ã€ŠThe Last Timelineã€‹


 Ch. 1 - The Last Beginning

    Sans sat in the last corridor, watching the monitoring feed on his phone. It was almost time. Almost time to break his promise to someone who¡¯d almost certainly died, without him ever knowing her name. The anomaly was making their way through New Home now, and anyone who hadn¡¯t been evacuated could be expected to be dust by this point.

    Not that it mattered. The evacuation meant nothing. The reports didn¡¯t just suggest an end to this timeline - that was not only fine, that was the outcome he was hoping for. Unfortunately, what they showed was an end of everything. An end that loomed larger as the day went on, until he had to shut down his sensor equipment because they had to switch to emergency power.

    He didn¡¯t even know what that meant. Would it mean that people like Alphys had sort of never been born? That he and Papyrus would have just died on arriving in this world, or that their past would change somehow? Or did it mean the past remained intact, and the universe was just destroyed?

    But it didn¡¯t really matter. There was one way and one way only that Papyrus would be okay. His hand clenched. Killing the kid meant nothing. Winning meant nothing. Making them loop meant nothing. But some of the results from the reports¡­ there were layered loops. Loops within loops. They could go back further than their anchor point. To eight months ago, or even maybe just to this morning. That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s all he needed.

    The only hope whatsoever for their world, for Sans, for¡­ for Papyrus¡­ the only hope was to somehow convince the thing approaching him to give up and undo everything. And then trust that somehow, both the anomaly and the other Sans would find a way to make things okay.

    It was hopeless. Absolutely hopeless. Why would that abomination ever¡­

    But no, he¡¯d seen some signs.

    The thing going around killing everyone - that was hopeless. They¡¯d turned away kindness, mercy, pleas, gentleness, threats, bluffs, Undyne¡¯s insanely brilliant defense, her beautiful stand against the darkness¡­ every conceivable reason to turn away, they¡¯d just disregarded.

    But he¡¯d seen flickers, sparks of maybe something more. That something had been human in them once, and he might be able to remind them of it. As they were, there was no chance, but maybe¡­

    Regardless of whether it was possible, he couldn¡¯t just stand back and do nothing. Not anymore. He couldn¡¯t afford to do nothing. Not when it looked like the true end of everything.

    It was hopeless, but he had to try anyway.

    Footsteps echoed down the hall. He slowly pulled himself to his feet.

    He was going to die. Hopefully not by the anomaly¡¯s hand, but by the ending of this timeline. It was different than regular death, sure, but this version of him would cease to exist. Wouldn¡¯t do much good, if he just killed them - they¡¯d be back, it¡¯d be a matter of minutes difference, and he¡¯d still be in this situation. But if he could just make them stop all this, if he could make them give up and go back further¡­

    Then this version of Sans would end, and the other Sans would have Papyrus back, and maybe¡­

    His hand clenched again. He had to try. With everything he had. If there was any chance for Papyrus¡¯s future at all¡­

    There they were. It was time.

    They walked into the hall with a curious and faintly smug expression. The sight of them was seared into his mind. So short that when he¡¯d first seen their silhouette, he¡¯d assumed they were a child, though realized they were fully adult when he got a look at their face. Baggy, oversized, striped sweater. Ill fitting, loose cargo pants. Sharp, thin lines of their face, giving them a striking, androgynous look.

    He watched them, emotions swirling in his heart. He couldn¡¯t even feel hate right. There was too much despair. He just wanted them to stop. Whatever it took.

    There didn¡¯t used to be a box in the entryway, but by the time he¡¯d arrived, someone had put it there. It might make things a little easier for the anomaly, but it didn¡¯t make any difference in the end, so he couldn¡¯t be bothered to do anything about it.

    The anomaly walked next to the box, then paused and reached out, a look of sharp focus on their face. He saw that hateful golden glow that had always restored their strength. When they touched the glowing point, it often resulted in an abrupt change of expression, which implied they¡¯d looped however many times. He watched their face intently.

    Their expression did change - it wasn''t the first loop. They looked frustrated by something. One death, he figured. Good, this shouldn''t be too bad. For him, anyway.

    They dug through the box and swapped out some items, loading their pockets to bursting. Then they reached for the glow again.

    Heh. He¡¯d made them change their loadout. Not too surprising.

    This time, their expression changed more dramatically. His heart clenched at the sight of it. Calm, focused determination. They looked nearly¡­ relaxed. They did have a faint look of frustration, though, and no hint of victory - they hadn¡¯t beat him. How many times had he killed them? Dozens? Hundreds? The hell¡­ and they were still trying?

    What the hell was he supposed to do?

    Nothing for it, he supposed. He had to keep trying. There was nothing else to try.

    They approached, casually flipping their knife in the air and grinned at him when he teleported to meet them.

    They''d grown more expressive since he''d first seen them emerge from the ruins. They''d initially been flat and expressionless mostly, with hints of pain and conflict. But, especially since Undyne, the depths of their insanity were on clear display. More expressions to analyze, but psychopathic ones.

    Their grin now didn¡¯t hold the faintest glimmer of pain, of remorse, of regret - of absolutely anything that could give him even the slightest reason for hope.

    His hands clenched again, in his jacket pockets.

    ¡°let¡¯s just get to the point,¡± he said darkly.

    He had a fun little line planned, to mock them, but it seemed as pointless as everything else. Time for that promise to be broken.

    ¡°ready?¡± he asked wryly and launched his attack without waiting for a response.

    Despair thickened in his already aching heart as they dodged with smooth, masterful precision. Swarms of bones, staggered blaster attacks with barely any conceivable possible way to dodge, dodged with seemingly effortless precision.

    In another time and place, he¡¯d have been in awe of that display. He¡¯d have found it beautiful, incredible, awe-inspiring. He¡¯d have been trying to figure out how to gush his praise in fun ways, because it was the sort of thing that demanded commentary.

    He¡¯d seen a lot of combat, and had never seen skill of that caliber. Though he supposed they had the benefit of memorizing his attack - they probably couldn¡¯t dodge the unexpected quite so smoothly.

    And he''d watched their fight with Undyne, which sucked in so many ways to see, but was impressive, too. Judging from their expression, combined with the extreme increase in skill, he figured they''d probably died at least several dozen times against her.

    She''d done incredibly well. She''d won, again and again, and it meant nothing.

    And even that skill, compared to now¡­

    They weren''t nearly this smooth. Undyne had pushed them to their absolute limit, and they''d barely survived.

    They''d increased in skill dramatically.

    ¡°here we go,¡± he said as they gripped their knife.

    They launched out in an attack, striking with terrifyingly sharp killing intent. Fuck him, he could die from an angry poke, and that¡­ fucking hell.

    He hadn¡¯t planned on blocking anyway, or even conventional dodging. A quick timefreeze let him casually saunter to the side. A shame he could only lock down a small bubble around himself, and couldn¡¯t interact with anything outside of it - it¡¯d have been convenient if he could just kill the kid from within it. He¡¯d want to alternate dodge approaches, to ease the pressure on his magic.

    He grinned at them, even though they were completely unsurprised, and figured he could still run through his planned little speech. Have a little fun, before the end. No idea what else to do, anyway.

    ¡°what? you think i¡¯m just gonna stand there and take it?¡± he said with a playful wink.

    No reaction. Other than witnessing the impressive, yet existentially horrifying combat skill of this avatar of death and destruction, this was going to be boring, wasn¡¯t it?

    Fuck his life.

    ¡°our reports showed a massive anomaly in the timespace continuum. timelines jumping left and right, stopping and starting¡­ until suddenly, everything ends,¡± he said over the course of several more strikes of devastatingly intense murderous intent.

    They continued to not react. They barely seemed to hear him. They didn¡¯t care about his reports, about the destruction of everything.

    During this time, he was attacking them, too, of course. Warm up attacks, for now. It¡¯d been a while since he stretched these muscles, and it wasn¡¯t like he had time to practice before they showed up. Couldn¡¯t risk wearing himself out.

    They dodged everything with absolute perfection. How many times had they fought him¡­?

    ¡°heh heh heh¡­ that¡¯s your fault, isn¡¯t it?¡± he asked uselessly, laughing at his own efforts.

    To that, they did faintly react. A small hint of a smile tugged at their cheek. They did hear what he was saying, and it didn¡¯t matter.

    ¡°you can¡¯t understand how this feels,¡± he said, letting his pain out on his face, in his voice. If there was any hope at all¡­ ¡°knowing that one day, without any warning¡­ it¡¯s all going to be reset.¡±

    There was something. A conflicted look, however faint, flickered in their eyes. Or¡­ or maybe he was just seeing things out of desperation. There was no hint of it now.

    ¡°look. i gave up trying to go back a long time ago,¡± he said. Maybe pushing the personal angle¡­ ¡°and getting to the surface doesn¡¯t really appeal anymore, either. cause even if we do¡­ we¡¯ll just end up right back here, without any memory of it, right?¡±

    Had he imagined that flicker? There was another, but it was so faint.

    It was probably just wishful thinking. Even if he was back at his prime, and loaded with a full seven human souls, they¡¯d unleashed enough deadly intent to kill him several times over. That didn''t seem all that conflicted.

    ¡°to be blunt¡­ it makes it kind of hard to give it my all,¡± he admitted. ¡°... or is that just a poor excuse for being lazy¡­? hell if i know.¡±

    Nothing. Just more perfection in their skill, more strikes with enough power to kill him a freaking million times over.

    An image of Papyrus flashed through his mind and his hands clenched again. He had to keep trying.

    ¡°all i know is¡­ seeing what comes next¡­ i can¡¯t afford not to care anymore.¡±

    They¡¯d dodged every single regular attack without taking a single goddamned hit. He panted lightly from exertion. He was done with the warm up strikes and regular attacks. It was time to get serious.

    But¡­ but there was one more gambit he had decided to try first.

    He¡¯d seen some signs. Some indications that maybe, in another timeline, things had been different. Mostly they¡¯d just murdered people, but that wasn¡¯t all they¡¯d done.

    He¡¯d seen them pause at every one of his sentry stations. They¡¯d lingered at his favorite spot in Grillby¡¯s, as well as a table in the MTT restaurant. They¡¯d touched the door into his and Papyrus¡¯s house.

    They¡¯d had an expression of pained conflict right before they¡¯d murdered Papyrus, and had stood blankly for several seconds after he¡¯d died. Most deaths, they moved on without a second thought. They¡¯d paused after killing Undyne, too.

    And before killing Undyne, when they¡¯d gone to the bridge, there was the plaque that spoke of the Angel that would empty the underground. The way their expression had twisted on reading it, the tender way they¡¯d touched it, as though they were seeing something new in it¡­

    When he''d spoken to them in Snowdin forest, they''d been flat and expressionless, and hadn''t said a single word, but he swore he saw some weird flickers of distant emotions in their eyes, especially when they looked at him. They''d just stood and stared at him, one of the only times they''d paused in their murder spree. Only him, no one else - not that many had interacted with them, other than by being killed.

    Small things. Mostly, they were a featureless automaton, killing without any hint of remorse, pity, or even really seeming aware of what they were doing. Yet, those signs¡­ maybe, maybe, in another timeline, they hadn¡¯t been like this. Humans weren¡¯t like this, practically never, and he was the only one in the underground who knew humans well enough to know that.

    Maybe they¡¯d been healthy once. Maybe they¡¯d been friends once. Maybe his promise, and his decision to be good to them, maybe it had mattered once.

    ¡°ugh¡­ that being said¡­ you, uh, really like swinging that thing around, huh?¡± he asked.

    He paused for a moment and they stretched out, ignoring him. They¡¯d heard his planned entreaty. They planned on using his desperate bid to reach out to any shred of soul in them as a break to take a little breather.

    His heart sank and the entreaty mostly died on his lips. He gave it vague lip service, but there was no point, was there? They¡¯d heard all this.

    ¡°listen. friendship¡­ it¡¯s really great, right? let¡¯s quit fighting,¡± he said uselessly.

    After a short little stretch break, where he desperately prepared himself for the next string of attacks, they lashed out with another strike that bore enough intent to wipe out the whole underground at once.

    ¡°welp, it was worth a shot. guess you like doing things the hard way, huh?¡±

    Time to get serious. Surprise - that was the key. He didn¡¯t know what he¡¯d do next - it had to be random. Teleport, throw some attacks, teleport, throw some more, just a rapid series of strikes, from random directions.

    Finally, finally, some hits started landing. But fucking hell, they didn¡¯t react to that either. When Undyne had hurt them - a deeply satisfying thing to see, as her spears ripped through their screaming body any time they were the slightest bit too slow - they¡¯d still reacted. They would flinch, scream, shake, they still showed signs of getting hurt.

    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    His attacks tore through them, doing obvious damage, but they completely didn¡¯t care. He¡¯d tailored his bone attacks to strike at both the spirit and body alike, unlike most monster attacks, which only attacked the spirit. They were bleeding from the nearly physical attacks, and yet, nothing. It should have been satisfying for them to dodge a trifle slowly and have his bones rip apart the skin of their legs, leaving rivulets of blood where they¡¯d once stood. But instead, it was yet another reason to feel helpless and hopeless.

    How many times had they been hurt and killed, to be effectively immune to pain like this? For fuck¡¯s sake¡­ why didn¡¯t they just give up?!

    ¡°sounds strange, but before all this i was secretly hoping we could be friends,¡± he confessed, just pouring his heart out uselessly. Maybe, somehow, maybe they¡¯d hear something in his voice, maybe¡­ god, he just wanted Papyrus to be okay¡­ he had to keep trying.

    He pulled out another trick, too. A twisting of reality itself, a power he¡¯d only gained when he¡¯d been torn between worlds in the failed experiment that stranded him here, at the cost of practically everyone else he¡¯d loved, save Papyrus. It was subtle, the distortions he could make in spacetime - but he could bind someone, or tear at them. Invisible, even to magic sight, and therefore it should be undodgeable. The distortions ripped at them¡­ but they were used to this, too, it seemed. They twisted their innate spiritual defenses, the very nature of their soul, in patterns counter to his twists of reality.

    Damn it all, they¡¯d seen everything he could do, hadn¡¯t they?

    ¡°i always thought the anomaly was doing this cause they were unhappy. and when they got what they wanted, they would stop all this,¡± he continued, dodging attacks and throwing chaos at them with every goddamned sentence. ¡°and maybe all they needed was¡­ i dunno. some good food, some bad laughs, some nice friends.¡±

    It hurt, saying all this, but nothing compared to the feeling of inevitable loss. He¡¯d done a little damage, but so little. Well, enough to nearly kill them once, he supposed, but it hardly mattered. They''d learned to consume the magic of their monster food items directly, not even putting it in their mouth before the magic was broken down, flooding them, healing them. It made their healing extremely fast, suitable for mid combat.

    At any other time, it would have been infuriating to see them consume the still magical flesh of the gentle Snowman they¡¯d torn apart, but in this moment, it was just disheartening.

    They were a trifle slow again with his next assault, taking a full tenth of a second to react to his teleport and bone swarm. Two of the bones managed glancing strikes. The direct damage was barely anything, but it was satisfying to see their skin go grey in the seconds following the hit.

    For anyone else, even those glancing blows would have killed them several times over. His magic really wasn''t compatible with life. This thing, though? Their LOVE was practically at the max, there was only the faintest hint of capacity to feel and connect remaining within them. Only the faintest hint of hope, but hope had mostly fled him.

    But he couldn¡¯t give up. For Papyrus¡¯s sake¡­

    ¡°but that¡¯s ridiculous, right? yeah, you¡¯re the type of person who won¡¯t EVER be happy,¡± he said, letting his frustration into his voice. ¡°you¡¯ll keep consuming timelines over and over, until¡­ well. hey. take it from me, kid. someday¡­ you gotta learn when to QUIT. and that day¡¯s TODAY.¡±

    When he¡¯d planned these lines out, he¡¯d hoped his battle experience would count for more. He¡¯d hoped the sheer, overwhelming power that his damaged core could put out, with the corrosive effect that burned away life, would have made them falter. He wanted them to quit, needed them to quit. But as they danced with real skill, even against random attacks, only having used a single goddamn healing item so far¡­ his words felt hollow.

    ¡°cause¡­ y¡¯see¡­ all this fighting is really tiring me out,¡± he admitted.

    And it was. There wasn¡¯t much left to give. His heart ached. Was this the timeline where he¡¯d fail? No. No, as skilled as they were, it wasn¡¯t perfect. Surely, that final attack he¡¯d planned¡­ it was ridiculous what he was going to put into it, surely¡­

    But eventually, if they didn¡¯t give up, they¡¯d learn it. It was a planned attack, after all, not random. But he couldn¡¯t be truly random and put out that much raw power. It needed to be planned.

    How many times could they have gotten to it, really?

    He¡­ didn¡¯t want to think about that.

    ¡°and if you keep pushing me¡­ then i¡¯ll be forced to use my special attack,¡± he said. They¡¯d hesitated with Papyrus. Maybe the memory of his planned special attack would count for something. ¡°yeah, my special attack. sound familiar? well, get ready. cause after the next move, i¡¯m going to use it. so, if you don¡¯t wanna see it, now would be a good time to die.¡±

    He was panting harder and they healed, a delicious smelling slice of pie that they never even tasted, breaking down into magic that restored them utterly. Damn, that was potent healing magic¡­

    He threw a pot shot at them and wounded them a little, in the gap where they were distracted by the healing and they just grinned at him.

    They looked excited. That was not a good sign. At all.

    Was there any point¡­? But no, he had to try. An image of Papyrus¡¯s face tormented him once again and he trembled.

    Everything. He¡¯d throw absolutely every last scrap of power at them. Maybe¡­ maybe they¡¯d struggle and would eventually get bored¡­

    ¡°well, here goes nothing¡­ are you ready?¡± he asked wryly. ¡°survive THIS, and i¡¯ll show you my special attack!¡±

    As he spoke, their expression transformed, and on a gut level he knew he¡¯d lost. Maybe not in this timeline, but it was inevitable. Pure determination and focus, so sharp edged he felt like his soul was being cut from looking at their face.

    There was nothing human about them now. He faced the absolute, the inevitable, the end of everything. A nightmare of world-ending power, an unstoppable abomination that would destroy everything it touched. Death incarnate, in a way even a death-magic affiliated monster such as himself could only appreciate and never achieve.

    This was the end, and he was only delaying it. If he hadn¡¯t been so emotionally exhausted from the events of the day, if he hadn¡¯t come to terms with the fact that he was going to die and there was no way out for this version of himself, he¡¯d have been more afraid.

    Instead, there was only despair and that refusal to give up on Papyrus, even if it was completely pointless. But¡­ maybe there was a chance he was wrong¡­ he still had to try.

    He cut loose his restraints, threw himself into memories of darker days - well, not darker than this day, admittedly - and poured out his magic. It burned him, tearing at him, taking more than he could safely give, but it didn¡¯t matter.

    Teleportation, throwing huge quantities of summoned bones at them, gravity attacks ripping them into walls that burst with bones, even trying to keep them bound in the air¡­ he could throw a shit ton of power at them¡­ but it was pointless.

    They could shift their soul to selectively resist his gravity magic, letting them twist in midair. They could amplify it instead, letting them rush into position to jump away. When he released too much raw magic in an area, they could jump off it like it was a goddamned platform.

    It didn¡¯t matter what he could do. They¡¯d figured out absolutely everything.

    And in a strange, twisted way, he found a part of himself appreciating the sheer, astounding beauty of their skill. If he had to die for real, if he had to be destroyed by something, and lose everything¡­ at least it was to something this incredible. At least he¡¯d put up a good showing in the end.

    The final part of his attack came. A series of blasters, summoned into a ring - it should be basically impossible to dodge. The sheer speed and precision they¡¯d need¡­

    They were clipped again and again. His corrosive magic consumed their life with each touch, turning their skin grey as they were drained of life. But his magic tapped out¡­ and there they stood, with a dark grin of cruel triumph.

    He panted, trying to squeeze out anything else left in him. Tried to slam them against the wall and they just laughed at him from where they''d fallen. A deranged sound, all twisted joy and a flush of new victory.

    They¡¯d never survived this part before.

    They pulled themself back to their feet and grinned at him with delight.

    Maybe¡­ maybe there was a faint chance that his last gambit might work¡­ maybe¡­ god, maybe, somehow, Papyrus¡­

    It hurt to even think his name.

    But he wouldn¡¯t give up. Not on Papyrus. Not until he had literally nothing left to give. He couldn¡¯t.

    He tried the last gambit. A sort of mutual binding. A twisting of reality itself, like he¡¯d done before, but even more intense, if less directly harmful. Neither of them would be able to leave, to do anything. As long as his will held, neither of them would have any power whatsoever.

    Literally, for the sake of everything, all he had to do was hang on.

    He stared at the anomaly, as they poked curiously at the boundaries of the binding.

    ¡°all right. that¡¯s it,¡± he said with fake grandeur. ¡°it¡¯s time for my special attack. are you ready?¡±

    There was a look of resignation about them, as though they expected to die shortly, but it was quickly swallowed up by that nightmare that he¡¯d seen before. Not as completely - their expression was more curious and uncertain, and so it lacked that sense of utter inevitability - but still, it was funny, considering nothing was heading their way.

    Even with that, he caught another flicker of¡­ something in their gaze. A hint of conflict, however faint. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to recover some measure of strength for the battle of wills to come.

    He¡¯d spent way too much power, drawn too hard on his screwed up core. He desperately needed to sleep. But he had to stay focused.

    ¡°here goes nothing,¡± he said.

    He felt them twisting and pushing at the boundaries of his binding, but they couldn¡¯t break it. Not as long as his will held fast, and even if he faltered, they could do practically nothing. His eyes opened again, impassively watching them struggle.

    Their eyes darted all around the room, on edge and ready for attacks from any angle. But there wouldn¡¯t be any.

    ¡°yep. that¡¯s right. it¡¯s literally nothing,¡± he said, and the strangest thing happened.

    A different expression crossed their face. Another flicker. But there was¡­ something soft in their gaze. They¡¯d never heard this joke before, and their reaction, however faintly, was¡­ gentle appreciation, maybe? Their eyes looked like they were laughing warmly. It was such a tiny thing, but he¡¯d gotten damned good at analyzing human expressions in general, and had studied the anomaly literally all day long.

    He¡¯d seen all sorts of tiny hints of something good and human within them, but this was the first time he¡¯d seen something gentle. Everything else had been the sort of pain you¡¯d expect someone to feel, if they were doing evil shit and had any heart at all. This, though¡­

    A tiny, aching ember of hope flickered, however small.

    ¡°and it¡¯s not gonna be anything, either. heh heh heh¡­ ya get it?¡± he asked, laughing a little. It hurt to laugh, in this final moment, and he let his face show everything. Maybe, if there was a flicker of caring within them, something that thought Sans mattered¡­ ¡°i know i can¡¯t beat you. one of your turns¡­ you¡¯re just gonna kill me.¡±

    Another beautiful flicker, another faint whisper of empowerment to that tiny glimmer of hope. Their face showed a faint wince, a twist of conflict, of uncertainty.

    Part of them didn¡¯t want to kill him.

    That begged the question of why they¡¯d been trying for¡­ it had to have been hours straight, at least, but still. Still.

    The pile of dust in the snow. Maybe¡­ god, maybe¡­

    ¡°so, uh,¡± he continued. ¡°i¡¯ve decided¡­ it¡¯s not gonna BE your turn. ever. i¡¯m just gonna keep having MY turn until you give up. even if it means we have to stand here until the end of time.¡±

    Not like he''d tell them how it actually worked, in case they could use that knowledge somehow. But it got the idea across.

    Uncertainty and appreciation flashed in their eyes. They were relaxing a little as they listened to him, and their face was growing more¡­ alive. More expressive. Less¡­ the abomination he¡¯d been fighting, and more human. Not really human, not even close, but¡­ but more.

    ¡°capiche?¡± he asked, and they actually responded - not words, but nodding in understanding, with a little smile.

    Was he actually getting through to them?

    Or¡­ or did they always react a little, the first time they encountered anything? Had they reacted the first time he¡¯d pleaded for them to stop, on grounds of a friendship that he¡¯d predicted they¡¯d once had?

    Maybe this didn¡¯t mean anything. But maybe it did. God, please¡­

    ¡°you¡¯ll get bored here,¡± he continued, pressing this last gambit. ¡°if you haven¡¯t gotten bored already, i mean. and then, you¡¯ll finally quit.¡±

    That didn¡¯t work. He saw it on their face. A flicker of insane determination, of the will to continue. He¡¯d said something alien to their thinking.

    The thing that faced him wasn¡¯t a thing that ever fucking quit. That was less encouraging. But he still tried.

    ¡°i know your type. you¡¯re, uh, very determined, aren¡¯t you?¡± he said, twisting his approach a little, in light of what he¡¯d seen. ¡°you¡¯ll never give up, even if there¡¯s, uh¡­ absolutely NO benefit to persevering whatsoever.¡±

    They actually fucking nodded. For fuck¡¯s sake¡­ y¡¯know, whatever, he¡¯d just keep going. His exhaustion was clawing at him and it was increasingly hard to think.

    ¡°if i can make that clear. no matter what, you¡¯ll just keep going,¡± he said, a pleading expression on his face. Maybe, laying it out there as a thing of madness might make them question their course. Question why they were doing this.

    ¡°not out of any desire for good or evil¡­ but just because you think you can,¡± he continued desperately, focusing on them with everything he had. It was hard to keep their face in focus.

    Thoughtfulness. He was making them think a little.

    ¡°and because you ¡®can¡¯¡­ you ¡®have to,¡¯¡± he said. Thoughtfulness, still. ¡°but now, you¡¯ve reached the end. there is nothing left for you now. so, uh, in my personal opinion¡­ the most ¡®determined¡¯ thing you can do here? is to, uh, completely give up.¡±

    He was struggling. He tried to continue.

    ¡°and¡­¡± he finished with a yawn cutting his sentence in half. ¡°do literally anything else.¡±

    The world was starting to spin around him. He couldn¡¯t think of anything else to say. He just met their gaze as they looked at him calmly. A strangely distant hostility, but mostly patience. Calmly watching, waiting, thinking.

    Everything felt so heavy. He just had to hang on. Surely, surely, they¡¯d get bored. They had to. Papyrus¡­

    He was getting so dizzy. When he closed his eyes, it was so much nicer. He just had to hang on. He could feel the magic binding them. Every time they pushed at the magic, a jolt of adrenaline - his equivalent, anyway - brought his mind back. He opened his eyes. He could do this. He could¡­

    They settled in silently to wait, continuing to just look at him with a simple, curious smile.

    He hated them so much. They needed to undo this. They needed¡­

    His eyes closed. He just had to hang on. They¡¯d quit eventually. He just¡­

    His breaths were heavier. He could rest. He could just let himself feel the magic, hold onto it. If ever it truly broke, he¡¯d just teleport, he¡¯d be fine.

    He was so tired. His eyes flickered open and they¡¯d managed to lift their knife a little. That¡­ well, they couldn¡¯t strike without him noticing, at least.

    But they were still trying to kill him. Yet, there was a new depth of conflict in their eyes. Maybe¡­ maybe whatever part of them didn¡¯t want to kill him would win.

    And he¡¯d just teleport away again. Distance mattered a lot for his teleports, but he¡¯d recovered enough strength for a short one. Didn¡¯t know if he could truly attack, but he¡¯d figure that out.

    But no, he just wouldn¡¯t let them go. Wouldn¡¯t¡­ they had to stop.

    They had to.

    His breaths grew deep, as though he were sleeping. He maintained the faintest flicker of consciousness, just listening and feeling his magic, ready to teleport if they managed to break away. He had to recover some strength.

    A strange noise pulled his eyes open again, if only just. Had he fallen asleep? What?

    It happened again. His eyes managed to focus. He was laying down, collapsed on the ground. The sound came a third time.

    ¡­sobbing? The anomaly was crying?

    He could barely see, his vision was so hazy. They stood over him with the knife. How did that happen? He felt the magic, they were still bound.

    Tears were flowing down their face, a strange contrast to their deadly pose. Their body held perfectly still, poised to drive the knife into him, but their expression was outright anguished.

    He didn¡¯t move. He didn¡¯t want to mess anything up. His eyes were open a bare slit, they¡¯d have no idea he was listening.

    ¡°Sans, I¡­¡± they choked out, the first thing he''d ever heard them say.

    Their face was bizarre, seemingly ripped in half, contorted by conflicting emotions. Rage, hatred, burning hostility. Gentle compassion, regret, remorse. That wasn¡¯t the face of a sane individual. Of a single individual. What was going on¡­?

    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± they said, their words oddly strained, their gaze flicking to the knife, which it looked like they were trying to lower, but couldn¡¯t.

    ¡°I will never kill you,¡± they said, their voice burning with something more than mere determination.

    It was confusing, but it filled him with a surge of hope.

    ¡°Never,¡± they said again, gritting their teeth and clearly fighting something in their head. Every word was desperately strained, every syllable fought for, their face twisted in a rictus of determination and conflict.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Sans. And I¡­¡± they said, and they forced a smile onto their face by sheer force of will. ¡°I will always love you. Thank you for everything¡­ goodbye.¡±

    The knife did not fall. That Sans never figured out what was going on, but his last thoughts were those of fervent, real hope that Papyrus would be okay.

    ¡ª

    Frisk lay in the golden flowers, sobbing and shaking. The wall of LOVE that had shielded their soul from attacks and emotions alike hadn¡¯t come with. Seemed like Chara was mostly gone, too. Probably back to the indistinct whisper they¡¯d been, before Frisk had¡­ had made that choice.

    But losing that LOVE apparently meant they felt everything again. The memory of Sans like that, at the end, what they¡¯d done¡­ the memory of Papyrus¡¯s face, as with his last words he told them he believed they could do a little better¡­ the memory of Undyne¡¯s triumphant smile at the end, as she declared her faith in Alphys, even as she melted¡­

    They felt everything, and it hurt too much to scream.

 Ch. 2 - The Reports

    The alarm was going off and Sans groaned as he reached for it. He blearily noted that it wasn¡¯t his morning alarm - it was a quieter one reserved for different purposes. Grumbling, he grabbed his phone, yawning as he started reading.

    His yawn broke off as the reports loaded and he woke all the way up.

    What the hell is going on? he thought, staggered by what he was seeing.

    A few minutes passed as he read before his phone buzzed with a text message.

    Alphys:  OMG SANS WHAT IS HAPPENING

    Sans:  i dunno

    Alphys:  did yuo read the reports????

    Sans:  yep

    Alphys:  what is going ON?!!!

    Sans: looks like at 8:05 this morning, several hundred timelines came into existence inside of 2 maybe 3 primary layers

    Alphys: yeah, but what does that mean?

    Sans: i dunno anything u dont know. were looking at the same reports

    This was not true. Sans hadn¡¯t told Alphys quite a few things that he knew about the origin of the crack in time that they¡¯d been analyzing for years. Mostly because he didn¡¯t want her to come to any problematic conclusions about the timing, when it came to his injury and Papyrus showing up. He also hadn¡¯t told her about all of the private conclusions and suspicions he¡¯d been building up in the last eight months since the reports started showing looping timelines.

    But they were looking at the same reports. So, really, she knew everything he did about this particular event.

    Alphys: Sans this is Freaking me out

    Sans: relax alphys. this has been going on for months

    Alphys: but never THIS much!  Why is there so much all at once?!

    Sans: i know. its the anomalys birthday and they dont want the party to stop

    Alphys: SANS

    Sans: look

    Sans: i dunno why u think i know anything

    Sans: i woke up like five minutes ago

    Alphys: Okay. But i don''t understand everything. WHat does this all Mean? what''s with the gap? It looks like Everything Ends? DOES THAT MEAN THE UNIVERSE IS GOING TO BE DESTROYED BECAUSE I''M NOT OK WITH THAT

    Sans: hey dont worry about that either. look how tiny the gap is. well keep an eye on it. if the probability goes up then well worry.

    Alphys: u know this stuff better than me. Gimme machines over this any day hahaha. So what are the chances? Please please tell me everything.

    Sans: alright alright

    Sans: pretty damn confident the universe is safe. honest

    Sans: itd take forever to explain but im pretty sure this is implying things got close in a different timeline

    Alphys: and couldn¡¯t that happen in this one, too???

    Sans: sure but thats always true

    Sans: theres nothing in the reports from before about that risk being part of the current timeline

    Sans: nothing in these reports about it being part of the current timeline either. really alphys. id be way more worried otherwise

    Alphys: So we just barely escaped being completely erased from existence and that¡¯s okay?!?!?!?

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    Sans: yep

    Alphys: SANS THAT IS NOT OKAY

    Sans: its not great but nothin we can do abt it. and it doesnt matter cause the danger is past anyway. it kinda looks like its still possible but almost all of the probability is in the last layer. the chances might even be 0 for this one. it could be just bleedover. the sensors arnt perfect.

    Alphys: Oh. YOur right!! It really could be zero! OMG Thank You Sans.

    Sans: anytime

    Sans: ill look into this. u focus on ur stuff. i got this

    Alphys: Okay. You¡¯ll tell me right if you find anything????

    Sans: of course

    He was lying about telling her things, but the rest of it was true, at least. He didn¡¯t want to upset Alphys, though, and it was generally better to keep things close to the chest.

    Besides, while she was one hell of an engineer, she really struggled with anything to do with temporal issues. Space, she had down - she could whip up dimensionally anchored storage with spare parts laying around in her lab - but time, eh, not so much.

    Admittedly, he hadn¡¯t exactly given her much of a chance. Hard to get used to dealing with time stuff if you don¡¯t have any guidance. And while he¡¯d made extensive use of her engineering skills to build the spacetime scanning equipment in the first place, and she helped monitor the reports, he didn¡¯t give her anything else to work with. He wouldn¡¯t have included her in the reports, either, if he could have managed it, but naturally, he couldn¡¯t leave her out of getting reports from machines she¡¯d built without her getting suspicious.

    And even if the odds had looked bad, he¡¯d have found a way to convince her there wasn¡¯t any danger. No point in worrying her about it when she couldn¡¯t do anything. At least it looked true - kind of terrifying to see that the possibility had come up, that it was a theoretical event that could result from this time traveller¡¯s actions, but at least it honestly didn¡¯t look like a real possibility now.

    He felt bad for the last Sans, though - the one who had had to deal with that layer. He would not have been happy, seeing those indications for the current timeline. He really wished he could remember things from other timelines. It bothered him so much, knowing that everything he did was just going to be erased and forgotten.

    He wrapped up his conversation with Alphys and laid back down in bed, sighing.

    He didn¡¯t really need to watch anything himself. He and Alphys had set up a ton of monitoring systems around the whole of the underground. They had a few AI programs to notify them of specific, predicted events, so if something interesting happened, both he and Alphys would immediately know about it.

    It was kinda funny how much Undyne got on his case about being a lazy sentry, when in fact he was the best one in the underground, all from his own bed.

    Meant there was no reason to get out of bed, too. Beyond doing the bare minimum to avoid getting fired.

    One of the key conclusions that he¡¯d not told Alphys about was that he suspected the anomaly was a person. Partly because every time he¡¯d decided to try to explicitly track things down, he either found absolutely nothing, or something suspiciously coincidental had happened that derailed his plans.

    Like he¡¯d caught a time traveller and they¡¯d figured out a way to undo it.

    Except there was a flaw in that hypothesis.

    Eight months prior, he and Alphys had seen a staggering burst of timelines come into existence; from when they¡¯d just been analyzing the spacetime crack that spanned the entire underground, and probably extending in fractures to the entire world. Thing is, there had been extremely few new timelines since then, by comparison.

    Sans was not going to mention to Alphys, or anyone, what was at the center of the crack, or when exactly it appeared. Or why he knew it appeared then. Wouldn¡¯t do them any good anyway, right?

    Tens of thousands of timelines, in thousands of layers - it had been far beyond their equipment¡¯s capacity to analyze in any detail. At least there was a ton of data for them to use to refine their sensors. It wasn¡¯t until five months ago that they¡¯d finally started getting estimates of numbers - all they¡¯d known at first was that some huge thing had happened that was screwing up all the readings.

    Back then, the sensors weren¡¯t always active. They booted up and took recordings once per week, to allow regular monitoring, without clogging things up with massive amounts of mostly useless data. They¡¯d been studying it for six years - ever since the incident, ever since he and Papyrus were stranded here and Gaster had died - and there hadn¡¯t been any changes. No point in steady readings in that case, and by eight months ago, he¡¯d pretty much given up trying to go home anyway.

    Their first report of the anomaly came out only days after Alphys¡¯ determination experiment issues, so she was convinced that it had something to do with that. She was sure it was her fault. And it might¡¯ve been related. Sans and her had both suspected the flower that she¡¯d injected with determination had something to do with it, since flowers don''t tend to up and wander off, and especially since they knew that determination had some major spacetime affecting power.

    Alphys didn¡¯t know that to nearly the degree Sans did, but still.

    They¡¯d redirected power and set the sensors into continuous readings with alarms set up for any changes. They¡¯d worked on building new sensor equipment to figure things out, and had done so continuously over these last months.

    But Alphys was, er, distracted by her own challenges, leaving Sans to mostly do it all on his own. She¡¯d build the stuff he thought would help, but it was mostly him figuring out the whole time thing. He helped her with her stuff, as needed, like by being the one to remember to get dog food for the amalgamates - she¡¯d been really absent-minded - but the time stuff had been all him.

    Anyway, the problem was, all those timelines came into existence at once, and since then, there¡¯d been basically nothing. In this layer, there¡¯d been only seventeen new timelines formed. So, what, a time traveller had made so many thousands of layers that their equipment still couldn¡¯t get an exact count, and then suddenly mostly stopped using their power?

    And the weird, coincidental plan-derailments didn¡¯t line up with the new timelines. So, what, the time traveller had figured out all of his plans in a previous timeline layer, and didn¡¯t need to use time travel anymore to stop him?

    If the time traveller knew him that well, and was that opposed to Sans finding anything out¡­ Sans had concluded months ago that he¡¯d have to be really careful. At first, his plan was to be quick to kill them - they clearly had no issues with erasing everyone in any given timeline. Killing them, while maybe excessive, would at least fix things. Though lately he''d given up that line of thinking.

    Regardless of what the anomaly had been up to, though, obviously today was different. Something happened this morning, and it probably wasn¡¯t the anomaly¡¯s birthday.

    The other weird thing was that all of the other layers seemed attached to a single point eight months ago. There weren''t just new timelines - that was reasonably normal, all told, if not to this extent - but they were anchored to a point this morning instead. New layers of timelines, and not just timelines. He didn''t understand what it meant.

    Nothing he could do about it right now, though. He yawned, made sure his alarm settings were set right, and went back to sleep.

    ¡ª

    Frisk had no idea what to say to Flowey when they met in the Ruins again. So they simply stood there, awkwardly fidgeting, as Flowey complained at them, clearly annoyed, for abandoning their plans. Apparently, when Frisk had reset, he must have decided that they¡¯d just been messing around and hadn¡¯t actually wanted to hurt him.

    Frisk didn¡¯t want to tell him the truth about Chara¡¯s insane hostility.

    He ended his little complaints with a huff and said he¡¯d just wait for them to stop messing around, then he left.

    And then¡­ then there was Toriel¡­

    Somehow, and Frisk didn¡¯t even know how it happened, they found themself crying on Toriel¡¯s shoulder while Toriel rubbed their back and hushed them soothingly. They didn¡¯t deserve the kindness, the love, the care, not when they¡¯d murdered her. Not when they¡¯d murdered everyone.

    But it hadn¡¯t happened. The whole point was that it was okay, since it would be undone. They¡¯d promised the first Sans that they¡¯d fix everything. That they wouldn¡¯t lose themself. They could get through this.

    They¡¯d get through the Ruins, and everyone would be alive. Everyone. Toriel would be sad, but just for a day. She¡¯d be alive and she would see the dawn, stand there in the golden light, and everything would be good.

    Frisk wiped their tears and smiled tentatively at Toriel.

    ¡°Everything is going to be okay, little one,¡± Toriel said softly.

    Yes, it will, Frisk thought.

 Ch. 3 - The Anomaly

    When Sans¡¯ monitoring alarm went off about an hour later, he woke up instantly. He hadn¡¯t slept well, for obvious reasons. He looked at his phone and saw that a human had emerged from the Ruins. He felt a twisting in his gut. This was probably the event that made the time traveller go nuts with their power. And, of course, it meant his promise was in play¡­

    He didn¡¯t look closely at the video - better to see them in person. He wasted no time, tossing on his jacket and teleporting to Snowdin forest.

    He watched them walking along the path, and teleported behind them, to follow. He kept his distance, ready to teleport away if they turned around.

    Short - he¡¯d guess right at five feet, so probably a kid. Baggy clothes that were kinda shoddy. Either they didn¡¯t care about their appearance, or possibly poor, or worse.

    But humans were generally pretty okay. Probably would have problems with monsters, but Sans could handle anything they could throw at him. Best to mess with them a bit¡­ they¡¯d be familiar with monsters from their time in the Ruins, so it¡¯d give him a sense of who they were. Nothing quite like putting pressure on things to learn about them, but he didn¡¯t want just hostile pressure.

    Some hostile pressure was fine - he used some gravity magic to smash a stick on the path behind them, to see how they''d react. They turned and smiled, then resumed walking, unconcerned. Huh. They seemed chill, which was nice.

    Regardless, his promise kind of bound his actions here. His hand clenched as his thoughts drifted to how things might have gone if it weren¡¯t for his promise. He might¡¯ve been careful because of the whole surge of timelines thing this morning, but other than that complication, he¡¯d have killed them for their soul, just so Papyrus could see the sun again.

    Even though they were just a kid. As his gaze rested on their walking figure, he couldn¡¯t deny it. He hadn¡¯t let himself think about it, really, since humans came down here so rarely. He hadn¡¯t really expected it, despite literally being paid to be a sentry. But seeing them¡­ it¡¯d been a while since he saw a human, and a lot of old memories tore at him.

    Yeah. He¡¯d murder a kid for their soul. His hand clenched again, but the promise took away that whole problem. No guilt, no worries, no¡­ no regrets, even if this could make Papyrus¡¯s life so much better, the promise was made and that was all there was to it.

    And besides, there wasn¡¯t much point if they were all going to reset to eight months ago, when the next timeline layer started. Or this morning? He wasn''t sure, but either way.

    Hopefully he could figure out what the anomaly wanted. Once they had it, surely they¡¯d stop all this, right? Maybe some good food, some bad laughs, some nice friends¡­ he¡¯d been more hostile to the idea of them months ago, but now he just wanted them to stop making new timelines.

    He was really damned tired of feeling like anything and everything he did was pointless and going to be erased. Even Papyrus was starting to notice his dour mood.

    While the human was really not likely to be the anomaly, they seemed connected to the recent event. He should try to befriend them, too. Plus the whole promise thing. And, if they made it to Asgore, he''d judge the EXP and LOVE they''d gained along the way, of which they''d doubtlessly get some.

    Even though, with the whole situation in the underground, with Asgore''s orders¡­ there was no way this was going to end well.

    But at least he could try to be friendly and stuff in the meantime.

    For that, there was something he needed to grab. He had to teleport home real fast to get it, but he knew exactly where he kept them all. When he came back, he let his feet crunch loudly into the snow as he walked up to the human. They paused at the little bridge over the ravine as he approached.

    ¡°human,¡± he said in a cold tone.

    They turned around as he started to reach out his hand. They immediately took his hand¡­

    A hilarious noise filled the air as he grinned at them until the whoopie cushion he¡¯d hidden in his grasp had run its course.

    The human was grinning right back at him. They had an odd look on their face for a moment, but it was lost to their giggles. They started laughing harder and harder, like this joke was desperately relieving for some reason.

    Uh, okay, but hey, this was a good sign. He loved a responsive audience and the kid clearly had good taste in jokes.

    Though maybe not a kid after all. He¡¯d actually put their age in the upper teens, a full adult even. Eh, still young enough to call them a kid.

    Their laughter grew to the point of tears, and it was too much. He had solid composure himself - it was necessary to pull off deadpan humor, after all - but their mirth was so rich it was contagious. He fell to the temptation and laughed along, tickled pink at their reaction.

    After a moment of that, they sighed happily and grinned at him.

    He was taken aback by what he saw in their gaze. He¡¯d long since mastered studying expressions, human expressions especially, and he couldn¡¯t make any sense of this.

    There was a blazing intensity to their gaze as they looked at him that looked like¡­ fanaticism, maybe? There was a softness, a gentleness, that looked like¡­ a depth of care? Like he was a best friend, or something? There was also a shitload of pain in their gaze, like they¡¯d been deeply traumatized by something.

    What the hell? This couldn¡¯t be the anomaly, could it? That didn¡¯t make any sense. If they were attached to him, why would they do something so blatant now, and meticulously derail his investigations earlier? How would they have been messing with his plans if they were in the Ruins this whole time? Why wouldn¡¯t his knock knock buddy have said something? What was going on?

    Yeah, he had no clue what to make of this.

    He introduced himself to them, probably sounding a little awkward as he tried to cover up his confusion at seeing their expression. But he saw Papyrus making his rounds in the distance and grinned. Perfect timing.

    As Papyrus showed up, Sans hid the kid behind a conveniently shaped lamp and played out a gag with Papyrus. Paps showed his usual observation levels by utterly failing to notice the muffled giggling behind the lamp. It was so adorable Sans was trying not to break out laughing himself.

    After that, he warned the kid about heading off, saying if they didn¡¯t, they¡¯d have to stay and listen to more bad jokes. It looked like they were extremely tempted to do just that, but they shyly nodded, not saying a word, and started to head off.

    Pretending it was an afterthought, as they were about to leave, he asked them to play along with Papyrus. They nodded more seriously at that, something intense blazing in their eyes, before moving on their way.

    Weird.

    And he wondered why they weren¡¯t saying anything.

    He spied on them as they went along, and ran a few more playful gags with Papyrus. They consistently said nothing, but their face said everything. He was missing so much context, though, that he had absolutely no clue what to make of it all.

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    One interesting thing that especially caught his eye - they were bizarrely good at combat. Defensive combat, anyway.

    He knew damned well how good humans were at combat, in general. The teens in this forest were kinda self-centered assholes, who probably didn¡¯t realize that their shoddy self control with their magical auras wasn¡¯t merely rude, it was actively harmful to humans. A human could take a lot and kill monsters damned easily, of course, but still, if a human were trying to be nice, hurting them was a dick move. And just because it was a way to communicate between monsters didn¡¯t make it okay, either, due to how aggressive they were with it.

    If the human really fell just this morning, and had never seen these monsters before, then their movements didn¡¯t make an ounce of sense.

    Not a single hint of damage took them, as they gracefully wove body and soul alike around the idiotic bursts of power around the teens. They moved, in fact, with so much grace and delicate precision that it looked effortless, and almost like it was a complete accident that they happened to have been standing in a place, or holding themself just right, to have taken no harm.

    Yeah, that wasn¡¯t an accident.

    It didn¡¯t make sense that they were the anomaly, though. The timing just didn¡¯t add up. What the hell was he missing?

    On the bright side, they seemed gentler than any human he¡¯d so much as heard of, let alone met. They had a stick and fiddled with it on occasion, but would toss it aside, never so much as touching it when a monster was nearby. They were patient and playful with literally everyone. They gave Lesser Dog so many pets that the poor thing practically lost his head, and giggled at Snowdrake¡¯s awful puns. Even Jerry got nothing more than a bemused grin. Everyone hated Jerry.

    He continued to watch and occasionally interact with them. They stayed quiet, but always responsive to anything he said. The look on their face whenever they met his eyes was¡­ it was downright unsettling.

    His mind kept coming up with really stupid explanations for their expressions. Like, ¡°fanatical devotion, as though he were their god.¡± Or, ¡°someone caught in the depths of intense emotional attachment - the face of someone in love.¡± Or, ¡°someone who desperately wants to tell him something, but is terrified of speaking.¡±

    None of that made any goddamned sense.

    The conclusion that they¡¯d been deeply traumatized by something - that, at least, made some level of sense. Guilt, pain, emotional devastation - those conclusions he was pretty confident in.

    He did finally hear their voice when they faced his epic puzzle of otherworldly impossibility - a word search he¡¯d grabbed randomly. They¡¯d grinned at Papyrus¡¯s reaction and made a big deal about pausing and looking at the word search with an exaggerated look of focus on their face, but they were clearly on the edge of laughing. After a bit, they put it down and walked over, almost shyly.

    He and Paps had played around a bit with them, and that¡¯s when he finally heard them speak - when Papyrus asked them to ¡°solve this dispute,¡± between Junior Jumble and crosswords. They glanced at Sans with an amused look, like they were sharing an inside joke, as they softly said that they thought crosswords were harder. Paps was, naturally, hilarious about that, and once he''d left, Sans joked with the human about Papyrus finding difficulty in odd places.

    They¡¯d gone back to responsive silence. He supposed they¡¯d only speak if directly asked to, for some reason? He was a little wary of pushing, though.

    They continued to be weird and weirdly skilled as they went on their way. The dog couple was actually reasonably tough and should have posed them at least a smidgeon of trouble - it wasn¡¯t random fluctuations of power, like the dumb teenagers - but the kid again moved with prescient grace, rolling in the dirt and confusing the pair of dogs into thinking they were a puppy, without even taking a glancing hit.

    Weird.

    He wasn¡¯t the only one they were extra weird with, though. The fond, guilty, near-adoration on their face as they looked at Papyrus was interesting, too.

    Like, when Papyrus had screwed around with his little X and O puzzle, trying to make it in the shape of his face, the kid had pretended to look at the puzzle thoughtfully from beside Papyrus. They shuffled back a little till they were outside of Papyrus¡¯s view, and then just stared at him.

    It¡¯d been their first opportunity to openly stare at Papyrus without him looking at them, without anyone seeing them - well, as far as they knew - and he figured that was why they hadn¡¯t done it earlier.

    They¡¯d actually started crying as they stared. A huge grin, what looked like desperate joy and relief, as tears poured down their cheeks. Sans would have placed a bet that they really wanted to give Papyrus a hug, too. It took them a minute to regain their composure and, after wiping their cheeks, they effortlessly solved the puzzle. They pretended to think about it, but it was clearly pretense. Papyrus was hugely impressed and praised them, and they giggled.

    After Papyrus went on his way, he decided to call them out on things a little. Carefully, of course.

    ¡°¡­ you must be really good at puzzles, huh?¡± he asked, feigning casualness.  ¡°i mean. it¡¯s impossible for you to have seen this one before.¡±

    They looked like he¡¯d slapped them.

    ¡°I¡­ I mean¡­¡± they stammered and looked away, their expression torn.

    Yeah, they definitely had seen it before. They had to be the anomaly¡­ even though it didn¡¯t make any goddamned sense.

    They glanced between Sans and where Papyrus was up ahead, back and forth, wringing their hands anxiously.

    They wanted to tell Sans something, but not Papyrus. Didn¡¯t want to risk him hearing anything. But they were also afraid of saying it. They were trying to be brave.

    At least, that¡¯s what he thought was happening with their face, but this was really weird.

    He shrugged, artfully casual, and made his way ahead. He pulled out his phone as he did, going to the feed that watched this area. They were staring at him, a conflicted expression on their face, as he walked away. Just standing there, unmoving, until he was out of sight.

    And then they collapsed to their knees, arms tightly holding their torso like they were trying to hold themself together, their shoulders shaking. Sobbing, probably?

    Just what the hell was going on¡­?

    Should he push them harder? Outright ask? Maybe he should still play it safe for a bit - just gentle goofing around, playfully messing with them. Questions couldn¡¯t be unasked, not of a time traveller.

    Yeah. He¡¯d just watch, listen, and play for a bit. He was confused, but this was working. He was getting a lot to work with.

    ¡ª

    Frisk had tried so hard to do this right, to fix everything, but they couldn¡¯t keep pretending.

    The memories wouldn¡¯t stop. The choice that Frisk had made, the follow-through, the dust¡­ they were trying to fix it, to make it right, they were trying, but¡­

    Sans¡¯ face beamed at them as he toyed with their perceptions, subtly teleporting around again. Playing at the cliff, just like the first time, taunting them by seeming to be in two places at once, for laughs.

    Sans¡¯ face full of solemn determination, as he broke his oath to save the world. His pleading sorrow, as he begged them to make it right. The resigned finality on his face as he slowly collapsed in exhaustion. Raising the knife¡­

    They choked and stumbled. They couldn¡¯t breathe. They hadn¡¯t killed him in the end, he won, and everyone else¡­ they were alive, Toriel was alive and hugged them goodbye; Papyrus was alive and playing with his puzzles, and¡­

    Sans¡¯s face, a glimmer of deep concern in his eyes, behind his jovial mask.

    ¡°hey kid,¡± he said, sauntering over with his hands in his jacket pockets. ¡°you look like you¡¯re having a bad time.¡±

    A strangled laugh emerged from them, and they collapsed to the ground, rolling onto their back. Snow fell slowly onto their face.

    Sans was visible within the periphery. It was silent and alone in this place beside the cliff, so near to Snowdin.

    Snowdin, full of Christmas cheer, of cinnamon buns and laughter and music.

    Snowdin, full of dust. Of pleas to spare their family, of theft and echoing emptiness.

    ¡°I am,¡± Frisk admitted after a long moment, tears in their eyes. ¡°Sans¡­ I¡­¡±

    They swallowed and he gave them a curious look. They couldn¡¯t do this, they couldn¡¯t hide this from him. It might wreck everything, but Frisk belonged to Sans now, and so they had to confess everything. They had to. Something settled in their soul as that decision was made.

    ¡°It¡¯s my fault,¡± they said, their eyes closed. ¡°I mean, some of it isn¡¯t, it¡¯s complicated. But the reports. The timelines, stopping and starting. All of you coming back with no memories. It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s my fault, and I... I¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ I have to¡­ I¡­ I¡¯m sor¡­¡±

    Their voice broke on the last word, as they looked at him. They mouthed it, but it didn¡¯t come out. Seeing his face as they tried to face what they¡¯d done¡­ they couldn¡¯t breathe, they couldn¡¯t speak.

    But they¡¯d do anything for him. They couldn¡¯t speak, but they knew, if he asked, they would answer. And just that knowledge brought a strange stability to their shattered soul.

 Ch. 4 - Confession at the Cliff

    This was good? Probably? Sans didn¡¯t even need to ask anything, he just commented that they were obviously having some trouble, and boom, a confession popped right out. Easy as anything.

    So they were the anomaly. And, more interesting, they knew about the reports. Why in the world would he have told them about that?

    He gave them a sidelong look as they lay on their back in the snow, blindly staring up at the ceiling. It seemed¡­ best to stay and have this conversation. But he should play it safe. He was ready to teleport at a moment¡¯s notice - well, that was true pretty much always, but whatever - so he¡¯d be safe. He sat down next to the kid. They closed their eyes and seemed to relax.

    They both were silent for a moment, while Sans tried to figure out what to say. Maybe a vague prompt. He knew they¡¯d had a hard time, at least, so maybe start with that.

    ¡°how bad was it?¡± he asked.

    Their face tightened, twisted with pain, and a whimper escaped them. Eh, maybe not a good question.

    ¡°You can kill me whenever you want,¡± they said, their voice agonized as they trembled. ¡°As many times as you want. Or¡­ or, if you don¡¯t want to break your promise, I could kill myself. You just have to ask. Only¡­¡±

    Ooookay, then, this was really not what he¡¯d been expecting. He¡¯d told them about the promise, too? He¡¯d have only done that if he¡¯d thought of them as a friend.

    They swallowed and shook their head.

    ¡°Only¡­ it doesn¡¯t¡­ I¡¯d just come back. Whenever I die, I just find myself back, I don¡¯t choose, I don¡¯t know if I could stay dead even if I chose to. I mean, sort of, but it¡¯s complicated, I¡­¡±

    Their words choked out after a flurry of speech, and it looked like they didn¡¯t know what they were supposed to say next.

    ¡°you¡¯re not in control of your power?¡± he asked, which was probably the most concerning part of what they¡¯d said. Maybe. There was a lot.

    ¡°Yes? No? Yes, I am,¡± they said, shaking their head unhelpfully. ¡°The furthest back I can go is the moment I fell into the Underground, this morning. I can create - I guess you could call them anchors - whenever I want, with a bit of time and focus. I call them save points. And whenever I choose, I can just¡­ push at time, and find myself there. Either at the save I¡¯d made, or all the way back to the moment I arrived, nothing in between. But when I die, I don¡¯t choose. I just find myself back at the save point.¡±

    Okay, so that matched up nicely with today¡¯s reports - the weird burst from today, the different layer start point, that was all them. But what was going on with the previous stuff? Was there a second time traveller, maybe?

    It was also weird how they talked about death, how casual their tone was.

    ¡°sounds like you¡¯ve died a lot,¡± he said.

    They laughed at that, like he¡¯d told a great joke. They looked up at him with a bizarre expression of adoration, but pain was still thick on their face.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± they said. ¡°It¡¯s how I discovered my power in the first place, actually. I kinda freaked out on seeing monsters, and some stuff in the Ruins was¡­ complicated. And I didn¡¯t realize the monsters were thinking. I mean, some obviously were, and I was nice to them, but the rest, I thought were creepy animals and I panicked. I attacked them, killed them. And then the magic¡­ I freaked out more and died.¡±

    That sounded depressingly on point for humans.

    Weird, though. He didn¡¯t feel even a smidgeon of LOVE from them. He tried to think of how to phrase that question, but they continued.

    ¡°Of course, I realized later that they all were actually people, actually able to think, and as soon as I did, I freaked out about that. I didn¡¯t want to hurt anyone. So I pushed and found myself where I¡¯d fallen, undoing it all.¡±

    This was not lining up at all with that whole ¡°kill me a bazillion times¡± thing they¡¯d said. And also, did that mean that their LOVE wasn¡¯t kept over resets? Huh. He¡¯d thought that LOVE was a feature of the soul, not something that could be just discarded, time shenanigans or otherwise.

    But that all aside, there was something really good in what they¡¯d said.

    ¡°sounds like you really care,¡± he said.

    They nodded and closed their eyes. Maybe asking what they¡¯d done might be too much, but asking as to their motives might work.

    ¡°so¡­ whatever it was you did¡­ if you care that much, why did you do it?¡± he asked.

    They put their hands on their face and trembled. Maybe it was a little much. They were obviously traumatized and he was really trying to ask questions nicely¡­

    ¡°I felt like I had no choice,¡± they said in a voice barely over a whisper, then looked at him. ¡°Even despite that, when you killed me¡­¡±

    He what? But his promise¡­ what the hell had they done?

    A surge of nerves filled him and his eye flared up with magic in response. This was way more dangerous than he¡¯d first thought.

    And worse, when they saw his eye light up like that, they smiled. It was a look of recognition, of pain and appreciation.

    What the hell.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± they said with a wry, pained laugh. ¡°You broke your promise in order to kill me. It was that bad.¡±

    He gave them a sidelong look as they sighed, trying to figure out what the hell to do about this information. At least¡­ well, they didn¡¯t seem hostile in the slightest. They seemed to feel guilty. This was probably still fine. The conversation, that is, not the situation.

    ¡°But when you killed me, even though I felt like I had to do it, I still deserved it,¡± they said. ¡°I¡¯m trying to make it right, I will, I¡¯ll do whatever it takes, but¡­¡±

    They sighed. Sans¡¯s anxiety settled down a little from his earlier nerves at hearing that they wanted to fix things. This was maybe not too bad.

