthless.
“Yeah, Asgor’s pretty much put me under house arrest until this event calms down. Says there may have been a witness and that I should keep this handsome face of mine off the streets and out of sights for a while.” Sans then said with a bit of a forced grin.
“Well it is better to be safe than sorry.” Toriel mused, letting out a small chuckle at Sans’ comment. “But do not worry Sans, this will blow over quickly. I’ve already leaked plenty of information to the tabloids about the identity of the victim and how he was a member of the Gambinos. The story will fade as just another act of gang violence and will be forgotten about quickly.” She continued.
“Thanks Ms. Tori, I’m sure you're right.” Sans replied, but in reality he wasn’t all so certain. He couldn’t deny that all too familiar bad feeling gnawing at his soul, even though he tried to find comfort in Toriel’s reassuring words.
“I suppose now that you will be home for a while Frisk will have decent company at least.” Toriel then said as her gaze shifted back to her daughter sleeping in her lap, her purple eyes suddenly taking on a slightly sad expression. She paused for a second as she smoothed her hand over Frisk’s hair. “…You will probably not need me to come by and keep an eye on her then.” She finished.
Sans scratched at the side of his skull awkwardly. He could tell that Toriel wanted to be invited over to take care of Frisk while she was sick, but he was reluctant to make that suggestion as he, slightly ashamedly, wanted that time for himself as well.
“Uh…well maybe this is a good thing. I mean you probably got a lot of work on your plate at the moment thanks to this little catastrophe and all.” He said instead. “I mean now you won’t have to worry about her being by herself while this whole thing gets sorted out.”
“Yes… you are quite right about that.” Toriel replied dully, her frown deepening as Sans did not give her the excuse to put off her work that she had been hoping for.
She took a final moment to savor the nostalgic atmosphere surrounding her before she swiftly and gracefully removed herself out from under the sleeping Frisk. Frisk didn’t even stir as Toriel moved with the expertise that only a mother who had soothed a child to sleep countless times could accomplish. She replaced her lap with a comfy goose feather pillow with ease, before making sure that Frisk was snugly tucked in.
“Sleep well darling.” She whispered softly and then placed a small kiss right above Frisks wounded temple.
Toriel then gathered up her things before making her way over to Sans.
“I left some cough medicine in the washroom cabinet. It should help her sleep at night, and there is some leftover cinnamon buns in the kitchens for your brother and yourself if you would like them.” She then said.
“Thanks Ms. Tori much appreciated.” Sans replied with an easy smile. Toriel then nodded and walked past Sans to the door, however, she hesitated before she reached for the handle and then turned back around.
“You know……um, if you or Papyrus find that you need any help, or find that you have your hands full I can make myself available…”
“Heh, well thanks Tori that’s nice of you, but Frisk just has a cold and I’m pretty sure she doesn’t really need all that much help blowing her nose. I mean, I understand that you’re concerned, but I don’t think that you should put your other work with the Pansies on hold for a case of the sniffles.” Sans then said.
Toriel’s cheeks flushed in embarrassment when she realized that Sans was right. Frisk was no longer a child. A simple cold did not require her to take time away from the Pansies, especially during these unstable and crucial moments that might end up determining the Organizations fate as a whole, and as much as Toriel didn’t want to think about it, she knew that her daughter had probably also nursed herself through far worse illnesses then a simple cold when she was all alone on the streets.
“Um…. I mean you can feel free to stop by whenever you have free time. I’m sure Frisk would like that.” Sans then said, back pedaling a little when he realized that he may have been too blunt. Toriel smiled kindly in turn appreciating his effort at least.
“That sounds good.” She replied. “Until then I’ll just have to trust you and Papyrus to take care of her.”
“No problem. Paps is really good with his healing magic, and uh well until this investigation clears up I’m pretty much stuck here so she won’t be heh, bonely at least.” Sans replied with a wink and a shrug.
Toriel chuckled good naturedly at his joke.
“Yes That’s probably for the best.” She said. “Well I won’t linger any longer, I’ll let you get back to your relaxing. When Frisk wakes up tell her that I will see her soon.”
“Will do Ms. Tori.” Sans said, following Toriel to the door to see her out.
When she left Sans let out a small sigh of slight relief, glad to finally have the place to himself again …well mostly to himself seeing as Frisk was still asleep on the sofa. He then began to saunter over to her sleeping form after a moment more of simply standing by the doorway. He was quiet, careful to make sure he didn’t wake her as he bent over and brushed her messy bangs away from her face. Her forehead still felt hot to the touch and Sans furrowed his brow bone when he realized that her fever had still not subsided.
