Let's James Bond This Crap!
You stood outside the radio station, your hand tightly grasped in Sans'. Halloween was over and now you had to face reality. Tod hadn't said much after you told him about what happened in the parking lot. He merely asked that you come in and act like normal, promising that things would turn out all right. Your hand was sweaty, but if Sans noticed, he didn't say anything about it. You kept trying to come up with an excuse for him to stay at the station besides 'just because', but eventually dropped it. If Sans wanted to stay, there wasn't much anyone could do about it. Besides, as long as he didn't go into the actual recording studio, there were no rules saying he couldn't hang around.
He had told you last night that he had a plan to expose Emily and make sure she got into serious trouble along with Asshole. It was a little risky but if it worked, you wouldn't have to worry about Emily at the station any more.
You suck in a deep breath of chilly autumn air. "Let's do this."
Sans gave your hand a gentle squeeze. He wrapped his arm around your side and pulled you close for a second. "it's gonna be fine."
Together the two of you enter the studio. Abby was in her usual place at the desk and looked up. Her face lit up gleefully as her gaze fell to Sans. "Hey there! What's cooking?"
"nacho much," Sans replies with a wide grin. You snicker as Abby's expression froze. She looked up to the ceiling.
"Truly a match made in heaven," she groaned in monotone. "_____'s been nearly unbearable with his puns recently. Now I see why."
"Come on, they're not that cheesy."
Abby threw a pen at your head.
Sans makes himself comfortable in one of the chairs in the waiting area, thumbing through a music magazine and you got to work. Tod isn't in his office when you duck in to check. No one seems to know where he is when you ask around, so with nothing else to do, you try to get started on your usual duties. You can barely focus and every little sound makes you jump. Abby noticed after a while and pulled you over to the corner.
"Is he making you nervous by hanging around? 'Cause I can totally kick him out if you want." She jabbed her thumb over at Sans who, by all appearances, looked like he had fallen asleep in the chair.
"No! No, it's not him," you say quickly. "I'm sorry, he's here because he's worried."
"About what?"
You bit your lip. "Things happened the other night," you say in a hushed tone, looking around. "I can't talk about it right now."
Abby's eyes narrow at you. "Is this about the bonfire accident?"
You nod. "I'm sorry."
Abby looks at you, chewing the inside of her cheek. "You can tell me what's happening," she finally says. "I want to help."
The door clangs open and you jump, looking guiltily at it. Just a tech coming in. She waves and heads upstairs and you let out a frustrated sigh. "I can't take this waiting," you mumble, as the door swings shut. But just before it clicks, a hand reaches out and pushes inwards. Emily. You tense up, sliding a little closer to Abby without realizing it. Her eyes fall on the two of you and it takes every ounce of strength you have to keep your face clear of guilt. She frowns at you and starts to turn away and for a moment you almost relax.
Sans coughs and Emily's head whirls to the sound. He's got one socket closed, a perfect picture of relaxation but the light of his open eye is small and oddly bright. "heya. you must be emily. i'd say i'm a fan but i'm trying to kick my lying habit."
Emily stares at Sans in a mixture of shock and open disgust for several seconds before arranging her face into something that resembled detached politeness. "Is there...something I can help you with?"
Sans stands slowly, putting his hands in his coat pocket. "oh you know. just keeping my boyfriend company with my booming humor." He sends an exaggerated wink in your direction. "they really crack him up."
Emily tilts her head, the plastered smile on her face slipping a little. "Boyfriend?" She looks to you and back to Sans, the connection snapping in her mind. You shift uneasily under Emily's quick glare. She turns back to Sans, no longer bothering to keep up the facade of politeness. "As...charming as that is, you need to leave. You have no business lingering around if you have no official reason to be here."
"hey no need to explode lady," he says, lifting his hands up slightly. More firework puns?! What on Earth was he doing? He might as well just say 'hey I know about the fireworks!' at this rate. You glare at him desperately, trying to silently tell him to knock it off.