    ¡°As to why I did it¡­ that¡¯s hard to answer,¡± they said and looked at him again, awkward regret on their face. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to answer that without telling you everything and I don¡¯t want to bore you.¡±

    ¡­ seriously?

    ¡°i¡¯m not worried about being bored,¡± he said dryly. ¡°go ahead and tell me everything.¡±

    They nodded, relaxing visibly for some reason that Sans couldn¡¯t guess.. The anguish on their face disappeared and they settled into an odd sort of contentment.

    And they began to speak, the words flowing smoothly and without hesitation.

    ¡°The first timeline. I did things right, that time. With¡­ help from my timeline powers, granted, but I did. I tried so hard. As I said, I¡¯d attacked and killed some monsters, and had been killed in turn. And I met a few monsters¡­ one rather problematic one¡­ but I also met your knock knock friend, Toriel. She¡¯s really nice. But smothering. She refused to let me leave at first.¡±

    Toriel was a nice name. And this was sounding rather promising. A human thoughtlessly killing people that they didn¡¯t recognize as people was pretty much standard in his experience, so while he¡¯d judge them a little for that, eh. Realizing they were wrong and taking action to fix it, though? Now that was noteworthy. Absolutely zero judgment from him on that score.

    ¡°She eventually made me fight her if I wanted to leave, and so I did. But I didn¡¯t realize how¡­ I didn¡¯t understand how monsters worked, then. Even though I had a dumb little toy knife made out of plastic, I managed to kill her. I was horrified. And I freaked out about that, and thought of the other monsters I killed, and¡­ anyway.

    ¡°So I went to reload, but decided to try to fully reset instead, all the way to the beginning, and it worked, I was so relieved. By then, I¡¯d suspected all of the monsters were thinking creatures, and combined with killing her, that''s what pushed me to try. I decided to never attack anyone again. I had to be so careful.¡±

    He nodded along. If they were used to fleshy things - humans and animals - it made perfect sense. All it¡¯d take was some hostile intent, such as from their frustration at Toriel trying to force them to remain against their will, combined with the intention to strike. That¡¯d do real damage, which wouldn¡¯t kill Toriel in a single strike, but if they didn¡¯t realize they were seriously hurting her¡­ it added up.

    ¡°I made my way through the underground, and met so many wonderful people,¡± they said, a smile lighting up their face. ¡°You, Papyrus. Undyne - though that was a mess, especially at first, but with Papyrus¡¯s help, it turned out well. Alphys. Mettaton¡­ well, he¡¯s not exactly great, but we did have a really great moment. Right after he tried to kill me, but it was sweet, in the end.¡±

    ¡°you had a great moment right after he tried to kill you?¡± Sans asked incredulously.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± they said with a shrug. ¡°I¡¯ve died really quite a lot since coming here, but you get used to it after a while.¡±

    Sans had absolutely no idea what to say to that.

    ¡°Things were¡­ weird, but nice, all the way up to Asgore. And he was a complete pain in the ass. He absolutely refused to consider peace, to consider mercy. He killed me over and over, and I tried everything I could think of to make him stop, but I just couldn¡¯t. And I know I said I¡¯d decided to not attack anyone, but it wasn¡¯t a promise, just a desire to be the sort of person I wanted to be, you know? I felt like I had no other choices with Asgore, so I attacked him. But, as I pushed him to his limit and he fell, he finally stopped trying to kill me. Finally, finally, he accepted my pleas for peace.¡±

    Sans was having a hard time trying to reconcile what they were telling him. So gentle, so peaceful, that despite monsters trying to kill them over and over, they were dedicated and relieved for any chance at peace. And then they went and turned bad enough to make him break his promise? What the hell happened?

    He believed them, too. Their face¡­ it was like a deathbed confession. There wasn¡¯t a shred of guile - this was truth.

    ¡°Things¡­ got weird after that. The flower telling Papyrus things? It¡¯s not an echo flower, it¡¯s not a prank. That¡¯s the original timeline looper. He¡¯s¡­ incredibly dangerous. It¡¯s a really long story, but he doesn¡¯t have a soul; doesn¡¯t have the capacity for compassion, hope, and love anymore.¡±

    How many ridiculous bombs are you going to drop on me, kid? he thought with an internal groan. He mentally filed this tidbit away to deal with later.

    Still, it was nice to have things slot into place. There were, in fact, two time travellers, and the first one was not only connected to the flower from the experiments, but it was the flower. Somehow. He¡¯d already been inclined to believe them, from their voice and facial expressions, but this was lining up absolutely perfectly. His doubts faded even more.

    ¡°All that complexity aside, the point is, I had to use some timeline looping power and I ended up getting Flowey¡¯s cooperation - er, that¡¯s the flower¡¯s name - for a thing, and it¡¯s really a whole story, but the short version, we were able to break the barrier. It was¡­ really good. It was wonderful and beautiful and perfect.¡±

    They sighed and covered their face with their hands. A feeling of guilt and shame practically oozed off of them.

    It sounded nice, that timeline. Not that it mattered, when it was all going to reset anyway. Not worth putting in effort, if it¡¯d all be undone. But still, nice.

    But he just couldn¡¯t understand, from what they¡¯d said, why they¡¯d choose to reset, then. Why didn¡¯t they leave it alone, let them have it?

    ¡°but you reset anyway,¡± Sans said, his voice a little dark.

    They flinched, and he watched them tremble.

    ¡°Some things I learned¡­ about Flowey¡¯s history, about someone named Chara¡­¡± they said, and something strange happened.

    As the name ¡°Chara¡± crossed their lips, a shiver seemed to run through them, and their face twisted into an odd expression. He couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that it didn¡¯t look¡­ right somehow. Like it wasn¡¯t them, though that didn¡¯t make sense.

    ¡°There''s danger in me, too. I¡­ this is going to sound really dumb without a huge host of context, but I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m partially possessed by a soulless, empowered copy of a previous incarnation of my own soul.¡±

    ¡°that¡¯s definitely weird,¡± he said. ¡°but i believe you.¡±

    They had access to more information than he did, and what they¡¯d already said lined up well with his knowledge. The only problem was with reconciling their super peacefulness with them doing whatever it was that made them feel so guilty, that made Sans break his promise to kill them - and being possessed by something probably tied into that.

    And even if they were wrong, it didn¡¯t hurt to make them feel more comfortable confessing this all to him.

    ¡°Thanks, I think,¡± they said with a wry laugh. ¡°So¡­ there were some really scary moments. Moments where Chara sort of¡­ took over. Please don¡¯t say that name carelessly to Toriel or Asgore, by the way¡­ it¡¯s a sensitive subject. It¡¯d need to be broached carefully.¡±

    Interesting. So this ¡°Chara¡± character wasn¡¯t just some random time traveller problem, but a known figure? To both his knock knock buddy and the king? He wondered what was going on with those two. Must date pretty far back.

    ¡°Anyway. The times where they took over, it was¡­ uh, not promising. And I found some things about their past that were likewise¡­ not promising.¡±

    That was annoyingly vague. But then, he supposed it connected to whatever made him break his promise¡­ and it¡¯d take a lot.

    ¡°And the idea of having this entity in my head, with the sort of power I have? It¡¯s¡­ I want to keep that golden dawn, Sans. I can get it back - I know how, and I have infinite attempts.¡±

    He nodded at that. It was good they wanted to fix it, at least. Not so great that they were so cavalier about using the power, but he could understand where they were coming from.

    ¡°But what is this power? I don¡¯t feel fully in control  - again, I just find myself back when I die. I know it¡¯s born of my determination and drive, but¡­ what if I decide to let myself die, let myself cease to exist, and instead, Chara comes back? What happens when I die of old age? Is everything lost? If I got to the end of a long life, and got stuck in an endless loop, and found myself back here¡­ I would lose my mind, then. I would, Sans, that might be the end of the world. When Chara and I work together¡­¡±

    They hesitated, and Sans groaned on the inside. He didn''t know if they knew about the part of the reports that indicated an end to everything, but it sounded like they had an idea of how to do it. And it looked like it had gotten damned close, last timeline, best as he could figure. This was seriously not good.

    At least he had some information that could help make sure it never came up again.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t give over everything to them, but it felt close,¡± they admitted. ¡°But I¡¯m getting ahead of myself. You asked why. That¡¯s why. I have to know. I needed to know who they are, what I¡¯m dealing with. How dangerous they are. What they want. I needed to understand them well enough to have a starting point to get rid of them. They seemed to stir the most in, uh, psychopathic moments, let¡¯s say. Like, I saw something incredibly, soul-wrenchingly sad, and I felt from them a desire to laugh to the point of tears and it was¡­ I can¡¯t even begin to¡­¡±

    They trailed off, looking utterly lost in their own head, and he considered.

    Don¡¯t think I agree with their reasoning, but I guess it at least makes sense. So they decided they needed some answers about their psycho ghost possessing them. To do that, they decided to do psycho things, rather than asking for help.

    Or¡­ actually, now that I think about it, who would they have asked? Alphys? Me? I¡¯d have no clue what to do with something like that. Alphys either, I''d guess. Maybe they did ask us and didn¡¯t get anything conclusive, since they knew so little. No one had any idea where to start.

    So it was either take a gamble with everything by hoping it never goes wrong, or try to figure things out on their own. And hope they don¡¯t go bad. But if they¡¯re that peaceful, that they¡¯d fight so hard to save people even as they died over and over again¡­ maybe they felt there was no chance they¡¯d actually go bad. That, as awful as it would be, it was the less risky option.

    I don¡¯t think I could¡­ nah, who am I kidding? With a half decent reason, I could do some dark shit, too.

    A good few minutes had passed in silence as he thought. He needed to get them talking again.

    ¡°so you decided to reset and see if you could draw them out,¡± Sans prompted.

    ¡°Exactly, exactly,¡± they said, sounding relieved. Their tone became pained and solemn again as they continued. ¡°I sort of¡­ wrapped my heart in EXP and LOVE, and found I couldn¡¯t really¡­ I don¡¯t know how to put it¡­ the things I felt, some of them couldn¡¯t be said, couldn¡¯t be expressed? Papyrus described me as ¡®shambling around,¡¯ you asked if I were even capable of emoting at all¡­ and that was at the beginning, here, in Snowdin. It only got worse.¡±

    Interesting. They were a completely open book right now. They seemed traumatized as hell, but not¡­ that. But the two of them couldn¡¯t keep dancing around what they did. EXP and LOVE, huh¡­? Hopefully the question didn¡¯t mess them up.

    ¡°what did you do, kid?¡± he asked finally.

    ¡°Everyone,¡± they said, closing their eyes. ¡°I killed everyone. Chara became more real, more tangible, with every kill; they felt a surge of satisfaction when no one could be found; so I killed literally everyone.¡±

    What the fuck.

    ¡°Alphys managed to evacuate Hotlands and New Home, I¡¯m guessing to her secret lab, and you st-sto-stopped me. So there was only you, Asgore, and Flowey left.¡±

    They found the true lab? And not in their psycho timeline, sounded like. And why¡¯d they stammer when they said he stopped them?

    ¡°But, Sans, from my perspective¡­ it was temporary. I couldn¡¯t manage to say the words, ¡®I¡¯m sorry¡¯ and ¡®I¡¯ll fix everything,¡¯ not out loud. But in my head, in my heart, I screamed them again and again. They¡¯d never know, they¡¯d never remember. I had to hold that shield of LOVE else my soul would have torn in half, and I had to know. You were¡­ you are¡­¡±

    They trailed off, tears falling from their face. Sans just listened, reeling, as he took it in.

    ¡°You were the only one who understood what you faced,¡± they said, their voice hollow with anguish. ¡°You were the only one who tried to speak to the soul behind the Level of Violence I¡¯d gained, the only one who saw me as maybe not a mass murdering psycho. Or at least, not just that. You looked at my expression and made a new dark joke for the amount of deaths you¡¯d judged I¡¯d had, at your hands. There were many. Like damn, Sans, you are a badass.¡±

    Their voice was admiring, their expression reverent. He¡¯d have called it the face of someone in love, if that didn¡¯t make absolutely no sense. They were talking about going on a mass murdering rampage and Sans repeatedly murdering the shit out of them, which did not match that expression at all.

    And yeah, he¡¯d have understood what he was up against. Nothing that can be done, really, against something that keeps coming back. His mind flashed to approaches he¡¯d probably try, rules that could be stepped around¡­

    But what would he have had to have seen, to actually pull out all the stops and try with everything he had? Would that vague ending in the reports have been enough? He wished he could just ask the other Sans, but that timeline, like all the others, was erased. Infinite copies of him, and yet completely alone. Because they were right - no one else understood.

    Not anymore, anyway.

    ¡°and you couldn¡¯t get past me,¡± he said, his voice darker.

    ¡°I¡­ so, you blew up my body in a truly staggering number of ways, rather painful ways, as it should be,¡± they said. ¡°But the real assault was on my mind, on my soul. You¡­ you said¡­ and I¡­¡±

    They trailed off, choking again. It was a moment before they could speak.

    ¡°I¡¯d committed to seeing it through,¡± they said with their eyes closed. ¡°I¡¯d kill everyone, and figure out who they were, who Chara was, and I found, really, all sorts of interesting things along the way about Chara¡¯s nature. And then, I¡¯d undo it, and fix everything, and maybe take what I¡¯d found to you or Alphys and we could figure out what to do about it. And if what needs to happen is to forge that golden dawn, to fix everything, and then have you and Alphys design something to kill me absolutely, in a way I can¡¯t come back from? Then so be it.¡±

    They laughed bitterly and Sans felt a flash of pity for them. Determined enough to live that their soul wrecked timelines, but willing to die absolutely so the monsters could have a good future. Monsters who had killed them again and again since arriving.

    They didn¡¯t want that outcome - he could see it clear on their face. They were afraid of death. Of real death, anyway. But their determination to do what they felt they had to was unshakeable. He had to admire that, however begrudgingly.

    ¡°Except, Alphys¡­ she couldn¡¯t. She couldn¡¯t! Not if she¡¯s only known me as a gentle soul, who¡¯s friends with everyone. I couldn¡¯t¡­ I couldn¡¯t tell her, she wouldn¡¯t understand, not like you do¡­ I haven¡¯t tried, this isn¡¯t a thing I failed at, I haven¡¯t gotten to her again after¡­ after what I did¡­¡±

    They shook their head.

    That would be a problem, Sans had to admit. Alphys couldn¡¯t kill a friend. He doubted she¡¯d be able to bring herself to kill at all. But Sans?

    He gave the kid a sidelong look. He could do it. Even if he grew to care for them, if he felt it was necessary¡­

    But even with all this crap they did¡­ with how much they clearly care about us and regret it¡­ I wouldn¡¯t want to. If it weren''t for my promise, yeah, I''d have killed them for their soul. Still would - beyond the whole thing where there''s another option now, and also the fact that it would accomplish less than nothing. For what they did, it''d be deserved, too. But seeing how torn up they are, how much they care¡­ I really wouldn''t want to.

    ¡°I reached your limit, and I felt Chara like never before,¡± they admitted hoarsely. ¡°You were¡­ you¡¯d given me everything, every possible angle of attack, you were brilliant, and my soul bled¡­ and you lay collapsed before me, passed out from sheer exhaustion, leaving me ¡®trapped¡¯ on your turn. I don¡¯t even know how that¡¯s supposed to work. I couldn¡¯t do anything, really, it was brilliant, but¡­ but with Chara, I¡­¡±

    He swallowed.

    Fuck. They won. Even with all that¡­? They never gave up?

    ¡°I was able to raise my knife, and I¡­¡± they said, trailing off again. ¡°I felt them, then. Itching to come out fully. I felt that I was at the edge of the absolute. Somehow, I just knew¡­ if I surrendered to them in that moment, if I did as they wished, if I killed you¡­ I felt like that was the last choice. That they would be able to take control, rather than simply dark impulses and scary thoughts.¡±

    Yeah, this was really not good.

    ¡°They pushed me hard. Don¡¯t I want to know what happens, if you¡¯d pull something else amazing out of your ass? I hadn¡¯t even dealt with Flowey, and that was a situation rich with possibility - he¡¯s another time looper! His power was co-opted by mine, so he could be truly killed if I wished, and I could see what would happen. And Asgore¡­ so many people would say such interesting things as they died, maybe I could glean some true insight¡­ he knew Chara before they died, after all. I just needed to strike you down and move on. You¡¯d bound me so thoroughly I couldn¡¯t even escape, except by reloading. It was all I could do to position myself to kill you. All we could do, rather - I couldn¡¯t on my own. And they wouldn¡¯t help me if I wanted you to live.¡±

    They laughed bitterly. Sans was reeling from the staggering amount of implications in what they¡¯d just said.

    ¡°I¡¯d have done it, too. I¡¯d have given in. I¡¯d tried not to lose myself, but¡­ I would have, if it weren¡¯t for¡­ you,¡± they said. ¡°The things you said; the friendship we¡¯d forged and you¡¯d called on, even though you didn¡¯t remember; everything¡­ I¡­ I¡¯d always admired you, but in that moment, I realized¡­ I¡­¡±

    They choked before they could continue, but they looked straight at Sans as though begging him to know what they were going to say anyway. The look on their face¡­

    This is all kinds of fucked up, he thought with another suppressed groan. The kid¡­ the anomaly¡­ fell in love with me? What the fuck. And from when I was killing them over and over? What the hell have you gotten yourself into, Sans?

    His expression was tight and impassive.

    ¡°Even temporarily, even for knowledge, even for commitment, I just¡­ I couldn''t. My soul refused. And I reset.¡±

    A shaky sigh escaped them.

    ¡°And now I¡¯m here, trying to fix everything,¡± they said. ¡°The memories are¡­ without that shield of the Level of Violence, they¡¯re too¡­ they¡¯re too much, Sans. I can¡¯t tell you how much I want you to kill me. To kill me again and again, until maybe my heart stops hurting so much. And it¡¯s stupid - why would that even help? You¡¯ve already killed me a few hundred times, though only during that timeline.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t even mentally react anymore, this was just too much. A twinge of sympathy ran through him - as much as he was reeling, it¡¯s gotta be worse for the kid. He understood, too. He¡¯s probably the one that explained it to them in the first place, the way he meant to do, in the last corridor before the throne room - all about how EXP and LOVE worked. He didn¡¯t realize that they could just shrug it off with the reset, he thought it ran deeper than that, but apparently that was how it worked. The kid was clearly not faking being messed up over all this.

    ¡°All I can say is¡­ just¡­ anything you want, Sans. I can¡¯t¡­ I was so wrapped in that shield, that I¡­ I didn¡¯t realize, then¡­ what you saved me from¡­ I think Chara would have destroyed the world. I wonder if Chara would have fully taken over, and I would become the little ghost in their mind as they destroy everything I love¡­ I cannot begin to tell you what you saved me from. Saved everyone from. I can¡¯t look at you without remembering, I can¡¯t keep it a secret. Not from you.¡±

    They sat up and bowed their head.

    He guessed some of their gratitude made sense, if they looked at it like that.

    And even more pieces had slotted into place. All of his reports lined up nicely. Somehow Chara was pushing for the end of everything. Those hundreds of loops were mostly him killing the kid, to stop that outcome. And there was basically no chance in this timeline, since they weren¡¯t encouraging the psycho ghost.

    ¡°Anything, Sans,¡± they repeated, tears dripping onto the snow. ¡°My life, my death, my service. My true death, with yours or Alphys¡¯s help to find a way to make it stick. Though we¡¯d need to deal with Flowey, first. If I lose the power, I think he gets it back. I know this is a lot to lay on you, and you don¡¯t have to do anything with it. I just¡­ I couldn¡¯t just not tell you. I tried, but I couldn¡¯t. However many times it takes, I¡¯ll fix everything, and break the barrier again, and restore that beautiful future. And anything else you want. Always.¡±

    He nodded slowly.

    ¡°By the path I¡¯d followed¡­ I¡¯d become everyone¡¯s friend. It¡­ might be hard to do that, to fix everything and break the barrier, without building all of those friendships. But I can try. I can leave Papyrus out of it. I can refuse to be his friend, if you like, though I miss our friendship. If you want me permanently dead, after, and don¡¯t want him to suffer the death of a friend.¡±

    This, weirdly, seemed to be a bigger sacrifice than offering their true death.

    Maybe¡­ maybe they started by wanting to live. Their determination to keep going, to change fate - it was incredibly strong. And then, as they did all that crap, they didn¡¯t really want to live anymore. But instead, they were determined to fix things. To learn about Chara first, then fix it. And then, once they were done¡­

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    But they really cared about Papyrus. They want his friendship¡­ and also don¡¯t want him to suffer if they die. That would be really hard on him. So they want me to decide right away if they should live or die in the end, for Pap¡¯s sake.

    Fuck. How the hell am I supposed to decide something like that? I don¡¯t particularly want to kill them, not if we can get out without it, not if they want to help us as much as it seems. But if that¡¯s the only way to keep everyone safe¡­ but it¡¯s not like I have any idea if that¡¯s needed. They seem to think it¡¯s a real possibility, that that¡¯s the only solution. And then there''s my promise¡­

    Whatever. I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll care if I ask some questions first.

    ¡°i got some questions first,¡± Sans said, and they nodded as expected. ¡°how likely is it that you¡¯ll take a bad road and keep it that way?¡±

    ¡°Me? Never again,¡± they said with a hoarse laugh. ¡°Chara? I am completely certain they would. And while it seems like they can only gain control when I have that Level of Violence around my soul, walling me off - the fact is, I didn¡¯t learn nearly enough. I have no idea. They''re back to being nothing more than a faint whisper, ever since I reset and let my heart feel everything again. So I¡¯m in no danger now, but I swear to you, I¡¯ll tell you if I ever think it¡¯s changing.¡±

    He nodded solemnly. That was as expected. He felt like his feet were under him again. He liked knowing things, being able to predict things, having a sense of what was coming. He appreciated the promise, too. From the look on their face - they were dead serious.

    There was one thing that was really bugging him, though. They seemed attached to him and Paps both, and they hadn¡¯t been too specific¡­ and some had escaped with Alphys, though he couldn''t really see Papyrus evacuating¡­ had they really¡­?

    ¡°you do that,¡± he said. ¡°and¡­ just to make sure i¡¯m understanding you¡­ you killed papyrus?¡±

    Their body convulsed, tears fell, and they recoiled away from him. It was several seconds before they could breathe, and they couldn''t face him. They tried, but their head shook and just wouldn¡¯t move.

    Yeah, they did. But they¡¯re obviously, uh, torn up about it.

    ¡°H-he¡­ he¡­¡± they said.

    Probably shouldn¡¯t make them answer. I feel like an ass, seeing them cry like that.

    ¡°i get it,¡± he said gruffly.

    ¡°No, I mean, yes, but¡­ he¡­ I want to¡­¡± they said, rubbing aggressively at their face with their hands as they tried to make themself speak.

    Sans was morbidly curious, so if they really wanted to give him more details, he wouldn¡¯t stop them.

    ¡°He was¡­ he was amazing, Sans, and I think he deserves to have it be known. At least to you. And Undyne, but you don¡¯t know her the same way, but I want someone to know how beautiful she really is, too.¡±

    I do know Undyne. Though, I guess, we¡¯re not really friends like she and Paps are. And¡­ yeah, I can guess she¡¯d have been something else, if she had to pit herself against¡­ what they¡¯d described. They sound admiring - honestly kinda like how they sounded when they talked about me.

    They gulped a lungful of air and with a determined expression, made themself speak.

    ¡°He couldn¡¯t have stopped me. Even if he killed me - and he could never kill me, he was one of the only monsters who didn¡¯t honestly try to kill me, I¡¯ve died so much since coming here. And he is too gentle, in his heart. But even if he did, it wouldn¡¯t have mattered. He was strong, is strong, but not as strong as Undyne. And even if he killed me, I¡¯d have just come back, he couldn¡¯t have stopped me.¡±

    Sans nodded. Nothing really new there, but knowing their perspective was useful.

    ¡°And he didn¡¯t try. He faced this shambling abomination, whose hands were coated in dust, who had driven the town to flee. And he¡­ he reached out his arms in friendship. He told me that he¡¯d be my mentor, teach me how to be a good person. He was so¡­ he wasn¡¯t complimentary, called me a freak and such, which is harsh coming from him, but also so adorably gentle. He just let me approach. And I¡­ and I¡­¡±

    Hearing it described like this was just too much. It was just like Papyrus to do something like that, and his overactive imagination was painting the scene in too much detail¡­

    Papyrus grinning in eager, naive, childish hope. Papyrus¡¯s scarf falling to the ground. Picking up that scarf, seeing the dust fall off it, once they¡¯d moved on¡­

    ¡°and you murdered my brother,¡± Sans said, his voice yet darker.

    They quivered on the ground, a useless lump of flesh and tears.

    It didn¡¯t happen. That timeline is gone. Papyrus is okay, and the anomaly is committed to doing right by him. It¡¯s okay. I can¡¯t make it worse for the kid, they¡¯re clearly suffering enough¡­

    He struggled to get his emotions under control and took a breath as he settled.

    ¡°I was screaming so loud,¡± they said from their curled up position, their voice muffled. ¡°He couldn¡¯t hear me, through the wall, not a speck of emotion on my face. Even to his last moments, he was so gentle¡­ and I didn¡¯t want to, I screamed it again and again that it was only temporary, that I¡¯d fix everything, that he¡¯d never remember, that it would never have happened, not ever, I couldn¡¯t hurt him, not for real, and him dying meant that I could never, never, never let it be real¡­¡±

    It did help, hearing that. The anguish, the agony they felt, it couldn¡¯t be denied. Their voice was hoarse, their skin frostbitten and they didn¡¯t even seem to realize it¡­ the kid was a mess.

    ¡°i¡¯m glad for that much,¡± he said with a weary sound, looking up at the light crystals glowing on the distant ceiling. ¡°we¡¯re all in a bit of a pickle, aren¡¯t we? someone is screwing with the timelines only sorta on purpose. that someone wants friendship and a good time. that someone is also an insane ghost of the past who wants to kill everyone. and that someone is the only one who can really do anything - we can have our memories reset and lose everything without any warning.¡±

    ¡°I wish I could bring you with me, in the resets,¡± they said softly. ¡°I wish I knew how. I would, Sans. Then you wouldn¡¯t have to forget. Maybe I can learn how.¡±

    He was silent for a moment, thinking.

    That¡¯d be nice. Way I think it works, though, I don¡¯t know if it¡¯d be possible.

    Sans was trying to put the pieces all together, to make sure he understood everything. One part especially bugged him, and he glanced over at them.

    ¡°you¡¯d really just let me kill you?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Test it, if you like,¡± they said with a smile. ¡°If you succeed, you¡¯ll forget, but you could push as close as you like. Burn me with the blasters, stab me with bones - I have a few healing items, I¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    ¡°that sounds like a lot of work,¡± he said, looking back at the ceiling, and they laughed.

    It was an earnest, honestly happy sound. In this specific context, that was kinda creepy.

    They seemed weirdly eager for the idea of him attacking them. They¡¯d said they wanted him to kill them, in hopes it would make all this hurt less. Maybe it would. Maybe if they died enough, they might stop caring as deeply, and then it would hurt less. Or even just tormented enough, tortured enough. In which case¡­ yeah, that wasn¡¯t an option. He might need to pay a little more attention than he otherwise would have. Their world depended on the kid continuing to care.

    Another long moment passed.

    ¡°way i figure it, there''s not much i can do at this point,¡± he said eventually. ¡°killing you is pointless. you already stopped being a mass murdering psycho. you¡¯re trying to make things right. that¡¯s all for the best. i¡¯ll keep trying to watch over you, make sure you don¡¯t die¡­¡±

    They snickered at that and he gave them a curious look.

    ¡°Honestly, Sans, you¡¯re amazing and, like I said, a total badass when you want to be,¡± they said. ¡°But a guardian, you are not. You invited me to chat, to dinner at the resort hotel, in the first timeline, and made this hilarious - at least, to me - comment about how you were doing a great job because I¡¯d not died even once.

    ¡°And like, who hadn¡¯t killed me at that point? So many killed me. A Froggit, in the Ruins. Most of the guard dogs, here in Snowdin. Undyne, a dozen times or so. Muffet fed me to her pet - that was really unpleasant. I died twice that way, like really. Ugh. Died a bunch after our conversation, too. Managed to get past Mettaton¡¯s nonsense without dying, but Asgore killed me a bunch. Flowey, too, whew - that was kinda insane. I have no clue how many times he killed me - it was a whole thing.¡±

    That was kinda embarrassing - were his efforts really that poor?

    I guess if I knew they could reset¡­ I was being lazy, wasn¡¯t I? Damn it, Sans. But it sounds like they find it funny, and aren¡¯t upset about it, so it¡¯s all fine, I guess.

    His look was curious and appraising as they continued.

    ¡°Anyway,¡± they said, ¡°I got it covered. I had to get pretty damned good at fighting to get past Undyne - I have to tell you the story with her, sometime, I have to tell someone, because just¡­ damn¡­ anyway. And then, the skills I needed to get past you? Flowey will still kill me a few times, but no one else has a chance.¡±

    ¡°didn¡¯t that wall of LOVE protect you from harm?¡± he asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± they said. ¡°I¡¯m not saying it¡¯d be effortless. But, in that route - you and Undyne, with your teleportation and insane power, and her epic transformation - you were the only monsters that even were the vaguest threat. You both kicked my ass, gloriously. But still, I was able to get by on my first timeline with only maybe three dozen deaths, up until Flowey, and that was with no combat experience at all. I¡¯ve got this.¡±

    Three dozen deaths, on their first timeline, where they were trying to be peaceful? Damn. I guess it makes sense. Everyone knows we¡¯re supposed to be anti human, from Asgore¡¯s plan. But, with them being literally unkillable¡­ we easily could have destroyed ourselves. If they¡¯d been even a little less gentle as a person¡­ why wouldn¡¯t they have killed everyone they ran into, even without Chara, and just gone home?

    ¡°You¡¯ll see with Papyrus,¡± they continued, ¡°when he tries to capture me.¡±

    ¡°heh, i suppose i will,¡± he said.

    He did feel a twinge of worry, but from the way they acted, he honestly thought they¡¯d sooner rip themselves to bloody shreds than hurt Papyrus. And, in all the time he''d seen them, they had never so much as swung their stick at a single monster, not a single aggressive motion. They''d been gracious, kind, and understanding with literally everyone. Even Jerry. He tried to shove the worry aside.

    ¡°and¡­ look, this is a weird question, but it¡¯s bugging me,¡± he said. ¡°you say i killed you hundreds of times, painfully, and you¡¯re acting like¡­ like you really trust me. that, uh, seems like the sorta thing you oughta be upset over, not grateful for.¡±

    ¡°You think I wanted to live, that I wanted to not be hurt, after what I¡¯d done?¡± they asked with an odd laugh. ¡°After¡­ after Papyrus, was Undyne. When she did the thing, when she transformed and showed how beautiful, amazing, incredible her soul was¡­ I couldn¡¯t even raise my weapon. I wanted her to win. I wanted her to kill Papyrus¡¯s killer, the thing that killed my friend, whom I loved so. Even though it was me. He drives me crazy sometimes, Papyrus, but he¡¯s so¡­ so¡­ nice.¡±

    Sans nodded at that, bemused.

    That is such a fucked up perspective. But I guess, if you¡¯ve died often enough that it starts to feel normal¡­ still.

    ¡°And she did kill me - a dance of strikes of incredible grace and power - and I just laughed and found myself at the beginning of the bridge where we¡¯d fought. I threw myself at her, at her spear, again and again until I felt like I could wrap myself tight enough with LOVE again. Enough to actually try. Even so, within that wall, even as I fought her, I cheered every time she won. Chara was getting pissed, but I wasn¡¯t. And then we struck her down and I wanted to die again.¡±

    Seems like that earlier guess was on point. They¡¯re determined to fix things, but deep down they want to die. While also being afraid of a true death.

    Sans related to that more than he cared to admit. He really didn¡¯t want to die, but, especially lately, he¡¯d been having problems with wanting to live. It was so exhausting, facing the pointlessness of everything.

    They exhaled slowly.

    ¡°Going through Hotland and CORE, it helped harden that wall. But nothing stood in my way. Almost nothing, save the mercenaries in CORE that had been hired to kill me - they¡¯ve probably already been hired to kill me, and it really sucks they weren¡¯t evacuated and left in my path-¡±

    ¡°wait,¡± he interrupted. ¡°there¡¯s mercenaries in CORE that have been hired to kill you? right now?¡±

    ¡°Probably,¡± they said. ¡°If not yet, then soon.¡±

    No wonder they¡¯d laughed when he¡¯d told them he¡¯d keep an eye on them.

    ¡°Alphys is conspiring with Mettaton to try to set me up in a silly little game of sorts to bolster her self esteem, where Mettaton pretends to try to kill me and she can pretend to be a hero - it¡¯s a jerk move, really, but I understand why - but Mettaton betrays her and honestly tries to kill me in the end. First by setting Muffet after me, then with mercenaries, and then personally.¡±

    Jeez, how did we not turn them into a true enemy of monsters with that sort of treatment?

    ¡°and then you had a ¡®really sweet¡¯ moment with him? after that?¡± Sans asked incredulously.

    ¡°Yep,¡± they said with another laugh. ¡°It¡¯s been kinda intense down here. Not like the surface at all. And all the dying would really have been a problem if I didn¡¯t have the reset power. But once you get used to it, it¡¯s not so bad.¡±

    He was giving them another incredulous look.

    It¡¯s not so bad, they say, he thought, reeling. Is Chara even a real thing, or have they just lost their mind from all the deaths? Well, no, they said Toriel and Asgore know about them.

    Whatever - I have to ask.

    ¡°and you¡¯re not, uh, mad about all those deaths? about what¡¯s happened to you?¡± he asked.

    They paused for a moment, thinking.

    ¡°A lot of the monsters¡­ I really think they¡¯re just trying to interact with me, or play, and don¡¯t realize they¡¯re hurting me,¡± they said thoughtfully. ¡°Some of them, like the royal guards, they¡¯re following orders - that¡¯s on Asgore. Or the mercenaries; again, following orders. That¡¯s on Mettaton. For both of them¡­ well, with Asgore, I understand. I don¡¯t know if you know the story of what happened with his son?¡±

    ¡°uh, no,¡± Sans admitted.

    ¡°Huh,¡± they said. ¡°I figured a lot of people knew that. But I know you¡¯re kinda new - you never told me where you¡¯re really from, but I¡¯m guessing some sort of alternate universe thing. But I won¡¯t pry.¡±

    He nodded at that, wondering what pieces they had of the puzzle, and how the hell they¡¯d guessed that much.

    ¡°Anyway. The short version is¡­ Asgore dealt with a lot of serious trauma related to humans. He kinda lost everything. You should ask about the story - the monsters in New Home all know it, so far as I understand. It¡¯s really sweet and sad. I¡¯ll, uh, share the dark undercurrents of the story later, if you like. Asgore doesn¡¯t know them, but Alphys does. Some of the dark details, anyway.¡±

    Okay then.

    ¡°The whole reason for the war was just Asgore going mad from grief. So, it¡¯s a jerk move trying to murder me and all, but honestly, I can¡¯t really blame him too much. It¡¯s a really sad story. So I don¡¯t blame the regular monsters, or anyone just following Asgore¡¯s orders. And it¡¯s not like the guards are hard to dissuade, with one exception.

    ¡°And Mettaton¡­ I mean, I know what he was trying to do, too. It really wasn¡¯t okay. He took things way too far, but¡­ he wasn¡¯t¡­ he wasn¡¯t really trying to kill someone that he really acknowledged? I don¡¯t think he even stopped to think about what it meant. I was nothing but a stepping stone on his path to glory. Once I got him to see me¡­ to really see me¡­ which only happened when he was halfway blown to bits, admittedly¡­ it was different. So, yeah, it¡¯s annoying, but I don¡¯t hate him for it. Besides, the fight with him is fun and totally glamorous. You should keep an eye on the MTT channel when I get to CORE.¡±

    These deaths really weren¡¯t anything serious to them, were they?

    ¡°Undyne was¡­ kinda awful at first, really, but she was just so hyper-focused on the goal that my death seemed meaningless to her, in the face of that. Yes, she was following orders, but she went way past orders and into straight up bitch.¡±

    Sans coughed out a laugh at that, and they grinned at him.

    ¡°Seriously, it was bad,¡± they said. ¡°She mocked me for trying to be nice, as she tried to murder me! She refused to accept mercy, or to let me run away, or anything! There¡¯s a gap in her attacks where her magic breaks and I can escape. I had to lead her to Hotlands, where she passed out from the heat, dodging her spears the whole way, like honestly. And then had to get some water to save her. Which is when she finally decided to let things go. And even with that, it took Papyrus¡¯s intervention for her to make nice, and allow the possibility of friendship.

    ¡°But¡­ for all that, which I legitimately was pissed off about at first¡­ she eventually won me over.¡±

    They had an admiring smile on their face, which was pretty confusing, all told.

    ¡°Especially after what I saw of her, when she had a true villain to oppose, enabling her to be the hero she¡¯s always aspired to be,¡± they said with a happy sigh, the admiration even thicker in their voice.

    They flashed him a charming grin.

    ¡°Muffet was the worst, but I thought maybe she was okay, when I was doing things peacefully. Found out some stuff during the murdery timeline, though¡­ she¡¯s awful. Like, really awful. She wanted to kill Alphys for trying to evacuate her, like really!? And left the path open for me, because she wouldn¡¯t take Alphys seriously!¡±

    ¡°gotta admit, it¡¯s weird that you¡¯re mad at what she did while you were murdering everyone,¡± Sans said.

    They flinched a little at that.

    ¡°Yeah, well, I knew it was temporary and that I didn¡¯t really mean it,¡± they said. ¡°She didn¡¯t know that. You¡¯re the only one who knew about the timelines thing, that it might not be forever. Well, you and Flowey. I struggled in her web, dodging things like I had in the peaceful route instead of attacking, while she did a whole villain monologue at me. And at the end, she found out that I¡¯d murdered all the monsters I¡¯d found¡­ but hadn¡¯t killed any spiders.

    ¡°And for that¡­ she let me go. Seriously, Sans. She openly acknowledged that I was a mass murdering lunatic, she believed I was truly caught in her web, and instead of continuing to try to kill me, or persuade me, or call for backup, or anything, she wanted to let me be on my way. Like, seriously. What the fuck. Who does that?¡±

    Sans couldn¡¯t help but grin at them for that.

    ¡°She died in a single strike,¡± they said with an annoyed expression. ¡°My LOVE had reached the point that almost everyone died in a single strike, including her smug ass.¡±

    Right, this wasn¡¯t supposed to be funny. Sans coughed into his hand.

    Though it was kinda funny.

    ¡°and me?¡± he prompted.

    They gave him that complicated look again. The one that made him feel uncomfortably like they¡¯d fallen in love with him.

    ¡°I don¡¯t even have the words,¡± they said, their eyes closing. ¡°From the first moment¡­ you made it clear that you understood. That you realized how impossible I was to defeat directly. That you were prepared to kill me as many times as it took to make me give up. And you¡­ you spoke to me. To me, the looper, the soul in the cage of LOVE, not the thing that stood in the hallway with you. You gave me everything you had. You did things I didn¡¯t even know were possible. I was so glad when you didn¡¯t die, when you weren¡¯t even hurt.

    ¡°You were wrenching Chara and I apart. I could see them in such clarity. You couldn¡¯t say anything to them, couldn¡¯t understand them, but theirs was the expression you could read. You thought I was frustrated when you¡¯d killed me the first time¡­ and Chara was. I was admiring. That split - talking to me, but seeing them - it was¡­ again, I don¡¯t have the words.

    ¡°And then¡­¡± they trailed off, and the look they gave Sans was laced with such pain that he almost flinched.

    They took a breath, closed their eyes, and spoke.

    ¡°You¡­ you spared me,¡± they said. ¡°You said¡­ god, it hurts to say this¡­ that you thought there was a glimmer of a good person in me. That there was a memory in me of someone who once wanted to do the right thing. That in some other timeline, we might have even been friends. You didn¡¯t know, of course; you couldn¡¯t. But you guessed. You said you had a feeling.¡±

    They were shaking as they spoke, tears flowing freely again. Sans hesitated, but put a hand on their shoulder and they shook harder, leaning into him.

    Ah, what the hell¡­ why not. He wrapped an arm around them, and they started sobbing into his jacket.

    ¡°And god¡­¡± they said into his jacket, ¡°And you said, you said, ¡®do you remember me? Please. If you¡¯re listening, let¡¯s forget all of this.¡¯ And you never lied, you didn¡¯t, you said if I laid down my weapon, your job would be easier, and even then, I noticed the loophole, but I couldn¡¯t¡­ I couldn¡¯t say no to that¡­ so I cracked and my weapon fell and I ran to you and hugged you and you stabbed me with so many bones¡­ and as I died, you said, ¡®if we were really friends, you won¡¯t come back.¡¯¡±

    ¡°but you came back,¡± he said, his tone darker than maybe was wise.

    They flinched and writhed.

    ¡°I just appeared in the Hall of Judgment,¡± they said, and he startled at the name.

    He supposed it made sense they thought of it that way, since that''s where he''d planned to go when he was going to judge them for their EXP and LOVE. It was just the last corridor before the throne room.

    ¡°I don¡¯t choose, right? I was just there. I can only imagine what the next version of you thought. I must¡¯ve come in, settled into my save point, and then abruptly fell to the ground, screaming. I wonder why that version of you didn¡¯t kill me. You tried to ask me some things, but I couldn''t handle facing you. I think you just wanted to get some information that you could use. Making me give up was the point, after all.¡±

    He nodded. Reasonable guesses. He¡¯d probably have guessed, at first, that it was from physical pain¡­ but not for long. He wasn¡¯t sure what he¡¯d have thought, seeing the thing they''d become writhing around in emotional torment.

    ¡°So I was just there and I couldn¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ I was screaming, it hurt so much more than anything else you¡¯d done to me, more than all of Undyne¡¯s spears, and your bones, and blasters, and poison magic, and the sins in my veins burning me alive¡­ more than all of it, those words¡­¡±

    They shook and sobbed again.

    ¡°guess i¡¯m pretty good at my job,¡± he said with a dark chuckle.

    Part of him was worried that they¡¯d take it badly, but a bigger part of him just couldn¡¯t help it.

    They laughed at the joke, choking on their sobs, and just shook with laughter for a long moment.

    ¡°Oh Sans¡­¡± they said eventually, wiping tears of laughter from their face.

    He couldn¡¯t help but grin at their reaction. Making other people laugh - or groan, or whine, or really all sorts of reactions - was one of his favorite things in life, and even as messed up as this was, he couldn¡¯t help but love their responsiveness.

    ¡°You made that exact same joke then, too,¡± they said, grinning at him. ¡°Though it was when you saw Chara¡¯s frustrated expression, from having died at your hands. That was great.¡±

    They laughed again for a moment, then shook their head and gathered themself to continue.

    ¡°You said other things, too,¡± they said after a moment. ¡°When you stabbed me, you said, ¡®get dunked on,¡¯ and it was honestly kinda hilarious and totally deserved, even though I was hurting so much, but it was¡­ it was what you said, after, as I died¡­ I do think of you as my friend, Sans, I do, I really, really do.¡±

    They took a slow breath.

    ¡°I ripped completely in half, then,¡± they said. ¡°I couldn¡¯t¡­ I couldn¡¯t face anything, I was a coward, and I hid, I failed, I hid inside the walls around my soul and just cowered there. And Chara was in control. They couldn¡¯t take control, I could have taken it back, but I just¡­ I didn¡¯t.¡±

    Another shaky breath.

    ¡°I watched the battle from there,¡± they said, their voice subdued. ¡°I felt everything, as though it were me in charge. It hurt a lot, but nothing compared to how my heart felt. I watched you kill the creature I¡¯d become over, and over, and over again. I watched their frustration at your hilarious jokes, watched them strive to kill you again and again, but they couldn¡¯t touch you. God, Sans, you were so incredible. Funny, charming, mocking of the world-ending creature I¡¯d become, powerful, breaking all of the rules, brilliant, and just an absolute badass.¡±

    They smiled at that, and breathed easier.

    ¡°I wanted Chara to give up,¡± they said. ¡°That¡¯d have been nice, right? If both parts of me didn¡¯t want to fight you, that¡¯d have been the best. But they¡­ I don¡¯t think they¡¯re fully¡­ I don¡¯t have the words. I wonder if they¡¯re mentally capable of giving up, if they are whole enough to have the ability. They sure as hell aren¡¯t sane.

    ¡°Anyway. I was loving the fight. Watching you kill them like that¡­ I mean, yeah, it hurt, but every time you grabbed me with your¡­ what is it, psychokinesis? Every time you threw me, I hoped you¡¯d kill me again. I cheered each time I died. I lov- er, um, appreciated you a little more with each new thing you threw at me.¡±

    It was really weird, hearing them describe the fight like this. It was pretty damned clear that they did fall in love with him, and with the context¡­ that was just messed up.

    What the hell am I supposed to do now?

    ¡°I just¡­ just watched, cheering you on, loving it, and that last attack¡­ that was just insane, Sans, like damn. I was laughing with joy, seeing how¡­ how amazing you are. I loved how you killed me, how right it felt.¡±

    The levels of messed up were off the charts.

    ¡°And then¡­ then, they dodged it all. I dodged it all. And you just threw me at the walls, and it hurt, but you didn¡¯t summon any bones to actually finish me off, you were so exhausted. It was bruising and painful, but that was it. And as I lay there, battered, bruised, bleeding, but alive, and dragged myself to my feet, you told me your final attack was ¡®nothing.¡¯ That you¡¯d just never let it be my turn. You did something that made it where I couldn''t really move. And you said some things¡­ basically calling me out on my crap. And slowly, slowly, you passed out.¡±

    They rubbed at their face.

    ¡°How could I ever hate you for that?¡± they asked in a soft, admiring voice. ¡°How could I ever begrudge you for any of it? You were amazing. You were facing - it sounds like, from what you said of your reports - you were facing a world-ending threat. One that couldn¡¯t be killed, couldn¡¯t be stopped, as long as it didn¡¯t give up. One that seemed bound and determined to destroy everything.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you spied on the fight with Undyne - you must have seen the dramatic improvement in skill, all the signs of my having died against her so much. You must have known that even repeated deaths weren¡¯t going to cut it. But, you didn¡¯t just stand aside and give up. You did everything. How could I not admire you? Yes, it hurt, but how could I see that as anything less than incredible, beautiful, amazing?

    ¡°As you lay there, and Chara prodded me into positioning myself, raising the knife, even though I, we, had been bound like that¡­ I didn¡¯t want to. I mean, I didn¡¯t want to kill the others, either, so that part wasn¡¯t different. But you¡­¡±

    They trailed off, a distant, focused look in their eyes.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to describe the difference,¡± they admitted after a moment. ¡°I really didn¡¯t want to kill Papyrus. Or Toriel, or Undyne, or¡­ okay, well, lots of people, I guess. Papyrus especially ripped out my heart as he died. It¡¯s still weird to me that I can scream that much in my mind, and yet my mouth not so much as twitch. I didn¡¯t want to kill them, but you¡­ I just¡­ especially after all that, all you had done, how incredible you were¡­ I¡­ I just couldn¡¯t. Even with Chara pushing at me, insisting, trying to diminish my feelings¡­¡±

    They smiled.

    ¡°I pushed past the wall of LOVE,¡± they said, their voice barely above a whisper. ¡°I made my face smile, I made my mouth say the words, it felt like puppetry, but I didn¡¯t care. I would make it expressed in that reality. I smiled at you, and I told you that I was sorry. I thanked you. And that I¡­¡±

    They hesitated briefly, an uncertain look crossing their face, and then continued without finishing their sentence.

    ¡°And then I pushed at the timeline with everything I had, and found myself on the bed of flowers that broke my fall into the Underground. And for some reason, neither the wall of LOVE nor Chara¡¯s full presence came with me.¡±

    They shook their head.

    ¡°It hurt too much to scream,¡± they said softly. ¡°And it took a little while before I could move again.¡±

    Sans took a breath and they patiently waited, their skin further reddening.

    There was a lot to take in. But he was way past ¡°pretty sure¡± that they had some sort of devotion to him. While they hadn¡¯t outright said they loved him, or sworn loyalty, that was practically semantics. The way they looked at him¡­ he couldn¡¯t help but feel absolute confidence that their devotion ran deep. He hated to think this way, but it might prove useful. Among other things, it did make him feel a lot more comfortable about things like their upcoming conflict with Papyrus.

    He really needed to go to Grillby¡¯s for a while.

    But they wanted him to decide things. He sighed.

    ¡°i don¡¯t think that we should try to permanently kill you,¡± he said after a moment, provoking a complex tangle of emotion on their face, relief being dominant. ¡°i think that you should make friends with papyrus and everyone. he¡¯d¡­ he¡¯d really like that.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, he does,¡± they murmured. ¡°Um, it¡¯s a bit stressful for him until I fix things with Undyne, but then he¡¯s really happy about it, so don¡¯t worry.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t help but snicker at that. Yeah, he could imagine that being stressful.

    ¡°anyway. that¡¯s how i think this should go. let¡¯s get that happy ending, go to the surface, and then we¡¯ll work together and try to figure all this out.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± they said with a radiant smile.

    It looked like a massive weight had been lifted from their shoulders. They looked¡­ maybe not fully sane, but sane enough to fool anyone else.

    ¡°i¡¯d also really like to not worry about things being undone,¡± he added. ¡°think you can avoid resets?¡±

    They grinned at him.

    ¡°Absolutely,¡± they said. ¡°There¡¯s no worry about that, not until I get to Flowey, after Asgore. That¡­ well, there will be some resets then, but just over a few minutes.¡±

    ¡°seems reasonable,¡± he said. ¡°in the meantime, we should take you back to my place, warm you up. you¡¯re freezing out here, kid,¡± he said and they laughed again.

    ¡°Papyrus might be a bit difficult if we do it that way,¡± they said. ¡°Let me have the fight with him first, and then I¡¯ll swing by after. He¡¯ll be happier that way.¡±

    ¡°uh, kid, i dunno if you¡¯ve noticed, but you¡¯re not exactly in great shape,¡± he pointed out.

    They laughed again, a rich tone as they guffawed as though he¡¯d made a great joke.

    ¡°Man, that¡¯s great, Sans,¡± they said, confirming that¡¯s how they¡¯d taken it. ¡°Ha! As if this counts as bad!¡±

    Still beaming, they pulled away a little, smiled at him radiantly, hugged him tightly, then stood up. They dusted snow off their frostbitten skin without a hint of concern.

    Monster food was really good at healing that sort of thing, but¡­

    ¡°you¡¯re not going to eat anything? heal up?¡± he prodded, getting to his feet as well.

    ¡°For this?¡± they asked, amused. ¡°Come on, Sans, that¡¯s a right waste.¡±

    ¡°my brother is pretty tough,¡± he said, as they started to walk.

    ¡°No denying that,¡± they said. ¡°But you do know that you and he have similar fighting styles, right? It¡¯s going to be a challenging fight¡­ because I need to make sure I take enough hits that he doesn¡¯t feel like his training has been useless. I want him to feel like I barely escaped capture.¡±

    ¡°you¡¯re going to let yourself get beat to within an inch of your life to make him feel better about failing to capture you?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Obviously,¡± they said, then looked contemplative. ¡°Maybe I should go to the inn, actually. I could take a few more hits from him that way. Not like it matters if I screw up.¡±

    ¡°hey, you said you¡¯d avoid resets,¡± he said, trying not to let any unease show.

    They laughed again.

    ¡°Resets?¡± they asked, their eyes glinting with amusement. ¡°He just captures me and puts me in the garage, if he wins. I can just leave and fight him again immediately. Did that my first timeline. Never actually won against him, but I bet if I outlast him, it¡¯ll work out. Worst case, I¡¯ll let him beat me up a few times.¡±

    ¡°er, yeah,¡± he said, and they laughed again. ¡°just, uh, don¡¯t forget to be careful.¡±

    ¡°No worries, Sans,¡± they said. ¡°I know you were going to spy on me anyway, but you definitely need to see the fight against Undyne. I¡¯m going to have a lot of fun - after all, she starts off being kind of a bitch, so I think it¡¯s totally fair to taunt her into giving me the best she¡¯s got. I think you¡¯ll be a lot less worried about my fighting abilities then.¡±

    It was true that he was having a hard time taking it seriously, deep down. They seemed like¡­ just a kid. Yeah, yeah, a teenager, technically an adult and all that, but still. It was so hard to reconcile their story with the sweet teenager who¡¯d done nothing but dance around and play with every monster they¡¯d encountered.

    Mind, he hadn¡¯t seen them take even a single glancing blow from anyone¡­ he¡¯d thought that they¡¯d had experience with these fights, but that was all. Easy to dodge an attack you know is coming, and the monsters around these parts were usually pretty chill. A bit of luck, familiarity, and monsters that were more relaxed - that¡¯s all, he had thought.

    But apparently those same goofy dogs killed them in their first timeline.

    ¡°guess so,¡± he said as they got to the top of the cliff.

    ¡°Hey, you need to pop off and support Papyrus with his ¡®gauntlet of deadly terror,¡¯¡± they said with a grin. ¡°It¡¯s just ahead. It¡¯s a hoot - he¡¯s so sweet!¡±

    Man, this was weird. He figured there was no reason to avoid teleporting in front of them, though - he normally avoided letting people see that, since it made for better pranks, but that cat was clearly out of the bag. So he shrugged and just ¡®ported off.

    ¡ª

    Frisk felt such intense relief. They¡¯d shattered in their fight with Sans, and had formed into something¡­ new, with that last realization, that last decision, that last commitment to him. But it¡¯d been here, in this conversation, that it felt like they¡¯d started to heal. Heal into a new shape, a new being.

    To answer his questions, to do as he bid¡­ it felt right. They¡¯d already felt loyal, and like they now belonged to him, that they owed him everything, but it felt even deeper than that. They were healing and becoming something that was absolutely subservient to him, and that was good.

    They smiled as they approached the bridge.

 Ch. 5 - Observations

    Sans popped into place behind a tree near Papyrus and snuck up behind him. He wasn¡¯t going to let Paps in on any of this crap - it was a lot to deal with.

    He stayed silent as Papyrus eagerly went over everything, making sure it was perfect. Hardly a minute later, the kid walked down the bridge with a cheerful expression - far happier than the twisted, tormented smile they¡¯d had since emerging from the Ruins.

    Papyrus pulled out the gauntlet and the kid didn¡¯t look in the least bit nervous, just giving Papyrus an affectionate smile, and silently waiting. Paps tried, but it turned out, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to activate the gauntlet. He was flustered but made a whole little speech about how it¡¯d be too easy to defeat the human that way, and since he was a skeleton with standards, he couldn¡¯t use it. Papyrus stormed off awkwardly and the kid chuckled as they came up to Sans.

    ¡°Believe it or not, I¡¯ve never seen him activate it,¡± they said, as they walked by. ¡°Not even on that route. Then, he was upset because I hadn¡¯t interacted with any of his puzzles and he was so disheartened, he just¡­ gave up trying. Talked about how I¡¯d taught him to appreciate Undyne, to appreciate the friend he already has, because she¡¯d have loved it.¡±

    They sounded forlorn about that, and it twisted in Sans¡¯ non-existent gut. The idea of Papyrus feeling that disheartened, right before¡­ but he didn''t need to think about that.

    ¡°you seem to like puzzles, though,¡± he said.

    ¡°I do,¡± they agreed. ¡°Not, er, as much as Papyrus does, but they¡¯re fun. Extra fun when I¡¯m in no actual danger from them. Anyway, I should head off. Got a lot to do today!¡±

    He waved them off as they cheerfully made their way into Snowdin.

    As he¡¯d originally intended, he kept an eyesocket on them. A little more intently than originally planned, but whatever. When they came into the town, they looked around and really seemed to be taking it in, with an odd expression of focus. Their eyes increasingly shone with determination and they stretched out a hand, almost ritualistically. He had a strange feeling, like he somehow was seeing a golden glow from their hand and then, to his shock, all of the frostbite, all signs of harm, it all disappeared from their body.

    ¡°you weren¡¯t kidding when you said it¡¯d be wasteful,¡± he muttered to himself, thinking of their amusement when he¡¯d suggested eating to heal up.

    He wondered why they¡¯d even use food items at all. Though, he supposed, it did look like it took some time and effort to manifest¡­ whatever the hell that was. And he was curious why they hadn¡¯t mentioned that ¡°saving¡± healed them, assuming that¡¯s what they¡¯d done.

    From there, a smile brightened their face once more and they went into the shop. They interacted with gentle, tender cheer with every person out and about in town.

    He made note of certain reactions. The shopkeeper and the monster kid made their eyes dance in nearly-hidden pain, and they were extra gentle. He thought it odd when they told the monster kid they thought they were brave.

    He couldn¡¯t help but wonder what the monster kid did¡­ and then a twisted feeling filled his gut again. A nasty hypothesis had popped into his head. The monster kid could be kind of ridiculous and oblivious - it didn¡¯t take a lot of interactions to notice that. Or that they idolized Undyne. Did the kid stand up to the human when they were on the warpath?

    His eyes lingered on the human.

    The better question, maybe, was whether the human struck them down.

    Well, he could always ask. But if they¡¯d killed Papyrus¡­

    His eye flickered with magic and a complex tangle of feelings went through him as they went through the town.

    They seemed to be just interacting with everyone, going around and being friendly. They didn¡¯t introduce themself - he realized he also didn¡¯t know their name - but it seemed a reasonable gap between events for him to get something. He popped off to his workshop and grabbed some sensor equipment before heading back to the front of the town. He was careful to look casual as he went through the spot where they had glowed. He went back and forth several times before heading back to his workshop to see what his tools had picked up.

    There was definitely some sort of weird disturbance where they were. As far as he could tell, it looked like a rigid point of spacetime - an anchor, they''d called it, and that tracked. From what they''d said, it was something they could make, rather than something they found.

    Interesting.

    Welp, back to spying.

    No one else provoked any notable reaction from the human. They were polite, gentle, and caring towards everyone, and were generous with scritches and pets for the dogs. They warmed up as they went along and took a few minute nap in the inn. The innkeeper¡¯s magic flooded and healed them, filling them past full with vitality. The innkeeper gave them their money back, since they hadn¡¯t stayed all night, but he noticed that they sneakily left them the money anyway.

    With that, they cheerily made their way out of Snowdin to where Papyrus awaited. He couldn¡¯t deny a bit of nerves, but he settled in to watch.

    Papyrus confessed, in his own silly way, about the complexity of emotions he was feeling towards them. His desires for friendship and duty warred with each other, and he attacked.

    Despite everything, Sans couldn¡¯t help but be admiring. They were a goddamn dancer. Their grace and precision were unreal. He was certain Papyrus wouldn¡¯t notice, but there was a twinkle in their eye each time they ¡°fumbled¡± a dodge and were battered aside. Papyrus was likely to also fail to notice how utterly uncaring they were about the injuries that began to pile up.

    That annoying dog came by and stole Papyrus¡¯ special attack, and he was sulking as he poured out everything he had left into his normal attack patterns. Relatively normal, anyway. A shame, really - he¡¯d been curious how the kid would have handled that attack.

    Between Papyrus not really paying as close attention, due to his sulking, and the intensity of the attacks, the kid stepped up their game. He¡¯d thought they were dancing before, but this was another level. Their eyes were somehow both sharp and half lidded, almost as if they hardly needed to see to bend and weave through the patterns of bones. Some missed by a hair as they used an incredibly efficient, delicate pattern of movement to ease by without harm. And scarcely any effort - they weren''t even breathing hard.