He was at least glad to see that she appeared to be well out of it, as he knew that this cold had been wearing her ragged, always keeping her coughing and sneezing, and never allowing her to sleep peacefully through the night. Even now as she dozed Sans could see the dark circles under her eyes and the raw red skin around her nose from her needing to constantly blow it clean. Sans’ pinpricks shifted to the wastebasket on the floor by the coffee table and he let out a heavy breath when he saw that it was over flowing with used tissues. He then quickly tided up the mess, disposing of the wads of Kleenex before brewing himself a mug of coffee.
Even though Sans was alone now and the house was reletivly silent, save for Frisks gentle breaths, he couldn’t get himself to relax. He was reminded of a time a long while ago when he and Papyrus had been children. He remembered the first winter when they had been left on their own. Papyrus had gotten a nasty cold back then, and Sans had been so clueless as to what to do, being only just barely a teenager himself. He remembered feeling something like this back then, antsy and helpless. Though he knew that Frisks sickness wasn’t really what was eating at him. He was still at a loss for how to explain her dramatic transformation at the graveyard.
He had been debating with himself constantly whether he should talk to her about what had happened or not. Ever since he had found that passage in the journal Sans had been desperate for another explanation, and the only place that he could think to get any answers was from Frisk herself, but then again did he really want to discuss this with her at all? He already knew that Frisk did not remember anything about her childhood so it would be pointless to simply ask. And he definitely knew that he did not want to tell her about what had actually occurred that day in the cemetery and how he had been practically forced to bludgeon her unconscious. Sans internally cringed at the memory still feeling very guilty about it. How would he even open up to that line of conversation anyway?
“Oh hey sweetheart, so you went a little nuttso recently and almost murdered a bunch of goons with your bare hands. You by chance know what that was all about?” Sans rolled his eyes mockingly as he sarcastically rehearsed the dialog in his mind. It was pointless. He’d have to try to approach this from a different angle.
Before he could really figure out what that angle was, Frisk began to stir in front of him. She groaned, her voice scratchy and rough from her constant coughing before she rubbed at her watery itchy eyes and woozily pulled herself into a sitting position.
Sans cleared his throat announcing his presence before he pulled on an easy smile. Frisk turned to him at the sound and flushed a vibrant pink when she realized that she probably looked like utter garbage at the moment. She tried to sink down under her blankets in an attempt to hide her puffy face and mangled hair.
Sans only chuckled before he made his way over, taking a seat next to her on the sofa.
“You know you don’t have to hide.” He said feeling the urge to tease her slightly. Frisk's face got even pinker in her embarrassment at being called out for her actions.
“I’m not hiding.” She argued back. Though her attempt at denial wasn’t at all convincing, especially since she was still indeed trying to hide her face behind the covers. She fidgeted uncomfortably next to Sans as she wondered when he was going to let her off the hook.
“How are you feeling?” He asked her. Frisk shrugged in response.
“A bit better”. She answered, but Sans could already see that she was trying to fib again. He couldn’t help but inwardly laugh at how bad she was at lying.
Instead of calling her out for it however, Sans only hummed in response before standing up again to head to the kitchen.
“I just boiled some water, let me make you some tea.” He said. Frisk could only watch him leave the living room as he didn’t give her the chance to protest.
When he was gone she slumped in her seat. She didn’t like how incredibly nervous she felt around Sans at the moment, like she was treading on eggshells. She knew that she still had to appropriately apologize to him for her selfishness, in fact she had been waiting for this moment when they would be alone so she could accurately express her regret and get this awful feeling off of her chest, but now that the moment was here she suddenly wasn’t sure if she should…or if Sans would even accept her apology which she knew she wouldn’t blame him for…
“Here.” Sans said, startling her out of her thoughts as he passed her a mug of hot tea. Frisk blinked a little bit blankly at the presented beverage, surprised that she hadn’t even noticed Sans return into the living room.
“Thank you.” She quickly mumbled as she took the mug. Sans only nodded before he returned to his seated position next to her while he also took up his coffee cup and began to sip at it.
It was quiet now, and Frisk suddenly couldn’t bring herself to break her gaze away from her steaming tea that she held in her lap. Sans didn’t offer anything to fill up the silence. He instead continued to laze almost oblivious to the tension that Frisk was feeling. She knew that he was waiting for her to build up her nerve and speak up. She swallowed thickly, her tongue all of a sudden feeling numb and swollen. She gathered up enough courage then to roll her eyes subtlety in his direction, peeking up at him from behind her messy bangs.