Emily goes eerily still. There's no way she could miss Sans' obvious stabs at her secret. "_____, I need you to go print off today's weather report. Now." Her voice is ice cold. "Abby, see to it that this skeleton leaves or call security." She turns on her heel and heads down the hall. Right to the computer and printing office.
It feels like ice is crawling through your blood. This was not going well at all! Sans is staring after Emily, his grin tight and thin. Abby looks between the two of you, concerned confusion clear on her face.
"Sans!" you hiss. "What was that? Weren't we supposed to go for subtle hints?"
He quickly crosses to you, expression softening. "trust me," he says in a low voice. "just follow the plan." He gives you a gentle push, prodding your frozen legs forward. You take a shaky breath and look back at him. This wasn't the time to doubt him.
"I do trust you. But I swear if you get me fired, I'm going to kick your bony butt."
He smiles widely, pleased at your renewed spirit. "that's my guy."
Despite your show of bravery, your legs feel weak as you head towards the media room. Where on Earth was Tod? Your hand goes into your pocket as you pause right in front of the door. Oh, you really don't want to do this. You barely step over the threshold when you feel Emily grip your upper arm tightly, yanking you into the room. She slams the door shut. Her eyes are filled with rage.
"What part of keep your damn mouth shut didn't you understand?" she hisses.
"Let go of me!" You rip your arm out of her hand, backing away from her.
"This could've been so easy." Emily runs a hand over her face, looking almost...shaken? "You just couldn't stay out of it."
You take several breaths to calm yourself. "Why did you do this? People could've gotten really hurt. Someone could have died. Did your boyfriend force you to get the fireworks? Was it all his idea?"
"Scott force me?" She glares at you between her fingers. Hey, now you knew Asshole's name! "Please, I was proud to help."
"But why? There was no point!"
Emily actually throws her head back and starts laughing. It's such a pleasant sound, one that would normally be associated with a kind soul. But hearing it here just sends shivers up your spine. "You don't see it? I suppose you wouldn't, filthy monster lover."
An entirely different kind of chill crawls up your back. "This whole thing was about monsters? What, to scare them?"
She crossed her arms and shakes her head at you in an almost sympathetic way. "You have no idea how big this is. In fact, I'm doing you a favor." She takes a slow step towards you and you can't help but back away. She's frowning at you, but there's something else besides contempt and anger. You've gotten good at reading faces, thanks to Sans' subtle expression changes. Under all that, there's a hint of sadness and relief. She leans in close to you. "Do yourself a favor. Don't get involved. Leave that monster trash. In fact, you'd be smart to leave the city. Of course, I have to uphold my promise, so you'll never work in radio again. But there are plenty of options for a young man like you. Do the smart thing and just accept this."
"Is that a threat?" you whisper.
She smirks in an almost mad way. "Absolutely."
"huh. guess that's all we need then."
Emily starts, looking around for the source of the deep voice. You pull your hand out of your pocket, opening your palm to reveal the small black device hidden away. There's a dull light flashing on one end. She gapes at it as Sans' voice floats out again.
"man, i thought it was gonna be tougher than that. good job babe. i was a little worried you might get rattled."
"Please, I totally had it handled."
Sans snickers. "that you did."
Emily's eyes are bugging out of her head. She flinches as the door to the media room opens. Tod, Sans and a police officer are standing there. Well, it was about time Tod showed up! He steps into the room, anger seeming to radiate off his tall frame. Emily shrinks back against the wall. Sans quickly heads to your side, eye lights bright and, despite his wide smile, a little concerned.
"you ok?" he asks quietly.
You nod, taking his hand. "Remind me to thank Alphys for the walkie-talkie thing."
"Tod! What's the meaning of this?" Emily demands.
"I can't believe you Em." Tod's voice is quiet but you've never heard such anger and disappointment from him before. "How could you let this happen? You helped to put countless people at risk and ruined our festival."
"No! Please Tod, it wasn't my fault! I-I didn't know Scott was going to throw the fireworks in the fire!"
"Well maybe you should've thought about saying that before confessing to everything. What's worse, manhandling and threatening an employee in our station? Unacceptable." Tod locks eyes with Emily and there is no mercy there. "Emily, you are officially fired."