    How many times did I kill them¡­?

    They¡¯d said a ¡°few hundred times,¡± but this made it feel more real. It was wild to watch this.

    Another thought occurred to him.

    And they¡¯re expecting me to not get a sense of how unnaturally good at combat they are till they fight Undyne¡­?

    Yeah, he¡¯d grab some ¡®dogs for that one. And maybe some recording equipment, because it might be worth rewatching sometime. Because damn.

    After that attack, Paps was exhausted. He huffed and puffed about how he decided to spare them, since they were quivering in their boots, and Sans laughed as the kid graciously accepted his mercy. Papyrus was torn up about the situation, talking about how he¡¯d be alone, and they asked to be his friend. As anyone could have predicted, this sent Paps to the moon with excitement and he invited them to come hang out, before happily bounding off back to the house.

    The kid immediately turned around and headed back to Snowdin. They swung by the shop and touched the temporal anchor - the save point - drawing on its power to heal again. Thus restored, they walked back over to the house and met up with Papyrus.

    Sans just ¡®ported into his room and chilled out there, only popping out to harass Papyrus when he overheard a good opportunity. It felt rude to spy on this interaction, but he did keep an ear out - metaphorically, of course. So far as he could tell, the kid was just encouraging Papyrus to be his usual self and he was mostly losing his mind with excitement.

    While idly eavesdropping, he double checked the sensor reports. Nothing new - the sensors detected absolutely no changes from the initial readings this morning. So ¡°saving¡± didn¡¯t produce anything that could be detected from the main spacetime fissure, and they hadn¡¯t reloaded. Which is presumably what would cause the new timelines.

    The hangout ended and the kid went on their way. Papyrus was hugely excited at first, but then remembered he needed to meet up with Undyne again and became anxious.

    Hopefully the kid¡¯s right about that being temporary, Sans thought to himself as he returned to his waterfall station. Papyrus was really stressing out, but the kid had said that wouldn¡¯t be an issue once they befriended Undyne. Soon, ideally.

    Barely any time passed before the kid showed up. They chatted briefly, and they said that the first time, he¡¯d invited them to hangout at Grillby¡¯s. They said they¡¯d chatted about Papyrus and he¡¯d mentioned the flower, but that obviously wasn¡¯t a conversion they needed to have anymore.

    He did think about inviting them to chat and eat at Grillbs anyways, but he was still feeling kinda shaken from everything they¡¯d revealed. He¡¯d chewed over his thoughts a little while spying on them, but they were keeping up a pretty brisk pace.

    And besides, they¡¯d said the two of them had chatted at the resort, too. So he could just hang out with them, then. Show no hard feelings.

    Still, all this was proving hard to handle, emotionally. Mentally, it all made sense, and he¡¯d even had a lot of forewarning, with the reports from this morning. And all the studying he¡¯d done of the anomaly from before today, which, apparently, had been Flowey. He was very curious to meet this little flower.

    But emotionally¡­ the issue was that he felt his legs had been swept from under him. Things he¡¯d want to talk about, like their thoughts on his brother - they¡¯d already discussed that indirectly at the cliffside, but also, that was all tangled up in experiences that had never happened. And in conversations they¡¯d already had with him in past timelines.

    He apparently trusted them enough to tell them about his promise to his knock knock buddy, to Toriel, but he¡¯d never experienced the actual relief, the catharsis, of telling them that. It was weird having someone already know stuff that he¡¯d confided. Already feeling connected to him, already knowing his jokes, when they were a stranger.

    What should he do about it?

    He got the impression that they liked him even before the psycho timeline. But in that timeline, they lost their mind and fell in love with him in a messed up way. They weren¡¯t being pushy about it, and in fact, were trying to both let him see how they felt about him, while also not outright confessing in a way that required anything from him.

    If he just let the cards fall where they may, he¡¯d be a twisted mess himself. An awkward tangle of emotion - they cared for his brother, but murdered him; they liked Sans honestly, but had a weird sort of obsession with him; their friendship had grown naturally, but this version of him hadn¡¯t been there for that.

    That was no good. He needed to decide where he stood, and go from there, else he¡¯d inevitably screw things up. For him and the kid, both.

    So¡­ should he try to pull back, because of how messed up everything was? Should he try to let friendship happen for real, in his own heart? Should he pretend friendship, because it might be useful?

    That last option felt dishonest in a way that really did not work for him. So he either pushed the human away, because of all the mess, or he pushed away his own issues and tried to let feelings of friendship happen. There was a real benefit to being friends with the kid, and on a practical level, that really appealed.

    Especially if they could figure out how to let him remember the resets¡­

    They obviously had some serious conscious control, and could do more than they¡¯d initially mentioned. They¡¯d figured out a few things - how to create the temporal anchors and also how to use them to heal. Who knew what else they might figure out?

    It wasn¡¯t like he disliked them, either. They clearly were someone who cared about others, who enjoyed his company, who seemed to love his jokes honestly, who wasn¡¯t pushy. He could easily see himself caring about them as a friend. The only things holding him back from that were his awareness of the fact that they¡¯d been a murderous psycho in a different timeline, and the weirdness of the uneven, mismatched memories between them, and the insanity around the whole thing with them falling for him.

    He grumbled to himself. He didn¡¯t want to force anything either way, but he had to at least decide where he stood.

    Well. Between practicality and the fact that they honestly seemed really nice, to every measure he could see, Operation Friendship seemed like the way to go. He wouldn¡¯t try to force any positive feelings, but he¡¯d honestly try to get over the knowledge of what happened in the psycho timeline, to not hold it against them. And to honestly try to navigate the weirdness of this trans-timeline friendship. He figured they¡¯d be patient with him, regardless.

    They¡¯d gotten through a chunk of Waterfall while he¡¯d been musing. He showed up at the telescope he¡¯d rigged up, curious how things would play out. He decided to pretend that he had no idea they might know about the telescope and see what they did.

    He fed them a line about the telescope usually being 50,000G, but since they were a friend, they could use it for free. They had a knowing smirk on their face, but cheerfully agreed and tried looking around with the telescope, getting the red dye all around their eye.

    ¡°Can¡¯t seem to see anything,¡± they remarked after a moment, giving him a little grin, their eye completely covered in pink.

    ¡°huh? you aren¡¯t satisfied?¡± he asked with mock surprise. ¡°don¡¯t worry. i¡¯ll give you a full refund.¡±

    They giggled at that, which wasn¡¯t as good of a response as a groan or an exasperated, yet smiling eyeroll, but it still made him grin. There was also gratitude shining in their eyes. A guess popped up in his head that maybe they were really glad that he was still joking around with them.

    Which was kinda ridiculous. Why in the world would he stop? Even in their psycho timeline, they said he¡¯d been making dark jokes at their expense, all the way till the end. He¡¯d have been disappointed in himself if it were otherwise.

    They left and got some nice cream, then hesitated and came back over to him.

    ¡°By the way,¡± they said, their voice low so that it wouldn¡¯t carry to the onion monster a little ways away. ¡°Uh, there¡¯s pretty much no way Undyne will kill me before the battle, but I am intending to poke the bear pretty hard. On the off chance she does kill me, I¡¯ll let you know as soon as I see you, alright? That way you don¡¯t need to worry about whether there¡¯s been any timeline loops. Haven¡¯t reloaded since our conversation, either.¡±

    ¡°you could always¡­ not do that,¡± he pointed out dryly.

    ¡°Really, she shouldn¡¯t kill me, even if she gives me everything she¡¯s got,¡± they said. ¡°Without the epic transformation she did in that timeline, even without the shield of LOVE, honestly, there should be no way. At most, she might make me go through a few items. But I just wanted to let you know, just in case I¡¯m wrong about that. And I¡¯ll save right before fighting her, so even if it¡¯s a reload, it¡¯ll be only a few minutes, tops. And also - we both love a good fight! She¡¯ll really enjoy it, too.¡±

    ¡°you love fighting, then?¡± he asked.

    They flinched.

    ¡°I, er, kinda developed an appreciation for it,¡± they said. ¡°And I got good at it.¡±

    ¡°i saw that with papyrus. you were something else, kid.¡±

    They smiled.

    ¡°Yeah, that did end up pretty smooth,¡± they said with a grin. ¡°Might not be quite as smooth against Undyne - she didn¡¯t kill me nearly as much as you did.¡±

    ¡°makes sense,¡± he said. ¡°welp. good luck.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± they said cheerfully. ¡°See you soon!¡±

    With that, they merrily made their way forward.

    Sans resumed spying on them contemplatively. Sometimes, he hung out with Alphys as he did so, but he mostly preferred the solo act.

    It was a good sign that they didn¡¯t immediately change their plan when he questioned it. He got the impression they would go easy on Undyne if he asked, but when he lightly challenged their plan, they hadn¡¯t leapt to obey. That meant that their weird obsession with him was either not that intense, or maybe just that they were sensible enough about it that he didn¡¯t have to worry about a casual comment sending them on some crazy quest or whatever. It made him feel more comfortable talking to them. He wasn¡¯t sure how deep the obsession went. Maybe it was okay.

    They faced monsters as they went. They kept the stick, mostly seeming to swing it around for fun, but still didn¡¯t so much as touch it if a monster was nearby. No matter how creepy Aaron was, or awkward Woshua was, or kinda gross Moldsmal or Moldsbygg were, they never so much as showed a flicker of impatience. Even though most of them were being a bit pushy with their magic, too - other than Moldsbygg, anyway.

    He also thought it was interesting that they listened to each and every echo flower they passed, listening to a conversation of wishes. They got teary eyed as they listened, an impossibly tender smile on their face.

    Happy they¡¯re going to make those wishes come true is my guess.

    They got a call from Papyrus, and it was hard for him to get close enough to eavesdrop without being seen, but Paps was always great about being easy to hear. Apparently, Sans had missed a previous discussion - it seemed Papyrus had asked them about what they were wearing, to tell Undyne, and he was really struggling with balancing their friendships, trying to betray neither, and effectively betraying both.

    Yeah, they really do need to resolve things with Undyne. Papyrus is not having a good time.

    They continued on their way. They were cheerful with Onion-san, and had an impromptu concert with Shyren. Sans couldn¡¯t let that opportunity pass him by - he had a hilarious idea. He knew where some toilet paper was, and this seemed like a perfect chance to use it. No one would even know what it was, except for the kid, which made it perfect.

    He quickly started selling tickets from the paper and saw the kid¡¯s eyes light up in recognition, but they managed to keep humming for Shyren. He could still hear the struggle not to laugh in their voice, and his grin broadened.

    They had their fun, and despite being the direct focus of Shyren and her song, they had no trouble with the compressed packets of magic.

    Sans disappeared before the end, happy to resume watching. He was feeling a bit peckish¡­ well, he was planning on having hot dogs while watching the fight with Undyne anyway.

    From there, they went to the northern side room and played the piano. With their first try, the door opened up, revealing the path to the artifact. Undyne had been so proud of that one - Papyrus had told him all about it, since Undyne didn''t generally go for making puzzles. He was curious what they¡¯d do with the artifact, and what the artifact actually did. They smiled at the door, shook their head as though at a joke, and played the melody again.

    From there, they just left, without even looking at the artifact. He chuckled to himself, figuring he¡¯d ask them why later. They got an umbrella and put it over the statue, sitting and listening to the music box with a content expression for a few minutes, before resuming on their way.

    He was learning a lot about them through these observations. They liked to embrace the experiences of life, to immerse themself. They clearly had an appreciation for music. They seemed honestly, actually patient and kind, never flickering with even a hint of real ire. They did have a little bit of annoyance on their face from time to time - with Aaron, and earlier, with Jerry - but they never even hesitated when showing grace and care. It really seemed like it was who they were, and not just a mask.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    He still struggled to reconcile what he observed with their decision to kill everyone, but¡­ well, the more you hurt others, the more you distance yourself, and the easier it becomes to kill. Apparently it built some sort of actual shield around their soul, rather than part of its surface as he''d thought. A shield that didn¡¯t travel with them when they reset the timeline. He already knew about how it would cut them off from both the intensity of their feelings, as well as the capacity to self-express. And how that could be overcome with training, to some extent, though they''d obviously not had that opportunity.

    It seems like they¡¯re soaking in the experience, he thought to himself as the human met up with Monster Kid, cheerfully listening to their blathering on about Undyne. They wore that perpetual, soft smile, looking serene as they patiently listened. Not just the music, but also the companionship. Like they¡¯re appreciating something they¡¯d lost.

    They accepted Monster Kid¡¯s help to get to the next part of the path - really, that path up the cliff had collapsed again? And from there, they ran into Undyne. She stayed back and launched spears at them, magically manifesting them in the kid¡¯s path. They had a brilliant, almost wicked gleam in their eyes - first time he¡¯d seen something like that from them - as they dodged, wove, and sprinted around the spears. It got close a few times - closer than with Papyrus, aside from the dodges they deliberately flubbed - but they managed to squeeze through without a single hit.

    It was honestly kinda impressive. He could have gotten away from it all, but mostly by just being somewhere else. Not by actual dodging, like they did.

    By the end, Undyne had forced them to the end of the scaffolding, and cut it off, making them fall to the ground. They seemed to pass out briefly on landing before they got up, a gentle smile back on their face, and proceeding onwards.

    They had an interesting time for the next while - a mad dummy, a ghost friend, the hamlet of Waterfall, and a remarkably loud turtle shopkeeper. They continued to follow their path of peace and patience as they avoided harm and chatted briefly with everyone they met. After that, they went and visited Temmie Village, though that was the briefest visit so far - they didn¡¯t seem to enjoy it very much.

    Which was another hint for his mental construct of their character. They were feeling obligated to visit everyone for some reason. In most cases, there was an honest appreciation and joy in the exchange, but not all cases, and pretty much not at all with the Temmies.

    Maybe a sense of guilt, a desire to spread as much positivity as possible?

    After the Temmie village, they found themself facing Undyne. He thought it odd that they didn¡¯t manifest a save point or even have a look of battle readiness about them - they hadn¡¯t forgotten that they¡¯d agreed to save before their fight, had they? Not like he could do anything about that.

    Undyne said that their death would be their redemption, which made them flinch. But then the monster kid popped out of the bushes, eagerly asking about who Undyne was fighting. She took the monster kid away and the human chuckled before continuing. He smiled at the human¡¯s lack of surprise - he supposed that explained why they hadn¡¯t saved.

    They lingered for a moment at the plaque that spoke of the prophecy.

    The Angel¡­

    The One Who Has Seen The Surface¡­

    They will return.

    And the underground will go empty.

    They touched it and whispered something to it, tears in their eyes, before they pulled themself away and continued.

    Yeah, he had a solid guess as to how that plaque made them feel.

    They crossed a bridge and ran into the monster kid again, who¡¯d been told about what they were. The kid tried to get the human¡¯s help in being enemies - for the human to say something mean so the kid could hate them. But the human gently refused. The kid tried to speak hate at them anyway, and it didn¡¯t so much as make a flicker of irritation in the human¡¯s eyes, their smile impossibly gentle and affectionate.

    The kid got upset at themself and turned around to run away. They weren''t paying attention and slipped, starting to fall off the side, just as Undyne rushed up. Without hesitation, the human ran forwards and grabbed the kid, pulling them up to the bridge and dusting them off.

    With that, the kid actually stood up to Undyne, telling her that if she wanted to get to the human, she¡¯d have to go through them, first.

    As interesting as that was - and it was honestly cool to see the kid stand up to their idol like that - the human¡¯s face told a hell of a story. Pride, guilt, regret, hope, joy - there were a million feelings fighting for control of those eyes. The guilt and pain were rather sharp.

    He was pretty sure he knew how this went. The kid had stood up to the human, hadn¡¯t they? And they¡¯d killed them. Maybe right in front of Undyne.

    Yeah, that¡¯d provoke a ¡°transformation¡± from her, alright. Even he shuddered a little at the thought of how enraged she¡¯d be.

    Undyne backed off at the kid''s defiant choice. Then the kid cheerfully turned to the human, declared friendship, and strode off proudly.

    The human initially held it together, but they were struggling with composure. Most people weren''t that good at reading faces - at most, he figured Undyne or the kid would have called them ¡°conflicted looking.¡±

    The human seemed to be really struggling, actually. Like they had at the cliffside. It was getting worse, not better. After a minute, they collapsed to their knees, weeping. He wasn¡¯t close enough to completely make out what they were saying, not as softly as they spoke, but he was pretty sure he heard the word ¡°sorry¡± dozens of times.

    He thought about going to them and comforting them, but he wasn¡¯t sure that was the right thing to do. He hesitated, doing his default of doing nothing, and eventually, the moment passed. They wiped their eyes and on unsteady feet, moved forward.

    They ran into Undyne moments later, who was clearly gearing up for a fight. Weird that they hadn¡¯t manifested a save point, still. Maybe they¡¯d gotten distracted. He felt a surge of annoyance - if they died, all these thoughts would be erased.

    He also got to see what they meant by Undyne being ¡°a bitch.¡± She was being rather unrelentingly hostile and unfair, as she mocked them for their gentleness and kindness. Honestly, he was even annoyed on their behalf.

    Interestingly, this all seemed to improve the kid¡¯s mood. They went from melancholy grief, to an increasingly sharp and amused grin on their face as they listened to Undyne declare that they were going to die, and deserved it, etc etc.

    Finally, Undyne declared that they could have a moment to prepare themself before their death. And that was when they manifested the save point. Which, he had to admit, made sense. If they knew that they¡¯d be given time, why risk having to hear all that again?

    As with the other times, they had a look of intense concentration, taking in the environment, especially Undyne, and their eyes gleamed with determination as the golden, invisible light shone from their hand. They shook themself out, their grin broadened, and they moved forward.

    Sans almost forgot to get the hot dog in time for the start, but he managed it.

    Undyne released a surge of binding magic onto the kid that would prevent them from moving away or dodging. But having the magic anchored to the kid gave them partial control over it - they were able to shift its power, using their very chains as a shield of sorts.

    Undyne started to attack, but he could see a hint of hesitation in her movements. The kid clearly could, too, as they started taunting Undyne.

    ¡°Good thing you bound me, Undyne, because these spears are so slow I could out-walk them,¡± the kid said with a grin.

    Eh, he''d give their taunting effort a six out of ten. Clearly not their speciality.

    That said, the taunting was seriously aided by the kid¡¯s other skills. With casual ease, never breaking eye contact with Undyne, they spun the magic around, catching and breaking apart every spear without even looking rushed. Or even like they were fully paying attention.

    That boosted their taunting to a solid eight out of ten, easy.

    Undyne did try harder, and they clearly pushed her as hard as she was willing to go, barring something like killing a child in front of her. And the whole thing just looked like a game to the human.

    With Papyrus, it had been a gentle, sweet dance, their eyes shining with affection as they softly weaved around the attacks. With Undyne, it was a taunting, playful affair, and he found it interesting how incredibly ¡°bouncy¡± they were, how fast they were to dodge if ever they noticed a spear a little late. In a sense, they were doing their half of a much, much harder version of this fight against Undyne, and as they predicted, this version had not even the slightest chance.

    Sweat and battle-mad focus dominated Undyne¡¯s face as she threw absolutely everything at the human¡­ which only made them grin more sharply as they masterfully blocked her strikes.

    The binding magic didn¡¯t last forever, and when it faded, the kid would go back to full dodges, dancing around the swarms of attacks. Undyne kept re-casting the binding magic, obviously worried about the kid getting away, but it didn¡¯t look like they had any interest in going. This was fun¡­ for all parties. The kid, Sans, and Undyne - assuming she wasn¡¯t too annoyed at her failure, anyway. She did love a good fight.

    While Sans didn¡¯t want anything truly awful to happen, obviously, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a little wistful, wondering what the fight with Undyne had looked like in that other timeline. How intense would that have had to be, for the kid to have to get this good just to get past her at all? The kid was right that this was nothing - they¡¯d barely taken a few glancing blows.

    Undyne was a lot of things, but a quitter she was not. The fight dragged on and the kid was clearly starting to get fatigued. He saw the moment they came to some decision. With a wistful expression of goodbye¡­ they started to run away. Towards Hotlands.

    Sans suppressed a snicker as he thought of a place he could go that would 1. Get a good view and 2. Let him mess with Undyne a little. He teleported to his station at the entrance to Hotland and pretended to sleep, snoring loudly. As expected, the kid giggled as they ran by and Undyne stopped to try to wake and scold him before continuing the chase. He grinned, looking up as soon as they passed.

    Undyne passed out from heat exhaustion as she staggered past the bridge. The kid went and got some water from the water cooler there, and poured it on Undyne¡¯s face. She woke with a gasp and just stared at the kid for a moment before turning away. Saving her life was apparently something she couldn¡¯t ignore, and so she just left.

    Smiling again, another wistful smile of farewell, the kid moved forward. They manifested another save point in front of the lab, restoring their strength, and then went inside. It was harder to hide in there and spy on them, but almost no one looked up at the ceiling, so he managed.

    He watched them undergo a rather ridiculous, but very Mettaton quiz show with Alphys¡­ and with what they¡¯d said before, he immediately saw what they were talking about.

    It really was a setup, between Alphys and Mettaton. He might not have noticed it, if he hadn''t been told - between focusing on the kid, and Mettaton pretty much always being ridiculously overdramatic, he honestly could have missed it. But now that he was looking, it was blatantly obvious.

    And yet, they had a soft, amused smile the whole time. They followed Alphys¡¯ secret hand gesture instructions and got through the quiz without any real fuss or any injury.

    Afterwards, they chatted with Alphys, got an upgrade to their phone, and looked around at the lab a little. Their eyes got a little misty when they saw the unopened pile of letters from the Amalgamates¡¯ families, and they glanced at the door that led to the true lab.

    Yeah, they knew, alright.

    From there, they backtracked, actually. They called Papyrus, and all he could make out was that Papyrus sounded happy about something. They took the riverboat back to Waterfall and ran into Papyrus, at Undyne¡¯s house. He got close enough and, courtesy Papyrus¡¯s endless help with volume, was able to gather that Papyrus had a plan for how to make the human and Undyne become friends.

    Well, he had some foreknowledge that it would work. He smiled and decided not to spy on them for this. It¡¯d be hard, anyway. Besides, he knew they¡¯d be running into Muffet soon, and that¡¯d also be hard to spy on. However, unlike with the hangout with Undyne, it wasn¡¯t a private get-together, but a battle. One in which Muffet apparently fed the human to her pet. And, more importantly, it was a battle against the one monster that the kid seemed to legitimately have a problem with.

    That alone - he had to see if there was anything different. He worked on getting things ready for Muffet and kept checking back. After a while, he realized Undyne¡¯s house was on fire and they looked like they were fighting outside. He groaned, wondering what he¡¯d missed and what had gone wrong.

    From the kid¡¯s reaction, though¡­ nothing had gone wrong? Was this actually what they considered success? They had a little mock fight with Undyne, a tender expression of appreciation on their face as they struck with their stick. They did wind up and pretend it was a real hit, but they weren''t the best actor. It was so devoid of ill intent that it had no more impact than a stick falling from a tree.

    Undyne went serious, in a notably different way than usual, with every trace of her hostility melting away. She acknowledged the kid as being a ¡°wimpy loser with a big heart.¡± Sans couldn¡¯t help but grin darkly at that, thinking about how the kid had dominated in their fight against her.

    The kid was also grinning, but it was much more appreciative and gentle. Still, he thought he saw a glint of wicked amusement in their eyes.

    Undyne said that she¡¯d be staying over with Papyrus, on their couch. Sans sighed a little, thinking the kid could have warned him about that, but whatever, it was fine. After that, they parted ways, and the kid took the riverboat back to Hotland.

    From there, they headed towards the Core. Not directly, since the elevators were partially disabled, and the traps were functioning. They got a lot of calls from Alphys and ran into Mettaton a bunch. A few times, he just popped into Grillby¡¯s to watch things play out on screen, rather than trying to find a place on scene to spy from. It really was uncool of Mettaton and Alphys to do this to the human. Assuming they didn¡¯t know it was a setup, or if they didn¡¯t have the reset power, they¡¯d be afraid for their life, possibly traumatized for life.

    At least this way, they seemed fine with everything.

    They had a funny encounter with the top two Royal Guards, too. He was initially wondering how they¡¯d get past - unlike the dogs, RGs 1 and 2 were pretty committed to their work. Apparently, the trick was to get RG 02¡¯s chestplate off and to get RG 01 to confess his love. He wondered how long it took for them to figure that out, grinning at the thought.

    He wondered how many times they¡¯d died, trying to spare these two. His grin faded.

    It wasn¡¯t really an intuitive solution. How committed had they been to peace, in that first timeline, to have no idea if any of this would even be possible to get through peacefully, and to still try that hard, despite being killed so much?

    That first timeline, in which they started off so bad at combat that the incidental interactions of the monsters¡¯ magic accidentally killed them?

    He really sucked as a guardian. This encounter with the guards was after they¡¯d met in Snowdin, but before the resort. And they¡¯d have had to have learned this in their peaceful route. So the other Sans should have seen this¡­ well, if he were paying attention. Either way, based on what they said about his comments at the resort, he¡¯d apparently missed that they¡¯d died at all, let alone the massive amount they''d endured.

    Though, he supposed, the other Sans might have been more uncertain. Maybe he''d guessed they had died, and just been probing. A few months back, he had started to suspect that death wasn''t going to help with the anomaly problem. Either way, he hadn¡¯t done a good job at the ¡°protect¡± part of his promise.

    At least he was good at the ¡°watching over them¡± part of his promise.

    In this timeline, anyway¡­

    When they went by his hotdog stand, he had to go and pretend to be working. They played along, a perfect audience. They bought some hotdogs and tried to buy more than they could carry. There was a twinkle in their eye that he pretended not to notice, as he started stacking hotdogs on their head. They kept asking for more hotdogs until he put nearly thirty on their head, having to use spatial powers to keep it going.

    It was great. They could barely keep in their laughter enough for the hotdogs not to fall, even with his magic stabilizing the effort, but they made a valiant effort. As they stepped away, all the hotdogs went flying, and they were both laughing hard. Took them a minute to recover, say farewell, and continue on their way.

    Eventually, they made their way to Muffet. It was really hard to get a good view. At least he knew they were going there in advance, so he could make sure things were ready ahead of time. He was pretty sure he¡¯d have given up on it in the original timeline.

    During the kid''s hangout with Undyne he''d bugged Alphys to help out, and they had snuck in some cameras and mics. They had to be incredibly small and well camouflaged to escape the spiders¡¯ notice, but they managed. Did make for some grainy feed, but whatever.

    Alphys was wondering why he was so sure there¡¯d be something interesting with the spiders, and he managed to successfully deflect her. She might¡¯ve still been suspicious, though. He distracted her by asking her about the story of the King¡¯s son.

    The kid was right. The story of Asriel Dreemur and the first human child was a sad one. He wondered what the ¡°dark undercurrents¡± were - the human had mentioned Asriel¡¯s story got dark and that Alphys knew some of those parts, but Alphys didn¡¯t volunteer them. He could tell she was holding back uncomfortably as she told the tale. Must be pretty messed up - the story was dark enough as is, and Alphys didn¡¯t tend to withhold details about interesting stories. Even so, it did put things into context for him, regarding Asgore¡¯s motives.

    After that, they settled in to watch. With more ¡®dogs and ketchup.

    The human went in with a significantly different expression on their face than usual. The gentle, tender peace and patience had been replaced with a resolute expression with an undercurrent of annoyance. He squinted at the TV and complained about the quality of the image. Was that¡­ hate in their eyes, maybe? He couldn¡¯t quite tell, between hate, bitterness, exasperation, annoyance¡­ there was definitely hostility of some kind, though.

    They had said they weren¡¯t impressed by Muffet during their murdery timeline, so that added up. It made him feel a little better, too, actually. Every piece of the story that added up was evidence of their honesty. And the fact that their face was revealing everything, even the ¡°bad¡± stuff, helped him trust them more.

    They walked into the middle of the web and Muffet emerged from the shadows, immediately giggling about the idea of eating them. The fight began, and she bound them in purple magic and webbing both, constraining their motion.

    A wicked gleam flashed in their eyes and his heart clenched a little with nervousness as they actually drew their little stick. Were they going to attack, after all? They¡¯d passed up everything usable as a weapon - the stick was almost harmless, all told.

    They spun and danced within the spiders¡¯ web as they positioned themselves, but then they did strike¡­ sort of. Lunging with a look on their face that twisted Sans¡¯ gut, they lashed out with a sharp-edged intent that he could almost feel through the camera feed. Alphys looked nervous, too.

    But, right at the last instant, they shifted their grip on the stick so that it lay flat against their arm, and were thus just out of range for a strike to land. It was a beautiful, perfect strike that looked like it would have been dangerous, had they not pulled the stick back at the last moment.

    ¡°You¡¯re not the only one who can play in dangerous ways,¡± they taunted with a wicked grin.

    And Muffet did something that Sans regularly found annoying. On being presented with significant and dangerous information about something she was doing¡­ Muffet didn¡¯t seem to notice. She was so caught up in her own arrogant, self-centered grandiose thinking that she seemed utterly oblivious to what had just happened. To the danger that had flashed bare inches from her flesh.

    Sans was pretty sure that, without the wall of LOVE that they¡¯d developed in the murdery timeline, as well as not having a decent weapon, there was basically no chance the kid would have actually killed Muffet in a single strike, even if it did land. Plus, he was pretty sure they didn¡¯t actually want to kill her this time, which would have also kept the strike from being all that bad.

    But they sure as hell remembered what it felt like, to actually want to kill her, to have that LOVE around their soul, to strike with murderous intent.

    It was the first time he got any real sense at all at what that alternate Sans would have seen. A shudder ran along his spine as he imagined watching this kid¡­ and every fight was like that. Not just the elegant dancing away from attacks that he¡¯d seen all this time, but paired with a murderous edge so sharp it felt like it could cut him through the screen. One that refined and grew worse as the day progressed, as they learned and grew.

    He glanced at Alphys. She wasn¡¯t nearly so observant - really, though, who was? - and while the attack had initially scared her, it looked like she¡¯d taken it as the kid had stated; like it was just playing around.

    Yeah, that was not playing.

    It wasn¡¯t like he¡¯d been doubting the kid, but he definitely¡­ uh¡­ was more absolutely convinced. Really deep down. He didn¡¯t just believe them. In seeing this¡­ he knew it was absolutely true. The two images that he couldn¡¯t reconcile before? No longer a problem. He felt like he¡¯d gotten a real, actual glimpse at the abomination they¡¯d become, even if they remained utterly and absolutely committed to peace.

    The fight continued, and the kid was clearly very familiar with the attacks, though less so than they were with Undyne. They seemed so prescient he would have sworn that no one else could have missed that they had foreknowledge, if it weren¡¯t for the fact that no one else just ever came to that conclusion, no matter the evidence.

    ¡°The human is really good at this, aren¡¯t they?¡± Alphys said. ¡°I wonder if all humans are that good at fighting. It¡¯s almost kinda scary, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°nah, i¡¯m pretty sure the kid¡¯s just got a knack for it,¡± he said with feigned casualness. ¡°maybe they were a dancer or something.¡±

    They¡¯d be bringing Alphys into the conspiracy eventually, but best not to risk derailing the timeline. He wouldn¡¯t have told Alphys anything in the first timeline, so he wouldn¡¯t now.

    Though¡­ he wouldn¡¯t have had Alphys watch this, either, come to think of it. Well, hopefully it didn¡¯t mess anything up. If they had to do a reset and it was his fault, he¡¯d be really annoyed.

    Still, he was glad he¡¯d managed to see this. That glimpse told him so much.

    Including that the kid was still, could still be, dangerous.

    But, just as importantly, that even when they wanted to kill, they chose peace.

    Because the look on their face as they were dangled again over Muffet¡¯s pet¡¯s mouth, they clearly wanted to kill her.

    During this cruel game of attempted murder by Muffet, she monologued and revealed that she¡¯d been paid off to kill them, and been paid off well. She was mostly talking about how much the money mattered to her. In the end, she got a telegram from the spiders in the Ruins, saying that the kid had purchased a donut and hadn¡¯t attacked any spiders. With that, Muffet apologized for the mixup and let them go.

    And apparently would have let them go for that, even if they¡¯d killed every other monster on the way here. And she also would have talked about murdering and eating Alphys for trying to evacuate everyone.

    Yeah, he could understand why the kid was resentful about that.

    Normally, the kid was nice and friendly with everyone, but after Muffet let them go, they just left. As they did, Alphys stammered about how she abruptly had to do something, and he let her go. Looked like a special broadcast was going on with Mettaton, so he figured he knew what was up. Back to Grillby¡¯s!

    He watched a silly little opera scene, and the kid actually danced along, matching Mettaton¡¯s movements as he sang. They sang the song, too, echoing it back to him, but switching up the pronouns to themself. Like, he sang to them about how the monster king forbids their stay, so they sang, ¡°Monster King forbids my stay.¡±

    Not the best singing voice, but still a charming little production. Also could barely hear them, since they weren¡¯t given a mic. But it was still cute.

    They were sent to the ¡°dungeon¡± afterwards and had to complete the tile puzzle that Papyrus had tried to set up. Interestingly, this was the only puzzle they seemed to honestly have no idea what to do. They clearly knew what the tiles did, but didn¡¯t seem to remember the layout at all.

    He figured that was because they were on a time limit, and also, it never once killed them. They¡¯d probably only been here once before, in that first timeline.

    Their completely relaxed attitude about it, even as a wall of fire closed in on them, added to that conclusion.

    Doctor Alphys saved the day, and he had to admit, it looked especially contrived this time. She¡¯d apparently added a function to their phone that let them draw on the power of their soul to make flashy little attacks. It was a bright, yellow magic that encased them, and that enabled them to ¡°win¡± against Mettaton.

    After that¡­ well, that was it, wasn¡¯t it? They were basically at the resort now.

 Ch. 6 - Dinner at the Resort

    Sans had been feeling increasingly fond of the human, and seeing that attack against Muffet shook him up a little again. But it was still good to have seen it - it helped make everything feel more real. Like he understood who they were.

    They were someone who had an unbelievably intense amount of determination and will to live. A drive to find their path that was almost terrifying.

    In their first path, they pursued peace with an intensity that was hard to credit, but was clear to see. Such as with the unusual path to victory with the Royal Guards. In their second timeline, they were absolutely convinced that they couldn¡¯t fall to darkness - and it sounded like they had good reason to feel that way - and they made the decision to murder everyone, to draw out more information on their psycho ghost.

    In that path, they followed through, despite what sounded like really damned significant obstacles. And all because they felt like they had to, in order to have confidence in the security of the future.

    And in the end, they fell in love with him. And that was enough to finally shake them from their path, as they just couldn¡¯t kill him, even if they felt like it would help with their goals. Nothing else - not death, not pain, not difficulty, not guilt, nothing - none of it worked, but that. And it sounded like it¡¯s what stopped the literal end of everything.

    Then with the shield of LOVE removed, they regained themself and walked again the path of perfect peace. He didn¡¯t see anything that even remotely threatened to kill them, and they even kept snacking on extra food when fully healed, since they were running out of space to keep it. Even with the dimensional boxes attached to their phone.

    There was more to see, of course, but he felt like he understood them, now.

    He didn¡¯t have a lot more time to think. They were heading to the resort.

    Ah, what the hell.

    He teleported out in front of the resort just before they got into view. They came by, gave him a grin, and he asked them to grab some dinner with him. Their eyes shone with delight and they softly accepted.

    He got them to take a ¡°shortcut,¡± which they snickered at, and with that, they were in the restaurant.

    ¡°well. here we are,¡± he said. ¡°so.¡±

    They smiled warmly at him.

    ¡°your journey¡¯s almost over, huh?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Getting there,¡± they agreed.

    ¡°gotta admit, i don¡¯t know what to say,¡± he admitted. ¡°you¡¯ve given me a lot to think about. both what you said, and from watching your journey.¡±

    ¡°Voyeur,¡± they said teasingly.

    ¡°yeah, yeah,¡± he laughed. ¡°last time we were here¡­ what all did we talk about?¡±

    ¡°Do you want the long or short version?¡± they asked.

    He was in full on information gathering mode, so the answer was obvious.

    ¡°we got time,¡± he said. ¡°let''s hear it all.¡±

    ¡°You seemed sad,¡± they said after a moment, looking thoughtful. ¡°Lost in your own head. You said something about how I must really want to go home, and that you really understood that. I didn¡¯t know how to respond, and didn¡¯t really want to correct you, so I just¡­ listened. It sounded like¡­ like you¡¯d lost your home. You mentioned the same idea, in passing, during our fight, too.¡±

    He nodded.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on with all that, but I also don¡¯t want to push,¡± they said with a small smile. ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, I¡¯m sorry for what you¡¯ve lost, and if I can help, I will. But back to the conversation here¡­¡±

    They chuckled and he joined them lightly. They closed their eyes, remembering.

    ¡°You tried to encourage me to be happy with what I have,¡± they said softly. ¡°I had good food, friends. I think you had it in your head that the best option was just to never go to Asgore, to just live my life in peace down here. Again, I didn¡¯t want to correct you. Didn¡¯t want to point out how infeasible it was to try to live in peace when people like Undyne and Papyrus were tearing themselves apart, torn between duty and friendship. When several people wanted me dead. When my nature as a human was a landmine, that could cause huge disasters if anyone knew.

    ¡°But I think you were just¡­ not wanting to think about it. Because it delayed the pain. From what you saw, there were only two paths. I live, and Asgore dies, and all hope for freedom goes with me. Or, I die, and¡­¡±

    They trailed off, smiling at him sadly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I really need to lay out how you saw things, I guess,¡± they said with a laugh, and he laughed a little in agreement, though it was a bit forced.

    ¡°It¡­ it was this moment that I went from thinking of you as ¡®the funny friend¡¯ to¡­ I don¡¯t know how to put it. You were so¡­ melancholy. We¡¯d hung out at Grillby¡¯s, and laughed together. I called Papyrus more in that timeline, and you kept popping in with ridiculous jokes.

    ¡°One, in hindsight, kills me - Papyrus was confused about what a laboratory was, and mixed it up with a labrador retriever, and asked if there were dogs in Alphys¡¯s lab, and you said we couldn¡¯t rule it out. I didn¡¯t get that till way later.¡±

    They grinned at him and his grin widened to match.

    ¡°But anyway,¡± they continued. ¡°We¡¯d had all these good moments, and in facing me getting close to Asgore, you just¡­ it obviously was upsetting you. And you didn¡¯t know what to do about it. And the fact that you cared enough to be shaken¡­ well, it shook me, too. I felt afraid, in a way I hadn¡¯t been before. I mean, Undyne scared me, not gonna lie, but that was a fear of pain and setback. Once I fully realized I was immortal, it didn¡¯t take long before I became absolutely confident, you know? Doesn¡¯t matter how much I die, as long as I don¡¯t give up. And I just don¡¯t give up. Ever.¡±

    He nodded at that.

    ¡°But I still¡­ I was certain I¡¯d find a way. I knew I could go all the way back to the beginning. That somehow, I could make things right. What¡¯s the point of power like this, if I can¡¯t make things perfect?¡± they asked with a soft smile.

    Despite the softness of that smile, there was a resolution in their eyes that was hard as diamond and glittered just as brightly.

    ¡°So, you were all¡­ melancholy. You told me you were rooting for me. And, I didn¡¯t realize it then, but that meant on some level you¡¯d chosen for me to kill Asgore, because that¡¯s the only way you could see things going.

    ¡°Then you told me a story. A story of a door, deep in the woods of Snowdin forest. Of you being bored on sentry duty, and of knock knock jokes, and uproarious laughter. I knew immediately who you were speaking about, but I¡¯d¡­ grown silent. I hadn¡¯t known what to say from the beginning, and so I just¡­ stayed silent.

    ¡°You told me of the promise you made. And then¡­ I don¡¯t know if it was a moment of weakness, but it felt like all the barriers between us fell away. Like they¡¯d been crumbling the whole time, and something about telling me about the promise, about the circumstances that led up to it broke them down the rest of the way.¡±

    Their gaze was distant as they spoke.

    ¡°You said to me, if she hadn¡¯t said anything, that I¡¯d be dead where I stood,¡± they said softly, and a chill went down his spine.

    The look they gave him then was complicated, but warm and affectionate.

    ¡°The barriers popped right back up,¡± they said with a gentle smile. ¡°You pretended you¡¯d just been joking with me. Didn¡¯t fool me, of course, not for a minute. But it was¡­ it was real in a way that¡¯s hard to articulate¡­¡±

    They trailed off, thinking.

    ¡°It sounds like a bad thing, right?¡± they asked finally, with a little laugh. ¡°But¡­ I¡¯m trying my best to say this right¡­ but it wasn¡¯t. It¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t know that half of monsterkind wanted me dead. The silly teenagers in the alley shop just over there openly brag about how they¡¯re hyped for the destruction of humanity. Half the monsters I¡¯ve met have tried to kill or capture me. But it¡¯s not like they¡¯re evil. They just want freedom, and they see me as a means to an end.

    ¡°And you¡¯re¡­¡± they said, trailing off again for a moment. ¡°You were obviously trying to share with me your own tangled up feelings. That you wanted freedom, and had the power to make it happen. That you are someone who is bound by promises, and will sacrifice something you really want, for a promise. I didn¡¯t fully grasp how much promises meant to you until later, of course, but I got a glimpse then. And that¡­ if the promise were all that bound you, you¡¯d secretly want me to lose against Asgore. That you could justify things, say you tried to protect me by trying to talk me into just living here peacefully, but secretly wanting me to die. But that wasn¡¯t the case.

    ¡°Despite what you wanted, despite what you had the power to do, despite it all¡­ you were rooting for me, in the end. And you felt all tangled up and frustrated and melancholic about it, and you just didn¡¯t know what to do. You expanded on that, too, in the Hall of Judgement, later. About how, if it were you, you¡¯d have thrown in the towel by then, but that you hoped that somehow, someway, I¡¯d find a way forward, if I kept trying. That I¡¯d inspired you to have a spark of hope, too.¡±

    He leaned back a little, thinking, and they let him have a moment.

    ¡°sounds like you are pretty observant yourself,¡± he said eventually.

    ¡°Not nearly as much as you,¡± they said with a grin.

    ¡°don¡¯t sell yourself short,¡± he said, grinning back. ¡°i gotta admit, it¡¯s weird. the stuff you¡¯re saying. it sounds right. sounds like what i¡¯d say, what i¡¯d do. in watching you, i can even kinda see it. the things you¡¯ve done - i¡¯d have noticed how determined you were, how committed you were to peace. i¡¯d have wanted there to be some way for things to work out.¡±

    ¡°But you feel differently about things?¡± they asked tentatively.

    ¡°not exactly? yes? i dunno,¡± he said with a sigh. ¡°i do want things to work out peacefully. obviously. but this time, you already told me that there¡¯s a way. don¡¯t understand what it is, but i¡¯m not worried about that impossible choice, like i would have been before. like i was, this morning.

    ¡°i¡¯m not feeling torn up in the same way. but i s¡¯pose this is the place for confessions, so what the hell. i have no idea what to feel about you, kid.¡±

    Their face was tight.

    ¡°Because of how I killed everyone,¡± they said. It wasn¡¯t a question.

    ¡°not just that,¡± he said. ¡°though that is part of it. but you really do seem honestly committed to doing the right thing, so i do believe you about your reasons. and you¡¯re right that, if no one gets hurt in the end, it¡¯s not as bad as it sounds. but it¡¯s still complicated.¡±

    ¡°So what¡¯s bothering you, then?¡± they asked.

    He sighed.

    ¡°you remember things that i don¡¯t,¡± he said. ¡°you remember conversations we¡¯ve had. you feel things because of that. me telling you about that promise changed our friendship for both of us¡­ but also, only for you. i was never there for that. i never made the choice to tell you. the person you became friends with doesn¡¯t exist anymore.¡±

    They flinched and their eyes filled with tears. They swallowed.

    ¡°i¡¯m not saying¡­ look, i¡¯m sorry, kid,¡± he said, shaking his head. ¡°i¡¯m not saying i have a problem with being your friend. i¡¯ve been watching your journey, and i¡¯m rooting for ya, too. but it¡¯s weird, y¡¯know? like, the way you feel about me¡­ it¡¯s uneven. i¡¯m saying this all wrong.¡±

    He sighed.

    ¡°i dunno if i should even say anything more,¡± he muttered.

    ¡°Please do,¡± they said. ¡°I want to know. I want this version of you to be forever, to never make the memories one sided again. And¡­ I want to know, rather than guess, about what our friendship is.¡±

    ¡°well. i guess that¡¯s fair,¡± he said with another sigh. ¡°look, part of the trouble i¡¯m having is trying to keep up. and it¡¯s guesswork on my end, too. you have a lot more information than i do. on what you feel, especially regarding me, and why you might feel that way. i¡¯m trying to piece together the journey. where we had started, where we ended up.¡±

    ¡°Would you want me to tell you that, first? How I feel about you? How that has developed on my journey?¡± they asked softly, their throat tight.

    He hadn''t planned to actually ask - he was just revealing a problem. But if they were offering¡­

    ¡°it¡¯s kinda selfish to ask,¡± he said. ¡°but yeah.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure you want to know?¡± they said, their voice sounding a little pained. ¡°I don¡¯t want to make you uncomfortable. But I refuse to lie to you.¡±

    ¡°i¡­ might already have a good idea,¡± he said. ¡°but guesses might not be doing us any favors. and i¡¯ve been doing a lot of guessing.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re certain,¡± they pressed. ¡°Really, for sure. Because I really, really don¡¯t want to make you feel pressured in any way, shape, or form.¡±

    ¡°i¡¯m sure,¡± he said.

    They nodded and then looked thoughtful.

    ¡°One last question,¡± they said. ¡°I just realized, I¡¯m not sure if you want the¡­ whole story, or if you just wanted a sort of overview.¡±

    ¡°i¡¯m in no hurry,¡± he said. ¡°tell me the whole thing.¡±

    Besides, an overview would be dependent on him trusting in their self appraisal of the situation. Which he didn¡¯t. He didn¡¯t know them nearly well enough. Walking him through it would absolutely give him more knowledge. And with an immortal being who was this mentally messed up and this powerful? Yeah, more was better.

    They took a breath and swallowed.

    ¡°At first, I was terrified of you,¡± they said, closing their eyes. ¡°As you stalked me through the Snowdin forest. Man, that was some whiplash when you greeted me with the whoopie cushion like that. I had no idea what to think. And then the whole little dance with you and Papyrus - he scared me, too. I was feeling very¡­ very¡­ I don¡¯t know how to put it. Vulnerable. I¡¯d been rescued by Toriel, and had had some really¡­ emotionally complicated experiences. And having to say goodbye to her like that, I¡­ I don¡¯t know what to say, other than really vulnerable.¡±

    He did kinda feel like a jerk, hearing that. He¡¯d wanted to push them, to see who they were, but hadn''t thought that the human might have been in a fragile state on coming through the door. With his knock knock buddy caring about humans, he kinda figured they¡¯d already be used to monsters being friendly.

    ¡°And other than being a hilarious asshole with the terrifying stalking joke, you made me feel safe. I latched onto that feeling hard. I didn¡¯t know if you¡¯d kill me. Or Papyrus. Or anyone else. I¡¯d only died once by then, and was still scared of dying again. Or of my powers failing me.

    ¡°But you were really nice to me. You knew I was human and gave me no trouble about it. No threats, no attacks, nothing. The worst you threatened me with was making me listen to your jokes, and I kinda wanted to just sit next to you and cry and listen, because you made me laugh and feel safe and like maybe things would be okay. But I was also scared of scaring you away with my sheer awkwardness, so I just pressed on.¡±

    So they actually cared about him from the very start? His heart twinged, hearing this. Rather than the untouchable, unshakable creature of fearless immortality and might he¡¯d seen in this timeline¡­ they¡¯d been a scared kid, trembling as they sought joy and laughter in his company.

    But there was one problem with this story.

    ¡°hang on,¡± he said. ¡°if you were this scared¡­ why did you leave the ruins?¡±

    They looked down, looking ashamed.

    ¡°Toriel invited me to stay with her,¡± they said. ¡°She was really sweet and everything. But, um. I¡­ I can¡¯t. I couldn¡¯t. She¡¯s wonderful, but also kind of smothering, and I can¡¯t handle feeling trapped. I felt I had no choice.¡±

    ¡°possibly dying was better?¡± Sans asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to describe,¡± they said. ¡°Possibly dying was awful. Possibly having my power fail me was awful. But all that was just¡­ just a chance. There was a glimpse of hope through that, that somehow I¡¯d find a future that works for me. And staying was guaranteed¡­ being trapped, I guess. I can¡¯t, I just can¡¯t turn away from a thread of possibility like that. Ever. No matter how scared I am.¡±

    He nodded thoughtfully, and they continued after a moment.

    ¡°During this time I died, as I said. Not against Doggo, but against all the other dogs. Greater Dog killed me twice. Mostly because, back then, I¡¯d get so scared, I¡¯d just freeze and couldn¡¯t move and just¡­ uselessly shook until their magic ripped me apart. In the ruins, at first I reacted to my fear by lashing out and killing them, but I undid that. Then after, I often had no idea what to do, so I just froze, since I refused to kill anybody.¡±

    His heart was twinging again. Previously, he¡¯d struggled to reconcile the peaceful determination with the dusty warpath. Now, he was struggling to reconcile the fearless, immortal master of combat with a kid who literally let themself be killed because they were too afraid to move.

    ¡°But even as they killed me, I knew, I could see it, they didn¡¯t actually want to. Okay, Doggo kinda did, but I literally just had to stand still and I¡¯d be fine. And I guess Dogamy and Dogaressa sorta did, too, but¡­ they were so clearly just following orders, and were being good dogs, you know?¡±

    He nodded at that. Despite everything, they''d continued to feel empathy for their own killers. Over and over again.

    ¡°And I kept running into you in the forest. And every time I saw you, I relaxed a little. I never knew when Papyrus was going to move from traps to attacking me. Everyone hurt me. And the dogs were so cute and sweet, and even they ripped me to shreds, and it hurt, and I was so, so afraid.

    ¡°And then I¡¯d see you, and I just¡­ started to have hope that I¡¯d be okay. Because you¡¯d be there, laughing and smiling, and telling me jokes, and no monsters approached while I was talking to you. Being near you was a safe little bubble. A little place of laughter and joy. I appreciated you so much. Even so, you were just ¡®the funny friend.¡¯ The first friend. I mean, I cared about Toriel, too - still do - but with her, it¡¯s more like a mom than a friend. But you treated me like a friend, and not like a threat, or a prize, or anything.¡±

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    He wasn¡¯t sure this was all that healthy either, but it did just sound like an honest, if unusually intense, feeling of friendship. And honestly¡­ that was a role he¡¯d be happy with. To be a figure of hope, joy, and laughter? His own heart ached at the thought of it. It seemed¡­ healing, even, to be viewed that way.

    ¡°The first time I went down to the cave by the cliff, and saw you¡­ it¡¯s hard to describe. You were doing a ridiculous thing of teleporting just out of my sight, and I had no idea what you were doing, or how you seemed to be in two places at once. The one thing I was sure of is that you had some measure of power, and it felt¡­ nice.

    ¡°I mean, I¡¯d already seen glimpses of it, like you saying you¡¯d see me up ahead and then walking the wrong way. But that was the first blatant thing. And yeah, it was played for laughs, but it made me feel like¡­ like someone strong was my friend. Like you had my back, and you were strong enough that that meant something.¡±

    They paused for a moment, thinking.

    It was a generous interpretation of events. That his teleportation trick also meant he was strong in other ways¡­ though, he supposed, they seemed insightful, too. Maybe not the same way he was, but they¡¯d picked up a hell of a lot of subtext from what they¡¯d said of their previous conversation here.

    But this also warmed his heart. To be a thing of joy, laughter, hope, safety, to feel like they could trust him¡­ that felt good.

    ¡°My determination, in those earliest moments, was born of fear,¡± they said. ¡°I was so, so afraid of death. I was also afraid of becoming something that I would hate, and clung to who I am. Especially since I¡¯d accidentally killed Toriel¡­ the guilt of that¡­ it terrified me, what I could do. All that said¡­ Sans, if you¡¯d betrayed me then, I think I would have broken. I think my fear would have transformed from driving me, to consuming me.¡±

    He nodded at that solemnly.

    ¡°But you didn¡¯t,¡± they said, smiling at him warmly. ¡°I slowly grew accustomed to death, and stopped being so afraid. I¡¯m not sure when I stopped being so afraid of Papyrus. I think¡­ if I¡¯m remembering right, I¡¯d already started to suspect he really didn¡¯t want to hurt me, by the time we reached his ¡®gauntlet of deadly terror.¡¯ And so I felt vindicated in that little belief when he refused to activate it. Felt a measure of safety with him. Still wasn¡¯t sure if he¡¯d kill me eventually, but at least I felt sure he didn¡¯t really want to.¡±

    He¡¯d reassured them that Papyrus was safe because he¡¯d known they could conclude he was a threat, but deep down, he had a hard time seeing Papyrus that way. And it sounded like, even in Snowdin town, they were still afraid of him, in that first timeline.

    ¡°In Snowdin town, it was so nice. So peaceful. No one attacked me, accidentally or otherwise. Guess the monsters living in the woods are less polite or something - honestly, I¡¯m still not sure what¡¯s up with that. And I guess I¡¯m getting sidetracked, but I think it¡¯s relevant. I started to feel more safe, more at peace. It wasn¡¯t just you that made me feel safe. The whole town started to feel that way. And then I left, and ran into Papyrus, and he insisted on fighting me. On striking me. On hurting me. And I was so sure, because of what happened with the dogs, and with Toriel¡¯s warning about Asgore, that if I surrendered, he¡¯d kill me.¡±

    His face was tight as he nodded again. Papyrus wouldn¡¯t, of course, but to conclude that¡­ yeah, it made sense.

    ¡°I think, because I¡¯d started to feel safe, that I¡¯d grown a little less numb. I was so scared again. I didn¡¯t want him to hurt me. I didn¡¯t want to die and reappear, only to have to do it all over again, caught in an endless cycle of death and pain. It didn¡¯t take long for him to strike me down. I felt myself growing weak, and a series of bones came flying at me, and I didn¡¯t know how to dodge them. I closed my eyes, accepting that it was over¡­ and then they stopped. As soon as the strike started to land, and he¡¯d seen that I¡¯d given up, he actually pulled back his attack. He refused to kill me.¡±

    The smile on their face was that same admiring, impossibly tender look as they¡¯d given Papyrus during the fight he¡¯d witnessed. He felt a surge of pride in his brother, because he was cool.

    ¡°He picked me up and put me into the garage with some dog food and stuff, which was so ridiculous. And of course, with bars too wide to keep me inside. I just laid there and cried for a while. But he¡¯d mentioned someone coming and taking me, so I still needed to leave.¡±

    They smiled at him, a bright and happy expression.

    ¡°But I realized I wasn¡¯t afraid of him at all anymore. I had two people I could feel safe with. Not completely, in his case - he was still trying to capture me - but I can¡¯t tell you how important that was to me.

    ¡°And his attacks didn¡¯t hurt all that much, either. He was trying to batter me into submission, not torture me. At the time, I didn¡¯t realize how¡­ variable magical attacks could be. Your bones would rip through my life and body both, but his just tore at my life as they passed, leaving nothing but maybe some tender skin and bruising. I went into the fight with him again, full of food in my pockets and determination in my heart. He wouldn¡¯t kill me. I wouldn¡¯t kill him. And maybe I could actually learn to fight, to dodge and weave, if I weren¡¯t so afraid.¡±

    His eyes widened. The first time they started to actually learn to fight was with Papyrus?

    That was so cool.

    ¡°Long story short, he beat me twice more. But each time, I got way, way better at fighting. I mean, I¡¯d learned a lot with Toriel and the other monsters, too, but this was different. Like, with Toriel, she actually guided her attacks to not hit me, once I got really hurt, so I couldn¡¯t even practice anymore. But anyway. I wasn''t attacking him, so I couldn''t exactly win, but he was starting to get worn out.¡±

    Papyrus had been training hard. It made him smile to hear that they''d struggled against him.

    ¡°In the end, though, from the conversation we were having during the fight, as well as before each fight, he just¡­ didn¡¯t want to fight me. He wanted friendship instead. And I accepted, and we hung out, and it was great. And then, as I went to leave Snowdin, I realized¡­ I had a place where I felt safe. And it was because of you both. You, more than Papyrus, because of how¡­ I really don¡¯t have the words¡­ but it felt like a deeper connection.¡±

    ¡°kinda curious why you didn¡¯t just stay in snowdin, in that case,¡± he said.

    ¡°Papyrus¡¯s boss wanted to kill me, and he was obviously feeling torn up about it,¡± they said immediately. ¡°The dogs had orders to kill me, and they were really not subtle about that. If they knew I was human, my peace would shatter. The townsfolk had no idea I was human. They¡¯d have been afraid of me, if they knew. Or hated me. It wasn¡¯t a stable situation. As long as I played it careful, it was okay, but it was¡­ fragile.

    ¡°But, even knowing who and what I am, I had you and your brother. I had to move forward, to try to find¡­ some sort of resolution to the situation, some sort of stability. If I could convince Asgore to let me stay in peace, to call off the orders to kill me, I would have gone back and stayed in Snowdin. Happily. And despite the difficulties ahead of me, I knew that if I had to reload, if I had to come back, I had some people who I felt like I could trust, even knowing the truth.¡±

    He nodded at that. They¡¯d even basically mentioned as much a minute ago, when talking about their conversation in this restaurant last time. Apparently, they¡¯d felt that way from the very beginning.

    ¡°Of course, I couldn¡¯t actually trust Papyrus that much,¡± they said with a laugh. ¡°But I¡¯m getting ahead of myself. So, then I ran into you, and you invited me to hang with you at Grillby¡¯s. I accepted, of course. You asked me what I thought about Papyrus, and we commiserated about how cool he is for a bit. Then you did a crazy thing, and it looked like you froze time, to ask me about a flower. I was certain you were talking about Flowey, at first, who caused me some¡­ issues¡­ back in the Ruins. But then you said you thought someone was pranking Papyrus with an echo flower, and I was so unsure what to do or say, I kinda just stayed quiet. You warned me to be careful, and then let the timefreeze slip away. It reaffirmed what I¡¯d already concluded, about your strength.¡±

    Sounded like there was a recurring theme, where he said something that wasn¡¯t exactly right, and they didn¡¯t want to correct him. He grumbled to himself inside his head. Made him wonder what he¡¯d missed in this timeline¡­

    ¡°I think that¡¯s when it felt really solid. You were my friend. I felt like I could trust you, you were strong, and maybe you wouldn¡¯t fight for me or anything, but I felt like¡­ like I could rely on you. That sense of safety went from tentative to solid. I felt less afraid, as I went into Waterfall.¡±

    He smiled at that.

    ¡°Then, of course, I immediately ran into the grass and overheard a conversation between Papyrus and Undyne, where she pressed him and he agreed to betray me to her, that he¡¯d do what was necessary,¡± they said with a wry laugh and he flinched a little. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, he very obviously didn¡¯t want to, he tried to persuade her to change her course. But, well, my faith in my friendship with him cracked pretty hard at that. It went back to being you, alone in all the world, that I felt I could trust.¡±

    He had to admit, that made sense. Except one part.

    ¡°not toriel?¡± he asked.

    They hesitated.