He wasn’t even looking at her. Frisk took in a heavy breath and then took a small gulp from her tea, wetting her parched throat and allowing the magic that had been sprinkled into her beverage to provide her with at least some comfort. Then Frisk reached down into her soul and grabbed at the small ounce of determination that she had managed to conjure before slowly turning to face Sans fully.
“I’m really sorry for what I did…” She began weekly, and she knew that that meager apology was not near enough, so she forced herself to continue on.
“At the graveyard and before that… I took my anger out on you and Papyrus and accused you of terrible things even though you were only looking out for me… I put you both in a very bad position and I regret it.” she said.
Sans didn’t respond, keeping up his aloof façade, and Frisk took that as a que to keep going. She knew what it was that she had to say next, but she found that she really didn’t want to. She took a moment to keep her bottom lip from quivering.
“I…will understand if you want to call it quits after this. I know I messed up…again…and I know that I’m probably more trouble than I’m worth….”
Despite her efforts Frisk began to feel herself start to tear up as her voice grew steadily more wobbly. She furrowed her brows and starred hard into her lap as she blinked the tears back, forcing her emotions down in to the pit of her stomach. She had no right to be upset and she didn’t want to make Sans feel sympathetic toward her. She wanted him to be completely free to make his own choice without the guilt of hurting her feelings.
“If you want to put an end to us…I get it. I won’t be mad and I’ll keep everything a secret. It will be like we never happened.” She then concluded.
Sans continued to remain quiet for a while after Frisk had finished speaking and the silence continued to feel heavy over her as she waited for him to say something. When she glanced up at him again she could see that this time he was at least looking at her. His pinpricks were focused on her as though he were deliberating on what she had said to him. She tried to ignore the pitiful itch that she felt in her core that was selfishly hoping that he would simply laugh and make a cheesy pun so things could go back to normal.
Sans then let out a heavy breath.
“You know considering everything that’s happened that would probably make the most sense now wouldn’t it?” Sans began slowly and Frisk felt her heart start to sink.
“I mean this isn’t the first time that you put me through the ringer kid. Heh, some of those stunts you pulled were actually pretty comical though I admit. But this last one…bucko for a real moment there I thought you were a goner…” He continued sadly.
Frisks eyes snapped to her lap as she was now not able to look at him anymore. She cursed her cowardice inwardly, but if she truthfully wanted to remain stoic and let Sans answer her without bursting into tears then this was all that she could do.
“…despite all of that though I don’t want to end this.” Sans then said, reaching out and placing his hand on the top of Frisks head reassuringly. “But sweetheart if we are gonna have half a chance in hell at making this work then I gotta lay down some ground rules and first off you gotta start listening to me kid.”
Frisk almost couldn’t believe her ears at Sans response. In fact, she was pretty sure that her heart had just skipped a beat. She was so taken off guard that her previous efforts that she had made in an attempt to control her emotions were dashed completely. Her eyes began to steadily leak uncontrollably as she slowly became overwhelmed. She sniffled loudly.
Sans tensed when he noticed her sudden blubbery outburst.
“Oh hey, are you crying?” He then asked tactlessly. Frisks face flushed a bright red in embarrassment.
“No…” she muttered as she also let out a sob.
“Aw jeez kid, I didn’t mean to upset you.” Sans said, feeling a little guilty. “Come here sweetheart.”
Frisk then allowed herself to fall stiffly against Sans chest as he opened his arms to her. She kept her head down, still stubbornly refusing to show her tear streaked and puffy face to him. Sans chuckled warmly in response and Frisk found that she was oddly comforted by the rumble that moved through his bones against her tired body.
“Hey …why don’t we put off this conversation for a little bit? You look a little warn out there pal.” Sans suggested, but Frisk only shook her head as she buried her face further into his shirt. She wanted to get everything out in the open as quickly as possible. Only after everything was discussed could she allow herself to finally relax.
“You sure kiddo? You don’t want to go back to sleep for a little more first?” He tried again, but Frisk remained adamant in her decision. Sans sighed to himself when he realized that she wasn’t going to give in.
“Well alright then.” He agreed.
“I know that you arn’t exactly used to relying on people…” Sans began delicately. “But the thing is that you are a Pansy now, and the thing about being a part of a group is that you gotta co-operate.”
Frisk nodded against him signaling that she was listening. She knew that she hadn’t really considered how her actions would affect the rest of the Pansies, and she knew that a lot of her past decisions had caused them trouble.
“When I tell you things that you can and can’t do …I’m not trying to control you…” Sans then huffed a little in frustration as he tried to find the right way to explain himself. He furrowed his brow as it was still strange to him when he thought about how technically he was Frisk’s boss. “See it’s my job, and I know it’s weird when I order you around like how I did before….I don’t really like it, and I don’t want you to think that I do either, but it’s necessary. Do you understand?” He asked, hoping that he had somewhat made his position more clear.