Emily gapes silently for a second. "No! You can't do this to me!" Emily shoves a finger in your direction. "If you want to blame someone, blame this monster slut! He tricked me!"
Sans growls quietly and you put a hand on his shoulder. His smile stretches into a thin line.
"you'd be smart to watch what you're saying pal," he says coldly.
His tone makes Emily snap. "You're the one who needs to watch out! Freaks! You're all freaks! You're gonna regret this! Just you wait-"
"EMILY." Tod's voice, sharp and full of warning, stops Emily's rant. "Don't say anything else that you're going to regret."
Her mouth opens and closes several times as she stares at Tod. "How dare you," she finally snarls. "After every thing I've done for you. You're gonna just cut me off?"
Tod turns away. "You're only making this worse for yourself," he says tiredly. "Officer, if you wouldn't mind. _____ please come to my office once you've caught your breath."
The cop steps forward and Sans puts a hand on your back. "let's go," he says, leading you out of the room. Emily slumps against the wall, like a puppet who's strings have been cut. She meets your eyes just before your line of sight is broken and gives you a sneering grin.
"Remember what I said!" She yells to you as the officer cuffs her. "Leave that freak before you regret it!"
You have to fight not to turn back and sock the bitch in the face. Your hands tremble with rage.
"breathe," Sans reminds you gently.
You turn into him, wrapping him in your arms. He had reminded you to breathe, but you can feel him shaking a little too. "That was scary," you whisper into his shirt.
"you did great." He presses his teeth against your forehead in a gentle kiss. "are you ready to talk to tod?"
"Yeah." You take his bony hand and head down the hallways. The commotion has caused several curious heads to poke out of various offices. At the sight of you holding hands with your skeletal boyfriend, most of them duck back in. You reach Tod's office. The door is open so you knock on the frame, stepping inside. Tod is at his desk, head in his hands. He looks up and gives you a weary smile.
"Good work kiddo," he says, motioning for you and Sans to come in. "God, that wasn't pleasant."
"you're telling me," Sans groans, dropping into one of the seats. You are a little more dignified and sit on the edge of your seat. The Emily thing is over, but there's stuff that still needs to be addressed.
"What about her boyfriend? Scott?"
"The moment she confessed to Scott being responsible the officer sent a call for some cops to pick him up at his apartment. They shouldn't have any issue nabbing him." Tod sighs and rubs at his face. "I know she was a snob and I'll gladly admit she got on my nerves, but to think she would actually participate in a hate crime like this...."
A grim silence falls over the office. Sans is staring at his knees, tapping a bony digit on the arm of the chair. "i'm worried about what she said. about this whole thing being bigger than we thought."
You nod your agreement. "I don't think this was just a simple hate crime," you say slowly. "I should've tried to get more out of her."
"That's the police's job. If there's something deeper going on, they'll find out about it." Tod leans back in his chair. "You did good."
So he says, but there's an itch in the back of your mind that whispers that something isn't quite right. Ah, it had to just be leftover nerves right? You let yourself smile, looking at Sans. "So, I guess it's over huh?"
He gives you a genuine smile. "i think we can take a breather."
"Hm, maybe not." Tod sits up suddenly and steeples his fingers together as he studies you intensely. You feel your heart drop to your stomach. Oh crap, were you going to get fired after all? Your anxiety must be clear on your face because he's quick to wave his hands. "Don't look so scared, you're not in trouble! I'm the one who's in a bit of a pinch now."
"Is there something I can do?" you ask as your heart slows down from the scare.
Tod smiles widely at you. "I'm glad you asked. After today's events I'm suddenly finding myself short a host for the show. Interested in filling the spot?"
Your jaw drops. Uhhh what? "I-I'm sorry, did you just ask if I want to be a speaker on the show?"
He laughs. "I want you to be a host. Little more long-term than a speaker."
You've been rendered speechless. You, a host? An actual radio host?! Your heart swells and to your complete mortification, you feel your eyes filling with tears. You bury your face in your hands. You had to be dreaming. You had come in today fully prepared to lose your job, whether your plan to expose Emily worked or not but you never expected this!