    ¡°When I left, she told me to never return,¡± they said. ¡°Far as I can tell, she couldn¡¯t handle the idea of waiting to hear from me, and slowly deciding I had been killed by Asgore as time passed without me visiting her. By forbidding me to ever contact her again, she could willfully delude herself into thinking I¡¯d survived, as the only way for her to feel like she could¡­ she could survive the grief of my death. Knowing that she was just deluding herself, but an irrational hope is better than confirmation of loss, is what I think she was thinking. So, while she had my back, she refused to be there for me, in absolutely any way.¡±

    He nodded slowly. It backed up the idea that they were insightful into who people really were.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to give the wrong idea,¡± they said. ¡°She did care. Does care. She gave me a hug and everything as I was leaving, and she is so sweet. But she¡¯s dealt with a lot of loss and grief. I had no idea how much, at the time, but even then, I could see it in her eyes.¡±

    He¡¯d definitely heard the same thing in her voice, the day she¡¯d begged him to make the promise.

    ¡°Waterfall was awful, that first timeline,¡± they said, their voice somber. ¡°Papyrus got my number and kept calling, and kept clearly struggling with trying to balance not betraying me or Undyne, but in the end betraying us both. I knew he cared and didn¡¯t want to hurt me, I couldn¡¯t expect him to betray his boss and friend, I didn¡¯t really blame him¡­ but it was¡­ hard. She even outright admitted that she was going to murder me herself, and while he protested, he just¡­ accepted it. And I went through and met all these monsters, and heard all these wishes, and I just¡­¡±

    They trailed off, their eyes glistening.

    ¡°All these dreams, these wishes, that could be fulfilled if I just died,¡± they said softly. ¡°I found myself wondering if wanting to live was being selfish. If it would be better if I just let Undyne kill me, and let everyone go free. I hadn''t learned, yet, that Asgore planned genocide of humanity with the captured souls.

    ¡°But I didn¡¯t want to die, and I didn¡¯t think it was fair, and they weren¡¯t even respecting me in it. They didn¡¯t plead their case and ask me to sacrifice myself for them, they just wanted to kill me and I didn¡¯t want to die for them if that was the case, but I was surrounded by all these wishes and they were just¡­¡±

    They went from a rambling flurry of words to trailing off, tears glistening in their eyes.

    ¡°But I didn¡¯t want to die,¡± they said, and sounded almost ashamed. ¡°I didn¡¯t, I didn¡¯t, it wasn¡¯t fair to just steal my soul like that¡­ and Undyne scared me so much. Every time I ran into you in Waterfall, it was like a salve on my soul. You wouldn¡¯t make me feel guilty for being alive. You would make me laugh. I had no idea what goofy thing you¡¯d do, but I knew it¡¯d be silly and safe and that, at least for those moments we were hanging out, everything was going to be okay. I couldn¡¯t know if I¡¯d survive the next hour, if I¡¯d be battered with so much pain and such overwhelming defeat that I¡¯d die for real, but I knew for at least those few minutes, that I was okay.¡±

    He was getting a hell of a lot more than their feelings for him, but he definitely wasn¡¯t blind to the implication. He was increasingly of the opinion that he¡¯d find out they fell in love with him even before the murder timeline.

    And his feelings were changing, too. Yeah, they were an unstoppable nightmare of limitless power now, if they chose to be, but he really felt for the kid they¡¯d been. He could easily see how he¡¯d have felt, how much he would have grown to care for them, seeing their fear and uncertainty transform into contented laughter at his jokes and play.

    ¡°Finally, I got to the end, and Undyne killed me a ton. But, I¡¯d learned how to fight with Papyrus, and had had a chance to practice with the monsters of Waterfall. She only killed me a dozen times or so. It really helps that the food here instantly heals me, once I got the knack of it. And, while I was afraid¡­ the bullshit she said when she first attacked me, it really changed how I felt. I still wasn¡¯t sure if I should let myself die to save monsters, but I found myself pissed off and committed to one thing I knew for sure - if someone was going to take my soul, it wouldn¡¯t be that bitch.¡±

    Sans couldn¡¯t help but laugh at that.

    ¡°I¡¯m really a lot better at fighting when I¡¯m not afraid,¡± they said. ¡°And the stuff she said, I was just furious. And¡­ and I did something awful. Not being afraid, my fear all burning as anger, and her being just so¡­ so unfair, so cruel. The first attempt against her, I literally got on my knees and begged for my life, and she just killed me anyway. She¡¯d hurt me, and stalked me, and ambushed me, and insulted me, and mocked my efforts to be good to monsterkind, and turned a friend against me, and was trying so hard to murder me, and refused to back down and accept peace¡­¡±

    He nodded. The human getting pissed, and breaking away from their peaceful approach? Not surprising in the least - it¡¯s what he¡¯d have expected to happen.

    ¡°I killed her,¡± they said, sighing sadly. ¡°It''s sad, Sans, how much easier it is to kill monsters than spare them. I killed her on my first try.¡±

    He knew damned well how hard humans were to kill in combat. Without leveraging the power of stolen human souls or special training, it was definitely in the humans¡¯ favor.

    ¡°And then, the things she said as she died¡­ it was so sad, Sans. She didn¡¯t actually care about me at all. She spoke of the things she¡¯d wished she¡¯d said, of the people she loved. Of her refusal to die, her refusal to stop protecting them. She¡­ you know about determination, about all of Alphys¡¯s secret experiments, I¡¯m pretty sure.¡±

    ¡°yeah,¡± he confirmed.

    ¡°She had enough determination that she melted,¡± they said softly and he nodded. ¡°She tried so hard to live, to continue to fight for those she loved. And I didn¡¯t matter to her at all.

    ¡°That¡¯s when I realized, really understood, she wasn¡¯t actually insulting me, or attacking me. I was nothing but an idea. I had to be, because if I were a person to her, an innocent person, she couldn¡¯t hurt me. But if I were just ¡®the enemy,¡¯ then she could pretend she was being a hero, like she really is deep down.

    ¡°And then, there I was, once she eventually turned to dust. I had a straight path forward, and she could never hurt me again.¡±

    They smiled, and once again, it was impossibly tender.

    ¡°But I reloaded instead,¡± they said. ¡°From Undyne, I had learned to have true faith in myself. I could get past her. Not just as a belief, but as a certainty. The question was, could I keep her alive at the same time?

    ¡°I tried a few different things, but in the end, I figured out that I could run and just keep running. And maybe, since she¡¯d stopped when Monster Kid stood up to her, maybe if I just ran enough, I could find another solution. She¡¯d catch up to me, and attack again, but I¡¯d just keep running. I was grinning all the while. And you know what happened next - I just repeated it this time.¡±

    He nodded again.

    ¡°I know it sounds like I got off track,¡± they said. ¡°But the key thing is, I suddenly felt safe, in a strange way. I had faith in my power, and in my ability to become strong enough to overcome whatever I faced. And before that, you were my only source of security and safety. Yes, yes, people would try to murder me, and that would suck, but it didn¡¯t matter. I had someone who had my back, who was a real friend, and I had faith would never betray me. And I had another friend who¡­ maybe was tangled, but still cared. And that maybe, just maybe, things would actually be okay. I felt stable, and our friendship was a part of that stability. But more in the sense of¡­ equals isn¡¯t the right word, but I don¡¯t know a better one. I didn¡¯t feel like I was leaning on you, the same way.¡±

    That made a lot of sense. It was interesting, hearing about the fight with Undyne, too. It revealed a lot about them.

    And¡­ this sounded like it was a healthy foundation for a friendship, now. Maybe not perfectly, but hey, who was he to complain about imperfect mental health?

    ¡°There wasn''t much between us in Hotland,¡± they said. ¡°Dealt with bullshit with Alphys and Mettaton, but with my newfound confidence in myself and faith in my power, his death threats didn¡¯t really get to me at all. A little, but he was more annoying than frightening.¡±

    Sans snickered at that.

    ¡°He is a pain in the ass,¡± they said with a grin. ¡°Had a few cool moments with you in Hotlands. Like with the hotdogs - I¡¯m so glad we were able to do that again, it was so much fun. And it really didn¡¯t¡­ change anything about how I felt about you. I just felt, again, solid in our friendship. And every interaction just reinforced that feeling.¡±

    They suddenly hesitated and gave him a complex look. Their voice had grown solid and cheerful as they spoke, but that didn¡¯t match the expression they now wore.

    ¡°Then¡­ our conversation here,¡± they said, their voice uncertain. Uncertain, but resolute. ¡°Reaffirming what I¡¯d grown to believe, that you were truly my friend, that you did care, that you were on my side. Reaffirming what I¡¯d learned, that you were a being of power. Telling me of a promise, a story that shared the heart of your connection to Toriel, and not the mere truth that there was a promise. A feeling of real connection, for all that there was an implicit threat within your words.

    ¡°And, the part I forgot to mention a minute ago, that you made a comment about how you were doing a good job protecting me, because I hadn¡¯t died yet. And I just laughed¡­¡±

    They grinned at him and he grinned sheepishly back.

    Then their expression got tangled again and they looked rather sheepish themself.

    ¡°Er¡­ this is where it kinda gets awkward,¡± they admitted. ¡°But you asked, and so I¡¯ll answer.¡±

    They took a steadying breath and looked away.

    ¡°I¡­ I felt a really strong sense of connection, as I¡¯d mentioned,¡± they said. ¡°But, um, it kinda was¡­ a, um¡­ whoo, this is hard¡­¡±

    They were really struggling. He figured it wouldn¡¯t hurt to help get the words out. And, as he¡¯d said, he had guessed. Plus, on the off chance they denied it, it was completely plausible as a teasing joke.

    ¡°you started to fall in love with me,¡± Sans said, as they continued to struggle in the silence.

    They flushed a bright red and took a moment to breathe. They slowly nodded.

    It felt better, to be honest, knowing that they¡¯d fallen for him before their murderous timeline. That their feelings were born of joy, laughter, friendship, and a real sense of connection, not out of desperate guilt.

    And hearing it like this¡­ he could see it. Walking him through their journey made it feel real. It wasn¡¯t as real as if he¡¯d been there himself, lived it himself, but it wasn¡¯t as impossible to feel as before. He even found himself caring for the person that they¡¯d been, caring more deeply for them now, because of that deeper understanding.

    Not that he loved them, not even slightly, but¡­ the situation maybe wasn¡¯t as messed up as he¡¯d first felt. And while he wouldn''t call it love¡­ it wasn''t nothing, what he felt for them.

    They continued to steady their breathing and finally spoke again.

    ¡°I only started to,¡± they said. ¡°Somewhere around the feeling of ¡®best friends forever,¡¯ a feeling of loyalty, and, I guess you¡¯d call it a crush. As before¡­ everyone else, even Toriel, had hurt me, attacked me, killed me, betrayed me, turned away from me, or pushed me away. Except you. It¡¯s hard to describe the feeling of trust, why it was so deeply rooted. On the surface, I¡¯ve literally never had a fight of any kind. Not so much as a spar. I¡¯ve never had to so much as question my safety. Why, then, did I feel a sense of safety and trust with you that ran so much deeper than anything I¡¯d ever known on the surface?¡±

    They quirked a lip into a half smile.

    ¡°It¡¯d probably take a lot of time to try to untangle why that is, but the important part is that that¡¯s how I felt,¡± they said. ¡°I felt a depth of trust and care for you that I¡¯d never really felt in my life. I didn¡¯t have the best home life and don¡¯t actually have a real home to go back to.¡±

    He nodded at that.

    ¡°I guess I could go back, but let¡¯s just say that at the end, Toriel offers to take me in as her child, and I accepted, and intend to accept again.¡±

    He could read between the lines, hear the complexity in their voice, see the depth of emotion on their face¡­

    He reached out and squeezed their hand. They smiled at him appreciatively, squeezing back, and he pulled his hand back after a moment.

    ¡°Not much changed from there for a while. Oh, things happened in my journey, but not regarding my feelings for you. And then I reached the Hall of Judgement.¡±

    He wondered if he¡¯d ever tell them that wasn¡¯t the corridor¡¯s name.

    ¡°You started off so serious,¡± they said, their gaze distant. ¡°Like this was¡­ maybe like it was the one job you took seriously. You made me feel like I was really, actually being judged for the choices I¡¯d made on my journey. And for a moment, I was a little worried. Only a little, though. Yeah, I¡¯d killed Toriel and Undyne, however briefly, but that had never happened. And I¡¯d tried so, so hard to do the right thing.¡±

    Their smile softened.

    ¡°You told me about LOVE and EXP. What they meant. How they worked. You made it explicitly clear that you were judging me, how you were judging me.¡±

    Their face lit up into a happy expression.

    ¡°And then, you shifted so I could see your face properly in the light, and you were giving me this¡­ this¡­ really sweet smile,¡± they said. ¡°That¡¯s so not the right word. You were so nice. You said I kept tenderness in my heart, that I strove to do the right thing, that I¡¯d refused to hurt anyone. You talked about how I¡¯d never gained LOVE, but I¡¯d gained love. And I had, actually, gained some LOVE - just long enough to feel it, before I reloaded. But I was free of all that, and that¡¯s what you saw. And I felt¡­ I felt¡­¡±

    They struggled with words again and he considered. His other self had probably no idea that they¡¯d intentionally killed Undyne and undone it, but in the end¡­ he couldn¡¯t blame them for that. Hell, he wouldn¡¯t have blamed them for killing Undyne and keeping things that way. He would have judged them for the LOVE they¡¯d gained, but he wouldn¡¯t have hated them. Wouldn¡¯t have stopped being their friend. Just been disappointed that life wasn¡¯t as good as it could be, which was hardly news.

    ¡°I really don¡¯t have the words,¡± they continued. ¡°Just, let¡¯s go with it was a positive thing. I felt seen, appreciated, respected. In a way that felt both professional and objective, as well as personal and caring.

    ¡°And then, you left it off with talking about what came next. You didn¡¯t know what I should do. You laid out the facts of my choice in simple, clear fashion. That Asgore and I would meet, and we¡¯d determine the fate of the world. That if I refused to fight, Asgore would take my soul and destroy humanity. Or, I could kill him, take his soul, and leave, consigning monsterkind to remaining trapped.

    ¡°You said you didn¡¯t know what I should do, that if you were me, you¡¯d have thrown in the towel. You talked about how I¡¯d gotten that far by never giving up, that I had ¡®determination.¡¯ That you believed if I didn¡¯t give up, I¡¯d find a way to do the right thing, even if you had no idea how. You said everyone was counting on me and wished me luck, then you disappeared.¡±

    It hurt a little to hear this. If he didn¡¯t know the kid had found a way, then things would have looked pretty bleak. They did look that way, this morning, but he¡¯d been trying not to think about it. Let the cards fall where they would, kind of thing.

    But that Sans had run out of time to refuse to face things. He¡¯d grown to care for the human kid and just let them go off to deal with an impossible situation. He¡¯d tried to persuade them to just live a peaceful life underground, and failing that¡­ there was only death and loss. Whose death and whose loss, he didn¡¯t know, but it looked inevitable.

    And that Sans had chosen to cling to a little measure of hope. That the kid¡¯s power, their determination, their unwavering commitment to peace¡­ that maybe it would somehow be enough.

    ¡°and you did it,¡± Sans said. ¡°you found a way.¡±

    ¡°No, actually,¡± they said with a wry smile. ¡°It¡¯s a long story. And there¡¯s not much between you and me during that whole process¡­ I guess I could skip ahead to when we broke the barrier, unless you want to hear that part?¡±

    ¡°gotta admit, i¡¯m hella curious,¡± he said. ¡°you don¡¯t have to, though.¡±

    They grinned. Sans smiled back, settling in his chair.

    ¡°I¡¯m happy to,¡± they said cheerfully.

    Time to hear what the future held.

 Ch. 7 - Before the Fall

    Sans shifted in his chair, taking in the human¡¯s cheerful expression. It¡¯d been an intense conversation so far, as they¡¯d walked him through their journey in their first timeline.

    It was supposed to be about the development of their feelings for him, of their relationship with him, which he had¡­ complicated feelings about. It was hard not to feel for them - to feel connected and drawn in. And he wasn¡¯t trying to pull away, exactly. Even so. A whole mess of feelings on the matter - he wasn¡¯t exactly upset about what they¡¯d done, but it was concerning, especially since he didn¡¯t know them that well.

    He¡¯d love to have a solid amount of time to chew on all of the revelations, but instead, the kid would be breaking the barrier shortly and he¡¯d be living on the surface, dealing with a whole mess of things. Good things, sure, but it was going to be a busy day.

    In the meantime, it was time to hear about the extra details he¡¯d asked for - all the leadup to destroying the barrier.

    ¡°So!¡± the human began, their tone bright. ¡°I tried really, really hard against Asgore. He was the nicest about it, about trying to kill me, of any monster I¡¯d faced. He obviously didn¡¯t want to kill me. And I didn¡¯t want to kill him either.

    ¡°I tried everything, Sans. I really did. I just couldn¡¯t persuade him. I got to the point of getting really good at dodging his attacks, but he still kept killing me because I just could not get him to stop. I had no idea what else to do, what else to try. I¡¯d found things I could say that would weaken him, that would soften his strikes, but I couldn¡¯t make him stop trying to kill me.¡±

    They sighed.

    ¡°I had no idea what to do,¡± they admitted. ¡°But then, I remembered. Toriel, Undyne¡­ as they¡¯d died, they had time to say some things. I learned from both of them in their last moments. And, it maybe sounds bad, but it occurred to me¡­ maybe I could try attacking him. Maybe he¡¯d give up when he was almost dead, or maybe he¡¯d reveal something when he died that I could use, something. I wouldn¡¯t keep him dead, but I had no idea what else to try.¡±

    Sans nodded at that. He couldn¡¯t blame them for that, either. From his perspective, Asgore made it morally acceptable to kill him permanently, even if it wasn¡¯t ideal - temporarily killing him as a desperate tactic to find a better way was downright saintly, compared to the two alternatives.

    ¡°So I attacked him, and wore him down,¡± they said. ¡°And in the end, he did collapse before his death, and said he couldn¡¯t take it anymore. Asked me to kill him and just go home, and let this be over. And I refused, because of course I refused to kill him, I was so glad he¡¯d stopped trying to kill me! Kinda ridiculous I had to beat him within an inch of his life to get him to stop, but whatever. He started talking about how he¡¯d adopt me, and we could be a family and it was so sweet¡­¡±

    They sighed.

    ¡°And then Flowey pops up, murders him, and mocks me as he takes all the human souls that Asgore had prepared, absorbed them all, and attacked me with a power of an effective god.¡±

    ¡°... that was abrupt,¡± Sans said.

    ¡°I agree,¡± they said emphatically. ¡°I cannot begin to tell you how pissed I was at Flowey. I¡¯d finally found an answer I could be happy with, even if it wasn¡¯t completely ideal, and that stupid asshole¡­¡±

    Anger flashed in their eyes and Sans couldn¡¯t help but grin. It¡¯d be less funny if he didn¡¯t know it turned out alright.

    ¡°you mentioned he killed you an insane number of times,¡± Sans said. ¡°that you expected it to happen again, in this timeline.¡±

    ¡°Yep,¡± they said. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ complicated, but Flowey normally remembers resets, but um¡­ he doesn¡¯t remember this. I guess I¡¯ll mention why in a bit. But anyway, yeah, he was able to take over the save and reload power, he said he destroyed my ¡®save file,¡¯ he called it - the ability to go back to a chosen point. Though I think what happened is that he gained the ability to have multiple save files, and just broke my connection to it. He blocked me from resetting the timeline.

    ¡°But, for some reason, he couldn¡¯t stop me from existing. No matter how many times he killed me, I¡¯d just come back. I knew - somehow, deep in my bones, that if I accepted my death, he¡¯d take my soul and that¡¯d be that. But, like with Undyne¡­¡±

    ¡°someone might get your soul at some point, but it wouldn¡¯t be that asshole,¡± Sans finished with an amused grin.

    ¡°You got it,¡± they said, laughing. ¡°By that point, I¡¯d gotten pretty used to pain and death, and I was kinda running on anger. Murdering Asgore like that¡­ I was so pissed, Sans, I cannot even begin to express it.¡±

    He nodded, feeling a sense of satisfaction just from hearing this story. Again, it really helped that he knew it turned out well.

    ¡°Long story short, I was able to reach out to the other human souls, who did not like being used like that, and they turned on him,¡± they said.

    That was very interesting. It was dangerous to use lots of human souls at once, because of the issue of souls refusing to be controlled, but a living human influencing them? He wondered what made that possible. It usually took a while before souls went wild - even without any special training, it was generally close to half an hour. He wondered if those souls also ¡°remembered¡± the resets, and how the timeline power interacted with them.

    That''d be an interesting thing to study, but wasn''t even slightly practical to try to set up.

    ¡°Long, ludicrously violent story short, by the way. It was a whole thing. I legitimately have no idea how many times I died. Especially since he knew I, like him, could remember the resets, so after a while, he just started loading right as I started to die so he could kill me again faster.¡±

    ¡°... that¡¯s torture,¡± Sans said. ¡°even if you¡¯d given up¡­¡±

    ¡°Pretty confident if I said I gave up, he¡¯d have let me die,¡± they said, shrugging. ¡°Didn¡¯t matter, because fuck that guy.¡±

    Sans had to agree. No wonder they¡¯d warned him about Flowey. He suddenly frowned.

    ¡°it¡¯d be a really bad thing if he overheard any of this, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± Sans said uneasily. He didn¡¯t notice anything, but¡­

    They laughed.

    ¡°That¡¯s probably true,¡± they said. ¡°But I don¡¯t think that¡¯s an issue. He revealed, at one point, that he has issues with you. Insulted you, said you¡¯d caused him more than his fair share of resets, and that he doesn¡¯t like to be anywhere near you.¡±

    Sans grinned darkly at that, and they matched him.

    ¡°So, after he was betrayed by the souls he was controlling, he lost all the power and was a flower again. But weak, broken, and helpless before me. And I realized I could easily kill him.¡±

    ¡°did you?¡± Sans asked, honestly unsure.

    ¡°I seriously thought about it,¡± they said, their eyes hard. ¡°And I realized I had basically two options before me. I could just accept things the way they were, and not reload. If I was going to do that, then yeah, killing him made sense. And frankly, as much as I wanted to kill him, that¡¯s what I¡¯d do, if I accepted that path.

    ¡°On the other hand, if I was going to reload¡­ then killing him didn¡¯t make sense. It wouldn''t mean anything. He¡¯d come back, and more importantly, he¡¯d remember. And if he was going to remember, then I¡¯d want him to remember mercy. Because I needed to try to find some sort of peace - between the power he had, even as just a flower, and the ability to remember across resets? That¡¯s dangerous. And it¡¯s not like I had any idea of how to solve things myself. He might be able to help, and mercy was the only path forward that I could see.¡±

    They smiled.

    ¡°I chose hope,¡± they said. ¡°Hope for a brighter future. Flowey was nasty as hell as I spared him, but it mostly turned out that he was struggling with the concept of me being nice and eventually ran away in his confusion.¡±

    ¡°maybe he was kinda like you, not taking death seriously?¡± he asked.

    ¡°That makes a lot of sense,¡± they said, looking amused. ¡°I was too riled up to think of it that way - he was probably confident I was going to reload, and just wanted to force me to agree with his stupid-ass motto, of ¡®kill or be killed.¡¯ Without any real risk of a true death.¡±

    Sans nodded.

    ¡°Especially since he was trying to provoke me into killing him¡­¡± they mused thoughtfully. ¡°Yeah, Sans, you nailed that one.¡±

    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    He chuckled at that.

    ¡°Anyway, after that, it got weird. I don¡¯t know where I was. My best guess is I was caught in some sort of void, something to do with the backlash of the situation with Flowey. I could have reloaded, but I wanted to figure out what was going on, first.

    ¡°Then I got a call from you. A voicemail. My best guess is that I was dead, but my soul was bound to Flowey in some weird way, and he could communicate with me, and had decided to share this message. And for some reason, I was still aware and stuff - probably relating to the metric ton of magic that had been flying around - so I didn¡¯t just automatically reload, since my consciousness was still kicking around. But I could feel it, I still had the power, so even though I was confused, I wasn¡¯t afraid.¡±

    Sans had no idea what to make of that. But then, it sounded like the kid didn¡¯t, either.

    ¡°Anyway,¡± they said. ¡°You told me about how things were in my absence. About a Snowman that was happy with me, because I¡¯d brought the Snowpiece so far. About all sorts of things. Like, Toriel reclaimed her place as queen, and all of the human souls had disappeared. Papyrus noticed you were leaving a message and joined in, too. And Undyne joined in, and just hearing about everything¡­ It was a whole thing, and was so sweet. I felt like I was missed, and loved, and that you hoped I was okay, wherever I was.¡±

    He nodded again.

    ¡°Not just you, but everyone,¡± they said. ¡°I felt¡­ really sad about how things went. And still had no idea where I was. And then Flowey appeared within the void, as soon as your voicemail was over, talking to me. He seemed much more mellow and real with me than he¡¯d ever been. He said he had an idea of how to get a better ending. I was suspicious, of course, but I listened. He said he thought that getting to know Alphys better might be the key to my happiness.

    ¡°He started to leave then, but I got him to stay a little longer. I tried to get him talking. He talked a little about Papyrus - joking that my interest in him was about me wanting to make a Flowey Fan Club, but Papyrus had already done that. Then, about how much fun Papyrus is to mess with. That¡¯s when he mentioned you. Called you ¡®Smiley Trashbag,¡¯ and said I needed to keep away from you, that you were dangerous, because you¡¯d caused him so many resets.¡±

    They grinned again, wicked delight flashing in their eyes. Sans couldn¡¯t help but match them.

    ¡°It entertained the hell out of me, him warning me about the one person I trusted more than anyone else in the world. But it didn¡¯t matter, really, if he was telling the truth or not. I mean, I figured he was telling the truth about you, but I mean about the happy ending. Even with the six souls, he couldn¡¯t stop me from existing, so my confidence was rock solid. I was willing to try, and it didn¡¯t matter if he betrayed me, because I still wouldn¡¯t give up.¡±

    Sans nodded at that. The fearless immortal had arrived in full.

    ¡°Long story short,¡± they said. ¡°He got Papyrus to get Undyne to give Alphys a letter, dragging me in as the one to send it, and this was a series of dominos that got Alphys to admit to what she¡¯d done, inviting us in to see the true lab. I can only imagine how many resets were involved in learning about that chain, and in such a way that he thought it¡¯d still work even with my being involved¡­ but that¡¯s beside the point. I went down, learned a shit ton. About determination, about the amalgamates, about Flowey¡¯s origin-¡±

    ¡°wait, his origin?¡± Sans asked, not wanting to skip their insights on this point.

    ¡°Yeah, he was the flower vessel that Alphys was doing experiments on, and he gained - or regained - awareness when he rejoined with the dust of the fallen prince, Asriel, from Asgore¡¯s garden, when she returned him there,¡± they said casually.

    ¡°... right then,¡± Sans said, reeling a little.

    He was glad that he''d stopped them. He knew about the flower, but not about the connection with Asriel. What the hell was that all about?

    ¡°You should really ask about Asriel¡¯s history,¡± they encouraged. ¡°I bet Alphys knows it. I can take a nap in the hotel while you guys chat, if you want.¡±

    ¡°uh, actually, i talked to alphys about it while we were waiting for you to get to muffet.¡±

    ¡°Oh, cool. So she watched the fight, too? Hopefully it was fun to watch,¡± they said with a grin.

    ¡°you definitely know how to handle being dangled in a web,¡± he said.

    ¡°Ha! Yeah I do,¡± they agreed, looking smug. ¡°So yeah, I learned a lot. Chara poked out, too, during that time. I bet they also did when I killed Undyne and when I considered killing Flowey, but I was¡­ kinda in tune with them, if you will, so I didn¡¯t notice. That¡¯s my guess, anyway. But this time, I was face to face with horror and wasn¡¯t feeling it, so I really noticed Chara then.¡±

    He was still curious about the whole Asriel thing, but he was also curious about this¡­ whatever, he could ask questions later.

    ¡°Anyway, long story. Went back to Asgore, Flowey blocked me from leaving New Home so I had nowhere else to go, and it turned out, Flowey had managed to lure everyone I cared about there. You, Papyrus, Toriel, Alphys, Undyne. A few others, too, like Mettaton. Flowey grabbed the six human souls that Asgore had prepared while we were distracted, and instead of using that power to focus on me, captured all of you. He tormented me a little bit, but you guys were breaking free, trying to protect me, and it was so sweet.¡±

    They grinned warmly at him, but he was reeling again.

    ¡°Then he absorbed all of the monster souls in the entire underground, and kinda became an even more ridiculously powerful god-like being. Since, you know, he had the equivalent of seven human souls, so waaaay more than the first version of him. Killed me again, but it was a strange place - hopes shielded me, dreams healed me, and my soul refused to die. More absolutely than usual. I didn¡¯t come back - I just wouldn¡¯t die. He bound me increasingly aggressively, but I just¡­ didn¡¯t care. As long as I refused to give up¡­¡±

    They shrugged.

    ¡°He said that every time I died, you guys forgot me a little more. Eventually, I would die alone and unloved. Which would suck. But also, fuck him, you know?¡±

    Sans nodded in full agreement to that.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t matter if you all forgot me. If I forgot everyone. I wasn¡¯t going to fucking quit. Eventually I pushed him to use his power more, and he bound me hard. I couldn¡¯t fight, couldn¡¯t do anything, I couldn¡¯t reach my powers, my save file. I was helpless. But I realized, there was still one thing I was connected to¡­ something else I could save.¡±

    Their smile turned softer.

    ¡°I could reach out to your souls inside of him,¡± they said. ¡°None of you remembered me, but you spoke¡­ and revealed some of your deeper truths. From you, you said things like, ¡®just give up. I did.¡¯ And how you could never go back home, and everything was pointless.¡±

    They paused for a moment and Sans nodded. He tried not to ever say stuff like that out loud, but¡­ well, it wasn¡¯t exactly unlike him.

    ¡°Long story short - I¡¯m trying, not saying I¡¯m doing a great job - I was able to reach through his soul, connect with all of you, get you to remember, and then was able to connect with his soul, too.¡±

    ¡°flowey¡¯s?¡± Sans asked.

    They hesitated.

    ¡°Sort of¡­¡± they said uncertainly, but then their expression firmed. ¡°No. He¡¯d started to regain himself. He was Asriel Dreemur again. I¡¯ll explain more, later. That¡¯s really a whole thing. But the point is, when I helped him remember himself, it all came back - his emotions, everything. Then he was great. With his help, everyone was restored, the barrier was broken, and things went great. Except for him - he had to give up his ability to love, to care, to feel, and go back to being Flowey again, with full knowledge of what he¡¯d lost.

    ¡°But¡­ but outside of that, Sans, it was wonderful. Toriel made a school, Papyrus got his car, you messed with him¡­ everything was great.¡±

    They sighed.

    ¡°And I spoke to you, and to Alphys. About my concerns, about my worries. Alphys was sure there wasn¡¯t a problem and I should just be happy with what we had.

    ¡°You weren¡¯t sure. We talked at length about all sorts of things. And when I came up with¡­ with that idea¡­ you thought the idea of murdering everyone was really not a good one. You were really concerned that it would destroy me. You also didn¡¯t really like the idea of Chara messing with my mind, or everything resetting when I died of old age, either, so you were more torn.¡±

    So they had decided to talk to him and Alphys first. They had tried to do things the right way. He suppressed a sigh. He had a feeling he wasn¡¯t going to enjoy where this was going, even beyond what he already knew.

    ¡°You decided I should just give it time, see how I felt about things as time went on. You were so sure that trying to draw out Chara, whether or not it worked, would destroy me, that I¡¯d lose myself. I really didn¡¯t think so.

    ¡°You said I was risking everyone, risking destroying everything, if I did it. I said, only if I went too far, only if I lost myself. And that I was also risking everyone, risking destroying everything, by refusing to find out more.

    ¡°You said that that was a reasonable conclusion, but if both paths risked destroying everything, then maybe not taking the one that might destroy me makes the most sense. That it¡¯s better to take the path with the least sacrifice and loss.¡±

    Sans was really in agreement with his other self, here, even if privately he knew he would do the same if he felt there was a good reason.

    ¡°We talked about odds, but you didn¡¯t tell me about your reports, about the nature of the timeline, even that you had an idea of what my power really was. You were really tight lipped about that sort of thing - about anything about your past, really. You said it was risky, but refused to clarify how or why, or how great the risk was. Or that you had an idea of what was at risk.

    ¡°And¡­ I was afraid. Of the spirit in my mind, of what might happen. Of getting further from the time I fell into the underground, because that meant a larger chunk of time that¡¯d be lost if I reset. I tried to give it time, but my fears and anxieties grew worse and worse.

    ¡°In the end, I told you what I¡¯d decided. You didn¡¯t agree, but¡­ you gave me a hug. You said you knew you couldn¡¯t stop me, that no one could, that you wanted me to choose otherwise, but that you believed in me. You told me not to go too far. Not to lose myself. Not to forget what mattered. Not to forget you. To stop as soon as I¡¯d found out anything. You looked so resigned, so sad, so¡­ lost. I felt like I¡¯d betrayed you, but I swore to you that I¡¯d fix everything. That it¡¯d be okay, that it will have never happened.¡±

    Their face fell.

    The other Sans had really tried to stop them. Violence wouldn¡¯t have helped. If reasons, and entreaties, and friendship weren¡¯t enough¡­ he could see how he¡¯d have felt hurt and lost enough to maybe not try as hard as he could. To just give up and accept the inevitable. Especially since their reasoning wasn''t completely bunk - he''d have been uncertain what was best.

    ¡°You tried to wish me good luck, but your voice broke, and you looked like¡­ almost like you were trying not to cry,¡± they said, their voice tight. ¡°I couldn¡¯t stand the look on your face, I couldn¡¯t handle it. I ran away. Not in body, but in spirit. I pushed and I found myself back where I fell. Or, I tried, rather.¡±

    They took a shaky breath.

    ¡°Flowey greeted me, in a void between times. He was resisting my attempt to reset, and so met me within the domain of the power - at least, that¡¯s what I think happened. He tried to ask me not to reset, too,¡± they said hoarsely. ¡°That he couldn¡¯t handle losing everything. I could have let things go back, could have returned to my last save point, right before that last conversation with you. Or, if I chose to reset¡­ he asked me to erase his memories, too. He couldn¡¯t handle remembering regaining emotions, regaining love, and being the hero who broke the barrier, only to have it all torn away.

    ¡°I was¡­ kind of emotionally overwhelmed, and I pushed, I just couldn¡¯t handle¡­ and he was so sad, too, and I felt his power touch mine, and¡­ that was it. It was absolute. I had gone back to the beginning.¡±

 Ch. 8 - Promise

    The human looked down, their face full of shame, sniffling.

    Sans watched them, his expression impassive. It was hard to hear how they¡¯d fallen for his other self, and then erased him. Hard to hear about everything they¡¯d built being torn down out of fear. And while he did understand, and didn¡¯t even really blame them for the choice they made¡­

    ¡°I don¡¯t know why it didn¡¯t occur to me before,¡± they said. ¡°You didn¡¯t mention it, either. Maybe because it was obvious and I was just being an idiot. It didn¡¯t really¡­ it just didn¡¯t occur to me that I¡¯d erased our friendship. That it wasn¡¯t as simple as ¡®doing everything over¡¯ to get it back. That of course things would be different, that conversations would be different. It was there, as I lay in the flower bed that broke my fall, that I realized what I¡¯d just destroyed. And that was the true beginning of my descent into madness.¡±

    That was obvious. He wouldn¡¯t have mentioned it, because of how obvious it was, and how sappy it was. That said, if he¡¯d realized they somehow missed it, then he would have used that to try to talk them out of it.

    But their reasoning wasn¡¯t wrong, either. He¡¯d have been unsure, in the other timeline. Were they doomed to destruction either way? Was it safer for them to do things this way, in the end?

    They sighed again.

    ¡°See, it¡¯s not like I was completely wrong,¡± they said. ¡°With people like Papyrus - it was a good, strong, real connection, but it was kinda¡­ shallow? I¡¯d only actually known you all for a few weeks, at that point. With Papyrus, if I just repeated my actions, even if I didn¡¯t get it exactly right, he¡¯d feel the same way towards me, more or less. And it¡¯s not like I¡¯d stop caring about him.

    ¡°In fact, I¡¯d barely spoken to most people, and the conversations we¡¯d had were¡­ kinda to the point. But they were intense circumstances, which is why our friendships deepened so fast, so intensely. I believed, then and now, that I could get all of those relationships back without really losing anything. With just some time and effort, and maybe a short reset or two if I screwed something up.

    ¡°But as I sat there in the flowers, I realized that wasn¡¯t the case with you. I hadn¡¯t realized how observant you were, not yet, not completely. Regardless, I¡¯d interacted with you more than anyone else, and our conversations actually had been deep. I suddenly realized that the version of you that I¡¯d grown to care for so deeply was lost forever.

    ¡°And worse¡­ that he had asked me not to go, not to erase him, and I¡¯d blown him off.¡±

    They took a shaky breath.

    Sans had to admit, that really sucked. For all parties.

    ¡°Why that occurred to me only when it was too late¡­¡± they said, and shook their head. ¡°I¡¯d been afraid, obsessive, and neither you nor Alphys had any suggestions on what to do about the source of that fear. I had an idea and had to do something, I felt like I had no choice. And if this was the only path that we could see, that had any chance of helping me learn¡­ I¡¯d been obsessed, I just couldn¡¯t think around that wall. It wasn¡¯t until I found myself in the new timeline, and I¡¯d committed, that my thoughts could find themselves on another track. That I realized what I¡¯d destroyed.¡±

    Well, on the bright side, he¡¯d learned some important things. That the kid was¡­ well, determined. He knew that already. But not just determined. They¡¯d latch onto things, intent on carrying it through, or figuring it out, and would get obsessive. They¡¯d even miss extremely obvious things, extremely relevant things, in pursuit of that obsession.

    In a certain, critical way, the reason they''d reset was exactly the same reason why they''d left the Ruins. They had felt trapped and had an idea of how they could be free, and it didn¡¯t matter what lay past that point. Didn¡¯t matter how afraid they were, how dangerous it was, they felt they had no choice but to press on. First with Toriel in the Ruins, and then with the other Sans, after everyone had been freed. They clearly loved both, and had turned away hard from both, because they''d seen what looked like only a single real path forward.

    And it sounded like the kid¡¯s feelings for Sans had been mutual. It hadn¡¯t been romantic, like it¡¯d still just been a crush on their end, but their friendship was pretty intense. And for all he knew, it could have eventually become more. They were a lot younger than him, but that wasn''t the worst thing. And with the resets, he had no idea how long that¡¯d be true, anyway. Well, maybe it¡¯d stay that way if they were careful with the resets like they said they¡¯d be, and especially if he could be brought in on them. The fact that Flowey could remember the human¡¯s resets was promising.

    ¡°I¡­ will be skipping a lot of the insanity of that timeline path, and will focus on my interactions with you,¡± they said, swallowing. ¡°As best as I can. Basically¡­ hoo. I¡¯d decided to kill everyone, see if that worked. If it didn¡¯t, I¡¯d reset and try something different. I¡¯d do whatever it took to learn.

    ¡°But it seemed to be working. By the time I got to Toriel¡¯s house, it was Chara, and not me, that I saw in the mirror. As soon as I saw that, I committed to the path. I¡¯d kill everyone, absolutely everyone, learn everything, and then fix it all.¡±

    The kid thought their ¡°descent into madness¡± started with their realization at what they¡¯d lost, but he figured that was more the tipping point. It really started with their obsession with figuring out about their little tagalong and their power.

    ¡°It was so hard¡­¡± they said softly. ¡°I stopped crying with the monsters in the Ruins, as the shield of LOVE started to form around me, walling me off. But at first, I cried with every single one. And then, with Toriel¡­ god, Sans, I¡­¡±

    They trailed off and swallowed, not meeting his gaze.

    ¡°She died in a single strike, and I was so confused,¡± they said in a forlorn voice. ¡°But I think Chara resented her, and that bled through, since I was¡­ so withdrawn. She condemned me as she fell, and I agreed with her. Numbly, I continued.

    ¡°Flowey was so proud of me. He¡¯d known Chara in life and immediately recognized them, instead of me. He liked the idea of me killing literally everyone in the underground, then traveling together on the surface, killing everyone there, too.¡±

    Well that wasn¡¯t good. The more he heard about this little flower, the less happy he was with the thing.

    ¡°Then¡­ then the Snowdin forest, and you¡­ and¡­¡± they trailed off. ¡°God, Sans, seeing you again was¡­ I¡¯d started screaming a little, inside. You started off exactly the same as the first time, you tried to draw me into antics, but I just¡­ I couldn¡¯t. I just stared at you, my face blank. It didn¡¯t take long before you started, er, poking me. Like, you said that your brother¡¯d really like to see a human, so it¡¯d be great if I kept pretending to be one.¡±

    Heh. That was a good one. He mentally high fived the other Sans. They gave him a shaky smile.

    ¡°It was hilarious, of course, and part of me started laughing. Another part was writhing on the floor in pain. Other parts were screaming. So the thing in control was¡­ pretty much a blend of the shield of LOVE, Chara, my determination to follow through on my commitment. It was still me, at the time, I was still choosing my actions, but the disconnect to the world was really sharp. Like I¡¯d said at the cliff, by the time we got to Snowdin, Papyrus described me as shambling around, and you called me out on being completely unable to emote at all.¡±

    He nodded at that. Pretty standard as far as LOVE went, without specific training on how to deal with that problem. Especially for LOVE gained really quickly.

    ¡°Seeing you like that, seeing the distrust¡­¡± they said, their face twisting in remembered pain. ¡°Right before Snowdin, you spoke to me frankly. You said that I¡¯d be running into Papyrus soon, and if I stayed on the path I¡¯d been following, that I was gonna have a really bad time. And then you teleported away. Blatantly, hiding nothing.¡±

    Mentally, he sighed. The other Sans had felt bound by the promise, unsure of what to do, and so did his usual of just going with the flow, of doing nothing. Not that he knew what the other Sans should have done. Breaking his promise wasn¡¯t something to do lightly, and with the timelines thing, it wasn''t like the deaths would matter anyway.

    And Papyrus¡­ he would have wanted to try. Sure, this version of Sans knew that Papyrus wouldn¡¯t stop the kid, but that version would have wondered. Hoped. If anyone could get through to the anomaly, surely it¡¯d be Papyrus. And stopping them directly wasn¡¯t the best outcome, since they could reset. They needed to choose to stop, and Papyrus would be better at that than him, he¡¯d have figured.

    Yeah, he could see why he let Papyrus face the kid, even as it twisted his gut.

    ¡°I collapsed to the ground,¡± they said. ¡°Inside, I was weeping, and screaming, and raging, but on the surface, from the outside, I was just sort of sitting placidly, blankly. I missed you. I missed us. Our friendship, our connection. I missed you looking at me with a gentle smile. I missed your jokes. I mean, you were still telling jokes, and they were funny as hell, even if they were a little sharp edged. Which, I mean, was totally deserved. You looking at me like that¡­ with the threat in your eyes¡­¡±

    They trailed off and took a breath.

    ¡°I settled myself and convinced myself of my path. I couldn¡¯t fix things with you without resetting. If I reset right away, I¡¯d have not only lost everything from the first timeline, but I wouldn¡¯t have learned all I could from this one. All that sacrifice would have been for nothing. I just had to follow through, kill everyone, observe everything, and then I¡¯d go back and fix things, and I didn¡¯t care how many times it took, I¡¯d do whatever it took for you to look at me with a gentle smile again, that it¡¯d be fixed.¡±

    And he¡¯d been smiling at them kindly a lot in this timeline. He couldn¡¯t help but give them another soft smile, and their eyes sparkled with a hint of joy. They were still struggling with these memories, obviously, but just a smile had eased their pain.

    ¡°So I went through Snowdin, which had been evacuated. I stole what I needed from the store. Dust blew by with the wind sometimes. The monster kid was there, because they were convinced the evacuation was stupid, and I thought about killing them, but I just¡­ they¡¯re just a kid¡­ I pulled back, they weren¡¯t in my way or anything. Chara seemed ambivalent about them, so I just passed them by. I did speak with them, confused, and it kinda pissed me off that they disregarded the evacuation orders.¡±

    They sighed.

    For Sans¡¯ part, he was just glad they didn¡¯t kill the kid. So, apparently it wasn¡¯t quite ¡°literally everyone.¡± But¡­

    ¡°huh,¡± he said. ¡°i really got the impression that the kid had stood up to you, and that you¡¯d killed them.¡±

    ¡°I knew you were good, but how the hell did you figure that out?¡± they asked, after their face went through an impressive array of permutations.

    ¡°just the way you interacted with them,¡± he said with a shrug.

    They nodded and chuckled.

    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± they said. ¡°But that was later. They got in my way, stood up to me, and I¡­ I struck. But Undyne got there in time, taking the hit herself. She died in one hit¡­ and then refused to die, transformed by her determination, and kicked my ass.¡±

    So the transformation was more literal than he''d originally thought. While, again, he didn''t want anything bad to happen to anyone, he wished he could have seen that. Wished he could remember the reset¡­ which, he supposed, was the same as usual.

    ¡°and then you did it over and over,¡± Sans said, making them flinch.

    ¡°Yeah, I did,¡± they admitted. ¡°But I never ended up killing the kid. Never once.¡±

    ¡°seems i have a habit of being a little bit wrong with you,¡± Sans said lightly.

    ¡°No,¡± they said seriously. ¡°Well, okay, yes, but in this case¡­ I struck at a child with a honed intent to kill, fully expecting and intending for them to die as a result. Morally, ethically - I am guilty of murdering them. The fact that Undyne happened to get in the way doesn¡¯t change my actions, doesn¡¯t absolve even the faintest measure of my guilt.¡±

    The hard look in their eyes gave him mixed feelings. They made no excuses and fully accepted what they¡¯d done, which spoke well of their character. At the same time, they were bluntly and blatantly confessing to willfully murdering a child. Which, uh, was not what he would generally associate with a good character.

    Still. With every word they said, every flicker of emotion that crossed their face - of which there were many of both - he was slowly building a picture of who they really were.

    Normally, he¡¯d not try this hard to analyze every little thing. It sounded like the Sans in the murder timeline had done so, as he would expect, but in the first timeline, he¡¯d been more casual and relaxed. Sure, some observations, some judgment ¨C he did take that seriously - but mostly apathetic hedonism.

    He didn¡¯t want to strip their interactions in this timeline of anything real, to make it nothing more than calculated prods, analysis, and manipulation. He did want something real - feigning friendship just didn¡¯t work for him, and treating them like they were nothing but a tool was even worse. Plus, while he was absolutely getting the sense he could push them, that seemed liable to backfire horribly.

    He did not want the already insane creature who could destroy all of time to lose their attachment to morality and things, and to him in particular - he did like the sense of control it gave him, that he had such personal influence on them. Selfish, maybe, but it was still reassuring.

    And it did seem like they were positioned to understand him better than most. And with everything¡­ well, he did feel like he could probably trust them. Maybe not trust them to be sane, but trust them to be in his corner. He wasn¡¯t certain, by any means, but they¡¯d have to be one hell of an actor to fool him. They weren¡¯t just emoting, it was like they were trying to be naked before him.

    As he thought, they continued.

    ¡°Going back a bit - Papyrus tried to stop me, and I already told you about how that went,¡± they said, their voice tight. ¡°I just kept repeating that I¡¯d fix everything, that it¡¯d be okay, that it was temporary. One thing¡­ that I didn¡¯t mention¡­ I heard Chara with him. They¡­ they said that he was forgettable.¡±

    Their whole body clenched as they spoke. Sans twitched at that, too.

    ¡°I was so mad at them,¡± they said, their teeth grinding. ¡°I wanted them gone so badly. It sort of reaffirmed my course. I had to do something to make them go away. And this was the only path I could find that might do that. I¡¯d kill Papyrus as part of my goal for figuring out and removing Chara, and then I¡¯d restore Papyrus, and we¡¯d be friends again and everything would be okay.¡±

    He nodded again. He was really able to get into their viewpoint, hearing their story like this. It¡¯s not what he would have done - he tended to default to doing nothing when he felt unsure. He¡¯d have waited until the situation was critical to actually try to resolve it. Yeah, he¡¯d have tried to do some experiments, some observations, but something major like this?

    Even so, he found himself understanding. With as much as they¡¯d died, with the depth of faith they¡¯d gained in their own power, in their determination, with the depth of care they had for the others¡­ it made sense. Combined with how dangerous they knew they were, and how an unknown like the ghost Chara could make for an extremely unstable situation. He did get why they felt like they absolutely had to do something.

    Their increasing insanity from what they¡¯d lost, from how much they¡¯d suffered, and from what they¡¯d done, plus having a psycho ghost in their head - that added, too.

    ¡°The warning you gave, right before Snowdin, that was the last I saw you until the Hall of Judgment,¡± they said. ¡°I¡¯m quite sure you were watching me. Wrestling with your promise. Probably trying to see if you could see weaknesses to exploit, emotional and otherwise.¡±

    He agreed with that, but didn¡¯t visibly react. He simply watched their expression as they spoke, as it grew more and more hollow.

    ¡°By the time I got to you, I was a shell of a person. I¡¯d developed my skill in combat to a hell of a degree. I¡¯d killed so many. It was barely me you saw there. I was inside such a thick wall of LOVE that I feel like I couldn¡¯t have spoken to you if I¡¯d tried. Not just failing to have my body reflect what I was feeling, with facial expressions or whatever, but like even an actual attempt to speak might fail. Chara wasn¡¯t in control, it was still me, but it was like¡­ like only the actions where we both agreed, those were the only things that I could freely do. So, I mean, I did say a little sometimes, but it wasn''t me, it was us.¡±

    Their eyes echoed with emptiness, surrounded with pain and guilt. They looked more stable than they had at the cliff, though.

    ¡°Seeing you, in that context, I¡­¡± they trailed off and swallowed. ¡°I¡¯d chosen my path, I¡¯d committed. And you tried to talk me out of it. And it reminded me of how you¡¯d tried to talk me out of going on this path in the first place. That last goodbye.

    ¡°And I stepped forward and you mocked me and were such a perfect asshole, in the best way, it was fantastic. Then, unlike literally everyone else, you attacked me first, without any real warning, and you wrecked me and I just laughed. It was so awesome, Sans. You were everything I¡¯d thought you were. You were powerful beyond anyone else I¡¯d ever seen. You were magnificent. And you killing me, killing the thing I was, was such a good and wonderful thing.¡±

    They smiled at that.

    ¡°You saw things on my face,¡± they said. ¡°Frustration was the first thing you¡¯d called me out on, and I realized you were right. Chara was frustrated. Apparently, it wasn¡¯t just a wall, but a transference. Chara¡¯s emotions were now visible on my face. I didn¡¯t really¡­ fully get the implications of that, I thought it was mostly just because I couldn¡¯t stand to be there, to be facing you.¡±

    Their smile turned sad.

    ¡°And I tried again, and it was hilarious. You probably killed me a dozen times with just that first attack, like, damn, Sans,¡± they said with a grin. ¡°But eventually, I managed to survive by the skin of my teeth.¡±

    Their smile fell.

    ¡°Attacking you¡­ yeah, most everyone had started dying in a single strike, but deep down, I was just convinced that it wouldn¡¯t be that simple, that you were powerful and knowledgeable, there was no way. If you had died¡­ I probably would have lost myself, in hindsight. But in the moment, I was just convinced that it wouldn¡¯t actually be the end, nevermind that my intent to kill had been refined to a razor¡¯s edge. So I didn¡¯t stop myself from trying to strike you. And you teleported out of the way, and it was fantastic. And then you revealed things, you said things, and I couldn¡¯t¡­ I couldn¡¯t turn away. I was mesmerized.¡±

    They sighed and rubbed at their face.

    ¡°You spoke of the timelines, the reports, and I admit, I felt a little sense of¡­ not quite betrayal. But I was upset you were willing to tell the psycho version of myself about that, and not your friend. Yes, I know, it was part of an attempt to stop me. That maybe I¡¯d take warnings of the end of the world seriously, in a way that I didn¡¯t take individual lives seriously. Still. I wish I¡¯d known about that, but you were so tight lipped.¡±

    He shuffled a little awkwardly.

    ¡°You spoke a little of what you¡¯d lost, that you¡¯d given up trying to go ¡®back¡¯ a long time ago. That shook me, too, but again, with a little bit of frustration and anger, that you¡¯d mention those things to the psycho, but not your friend. Again, yes, I know, it was meant as a targeted strike on my psyche. That maybe if there was a sense of connection between us, a sense of shared loss, that maybe that¡¯d be enough to reach me, to make me stop.¡±

    He nodded at that. He did understand their frustration, honestly. But he was glad they realized it wasn¡¯t personal. It¡¯s not like he¡¯d have been actually eager to connect with the psycho murderer.

    ¡°Still. You¡¯d killed me several dozen times before I even managed to hear more than two comments in any given loop. The first time I heard you say those things, it kinda rubbed me the wrong way. The tenth time, I heard it in the spirit it was intended. I saw my friend honestly trying to reach out and find some way, any way, to make the madness stop.¡±

    He scratched at his head awkwardly.

    ¡°And then, I slowly pushed you to the point that you tried the gambit of sparing me. As I¡¯d said at the cliff¡­ you called on the friendship we¡¯d once had. I have no idea if you actually managed to get a glimpse of it, in our interactions, or if it was a wild guess, just another in a list of gambits you were trying. But whatever the reasons you had, it struck true.¡±

    They closed their eyes.

    ¡°Everything I¡¯d felt for you. The love that had started to grow. The realization of having lost that love, that connection. That last hug goodbye, the way your voice broke when you wished me luck. I barely existed as a sapient creature, in that moment. I was a raw thing of emotion. I went to you, my knife clattering to the ground. I didn¡¯t know what you¡¯d do for sure, but I¡¯d heard what you said, that it¡¯d make your job easier. I was pretty sure you¡¯d kill me and I just didn¡¯t care. I had to go to you, to lay myself on your mercy.¡±

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    They smiled tenderly, lovingly.

    ¡°You hugged me. And killed me. And spoke to me as I bled out, painfully dying. It felt¡­ real. Like maybe the stuff you¡¯d said before had been a gambit, but mocking me as I died, and then saying if we were friends, I wouldn''t come back? That felt like it was one hundred percent, absolutely, certifiably Sans. No artifice, no mask, just the naked truth of how you felt. It felt exactly like here, in this restaurant, the first time, when your walls crumbled and you admitted you¡¯d have killed me if it weren¡¯t for your promise.¡±

    They took a breath.

    ¡°That was the moment that I realized I¡¯d fallen in love with you,¡± they said, looking away.

    He looked away, too. This was really intense stuff. It was easy to get swept up in the story, to feel for them. When they¡¯d spoken at the cliff, he hadn¡¯t known them as well, it hadn¡¯t been this¡­ coherent of a story. They were just bleeding all over him, at the time, and he¡¯d been reeling.

    This, though? This was hitting him. This was making sense, in a screwed up way.

    ¡°So then I found myself at my save point, in the Hall of Judgment, realizing everything. Knowing that I¡¯d fallen in love with you, realizing that I''d started to fall for you at the restaurant here, that I''d already loved you by the time of that timeline¡¯s last farewell¡­ and that I¡¯d thrown it all away out of fear. Knowing that, even though you were trying to express whatever it took to get me to change my path, even kindness, that you hated me. Of course you hated me, how could you not? Hell, I hated me.¡±

    The look on their face as they spoke¡­ he could be pretty numb sometimes, from his own acquired LOVE from darker days. But he found his heart hurting, hearing all this.

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t face it. I couldn¡¯t face what I¡¯d done, what I¡¯d been doing, what I¡¯d lost, the look on your face. When you spared me, you¡¯d smiled at me tenderly, kindly, and the hint of what I¡¯d lost¡­ it¡¯s a major part of why I¡¯d cracked so hard. And I didn¡¯t know what to do. I¡¯d ripped in half. Like I said at the cliff, the shield of LOVE had cracked and I was collapsed on the ground, screaming and writhing.

    ¡°But there was something in me that wasn¡¯t torn. There was something in me that had no doubts, no loss, no uncertainty. That wasn¡¯t weeping uncontrollably. Something that wanted to stand, that reminded me of what I¡¯d chosen to do, that if I just stepped back, that I¡¯d learn more and wouldn¡¯t have to do anything. I could just take it in and everything would be okay.¡±

    Yeah, he kinda agreed with them that getting rid of Chara was probably a really good idea.

    ¡°I agreed, like an absolute idiot. But I couldn¡¯t face any choices, none at all. Even resetting¡­ the thought of facing everyone I¡¯d killed, the thought of seeing you with that hope and cheer that you¡¯d encouraged me with¡­ I wasn¡¯t strong enough, I withdrew from everything. You tried to speak to me and I just screamed. I wanted to throw myself at you and cry on your shoulder, but the only version of you that I could do that with, I¡¯d destroyed by resetting.¡±

    He nodded. He related to that a bit too much. Pulling back, disengaging, letting things happen around him because he couldn¡¯t face the pain of it all?

    Yeah. He understood that.

    ¡°It was completely Chara that faced you, when we reloaded. Sure, I felt everything, but I no longer made the choices. And that¡¯s what I wanted. I just stepped back and stopped trying to hurt you. Instead, I just admired you. I watched you kill Chara, mocking them and tearing them down, again and again and again. I watched their frustration with you grow. You continued to try to call out to me, and it would still make me writhe and scream within my walls.

    ¡°But I wasn¡¯t¡­ you weren¡¯t dying. We were just¡­ dancing. I was learning about you and watching you be a badass, and you never even got hurt, and it was wonderful. I just soaked in my admiration for you. In my love for you. And just let myself feel it all, within the wall. Let it be unchained, let it grow freely.

    ¡°And you killed me so many times. I¡¯d grown to appreciate battle ability, and you were just goddamned amazing, Sans, like holy shit. I felt a giddy surge of triumph every time I died, every time Chara seethed with frustration.

    ¡°But we got better at fighting. Memorized your attack patterns. Slowly, but surely, they pushed you harder and harder. You threw a final attack that wrecked us, it was amazing. And then, after at least a dozen deaths from that one attack alone, they finally got past it. And you used your ¡®special attack¡¯ of a goddamn pun, saying ¡®here goes nothing¡¯ and it being ¡®nothing¡¯ and I was just laughing. But we stood there, bound by your magic, and Chara still was intent on seeing things through.¡±

    They sighed.

    ¡°And you spoke to me, trying to reach past the barrier, using whatever final emotional gambits you could think of to just make me stop. And then, you had nothing left to give. You stood and slowly succumbed to exhaustion and passed out. And Chara pushed with me and we raised the knife. And they pushed at me to make the decision, to attack. Because they couldn¡¯t quite do things against my will. But I felt their anticipation, their itching. I felt they were so close to being able to take control, rather than being given it.

    ¡°I remembered everything, as I looked at you, passed out before me. Papyrus¡­ how I¡¯d killed him, how it was okay because it¡¯d have never happened, and wasn¡¯t the same thing true here? If I refused to kill you, didn¡¯t that mean that on some level the deaths did matter, so what I¡¯d done with Papyrus was actually unforgivable? That if I loved you enough to not kill you, that it meant that Papyrus didn¡¯t really matter enough to not kill?¡±

    Sans winced at that.