Frisk nodded again. She already knew that Sans felt awkward about being appointed as her superior, and she also guiltily had to admit that she had targeted that insecurity out of her own anger.
“Sans I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said those things before. I was being petty.” She urged. Sans seemed to relax at her understanding. Frisk could feel his body shift into a more stress-free state from next to her.
“Ok then, first off I know that you don’t like it, but I gotta make you promise me that you won’t ever step a foot outside of Grilby’s again until this whole thing with the Gambinos is sorted out. I can’t commit to my work when I’m always wondering if you snuck out and got into trouble again.” Sans then continued.
Frisk stiffened a little in his hold, not really at all liking the request, but ultimately she knew Sans was right. And she knew that she had to respect his decision on the matter for not only her own sake but for the rest of the Pansies as well. She did still have one complaint however.
“What about the book store?” She asked, her voice groggy and a little horse.
Sans paused for a moment as he considered her appeal. He had promised her after all that he would take her back there. And not to mention, Ms. Dorthy would not be very pleased with him if he returned without her again. The first time she had merely offered him an unimpressed eyebrow, the next time he was certain that there would be a scolding involved.
“Tell you what, after you get better and as long as things calm down a little bit, I’ll take you with me on one of my short cuts… it may not be a very pleasant ride though…”Sans mussed, scratching at the side of his jaw as he debated whether it would be such a good idea to take Frisk with him through the tares.
Frisk instantly perked up at the offer. She had been curious to find out more about Sans’ magical ability and this seemed like a good starting point.
“It will be ok. I can handle it.” She then insisted, maybe becoming a little bit too enthusiastic. Sans laughed at her excitement.
“Well ok then, but first you gotta promise me what I asked.” He said raising a brow bone at her, and Frisk fidgeted in his hold.
She knew that if she did make a pact with him then there would be know going back on it. She had already sort of broken her word the last time that he had asked her to keep out of trouble when she had brought Joey back with her to the apartment, and she knew that Sans would be unlikely to give her a second chance if she did it again.
“I promise.” She then said, putting as much sentiment behind the word as she could. Sans held her sternly in his gaze for a moment, surveying her expression. When he was satisfied he smiled.
“Good. Now that that’s all settled let’s say we take a little snooze before Papyrus gets back? He then suggested, shooting Frisk with a playful wink. She giggled in response feeling a hundred times better now that her guilty conscious had been finally lifted.
Sans took the opportunity to grab at the woolly blanket pilled at the other end of the sofa that Frisk had been using previously, before nudging Frisk closer into him and wrapping the covering around them both. Frisk nuzzled herself snugly into his hold without a protest, realizing how much she had missed his presence.
Sans kissed the top ok her head tenderly. Frisk wanted to return the gesture but refrained when she realized that her nose had been running again, and that she probably had sick breath. She instead burrowed further into the blankets to again hide her gross face.
“Hey Sans….” Frisk then said shyly from beneath her blanket shield.
“Yes?” Sans replied, an amused smirk on his face.
“…I love you a lot.” She mumbled. Sans peeked down at her. Though she still kept her face out of view, he could see the redness of her blush creeping up to her ears.
“Heh, I love you to kiddo.” He replied fondly.
Frisk smiled to herself at that, feeling immensely satisfied before she snuggled closer and then soon after drifted off to sleep.
Sans continued to lounge as he absentmindedly let his fingers comb through Frisks messy hair while he listened to the quiet ticking of the clock on the wall. He kept his eye on the time so that he could get up before Papyrus came home, and though there was no real rush at all with lots of time to spare, Sans remained awake. He was quietly content to simply just sit there as he was.
As He lazed he briefly pondered about Frisk’s previous offer of termination. It had surprised him a little at first that she had laid it all out on the table, and had allowed him to choose with the promise of no bad blood between them. He had to admit that the proposal of leaving … well, he had thought about it before. With all of the craziness that was surrounding them lately, with this new unknown affliction that had changed frisk so dramatically before, on top of the pressure of finding Gaster, and the constant threat of the Gambinos hanging over head, sans had to admit that it would probably be easier to simply cut and run…but now that he was given the choice there was just no way he could do that.
He was hooked, line and sinker. When he had found himself standing at the crossroads it became very apparent that another path simply wasn’t an option. This was the road that he had chosen, and against his better judgment… and maybe even his rational mind, this was the road that he was going to walk down, and as long as Frisk would walk it with him he wouldn’t utter a single complaint.