Sans nudges you gently. He's gazing at you with open pride. "i think he needs an actual answer babe," he says, nodding to Tod.
"Oh my-yes! Yes!" You cry happily, reaching over to take Tod's hand. "Thank you so much!"
Tod smiles at you, the scar on his face scrunching. "I'm glad I could make at least something good come out of this. I'll be honest; I've been looking for a way to let Emily go for a while. Not that I'm happy it happened this way!" he adds quickly. "But you know, when life gives you lemons!"
"You make life take the lemons back!" You say through your laughter. Sans cocks his head in confusion but Tod laughs appreciatively.
"Agreed. Now, I know you're excited but I want you to take the rest of the day off. Rest, recover, do whatever you need to. I'll pay you for your full shift. I'll need you in by eight tomorrow morning and I'll give you the rundown."
You nod eagerly, all traces of your anxiety gone. "Yes! Of course! Thank you, thank you Tod!"
Tod laughs again and waves you and Sans out of the office. Could this really be true? "I gotta tell Papyrus," you mumble in your happy daze as the two of you head out to the street.
"can't wait to see that. the apartment might not survive his excitement," Sans says with a chuckle. "so uh...lemons?"
You nuzzle his cheek. "Video game reference. And now I want some cake."
Sans pulls you close to his side. "whatever you wish, handsome."
~~~~~~
You stop by Muffet's shop and buy the biggest, most outrageously decorated cake in there. You've become a regular of the place and Muffet gives you a discount to help celebrate the news. You head back up to Sans place, balancing the cake and nearly drop it as you run into Papyrus himself. He catches it with his large hand before it hits the ground.
"THIS IS THE LARGEST CAKE I'VE EVER SEEN! WHAT IS THE OCCASION?"
You smile widely at Papyrus. "You listen to the show from my station right Pap?"
"OF COURSE! IT IS VERY ENJOYABLE, EVEN THOUGH I DON'T GET TO HEAR YOU."
You can't help but bounce a little. "Well, that's going to change! Tod asked me to help him host the show!"
Papyrus stares at you for a second. Then he squeals, and wraps you in a hug, spinning you around and oh crap THE CAKE-!
Sans stops it with his magic just before it hits the ground. "careful bro. icing that you're excited but we don't want to make a mess."
"I AM SO OVERJOYED THAT EVEN YOUR TERRIBLE PUNS CANNOT RUIN IT SANS." Papyrus whips out his phone as he pulls you into the apartment. "I MUST TELL EVERYONE! THEY WILL BE SO THRILLED TO HEAR THE NEWS!"
So Papyrus does just that and your head is still swirling from everything that's happened that day when monsters start pouring into the apartment. Alphys, Undyne, Frisk and Toriel and even Mettaton shows up (much to Sans' dismay).
"Oh darling, I knew you had what it took to be a star!" Mettaton wrapped you in a solid, metal hug, coating your clothes with traces of glitter. "Well, not as big as me of course. I would be happy to give you any tips on how to face the adoring fans you are sure to bring in!"
"Thanks Mettaton," you laugh, trying to brush off the glitter and failing miserably. You thank Alphys for her help. Sans had asked for recording device and she had given it to him without question. She blushes at your thanks, stuttering out that she was just glad to help. She asks for details about why you needed it and you find yourself telling everyone what had happened, starting from the night of the bonfire, to the threat at your car and finally with Emily's arrest.
Sans lets you do the talking, but he is practically oozing pride the whole time. When you finish and everyone start devouring cake, he slides up to you and plants another kiss on your cheek. Hmm, you could get used to this affectionate Sans.
"i'm proud of you," he whispers in your ear.
"Couldn't have done it without you," you say back with a smile that you can't contain. "Thank you. For everything."
"Stop your nuzzling lovenerds!" Undyne calls. "Or we're gonna eat this cake without you!"
You can't stop yourself from giving Sans another kiss before going to the table, dragging your skeleton boyfriend with you.
What an insane day. But things had worked out, just like Sans promised.
.
.
.
.
Right?