    ¡°But in the end, it didn¡¯t matter,¡± they said. ¡°Chara¡¯s justifications. My commitment. My determination to see the path through. The struggle between the values of lives. The implications of my struggle to kill you, but acceptance of killing the others.

    ¡°In the end, it all washed away in a few simple truths. The fact was, I loved you and that mattered to me more than anything else. Even if you didn¡¯t remember me, and I could never regain the connection we had. I might build something new, but I could never really get it back. Everything else was muted, anyway, by the shield of LOVE. Despite Chara¡¯s frustration with me, I surrendered to that love, to the promise I¡¯d made to you, that I¡¯d fix everything. Didn¡¯t matter if I ultimately died in the end. Didn¡¯t matter how much I¡¯d lost. Didn¡¯t matter if you wanted to rip me to pieces on finding out what I¡¯d done, to torture me into madness and shred my soul. Didn¡¯t matter if you hated me forever.

    ¡°All that I''d been, the entirety of my soul, it burned away, leaving only a single thread of purpose, of existence. My entire self, reforged around a singular concept.

    ¡°All that mattered was that I loved you, that I was yours, and all that went with that - such as my promise to fix everything. A single note of stability, within the madness I¡¯d become. It was hard to speak, hard to reset - Chara resisted with everything they had - but I did it¡­ and the shield didn¡¯t come with, nor Chara¡¯s full presence. I felt everything.¡±

    They were silent at that.

    ¡°and that was this morning,¡± Sans said after a moment.

    ¡°And that was this morning,¡± they agreed with a dry laugh.

    He¡¯d probably need to get a psychology degree just to categorize the amount of trauma this kid had gone through¡­ and it wasn¡¯t some distant thing. To him, they were describing events that had never happened. Just a story. Like a fanfic about people in real life.

    To the kid? Within the last twenty four hours - depending on how one counted them, anyway - they realized they¡¯d fallen in love, that they¡¯d killed the person they loved in a truly permanent way, experienced pain and death on a scale that was utterly insane, went through the experience of killing everyone that mattered to them, and were desperately trying to cling to any hope of making things right.

    And they were confessing everything - their sins, their feelings, everything - to the echo of the guy they¡¯d fallen in love with. That they knew couldn¡¯t possibly return even a fraction of their feelings.

    It was like they¡¯d said, about when the other Sans had spared them - that they felt had no choice, that they had to go and lay themself on his mercy.

    And he had to figure out what to do about this.

    They shook their head as if clearing their thoughts.

    ¡°Look, I know this has got to be awkward for you,¡± they said. ¡°But you don¡¯t owe me anything. It¡¯s the opposite¡­ I owe you everything. I won¡¯t make any demands on you. You can accept my friendship, or reject it. You can feel whatever you want for me - love, hate, care, annoyance, frustration - and I¡¯ll accept it all. I destroyed the friendship we¡¯d grown naturally, in my short-sighted idiocy, and that¡¯s a loss I just have to deal with.¡±

    As he¡¯d speculated, and as part of their confession, openly revealed. Just throwing themself at his mercy, in every way.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how I¡¯ll feel once everything is fixed, once that promise is fulfilled. Right now, it feels like it¡¯s the only thing that¡¯s driving me to keep living, beyond the simple fear of death. That, and the hope that you¡¯ll want me to live. But this timeline¡­ it¡¯s been healing. Seeing Papyrus so happy¡­ I can¡¯t tell you how wonderful it was. Maybe I¡¯ll start to actually be okay, by the time everything is fixed.¡±

    ¡°But one thing that is certain¡­ you have my absolute loyalty,¡± they said, a burning intensity to their voice, and determination in their eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t see that changing. Ever. As I¡¯d said at the cliff¡­ my life, my death, my service, anything. You saved me from myself, from losing who I am, from Chara taking true and absolute control. I will never stop being grateful for that.¡±

    He looked away, thoughts overwhelming him.

    Every step in this process had made sense. Not everything was what he¡¯d have done, of course, but it all had made sense. In a sometimes deranged sort of way. He felt for them, empathized with them, for every step of the journey.

    And that tender smile he¡¯d seen in this timeline? He understood it now. Really understood it. It wasn¡¯t mere appreciation for the monsters they encountered, like he¡¯d first assumed. He was watching them heal. That¡¯s why it had looked so profound, so impossibly tender and loving. He was watching their appreciation, not of the individuals, but of the piece-by-piece restoration of everything they had lost.

    ¡°this really isn¡¯t healthy,¡± he said after a moment. ¡°you know that, right?¡±

    They laughed.

    ¡°Nothing in my mind is healthy,¡± they said, their tone a little bitter. ¡°And it hasn¡¯t been for a while. It¡¯s one of the reasons my trust in you is absolute - I¡¯ve decided you are more trustworthy than I am, and so I lay my fate entirely in your hands. I am determined to see things through, still determined to live, because that¡¯s just¡­ who I am.¡±

    They hesitated a moment, uncertainty flashing in their eyes.

    ¡°Telling you all this¡­ was supposed to be a precursor to you telling me what you were feeling, too,¡± they said tentatively. ¡°But, um, you don¡¯t have to.¡±

    Their nervousness and uncertainty was clear on their face. It was a small thing, but also kind of a make-or-break moment, for their friendship. It¡¯d determine his intentions in their eyes. Whether he intended to be fair with them, or to use them as a tool.

    ¡°yeah, i do,¡± he said casually, then added with a wink. ¡°i tell the best jokes, i give murderous time travellers a bad time, and i keep my word.¡±

    ¡°Damn right, you do,¡± they said, grinning broadly at him. Then their face fell. ¡°Sorry about making you break your promise.¡±

    ¡°well, as you said, it never happened, right?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Right,¡± they agreed.

    He paused for another moment, gathering his thoughts.

    He was pretty damn confident that there was nothing he could do or say that would actually push them too far, that would drive them away. He could decide to do¡­ all sorts of things that flashed through his too-active imagination¡­ and they¡¯d take it with a smile. And would probably thank him for the opportunity to do him a service.

    Awkward.

    But it had other implications, too. The main reason that honesty was hard in relationships - friendships or otherwise - was because unpleasant or dark truths could be damaging to relationships. Well, one of the main reasons, anyway.

    He didn¡¯t have to worry about that in this case. Their devotion to him¡­ that look in their eyes, it was downright fanatical. Not healthy, sure, but it seemed trustworthy. He could twist the knife, emotionally torment them, and they¡¯d stay fervently devoted.

    On a purely pragmatic, practical level, they were too useful, too important to discard. But he didn¡¯t want them to just become a tool. He had decided to try for friendship, and that was going to be¡­ well, not like any other friendship he¡¯d ever made, that was for sure.

    But it seemed like the only path for anything real was something based on honesty. He didn¡¯t tend to show his cards to anyone. Not Papyrus, no one. But¡­

    He studied the zealous fervor in their eyes. Unflinching acceptance of whatever he¡¯d decide. Okay, he was sure he could make them flinch, but that aside.

    Should he do his usual and play around, revealing a little through jokes, or just say fuck it and lay it all out? The first was way more comfortable for him, but¡­ he sighed. The second seemed like it was the only way to have any hope of building anything real. This couldn¡¯t grow in the usual way. Pragmatic, manipulative reasoning in hopes for a result that could become real - seemed like the best he could do.

    Naked truth it was.

    ¡°so, like you, i¡¯m going to try to be honest, even if it¡¯s awkward,¡± he said, and they nodded. ¡°fact is, this whole situation is messed up, complicated, and confusing. you explained things fine, but it¡¯s confusing how i should feel about it, and about you. i don¡¯t love you, but i do like you. you¡¯re fun, you¡¯re a great audience, even if you¡¯ve already heard the joke. you¡¯re patient and you care about monsters a hell of a lot. and about your friends.¡±

    They nodded, still looking uncertain.

    ¡°at the same time, you¡¯re dangerous as hell, and i don¡¯t mean that in the sense of worrying you¡¯re going to snap and start murdering people,¡± he said. ¡°really don¡¯t think you will. you don¡¯t seem to take the resets seriously. like you don¡¯t get that you¡¯re erasing timelines and making versions of people cease to exist.¡±

    They flinched hard at that.

    ¡°I get it better, now,¡± they murmured.

    ¡°which is good,¡± he said. ¡°still. on a gut level, it¡¯s a problem, y¡¯know?¡±

    They nodded. He hesitated, and decided to just go for it.

    ¡°fact is, and maybe this is harsh, but¡­ i think about that other sans. you cared about him. he cared about you. he asked you not to erase him. you did it anyway,¡± he said.

    He was pretty sure he¡¯d have gotten less of a reaction from them if he¡¯d actually pulled out a gaster blaster and shredded them to bloody scraps. Assuming they lived long enough to react, that is.

    His face was blank and dispassionate as they gripped the table, tears streaming down their face, their entire body shaking. They looked like they were collapsing in on themself, but physically weren¡¯t capable of collapsing enough. Their breaths were broken, like they weren¡¯t even able to sob.

    He locked down their local bubble of space in time, so they¡¯d have time to recover before getting anyone¡¯s attention.

    ¡°i bet you¡¯d hurt less if i¡¯d killed you instead,¡± he said lightly, trying to liven things up.

    ¡°God, Sans, so much less,¡± they said with a broken laugh. ¡°I want you to kill me so much right now¡­ the pain of your attacks is¡­ distracting. And weirdly relieving. It hurts so much less to die, than¡­ than to realize I betrayed you¡­ Sans¡­ I¡¯m so¡­ I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡±

    His mental checklist of predictions was looking very green. He¡¯d intentionally phrased things to hurt, and their devotion didn¡¯t flicker. If anything, it looked stronger.

    ¡°i get it,¡± he said, a little gruffly. ¡°but as i said, i don¡¯t hate you. and it¡¯s complicated. you can see that, right? why it¡¯s kinda messy on this end?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I can,¡± they said, looking down and wiping at their face.

    They¡¯d regained their composure enough that he let the timefreeze lapse.

    ¡°there¡¯s a part of me that¡¯s worried something like that is going to happen to me, too,¡± he admitted with a sigh. ¡°that i¡¯ll put in all this work into trying to make this timeline work out, and it won¡¯t mean anything. it¡¯ll all be erased.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t do that this time,¡± they said seriously.

    ¡°all it¡¯d take is for something to get in your craw, make you change your mind,¡± he said.

    He knew he was pushing, and that maybe he was being unfair, but it was really eating at him. But he also felt that it didn''t matter, because he couldn¡¯t push them too hard. And if he was wrong about that, he was pretty sure he''d see it if they were getting close to their limit.

    ¡°what about the next thing that you feel like you ¡®have¡¯ to do, that everything hangs in the balance unless you reset? you know what they say - if all you have is a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail. if your special power is the ability to reset time, then that¡¯s what you¡¯re gonna want to do.¡±

    They looked away and thought for a moment.

    ¡°It¡¯s not as good as saying it¡¯ll never happen, but¡­¡± they said, and looked at him again. ¡°We did try a little, in that first timeline, to see if I could bring anyone else along. We didn¡¯t try much, though. You wanted me to mostly just not use the power at all, Alphys wanted to just spend time with Undyne, and I wasn¡¯t really feeling the need to use it, either.

    ¡°And then, when I had the horrible idea¡­ you¡¯d mentioned maybe trying harder to get you to remember, and I hate this, I really¡­ but I didn¡¯t want you to see what I¡¯d do, you know? I didn¡¯t¡­ I didn¡¯t think about the implications, that I was really erasing you. I just wanted the version of you that was my friend to not have to see what I was thinking of doing. I had this stupid image in my head that I¡¯d reset, do horrible things, learn stuff, fix everything, and then we¡¯d be back together and it¡¯d all be good, and you wouldn¡¯t have to be burdened with what I¡¯d done. Because I was a fucking idiot, but that¡¯s what was going on in my head.¡±

    He nodded at that. And that Sans had been too hurt by it all, by the perceived betrayal, to really lay it out. Because the kid was insightful, so that Sans would have had reason to believe they did get it, and were trying to follow this path anyway.

    ¡°But I didn¡¯t see it, Sans, honestly I didn¡¯t,¡± they said and he nodded again. ¡°Let¡¯s make it a priority this time, okay? Even if we don¡¯t think I will need the power, even if we hope nothing ever comes up that¡¯ll be an issue¡­ let¡¯s get that problem out of the way right from the start. Let¡¯s try - you, me, Alphys, whoever else you think will help - and let¡¯s try to do whatever it takes to get you to remember the resets. We know Flowey can remember my resets, and so I¡¯ll ask him, when he¡¯s less insane, after fixing everything. See if he has any insights.¡±

    Maybe a little dangerous that this person was saying ¡°do whatever it takes,¡± but sadly, it was reassuring. Most people didn¡¯t really mean those words. This kid, though? He couldn¡¯t help but feel a surge of honest to goodness, real optimism.

    It¡¯d been a while.

    ¡°that¡¯s¡­ probably a good idea,¡± he said. ¡°it is kinda selfish to feel like it helps, just for me to be able to remember, but it is what it is.¡±

    They smiled at him.

    ¡°Trust me, I get that, Sans,¡± they said. ¡°There¡¯s a big difference between being on the outside and on the inside of this loop.¡±

    ¡°do you think it¡¯s even possible, though?¡± he asked. ¡°i don¡¯t know the full story with flowey, but it sounds like his circumstances were¡­ unique.¡±

    They were quiet for a moment.

    ¡°Small resets¡­ do those bother you?¡± they asked, and he gave them a curious look, so they elaborated. ¡°Like, if I save right next to you, and we have a giant list of things to try, and I just reload after every failed attempt. So rather than you tediously going through the whole list, I just tell you what number to try. Would that bother you?¡±

    ¡°no,¡± he said after a moment. ¡°that¡¯d feel like skipping work, not losing myself.¡±

    They grinned at that.

    ¡°Then if it¡¯s possible at all, I¡¯m sure we can do it,¡± they said. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter how expensive the trials are, or how much work it takes. I can just tell you ahead of time exactly the point at which I¡¯ll save, and you can just help as needed, and otherwise screw around for fun. And you¡¯ll only end up experiencing the version where things actually worked.¡±

    ¡°might not be very ¡®small¡¯ resets, if you¡¯re talking about buying and building expensive equipment,¡± he pointed out.

    ¡°We can play it by ear, whatever you¡¯re comfortable with,¡± they said. ¡°The point is, we do know it¡¯s possible for an entity other than myself to remember my resets, and vice versa. When Flowey got the souls and gained control over the power, I remembered his resets, too. Determination may be important, but we¡¯ve got Alphys¡¯s DT extractor and an ability to undo things if they go wrong.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t actually Alphys¡¯ extractor¡­ but that was beside the point. The idea of doing determination experiments on him was uncomfortable, but they were right that it didn¡¯t have the risk of real consequences.

    ¡°One way or another¡­ if it¡¯s possible at all, we can do it. And we can try to play it so that we¡¯re not putting undue pressure on you or Alphys. I am kinda insane and insanely committed to following things through, so I¡¯m not worried about me giving up, no matter how long I spend. I don¡¯t care if I spend years over the course of what you perceive as weeks, I won¡¯t give up.¡±

    The look in their eyes¡­ yeah, he agreed with that.

    ¡°tell me, kid,¡± he said after another moment. ¡°i get the feeling i already know, but, promises. you take them seriously?¡±

    ¡°Absolutely and unquestionably,¡± they said, their eyes blazing. ¡°What promise do you want from me?¡±

    ¡°i figured, this whole thing between you and me, it all started with a promise,¡± he said with a shrug. ¡°maybe we can end this with one, too.¡±

    They nodded, and the look they gave him was so intense it was almost frightening.

    ¡°promise me that you won¡¯t do it again,¡± he said. ¡°that you won¡¯t just erase our timeline without seriously thinking things through. that you won¡¯t go on another murder spree. that you will¡­¡±

    He hesitated a moment, thinking of wording. It was a bit self-centered, but it was how he felt, damn it.

    ¡°... that you will try your best not to leave me behind,¡± he finished.

    They reached out and took his hand, squeezing it tightly.

    ¡°I swear to you,¡± they said, their voice blazing as sharply as their eyes. ¡°I swear it, Sans, on all that you have done for me, on my soul, on every scrap of love in my heart for all of those that have stolen my heart. I will never treat full resets as anything less than the destruction of the world as it exists. Reloads are far lesser than that, and those we¡¯ll play by ear, but I will always think about you and try to involve you in their use. I will never, ever, under any circumstances, go on a murder spree, or even kill anyone at all, especially if there¡¯s any chance of it sticking, unless you personally decide it¡¯s necessary. And I will strive to do whatever it takes, no matter how long, no matter how hard, to¡­ to never leave you behind. To take you with me.¡±

    It was kinda ridiculous how much better that made him feel.

    He sometimes got a little awkward at sappy things, and the way that promise felt, well¡­

    ¡°uh, that¡¯s good,¡± he said awkwardly. ¡°well, uh, yeah. so. we have a plan. and, uh. i guess asgore¡¯s waiting, huh?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, he is,¡± they said with a smirk. ¡°Will I see you in the Hall of Judgment?¡±

    Y¡¯know, that¡¯s just what the corridor was named now. That was fine.

    ¡°pretty sure i don¡¯t need to judge you, unless you end up breaking your promise in the next few minutes, which would surprise me,¡± he said with a chuckle.

    ¡°Ha, ha,¡± they said dryly. ¡°But maybe you should. It¡¯d be a good¡­ little goodbye. Flowey will kill me once he gets the human souls. It¡¯s only a few minutes after that point, but there¡¯s going to be a lot of reloads in that gap.¡±

    ¡°makes sense,¡± he said, and felt another twinge of nervousness.

    Hopefully it all went the way the kid expected. They¡¯d only ever done it the once, and it seemed risky as hell to let the murder-flower get the souls, but it sounded like it was a necessary step.

    He started to head off.

    ¡°i¡¯ll be watching,¡± he said. ¡°good luck, kid.¡±

    They trembled a little at his words and nodded. He went off to the side and teleported back to his room.

    He really needed a moment.

 Interlude - The First Sans and the Last Goodbye

    Sans stared at the reports on his phone. He¡¯d been staring at them for hours over the last week, unable to get them off his mind.

    That tiny little gap, that little blip. It could be nothing. It was such a little thing.

    But it really looked like the end of everything. Of their entire universe, or full timeline, or¡­ something.

    He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall.

    Frisk¡¯s idea had been haunting him nonstop this last week. Where was it? Where was the end of everything? Was it in this timeline, something in the distant future if nothing was done? Was it in the other timeline, the one Frisk was thinking of creating?

    It had appeared in the reports the day they fell into the underground. It had something to do with them. They were so gentle and kind, though, so tender and sweet.

    And from the sounds of it¡­ Chara wasn¡¯t.

    He sighed.

    Frisk and Sans had argued last week. They¡¯d suggested the most ridiculous idea, of resetting to the day they¡¯d fallen, of going on a murder rampage, to draw out Chara and learn more about them. What the hell kind of idea was that?

    But he¡¯d seen it on their face. Their fear, their desperation.

    He had no idea what to do about Chara. He and Alphys had tried various sensors and nothing had picked Chara up - they had no clue how to help Frisk with this.

    If that fear and desperation got worse, if they slipped further into this panicked madness¡­ maybe that¡¯s what led to the end of everything.

    Or maybe it was encouraging Chara to become stronger, and then Chara takes over, and that¡¯s what destroys everything.

    He sighed.

    He had no fucking clue.

    What he did know was that he didn¡¯t want this timeline to be erased. Life had been good, and he¡¯d let himself hope that it¡¯d stay that way. That Frisk wouldn¡¯t need to reset anymore. That he could actually start to believe in the future.

    He knew better than to let hope take hold of him. He''d been a fool.

    And he¡¯d thought¡­ he thought that there was something real with the kid. With him. That their friendship really mattered.

    ¡°You realize you¡¯ll lose everything you¡¯ve done, everything you¡¯ve gained, everyone''s memories, if you take that path,¡± Sans had said. ¡°It¡¯ll all be erased.¡±

    ¡°There isn¡¯t anything I can¡¯t get back,¡± Frisk had said dismissively. ¡°Nothing that matters, anyway.¡±

    It obviously mattered more to him than Frisk. Because if all they cared about was the superficial things, the laughter, the jokes, the goofing around¡­ then yeah, they could get that back. It wasn''t that deep of a connection with the others, but he''d thought it was different with him.

    He was the one who''d stood by their side from the beginning. Who''d seen them as a timid, shy kid who needed to feel safe before they''d share that sweet little smile. Who had watched them learn to stand up for themself, to fight, to strive for things they cared about. Who heard them laugh at his jokes even when they were afraid, and cry with joy and relief when they thought he wasn''t looking. Who watched as it looked like they healed a little every time he stood by them. Who had encouraged them to develop an unshakeable confidence and faith in themself, to discover a will of steel beneath their fear.

    He had spoken more honestly and earnestly with them than most anyone else he''d met, as their sweet innocence and dedication to doing what was right had grabbed onto a part of his heart in a way he''d never expected.

    No future Sans would ever have that, ever know that. He''d thought it mattered. That wasn''t something they could just ¡°get back.¡± And they had to know that.

    So that¡¯s all he was to them. The comedian. And he was an idiot who¡¯d thought there was something more.

    Maybe it¡¯d be better if they did this. Maybe the other Sans wouldn¡¯t be suckered in so hard.

    He sighed.

    Or maybe he was wrong about that, and he was right in the first place - that it did matter to them to some degree. But in the end, either way, it mattered less than their fear. So even in the best case, how much could he really mean to them?

    Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    ¡°Look, maybe we can strike a balance,¡± Sans had said. ¡°Maybe we can try to get me to remember the resets first, and then I can support you, help you out with the whole Chara thing. Help make sure you don¡¯t lose yourself.¡±

    ¡°No, no, that¡¯d be terrible, Sans, I don¡¯t want you to remember that!¡± Frisk had said. ¡°No, it¡¯d be better this way. We can try to help you remember afterwards. I¡¯d rather not have anyone see me like that, not anyone who remembers. Other than Flowey, I guess, but he¡¯s¡­ different.¡±

    He looked at the reports again. His friendship with Frisk obviously didn¡¯t matter. But Papyrus did. Preventing the end of everything mattered. But which path held the danger? Frisk was falling more into madness every day¡­ this timeline wasn¡¯t stable, unless something could help the kid, but he had no idea what to do.

    His phone buzzed.

    Frisk: Hey Sans. Can we talk?

    He had a sinking feeling in his gut.

    Sans: yeah. im at the lab

    Frisk: Be there in ten minutes.

    He closed his phone, closed his eyes, and sat in the darkness.

    He heard Frisk open up the door and pulled himself to his feet. He didn¡¯t want to see them, but he had to know.

    One look at their face told him everything.

    He closed his eyes again.

    ¡°you¡¯ve decided,¡± he said in a low tone.

    ¡°Y-yeah,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°i can¡¯t talk you out of it, can i?¡± he asked pointlessly, looking at their anxious expression.

    ¡°Is there a better way?¡± Frisk asked.

    He couldn¡¯t think of anything to say.

    ¡°Then I guess not,¡± Frisk said after a moment. ¡°It¡¯ll be okay, Sans. I¡¯ll learn what I can and then I¡¯ll fix everything.¡±

    ¡°yeah,¡± he said, looking down.

    That was it, then. This timeline was ending and everything he¡¯d done, everything he¡¯d hoped for, everything he¡¯d tried to accomplish¡­ it was all going to be undone. This version of him was going to be erased. Killed.

    Destroyed by someone he¡¯d honestly believed he could trust.

    He took a slow breath.

    It wasn¡¯t really that. Frisk was honestly trying to fix things. And maybe they were right. He didn¡¯t have any idea. He glanced down at his pocket where his phone was, where those damned reports could be seen. Maybe they were right. Maybe this was the only way to save Papyrus.

    In this moment, in his last moments¡­ the fact of the matter was, all his mental flailing aside, he did care about Frisk.

    ¡°c¡¯mere,¡± he said, looking up at them.

    They moved forward and he hugged them, holding them to his chest.

    ¡°you know i don¡¯t agree with this,¡± he said, and felt them nod. ¡°but i know i can¡¯t stop you. no one can. i get that.¡±

    He took a breath and they trembled in his arms.

    ¡°i wish¡­ that you would choose differently, but i understand. and, frisk, you need to know, you need to remember. i believe in you. you know that, right?¡±

    ¡°Y-yeah,¡± they managed, sounding on the edge of tears.

    He had to do whatever he could, in these last moments, to help them keep themself. To not fall to Chara¡¯s darkness. He was afraid, but he knew that they loved Papyrus. Surely, they wouldn¡¯t let anything happen to him. Not for real. Maybe this was the best path. If they were taking it¡­ god, he hoped so.

    His grip trembled a little, but he pushed on.

    ¡°don¡¯t go too far,¡± he said. ¡°you have to remember what you¡¯re fighting for. you have to hang on to who you are. you can¡¯t lose yourself, that¡¯s the most important thing.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I won¡¯t, Sans, I won¡¯t,¡± they said brokenly.

    ¡°don¡¯t forget what matters, okay?¡± he said. ¡°don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t forget me.¡±

    They choked out a sob at that and he felt his own composure slipping.

    ¡°you have to stop, as soon as you¡¯ve found out what you need,¡± he said. ¡°you¡­ you have to make sure you don¡¯t go too far. please, frisk.¡±

    ¡°I p-promise, Sans, I promise,¡± they sobbed out, crying into his jacket.

    It sure as hell sounded like they cared about him.

    But not as much as their fear.

    ¡°I will fix everything,¡± they said. ¡°It¡¯ll be okay, Sans, I promise, it¡¯ll have never happened, it won¡¯t mean anything.¡±

    It would mean nothing. Just like everything else. His grip tightened for a moment, and he pulled back a little to look at their face. It took them a moment to meet his gaze and they whimpered once they did. Tears were falling from their cheeks as they stared at him in agonized fear.

    One last thing he should do, before everything ended - for this version of him, anyway.

    ¡°g-good¡­ good lu-¡± he tried to say, but his voice broke. He closed his eyes and turned away, taking a rough breath.

    A broken whimper from the most unstoppable creature in the world was the last sound to exist in that timeline. And all that that Sans had become, all that he knew, and all that he was, was lost.

 Ch. 9 - The Golden Dawn

    Sans left the TV on the MTT channel in the living room, telling Papyrus and Undyne he wanted to see a special show he¡¯d heard was going to play soon, and to make sure he didn¡¯t miss it. In the meantime, he just lay in his bed, thinking.

    The kid would take a little while to get through CORE. Hopefully they¡¯d take their time. He could¡¯ve asked them to take their time, now that he thought about it, but whatever.

    Funny, how a promise from someone who seemed like they could be trusted could make such a difference. He hadn¡¯t really thought about it from that angle before. How making the promise would have made Toriel feel. It¡¯s not like he didn¡¯t know that it helped, but¡­ it made a bigger difference than he¡¯d have guessed.

    And for all that they¡¯d done, that they¡¯d said they¡¯d done¡­ well, he found that he did trust their word. They had problems, but a lack of follow-through wasn¡¯t one of them. Assuming that he wasn''t being tricked in some way he didn''t see at all. But with his tools, his analyses of the timelines, and everything, combined with his observations - it seemed very likely to be true.

    Some of his predictions bothered him. The level of devotion he''d seen on their face was not remotely sane. He was uncomfortably confident that if he asked them to kill someone, for example, they¡¯d double check that he meant it, and then would kill them, no questions asked.

    He was glad that they had a mission to occupy their obsessive determination for some time after freeing monsterkind. He half wondered if the reason they went nuts and decided to do the murder spree was because they were the sort to be insanely driven towards a goal, and didn¡¯t have a goal to pursue. So they latched onto the problems of their ghost buddy and philosophical worries about their power.

    Though maybe that wasn¡¯t fair¡­ he wouldn¡¯t want to have Chara whispering in his ear, either.

    That was a part that really bothered him. He could see that other version of himself blowing off their concerns, back when they had so little information to work with. And Alphys - they¡¯d said she was distracted with Undyne.

    Maybe they got together. They¡¯d be cute.

    But that aside, it sounded like the kid had a reason for concern and both he and Alphys had blown them off, just happy to enjoy life on the surface. And the murder route did, in fact, demonstrate that this Chara person was significant, and not just in their imagination.

    Assuming the kid was right, of course. They could have just lost their mind from the pressure they were under. It sounded intense. But it really did seem more likely that Chara was a real entity, and a real problem, rather than a figment of their imagination, born of a broken mind.

    In which case¡­ wasn¡¯t the kid kinda right to have taken that path? It¡¯d have been better if they¡¯d thought things through and figured out how to get him to remember first. That part wasn¡¯t great. But could he really blame them in the end?

    His uncertainty was eating at him. By the time they¡¯d gotten to that point, their faith in their power was absolute. Its use was normal and meaningless. It just meant whatever they¡¯d done would be undone, with absolutely no consequences.

    From that perspective¡­ their murdery path really was a harmless exploration for knowledge. He passingly wondered, in the end, who ended up dying more - the kid, or all the monsters they slew. None of whom were dead, in the end, with the kid being the only one who suffered for it. He and Flowey were the only ones who even knew about it.

    And then there was the fact that the only reason he hadn¡¯t murdered this person, this kid who was absolutely, fanatically devoted to the pursuit of peace, even in the face of horror¡­ the only reason he hadn¡¯t murdered them himself for personal gain was because of a promise he¡¯d made to a friend.

    Was he really in any position to criticize?

    Yeah, he wasn¡¯t exactly able to look down on them from a high and mighty place.

    That acceptance, that in the end, he wasn¡¯t any better than they were¡­ and arguably was worse¡­ it helped. He found that the resentment in his chest over the knowledge that they¡¯d killed Papyrus in some timeline, and everyone else¡­ it let go. The memory of the fire in their eyes as they swore to never leave him behind¡­ how could he not trust in it?

    And the fact that they loved him in a way that was maybe a little intense? It wasn¡¯t possessive, it wasn¡¯t controlling, and the simple fact was, it made him and everyone he cared about safer. From what he¡¯d seen and heard, he thought it was far more likely that they¡¯d tear apart the world to save him than ever hurt him or those he loved. This traumatized, insane immortal of fearless determination was 100%, absolutely and completely, in his corner.

    And even at his command, if he ever needed it.

    And damn him to all hell, but that was reassuring in the end.

    ¡°SANS! THE SHOW IS STARTING!¡± Papyrus yelled from downstairs.

    ¡°yeah, yeah, i¡¯m coming,¡± Sans said, shoving his hands in his pockets and heading downstairs, his heart feeling lighter than it had in some time.

    Time to see this ¡°fun and glamorous¡± fight.

    He, Papyrus, and Undyne had an absolutely fantastic time laughing, drinking, and cheering for the next while. The kid was a natural and the show was a treat.

    He set up an alarm with the monitoring system to let him know when the kid got to the last corridor and then ¡®ported off to his sentry station in Snowdin Forest. It was a ¡°chill¡± place to hang out and sit with his thoughts.

    He¡¯d mostly just settled into a serene feeling that things might actually turn out okay when his phone chirped at him. Well, time to say goodbye and have a few timeline cycles of not existing.

    He teleported back to the corridor, behind a pillar, and then waited for the perfect timing. He teleported again to show up with the most possible gravitas. They grinned at him. He noticed a change immediately. They were wearing a little golden locket, which they kept touching as they walked. And they had gotten rid of the stick at last. They had an actual knife, what looked like a blade for gardening.

    ¡°nice knife. doing some weeding?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± they said with a grin. ¡°There¡¯s a flower whose head¡¯s gotten a bit big. Needs to be cut down to size.¡±

    ¡°sounds like fun,¡± he said lightly. ¡°i see you got yourself a bit of jewelry, too.¡±

    ¡°They were Chara¡¯s, actually,¡± they said, touching the locket and looking at it. ¡°The locket and the knife, both. The locket says ¡®best friends forever,¡¯ and it commemorates their relationship with Asriel. The knife was presumably for gardening, but¡­ they were eager to kill with it, in the genocide route.¡±

    Genocide. That was a word that seemed to match the darkness of what they¡¯d done.

    ¡°is that wise?¡± he asked. ¡°wearing their locket, using their knife?¡±

    They hesitated for a moment, looking at the locket.

    ¡°The last time I stood in this Hall, I wore this locket, I held this knife, and I¡­ we¡­ tried to kill you,¡± they said, continuing to look at the locket. ¡°I knew what this equipment was and what it meant. The first time, I felt drawn to them in a way I couldn¡¯t have possibly described, but I felt like they mattered, like they meant something to me in a way I couldn¡¯t grasp.¡±

    They looked up at him, their expression serious.

    ¡°Chara wasn¡¯t all bad,¡± they said. ¡°When they were alive, I mean. I think they were aware for about a century, possessing their own corpse in the flowers where I first fell, and in that time, they lost what had been good about themself.¡±

    Yikes.

    ¡°They weren¡¯t great. They weren¡¯t healthy,¡± they amended. ¡°It sounds like they were pushy, hate filled towards humanity in particular, and manipulative. They¡¯d fallen down here in a suicide attempt and had been rescued by Asgore¡¯s family. You mentioned getting the story from Alphys?¡±

    ¡°about asriel, the human sibling, and their deaths? yeah, i did,¡± he said.

    They nodded seriously.

    ¡°Chara was that first fallen human,¡± they said and he nodded. He¡¯d suspected as much. ¡°Asgore won¡¯t want to learn this part, but Chara¡¯s death wasn¡¯t accidental. It was a plan between Chara and Asriel, so that Asriel could absorb their soul, cross the barrier, kill six humans, and free everyone.¡±

    Yeah, okay, that was ¡°dark undercurrents¡± alright¡­ they were just kids¡­

    ¡°They committed suicide with poison and forced Asriel to cooperate,¡± they said. ¡°I think¡­ I think they still wanted to die, still felt torn apart by whatever trauma had led them here, and wanted their life and death to have meaning.¡±

    This kid had a serious problem with dumping major bombs all over Sans¡¯ thought processes and when the hell did he ever sign up for that?

    He suppressed a sigh.

    ¡°Turned out Asriel was too gentle to follow through with their plan,¡± they said. ¡°Because of that, he died and both of their deaths proved meaningless. There¡¯s a lot of speculation here, but this is how it seems to have gone. His dust infused the seeds of the golden flowers from the outside world. When Alphys injected a flower with determination and later returned it to the garden, his essence awoke as Flowey. All of the memories, none of the soul. None of the capacity for love, hope, and compassion.¡±

    He nodded at that. He¡¯d gotten most of those pieces already, but it was nice to have them put together.

    ¡°Chara, however - Asriel had their soul as he died, and I think their essence was infused into their corpse, which he was still holding. They have memories of laying in the casket after their death. Asgore declared war, Toriel was the queen and abandoned him, taking Chara¡¯s corpse back to where they¡¯d first fallen, which is also where I fell, to be buried. Then I fell and due to compatibilities between us, their essence flowed into me and awakened.¡±

    ¡°that¡¯s why you said you thought you were a reincarnated version of them?¡± he asked.

    ¡°There¡¯s a few more hints I¡¯ve seen, but that¡¯s part of it,¡± they said. ¡°The point is¡­ while Chara wasn¡¯t great in a number of ways and that story ended up being a wretched one, dark and sorrowful and pointless¡­ I don¡¯t hate Chara. I want them gone. I fear them, and their influence on me. I think they turned into a creature of hate and horror, in their century of imprisonment in a corpse. But I don¡¯t hate them. Their plan was stupid in a number of ways, and they were an absolute asshole to try to force Asriel, who was just a kid, into a plan that involved repeated murders.

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    ¡°But¡­ but they cared about Asriel and their family. They gave their life, gave up the joys that they¡¯d discovered, to save people, when they¡¯d previously only known hate and loss. Maybe it¡¯s foolish and sentimental, but¡­ I feel like, to whatever extent, that should be honored.¡±

    They held up the locket.

    ¡°This was a symbol of love, the love of siblings, between a human and a monster, once,¡± they said gently. ¡°And in a twisted way, Flowey and I are alike. We are both time loopers. We both remember all of the resets. We both carry with us an echo of that pair - he, with all of Asriel¡¯s memories, and me, with fragments of Chara¡¯s, I believe Chara¡¯s reincarnated soul, and their disembodied spirit in my ear.¡±

    Their smile turned more pained.

    ¡°He and I are alike in a few other ways, too,¡± they murmured, looking at the locket with a complex expression. ¡°But I refuse to walk his path.¡±

    They gave him a look that was thick with meaning, including pain and fear flickering in their eyes.

    ¡°Sans. My judge, my companion, my¡­ friend,¡± they said, their eyes burning. ¡°I am trying so hard to do what is right, by everyone. Am I¡­ am I on the right path?¡±

    Seriously, the kid had problems with dumping things on Sans¡¯ head.

    Though he¡¯d been known to do that on occasion, too. He sighed.

    ¡°i told ya in the first timeline,¡± he said after a minute. ¡°if it were me, i¡¯d have thrown in the towel by now. and that¡¯s just from one timeline. you keep trying. you don¡¯t give up. you have determination in spades. and from everything i¡¯ve seen, you look like you¡¯re always trying to do the right thing.

    ¡°you¡¯ve made mistakes, kid, but so have i. and unlike me, it looks like you¡¯ve got a way to fix those mistakes. you¡¯ve got a promise to guide ya now. i think you¡¯ll be alright.¡±

    They walked a little closer to him and their eyes were shining.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± they said, and then gave him a sheepish look. ¡°Can I give you a hug?¡±

    ¡°heh,¡± he said with a grin. ¡°sure, why not.¡±

    They ran up and squeezed him tight, thanking him again before they let go.

    ¡°This is really gonna hurt,¡± they said with a sigh, looking past him at the end of the corridor.

    ¡°thought you were pretty much over pain?¡± he asked, feeling a little concerned.

    ¡°I mean, mostly, yeah,¡± they said. ¡°But in that fight, Flowey intentionally tries to break me through suffering. Er, the first time I fight Flowey, anyway. Trapping me in reload cycles¡­ I¡¯ve gotten used to my power, so losing that crutch, knowing that I can¡¯t reload, I can¡¯t escape¡­ it¡¯s kinda terrifying, you know?¡±

    ¡°that sucks,¡± he said and they laughed. ¡°how about i walk with you to your last save point?¡±

    Their eyes shone with gratitude.

    ¡°I really appreciate that,¡± they said.

    They walked in silence for a little while. They saw Asgore and Sans hung back. He watched the pain blossom on Asgore¡¯s face as he realized who, and more importantly what, the kid was. Asgore struggled a bit, speaking about how he wished things were different, and then said he¡¯d be waiting in the next room.

    The kid gave Sans a look that clearly meant they wanted him to follow and he started walking with them to the next room.

    Asgore was there and didn¡¯t seem to recognize that Sans was even present, he was so lost in his own pain. He made a comment about treating this like it was just a trip to the dentist and that they should go into the final room when they were ready. He left again.

    The kid led Sans right to the door and then sighed, manifesting a save point.

    They turned to look at him.

    ¡°This is it,¡± they said softly. ¡°For several versions of you, for many versions of you, the timeline is going to end in just a few minutes. For one version of you, Asgore and I will both be dead and the souls will be lost.¡±

    He nodded.

    ¡°want me to leave a message, like last time?¡± he asked.

    They smiled warmly, their gaze pained.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d really like that,¡± they said. ¡°Hopefully I get it. It won¡¯t be long after leaving that message when it¡¯s all undone. But don¡¯t forget that Flowey will probably hear the message, too.¡±

    He nodded.

    ¡°And then, the last version of you will see me not go through this door,¡± they said with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll leave, deal with the true lab and Alphys, and come right back. I¡¯ll let you know if we¡¯re in that timeline, that there won¡¯t be any more reloading to this moment.¡±

    ¡°that last timeline isn¡¯t so, uh, painful, is it?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Eh, it¡¯s a little rough, but it¡¯s got nothing on you,¡± they said with a grin. ¡°I¡¯m not worried about it at all. This one¡­ really, the only thing that has me worried is whether things will actually go the exact same way. It¡¯s a little less certain, when you¡¯re opposing a time looper, you know? But I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯ll work.¡±

    ¡°i sure hope so,¡± he said. ¡°rootin¡¯ for ya, kid. you got this.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± they said with a smile and gave him another quick hug.

    With an odd look of farewell, they reached out to the save point again¡­ and their expression flickered.

    ¡°It worked,¡± they said with a sigh, rubbing at their face. ¡°Thanks for the message, Sans. It¡¯s funny, there were a few differences, but it was almost exactly like the very first time. It really made me smile to hear everyone like that, especially after Flowey was such an asshole.¡±

    So yeah, that was a little disorienting.

    ¡°Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention something,¡± they said. ¡°Flowey¡¯s going to do something to try to get you to come with, presumably through Papyrus. Um, you probably should. I use the connection between us, between all of us, to influence¡¯s Flowey¡¯s transformed soul. It¡¯s a shame, but you won¡¯t remember it, either - none of the monsters did, for some reason.¡±

    ¡°i¡¯ll pop back home, then,¡± he said. ¡°that means everything¡¯s on track, though, right?¡±

    ¡°Yep,¡± they agreed. ¡°It sucked - I tried to count how many times he killed me, but this one part was hard to judge. Probably¡­ at least twenty times? But he didn¡¯t kill me once during the part where he let me try to dodge, so ha! That counts as at least kind of a win, right?¡±

    ¡°yeah, that totally counts,¡± he said with a wry grin.

    ¡°But I spared him afterwards and he gave me the same spiel about how to improve things. I¡¯ll go deliver the letter, I¡¯ll see you back here, and then from your perspective, the barrier will just disappear after a disorienting flash of light.¡±

    He nodded.

    ¡°See you soon,¡± they said as they started to make their way back to Snowdin, to get the letter.

    ¡°see you soon,¡± he muttered, mostly to himself.

    Things proceeded exactly according to plan. He went back home, checking the sensor data on his way. Twenty three new timelines had appeared. He smiled at further confirmation of the kid¡¯s honesty. He felt himself relax a little more, and just decided to chill for a little while.

    At first, Papyrus was just focused on helping Undyne give the letter to the kid. After that, it wasn¡¯t long - maybe an hour or so - before Papyrus urgently wanted him to go to the barrier room to keep the human and Asgore from fighting.

    As the kid had said, after they had a really cute get together and he got to meet Toriel face to face - wasn¡¯t that a treat? - everything turned white. When the light faded, he realized that even though he didn¡¯t remember, something had changed.

    As he looked at the kid¡¯s body on the ground, he realized he knew their name. Frisk. More than that, he had the weirdest sense, like an understanding of their soul had been impressed into his mind. He didn¡¯t only know their name, he knew what they felt, how deeply they cared for everyone. It was a faint impression - he could have missed it, and just called it intuition, but he knew his own mind. He knew what he knew. Getting a sudden depth of insight into someone wasn¡¯t something he¡¯d just brush off.

    Funny, they¡¯d told him so much, and had forgotten to mention that detail.

    One way or another, though, his uncertainties and doubts vanished. The idea that they were a masterful actor and all this was a setup had already seemed incredibly unlikely, but this? Their love for him was only a faint impression that was hard to suss out, but nonetheless absolute in a way that felt unshakable. A bit unnerving - it was intense and felt frankly insane - but also reassuring. Even if he wanted to be suspicious of their motives, he just couldn¡¯t feel it. They belonged to him. He would try to fix this, of course, but in the meantime, trust was, for the first time in so long, actually easy.

    Seemed like everyone had gained that insight, too. No one else seemed to think much of it, but all of the lingering uncertainty and tension with the kid¡­ with Frisk¡­ had disappeared. They had a fun little hangout all together, talking about everything from puns to anime, before Toriel suggested that Frisk take a little walk and say goodbye to everyone.

    They met Sans¡¯ eye for a moment with a bright, happy smile, and then said there was someone they had to go say goodbye to. He realized he had no idea who it was, or why.

    Eh, he could find out later.

    He had a lot of fun hanging out with everyone. He lost track of time as he and Toriel messed around with texting. Eventually Frisk came back and they had an odd expression on their face. Joy, but also faintly regret, guilt, and sorrow. It wasn¡¯t sharp edged at all, though, and they met his eyes without a shred of hesitation, so they hadn¡¯t done anything too bad. Plus, still no EXP or LOVE, so he wasn''t concerned.

    From there, they moved on. Frisk was named the ambassador between humans and monsters. Papyrus decided to be a mascot and needed some brotherly guidance. Later, he found out that Frisk had, indeed, decided to live with Toriel for a little while, until they felt established, even though they were technically an adult. As they¡¯d mentioned when they chatted about it, just because they were nineteen didn¡¯t mean they didn¡¯t need a mother.

    Frisk insisted as gently, but absolutely as they could on a training regimen for monsters who wanted to live near humans, as part of their ¡°ambassador¡± role, in an attempt to prevent diplomatic incidents. In other words, training on how to not accidentally hurt humans.

    Asgore was informed about Frisk¡¯s reset powers and laid down an absolute decree to inform Frisk immediately of any incidents of varying kinds. Alphys set up a reporting app for all monsters to use that would blare alarms for Frisk, Asgore, Toriel, Alphys, and Sans. The fact that literally every monster knew Frisk¡¯s name and had a vague sense of their dedication to the welfare of monsterkind made this go over surprisingly smoothly.

    Things settled into a new routine. Collectively, they did decide to occasionally - and increasingly - use Frisk¡¯s time powers to get money, or to help make sure things went smoothly, such as with political meetings. They never admitted to the humans that Frisk had that power - it was treated as top secret.

    Only Asgore, Alphys, Undyne, Sans, and of course, Flowey knew about the resets. Asgore, because he was the king and they''d needed him to give the orders regarding notifying Frisk of incidents immediately. Alphys and Sans, because of their work with Frisk on experimentation - plus the fact that Sans already knew. And Undyne, partly for Alphys¡¯s sake, so she had someone outside of the experiments to talk to about it, as well as the fact that she was regularly training with Frisk. Their training could get pretty intense, now that Undyne knew that nothing could possibly go wrong. The smell of popcorn or hotdogs was frequently a distraction for days they had a full spar scheduled, courtesy of Sans.

    Undyne¡¯s raw strength counted for a lot, and if she tried to leverage that to break Frisk¡¯s body, she could do serious damage. Outside of that, though, Frisk was basically untouchable. Attacking Undyne back was a problem, however - Frisk was initially afraid to attack at all.

    Sans was worried about lingering mental trauma, and encouraged Frisk to learn to shape their intent with their strikes, so they''d feel safer physically interacting with monsters. This resulted in a few close calls - Undyne occasionally pushed herself a little too hard, to the surprise of literally no one - but Frisk was learning fast.

    It was occasionally a bit of a complicated integration, but a surprisingly huge chunk of humanity was absolutely delighted to live with monsters. Papyrus became hugely popular, to the point he sometimes even had trouble with it. There were haters, too - both regarding monsterkind and Papyrus in particular - that tempted Sans to less than socially acceptable solutions, but Papyrus handled it well enough.

    Sans, though¡­ the fresh air and seeing the sun again¡­ it meant a lot. It was a shame that Papyrus had been too young to remember, but seeing him experience it all helped to soothe that old ache.

    A shame that none of the others could have seen this. The rest of his team. Or¡­ her.

    Still. It felt like a new day, and like a lot of those old wounds were scarring over.

    It¡¯d been a while since he could mean these words, but, well¡­ life was good.

 Interlude - Full Genocide Sans

    * Pre-Looping (copy pasted from the first part of Chapter 1, skip to ¡°First Loop¡± if you don¡¯t want to read the first bit again)

    Sans sat in the last corridor, watching the monitoring feed on his phone. It was almost time. Almost time to break his promise to someone who¡¯d almost certainly died, without him ever knowing her name. The anomaly was making their way through New Home now, and anyone who hadn¡¯t been evacuated could be expected to be dust by this point.

    Not that it mattered. The evacuation meant nothing. The reports didn¡¯t just suggest an end to this timeline - that was not only fine, that was the outcome he was hoping for. Unfortunately, what they showed was an end of everything. An end that loomed larger as the day went on, until he had to shut down his sensor equipment because they had to switch to emergency power.

    He didn¡¯t even know what that meant. Would it mean that people like Alphys had sort of never been born? That he and Papyrus would have just died on arriving in this world, or that their past would change somehow? Or did it mean the past remained intact, and the universe was just destroyed?

    But it didn¡¯t really matter. There was one way and one way only that Papyrus would be okay. His hand clenched. Killing the kid meant nothing. Winning meant nothing. Making them loop meant nothing. But some of the results from the reports¡­ there were layered loops. Loops within loops. They could go back further than their anchor point. To eight months ago, or even maybe just to this morning. That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s all he needed.

    The only hope whatsoever for their world, for Sans, for¡­ for Papyrus¡­ the only hope was to somehow convince the thing approaching him to give up and undo everything. And then trust that somehow, both the anomaly and the other Sans would find a way to make things okay.

    It was hopeless. Absolutely hopeless. Why would that abomination ever¡­

    But no, he¡¯d seen some signs.

    The thing going around killing everyone - that was hopeless. They¡¯d turned away kindness, mercy, pleas, gentleness, threats, bluffs, Undyne¡¯s insanely brilliant defense, her beautiful stand against the darkness¡­ every conceivable reason to turn away, they¡¯d just disregarded.

    But he¡¯d seen flickers, sparks of maybe something more. That something had been human in them once, and he might be able to remind them of it. As they were, there was no chance, but maybe¡­

    Regardless of whether it was possible, he couldn¡¯t just stand back and do nothing. Not anymore. He couldn¡¯t afford to do nothing. Not when it looked like the true end of everything.

    It was hopeless, but he had to try anyway.

    Footsteps echoed down the hall. He slowly pulled himself to his feet.

    He was going to die. Hopefully not by the anomaly¡¯s hand, but by the ending of this timeline. It was different than regular death, sure, but this version of him would cease to exist. Wouldn¡¯t do much good, if he just killed them - they¡¯d be back, it¡¯d be a matter of minutes difference, and he¡¯d still be in this situation. But if he could just make them stop all this, if he could make them give up and go back further¡­

    Then this version of Sans would end, and the other Sans would have Papyrus back, and maybe¡­

    His hand clenched again. He had to try. With everything he had. If there was any chance for Papyrus¡¯s future at all¡­

    There they were. It was time.

    They walked into the hall with a curious and faintly smug expression. The sight of them was seared into his mind. So short that when he¡¯d first seen their silhouette, he¡¯d assumed they were a child, though realized they were fully adult when he got a look at their face. Baggy, oversized, striped sweater. Ill fitting, loose cargo pants. Sharp, thin lines of their face, giving them a striking, androgynous look.

    He watched them, emotions swirling in his heart. He couldn¡¯t even feel hate right. There was too much despair. He just wanted them to stop. Whatever it took.

    There didn¡¯t used to be a box in the entryway, but by the time he¡¯d arrived, someone had put it there. It might make things a little easier for the anomaly, but it didn¡¯t make any difference in the end, so he couldn¡¯t be bothered to do anything about it.

    The anomaly walked next to the box, then paused and reached out, a look of sharp focus on their face. He saw that hateful golden glow that had always restored their strength. When they touched the glowing point, it often resulted in an abrupt change of expression, which implied they¡¯d looped however many times. He watched their face intently.

    * First Loop

    Their expression didn¡¯t change. This was the first one, huh? A feeling of relief and hope filled him at that. There was basically no risk that the kid would win in this timeline.

    That also meant he¡¯d never broken his promise. There was still a chance - a faint one, but a chance - that he might not have to break it at all. If he tried to talk to their real self, talk to the person he¡¯d seen in those flickers - he might reach them.

    And those flickers were especially visible now. Smug curiosity and watchfulness were dominant, but there was definitely unease in the lines around their eyes as they looked around the room.

    He didn¡¯t think it¡¯d work, but he¡¯d try to do things the nice way first.

    They approached and he teleported to meet them as they reached the halfway point. The look in their eyes when they saw him¡­ it was interesting. The abomination he¡¯d been watching this whole time was clear in the harsh way they smiled, but there were glints of pain and guilt in their eyes. More hope surged.

    He hadn¡¯t looked closely at them since he stopped interacting with them, since they¡¯d murdered Papyrus. He couldn¡¯t make out expressions quite as cleanly from the hidden camera feeds. This¡­ maybe it would really work out.

    ¡°heya,¡±  he greeted them casually.

    They didn¡¯t respond, but they never did. He¡¯d never heard their voice before. They did pull out their knife, which wasn¡¯t the best sign.

    ¡°you¡¯ve been busy, huh?¡± he asked.

    Beautiful. That was definitely a stab of guilt that they¡¯d just felt. Hope surged even more strongly. Why were they feeling guilty now, with him, and not all the other times? He didn¡¯t know, but he had noticed them being¡­ weird with him in particular.

    They were both silent for a moment, but they still didn¡¯t respond. He¡¯d just continue.

    ¡°so, i¡¯ve got a question for ya,¡± he said, continuing to act casual. ¡°do you think that even the worst person can change¡­? that everybody can be a good person, if they just try?¡±

    It was strange to watch their face. Hints of twisting uncertainty danced in their eyes, but the smug hostility was unwavering. And their body language in general matched the cruel edge to their smile. It was their eyes alone that bore the hint of whatever humanity they¡¯d once had, and it was faint.

    And maybe powerless. They took a step forward, tauntingly.

    ¡°heh heh heh heh¡­¡± he laughed, half at himself, closing his eyes and bracing himself. ¡°all right. well, here¡¯s a better question.¡±

    He let the black rage show on his face as he opened his eyes again.

    ¡°do you wanna have a bad time?¡± he asked darkly. ¡°¡®cause if you take another step forward¡­ you are REALLY not going to like what happens next.¡±

    They looked utterly unconcerned - amused, even, as they took another deliberate step forward. He felt his heart break a little at the sight. The last hope that he could have kept his promise had broken with that step. The sound of his knock knock buddy¡¯s laugh, and her pleading sobs to make that promise, echoed in his mind with that break.

    ¡°welp,¡± he said, still trying to sound casual despite the pain in his heart. ¡°sorry, old lady. this is why i never make promises.¡±

    Why did it have to be this way¡­

    He sighed a little. It¡¯s not like he really expected it to be different. Still, it hurt. He started to draw on his magic. Might as well have some fun mocking them before ending this timeline abruptly.

    He knew he had time. The anomaly always paused to listen to what people had to say before fights. Even with Undyne, even though they¡¯d obviously died a few dozen times and had heard it all already. They''d been impatient but weirdly respectful as they''d waited for her to fully transform and ready herself.

    With Muffet, they¡¯d actually just dangled in her web, peacefully listening as they dodged, until she¡¯d decided to spare them. Then, of course, they¡¯d lashed out and slain her mercilessly. But the point remained.

    With this being the first loop, he was confident they wouldn¡¯t attack until he either stopped talking or was obviously delaying them. Even in later loops it''d probably be true.

    ¡°it¡¯s a beautiful day outside. birds are singing, flowers are blooming¡­¡± he said, and interestingly enough, that provoked another strong reaction.

    The main part of them, the main part of their reactions - the inhuman part - shifted to be more hostile, like his words had made them angry. But, faintly in their eyes, he saw a lash of recognition and hurt. Huh.

    He didn¡¯t know what to make of it.

    ¡°on days like these, kids like you¡­¡± he said, and finished drawing on his magic.

    The touch of hope he¡¯d felt had eased the despair somewhat - enough for hate to fully take his heart. He let it show on his face and in his voice.

    ¡°should be burning in hell.¡±

    With no further warning, he began his attack. They were still reacting to his words, odd emotions flickering in their gaze, when they cried out from being slammed to the floor and impaled by bones. Their scream of pain was music to his ears.

    Their reflexes were good, but not nearly good enough. They pulled themself from the bones on the ground in time to survive, barely, only to be caught by a swarm of summoned bones surging to their position. It caught them from behind.

    The last moments of that Sans¡¯ existence were full of the deep satisfaction that came from the agonized screaming of his brother¡¯s killer. Even if he knew it didn¡¯t actually matter.

    * Second loop

    The anomaly walked next to the box, then paused and reached out, a look of sharp focus on their face. He saw that hateful golden glow that had always restored their strength. When they touched the glowing point, it often resulted in an abrupt change of expression, which implied they¡¯d looped however many times.

    Their expression did change - it wasn''t the first loop. They looked frustrated by something. One death, he figured. Good, this shouldn''t be too bad. For him, anyway.

    They dug through the box and swapped out some items, loading their pockets to bursting. Then they reached for the glow again.

    Heh. He¡¯d made them change their loadout. Not too surprising.

    Their expression didn¡¯t change this time. He nodded to himself. Second loop. Should be a cakewalk. And there was no point in trying to play nice with them, trying to avoid breaking his promise. The previous Sans would have already tried.

    They approached, frustration and annoyance dominating their face. He weirdly thought he saw a glint of amusement in their eyes, for some reason. Maybe they liked his jokes?

    ¡°heya,¡± he said, feeling a little amused himself. ¡°you look frustrated by something.¡±

    They gritted their teeth at him and he grinned broadly.

    ¡°guess i¡¯m pretty good at my job, huh?¡± he taunted.

    Another odd flicker of amusement in their eyes, but they still looked mainly irritated and wary. They were clearly bracing themself.

    He was pretty sure they hadn¡¯t survived his first attack. There was too much uncertainty, too little confidence. Oh, sure, there was an underlying confidence - they had faith in their immortality, and for good reason - but they didn¡¯t look confident about the incoming attack.

    He wondered how many times they¡¯d die to it. Hopefully lots, and they¡¯d give up this whole path out of sheer frustration.

    He wanted to accustom them to the timing of things, so he¡¯d continue to say his little mocking line he¡¯d come up with, so a future Sans could turn it on them.

    He told them about the birds and flowers, and how they should be burning in hell, then attacked. They were clearly expecting the slam to the ground, and they launched themself away fairly smoothly. They spun around and saw the wall of bones coming their way.

    ¡°Fucking hell,¡± they muttered, and he laughed.

    First words he¡¯d ever heard from them, and they were good ones.

    They did not even slightly figure out how to dodge through the surge of bones and were torn to screaming, bloody shreds.

    That Sans¡¯ last moments were full of laughter and the sound of a murderer¡¯s gurgled screaming.

    * Eleventh loop

    The anomaly¡¯s expression changed as they saved - it wasn''t the first loop. They looked frustrated by something. One death, he figured. Good, this shouldn''t be too bad. For him, anyway.

    They dug through the box and swapped out some items, loading their pockets to bursting. Then they reached for the glow again.

    Heh. He¡¯d made them change their loadout. Not too surprising.

    Their expression changed again and he considered it thoughtfully. It was a blend of frustration, expectation, fatigue, exasperation, determination, focus. Not even the faintest hint of victory - he was pretty sure they hadn¡¯t even survived his opening attack yet. He grinned.

    He hummed to himself as they made their way towards him, almost stomping in frustration. Ten, he decided. They¡¯d died ten times. It was really hard to judge. Future Sans-es would have some trouble.

    ¡°hmm. that expression¡­¡± he said as they paused, reaching him. He was dragging this out for fun. ¡°that¡¯s the expression of someone who¡¯s died ten times in a row.¡±

    He grinned at them.

    ¡°hey, congrats!¡± he said in a playfully cheerful tone. ¡°the big one-oh! let¡¯s invite all your friends over for a big shindig.¡±

    Heh heh heh¡­ they winced at that, however faintly. Served the freak right.

    ¡°we can have pie, and hot dogs, and¡­¡±

    That looked like actual pain in their eyes. Good.

    ¡°hmmm¡­ wait. something¡¯s not right,¡± he continued blithely, playfully putting on a confused expression, and then let his face and voice go dark. ¡°you don¡¯t have any friends.¡±

    He was feeling quite pleased with himself at the blended look of pain and frustration his words elicited.

    Next, he mocked them with his planned line about birds, flowers, and condemnations to hell. It looked like his plan was working. They were relaxing as he spoke, clearly expecting safety until he finished his line. He¡¯d continue to let them build that expectation till they survived, assuming they kept coming back.

    Magic poured from his soul, manifesting into the world one physics-defying step at a time. Part of his mind tracked the attack as he actioned his plan, and the rest of his mind watched their reaction.

    Their skills were maybe a little sharper than when they¡¯d fought Undyne, and they clearly knew what to expect, but his attack was deliberately excessive. It tore through them and they were trying not to scream, trying to keep their breath as they dodged with desperate strength. His magic kept clipping them, even when they mostly dodged right, and he could see their skin growing sallow and grey from his corrosive magic tearing at them. Honestly, they were doing a solid job, and if his magic weren¡¯t so corrosive, they¡¯d probably be fine, due to the sheer amount of LOVE they¡¯d acquired.

    The attack ended, after a massive gaster blaster had burned a swath down the hallway. They¡¯d survived it, disappointingly. They lay in a pool of blood and dragged themself to their feet as he took a moment to draw his strength for another attack - a regular one, not something quite that intense.

    ¡°huh,¡± Sans said idly. ¡°always wondered why people never use their strongest attack first.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I did it?¡± they asked, staring down at their hands in bewilderment. ¡°I actually survived?¡±

    ¡°nope,¡± Sans said, laughing, as he launched a second attack.

    They¡¯d taken so long marveling at their own survival he¡¯d had time to attack again.

    That Sans also ended laughing, but the screams he was hearing were of intense frustration and pain, instead of just gurgling death noises.

    * Twelfth Loop

    After saving and changing out their loadout, the anomaly reached for the glow again.

    Their expression changed and he considered it thoughtfully. It was a blend of frustration, expectation, fatigue, exasperation, determination, focus. There was the faintest hint of partial victory - his best guess was that they¡¯d just barely survived his opening attack.

    He hummed to himself as they made their way towards him, almost stomping in frustration. Eleven, he decided. They¡¯d died eleven times. He was pretty sure, anyway.

    They made their way to him with hostility, frustration, and a hint of curiosity playing in their eyes. They wanted to know what he¡¯d say this time. Sure, he could oblige them.

    ¡°hmm. that expression,¡± he said, drawing it out for fun. ¡°that¡¯s the expression of someone who¡¯s died eleven times in a row. well, give or take. there¡¯s nuance to this stuff. don¡¯t think i¡¯ll be able to count very well from here. count for me, okay?¡±

    Their lips quirked into a bemused smile.

    They shouldn¡¯t be smiling. A surge of anger filled him and his voice went dark.

    ¡°we¡¯ll start from twelve,¡± he said.

    They settled themself into a combat ready pose and waited, listening. He grinned. They were relaxed, confident in their safety as he mocked them with damnations to hell.

    ¡°it¡¯s a beautiful day outside,¡± he said, trying to keep his voice the same as he¡¯d have done normally. ¡°birds are singing¡­¡±

    Without completing the line, or any further warning, he launched his attack. He started laughing from their first shriek of surprise, and continued to laugh as they were ripped apart by the opening phases of his attack.

    Man, it was a shame no other Sans would be able to remember the look on their face. It was priceless.

    * Sixteenth Loop

    After saving and changing out their loadout, the anomaly reached for the glow again.

    Their expression changed and he considered it thoughtfully. That blend of emotions in their eyes¡­ about a dozen or so deaths, probably? He sighed. Hopefully they¡¯d quit soon. He¡¯d had a fun idea of judging how many times they¡¯d died by their expression and taunting them about it, but after a dozen deaths, it¡¯d be too hard to pinpoint. He wouldn¡¯t want to repeat himself, not with those taunts - that wasn¡¯t the point.

    Their ridiculous determination to keep going was sucking all of the fun out for him. At least he didn¡¯t see anything particularly dangerous in their gaze - beyond the nightmarish commitment to slaughter he¡¯d been seeing all this time. The uncertainty in their expression made him convinced that they had barely gotten past his opening strike.

    They approached with some confidence in their stride. They knew what to expect. Well, things weren¡¯t exactly looking up, but he had a lot of planned angles of attack, emotionally and otherwise. There was a chance something might work. And he seriously doubted they¡¯d survive this timeline. For this version of Sans, things were going according to plan.

    ¡°let¡¯s just get to the point,¡± he said.

    Combat ready and braced. They were expecting an attack at any time. Guess he wouldn¡¯t bother using his cute little line he¡¯d thought of to mock them.

    ¡°ready?¡± he asked wryly, and without waiting for their response, launched his attack.

    This wasn¡¯t so bad. They¡¯d clearly memorized it, but it was still a struggle. Swarms of bones, staggered blaster attacks - they wove through with harsh, forceful movements, and were clipped by his attacks again and again and again. A solid job, all told, but not nearly good enough, especially with the corrosive effect of his magic.

    After his attack ended, they pulled themself quickly from the bloody puddle on the ground and grabbed a delicious smelling piece of pie from one of their pockets. It was a bit squished, but he could practically taste the healing magic from here.

    They broke down and consumed the magic without tasting it, just like they¡¯d done with previous battles where they¡¯d been injured. It was a shame, but also, where did they even get that pie? It was one of the most potent healing items he¡¯d seen.

    ¡°What the hell?¡± they asked, their eyes glazed over as the healing washed over them. ¡°Why am I still burning¡­?¡±

    Heh heh heh. First time he¡¯d heard any words from them, and it was a good thing to hear. They¡¯d noticed the corrosive effect, had they? Funny how not even healing magic could counter its burn - sure, it¡¯d clean up the aftermath, but if both were in a soul at once, his magic won.

    Regardless, eating the pie bought him time to launch a second attack. Now that his opener was out of the way, it was time to stretch his muscles, metaphorically speaking. He started with some warm up attacks. Unless they quit - and he really hoped they would soon - this would get pretty intense, and he needed to pace himself.

    His warm up strikes were no joke, though. They struggled, and had several rounds of just desperately consuming their items in between attacks. They looked exhausted - probably because of how inefficiently and aggressively they were trying to dodge.

    They looked resigned as they gripped their knife, still bleeding heavily from his last attack. They looked at him and moved to strike.

    Timefreeze. He studied their face in the frozen moment, before stepping aside, out of range.

    Strange. The look on their face, just as they were about to attack - it was complicated. He¡¯d have sworn there was a hint of attachment and a strange sort of fear in their eyes. He¡¯d guessed that in another timeline, they might have cared about him, but still. Why would they be afraid of attacking him?

    That had to be a good sign, right? Even if he didn¡¯t know what it meant.

    ¡°what?¡± he asked with a playful wink as time resumed flowing. ¡°you think i¡¯m just gonna stand there and take it?¡±

    They obviously had expected just that. Their jaw was practically on the ground as they gaped at him in shock. And again, there was something weird in their gaze¡­ appreciation, relief, maybe? Mostly annoyed hostility, but those little flickers were interesting¡­

    Welp, that was for a future Sans to figure out. The kid was so stunned that they failed to dodge properly, and the timeline ended with more gurgled screams.

    * One hundred and twenty seventh loop

    After saving and changing out their loadout, the anomaly reached for the glow again.

    Their expression changed dramatically and his heart sank a little. Calm, focused determination, resigned frustration. How many times had he killed them? Dozens, at least. They still weren¡¯t giving up?

    And they had no expectation whatsoever of winning. That resignation on their face - they were fully expecting to learn more, die, and try again.

    They could just¡­ stop trying¡­

    Why the hell were they even doing this?

    At least he didn¡¯t feel hugely worried about this timeline. If they didn¡¯t expect any chance of getting past him this loop, far be it for him to think otherwise.

    And hey, who knows? Maybe one of his gambits might work. They probably hadn¡¯t seen everything yet.

    Still. As they approached him with their knife in hand and cool focus on their face, he felt a surge of frustration at the pointlessness of everything. For Papyrus¡¯s sake, he had to make them quit, and they just¡­

    ¡°let¡¯s just get to the point,¡± he said darkly. ¡°ready?¡±

    Without another hint of warning, he launched his opening strike. His heart sank a little. They¡¯d clearly gotten used to it and their movements were excellent. Imperfect, but graceful. Swarms of bones, staggered blaster attacks with barely any time to dodge - evaded smoothly, with bare touches of his magic corroding their soul.

    ¡°here we go,¡± he said as they survived.

    They launched out with a deadly strike and he felt a surge of primal fear from the sharp intent sheathing that blade. He could die from an angry poke, and that¡­ fucking hell.

    Time froze as he casually sidestepped their strike. They didn¡¯t seem in the least surprised when time resumed.

    ¡°what? you think i¡¯m just gonna stand there and take it?¡± he asked with a playful wink.

    No reaction. Other than the fun of ripping apart the thing that killed his brother, this was going to be boring, wasn¡¯t it? At least till he tried a gambit they¡¯d never seen before.

    He sighed.

    ¡°our reports showed a massive anomaly in the timespace continuum. timelines jumping left and right, stopping and starting¡­ until suddenly, everything ends,¡± he said over the course of several more strikes of excessively murderous intent.

    They continued to not react. They barely seemed to hear him. They didn¡¯t care about his reports, about the destruction of everything.

    During this time, he was attacking them, too, of course. Warm up attacks, for now. It¡¯d been a while since he stretched these muscles, and it wasn¡¯t like he had time to practice before they showed up. Couldn¡¯t risk wearing himself out.

    They clearly knew all these attacks, and had gotten some of them figured out. A few times, they managed fully perfect dodges, even.

    ¡°heh heh heh¡­ that¡¯s your fault, isn¡¯t it?¡± he asked uselessly, laughing at his own efforts.

    To that, they did faintly react. Conflict burned in their gaze, and hate pulled at their lips. The conflict was a good thing to see.

    ¡°you can¡¯t understand how this feels,¡± he said, letting his pain out on his face, in his voice. If they were conflicted, then maybe¡­ ¡°knowing that one day, without any warning¡­ it¡¯s all going to be reset.¡±

    That looked like pain, in their eyes. Still, hate and hostility were dominant in the cruel smile on their face, but it looked like he¡¯d hurt them.

    If it hurt them to know how he felt¡­

    ¡°look. i gave up trying to go back a long time ago,¡± he said. Maybe pushing the personal angle¡­ ¡°and getting to the surface doesn¡¯t really appeal anymore, either. cause even if we do¡­ we¡¯ll just end up right back here, without any memory of it, right?¡±

    Another flicker of conflicted pain in their gaze, as clear as it was confusing. They were attacking him with enough deadly intent to kill him a few thousand times over with a single strike - this version of him, anyway. At his prime, loaded with a full set of seven human souls, he could have taken a few hits, he figured. But regardless, attacks like that didn¡¯t seem all that conflicted. So what the hell was he seeing?

    ¡°to be blunt¡­ it makes it kind of hard to give it my all,¡± he admitted. ¡°... or is that just a poor excuse for being lazy¡­? hell if i know.¡±

    That couldn¡¯t be a hint of sympathy, could it?

    None of this made any damned sense. They were plowing through their items, consuming the magic in increasingly desperate bids to stay alive. They were attacking him with a ridiculously intense intent to kill. If there was something in them that cared, then why¡­?

    An image of Papyrus flashed through his mind and his hands clenched again. He had to keep trying.

    ¡°all i know is¡­ seeing what comes next¡­ i can¡¯t afford not to care anymore.¡±

    He panted lightly from exertion as they gasped for air, sweat and blood soaking their clothes. He was done with the warm up strikes and regular attacks. It was time to get serious.

    But¡­ but there was one more gambit he had decided to try first.

    He¡¯d seen some signs. Some indications that maybe, in another timeline, things had been different.

    He¡¯d seen them pause at every one of his sentry stations. They¡¯d lingered at his favorite spot in Grillby¡¯s, as well as a table in the MTT restaurant. They¡¯d touched the door into his and Papyrus¡¯s house.

    They¡¯d had an expression of pained conflict right before they¡¯d murdered Papyrus, and had stood blankly for several seconds after he¡¯d died. Most deaths, they moved on without a second thought. They¡¯d paused after killing Undyne, too.

    And before killing Undyne, when they¡¯d gone to the bridge, there was the plaque that spoke of the Angel that would empty the underground. The way their expression had twisted on reading it, the tender way they¡¯d touched it, as though they were seeing something new in it¡­

    When he''d spoken to them in Snowdin forest, they''d been flat and expressionless, and hadn''t said a single word, but he swore he saw some weird flickers of distant emotions in their eyes, especially when they looked at him. They''d just stood and stared at him, one of the only times they''d paused in their murder spree. Only him, no one else - not that many had interacted with them, other than by being killed.

    Small things. Mostly, they were a featureless automaton, killing without any hint of remorse, pity, or even really seeming aware of what they were doing. Yet, those signs, and the flickers he¡¯d seen in this battle¡­ maybe, maybe, in another timeline, they hadn¡¯t been like this. Humans weren¡¯t like this, practically never, and he was the only one in the underground who knew humans well enough to know that.

    Maybe they¡¯d been healthy once. Maybe they¡¯d been friends once. Maybe his promise, and his decision to be good to them, maybe it had mattered once.

    ¡°ugh¡­ that being said¡­ you, uh, really like swinging that thing around, huh?¡± he asked.

    They gasped for air as he settled out of a combative stance. They gave him a confused look as he paused and let them breathe, instead of attacking.

    ¡°listen,¡± he said, making his voice gentle, and their confusion grew. Their knife hand lowered.  ¡°i know you didn¡¯t answer me before, but¡­¡±

    He hadn¡¯t asked in this timeline, but that hardly mattered. He closed his eyes for a moment. He had to sell this right. Had to focus on the hope, on what he¡¯d felt first thing this morning, what he¡¯d planned, about trying to befriend them.

    ¡°somewhere in there. i can feel it,¡± he said, opening his eyes and letting peaceful hope cover his face. ¡°there¡¯s a glimmer of a good person inside of you.¡±

    That expression¡­

    His heart clenched with a surge of hope so strong it was painful.

    Wide eyed, agonized, disbelieving uncertainty. The knife trembled in their grip.

    ¡°the memory of someone who once wanted to do the right thing,¡± he continued, his soft smile growing more genuine at the hope that ripped through his chest. Was this actually going to work? ¡°someone who, in another time, might have even been¡­¡±

    His eyes closed briefly. This was hard to say. It was too real, and too opposed to the hate he was trying not to let himself feel.

    ¡°... a friend?¡±

    A pained whimper escaped the abomination he faced. He looked at them, at the tears starting to fill their eyes, and winked at them.

    ¡°c¡¯mon, buddy,¡± he said. ¡°do you remember me?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± they said, tears starting to fall.

    It was actually working. Maybe they really had been friends in another timeline. That begged the question of what the hell they were doing now, but¡­

    God, maybe. An image of Papyrus filled his mind and he clenched his hand in his jacket pocket. He needed to not screw this up. Gentle acceptance, call on those feelings of friendship, any shred of it within them.

    ¡°please, if you¡¯re listening¡­¡± he said, and he closed his eyes again.

    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    It was hard to shove all the hostility away. Begging them like this¡­ it was like the snowman, who begged them to stop as they ripped him to pieces and put those pieces in their pockets. Pieces he''d watched them consume, for the restorative magic. It was like the shopkeeper, who left a note begging the human to not hurt her family.

    Like Papyrus, who hadn¡¯t begged, but who¡¯d tried to call on their good nature, too. Who, unlike Sans, would have really believed in that goodness.

    But if it worked, none of that mattered. None of that would have even happened.

    ¡°let¡¯s forget all this, ok?¡± he asked, and then winked again. ¡°just lay down your weapon, and¡­¡±

    His eyes closed again, pushing back another surge of hate. For this to work, they needed to see the gentleness. It was kinda difficult.

    ¡°well, my job will be a lot easier,¡± he said.

    He didn¡¯t want to lie to them. Didn¡¯t think that¡¯d work out too well, what with them remembering everything.

    He left it at that and just looked at them, holding onto gentleness and kindness as best he could, willing them to accept it, to stop this.

    Tears were falling from their face and their knife shook in their hand. With a loud clatter, their knife fell to the tile floor.

    It was actually, honestly working.

    They took a tentative step forward, reaching out to him, their face twisted in pain, regret, and sorrow.

    ¡°you¡¯re sparing me?¡± he asked, amused and mildly exasperated that, of all the things¡­ ¡°finally. buddy. pal.¡±

    Eh, he wasn¡¯t doing the world¡¯s best job of keeping the edge out of his voice, but they didn¡¯t seem to care, taking another uncertain step forward.

    ¡°i know how hard it must be¡­ to make that choice,¡± he said. ¡°to go back on everything you¡¯ve worked up to.¡±

    Even if he still had no damned clue why.

    ¡°i want you to know¡­ i won¡¯t let it go to waste,¡± he said.

    Did they have any idea that he was about to kill them? He couldn¡¯t help but grin. He opened his arms, as though for a hug. Just like Papyrus had.

    A broken sob ripped from them and their entire body shook as they moved forward.

    ¡°c¡¯mere, pal,¡± he said, and they actually did.

    They threw themself at him, sobbing, and his magic was unleashed. From this range, there wasn¡¯t a chance of them dodging. Bones ripped through their body, pouring buckets of blood onto the ground.

    ¡°get dunked on,¡± he said, drawing out the words with a dark laugh at their scream of pain.

    They didn¡¯t stop clinging to his jacket, and a strange smile had crossed their face. It was an odd feeling, having them in his arms like this, with that smile on their face. Like he was looking into another time, looking at the way things could have been. Should have been.

    He summoned some blasters. He wanted them to die with exactly the right timing. And this next bit¡­ he let them see the truth of it all, the pain, the hope, everything.

    ¡°if we¡¯re really friends¡­¡± he said, as they gazed up at him with an impossibly complex expression. ¡°you won¡¯t come back.¡±

    The last blasters fired, and that Sans ceased to exist.

    * One hundred and twenty eighth loop

    After saving and changing out their loadout, the anomaly reached for the glow again.

    A ripping, tearing, heart-wrenching scream tore from them as soon as they¡¯d done so, making Sans reel in bewildered confusion.

    What the living fuck?

    They were on the ground, writhing and screaming, tears pouring from their face. He moved a little closer.

    What the hell was going on? It couldn¡¯t be physical pain from something he¡¯d done, could it? His attacks were more physical than other monsters, but¡­

    But no, that couldn¡¯t be it. They should have recovered faster than this, if it was just a memory of pain.

    They did settle after a minute or two, sobbing desperately, brokenly. He¡¯d planned on reaching for the humanity in them. Had it worked¡­? But then, why did they come back?

    He couldn¡¯t see their face too clearly, but the expression of the freakish abomination mostly seemed gone. They looked like a traumatized kid, not a nightmare of endless murders.

    Uh. Maybe talking would be good?

    He teleported close enough to talk.

    ¡°hey, kid,¡± he began uncertainly.

    ¡°No!¡± they shrieked, a sound so shrill it was painful.

    They looked up at him and their expression was so rich it knocked him back again. He¡¯d mostly been analyzing subtle expressions, with the cool, focused, determination of the abomination being dominant, and only flickers of other emotions throughout their journey.

    There was nothing subtle about this.

    Their face was agonized, horrified. He paused time just to give himself time to process it all. They were afraid of him? That didn¡¯t seem right. Especially since he was pretty sure they¡¯d died once before the second save. If the opening attack didn¡¯t cause any fear, he couldn¡¯t imagine anything else he was going to do that could cause that reaction.

    Was it something he¡¯d said?

    He¡¯d gotten a hint of something human in them, but not really any idea who they were, beneath it all. It was only faint flickers, after all. He wasn¡¯t even certain there was anything human left in them - well, prior to now. He guessed there was, hoped there was, and had made plans off of that hope, since there was nothing else to hope for. Well, beyond making them give up from frustration.

    ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t, Sans, I just¡­¡± they whimpered as his timefreeze lapsed, sobbing.

    They curled up into a ball, crying into their knees, their back to him.

    Should he kill them¡­?

    They were actually talking, though. Maybe he could learn something useful? He teleported to the other side, so he could see their face between their knees. Their eyes were closed.

    ¡°whatever¡¯s wrong, maybe i can help,¡± he offered.

    If they needed to heal into being a reasonably decent person? Yeah, he was all for that plan.

    But that made them scream again, another heart-wrenching sound of desperate agony. He¡¯d have sworn he was torturing them with his words, from the sounds they were making. Damn it, he was trying to be nice. For selfish reasons, but still.

    They babbled more words - his name, ¡°can¡¯t,¡± ¡°won¡¯t,¡± ¡°please,¡± and ¡°I¡± were dominant, but there wasn''t anything coherent. They shook with their sobs. Maybe he should just give them a minute to settle down before trying again?

    An odd expression crossed their face, as their sobs began to ease.

    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t¡­¡± they whimpered, and then he saw something he¡¯d been hoping to see.

    Except, in this situation, he was unsure how to feel about it.

    A look of surrender covered their face. They were giving up.

    ¡°I accept,¡± they whispered.

    And the human disappeared.

    The crying stopped and their body stilled. They wiped at their face with a frustrated, disgusted expression and pulled to their feet, perfectly steady. They grinned at him and grabbed their knife.

    The humanity he¡¯d seen flickering this whole time was entirely gone. Only the nightmare, the abomination, remained.

    This was really not good. And worse, this was useful information. The human was messed up in the head - well, he already had figured out that much - but in a way of a split personality or something. Or possession. But he needed to target the right one. The human soul, not the murderous thing.

    If he killed them, he¡¯d forget. And from what he just witnessed, future Sans-es would only see the thing, wouldn¡¯t they?

    Damn it all.

    They grinned at him with a terrifying confidence. Not in any immediate sense - he didn¡¯t get the feeling that they thought they were close to defeating him - but in an overall sense. They knew there was nothing he could do to stop them. Only slow them down.

    ¡°kid, are you still in there?¡± he asked as they approached.

    Hateful rage twisted their face¡­ but a hint of pain flickered in their eyes. Incredibly faint, but he was sure he saw it.

    ¡°Do not talk to them,¡± they hissed, pulling out their knife and rushing him.

    Huh. Interesting. The kid was still there. Could still hear him.

    He didn¡¯t want to kill them, yet. He didn¡¯t want to forget, to lose this opportunity.

    ¡°i get the feeling the kid likes my jokes more than you do,¡± he said. ¡°why wouldn¡¯t i talk to them?¡±

    ¡°Enough,¡± they growled, slashing at him.

    He used a timefreeze to dodge, but didn¡¯t attack.

    ¡°whatever¡¯s going on, kid, i bet i can help more than this thing can,¡± he said.

    A twisted, pained look flickered in their eyes. But the abomination remained in control as the wave passed. The hint of humanity fully disappeared again.

    ¡°Fine,¡± they said. ¡°If you won¡¯t fight me properly, I¡¯ll just start the fight over.¡±

    He extended a hand, but it wasn¡¯t like he could stop them. Damn it, he didn¡¯t want to forget¡­

    They had an odd look of frustration on their face for a moment.

    ¡°wait,¡± he said, but they ignored him.

    With a resigned, disgusted look, they sighed, turned the knife around and drove it into their heart.

    * One hundred and twenty ninth loop

    After saving and changing out their loadout, the anomaly reached for the glow again.

    Their expression changed more dramatically and his heart clenched. Focused determination, with some hints of anger and frustration. A blend of confidence that told him that they¡¯d gotten through quite a bit of what he was going to throw at them, but no hint of true victory. He had to have killed them dozens of times.

    And they were still trying.

    He swallowed. What was he supposed to do?

    Nothing for it, he supposed. He had to keep trying. There was nothing else to try.

    They approached, casually flipping their knife in the air and grinned at him when he teleported to meet them. They''d grown more expressive since he''d first seen them emerge from the ruins. They''d initially been flat and expressionless mostly, with hints of pain and conflict. But, especially since Undyne, the depths of their insanity were on clear display. More expressions to analyze, but psychopathic ones.

    Their grin now didn¡¯t hold the faintest glimmer of pain, of remorse, of regret - of absolutely anything that could give him even the slightest reason for hope.

    His hands clenched again, in his jacket pockets.

    ¡°let¡¯s just get to the point,¡± he said darkly.

    He had a fun little line planned, to mock them, but it seemed as pointless as everything else. Time for that promise to be broken.

    ¡°ready?¡± he asked wryly and launched his attack without waiting for a response.

    His heart sank as his attack was launched. They dodged smoothly and masterfully. Not perfect, but damned close, as they slid through scores of summoned bones and bombardments of blasters.

    They were unsurprised when he was able to dodge attacks, and unconcerned about his appeals. No reaction to his reports, to his mentions of his past and possible connections, nothing. Tiny little flickers of emotion around their eyes, so faint it could just be his imagination. Mostly it was anger and hate - the most he¡¯d seen yet, towards anyone.

    Well, they had seemed pretty pissed at Muffet, come to think of it.

    He suppressed a sigh. If they were this pissed at his fight, they could just¡­ quit fighting him. It¡¯s not like he wanted to be here.

    The two shared their deadly little dance until his warmup was done. Time to try his gambit of mercy that he¡¯d planned.

    ¡°ugh¡­ that being said¡­ you, uh, really like swinging that thing around, huh?¡± he asked.

    He paused for a moment and they ate some food to heal, just taking his lack of attack for granted. They¡¯d heard his planned entreaty. They planned on using his desperate bid to reach out to any shred of soul in them as a break to take a little breather.

    His heart sank and the entreaty mostly died on his lips. He gave it vague lip service, but there was no point, was there? They¡¯d heard all this.

    ¡°listen. friendship¡­ it¡¯s really great, right? let¡¯s quit fighting,¡± he said uselessly.

    Their face twisted in rage again as they launched out to attack. The strikes had already been strong enough to kill him many thousands of times over, but this was another level.

    ¡°whoa, you look REALLY pissed off¡­¡± he said with a laugh. ¡°heheheh¡­ did i getcha?¡±

    The fury on their face was something else. His eyes closed for a moment. He let the sorrow of what could have been touch his face.

    ¡°well, if you came back anyway¡­ i guess that means we never really WERE friends, huh?¡±

    They shrieked and closed their eyes, reeling back as though in pain, their teeth gritted in rage. Whatever was happening, it was working.

    ¡°heh. don¡¯t tell that to the other sans-es, ok?¡± he said.

    ¡°No!¡± they screamed, ripping at their face with their hands, leaving bloody streaks. ¡°Don¡¯t talk to them!¡±

    This was really weird. ¡°Them?¡± Was¡­ was the human being possessed by something? That might explain a few things, actually.

    And nothing was going to get him to talk quite like telling him not to.

    ¡°so you weren¡¯t my friend, but they were?¡± he asked.

    He¡¯d hesitated to attack them, and they lashed out with a strike laced with enough intent to wipe out a chunk of the underground. Yikes. Maybe he shouldn¡¯t mess around.

    He launched another attack, but a fairly regular one, a standard bone swarm - he wasn¡¯t sure what to do with this situation.

    But weirdly, instead of dodging, they rushed into the attack and gave him a bizarre look of triumph as their body was rent and they died.

    That was the last Sans who saw any hint of their true self before the final battle.

    * Three hundred and fifty seventh loop

    There didn¡¯t used to be a box in the entryway, but by the time he¡¯d arrived, someone had put it there. It might make things a little easier for the anomaly, but it didn¡¯t make any difference in the end, so he couldn¡¯t be bothered to do anything about it.

    The anomaly walked next to the box, then paused and reached out, a look of sharp focus on their face. He saw that hateful golden glow that had always restored their strength. When they touched the glowing point, it often resulted in an abrupt change of expression, which implied they¡¯d looped however many times. He watched their face intently.

    Their expression did change - it wasn''t the first loop. They looked frustrated by something. One death, he figured. Good, this shouldn''t be too bad. For him, anyway.

    They dug through the box and swapped out some items, loading their pockets to bursting. Then they reached for the glow again.

    Heh. He¡¯d made them change their loadout. Not too surprising.

    This time, their expression changed more dramatically. His heart clenched at the sight of it. Calm, focused determination. They looked nearly¡­ relaxed. They did have a faint look of frustration, though, and no hint of victory - they hadn¡¯t beat him. How many times had he killed them? Dozens? Hundreds? The hell¡­ and they were still trying?

    What the hell was he supposed to do?

    Nothing for it, he supposed. He had to keep trying. There was nothing else to try.

    They approached, casually flipping their knife in the air and grinned at him when he teleported to meet them.

    They''d grown more expressive since he''d first seen them emerge from the ruins. They''d initially been flat and expressionless mostly, with hints of pain and conflict. But, especially since Undyne, the depths of their insanity were on clear display. More expressions to analyze, but psychopathic ones.

    Their grin now didn¡¯t hold the faintest glimmer of pain, of remorse, of regret - of absolutely anything that could give him even the slightest reason for hope.

    His hands clenched again, in his jacket pockets.

    ¡°let¡¯s just get to the point,¡± he said darkly.

    He had a fun little line planned, to mock them, but it seemed as pointless as everything else. Time for that promise to be broken.

    ¡°ready?¡± he asked wryly and launched his attack without waiting for a response.

    Despair thickened in his already aching heart as they dodged with smooth, masterful precision. Swarms of bones, staggered blaster attacks with barely any conceivable possible way to dodge, dodged with seemingly effortless precision.

    In another time and place, he¡¯d have been in awe of that display. He¡¯d have found it beautiful, incredible, awe-inspiring. He¡¯d have been trying to figure out how to gush his praise in fun ways, because it was the sort of thing that demanded commentary.

    He¡¯d seen a lot of combat, and had never seen skill of that caliber. Though he supposed they had the benefit of memorizing his attack - they probably couldn¡¯t dodge the unexpected quite so smoothly.

    And he''d watched their fight with Undyne, which sucked in so many ways to see, but was impressive, too. Judging from their expression, combined with the extreme increase in skill, he figured they''d probably died at least several dozen times against her.

    She''d done incredibly well. She''d won, again and again, and it meant nothing.

    And even that skill, compared to now¡­

    They weren''t nearly this smooth. Undyne had pushed them to their absolute limit, and they''d barely survived.

    They''d increased in skill dramatically.

    ¡°here we go,¡± he said as they gripped their knife.

    They launched out in an attack, striking with terrifyingly sharp killing intent. Fuck him, he could die from an angry poke, and that¡­ fucking hell.

    He hadn¡¯t planned on blocking anyway, or even conventional dodging. A quick timefreeze let him casually saunter to the side. A shame he could only lock down a small bubble around himself, and couldn¡¯t interact with anything outside of it - it¡¯d have been convenient if he could just kill the kid from within it. He¡¯d want to alternate dodge approaches, to ease the pressure on his magic.

    He grinned at them, even though they were completely unsurprised, and figured he could still run through his planned little speech. Have a little fun, before the end. No idea what else to do, anyway.

    ¡°what? you think i¡¯m just gonna stand there and take it?¡± he said with a playful wink.

    No reaction. Other than witnessing the impressive, yet existentially horrifying combat skill of this avatar of death and destruction, this was going to be boring, wasn¡¯t it?

    Fuck his life.

    ¡°our reports showed a massive anomaly in the timespace continuum. timelines jumping left and right, stopping and starting¡­ until suddenly, everything ends,¡± he said over the course of several more strikes of devastatingly intense murderous intent.

    They continued to not react. They barely seemed to hear him. They didn¡¯t care about his reports, about the destruction of everything.

    During this time, he was attacking them, too, of course. Warm up attacks, for now. It¡¯d been a while since he stretched these muscles, and it wasn¡¯t like he had time to practice before they showed up. Couldn¡¯t risk wearing himself out.

    They dodged everything with absolute perfection. How many times had they fought him¡­?

    ¡°heh heh heh¡­ that¡¯s your fault, isn¡¯t it?¡± he asked uselessly, laughing at his own efforts.

    To that, they did faintly react. A small hint of a smile tugged at their cheek. They did hear what he was saying, and it didn¡¯t matter.

    ¡°you can¡¯t understand how this feels,¡± he said, letting his pain out on his face, in his voice. If there was any hope at all¡­ ¡°knowing that one day, without any warning¡­ it¡¯s all going to be reset.¡±

    There was something. A conflicted look, however faint, flickered in their eyes. Or¡­ or maybe he was just seeing things out of desperation. There was no hint of it now.

    ¡°look. i gave up trying to go back a long time ago,¡± he said. Maybe pushing the personal angle¡­ ¡°and getting to the surface doesn¡¯t really appeal anymore, either. cause even if we do¡­ we¡¯ll just end up right back here, without any memory of it, right?¡±

    Had he imagined that flicker? There was another, but it was so faint.

    It was probably just wishful thinking. Even if he was back at his prime, and loaded with a full seven human souls, they¡¯d unleashed enough deadly intent to kill him several times over. That didn''t seem all that conflicted.

    ¡°to be blunt¡­ it makes it kind of hard to give it my all,¡± he admitted. ¡°... or is that just a poor excuse for being lazy¡­? hell if i know.¡±

    Nothing. Just more perfection in their skill, more strikes with enough power to kill him a freaking million times over.

    An image of Papyrus flashed through his mind and his hands clenched again. He had to keep trying.

    ¡°all i know is¡­ seeing what comes next¡­ i can¡¯t afford not to care anymore.¡±

    They¡¯d dodged every single regular attack without taking a single goddamned hit. He panted lightly from exertion. He was done with the warm up strikes and regular attacks. It was time to get serious.

    But¡­ but there was one more gambit he had decided to try first.

    He¡¯d seen some signs. Some indications that maybe, in another timeline, things had been different. Mostly they¡¯d just murdered people, but that wasn¡¯t all they¡¯d done.

    He¡¯d seen them pause at every one of his sentry stations. They¡¯d lingered at his favorite spot in Grillby¡¯s, as well as a table in the MTT restaurant. They¡¯d touched the door into his and Papyrus¡¯s house.

    They¡¯d had an expression of pained conflict right before they¡¯d murdered Papyrus, and had stood blankly for several seconds after he¡¯d died. Most deaths, they moved on without a second thought. They¡¯d paused after killing Undyne, too.

    And before killing Undyne, when they¡¯d gone to the bridge, there was the plaque that spoke of the Angel that would empty the underground. The way their expression had twisted on reading it, the tender way they¡¯d touched it, as though they were seeing something new in it¡­

    When he''d spoken to them in Snowdin forest, they''d been flat and expressionless, and hadn''t said a single word, but he swore he saw some weird flickers of distant emotions in their eyes, especially when they looked at him. They''d just stood and stared at him, one of the only times they''d paused in their murder spree. Only him, no one else - not that many had interacted with them, other than by being killed.

    Small things. Mostly, they were a featureless automaton, killing without any hint of remorse, pity, or even really seeming aware of what they were doing. Yet, those signs¡­ maybe, maybe, in another timeline, they hadn¡¯t been like this. Humans weren¡¯t like this, practically never, and he was the only one in the underground who knew humans well enough to know that.

    Maybe they¡¯d been healthy once. Maybe they¡¯d been friends once. Maybe his promise, and his decision to be good to them, maybe it had mattered once.

    ¡°ugh¡­ that being said¡­ you, uh, really like swinging that thing around, huh?¡± he asked.

    He paused for a moment and they stretched out, ignoring him. They¡¯d heard his planned entreaty. They planned on using his desperate bid to reach out to any shred of soul in them as a break to take a little breather.

    His heart sank and the entreaty mostly died on his lips. He gave it vague lip service, but there was no point, was there? They¡¯d heard all this.

    ¡°listen. friendship¡­ it¡¯s really great, right? let¡¯s quit fighting,¡± he said uselessly.

    After a short little stretch break, where he desperately prepared himself for the next string of attacks, they lashed out with another strike that bore enough intent to wipe out the whole underground at once.

    ¡°welp, it was worth a shot. guess you like doing things the hard way, huh?¡±

    Time to get serious. Surprise - that was the key. He didn¡¯t know what he¡¯d do next - it had to be random. Teleport, throw some attacks, teleport, throw some more, just a rapid series of strikes, from random directions.

    Finally, finally, some hits started landing. But fucking hell, they didn¡¯t react to that either. When Undyne had hurt them - a deeply satisfying thing to see, as her spears ripped through their screaming body any time they were the slightest bit too slow - they¡¯d still reacted. They would flinch, scream, shake, they still showed signs of getting hurt.

    His attacks tore through them, doing obvious damage, but they completely didn¡¯t care. He¡¯d tailored his bone attacks to strike at both the spirit and body alike, unlike most monster attacks, which only attacked the spirit. They were bleeding from the nearly physical attacks, and yet, nothing. It should have been satisfying for them to dodge a trifle slowly and have his bones rip apart the skin of their legs, leaving rivulets of blood where they¡¯d once stood. But instead, it was yet another reason to feel helpless and hopeless.

    How many times had they been hurt and killed, to be effectively immune to pain like this? For fuck¡¯s sake¡­ why didn¡¯t they just give up?!

    ¡°sounds strange, but before all this i was secretly hoping we could be friends,¡± he confessed, just pouring his heart out uselessly. Maybe, somehow, maybe they¡¯d hear something in his voice, maybe¡­ god, he just wanted Papyrus to be okay¡­ he had to keep trying.

    He pulled out another trick, too. A twisting of reality itself, a power he¡¯d only gained when he¡¯d been torn between worlds in the failed experiment that stranded him here, at the cost of practically everyone else he¡¯d loved, save Papyrus. It was subtle, the distortions he could make in spacetime - but he could bind someone, or tear at them. Invisible, even to magic sight, and therefore it should be undodgeable. The distortions ripped at them¡­ but they were used to this, too, it seemed. They twisted their innate spiritual defenses, the very nature of their soul, in patterns counter to his twists of reality.

    Damn it all, they¡¯d seen everything he could do, hadn¡¯t they?

    ¡°i always thought the anomaly was doing this cause they were unhappy. and when they got what they wanted, they would stop all this,¡± he continued, dodging attacks and throwing chaos at them with every goddamned sentence. ¡°and maybe all they needed was¡­ i dunno. some good food, some bad laughs, some nice friends.¡±

    It hurt, saying all this, but nothing compared to the feeling of inevitable loss. He¡¯d done a little damage, but so little. Well, enough to nearly kill them once, he supposed, but it hardly mattered. They''d learned to consume the magic of their monster food items directly, not even putting it in their mouth before the magic was broken down, flooding them, healing them. It made their healing extremely fast, suitable for mid combat.

    At any other time, it would have been infuriating to see them consume the still magical flesh of the gentle Snowman they¡¯d torn apart, but in this moment, it was just disheartening.

    They were a trifle slow again with his next assault, taking a full tenth of a second to react to his teleport and bone swarm. Two of the bones managed glancing strikes. The direct damage was barely anything, but it was satisfying to see their skin go grey in the seconds following the hit.

    For anyone else, even those glancing blows would have killed them several times over. His magic really wasn''t compatible with life. This thing, though? Their LOVE was practically at the max, there was only the faintest hint of capacity to feel and connect remaining within them. Only the faintest hint of hope, but hope had mostly fled him.

    But he couldn¡¯t give up. For Papyrus¡¯s sake¡­

    ¡°but that¡¯s ridiculous, right? yeah, you¡¯re the type of person who won¡¯t EVER be happy,¡± he said, letting his frustration into his voice. ¡°you¡¯ll keep consuming timelines over and over, until¡­ well. hey. take it from me, kid. someday¡­ you gotta learn when to QUIT. and that day¡¯s TODAY.¡±

    When he¡¯d planned these lines out, he¡¯d hoped his battle experience would count for more. He¡¯d hoped the sheer, overwhelming power that his damaged core could put out, with the corrosive effect that burned away life, would have made them falter. He wanted them to quit, needed them to quit. But as they danced with real skill, even against random attacks, only having used a single goddamn healing item so far¡­ his words felt hollow.

    ¡°cause¡­ y¡¯see¡­ all this fighting is really tiring me out,¡± he admitted.

    And it was. There wasn¡¯t much left to give. His heart ached. Was this the timeline where he¡¯d fail? No. No, as skilled as they were, it wasn¡¯t perfect. Surely, that final attack he¡¯d planned¡­ it was ridiculous what he was going to put into it, surely¡­

    But eventually, if they didn¡¯t give up, they¡¯d learn it. It was a planned attack, after all, not random. But he couldn¡¯t be truly random and put out that much raw power. It needed to be planned.

    How many times could they have gotten to it, really?

    He¡­ didn¡¯t want to think about that.

    ¡°and if you keep pushing me¡­ then i¡¯ll be forced to use my special attack,¡± he said. They¡¯d hesitated with Papyrus. Maybe the memory of his planned special attack would count for something. ¡°yeah, my special attack. sound familiar? well, get ready. cause after the next move, i¡¯m going to use it. so, if you don¡¯t wanna see it, now would be a good time to die.¡±

    He was panting harder and they healed, a delicious smelling slice of pie that they never even tasted, breaking down into magic that restored them utterly. Damn, that was potent healing magic¡­

    He threw a pot shot at them and wounded them a little, in the gap where they were distracted by the healing and they just grinned at him.

    They looked excited. That was not a good sign. At all.

    Was there any point¡­? But no, he had to try. An image of Papyrus¡¯s face tormented him once again and he trembled.

    Everything. He¡¯d throw absolutely every last scrap of power at them. Maybe¡­ maybe they¡¯d struggle and would eventually get bored¡­

    ¡°well, here goes nothing¡­ are you ready?¡± he asked wryly. ¡°survive THIS, and i¡¯ll show you my special attack!¡±

    As he spoke, their expression transformed, and on a gut level he knew he¡¯d lost. Maybe not in this timeline, but it was inevitable. Pure determination and focus, so sharp edged he felt like his soul was being cut from looking at their face.

    There was nothing human about them now. He faced the absolute, the inevitable, the end of everything. A nightmare of world-ending power, an unstoppable abomination that would destroy everything it touched. Death incarnate, in a way even a death-magic affiliated monster such as himself could only appreciate and never achieve.

    This was the end, and he was only delaying it. If he hadn¡¯t been so emotionally exhausted from the events of the day, if he hadn¡¯t come to terms with the fact that he was going to die and there was no way out for this version of himself, he¡¯d have been more afraid.

    Instead, there was only despair and that refusal to give up on Papyrus, even if it was completely pointless. But¡­ maybe there was a chance he was wrong¡­ he still had to try.

    He cut loose his restraints, threw himself into memories of darker days - well, not darker than this day, admittedly - and poured out his magic. It burned him, tearing at him, taking more than he could safely give, but it didn¡¯t matter.

    Teleportation, throwing huge quantities of summoned bones at them, gravity attacks ripping them into walls that burst with bones, even trying to keep them bound in the air¡­ he could throw a shit ton of power at them¡­ but it was pointless.

    They could shift their soul to selectively resist his gravity magic, letting them twist in midair. They could amplify it instead, letting them rush into position to jump away. When he released too much raw magic in an area, they could jump off it like it was a goddamned platform.

    It didn¡¯t matter what he could do. They¡¯d figured out absolutely everything.

    And in a strange, twisted way, he found a part of himself appreciating the sheer, astounding beauty of their skill. If he had to die for real, if he had to be destroyed by something, and lose everything¡­ at least it was to something this incredible. At least he¡¯d put up a good showing in the end.

    The final part of his attack came. A series of blasters, summoned into a ring - it should be basically impossible to dodge. The sheer speed and precision they¡¯d need¡­

    They were clipped again and again. His corrosive magic consumed their life with each touch, turning their skin grey as they were drained of life. But his magic tapped out¡­ and there they stood, with a dark grin of cruel triumph.

    He panted, trying to squeeze out anything else left in him. Tried to slam them against the wall and they just laughed at him from where they''d fallen. A deranged sound, all twisted joy and a flush of new victory.

    They¡¯d never survived this part before.

    They pulled themself back to their feet and grinned at him with delight.

    Maybe¡­ maybe there was a faint chance that his last gambit might work¡­ maybe¡­ god, maybe, somehow, Papyrus¡­

    It hurt to even think his name.

    But he wouldn¡¯t give up. Not on Papyrus. Not until he had literally nothing left to give. He couldn¡¯t.

    He tried the last gambit. A sort of mutual binding. A twisting of reality itself, like he¡¯d done before, but even more intense, if less directly harmful. Neither of them would be able to leave, to do anything. As long as his will held, neither of them would have any power whatsoever.

    Literally, for the sake of everything, all he had to do was hang on.

    He stared at the anomaly, as they poked curiously at the boundaries of the binding.

    ¡°all right. that¡¯s it,¡± he said with fake grandeur. ¡°it¡¯s time for my special attack. are you ready?¡±

    There was a look of resignation about them, as though they expected to die shortly, but it was quickly swallowed up by that nightmare that he¡¯d seen before. Not as completely - their expression was more curious and uncertain, and so it lacked that sense of utter inevitability - but still, it was funny, considering nothing was heading their way.

    Even with that, he caught another flicker of¡­ something in their gaze. A hint of conflict, however faint. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to recover some measure of strength for the battle of wills to come.

    He¡¯d spent way too much power, drawn too hard on his screwed up core. He desperately needed to sleep. But he had to stay focused.

    ¡°here goes nothing,¡± he said.

    He felt them twisting and pushing at the boundaries of his binding, but they couldn¡¯t break it. Not as long as his will held fast, and even if he faltered, they could do practically nothing. His eyes opened again, impassively watching them struggle.

    Their eyes darted all around the room, on edge and ready for attacks from any angle. But there wouldn¡¯t be any.

    ¡°yep. that¡¯s right. it¡¯s literally nothing,¡± he said, and the strangest thing happened.

    A different expression crossed their face. Another flicker. But there was¡­ something soft in their gaze. They¡¯d never heard this joke before, and their reaction, however faintly, was¡­ gentle appreciation, maybe? Their eyes looked like they were laughing warmly. It was such a tiny thing, but he¡¯d gotten damned good at analyzing human expressions in general, and had studied the anomaly literally all day long.

    He¡¯d seen all sorts of tiny hints of something good and human within them, but this was the first time he¡¯d seen something gentle. Everything else had been the sort of pain you¡¯d expect someone to feel, if they were doing evil shit and had any heart at all. This, though¡­

    A tiny, aching ember of hope flickered, however small.

    ¡°and it¡¯s not gonna be anything, either. heh heh heh¡­ ya get it?¡± he asked, laughing a little. It hurt to laugh, in this final moment, and he let his face show everything. Maybe, if there was a flicker of caring within them, something that thought Sans mattered¡­ ¡°i know i can¡¯t beat you. one of your turns¡­ you¡¯re just gonna kill me.¡±

    Another beautiful flicker, another faint whisper of empowerment to that tiny glimmer of hope. Their face showed a faint wince, a twist of conflict, of uncertainty.

    Part of them didn¡¯t want to kill him.

    That begged the question of why they¡¯d been trying for¡­ it had to have been hours straight, at least, but still. Still.

    The pile of dust in the snow. Maybe¡­ god, maybe¡­

    ¡°so, uh,¡± he continued. ¡°i¡¯ve decided¡­ it¡¯s not gonna BE your turn. ever. i¡¯m just gonna keep having MY turn until you give up. even if it means we have to stand here until the end of time.¡±

    Not like he''d tell them how it actually worked, in case they could use that knowledge somehow. But it got the idea across.

    Uncertainty and appreciation flashed in their eyes. They were relaxing a little as they listened to him, and their face was growing more¡­ alive. More expressive. Less¡­ the abomination he¡¯d been fighting, and more human. Not really human, not even close, but¡­ but more.

    ¡°capiche?¡± he asked, and they actually responded - not words, but nodding in understanding, with a little smile.

    Was he actually getting through to them?

    Or¡­ or did they always react a little, the first time they encountered anything? Had they reacted the first time he¡¯d pleaded for them to stop, on grounds of a friendship that he¡¯d predicted they¡¯d once had?

    Maybe this didn¡¯t mean anything. But maybe it did. God, please¡­

    ¡°you¡¯ll get bored here,¡± he continued, pressing this last gambit. ¡°if you haven¡¯t gotten bored already, i mean. and then, you¡¯ll finally quit.¡±

    That didn¡¯t work. He saw it on their face. A flicker of insane determination, of the will to continue. He¡¯d said something alien to their thinking.

    The thing that faced him wasn¡¯t a thing that ever fucking quit. That was less encouraging. But he still tried.

    ¡°i know your type. you¡¯re, uh, very determined, aren¡¯t you?¡± he said, twisting his approach a little, in light of what he¡¯d seen. ¡°you¡¯ll never give up, even if there¡¯s, uh¡­ absolutely NO benefit to persevering whatsoever.¡±

    They actually fucking nodded. For fuck¡¯s sake¡­ y¡¯know, whatever, he¡¯d just keep going. His exhaustion was clawing at him and it was increasingly hard to think.

    ¡°if i can make that clear. no matter what, you¡¯ll just keep going,¡± he said, a pleading expression on his face. Maybe, laying it out there as a thing of madness might make them question their course. Question why they were doing this.

    ¡°not out of any desire for good or evil¡­ but just because you think you can,¡± he continued desperately, focusing on them with everything he had. It was hard to keep their face in focus.

    Thoughtfulness. He was making them think a little.

    ¡°and because you ¡®can¡¯¡­ you ¡®have to,¡¯¡± he said. Thoughtfulness, still. ¡°but now, you¡¯ve reached the end. there is nothing left for you now. so, uh, in my personal opinion¡­ the most ¡®determined¡¯ thing you can do here? is to, uh, completely give up.¡±

    He was struggling. He tried to continue.

    ¡°and¡­¡± he finished with a yawn cutting his sentence in half. ¡°do literally anything else.¡±

    The world was starting to spin around him. He couldn¡¯t think of anything else to say. He just met their gaze as they looked at him calmly. A strangely distant hostility, but mostly patience. Calmly watching, waiting, thinking.

    Everything felt so heavy. He just had to hang on. Surely, surely, they¡¯d get bored. They had to. Papyrus¡­

    He was getting so dizzy. When he closed his eyes, it was so much nicer. He just had to hang on. He could feel the magic binding them. Every time they pushed at the magic, a jolt of adrenaline - his equivalent, anyway - brought his mind back. He opened his eyes. He could do this. He could¡­

    They settled in silently to wait, continuing to just look at him with a simple, curious smile.

    He hated them so much. They needed to undo this. They needed¡­

    His eyes closed. He just had to hang on. They¡¯d quit eventually. He just¡­

    His breaths were heavier. He could rest. He could just let himself feel the magic, hold onto it. If ever it truly broke, he¡¯d just teleport, he¡¯d be fine.

    He was so tired. His eyes flickered open and they¡¯d managed to lift their knife a little. That¡­ well, they couldn¡¯t strike without him noticing, at least.

    But they were still trying to kill him. Yet, there was a new depth of conflict in their eyes. Maybe¡­ maybe whatever part of them didn¡¯t want to kill him would win.

    And he¡¯d just teleport away again. Distance mattered a lot for his teleports, but he¡¯d recovered enough strength for a short one. Didn¡¯t know if he could truly attack, but he¡¯d figure that out.

    But no, he just wouldn¡¯t let them go. Wouldn¡¯t¡­ they had to stop.

    They had to.

    His breaths grew deep, as though he were sleeping. He maintained the faintest flicker of consciousness, just listening and feeling his magic, ready to teleport if they managed to break away. He had to recover some strength.

    A strange noise pulled his eyes open again, if only just. Had he fallen asleep? What?

    It happened again. His eyes managed to focus. He was laying down, collapsed on the ground. The sound came a third time.

    ¡­sobbing? The anomaly was crying?

    He could barely see, his vision was so hazy. They stood over him with the knife. How did that happen? He felt the magic, they were still bound.

    Tears were flowing down their face, a strange contrast to their deadly pose. Their body held perfectly still, poised to drive the knife into him, but their expression was outright anguished.

    He didn¡¯t move. He didn¡¯t want to mess anything up. His eyes were open a bare slit, they¡¯d have no idea he was listening.

    ¡°Sans, I¡­¡± they choked out, the first thing he''d ever heard them say.

    Their face was bizarre, seemingly ripped in half, contorted by conflicting emotions. Rage, hatred, burning hostility. Gentle compassion, regret, remorse. That wasn¡¯t the face of a sane individual. Of a single individual. What was going on¡­?

    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± they said, their words oddly strained, their gaze flicking to the knife, which it looked like they were trying to lower, but couldn¡¯t.

    ¡°I will never kill you,¡± they said, their voice burning with something more than mere determination.

    It was confusing, but it filled him with a surge of hope.

    ¡°Never,¡± they said again, gritting their teeth and clearly fighting something in their head. Every word was desperately strained, every syllable fought for, their face twisted in a rictus of determination and conflict.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Sans. And I¡­¡± they said, and they forced a smile onto their face by sheer force of will. ¡°I will always love you. Thank you for everything¡­ goodbye.¡±

    The knife did not fall. That Sans never figured out what was going on, but his last thoughts were those of fervent, real hope that Papyrus would be okay.

 Interlude - Intent

    ¡°What¡¯s this all about?¡± Undyne asked as everyone gathered together.

    Alphys was there for Undyne¡¯s sake and Sans was there because he was curious. Asgore was kind of uncomfortable with all this, and would rather be gardening. No one had objected to his absence. Frisk, of course, had to be present for this reveal.

    ¡°We¡¯ve decided to bring you in on something that¡¯s top secret, so you can help train Frisk better,¡± Alphys said.

    ¡°Sounds interesting,¡± Undyne said with a grin. ¡°Secret technique or something?¡±

    ¡°Eh, more that I¡¯m not as much of a badass as you think I am,¡± Frisk said with a smile.

    ¡°Ha! That I¡¯d like to see. You¡¯re something else, Frisk,¡± Undyne said.

    ¡°More than you think,¡± Frisk said dryly.

    ¡°So, it¡¯s very, very top secret,¡± Alphys interjected. ¡°This information is dangerous. You have to be careful.¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡± Undyne said with a grin.

    ¡°no one¡¯s as careful as undyne,¡± Sans said. ¡°except maybe papyrus.¡±

    He got a few snickers and a halfhearted glare from Undyne for that.

    ¡°I have a secret power,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Kind of like a superpower.¡±

    ¡°And you told me anime isn¡¯t real,¡± Undyne said with another grin.

    ¡°Ha ha,¡± Frisk said dryly, but then laughed for real, shaking their head. ¡°Anyway. I can lock time down in a spot, and then return to that point in time whenever I feel like it. Or whenever I die.¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Undyne said, frowning. ¡°What does that¡­ you can go back in time?¡±

    ¡°Only to the point I¡¯d saved,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Not a very flexible power.¡±

    Sans and Frisk had figured it might be best not to tell anyone about the fact that they could technically go back to the day they fell into the underground. No sense giving anyone else any nightmares about everything being undone.

    ¡°Wait a second,¡± Undyne said. ¡°Hey! Wait, this means you can¡¯t be beat, doesn¡¯t it?!?! You can just go back and try again!¡±

    Frisk laughed.

    ¡°That¡¯s absolutely correct,¡± Frisk said. ¡°You actually killed me over a dozen times, the first time we met.¡±

    ¡°I did?¡± Undyne asked and then her face fell. ¡°Oh. Uh. Sorry about that. At least we¡¯re best buds now!¡±

    Frisk shrugged.

    ¡°It worked out in the end,¡± they said. ¡°But the thing is, I¡¯d like to do something more intense than basic fitness and the gentle sparring training.¡±

    ¡°You want to fight me for real,¡± Undyne said and then grinned hugely.

    ¡°Well, uh, no,¡± Frisk said, and gave Sans an abruptly awkward look. ¡°I, uh, don¡¯t want to actually hurt you.¡±

    ¡°But if you did, you could just go back and undo it, right?¡± Undyne asked.

    Frisk wrung their hands together.

    ¡°frisk needs training on how to control their intentions in their strikes,¡± Sans said.

    ¡°This sounds perfectly safe!¡± Undyne said. ¡°Let¡¯s do it!¡±

    Alphys was giggling happily and Sans grinned. Frisk spluttered nervously.

    ¡°I really don¡¯t want to hurt you,¡± they muttered.

    ¡°Then undo it!¡± Undyne said, getting up. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go, the gym will be great, let''s move!!¡±

    ¡°c¡¯mon, kid, you know there¡¯s no stopping this now,¡± Sans said and Frisk awkwardly got up.

    They made their way to the gym, which wasn¡¯t currently being used. Frisk sighed, looked over at Sans, and manifested a save point near the door.

    ¡°Hey, was that the thing, the locking down of time thing?¡± Undyne asked.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Frisk said. ¡°I call it saving.¡±

    ¡°You did that right before we fought,¡± Undyne said. ¡°I remember thinking you were weird.¡±

    Frisk and Alphys both snorted at that.

    ¡°you were right,¡± Sans said blithely, making Frisk outright cackle. He turned to Frisk. ¡°you like to use a weapon, right?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ er¡­ yeah,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Never fought bare handed.¡±

    ¡°i know just the thing,¡± he said. ¡°be right back.¡±

    He stepped out the door, and hardly two seconds later, came back with a stick.

    ¡°Where did you get that from?¡± Undyne asked.

    ¡°i took a shortcut,¡± Sans said and Frisk grinned hugely.

    He tossed Frisk the stick.

    ¡°That¡¯s hardly a weapon,¡± Undyne said.

    ¡°That¡¯s the point,¡± Frisk said, looking at it fondly. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hurt you.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hurt you either, but isn¡¯t the whole point of this to really try?¡± Undyne asked. ¡°Because if accidents happen, it can just be undone?¡±

    ¡°I want you to try to kill me with everything you have,¡± Frisk said. ¡°If you succeed, I¡¯ll reload.¡±

    ¡°When we''d fought for real, I never even came close to beating you,¡± Undyne said. ¡°You¡¯re a natural.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not,¡± Frisk said. ¡°I just have more combat experience than most people ever will.¡±

    ¡°Well, good,¡± Undyne said. ¡°Then try to kill me, too!¡±

    Frisk flinched hard at that and shook their head.

    ¡°You¡¯ve never even hit me, other than those little taps during a spar,¡± Undyne said. ¡°Your power¡¯s real, right? So gimme all you got!¡±

    Frisk¡¯s knuckles were white on their stick.

    ¡°M-maybe just starting with Frisk on the defensive?¡± Alphys suggested. ¡°They seem nervous.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Undyne said. ¡°But you gotta show me what you¡¯re made of eventually. You ready?¡±

    ¡°Absolutely,¡± Frisk said.

    With no further warning, Undyne released a surge of magic, enveloping and trapping Frisk. With casual ease, Frisk directed the magic of the bubble into a shield of sorts, their chains also their protection. They¡¯d done the same thing that first day.

    Now pinned in place, Undyne let out a series of spear attacks, probing.

    Frisk shook their head, effortlessly blocking them all.

    ¡°You honestly can¡¯t kill me, even if you give me absolutely everything,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Probing attacks aren¡¯t going to accomplish anything. Pretend I¡¯m about to kill Alphys or something.¡±

    Undyne¡¯s eyes narrowed and another series of spears flew out, swarming Frisk from all sides. Again, with seemingly effortless ease, they twisted the magic of their bindings to catch the attacks. They were grinning, though, and they were focusing hard.

    ¡°Good!¡± Frisk yelled, their eyes flashing with delight. ¡°But you¡¯re gonna have to try harder than that!¡±

    Abruptly, their eyes widened and they choked. Their guard was down and their eyes were glazed, lost in another time and place. An expression of horror covered their face.

    Another series of spears was mid-route and slammed through Frisk without even a token defense to block them. They did not react in the slightest. Frisk fell to their knees, not seeming to notice the attack, but tears started to flow as they began to shake, covering their face.

    ¡°Uh, Frisk¡­?¡± Undyne asked, sharing a perplexed look with Alphys.

    Stolen novel; please report.

    Sans sauntered over.

    ¡°you okay, kid?¡± he asked.

    ¡°I¡­ I said¡­ it was exactly what Undyne said, when¡­¡± Frisk choked out. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡­¡±

    ¡°it¡¯s alright,¡± Sans said. ¡°undyne¡¯s confused, not upset. no one¡¯s hurt. think you maybe need to heal more? you can¡¯t do this training yet?¡±

    Frisk shook their head aggressively.

    ¡°I¡¯m scared I¡¯m going to hurt someone,¡± they said. ¡°You were right, Sans, learning this will help. I just need to¡­ I need to get my head in the game.¡±

    ¡°anything i can do to help?¡± Sans asked.

    Frisk abruptly looked away.

    ¡°c¡¯mon, tell me what it is,¡± Sans pressed.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do anything for you,¡± Frisk said, not looking at him. ¡°Without second guessing myself. Without overthinking it. I¡¯ll just¡­ obey you.¡±

    ¡°so, what, if i just tell you to do it, that¡¯s all it¡¯d take?¡± Sans asked.

    Frisk nodded, still not looking at him.

    ¡°uh, ok,¡± Sans said.

    He paused, looking thoughtful for a second.

    ¡°frisk,¡± he said. ¡°here¡¯s what you¡¯re gonna do. you¡¯re going to attack undyne for real, giving it everything you¡¯ve got. you¡¯re going to try to keep an eye on her health, but you¡¯re going to trust her to tell you when it¡¯s too much. you¡¯ll back off the instant she does.¡±

    Frisk stood, their expression transforming in a way that creeped Sans out hugely. Their gaze was resolute and determined, looking at Undyne with a cool expression of deadly intent. Undyne instantly got more guarded on seeing it.

    ¡°you heard all that, undyne?¡± Sans asked.

    She nodded.

    ¡°I¡¯ll warn them, don¡¯t worry!¡± Undyne said.

    ¡°remember that it¡¯ll hurt them badly if they accidentally kill you,¡± he said. ¡°play it extra safe for a while, okay?¡±

    Undyne held her spear ready and nodded.

    ¡°you both ready?¡± Sans asked.

    Frisk and Undyne nodded.

    ¡°start,¡± he said, and Frisk raced into motion.

    With an arc as perfect as it was chilling, Frisk¡¯s stick moved to hit Undyne. She tried to block, but Frisk¡¯s focus was absolute. Sans could see the ripple run through Undyne as the hit was absorbed. Blocking did nothing against a human''s killing intent.

    The battle unfolded into a thing of beauty that only Sans could fully appreciate. Frisk moved with practically precognitive ability, knowing Undyne¡¯s attacks intimately. The same thing started happening that Sans had noticed in their first battle, in this timeline - Frisk was dodging and moving much more intently than strictly necessary, as though dodging attacks of greater intensity than they were actually facing.

    Again and again, Frisk launched deadly strikes of true killing intent against Undyne, and Sans could see her body start to strain under the assaults.

    It wasn¡¯t that Sans had any doubts remaining prior to this fight, about Frisk, their history, and all that. But once again, those already non-existent doubts were ground into the faintest dust. He¡¯d been convinced, but that conviction deepened as he watched Frisk¡¯s deadly dance.

    He watched the nightmare that the genocide Sans had witnessed, the Angel of Death that had killed literally everyone. Even the cool conviction as they moved - when they were committed to a course, this is what they were like. Even if they didn¡¯t really want to be. This was the thing that had killed Papyrus.

    Well, partially.

    He had been well trained with evaluating things like EXP and LOVE, once upon a time. It was strange, seeing Frisk move with such clearly practiced killing intent, yet it lacked the true intensity, the true edge that came with LOVE. He¡¯d believed it was a quality of the soul, a purely mental / emotional / spiritual thing, but it was something that didn¡¯t come with the resets.

    It was something¡­ maybe not ¡°physical,¡± exactly, but something that wasn¡¯t just the mind. He¡¯d never seen anyone who¡¯d acquired it - nearly max amount, as far as he could tell - who then managed to get rid of it. Reduce it, sure; that just took time. But removing it?

    He kinda wished he could get rid of his own. But so far as he knew, no one in this world had learned how to evaluate it, so at least his secrets were still safe. Also he felt kinda cheated - he still had the numbing, distancing effect of his own gained LOVE, but with his unstable core, he couldn¡¯t attack or defend properly. All that LOVE, earned the hard way, and not an ounce of benefit from it anymore.

    It didn¡¯t take long before Undyne called the fight, cheering as she did so, and praising Frisk¡¯s skill.

    ¡°That was amazing, Frisk!¡± Undyne said. ¡°Where¡¯d you learn to fight like that?¡±

    Frisk looked away sharply, awkwardly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Undyne said, showing that she could actually notice boundaries, though maybe only when the person had collapsed into a crying mess just before. ¡°But I¡¯ll need to heal up. And I know exactly what you need to work on!¡±

    Frisk silently pulled out a piece of pie and handed it to Undyne, who ate it happily and moaned a trifle awkwardly at both the taste and the infusion of healing magic.

    ¡°You move like you were born on a battlefield,¡± Undyne praised, and Frisk flinched again. ¡°But your attacks are a little too serious. You need to try to move the same way you have been, striking the same way, but try to see if you can knock me away, instead of kill me. Same hits, same movements, but focus on moving me. You got it?¡±

    ¡°I do,¡± Frisk said. ¡°You ready?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s do this!¡± Undyne yelled.

    Frisk glanced at Sans uncertainly, and he nodded. As soon as he did so, their gaze sharpened once more, all doubts vanishing from their face.

    Yeah, that was creepy.

    The next battle progressed, and Frisk was honestly kind of terrible. They kept looking vaguely confused as they attacked, and their intentions were all over the place. Sometimes, they¡¯d try to change the attacks physically, screwing up their otherwise perfect form. Sometimes, they¡¯d accidentally strike with true killing intent. Sometimes, though, they¡¯d land it, and Undyne would slide back from the impact.

    Their defensive movements were still fantastic, though.

    Two bouts later, where Undyne had to stop and heal, Frisk was finally getting worn down enough that Sans called it for their sake.

    ¡°you¡¯re looking pretty grey, frisk,¡± he said. ¡°you need to watch your limits, too.¡±

    ¡°I am,¡± Frisk said. ¡°I can probably take two or three hits without dying, I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°that¡¯s¡­ pretty close to being dead,¡± Sans said.

    ¡°Not really,¡± Frisk said. ¡°I¡¯ve pushed it way harder than that before.¡±

    ¡°how hard were you thinking of pushing it?¡± Sans asked.

    ¡°Where I am certain I can take a single hit without dying,¡± Frisk said. ¡°That¡¯s my usual point to call it.¡±

    ¡°where two hits would kill you?¡± Sans asked, and they nodded. ¡°that¡¯s cutting it a bit close.¡±

    Frisk shrugged.

    ¡°When you have limited healing items, it¡¯s important to ration them carefully,¡± they said.

    ¡°i¡¯d like the timeline not to be reset, if possible,¡± Sans said dryly. ¡°let¡¯s call the limit at the point where you can safely take three hits.¡±

    They frowned.

    ¡°That seems horribly wasteful,¡± they said. ¡°Can we compromise on two?¡±

    ¡°fine,¡± Sans said. ¡°but if you ever mess up and reset, then we¡¯re moving to the three hit limit.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s motivation to make sure I don¡¯t screw up,¡± they said with a smile. ¡°One more hit, then.¡±

    The battle resumed. Undyne was vastly more physically fit than Frisk, and that difference started to become apparent. Frisk was slowing down, and it wasn¡¯t long till they took that last hit. They healed, and tried again, but it was a losing battle. Their dodges and strikes quickly became slow and inadequate.

    But they kept trying. Undyne was finally more in her element, facing an enemy at a more reasonable level of skill. Frisk threw themself at the battle without any care for their body¡¯s limits. They were leaving a small puddle of sweat anywhere they stood, and they were breathing in great bellows.

    Sans was kind of morbidly curious how far Frisk and Undyne would push it before someone gave up. Considering the two people involved, he honestly had no idea, other than that it would be far past the limits of sanity.

    He fell to his curiosity and just watched.

    Undyne¡¯s strikes were well done, intent wise. They were tempered enough that Frisk was easily taking a solid ten strikes safely, but still sharp enough to make Frisk need to honestly try to dodge. Which they did, again and again and again.

    Until finally, their legs just refused. He saw the muscles clench, but instead of a leap to the side, their leg shook and collapsed, leaving Frisk fallen to the ground in a puddle of sweat. They started throwing up, though it was mostly water. Apparently they hadn¡¯t been eating a lot of human food lately.

    Undyne grinned at them and stood with her spear¡¯s butt planted into the ground, not even looking winded.

    ¡°Had enough?¡± Undyne asked brightly.

    ¡°I¡­ can still¡­ fight¡­¡± Frisk managed, dragging themself back to their feet.

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Undyne asked, and leaned forward, poking them in the head.

    Frisk fell back to the ground, their legs twitching as they tried to stand again.

    ¡°I love the willpower!¡± Undyne yelled. ¡°But you need to do a critical step in your training process!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that¡­?¡± Frisk said, managing to stand on wobbling legs again.

    Undyne grabbed them and hoisted them over her head.

    ¡°Resting!¡± Undyne yelled. ¡°Alphys! Let¡¯s go to your place with some snacks and anime!¡±

    Sans was chuckling to himself. Looked like Undyne had this well taken care of. Frisk should be safe training.

    Though if they were going to spar like that again, he¡¯d want to come watch.

    Time passed, and things had changed with Frisk¡¯s training. Undyne was pushing their body hard, for strength and endurance both. When sparring days came, sometimes Undyne would have Frisk wear a weighted harness. She¡¯d insisted it look like a turtle shell for some reason, but it slowed Frisk down enough to actually let them work on improving their combat skills.

    That said, they already had about as much real combat experience as most ten year veterans. Usually, combat only lasted a few minutes at a stretch, but reloading restored Frisk¡¯s stamina.  They¡¯d experienced hours-long battles at high intensity, at full strength. Plus, being pushed to their true limits in ways no living person could ever have experienced.

    It didn¡¯t take long before Frisk started to really get the hang of modifying their attacks¡¯ intentions, and they grew far more comfortable. Having these battles end safely - and they never made a lethal mistake, never reloading, though it got close a few times - was clearly good for their mental health. And physical training was good for them on multiple levels, too.

    Sans¡¯ original idea was to have them break away negative associations of battle with some relatively gentle sparring, along with training on controlling their intent.

    But now he was thinking they should just keep it up. Undyne loved having such a dedicated student, and Frisk was enjoying themself, too.

    It wasn¡¯t like he actually had a say in it, but if the topic came up, he¡¯d weigh in. It was good for them.

 Arc 2 (Dawn) - Ch. 10 - Let the Experiments Begin

    It didn¡¯t take long before Frisk started pushing for experimentation to begin. Alphys wasn¡¯t the royal scientist anymore, but she did still have an appreciation for the field and was willing to help. They informed her about the resetting power and Chara, but not about everything Frisk had done to get that knowledge. Alphys was¡­ a little less resilient about that sort of thing.

    Sans slowly got accustomed to Frisk¡¯s pre-loop warnings. They¡¯d make a plan together, Frisk would manifest and anchor the timeline, and then their expression would abruptly change, followed by Frisk reporting the results.

    Honestly, Sans kinda wished science was always that easy.

    After a couple of months of failed attempts, Sans eventually okay¡¯d an experimentation procedure with injecting determination into him and other monsters, to find out the amount that would be safe on a long term basis.

    They¡¯d needed a human soul for that, and Sans had surreptitiously acquired one, extracted a significant amount of determination, and then let the soul go. He¡¯d played it off as leftover determination supplies Alphys hadn¡¯t realized they still had, because he knew Alphys would have trouble with ethical issues, especially with determination experimentation. Best not to make her uncomfortable.

    They got everything they needed and Frisk went to save. The haunted look that had appeared on Frisk¡¯s face in the moment after they saved, as they reported they¡¯d finally figured it out, had not made him too happy. Nor had the fact that they¡¯d cried into his jacket again when he offered a hug.

    In their subsequent conversation, he discovered that that round of experimentation had taken over a year, with most reloads happening within just a few days. The last stretch had been six months, because they¡¯d wanted to know it was safe, and the 6-months-in-the-future Alphys had been confident that it was.

    Apparently, that version of himself had been diligent about the experiment, but had otherwise been remarkably lazy and relaxed. Had even caused a few international incidents with some hilarious sounding pranks on world leaders.

    He had to admit, that sounded awesome.

    But there was a part that hadn¡¯t sounded awesome. That whole conversation had been difficult, but he¡¯d pushed them and found out about some difficulties with that timeline. Emotional struggles, that sort of thing. Frisk had been emotionally isolated in a way that they needed to not do again.

    They had a rule for the resets - no personal conversations during timelines that would be undone. That way he wouldn''t be left out, that their friendship would be equally remembered. The only interaction Frisk had with Sans that he wouldn''t remember would be pure work.

    Frisk¡¯s biggest complaint about the lost year of work was how much they¡¯d missed him, and everyone else. They tried not to pursue anything personal with others, either, because of the same issue, and had been incredibly lonely. Hadn¡¯t seemed to have an impact on their devotion to him - they¡¯d seemed just as fanatically attached as before, if not more so.

    It was a shame that Frisk could only have a single save, though - what Flowey called a save file. Once they saved - that was it. They could go either to that moment, or all the way back to the day they fell into the underground, with nothing in between. They tried to be careful about saving, because of that - always making sure that everyone was okay, usually the morning of.

    It also meant that they couldn¡¯t really do any experimentation with the determination injected into him without saving after he¡¯d been injected. As a group they knew they had a fallback option: if long term, untreatable effects showed up, Frisk could always talk to Flowey and reset absolutely everything to the beginning. Not ideal, but that meant even in the absolute worst case, they all would still be okay, in the end. Even if this version of them ceased to exist.

    It was kinda destroying the world to do so, as he''d discussed with them at the MTT restaurant, but he also did not have very optimistic predictions of how things would go if something happened to him. As attached as Frisk was¡­ yeah that didn''t seem promising.

    Frisk did talk to Flowey sometimes. Not often, and when they did speak, Frisk often seemed disheartened afterwards. They reassured Sans that things were fine, but that Flowey was the only one who¡¯d really lost anything, and Frisk was just sad about that fact.

    Sans was still quite uncomfortable with the idea of Flowey, but he didn¡¯t feel like there was anything he could do about that whole situation. Some of the details he¡¯d learned from Frisk over the last two months¡­

    In any case, they had apparently done all of the safe, obvious approaches to get him to remember resets in the very first timeline. It was only because that other Sans hadn¡¯t wanted to really push, in the beginning, to really abuse Frisk¡¯s power¡¯s for knowledge, that they¡¯d abandoned that line of inquiry. And that was also why Frisk didn¡¯t feel like they¡¯d seriously tried.

    After all, ¡°determination¡± seemed to be a critical ingredient for the power, and they¡¯d never tried giving Sans any. They also knew it wasn¡¯t sufficient on its own - Undyne had gained enough determination to melt herself and hadn¡¯t remembered.

    Sans had questioned if monsters could achieve it at all. They might just physically be unable to hold as much determination as was necessary. And the fact was, he didn¡¯t remember any of the loops of the experiments where he¡¯d been injected with determination; nor had the amalgamates remembered anything.

    Saying this did not, of course, shake Frisk¡¯s determination in the least. Collectively, they either gave up or pressed on. Worst case wasn¡¯t melting or dying - he knew he should have six months of safety, from the last trial, and even if things went haywire afterwards, Frisk would do everything they could, and they could do a lot. To save him, he was a little concerned they might do too much, but at least it meant his odds were as good as they could get.

    And in the absolute last extreme - Frisk could do a full reset to the beginning and fix everything all over again. Sans didn¡¯t like this outcome, but on a purely selfish level, he did appreciate the pseudo-immortality it gave him. He¡¯d have never agreed to be an experimental subject like this otherwise.

    The injection proceeded without any complications. The next day, Frisk went to save and made absolutely sure he was okay before they committed to saving. He saw the fear in their eyes before they saved, but he reassured them that this seemed like the right thing to do.

    He didn¡¯t remind them that the reason he felt that way was because this seemed like the only way to protect the world from Frisk¡¯s possible eventual madness, but that was unnecessary. He said to save, and so they did, and that¡¯s all there was to it.

    He was trying really hard not to take that for granted. But in any case¡­

    It was time to bring the experiments to the next level.

    ¡ª

    * The day before, months before, a time that never was

    ¡ª

    ¡°The tests came back with everything looking great,¡± Alphys said, nervously adjusting her glasses as she glanced over the reports. ¡°Sans appears to be in perfect health. They all are. I think we did it, Frisk. This is a safe amount.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re waiting the full six months, of course,¡± Frisk said, their gaze a little empty.

    ¡°Y-yes, obviously, but¡­¡± Alphys said and then sighed. ¡°Frisk?¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡± Frisk said, their eyes finally focusing as they looked at Alphys.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to ask this, but um¡­ are you okay?¡± she asked.

    Frisk sighed and leaned against the wall, putting their head in their hands.

    ¡°We can¡¯t do this,¡± Frisk said. ¡°You know that, right? I can¡¯t have personal interactions because you¡¯ll forget and it¡¯ll make our relationship uneven and it¡¯ll mess things up.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re not okay,¡± Alphys said. ¡°I¡¯d be okay - the other version of me, I mean - not remembering this if it meant I could help.¡±

    Frisk looked away. After a moment, they sat down, leaning against the wall. Alphys gave them an uncertain look, like she wasn¡¯t sure what to do.

    ¡°I miss everyone,¡± they said after another bit of silence. ¡°I miss everyone so much, but I miss Sans most of all. I keep dreaming of things being¡­ different than this.¡±

    Alphys came over and sat by Frisk.

    ¡°How so?¡± she asked.

    Frisk smiled distantly, their eyes looking through the ceiling.

    ¡°Where everyone I love remembers the resets. Where Flowey has a soul again and has become Asriel once more. And we can be real friends, not this¡­ strange sort of thing we are. Where we all laugh and dance together through time, true immortals, all of us, playing in this world all together, never having to be afraid of the future, never having to be afraid of death taking any of us. Ever. Where Sans¡­¡±

    They trailed off. Alphys nodded.

    ¡°Where he likes you back?¡± Alphys prodded with a little grin, making Frisk blush hard.

    They didn¡¯t look at Alphys, but their smile grew more pained.

    ¡°... yeah,¡± they admitted.

    ¡°Does he know you like him?¡± Alphys asked.

    It was kind of a silly question. It wasn¡¯t something that was easy to miss.

    But the question also hurt, because Frisk had told Sans everything. He knew how they felt - there was no further confession to be made, was there? He enjoyed their company, enjoyed hanging out, but he¡¯d never implied anything about being good with the idea of anything¡­ more than that.

    Not that they knew what ¡°more¡± would even mean.

    Maybe that was a problem?

    Their gaze sharpened again at the realization. What if Sans wasn¡¯t capable of ¡°more?¡± That¡¯d mean they were being ridiculous, right?

    Or maybe Sans was just sitting back and letting things flow as they would, and even if he would like more, it¡¯d be on Frisk to initiate anything. That seemed like him.

    But to even have an idea of what was possible, they needed to learn more.

    Their gaze flickered over to Alphys.

    ¡°Hey Alphys,¡± they said, instead of answering her question. ¡°Can I ask you something?¡±

    ¡°Anything!¡± Alphys said happily.

    ¡°Um,¡± Frisk said. ¡°It¡¯s really awkward and difficult and I¡¯m realizing I have absolutely no one else who might know, other than you. But as a scientist, with your background¡­ and as a friend¡­¡±

    Alphys looked a little nervous but nodded encouragingly.

    Frisk turned more sharply so they couldn¡¯t see each other¡¯s faces.

    ¡°I, er¡­ basic monster sex ed?¡± they said awkwardly. ¡°Specifically, um, if sex is a thing with monsters, and if it¡¯s in a way that¡¯s, um, compatible with humans.¡±

    Alphys stammered excessively in response to this.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to answer if you don¡¯t want to,¡± Frisk added.

    ¡°N-no, it¡¯s, um, a question that, uh, you¡¯re right, you should know, and um, not a lot of monsters would know about humans, um¡­¡± Alphys managed.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°O-on the b-bright side, I won¡¯t even remember this whole conversation, wh-which makes me feel better,¡± Alphys said, and she sounded like she was awkwardly smiling.

    ¡°That makes me feel better, too,¡± Frisk said, a little relieved. ¡°I felt like I was being awful and taking advantage of your company.¡±

    ¡°Taking advantage?¡± Alphys said, sounding concerned. ¡°Maybe this isn¡¯t working. Maybe you need to not have long stretches like this. How¡­ how long has it been, anyway?¡±

    ¡°Ten months,¡± Frisk said, their tone flat.

    ¡°Since you¡¯ve had a real conversation with a friend?¡± Alphys asked, sounding startled.

    ¡°I can talk with Flowey,¡± Frisk amended. ¡°But¡­¡±

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Alphys said after a minute, and Frisk heard the sound of fidgeting. ¡°This isn¡¯t good, Frisk. You deserve better than this.¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t,¡± Frisk said, their tone flat and cold.

    ¡°But¡­ Frisk¡­ you saved everyone, you freed us all, you¡¯re so nice. How can you say that?¡± Alphys asked.

    Frisk stayed silent.

    ¡°I won¡¯t even remember this conversation,¡± Alphys said after a moment. ¡°You could tell me, you know. I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s like me, isn¡¯t it? You¡¯ve done something and you feel guilty, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°... yeah,¡± Frisk said and then sighed. ¡°But it never happened, so it doesn¡¯t matter.¡±

    ¡°It matters to you,¡± Alphys said.

    Frisk sighed heavily.

    ¡°Yeah, it does,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°You could tell me, and I could try to help you feel better, like you helped me,¡± Alphys said.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to hate me,¡± Frisk said, their voice trembling a little.

    ¡°I could never hate you,¡± Alphys said. ¡°Especially since, whatever it was, it never happened! And besides, even if I did, it¡¯s all getting undone anyway. So you can tell me. Frisk, you need a friend.¡±

    ¡°Sans and Flowey know,¡± Frisk said.

    Alphys was quiet for a long moment.

    ¡°So¡­ is¡­¡± Frisk tried to ask haltingly.

    ¡°O-oh, r-r-right, um,¡± Alphys said, swallowing audibly. ¡°U-um. M-monsters do, um, they can, um, they¡¯re c-compatible with¡­ uh¡­¡±

    ¡°Monsters feel sexual desire and have bodies that are compatible?¡± Frisk asked.

    They swore they could feel Alphys¡¯s blush from over there.

    ¡°Y-y-ye-yes,¡± Alphys managed.

    ¡°But¡­ er¡­ how¡­ I mean, I can imagine how it works if they have bodies that are, um, kind of biological looking, but um¡­¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°But Sans doesn¡¯t?¡± Alphys said.

    Frisk wondered if Alphys could feel their blush from over here.

    ¡°Y-yeah,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°Monsters aren¡¯t exactly the same as humans,¡± Alphys said. ¡°Not at all. But¡­ l-like I said, compatible. And, um, monsters are¡­ um¡­ made of magic more than humans are. Or, uh, I mean, humans aren¡¯t at all. But the more magic a monster¡¯s body is, uh, the¡­ the more magic they are.¡±

    Frisk took a breath, bracing themself.

    ¡°So¡­ Sans should have¡­ um¡­ parts that work, that are compatible with humans, and made of magic,¡± Frisk said, sounding half strangled, but they managed to get it out. ¡°And he should be, uh, capable of lust and things.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s, uh, that¡¯s correct,¡± Alphys said.

    ¡°I really appreciate it, Alphys,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Anything else I should know?¡±

    ¡°U-um,¡± Alphys stammered. ¡°There¡¯s a lot more, um, individual variation in monsters¡­ especially monsters that are more, uh, magic than physical, comparatively. I, uh, there¡¯s things that would have to be learned, um, on a case-by-case basis. Um, a lot more things than with humans. Uh. Unfortunately.¡±

    ¡°Anything about both parties having magic, maybe?¡± Frisk asked.

    ¡°Oh! Um, yes, actually, sorry,¡± Alphys said. ¡°But it¡¯s, um, not necessary. And, uh, even the one-way sort of interaction you can have with monster¡¯s magic, uh, even that can form a bond of sorts between the two, at least, uh, at least I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s the case.¡±

    A bond, huh? Frisk thought wistfully, and the thought itched at them for some reason.

    ¡°So that¡¯s all, right?¡± Frisk asked. ¡°Sans should be able to do something with me, with magic, that can form an optional bond thing that¡¯s a nice bonus. He should be capable of wanting sexual things, experiencing them, sharing them, completing the act. So, if¡­ if he wanted, it¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s possible, is what you¡¯re saying.¡±

    ¡°Y-yes,¡± Alphys said.

    ¡°I appreciate it a lot, Alphys,¡± Frisk said softly.

    Alphys turned a little to glance at them, and they were looking up at the ceiling.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad I c-could help,¡± Alphys said. ¡°But, Frisk¡­ I want you to be okay, too. Hating yourself because of guilt¡­ I¡¯ve been there. It¡¯s not a good way to be.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°Do you think Sans hates you for it?¡± Alphys asked.

    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think so,¡± Frisk said. ¡°He says he doesn¡¯t. But he can be pragmatic that way. And while he doesn¡¯t hate me, I think¡­ I do think he sees me differently, knowing I was capable of that.¡±

    ¡°Maybe you should ask him,¡± Alphys said.

    ¡°That¡¯s the sort of thing that absolutely would need to be in the true timeline,¡± Frisk said with a sigh. ¡°It¡¯s bad enough that we¡¯re talking like this.¡±

    ¡°The other me won¡¯t realize how bad this is if you don¡¯t tell her,¡± Alphys said. ¡°Please, Frisk. Please tell her. She wants to be your friend, too. I happen to know.¡±

    ¡°You are my friend, Alphys,¡± Frisk said, their voice wavering again.

    ¡°In the sense that we care about each other? Yes we are,¡± Alphys said. ¡°But Frisk¡­ I didn¡¯t know about your guilt. I kind of miss things, sometimes, with people. But you can tell me. I want to be there for you, like you were there for me. That¡¯s what friends are for.¡±

    ¡°I hate that you¡¯re going to forget this,¡± Frisk said, their voice starting to break. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ feeling kind of alone, right now. I feel like I¡¯m talking to an echo, a ghost. And maybe that¡¯s cruel to say, I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m just¡­ I need to¡­¡±

    They just breathed for a minute. Alphys didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°Three months,¡± Frisk said, speaking to themself. ¡°Three months, and I¡¯ll reload, and I¡¯ll be with the real versions again. Just three months.¡±

    ¡°I guess you can¡¯t talk to Sans, but¡­ maybe you can try talking to Flowey¡­?¡± Alphys suggested, sounding forlorn.

    Frisk laughed bitterly.

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t feel almost anything,¡± they said, their voice desolate. ¡°We¡¯re¡­ a difficult pair. I remind him painfully of everything he¡¯s lost, everything that was ripped from him. He reminds me of everything I¡¯m desperately striving not to become. It¡¯s hard to really talk, because of that. We can¡¯t connect on an emotional level, because he can¡¯t. And he knows I¡¯m afraid of what he represents. And I¡¯m always sad about what he¡¯s lost. He isn¡¯t, exactly, but has a sort of¡­ mournfulness about it. Like he kind of resents the fact that he can¡¯t even be properly sad about it. Resents how hollow his life is. And the fact that I can feel sad about what he lost and he can¡¯t¡­¡±

    Frisk sighed.

    ¡°We do talk on occasion, and I try to help support him. And he tries to be supportive of me. But we¡¯re very¡­ alien to each other, and bound in weird ways, and it¡¯s¡­ a whole thing,¡± they said. ¡°But regardless, it¡¯s not exactly the social connection of real depth of friendship that I need.¡±

    ¡°That¡­ that makes sense,¡± Alphys said awkwardly. ¡°Look, I¡­ I don¡¯t know how to help, but I know this isn¡¯t good, this isn¡¯t right, and I want you to be okay, Frisk. Maybe you can practice with me? We could roleplay, like you¡¯d suggested before, pretending I¡¯m Sans! Or, you could see how I react to finding out about what you did, and when I don¡¯t hate you, it¡¯ll make you feel better.¡±

    ¡°And if you do?¡± they asked dryly.

    ¡°Well, I won¡¯t,¡± she said. ¡°It can¡¯t be worse than what I did.¡±

    Frisk laughed at that; a rough, bitter sound.

    ¡°But even if I do, you¡¯ll know, and you won¡¯t have to worry about how I¡¯d take things,¡± Alphys pressed.

    ¡°What¡¯s the point¡­?¡± Frisk asked despairingly. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I know how you¡¯ll react and I don¡¯t want to live through it.¡±

    ¡°Y-you remember who you¡¯re talking to, right?¡± Alphys asked. ¡°Come on, Frisk. You sound like I did, back then.¡±

    Frisk stayed silent for a moment.

    ¡°I miss you,¡± Frisk said after a while. ¡°Knowing all this is just¡­ a temporary timeline, that I¡¯m building something real and forever, but this isn¡¯t part of it¡­ it¡¯s so¡­ empty. I didn¡¯t really get what Sans meant, before, in that other timeline. I mean, I did, but¡­ I guess I didn¡¯t fully understand. How the knowledge it was all temporary made everything feel utterly pointless.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ why didn¡¯t it feel pointless before?¡± Alphys asked.

    ¡°Because I was learning, growing, accomplishing things,¡± Frisk answered immediately. ¡°I hadn¡¯t really¡­ come to terms with what reloading meant, as far as friendships and relationships go. Sans and I had cared for each other more mutually before I reset everything and made someone I love cease to exist. All that we had built, and the relationship we had¡­ lost, in a moment of idiocy.¡±

    Frisk looked down.

    ¡°In a way, I killed the one I love, and replaced him with a different version of himself. A stranger, in a new context that means we can never regain what was lost. And then I did evil¡­ terrible, true evils, in pursuit of knowledge. You, Alphys, you made an honest mistake and got caught in a spiral of guilt from that mistake. I deliberately used the ability to undo timelines, my immunity to consequences, to gain knowledge. And nothing so gentle and tame as what we¡¯re doing now.¡±

    ¡°O-oh,¡± Alphys said. ¡°Well, um, that¡¯s not good. But. But, Frisk, you were trying to learn things. It never happened. Whatever you did, it¡¯s not real anymore. And with Sans¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Frisk. But you can tell the other version of me that, I would understand. And even if¡­ if you had the conversation with this me, and things felt a little uneven, and you just told the other me about it, about our conversations, I¡¯d understand, Frisk. We can talk about that timeline, what things were like with him. You can talk to me.¡±

    Frisk wiped away a few tears and stood up to leave. They reached the door and paused.

    ¡°On the first day,¡± they said, their voice distant. ¡°The first time I met Undyne, the day I fell into the underground. When she died, Alphys, yours was the first name on her lips. And in another timeline, when I was the Angel of Death who emptied the underground, when I followed the path of genocide and left nothing in my wake but dust¡­ she grinned as she died, because she had faith in you, that you would evacuate everyone - and where else would that be, but the True Lab? - that you would preserve all that remained. Even before your confession, before we broke the barrier, Undyne loved you and believed in you.¡±

    They sighed and didn¡¯t look at Alphys to see her reaction.

    ¡°See you later, Alphys,¡± they said and left.

    ¡ª

    * The last day within the long reset, before the reload

    ¡ª

    ¡°yeah, everything feels good still,¡± Sans said. ¡°no issues. gotta say, other than having to deal with the tests every few weeks, this has been a fun little vacation.¡±

    His tone was maybe a little too cavalier, but he was grinning nonetheless.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Frisk said with a pained expression. ¡°I¡¯m glad.¡±

    ¡°you haven¡¯t been taking care of yourself, have you?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Not as much as I should have been,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°T-these readings look good,¡± Alphys said. ¡°You, um, did what we asked, right? Pushed yourself, tried to feel as determined as you could?¡±

    ¡°kinda hard, under the circumstances, but i gave it my best shot,¡± Sans said. ¡°no melting, not even feeling funny. which is a shame, because i¡¯m always funny.¡±

    ¡°Ha,¡± Frisk said, a tentative laugh, and then asked. ¡°You feel safe, right? Doing this for real? We can move forward?¡±

    ¡°i think it¡¯s the best we can do. so yeah,¡± Sans said, looking at them speculatively. ¡°hey, frisk. need ya to do something for me.¡±

    ¡°Anything,¡± they said immediately, their gaze sharpening.

    Alphys gave them an awkward, but understanding look. Sans had his usual impassive expression, but his eyes had shed the illusion of mirth.

    ¡°you need to own up to the other sans and alphys what this is doing to you,¡± he said and they winced. ¡°haven¡¯t seen you this torn up in a while. you can¡¯t hide it from the other us¡¯s, the way it looks like you were hiding it from me the last few times i¡¯ve come here for testing.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t want you to think that there was any p-pressure, to give the okay before the planned timeframe,¡± Frisk stammered.

    ¡°the whole point of all this isn¡¯t for me to have a good time,¡± Sans said, the relaxed cheer in his voice entirely gone. ¡°the point is that you and your power are a risk to the whole world, if you snap.¡±

    He glanced at Alphys, who wasn¡¯t surprised, and looked back at Frisk.

    ¡°it¡¯s good you told alphys,¡± he said. ¡°but it¡¯s not good enough. you need to be honest with the real sans.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what I should do,¡± they said, looking at Sans with a lost expression. ¡°Please, Sans, tell me truthfully¡­¡±

    ¡°whatever it is, you should ask the me who will remember,¡± he said, cutting them off. ¡°that sans is your friend. i¡¯m about to not exist. asking me isn¡¯t fair to him.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t¡­¡± they said, and started crying. ¡°This isn¡¯t the same, right? I¡¯m not betraying you, right? I¡¯m not killing you?¡±

    ¡°you are killing me,¡± he said with a shrug, and Alphys flinched at the matter of fact tone. Frisk''s face twisted with pain. ¡°but it¡¯s not betrayal, because we talked about it and agreed on this plan. this wasn¡¯t a little jaunt, a few minutes, or anything. it¡¯s been six months. maybe we shouldn''t do anything this long again. ¡®cause from where i¡¯m standing, it feels like i¡¯m about to die. i¡¯m trying not to be upset about it, but. well.¡±

    He shrugged again.

    ¡°i don¡¯t hate you, frisk,¡± he said. ¡°let¡¯s just hope this all works, that all this matters in the end.¡±

    ¡°Can¡­ can I hug you goodbye?¡± they asked, their voice breaking.

    ¡°i¡¯m not real, frisk,¡± he said, looking away. ¡°save it for the other sans. i think we¡¯re done here? you know everything you need to go ahead and reload?¡±

    ¡°Y-yes,¡± they said, their voice hitching.

    ¡°then let¡¯s just get to the point,¡± he said, looking out the window.

    ¡°G-goodbye,¡± Frisk said, tears beginning to stream down their face. ¡°To both of you.¡±

    Sans didn¡¯t reply.

    ¡°You can tell the real me, Frisk,¡± Alphys said. ¡°Please do, okay? I still care about you, I don¡¯t hate you.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯ve never looked at me the same,¡± Frisk said, closing their eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it, Alphys. Thank you for being my best friend, in this timeline.¡±

    ¡°Always, Frisk,¡± Alphys said, sounding nervous. ¡°Goodbye.¡±

    With a surge of will, the room ceased to exist. Frisk faintly saw the black void, faintly saw an outline of Flowey, and then they were standing in the same room. Six months earlier, 13 months earlier, or having just saved, depending on perspective.

    Sans¡¯ expression was cheerful and lively, and Alphys looked eager.

    ¡°Well?¡± Alphys asked. ¡°Did it work?¡±

    Frisk tried so hard to hold it together.

    ¡°Yeah, it did,¡± they said, their voice tight. ¡°I have the dosing regimen memorized, with both yours and Sans¡¯ approval.¡±

    ¡°hey frisk,¡± Sans said and they managed to meet his gaze. ¡°you okay, kid?¡±

    ¡°M-maybe we shouldn¡¯t do any jaunts that long again,¡± they said hoarsely.

    Sans scratched at his head awkwardly.

    ¡°uh¡­ you look like you maybe need a hug,¡± he said, his tone halfway a question, opening his arms a little.

    They threw themself into his arms and started sobbing.

 Ch. 11 - Rapid Fire Resets

    <hr>

    * two weeks after Sans was given the determination injection

    <hr>

    ¡°All tests are looking good,¡± Alphys said, adjusting her glasses. ¡°Sans seems completely stable. I think we¡¯re ready for the next phase. Which, really, we need to discuss what we¡¯re going to try.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think just wanting Sans to remember, with the determination in him, is going to cut it,¡± Frisk said. ¡°I¡¯ve reloaded a few times this week with Sans, little spot tests, and no sign of anything working. I have two ideas for approaches.¡±

    Both Sans and Alphys nodded, listening.

    ¡°One is simple and easy, relatively speaking,¡± they said. ¡°We should start with that one. What I¡¯d tried before, just willing him to remember¡­ well, thing is, I can¡¯t actually keep my concentration. I have to commit to reloading, which takes focus. Except, there is a way to reload effortlessly.¡±

    Sans sighed. Alphys looked confused.

    ¡°you want me to kill you,¡± Sans said, and Alphys¡¯s eyes went wide with horror. ¡°repeatedly, until you¡¯re satisfied it won¡¯t work.¡±

    ¡°Or until it does work,¡± Frisk said. ¡°That would be better.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s torture!¡± Alphys squeaked. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious! We can¡¯t do that, Frisk!¡±

    ¡°Maybe you were right,¡± Frisk said with a sigh, making Alphys confused again. ¡°Maybe I should have told you.¡±

    ¡°Told me what?¡± she asked. ¡°When? What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°I broke the rules a little, when we were in the long loop,¡± Frisk said. ¡°I tried not to. But I was having trouble and you noticed, Alphys. You pushed me to tell you, and well¡­ I did.¡±

    ¡°Tell me what?¡± she asked again.

    ¡°you probably should,¡± Sans said. ¡°especially if the other alphys thought you should.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll never look at me the same way, but I guess I¡¯ve earned that,¡± Frisk said, then looked at Sans. ¡°Need any time to get things ready?¡±

    ¡°need? no,¡± he said. ¡°but i would appreciate a little time. it¡¯s not going to be easy to do that to a friend.¡±

    ¡°When, do you think?¡± Frisk asked. ¡°Later today? Tomorrow?¡±

    ¡°let¡¯s just get it over with,¡± he said. ¡°maybe this afternoon. after lunch.¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Alphys said. ¡°You¡¯re acting like this is just okay, and like I¡¯ll be okay with it, but Frisk, this isn¡¯t right, we can¡¯t do this!¡±

    Frisk went over to Alphys and put a hand on her shoulder.

    ¡°You know I love you all, right?¡± Frisk asked seriously. ¡°You know how much you mean to me. All of you.¡±

    ¡°Y-yes?¡± Alphys said, squeaking a little again.

    Frisk¡¯s eyes closed and they took a breath. They glanced over at Sans and he gave them a thumbs up.

    ¡°Then let me tell you about why Undyne has the most beautiful soul of any monster I¡¯ve ever seen,¡± Frisk said solemnly. ¡°And why I decided to destroy everything in the process of finding out.¡±

    By that afternoon, Alphys had withdrawn her objections.

    ¡°So we¡¯re clear on the experimental procedure, right everyone?¡± Alphys asked.

    ¡°Yep,¡± Frisk said. ¡°I just save and then give a thumbs up if I¡¯m ready.¡±

    ¡°and if i see a thumbs up, i kill frisk as quickly as i can,¡± Sans said. ¡°and if i start to remember, i¡¯ll stop and we¡¯ll discuss.¡±

    He had six gaster blasters lined up and pointing at Frisk, ready to fire. Alphys looked really uncomfortable, seeing them, but Frisk smiled at them affectionately.

    It had been a while since they felt like they¡¯d burned for their sins.

    They reached out to the save point. They took their time, because it was a failure mode if they accidentally had a thumbs up while they saved - they¡¯d be locked in an unbreakable death cycle and would need to reset to the beginning. Once they were absolutely sure they were no longer actively saving, they nodded at Sans and gave him a thumbs up.

    Pain. Burning, searing pain rushed through their body. It lasted barely a second before they reformed. They raised their thumb again and it returned. They just held on to the idea of raising their thumb, and the pain became almost unceasing, with only a split second of relief before Sans fired.

    The memories flooded them along with the pain. Nothing in their life had ever felt as right as when Sans had killed the thing they were. It had been good with Undyne, too, but with Sans¡­ especially after they¡¯d withdrawn and let Chara take over¡­ it was a note of absolute perfection.

    But goddamn, was it painful.

    Had it really hurt this much, back then? Maybe, because it had been so long, Frisk had lost some of their ¡°immunity¡± from pain. Still, it felt amazing, in its own way. Cleansing.

    They looked at Sans and their vision flickered. Blinding, searing light contrasted with a split second of him with black eyes. He¡¯d let his eyes go dark as they¡¯d saved, as he¡¯d braced himself for murdering a friend.

    His eyes were almost the same as that awful day, a year ago. It hurt him to kill a friend like this; it hurt him to face the end of everything. It was completely different, and yet¡­

    Burning, searing, cleansing pain.

    Their mind flashed to the perfection of those deaths at his hands, on that day. Soaking in the memory, tying the current sensation into it. They needed to be able to endure this as long as they could, to give this the most chance of working.

    Remember me, they thought, pleading, at the black eyes before they burned again.

    Stay with me.

    I don¡¯t want to lose you.

    Again and again, they fell to his power. Their mind warped and twisted under the onslaught. With no injury, no fear, nothing to ground the pain, it twisted into a strange, searing pleasure. Too much, too intense, and not exactly enjoyable, and yet¡­ there had never been a joy as pure as seeing Sans destroy what they¡¯d become. It hurt, and it was so, so good.

    But he had hurt, too, nevermind that they¡¯d never struck him.

    I¡¯m so sorry.

    A flash of the first Sans, the one whose friendship had grown naturally. Who had asked them to stay. Whom they had erased.

    I¡¯m so sorry.

    Sans, from so recently, during the long loop - who had cracked under the prospect of his own death. Who had turned away, and refused a hug. They knew the reason, of course. He¡¯d decided to be selfish, in his last moments of a life that never existed, and a hug would have just been¡­ too much. ¡°Let¡¯s just get to the point,¡± he¡¯d said. He¡¯s said it then, and in another time, a year ago.

    I¡¯m so sorry.

    Tears took time to form in their eyes, and so they never cried. Alphys had cried earlier, when she found out what Frisk had done. She¡¯d tried not to, but she had. She insisted it was partly because of how she felt for Frisk, that she felt so bad for how Frisk was dealing with so much guilt. And yet, of course, she didn¡¯t find herself needing to object anymore to Frisk dying again and again in what she¡¯d first called torture. Because she understood what Frisk had done. What Frisk was.

    I¡¯m so sorry.

    How stupid Frisk had been, to say that just because it never happened, it didn¡¯t matter. How much of an idiot were they? No one who knew could ever look at them the same way. They¡¯d been wrong, that¡¯s all there was to it. They¡¯d never look at themself the same way. The sins may not be crawling on their back as intensely, as heavily, as the last time they had felt this, but they could never be free. Never be clean again.

    I¡¯m so sorry.

    They had felt better after fixing everything, they really had. But the lingering fear hadn¡¯t faded. In that year of determination experiments, in the crushing isolation with only Flowey who they could view as real¡­ they had never felt so alone. And it was all their own fault.

    I¡¯m so sorry.

    Over and over, they burned. Over and over, memories flashed, of all the reasons they deserved to burn. All the reasons why this was good and right and fitting. All the faces that they had seen dying. Distant as the memory was, it had been seared onto their soul, and this cleansing felt so good.

    I¡¯m so sorry.

    Time passed, and an indeterminable amount of it. They slowly stopped apologizing in their head and just soaked in their appreciation for Sans, for his ability to make things right. They¡¯d just keep doing this, and then he¡¯d remember, and then they wouldn¡¯t be so alone.

    Slowly, they found themself relaxing under the onslaught, submitting to its intensity. Sans¡¯ power was in them, filling them, and that was good. It almost didn¡¯t even hurt anymore, and just felt¡­ overwhelmingly, intensely Sans. It¡­ was really nice, actually.

    Their focus began to slip. Another timeless time later¡­

    ¡°uh, i can¡¯t tell,¡± Sans said, peering at them. ¡°does that count as a thumbs up?¡±

    ¡°Can you PLEASE warn me next time!?!?¡± a voice called out in intense frustration, drawing all of their attentions.

    Flowey had popped up and was glaring at Frisk in anger. Oh, right, oops, they thought, giving him an abashed look.

    ¡°wait, why are you here?¡± Sans asked. ¡°how are you here?¡±

    ¡°One second resets, lasting for hours?¡± Flowey demanded, ignoring Sans. ¡°Really, Frisk? I could have been asleep, but no, I was unable to do anything for hours!¡±

    ¡°Wait, hours?¡± Alphys asked, looking at Frisk in horror.

    Sans¡¯s expression had turned resigned.

    ¡°kid, i told you not to take it too far,¡± he said.

    ¡°It was fine,¡± Frisk said. ¡°I was fine! I am sorry, Flowey, I completely didn¡¯t think about that and I should have.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s 3600 seconds in an hour,¡± Alphys said, adjusting her glasses, as Flowey grumpily muttered something. ¡°Are you telling me that Sans just killed you several thousand times?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ I think it might have been closer to two seconds per death?¡± Frisk said lamely.

    ¡°And it was several hours,¡± Flowey tossed in, giving Frisk another glare. ¡°Also, no, it was definitely closer to one second.¡±

    ¡°Really, Flowey, I am honestly sorry,¡± Frisk said. ¡°I¡¯ll warn you if I¡¯m ever doing high speed loops like that again.¡±

    ¡°i¡¯m not sure we should ever do ¡®high speed loops¡¯ like that again,¡± Sans tossed in.

    ¡°It was fine, honest!¡± Frisk said. ¡°And we¡¯ll just warn Flowey, let him go to sleep or something, and no one will have any problems.¡±

    ¡°But Frisk¡­¡± Alphys said. ¡°You were¡­ you just died thousands of times¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, I mean, yeah,¡± Frisk said with a shrug. ¡°But after a while, it mostly felt like just sitting in Sans¡¯ magic with a little flicker of sight every second or so. Like, one extended experience of dying, and not lots of little ones.¡±

    Sans sighed again and Alphys looked horrified. Flowey laughed.

    ¡°Maybe, instead, next time you should bring me in on this,¡± Flowey said with a grin.

    Sans gave him a look and Flowey disappeared, popping back up on the opposite side of Frisk.

    ¡°I¡¯m just saying it sounds interesting,¡± Flowey said. ¡°And if you¡¯re doing experiments with time loops, I am an obvious person to bring in.¡±

    Frisk gave him a complicated look.

    ¡°We¡¯re trying to get Sans to remember the resets,¡± they said.

    Alphys and Sans exchanged a look.

    ¡°Really? Him?¡± Flowey asked with a disgusted tone. ¡°Why not Alphys? Or Papyrus? Or literally anyone else?¡±

    Frisk grinned at him.

    ¡°Still interested in helping?¡± they asked teasingly.

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Flowey said begrudgingly, giving Sans another dark look.

    One of the gaster blasters turned a little to point at Flowey, and he popped away again. Sans started laughing. After a second, Frisk joined in and Flowey complained from across the room.

    ¡°We don¡¯t have to torment him, Sans,¡± Frisk said with a grin.

    ¡°what¡¯s really weird to me is that you seem better off than before we began,¡± Sans said, ignoring their comment as he watched Flowey.

    Frisk shrugged.

    ¡°It was nice,¡± they said, setting Alphys to spluttering again. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since you¡¯ve killed me, and while the circumstances surrounding those deaths were bad, the memories of you killing me are still¡­ good.¡±

    ¡°Is that why I could never defeat you?¡± Flowey asked acerbically. ¡°You enjoy the feeling of being killed?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Frisk said with another laugh. ¡°Death at your hands - or vines, or whatever - really sucked. But you remember what I¡¯d become, in that timeline.¡±

    ¡°...yeah,¡± Flowey said, sounding a little subdued. ¡°I never asked, but¡­¡±

    He trailed off.

    ¡°Chara was going to kill you,¡± Frisk said. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine anyone they¡¯d have spared, with what I saw of their broken mind. From some information we¡¯ve gained about timelines, we¡¯re pretty sure that Chara was going to destroy time itself, was going to destroy the very world.¡±

    ¡°But killing Sans was too much,¡± Flowey said, giving Sans an appraising look.

    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Frisk said, giving Sans a far more complicated look. ¡°Falling in love with Sans made me refuse to land the killing blow, despite Chara¡¯s efforts.¡±

    Flowey muttered some more under his breath.

    ¡°frisk¡­¡± Sans started to say, then sighed. ¡°nevermind. it seems like this approach failed. you said you had another idea. should we get him out of here, or are you thinking it¡¯d be better to bring him in?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m already used to people not remembering,¡± Flowey said. ¡°It¡¯d be more interesting if some did. I¡¯d rather it not be you, but maybe once you all figure it out, we can get some others in.¡±

    ¡°Probably doesn¡¯t hurt to see what Flowey thinks,¡± Frisk said and Sans shrugged.

    Alphys still looked like she was in shock over the whole thousands of deaths thing. Flowey looked at Frisk curiously.

    ¡°So, we know that there was a connection between you and Chara,¡± Frisk said. ¡°I think the reason we remember each other¡¯s resets might be because of that.¡±

    ¡°Not because we were each independently able to use that power?¡± Flowey asked.

    ¡°If it¡¯s that, then it¡¯s hopeless,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Monsters can¡¯t hold that much determination without melting. So we have to assume it¡¯s not that. But we know determination isn¡¯t enough - you watched the Undyne fight, right?¡±

    ¡°I watched all of them,¡± Flowey said with a grin. ¡°A shame I don¡¯t have memories of your first fights against her, but at least I remember everything you said about those.¡±

    Alphys looked deeply uncomfortable.

    ¡°And she didn¡¯t remember,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Or the amalgamates, but Undyne - hers was pretty damned intense, you know?¡±

    ¡°It was,¡± Flowey mused. ¡°That first time, surprisingly so - her screaming ¡®I won¡¯t die¡¯ as she melted and scattered was really something. She did that every time I killed her. She did that with you, too, right?¡±

    Alphys let out a strangled sound. Sans put a hand on her shoulder comfortingly.

    ¡°Yeah. But really, it was the other deaths, with the transformation due to her determination¡­ surely, if any amount of determination would do it, that would have had to,¡± Frisk said and Flowey nodded.

    ¡°It was incredible to see. A shame I never managed that myself,¡± Flowey remarked. ¡°Sans would always kill me long before I could provoke her that much.¡±

    ¡°it¡¯s a shame i don¡¯t have any memories of doing so,¡± Sans said darkly. ¡°maybe we can make up for it by giving frisk a few memories of watching.¡±

    Flowey popped away and appeared by Frisk again, who started laughing then coughed and stopped themself once they saw the look on Alphys¡¯s face.

    ¡°Sorry, guys,¡± they said. ¡°Talking to Flowey is¡­ uh. I often find myself acting like he¡¯s the only one around.¡±

    ¡°I-I guess that makes sense, but, but you could not talk about¡­ that?¡± Alphys said.

    ¡°Right, sorry,¡± Frisk said, looking honestly apologetic, then turned back to Flowey. ¡°So, anyway. One of the things between you and Chara was the soul absorption bit. I was wondering if maybe we could try to get Sans to absorb my soul, to see if that would make a connection between us.¡±

    ¡°That might work, but there¡¯s one major problem,¡± Flowey said. ¡°The reset happens too fast. There¡¯s no way he could grab your soul in time.¡±

    ¡°What if I tried to¡­ uh¡­ focus on delaying the reset?¡± Frisk asked. ¡°I know there¡¯s a little bit of wiggle room in how the power manifests.¡±

    ¡°It might be possible,¡± Flowey said. ¡°I¡¯ve never had reason to try. But I think you would need my help if there¡¯s any chance at all.¡±

    ¡°why¡¯s that?¡± Sans asked.

    ¡°Because Frisk won¡¯t remember what happened after they died,¡± Flowey told him. ¡°You won¡¯t have any way of knowing if the basis of the experiment worked at all - if you ever even touched their soul. But if I watch, I can tell you.¡±

    They all nodded at that, though Sans and Alphys looked begrudging.

    ¡°There¡¯s a-another possible problem,¡± Alphys said uneasily. ¡°Um, what if¡­ what if absorbing Frisk¡¯s soul stops the resets completely?¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯m just permanently dead?¡± Frisk asked, and Alphys nodded. ¡°That¡¯s a risk I¡¯m willing to take, but¡­ but then I think the power would go to Flowey.¡±

    They all looked at Flowey.

    ¡°that sounds incredibly risky,¡± Sans said.

    ¡°From what Frisk has described, it seems to me that Flowey potentially would be locked into the moment he regained the powers as the furthest back in time he could go,¡± Alphys said. ¡°That would make Frisk permanently, irreversibly dead.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s another possibility,¡± Flowey said. ¡°When I had all of the human souls, I took over Frisk¡¯s power and could even access their save file. With a few more human souls, I could be sure that it''d work. I''d take Frisk¡¯s soul from Sans and should be able to restore the save, bringing them back.¡±

    ¡°why would we trust you to do that?¡± Sans asked.

    Flowey just looked at Frisk.

    ¡°I¡­ have reason to believe that Flowey is strongly opposed to my true death,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°you trust him?¡± Sans asked.

    ¡°I trust Asriel,¡± Frisk said softly and Flowey looked away. ¡°I trust in his goodness, his kindness, his heart. In the friendship we had, echoed across lives. But I don¡¯t know how much of Asriel remains.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a nice comment, because it brings me to another point I¡¯ve been meaning to bring up,¡± Flowey said. ¡°Payment.¡±

    ¡°Payment?¡± Alphys asked.

    ¡°For my help with figuring this out,¡± Flowey said. ¡°In one of the timelines, all of the human souls were lost, and Alphys, you had begun to do research on creating artificial souls. I want to feel again. I know you¡¯re busy with this, but when you¡¯re done, that¡¯s what I want.¡±

    Frisk gave him a tender smile.

    ¡°Funny you should ask for that,¡± they said. ¡°For payment for helping figure things out, and not a word about how it was you who broke the barrier. You, who actually saved everyone.¡±

    Alphys looked shocked - Frisk hadn¡¯t mentioned that detail.

    ¡°You know why I did that,¡± Flowey said, looking away again.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± they said, closing their eyes. ¡°Yeah, I do.¡±

    ¡°if we¡¯re talking about getting human souls for power, i can¡¯t help but wonder why one of those wouldn¡¯t work for this, too,¡± Sans noted. ¡°if it¡¯s ¡®asriel¡¯ we¡¯re dealing with instead of flowey, that¡¯d make me a hell of a lot more comfortable. other than the issue of too much power.¡±

    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    ¡°It didn¡¯t work,¡± Flowey said bluntly. ¡°I felt the souls, but it didn¡¯t make me feel.¡±

    ¡°You probably need a monster soul, not a human soul,¡± Frisk said.

    Flowey agreed, then added, ¡°So is this a deal?¡±

    ¡°How would we get the human souls?¡± Alphys asked. ¡°E-e-ethically, I mean?¡±

    ¡°Sans can teleport,¡± Frisk said. ¡°And there¡¯s a lot of assholes out there. This doesn¡¯t seem like the hardest problem to solve.¡±

    ¡°Should we grab six, just in case?¡± Flowey asked.

    ¡°Wait, wait, are you talking about finding six evil people and murdering them for their souls?¡± Alphys asked, sounding horrified.

    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t rank on my top ten list of worst things I¡¯ve done,¡± Frisk said dryly. ¡°Or Flowey¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t drag me into this,¡± Flowey said haughtily. ¡°Also, true.¡±

    ¡°it¡¯d be on my list, i think,¡± Sans said dryly, and Alphys gave him another shocked look.

    ¡°She¡¯s so innocent, it¡¯s adorable,¡± Flowey said with a cackle.

    Frisk grinned and Sans sighed.

    ¡°W-wouldn¡¯t it be better to just take some souls from people who d-died of natural causes?¡± Alphys asked. ¡°Instead of m-murdering anyone?¡±

    ¡°two interesting and unrelated facts,¡± Sans said with a dark grin. ¡°didja know that some people still practice slavery and such in the world? and also, didja know it¡¯s really quite natural to die from stab wounds?¡±

    Flowey and Frisk both howled with laughter at that and Alphys gave Sans a betrayed look.

    ¡°lighten up, i¡¯m just joking around,¡± Sans said. ¡°we¡¯re not gonna kill anyone. too likely for there to be trouble if we do.¡±

    Frisk snickered at that. Alphys just looked lost. Frisk went over to her and took her hand. She was uneasy at first, but then sighed and squeezed Frisk¡¯s hand back.

    ¡°So that¡¯s the plan?¡± Frisk asked. ¡°We get the soul containers - I¡¯m pretty sure they were just left in the underground, and should be in the old barrier room. We get a few souls and reconvene here. We hang onto them as a backup method. We try to get Sans to absorb my soul, see if that forges a strong enough bond between us for him to remember. And when we¡¯re done with the reset memory experiments, then we can start working on an artificial soul for Flowey.¡±

    ¡°it looks like the best option,¡± Sans said. ¡°i¡¯ll get the souls. don¡¯t worry, alphys, i¡¯ll make sure it¡¯s all ethically sourced. we¡¯re vegan mad scientists here.¡±

    He grinned at Flowey.

    ¡°only plant deaths are acceptable,¡± he finished.

    Flowey gave him a murderous glare and Frisk started giggling. They tried to stop, but just couldn¡¯t, and giggled out apologies to Flowey.

    ¡°Sorry, Flowey, but it¡¯s really funny,¡± Frisk said. ¡°You know he¡¯s not going to kill you, though, right?¡±

    Neither Flowey nor Sans commented, just giving each other dark looks. They both knew exactly what circumstances would drive Sans to kill Flowey.

    As long as Flowey toed the line, he¡¯d be fine. And Sans knew damn well that the only reason Flowey hadn¡¯t started backsliding into evil crap was out of a twisted fondness for Frisk / Chara. Yes, when Flowey had regained himself and become Asriel, he¡¯d been nice. But Asriel was gone, and Flowey was a soulless husk only kept on the straight and narrow by sentimental attachment to feelings that he couldn¡¯t even experience anymore.

    And if a little fear would help, Sans was happy to oblige.

    The real reason Sans wasn¡¯t going to get evil souls, though, was because he didn¡¯t want any of that nonsense to infect Flowey, if they did end up needing the souls. Nice, sweet, pure souls, full of love and compassion - that¡¯s what Sans was going to be trying to grab. It didn¡¯t hurt them any to be pulled away after death, and they¡¯d be let go once the experiments were done.

    Before they left, Flowey had one parting thing to add.

    ¡°You know, it occurs to me,¡± Flowey said slyly, giving Sans an amused look that almost made him reflexively summon a bone. ¡°Frisk, do you happen to remember what I¡¯d said, about how I¡¯d first discovered my power?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Frisk said guardedly.

    ¡°And didn¡¯t you happen to discover your power in exactly the same way?¡± Flowey prompted.

    ¡°...yes,¡± Frisk admitted, their face tight and annoyed.

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Alphys asked.

    ¡°Do you want to tell them?¡± Flowey asked with a ridiculously saccharine tone that made Sans¡¯ teeth grind.

    ¡°i already know,¡± Sans said. ¡°frisk mentioned your little failed suicide attempt.¡±

    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Alphys asked.

    Flowey laughed.

    ¡°Really, Frisk, can you say you¡¯ve tried everything when you haven¡¯t even killed Sans even once?¡± Flowey prodded with wide, innocent eyes. ¡°That sounds SO much safer than this business of him absorbing your soul. So much less risky.¡±

    ¡°I will never kill Sans,¡± Frisk said, glaring at Flowey darkly.

    ¡°Well, don¡¯t forget,¡± Flowey said with unnaturally bright eyes. ¡°I¡¯m here to help!¡±

    Flowey grinned at Sans in a way that Sans had to actually put forth effort not to summon a blaster and shred him.

    ¡°i¡¯m not going to let you kill me,¡± Sans said.

    ¡°Aww, Frisk, look how he really feels,¡± Flowey said, his tone exaggeratedly sympathetic. ¡°He¡¯s happy to have you die thousands of times, painfully, and to set things up to do it again, risking the end of the world if things don¡¯t quite go the way we expect. He¡¯d rather have me gain seven human souls again, one of them being yours that he¡¯d just hand over, rather than dying even once.¡±

    ¡°Flowey, you¡¯re being an asshole,¡± Frisk said bluntly.

    Flowey huffed a bit at that.

    ¡°You know I¡¯m right,¡± Flowey said, dropping the saccharine schtick.

    Frisk closed their eyes.

    ¡°I think Sans would really object to you killing him,¡± Frisk said. ¡°If he decided to take that course, I would do it.¡±

    ¡°I thought you just said you never would,¡± Flowey said, a little of the teasing sound back in his voice.

    ¡°I never would,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Never by my own choice. But by his order, I will do anything.¡±

    ¡°frisk¡¯s mental health is kind of important for the world¡¯s continued existence,¡± Sans pointed out. ¡°i would have legitimate concerns in that case.¡±

    ¡°You sure that¡¯s the real reason, Sansy?¡± Flowey asked, another creepy grin appearing.

    ¡°maybe this whole plan isn¡¯t working,¡± Sans said, looking over at Frisk. ¡°can we really trust him with the souls?¡±

    ¡°Flowey just likes to get reactions from people,¡± Frisk said, making Flowey huff again. ¡°And he especially loves new reactions. He¡¯s never seen you die, never seen you faced with the real prospect of death.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not true,¡± Flowey said. ¡°And when Sansy melted during the determination experiments, I did pop by out of an innocent desire to support my best friend.¡±

    Frisk¡¯s fists clenched.

    ¡°I reloaded as soon as he started having trouble,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°Yes, you did,¡± Flowey agreed. ¡°Before we learned¡­ er, before you learned anything from the results of that. Not really good science, is it, to turn away before you learn everything?¡±

    That was it, Sans went ahead and summoned a bone and a blaster, just in case. Flowey popped to Frisk¡¯s other side.

    ¡°I will totally let him kill you and then reload,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Just saying. Quit being an asshole.¡±

    Flowey huffed again.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that,¡± Flowey said with a glare at Sans, and Sans grinned darkly. Flowey continued in an arrogantly precise tone. ¡°I¡¯m simply pointing out that you have missed a type of trial that should be completely safe, has no chance of anything going wrong, and is based on historical data as being a critical component to this power.¡±

    Frisk looked away and Flowey looked smug.

    ¡°frisk and i will discuss it some other time,¡± Sans said. ¡°let¡¯s shelve all this for now. we¡¯ve got phones, we¡¯ll figure things out later. frisk, come with me.¡±

    With that, he started to leave, to another annoyed huff from Flowey and a bewildered spluttering from Alphys. Frisk followed in his wake.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sans,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°tell me,¡± Sans said. ¡°had the idea of me dying occurred to you?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Frisk said, shaking their head. ¡°I can¡¯t even¡­ I can¡¯t even touch the thought. It¡¯s like a branding iron in my head.¡±

    ¡°let¡¯s go someplace,¡± Sans said.

    Where could they talk? Papyrus was home¡­ but Toriel would be at school.

    ¡°your place,¡± he said, and they nodded.

    With a flicker of black, they were in Frisk¡¯s room. They sat on the bed and he took their very comfortable, extremely ergonomic desk chair that Toriel had gotten for them.

    ¡°i hate the fact that he has a point,¡± Sans said. ¡°and while i don¡¯t want to die, i have to admit, i like the idea of him having six or seven human souls even less.¡±

    ¡°I really don¡¯t want to kill you,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°i don¡¯t want you to kill me, either,¡± Sans grumbled. ¡°i really don¡¯t like this idea. but¡­ the fact is, it makes sense. it does seem safer than the other idea. and it seems hypocritical for me to refuse.¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t hypocritical,¡± Frisk said, giving him a complex look of pain and worry. ¡°You¡¯ve never died before, it really sucks, it¡¯s terrifying, especially the first time! And every time would be the first time, for you, and I¡¯d¡­ I¡¯d have to see it¡­¡±

    ¡°look, if it¡¯d make you go nuts, then it¡¯s not a good idea,¡± Sans said.

    ¡°If it¡¯s needed, whatever you need, anything you need, I¡¯ll do it,¡± Frisk said, determination blazing again. ¡°And I will be fine, because you need me to be fine.¡±

    ¡°i don¡¯t think that¡¯s how mental health works,¡± Sans grumbled.

    ¡°It¡¯s how my mental health works,¡± Frisk said in a dark tone, as though daring their mind to work any differently.

    Sans couldn¡¯t help but chuckle.

    ¡°But also, also, maybe it¡¯s not a good idea at all,¡± Frisk said suddenly, their eyes lighting up. ¡°Undyne had determination, and she died, and didn¡¯t remember anything!¡±

    ¡°that¡¯s true,¡± Sans said. ¡°but i¡¯d also killed you a bunch and didn¡¯t remember anything, and we tried that, too. we¡¯re kind of trying literally everything, here.¡±

    ¡°Are you¡­ trying to talk me into this?¡± they asked nervously.

    ¡°i don¡¯t even know,¡± Sans admitted with a sigh.

    ¡°Because you don¡¯t have to,¡± Frisk said, looking away. ¡°Anything, Sans. I mean it. Anything. You give the word, and it¡¯ll happen, no matter how I feel about it.¡±

    They paused.

    ¡°And I¡¯ll text Flowey about it,¡± they said. ¡°And I¡¯ll tell him that I¡¯m going to count how many times he brings up the fact that I killed you, and for each and every time, I¡¯m going to ask you to kill him. If he tries to make me suffer with the knowledge, I¡¯ll make him suffer. Well, you will, but you¡¯re better at killing things than I am.¡±

    Sans grinned.

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯d be okay with that?¡± Frisk asked and he laughed.

    ¡°if you ever think it¡¯s a good idea to kill flowey, you can always just assume i¡¯m available,¡± Sans said darkly. ¡°no need to ask.¡±

    ¡°Not permanently, though,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°yeah, yeah,¡± Sans agreed. ¡°i know. asriel did right by everyone.¡±

    ¡°Hopefully, we get him back one day,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°yeah,¡± Sans said. ¡°so. what do you think? do we do this?¡±

    ¡°With the precedent of Undyne remembering nothing, I think we can say no guilt-free,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°but, as much as i hate the idea for many reasons, it still seems better than the idea of giving flowey the souls,¡± Sans said.

    ¡°Honestly, Sans, I¡¯m the only one who remembers the resets,¡± Frisk said. ¡°You have no idea how important that is. Flowey won¡¯t want me to die. I¡¯m the only point of stability in his entire existence, and he knows what it¡¯s like to not have that. I honestly believe he is more committed to my survival than anyone else. You included.¡±

    ¡°i guess,¡± Sans said. ¡°so i guess the next question is, what would we regret more?¡±

    Frisk looked away, pained.

    ¡°doing this would be harder on you than on me,¡± Sans said. ¡°much harder. during that timeline, the other sans would have a bad time. but from my perspective, you¡¯d touch the save point and then tell me how it went, and i¡¯d have nothing to deal with at all.¡±

    ¡°Unless you remember,¡± Frisk said, still looking away.

    ¡°in which case, we¡¯d be glad we did it,¡± Sans said. ¡°both of us.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s true,¡± Frisk said, still unable to look at him.

    ¡°you touching a save point and then crying onto my shoulder for a few minutes is an easy price to pay for a trial,¡± Sans said. ¡°for me, anyway. but this would be really hard on you. so that¡¯s what we need to figure out, i think.¡±

    Frisk took a shaking breath.

    ¡°Anything you want, Sans,¡± they said, still looking away. ¡°Anything. Just¡­ you just have to tell me, and I¡¯ll do anything.¡±

    He got out of the chair and sat next to them on the bed, then flicked them on the back of the head. They turned to look at him, a wry smile on their face and tears in their eyes.

    ¡°i won¡¯t make you do this,¡± he said.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t, then I can¡¯t,¡± Frisk said simply.

    He sighed.

    ¡°i really don¡¯t want to die,¡± he admitted. ¡°and the sans in that timeline would, uh, have problems with this. but he¡¯d do it. i¡¯d do it.¡±

    He reached an arm over and pulled Frisk into a side hug.

    ¡°i trust you, kid,¡± Sans said and they whimpered.

    ¡°Are we doing this, then?¡± Frisk asked, agony in their voice.

    ¡°i think we should,¡± he said. ¡°but that¡¯s just my half. knowing that, what do you choose?¡±

    ¡°Sans,¡± they said with a small smile and a forced, teasing tone. ¡°Maybe one day it¡¯ll get through your thick skull how this works. What you choose is what I choose.¡±

    ¡°heh,¡± he said, flashing them a little smile. ¡°guess i asked the wrong question. i care more about your head not getting screwed up than i do about trying this. knowing that, what do you choose?¡±

    ¡°One day, you¡¯ll get it,¡± they said with a sad smile. ¡°It would tear me apart to pull you from a path that you chose, Sans. For your path to be deflected by me, due to my weakness. I am yours. If you think this is the path you want to take, then I am committed to seeing it through.¡±

    He sighed. He felt torn. On one hand, he really, really wanted to remember the resets. It bothered him so much, knowing that at any point he could exist in a doomed timeline. How many Sans-es had had to die already, had faced death, every single time Frisk had reloaded? It didn¡¯t feel like that so much when it was a little thing, a few minutes, but even the idea of it, especially what had happened to the Sans-es in the longer timelines¡­ he hated that.

    On the other hand, he was talking about making another version of himself submit to literally being murdered, which seemed like a dick move. And making his already insane friend be the one that killed him. But he didn¡¯t think he could actually kill himself. He really, really didn¡¯t want to die.

    And yet, scary as that was, giving Flowey the souls seemed worse. It just made sense to try this first.

    ¡°alright, then,¡± he said. ¡°we¡¯ll do this once. just once. no repeated trials. do you really think you¡¯ll be okay?¡±

    ¡°If it never happened, it doesn¡¯t matter, right?¡± Frisk asked hoarsely.

    ¡°just think of it as being like all the times you died,¡± Sans said. ¡°and really, is it that much worse than reloading? any sans in any of those timelines stops existing, which is basically death, anyway.¡±

    They whimpered again.

    ¡°if we don¡¯t do it, we¡¯ll be left wondering,¡± Sans said. ¡°maybe we should just do it and get it over with.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Frisk said, pressing their face into his jacket. ¡°When?¡±

    Frisk probably would have trouble with too much time to think.

    ¡°maybe right now,¡± Sans said.

    They trembled.

    ¡°Okay,¡± they said. ¡°How¡­ how do you want to do this? I don¡¯t want you to suffer.¡±

    ¡°you still have chara¡¯s knife, right?¡± Sans asked and they nodded. ¡°anything you think i need to know? things i should do or think about?¡±

    They were shaking a little.

    ¡°You have to not want to die,¡± they said, their voice barely audible from how rough it was. ¡°You have to try to not die, to resist it with everything you have, to refuse to let yourself be taken into the void. To cling to your own existence, to your own reality.¡±

    ¡°you do that every time?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Sort of,¡± they said. ¡°It¡¯s more that that way of thinking is sort of baked into my soul. But between that, and what Flowey said, it seems a critical part of it all.¡±

    ¡°i understand,¡± he said.

    ¡°I¡­ Sans, I¡¯m not going to be able to muster up much of an intent to kill,¡± they said. ¡°I will try, for your sake, but¡­ but I don¡¯t want you to suffer.¡±

    ¡°i, er,¡± he said awkwardly. ¡°i kind of maybe had some experiences that resulted in me being a bit more magic than monsters generally are. bright side, i can give murderous loopers a bad time. down side - but kind of bright, in this case - i¡¯m a bit too magic. it won¡¯t take much to¡­ uh.¡±

    He found that he couldn¡¯t quite finish his sentence.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Frisk said, looking down. ¡°So¡­ if I can muster any intent¡­ do you think I could kill you in a single strike, or will it take¡­¡±

    They choked and took a moment to keep breathing.

    ¡°with any real intent, even bare handed, you could kill me in a single strike,¡± he admitted. ¡°with a knife stabbing into me? there¡¯s no question.¡±

    He grinned at them and winked, adding, ¡°easiest guy to kill you ever met.¡±

    Frisk tried to halfheartedly punch him, but barely managed to move his jacket.

    ¡°So¡­ so I should get the knife right now,¡± they said in a leaden voice.

    ¡°i¡¯d get it for you, but i don¡¯t know where it is,¡± Sans said.

    They laughed weakly at that and stood up. They reached under the bed and pulled out an engraved box, with flowers and hearts on it, and a few other evocative images. They opened it and there was the knife, right by a spot clearly carved out for their locket.

    ¡°Would it be bad of me to ask Chara for help?¡± they asked, staring at the knife.

    ¡°uh,¡± Sans said. ¡°i¡­ have no idea. if you need to.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll try to do it on my own,¡± they said, starting to pick up the knife, then putting it back down. ¡°Wait. Let me text Flowey. I¡¯m pretty sure, after the conversation we just had, he¡¯ll immediately guess what the reset was about. And knowing him, he¡¯d want to ¡®congratulate¡¯ me, so I¡¯d like to nip that in the bud immediately.¡±

    Sans laughed at their pun and they smiled weakly at him. They grabbed their phone and shot off the text. They closed their eyes, steadying themself, and then their phone buzzed and they checked it. They sighed heavily.

    ¡°what?¡± he asked.

    ¡°He immediately congratulated me and promised to never harass me about this, but also said that he¡¯s always here to support me and hear all the juicy details of anything I need to get off my chest,¡± they said dryly.

    ¡°i¡¯m glad you have such supportive friends,¡± Sans said with a laugh.

    ¡°Well, you know Flowey,¡± they said lightly. ¡°He¡¯s always there for me. Always. No matter what.¡±

    The phone buzzed again and they checked it and rolled their eyes with an odd expression - somehow almost loving, affectionate, annoyed, exasperated, and deeply amused, all at once.

    ¡°what¡¯d he say?¡± Sans asked.

    ¡°He¡¯s offered to be here for me in my time of need,¡± they said dryly. ¡°Making sure I know I don¡¯t have to be alone, and that I can always rely on my best friend to be right there beside me. Physically and immediately, if possible.¡±

    They started typing and Sans couldn¡¯t help but laugh.

    ¡°if you ever do have me kill him, i would love to know all the details,¡± he said.

    ¡°Absolutely,¡± they said. ¡°In the meantime, I¡¯m informing him that he is, once again, being an asshole.¡±

    They smiled wryly at the phone and then set it aside.

    He reached out and pulled Frisk down beside him again.

    ¡°you can save here, right?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± they said. ¡°You¡¯re sure, Sans?¡±

    ¡°i think it might be for the best,¡± he said.

    ¡°You can change your mind,¡± they said. ¡°If you find yourself as the Sans in that timeline, you can just change your mind. Just tell me.¡±

    ¡°i can do this,¡± he said.

    ¡°O-okay,¡± they said and reached out beside the bed.

    The golden glow came¡­ and their expression was unchanged.

    ¡°This is the first loop,¡± they said. ¡°The one in which you have agreed to die.¡±

    ¡°wait, what?¡± he asked and then groaned. ¡°damn it. i¡¯ve never actually experienced this part before.¡±

    Not that he didn¡¯t know it was possible - he¡¯d normally be mentally prepared to be in any of the timelines, any of the loops. In this particular case, though, he was really wanting to just exist in the easy version.

    ¡°And unless you change your mind¡­ or you remember¡­ you still won¡¯t,¡± they said, their voice wavering. ¡°So, Sans. What¡­ what do you want to do?¡±

    Oh, this was different. It felt vastly different. Doubts and uncertainties ran through his mind. It was one thing to commit to seeing Frisk save and then cry on his shoulder. It was another entirely to be¡­ in this situation.

    And either he gave up - in which case, he¡¯d remember that he couldn¡¯t actually do what he constantly asked Frisk to do. Or, he went along with this and died. Not just the painless end of a reload, either. He was either a hypocrite and a failure or he was dead.

    He met their trembling gaze. The fear he felt was real, and the pain in their eyes seemed just as intense.

    But for all his faults, there was one thing he considered a core part of himself, and he clung to it now. When he made a commitment - a promise or otherwise - he followed through.

    ¡°i can handle this,¡± he said.

    He wasn¡¯t actually all that certain he could, but he knew how many times the kid had died. And he did really want to remember. And if it worked, if he did remember, then he¡¯d just have a memory of a few unpleasant minutes. Which meant he wouldn¡¯t actually die. And either way, he¡¯d be around tomorrow. Some way or another.

    Frisk stood up and gripped the knife tightly, pointing it at him. He felt a surge of primal fear fill him at the idea of just letting himself be stabbed to death. He tried to push it away. It was all he could do not to teleport out of the room.

    But he trusted Frisk.

    They trembled as they looked at him and he braced himself.

    ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± they said, and tears started to fall. ¡°Sans, I¡­¡±

    ¡°i know,¡± he said. ¡°uh. maybe this is a better idea. c¡¯mere.¡±

    He pulled them down to the bed and into a hug. They shook harder.

    ¡°maybe like this,¡± he said. ¡°i¡¯ll hold you, and you¡­ do it.¡±

    ¡°O-okay,¡± they said. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re really sure, Sans? You really¡­¡±

    He sighed again. He knew what would help.

    ¡°frisk,¡± he said, his tone a little more serious. This was hard for him, but soon it wouldn¡¯t matter. ¡°i¡¯m calling it in. the debt you owe me. i am giving you an order and i expect you to obey. do it.¡±

    Their trembling eased and he felt a sharp pain in his chest, piercing him far more deeply than he¡¯d expected. But then, he¡¯d never been stabbed to death before.

    It was a clean strike, and more edged with intent to kill than he¡¯d expected. Giving the order must have really helped. They¡¯d cut straight through his t-shirt and his sternum to where his heart would have been, had he been human.

    ¡°g-good job, kid,¡± he said tightly.

    ¡°Why¡­ why are you bleeding?¡± they asked.

    He laughed a little and then winced.

    ¡°all those stories were right,¡± he said. ¡°it hurts to laugh.¡±

    ¡°J-just hang on, Sans,¡± they said, sounding like it was them who was dying. ¡°T-try to l-live. As¡­ as soon as you¡¯re d-dust, I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll reload and this will have never happened.¡±

    ¡°thank you, frisk,¡± he said, trying to make all this a little bit better than it could have been. Keep them more sane. ¡°thank you for being willing to do whatever it takes for my sake.¡±

    He felt it. His body was destabilizing, pulling into pieces. He felt a strange burning in his bones that fought it, that tried to hold him together. He focused on that feeling, trying to make it stronger.

    ¡°Always,¡± they whispered.

    ¡°hugging a friend is a good way to go,¡± he said, and they pressed into his chest. It hurt, but it was still better than feeling alone. ¡°it¡¯s okay. i¡¯ll be okay, frisk.¡±

    The burning wasn¡¯t strong enough. He felt himself starting to scatter. The fear filled him and he felt himself fall to it. It wasn¡¯t going to work. He was just going to die, and the other Sans would have no idea. He hugged Frisk tighter as the fear consumed him, as the magic holding him together failed.

    Then there was nothing.

    ¡ª

    ¡°You can change your mind,¡± they said. ¡°If you find yourself as the Sans in that timeline, you can just change your mind. Just tell me.¡±

    ¡°i can do this,¡± he said.

    ¡°O-okay,¡± they said and reached out beside the bed.

    The golden glow came. Their face wrenched and they immediately started crying. He pulled them into a hug.

    ¡°it¡¯s okay, frisk,¡± he said.

    ¡°You don¡¯t remember, do you?¡± they asked hollowly.

    ¡°no, but hey, like i said, this part was easy for me,¡± he said with a laugh. ¡°all i had to do is see you save and then give you a hug. easy peasy.¡±

    They laughed a little at that, the sound broken and hollow. It took a while before he felt like they could handle letting go from the hug, but they seemed to be alright. It was a shame it hadn¡¯t worked, though.

    That meant they were on for the other plan.

 Ch. 12 - Partial Success

    It took about a week for Sans to collect the six souls. He had to be discreet, after all. He¡¯d been really tempted to put on a grim reaper outfit - he had the look, he could nail it - but that probably would have caused some problems. He was a little sad about the lost opportunity. Harvesting souls as a living skeleton, as the grim reaper? It¡¯d have been perfect! Even if no one else would catch all of the irony involved.

    He did bring a plastic scythe with him as a compromise, though.

    A passing thought occurred to him that if he did manage to remember the resets, he could totally make it happen, but he brushed it off.

    They met up again and Sans looked over everyone. Frisk looked determined, as was to be expected. Alphys had been heavily shaken by the revelations of the previous week and it didn¡¯t look like she¡¯d really recovered. Flowey looked extremely interested and Sans could feel his skin crawl. Metaphorically.

    That flower really bothered him. But he had been good about being on the straight and narrow, as well as helping Frisk in their role as ambassador. He suddenly realized he¡¯d never asked if Flowey had behaved during the loops that were going to be undone. He also realized that he had no idea if Frisk would even pressure Flowey to be good in those timelines.

    He suppressed another sigh.

    They set up for another round of murdering Frisk. It felt a little different after knowing Frisk had killed him last week, but it was still weirdly kind of normal. What had been a really stressful time for them when he was the target, was treated as just another day when they were. If anything, they even seemed to look forward to it.

    This time, Sans stayed within the ring of blasters, carefully positioned so he wouldn¡¯t hit himself. On Flowey¡¯s signal - which still irritated him - he¡¯d attack and then as soon as he saw the soul, he¡¯d grab it and try to absorb it. Had to be Flowey¡¯s signal, though, because Frisk needed to concentrate on two things - trying to delay the reset and trying to make Sans remember.

    Frisk reached out to save and then looked a little fatigued, Flowey shaking his head.

    ¡°It¡¯s just not working,¡± Flowey said. ¡°Frisk has managed to delay the reset long enough for their soul to be briefly visible, but Sans hasn¡¯t even gotten close to absorbing it.¡±

    ¡°I have another idea,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Sans, can you manifest any magic directly from your hand? Blasting, summoned bones, the like?¡±

    ¡°yes,¡± he said, a little uneasy where this was going.

    ¡°So here¡¯s my thought,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Let¡¯s cut open my chest and have Sans put his hand around my heart. Then he can kill me, and his hand will already be in position to grab my soul the instant it starts to appear.¡±

    Literally everyone stared at Frisk in astonishment at that.

    ¡°What?¡± they asked. ¡°It¡¯d save a little time, and might make the difference, right?¡±

    ¡°Flowey?¡± Alphys asked uneasily. ¡°How many times did Frisk die this time?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t count,¡± Flowey said. ¡°Probably not more than thirty or forty times.¡±

    ¡°Maybe Frisk is getting a little too comfortable with dying,¡± Alphys said.

    ¡°What are we supposed to do, give up?¡± Frisk asked, a dangerous note of challenge in their voice.

    ¡°N-n-no, but t-there surely must be a b-better way,¡± Alphys said.

    ¡°Why would that be?¡± Frisk asked, their voice still sounding dangerous in a way that deeply unsettled Sans. ¡°Why would anyone think life is fair enough for there to be a better way? All this costs is pain and deaths that never happened. If it didn¡¯t happen, it doesn¡¯t matter, right?¡±

    ¡°kid,¡± Sans said, trying to ease his tone into something gentler than he felt. ¡°it affects you, it affects your mind, and that does matter. you know that.¡±

    They sighed and looked away.

    ¡°By that measure, then everything I¡¯ve done matters, and I deserve it anyway,¡± they muttered.

    ¡°you¡¯ve died more than ten times as many times as you¡¯ve killed,¡± Sans said, a little more harshly than intended. ¡°cut yourself a break. you tried to do the right thing, you misjudged and made a mistake. that doesn¡¯t mean you deserve endless suffering.¡±

    Their lip trembled.

    ¡°and yeah, what you did matters, because of the effect it had on you,¡± Sans continued, making his tone gentle again. ¡°i don¡¯t love what you did, but i keep telling you, i don¡¯t hate you for it.¡±

    ¡°After last week, I believe you. But the fact is, I hate me for it,¡± they said with a choked laugh. ¡°For all of it.¡±

    Sans summoned a bone and threw it at their head. They yelped in surprise and pain and stared at him with wide eyes. He just continued to give them a look. A smile slowly crept onto their face, their shoulders started to shake, and a minute later they¡¯d completely fallen to laughter.

    It was a weird moment, but he really did love Frisk¡¯s laughter.

    ¡°Now that that¡¯s done, I see no problems with Frisk¡¯s idea,¡± Flowey said.

    ¡°But won¡¯t they have to save after being cut open?¡± Alphys said, her voice trembling.

    ¡°Do you have any idea how much healing magic Toriel packs into her pie?¡± Frisk asked wryly, pulling out a slice from their phone''s dimensional box. ¡°I could be on the absolute edge of death from crippling injuries and this would bring me right back.¡±

    Flowey was giving the pie an odd look. Frisk suddenly looked bashful and packed it away again.

    ¡°I¡­ I guess,¡± Alphys said.

    ¡°Do you have any surgical equipment, or surgical experience?¡± Frisk asked. ¡°If not, no worries, we can just grab a sharp knife.¡±

    ¡°This is insane,¡± Alphys said. ¡°I¡­ Frisk, I¡¯m really having a hard time going along with this.¡±

    ¡°Would it make you feel better to sit out these parts?¡± Frisk asked. ¡°The violent stuff, I mean. I don¡¯t want you to have nightmares or anything.¡±

    ¡°Frisk¡­ I¡¯m already having nightmares,¡± Alphys said. ¡°Last week, realizing that an experiment I helped set up killed you thousands of times¡­¡±

    ¡°I mean, I killed Undyne, I deserve - ow!¡± Frisk said, flinching as another bone hit them in the head.

    ¡°what?¡± Sans asked innocently, then winked. ¡°it slipped.¡±

    Frisk and Flowey both looked amused, and Alphys looked grateful.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t agree because I thought you deserved to suffer,¡± Alphys said. ¡°I agreed because I realized that you were used to and comfortable with dying.¡±

    ¡°You know that¡¯s not the full truth,¡± Frisk said. ¡°You already knew I¡¯d died a bunch, before I told you about that timeline.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a difference between dying a bunch while trying to do the right thing, and going out of your way to pursue violence,¡± Alphys said with a huff.

    Frisk gave her a disbelieving look.

    ¡°... and maybe an extra death or two would have been okay,¡± Alphys admitted, looking away for a moment, but then she glared at Frisk. ¡°But not thousands!¡±

    ¡°Really, it was just one long, drawn out death,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°Hours long!¡± Alphys said.

    ¡°Granted,¡± Frisk said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Alphys. I don¡¯t want you to have nightmares. More nightmares. Please, please know that last week wasn¡¯t bad for me. It was even¡­ kind of nice.¡±

    ¡°Nice,¡± Alphys repeatedly dumbly.

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to describe,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Let¡¯s just say that Sans killing me at the height of my evil was one of the most profoundly satisfying moments of my life, and last week brought that part of the memories back. So don¡¯t feel bad about last week. In a strange way, I enjoyed it.¡±

    Alphys covered her face.

    ¡°This is too much for me,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m happy to help. To get lab equipment, to set it up, to discuss experimental procedures, to run tests. But¡­ but I don¡¯t want any part of the violence anymore.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Alphys,¡± Frisk said seriously, giving her a hug which Alphys hesitated to return, but did. ¡°Thank you - both for all of your help and for being honest about your limits. The three of us have the violence covered, you don¡¯t need to worry. Let¡¯s hang out later, okay?¡±

    ¡°O-okay,¡± Alphys said. ¡°I¡¯ll go hang out with Undyne for now.¡±

    ¡°Y¡¯know, her spears are sharp¡­¡± Frisk said thoughtfully and Alphys glared at them. ¡°Sorry, bad idea, Sans¡¯ bones will be fine, it¡¯s all good.¡±

    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    With that, Alphys left. And once again, there were three.

    ¡°you sure about this, frisk?¡± Sans asked.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Let¡¯s do it this way. Stab me in a way that my heart should be accessible. I¡¯ll give it a bit, see if I feel like I¡¯m going to pass out. Then I¡¯ll reload. You can stab me again, and if the injury feels the same, and it was a stable one, I¡¯ll go ahead and save. Then we can run through a few loops, and then I¡¯ll eat the pie.¡±

    ¡°You are SUCH a masochist,¡± Flowey said admiringly and Frisk grinned at him.

    ¡°want any pain meds or anything?¡± Sans asked.

    ¡°Nah,¡± Frisk said cheerfully. ¡°This¡¯ll sharpen the memories from last year, from the deaths by stabbing. Those memories have faded a little.¡±

    Right, it had been over a year for them. It¡¯d been barely three months for Sans.

    ¡°alright. let¡¯s do this,¡± Sans said.

    They went to the save point and Frisk got a shirt they didn¡¯t like. Sans had to help, of course, teleporting them back home to grab it real fast. They cut it off right below Frisk¡¯s breasts, which made them blush deeply.

    ¡°It¡¯s crazy to me that you¡¯re fine with Sans literally ripping out your heart, but seeing your skin, that¡¯s a bit much,¡± Flowey commented, and Frisk threw the tattered scraps of shirt at him.

    Sans couldn¡¯t help but notice. Frisk generally rocked the androgenous look, with comfortable, baggy clothing. One of the many benefits of monster food is that it didn¡¯t make humans fat, and Frisk was quite trim and healthy, despite regularly enjoying Toriel¡¯s pie and Grillby¡¯s burgers. He¡¯d never had cause to think about their body shape before, but seeing their exposed belly and waist brought it to his attention. They were clearly keeping themself fit - they regularly trained and sparred with Undyne and he suspected some of the lean muscle was new. He¡¯d never thought about how shapely they were under that baggy shirt.

    He tried not to think about that and instead summoned the sharpest, broadest bone he could. His hands could fit into pretty small spaces, so it didn¡¯t need to be that wide, but he did need some room.

    He also realized that this would be the first time, in all the times he¡¯d killed or hurt Frisk, that he¡¯d actually remember doing so.

    He wouldn¡¯t enjoy this memory.

    He could see a trace of fear on their face and he suppressed a sigh. He really didn¡¯t want to hurt them. They reached out, took a breath, and saved. Their expression immediately shifted to be a little pained.

    ¡°That has taken ten attempts so far,¡± they grumbled. ¡°But it looks like we¡¯ve gotten it. Apparently, with your bones being summoned magic, the intentions and such that I hold are kind of important as to whether or not they¡¯ll cut cleanly. Which explains some things about some past experiences. But I¡¯ve got the hang of it now - I can let your magic tear open my flesh. You just need to aim a little downward of your original plan, and it should be fine.¡±

    He nodded, feeling a little sheepish that he hadn¡¯t thought of that problem ahead of time. He was really distracted by dread for what he was about to do. They saved again, to keep him aware of what they¡¯d just said, presumably.

    ¡°ready?¡± he asked, floating the bone in place.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± they said.

    And he stabbed his closest friend just below the heart.

    ¡°Ow,¡± they gasped as blood flowed over everything.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to say that every time, you know,¡± Flowey said.

    ¡°Hush you,¡± Frisk squeezed out. ¡°Yeah, that feels the same, I should be conscious for at least several minutes.¡±

    They reached out to the save point¡­ and their injuries undid before his eyes.

    ¡°Damn it, I forgot about that part,¡± they said with a groan.

    Flowey started laughing.

    Right, Sans knew about that, too. But the last time they¡¯d saved after taking an injury had been when they were still all trapped underground.

    ¡°I guess I¡¯ll have to be freshly stabbed for every trial,¡± they muttered darkly. ¡°Fine, I guess. Well, let¡¯s do this.¡±

    ¡°guess you¡¯re boned,¡± Sans said as he stabbed them again, though they were laughing enough that he missed a little. Still looked like it''d work, though.

    ¡°Fucking ow,¡± they said, their voice agonized. ¡°It hurts to laugh and breathe¡­ please, Sans, kill me quickly¡­¡±

    Right. He shoved his hand into the spurting wound and wrapped his hand around their still beating heart. With a surge of magic, it stopped beating, and despite knowing it was just going to be undone, his own heart twinged with guilt.

    Power started to flood into him, and¡­

    <hr>

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to say that every time, you know,¡± Flowey said.

    ¡°Hush you,¡± Frisk squeezed out. ¡°Yeah, that feels the same, I should be conscious for at least several minutes.¡±

    They reached out to the save point¡­ and their injuries undid before his eyes. Their eyes grew more pained.

    ¡°It looked like Sans was getting the soul this time,¡± Flowey said.

    ¡°Take two,¡± Frisk said. ¡°We¡¯ll want to do a few trials, at least. I¡¯ll need to be freshly stabbed each time. It really sucks. Go ahead.¡±

    ¡°guess you¡¯re boned,¡± Sans said¡­ and then paused.

    They started laughing, and hadn¡¯t that hurt them somehow?

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you stab me?¡± Frisk asked.

    ¡°i had a weird feeling like laughing hurt you for some reason,¡± Sans said.

    ¡°Wait, is it actually fucking working?¡± Frisk asked, their eyes widening. ¡°You remembered? Do it again, Sans! Stab me and kill me again, quickly!¡±

    Flowey was snickering in the background.

    Sounded good to him. He stabbed them again and then hesitated, seeing their blood gush out of the wound.

    ¡°Fucking ow. Again,¡± they said, their voice agonized. ¡°It hurts¡­ please, Sans, kill me quickly.¡±

    Right. He shoved his hand into the spurting wound and wrapped his hand around their still beating heart. The sensation was oddly familiar. With a surge of magic, it stopped beating, and despite knowing it was just going to be undone, his own heart twinged with a strange, echoing sense of guilt.

    Power started to flood into him, and¡­

    <hr>

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to say that every time, you know,¡± Flowey said.

    ¡°Hush you,¡± Frisk squeezed out. ¡°Yeah, that feels the same, I should be conscious for at least several minutes.¡±

    They reached out to the save point¡­ and their injuries undid before his eyes. Their eyes grew manic.

    ¡°Did it work?¡± they demanded. ¡°What do you remember?¡±

    ¡°what?¡± he asked, confused.

    ¡°You remember, don¡¯t you?¡± they pleaded. ¡°A little?¡±

    He tried to think.

    There was a strange sensation in his hand. He looked at it. It made him sad, for some reason. He focused on the sensation and realized¡­ he remembered his best friend¡¯s heart being crushed in a surge of magic, in his hand.

    ¡°i think¡­ a little,¡± he said.

    ¡°Again!¡± they said, their eyes blazing. ¡°Stab me again, Sans, and please, kill me quickly.¡±

    Right, it did sound painful. Best not to drag this out.

    He stabbed Frisk in the chest and then immediately drove his hand into the wound, grabbing their heart. With a surge of magic, it stopped beating, and he felt a strangely intense, echoing sense of guilt.

    Power started to flood into him, and¡­

    <hr>

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to say that every time, you know,¡± Flowey said.

    ¡°Hush you,¡± Frisk squeezed out. ¡°Yeah, that feels the same, I should be conscious for at least several minutes.¡±

    They reached out to the save point¡­ and their injuries undid before his eyes.

    ¡°This doesn¡¯t seem to be working anymore,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°anymore?¡± he asked, confused.

    He was having a pretty intense feeling of deja vu, and an odd feeling of guilt rattling around in his chest.

    ¡°You get impressions of the previous loops, but that¡¯s it,¡± Flowey said with a sigh. ¡°This is getting boring.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you once tell me you¡¯d kill me a million times?¡± Frisk asked with a shit-eating grin. ¡°This hasn¡¯t even been twenty!¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m just sitting here not doing anything,¡± Flowey complained.

    ¡°What, you want to kill me instead?¡± Frisk asked.

    ¡°It¡¯d be less boring,¡± Flowey muttered.

    Sans cleared his throat.

    ¡°so it sounds like it worked enough to give impressions, but not full memories,¡± Sans summarized.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Frisk said. ¡°You seem to pretty consistently remember the feeling of wrapping your hand around my heart and killing me.¡±

    He blinked at that and looked at his hand. At the thought¡­ he shuddered at a faint, remembered sensation of warm flesh beating against his hand, and then bloody ash¡­

    ¡°Looks consistent,¡± Frisk said. ¡°But you¡¯re not getting any more than that. A few loops, and it seemed to stabilize as those faint, half remembered impressions, but nothing else is getting added.¡±

    ¡°still, it¡¯s promising,¡± Sans said. ¡°we made some headway. it¡¯s the first success we¡¯ve ever had, so it¡¯s worth celebrating.¡±

    ¡°I agree,¡± Frisk said with a grin. ¡°I¡¯ll just need to think about ways to strengthen¡­ the¡­ bond¡­¡±

    They trailed off thoughtfully.

    ¡°didja think of something?¡± Sans asked.

    ¡°Maybe,¡± they said. ¡°Need to flesh out the thought more. But yeah, we should celebrate. Maybe have a few reloads over the next bit, see if it¡¯s a continuous connection, or only what happened during the trial.¡±

    ¡°makes sense,¡± Sans said. ¡°just let me know when you¡¯re going to do the reloads.¡±

    ¡°Me, too, if you¡¯d be so kind,¡± Flowey said politely.

    ¡°Sure. Wanna join us for the celebration?¡± Frisk asked him.

    Flowey had a sad look on his face.

    ¡°No,¡± he said, and Frisk just nodded.

    ¡°Let¡¯s invite everyone,¡± Frisk said. ¡°They don¡¯t need to know the details to know that we¡¯re having some success, right?¡±

    ¡°makes sense to me,¡± Sans agreed. ¡°let¡¯s hit up grillby¡¯s.¡±

    Grillby had, of course, re-opened his bar, and it was doing quite well.

    They had a grand time. Over the following couple of weeks, they mostly took time off from experimentation, but did try a few reloads. Turned out that Sans could vaguely remember faint impressions of anything that had had an emotional impact on him. This was a true, permanent change in how he interacted with the resets.

    It was working. Sans would be safe from dead-ends in time, for as long as Frisk remained loyal and stable, if only they could figure out how to expand on this success, figure out another approach.

    It was working. Frisk would be able to keep Sans forever, in some way or another, if only they could figure out how to strengthen that bond¡­

 Ch. 13 - Hesitation

    Frisk didn¡¯t know what to do. The idea they¡¯d had¡­ it seemed solid. Good.

    ¡­ so good.

    But there were possible complications. Possible costs of a sort that maybe they didn¡¯t want to pay. Being vulnerable with Sans in some ways was easy, but¡­ well, vulnerability was a risk. And this vulnerability ran deep.

    How badly could things go? And could they handle it?

    They wandered as they thought, feeling uncertain and lost. Afraid. If only Sans just accepted them, then it would be easier. He could just accept or reject the idea, and they could just trust that things would be okay. They¡¯d be fine either way. But the idea of him doing more than rejecting the idea¡­

    ¡°Howdy, Frisk!¡± they heard a cheerful voice say, and they smiled.

    ¡°Flowey,¡± they said. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you.¡±

    They were walking close to his house¡­ maybe on some level they wanted to speak to him.

    ¡°Same,¡± he said, and gave them a quizzical look. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Er, nothing,¡± Frisk said and Flowey huffed at them.

    ¡°You should tell me,¡± Flowey pressed.

    ¡°I, er, I¡¯m feeling kinda¡­ melancholic and sappy,¡± they said. ¡°I don¡¯t think you want to know, really.¡±

    ¡°I always want to know,¡± Flowey corrected and they smiled. ¡°Even if it¡¯s stupid.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s totally stupid,¡± they said with a rough laugh. ¡°You¡¯ll hate it so much.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Flowey said.

    ¡°Not here, though,¡± Frisk said, glancing around.

    ¡°My house isn¡¯t far,¡± Flowey said.

    Frisk nodded and extended an arm. Flowey could move, and move fast when he needed to, but moving at a human¡¯s walking pace was annoying. He extended a vine and pulled himself up onto their shoulder, wrapping a few small roots and vines around their shoulder and neck to anchor himself.

    ¡°What have you been up to lately?¡± Frisk asked as they walked.

    ¡°I decided to learn how to fix cars,¡± Flowey said. ¡°A few more months and I¡¯ll be a certified car mechanic.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Frisk asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were into cars.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± Flowey said and Frisk snorted. ¡°But they¡¯re kinda interesting, since there weren¡¯t any in the underground. I figured it could be good to know.¡±

    ¡°Do you drive?¡± Frisk asked.

    ¡°Yeah, but I don¡¯t like to,¡± Flowey said. ¡°It¡¯s annoying to have to follow the rules and stay on the road.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s so ridiculous to me that you aren¡¯t into cars and don¡¯t even like to drive, but you¡¯re becoming a car mechanic,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°It¡¯s different,¡± Flowey said, shrugging with his vines.

    ¡°It is that,¡± Frisk said softly.

    ¡°Oh my god, that¡¯s so cute!¡± someone called out, looking over at Frisk. ¡°I love what you did with the flower!¡±

    Frisk snickered and then called back, ¡°Thanks! This is my favorite flower in the world!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right, you are feeling sappy today,¡± Flowey commented, and Frisk laughed.

    ¡°Maybe a little,¡± Frisk said. ¡°How long do you think the mechanic thing will hold your interest for?¡±

    ¡°Probably not longer than it¡¯ll take to get certified,¡± Flowey said. ¡°But I do like to collect certifications. Especially now that I actually get to keep the proof of them.¡±

    ¡°I guess that makes sense,¡± Frisk said. ¡°How many skills and stuff have you learned?¡±

    Flowey just laughed at that, like Frisk had asked something ridiculous.

    They supposed they kind of had.

    Normally, they fell into the same patterns of conversation with Flowey. He¡¯d extracted every glimmer of detail he could about their first timeline - he understood why his previous self had wanted the memories erased, but now that he wasn¡¯t facing the loss of everything, he would rather know.

    Beyond that, they¡¯d usually discuss Flowey¡¯s life and experiences. Mostly, Frisk would ask about the distant memories of Asriel and Chara¡¯s time together. They liked Flowey the most when he talked about that - he¡¯d get lost in the memories so thoroughly it was almost like he could actually feel the emotions, rather than just remembering them. The gentle smiles on his face, the real smiles, would always tug at Frisk¡¯s heart.

    They¡¯d also ask about whatever his entertainment of the day was. So far, since reaching the surface, he¡¯d read a few dozen books, played a ton of games, gotten involved in local theater shows, had a lot of fun helping in Frisk¡¯s ambassador role, volunteered as a monster book reader at several human elementary schools, travelled a good chunk of the world, and acquired money in hopefully legal ways that Frisk had decided to never question.

    The future knowledge from the 6-months-in-the-future determination experiments had probably related to that. As well as Frisk¡¯s agreement that they had no say in what Flowey did during dead-end timelines. There was the caveat that Frisk would also not discourage Sans from solving Flowey-related problems, so Flowey didn¡¯t push it too far. Still, whatever he¡¯d learned, and how, as well as how he applied that knowledge¡­ as long as it didn¡¯t drive Sans to murder him, Frisk was just not going to deal with it.

    The end results were nice, though, Frisk mused as they made it to Flowey¡¯s house. It was practically a mansion.

    ¡°I guess it was a silly question,¡± Frisk said, after maybe too long a moment in thought. ¡°I¡­ well, maybe it¡¯s also a silly question, but did you ever learn to play music?¡±

    ¡°Of course I have,¡± Flowey said. ¡°Want me to play for you?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯d be nice,¡± Frisk said, and Flowey looked pleased.

    He guided them through the house to a room they¡¯d never visited before - of which there were a number - and they gaped at what was inside. It was full to bursting with instruments. A piano, violin, guitar, harp, a drum set, a flute, and more¡­ it was practically a whole music shop in here.

    ¡°You play all of these?¡± Frisk asked.

    ¡°Are you kidding?¡± Flowey said. ¡°I play more than just these. These ones are just my favorites.¡±

    They paused a moment.

    ¡°Do you have any idea how long you¡¯ve lived?¡± Frisk asked.

    ¡°You know how hard it is to try to keep track of that sort of thing,¡± Flowey said with another shrug, hopping off their shoulder and looking at the room thoughtfully.

    He traced a vine over several instruments before settling on the piano, pulling himself up onto the bench and gesturing for Frisk to sit next to him. They did so and he pulled out a few more vines. They gracefully moved over the keys and Frisk let out an audible gasp as the music played.

    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful,¡± they breathed as the rich melody filled the air.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Flowey said. ¡°I had to teach myself to play. No hands, you know.¡±

    Or feet, Frisk thought as they watched him press the foot pedals with another set of vines.

    ¡°It¡¯s incredible,¡± Frisk said.

    The music was masterful. Sweet and dancing, lively and charming, a thing of beauty and art. Emotion was rich within the notes.

    And it was nothing but an amusement to the master of those notes. Such skill, and yet a complete inability to even hear the full beauty of his own creation.

    The power of the song, the reminder of Flowey¡¯s loss, combined with their own aching heart¡­ a few tears gathered in Frisk¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Why are you crying?¡± Flowey asked, sounding confused as he glanced up at them.

    This didn¡¯t interfere with his playing, naturally.

    ¡°It¡¯s really sappy,¡± they said.

    ¡°Tell me anyway,¡± Flowey said.

    ¡°Really, though, I don¡¯t want to say anything that¡¯ll hurt you,¡± Frisk said.

    Flowey gave them a look.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s something you should worry about,¡± Flowey said dryly. ¡°Just tell me already.¡±

    ¡°This music¡­¡± they said, and sighed. ¡°It¡¯s amazing. It¡¯s so beautiful, so sweet, so rich with feeling¡­ and it¡¯s killing me that I can feel it, but you can¡¯t.¡±

    His vines slowed on the keys, the music fading away. He seemed thoughtful. After a moment, he played a new song</a>, and they choked.

    It was the music box melody. It was Asriel¡¯s favorite song. He started with a very simple rendition of it that grew into something richer, deeper.

    This was not helping with their ¡°feeling sappy¡± problem and they wiped away a few more tears.

    ¡°It¡¯s not quite true, that I can¡¯t feel it,¡± Flowey said, still seeming thoughtful. ¡°This melody was important to me then. When I had a soul. I can¡¯t feel it right, not now, but if I focus, I can remember what it felt like. It¡¯s not that different, feeling something and remembering feeling it, right?¡±

    This was also not helping.

    They laughed bitterly and wiped away a few more tears.

    ¡°I wish I could share how I felt,¡± they said forlornly. ¡°I feel strongly enough for two people, easily.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯d be nice,¡± Flowey said. ¡°I am kind of curious. I did feel things in the monster souls, and I could almost feel things with the human souls. I wonder if I¡¯d feel anything from your soul. You know, considering the weird connection between us.¡±

    They went still.

    ¡°Do you want to absorb my soul?¡± they asked.

    ¡°Hee hee, is that what you think I¡¯m doing?¡± Flowey asked, grinning at them as he played. ¡°I wasn¡¯t angling for anything this time, Frisk. I was just curious.¡±

    ¡°No, I mean it,¡± Frisk said. ¡°I¡¯m not bothered. Do you want to?¡±

    ¡°Well, I am curious,¡± he said.

    ¡°Go ahead and kill me, then,¡± Frisk said, but Flowey spoke before they could say more.

    ¡°Not right now,¡± Flowey said. ¡°When did you last save?¡±

    ¡°Obviously, I need to save first,¡± Frisk said with a laugh. ¡°Do you mind if I make a save point in here?¡±

    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Flowey said, an odd note in his voice.

    He watched with a faintly regretful and jealous expression as they focused their will, allowing the beauty of the song to drive their heart, to fuel their determination. They wanted to share this with him, and they would. There wasn''t any worry about Sans, either - he''d long since agreed that tiny resets that wouldn''t affect him were fine, whenever Frisk wanted.

    Time anchored and power rushed through them. They weren¡¯t injured, so it left no changes in its wake.

    They let their hand fall from the save point and looked back at the piano, where Flowey continued to play.

    ¡°Whenever you like,¡± they said.

    Without pausing in his music, a sharp vine drove at their chest, piercing their heart. They grumbled out an ¡°ow¡± as they died, but smiled at him.

    ¡°Every time, really?¡± Flowey asked as the blackness faded and the music resumed with hardly a missed beat.

    ¡°Gimme a break,¡± they said. ¡°Being stabbed physically is really uncomfortable.¡±

    ¡°It kinda worked,¡± Flowey said with a smile. ¡°I didn¡¯t get much, but I felt a little sad.¡±

    Frisk laughed at that.

    ¡°Well, if you want to feel sad, then, I¡¯ve got you covered,¡± they said wryly.

    ¡°Why are you feeling so sad, anyway?¡± Flowey asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m not, exactly,¡± Frisk said. ¡°I¡¯m just¡­ feeling lost.¡±

    ¡°Okay, then why are you feeling lost?¡± Flowey asked.

    They sighed and looked away.

    ¡°Frisk,¡± Flowey said. ¡°You should tell me these things.¡±

    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± Frisk asked.

    ¡°Because I want to know,¡± Flowey said.

    Frisk just laughed and shook their head.

    ¡°Alright, alright,¡± they said. ¡°I guess. So I kind of have an idea on how to progress things, to get Sans to remember. But I¡¯m worried it could also mess things up. I¡¯m afraid.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡± Flowey said.

    ¡°I¡¯d rather not go into it,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Thing is, the biggest thing you lost from your memories of the first timeline is that I¡¯m¡­ actually kind of a coward.¡±

    ¡°Seriously?¡± Flowey asked.

    They nodded.

    ¡°I was incredibly driven by fear back then,¡± they said. ¡°The change I made, where I became a thing of devotion to Sans¡­ that was supposed to help with that problem. To stop it. I can¡¯t be afraid of the consequences of my choices if my choices belong to someone else, after all.¡±

    They sighed and fidgeted with their hands.

    ¡°This is different,¡± they said softly. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be afraid anymore. And yet, I am. So I¡¯m feeling¡­ lost.¡±

    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°What is it you¡¯re afraid of?¡± Flowey asked.

    ¡°I¡­¡± they said, and then shook their head.

    ¡°You can¡¯t just not tell me,¡± Flowey said. ¡°You aren¡¯t that awful of a person.¡±

    They snorted at that.

    ¡°You sure about that?¡± they asked.

    ¡°Killing people in a timeline you plan to reset isn¡¯t being awful,¡± Flowey said. ¡°Refusing to tell your best friend something he wants to know - that¡¯s just mean.¡±

    ¡°You have problems, Flowey,¡± Frisk said with a chuckle.

    ¡°My biggest one is my best friend is being mean,¡± Flowey said.

    ¡°Fine! Fine, Flowey,¡± Frisk said, laughing again.

    Flowey grinned, a victorious expression.

    ¡°But¡­ look, it¡¯s not easy to tell you,¡± Frisk said. ¡°You, specifically. I know you hate Sans, and you know I love him.¡±

    Flowey shifted to a simpler, more melancholic song.

    ¡°I don¡¯t hate Sans,¡± Flowey said. ¡°Not exactly, anyway. Mostly I¡¯m just annoyed at how murder-happy the bastard was, especially in my earliest days. I was trying to be nice back then, you know? I tried to be nice to everyone. But if I was spotted by Sans at all in that first month, the moment he guessed I was the flower from Alphys¡¯ experiments, then that was it. No mercy, no discussion, just killing me.

    ¡°I was honestly trying to be everyone¡¯s friend, and this piece of garbage would murder me just for existing. And back then I was confused why he seemed to actually change slightly over the timelines, getting more and more hostile as time went on. I get it now, ever since you mentioned Sans and Alphys were monitoring the timelines. But then, I thought he was just seeing something on my face, since that¡¯s all he¡¯d comment on before murdering me.¡±

    Frisk frowned and nodded.

    ¡°It¡¯s bullshit that Sans just decided that since I was a soulless thing made in an experiment, I should die just like that,¡± Flowey grumbled. ¡°I tried to befriend him, but I never managed it. The closest I got was a friendly acquaintance. And that was only possible if at least three months had passed since the start of my loops. Even then, I¡¯d always have this feeling like he was watching me, with hostility just beneath the surface, ready to kill me at the first sign of trouble.¡±

    Flowey huffed.

    ¡°And worse, I saw how he interacted with everyone else. What is wrong with people? It¡¯s annoying that anyone thinks they¡¯re friends with Sans. He never tells anyone anything, he¡¯s never real with anybody. He¡¯s a grinning, pretending-to-be-friendly, piece of garbage. Honestly, the biggest problem with what you said isn¡¯t that I hate Sans and am upset at you for being in love with him. The problem is I can¡¯t get how you can even see anything in Sans to love. There¡¯s nothing there - just dumb jokes and underneath it all, he¡¯s as dark and hostile as my worst loops.¡±

    Frisk had to admit, they really understood why Flowey saw Sans that way.

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen a lot of that, too,¡± they said. ¡°But I have to say, it does sound like you hate him.¡±

    Flowey gave them a look and they flushed.

    Right. Hate was probably too strong an emotion for the mostly numb Flowey.

    ¡°Er, sorry,¡± they said, and switched to a topic he¡¯d like more. ¡°Did you ever end up killing him?¡±

    ¡°Not in any sort of satisfying way,¡± Flowey said with a sigh. ¡°If ever he had any idea that danger might be coming at all, nothing worked. He was always so fast to teleport away. Pretty much the only plans that ever killed him were when I manipulated Papyrus to set things up - and that failed most of the time, too - or when it was something like luring him to CORE and making the whole thing self destruct. Which also failed sometimes. I had to disable all sorts of alarm systems, and it took like twenty tries¡­¡±

    Flowey sounded annoyed again and Frisk grinned.

    ¡°What about when he was sleeping?¡± Frisk asked.

    ¡°Getting into his room never worked, and outside of his room, his naps are a lie,¡± Flowey said. ¡°Just like everything else.¡±

    Frisk snickered.

    ¡°He¡¯s pretty capable,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°He¡¯s past capable,¡± Flowey grumbled, annoyed. ¡°I bet he has a kill count higher than either of us.¡±

    Frisk laughed.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll take that bet,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Of course, we¡¯d need to figure out your kill count and get Sans to admit to his.¡±

    ¡°Alright, fine, it¡¯s not higher than mine,¡± Flowey said with another huff. ¡°But that¡¯s only because I could kill the same person repeatedly and he just wouldn¡¯t have realistically had access to that many options, no matter where he¡¯s from.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re probably right, but there might be some possible worlds where he could have had that many victims,¡± Frisk pointed out.

    ¡°True,¡± Flowey said. ¡°Still, it¡¯s probably higher than yours.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Frisk agreed. ¡°Funny as this topic is, though, the thing is, I honestly have seen more in him. It¡¯s subtle, but especially in that first timeline¡­¡±

    They sighed.

    ¡°We clicked in ways that - well, maybe I was reading into things, but it looked like glimpses of his truest self,¡± they said. ¡°Only glimpses, only little moments. I did see it, though. He does hesitate to connect, I won¡¯t deny that, but it¡¯s there.¡±

    ¡°You say that,¡± Flowey said, moving on to another song again, a lively jazz number. ¡°But how can you know for sure? What do you even know about him?¡±

    Frisk hummed for a moment.

    ¡°Did you ever find out where they came from?¡± Frisk asked.

    ¡°I tried,¡± Flowey said. ¡°Papyrus knows so little¡­ shockingly little. It¡¯s downright insulting how little Sans has told him. He has an annoying amount of faith in Sans, and just accepted everything. All he knew was that they came from ¡®somewhere else¡¯ and that Sans had been trying to get them ¡®back home.¡¯ But then that the underground, that Snowdin, became their home. A lot of the stuff I managed to get out of Papyrus made absolutely no sense - all I could figure was that they came from somewhere far away. The surface, somewhere else, I don¡¯t know. It didn¡¯t make sense.¡±

    Frisk nodded thoughtfully.

    ¡°I know a few things,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Sans has told me a few secrets.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Flowey asked, a bright look on his face.

    ¡°They¡¯re secret,¡± Frisk said. ¡°You won¡¯t wheedle them out of me, and I¡¯d legitimately get annoyed at you for trying. The thing is, he has told me stuff. He doesn¡¯t hide as much from me.¡±

    Flowey shrugged.

    ¡°Even so,¡± Flowey said. ¡°I stand by my point. I don¡¯t think dropping a few tidbits in your lap counts as actually being real with you. Actually being your friend.¡±

    Frisk was silent for a moment.

    ¡°Does it bother you, how I feel towards Sans?¡± they asked.

    The music shifted again, becoming more melancholic. It was still beautiful, masterful, and wonderful to hear.

    ¡°It does,¡± Flowey admitted after a few measures of the song played. ¡°But¡­ well, if you were going to do this, to feel like this towards someone, I¡¯m glad it¡¯s not me, at least. It would be wrong to Chara¡¯s memory. To the kind of friendship we¡¯d shared. And it¡¯d be wrong for how I care about you, if it were something like that. I¡¯m glad you can be real with me, that it¡¯s equal between us. Other than the reset power thing.¡±

    He sighed wistfully at that.

    ¡°The devotion thing is completely idiotic,¡± Flowey said. ¡°I wish you weren¡¯t like that. But I do get it. It gives you a feeling of purpose, a reason to exist, something to drive towards. I wish I had some of that myself, though I¡¯m really glad I¡¯m not slavishly devoted to a smiley trashbag.¡±

    Frisk chuckled at that and he smiled at them.

    ¡°And another thing,¡± he said. ¡°It bugs me. You deserve better than being that asshole¡¯s possession.¡±

    They were amused, and kinda touched, by the sentiment. He seemed legitimately annoyed on their behalf.

    ¡°It¡¯s a good way to be,¡± they murmured quietly and he huffed.

    Neither of them spoke for a time, listening to and playing another beautiful song. Once it ended, he switched to a peppier song.

    ¡°Can you still hear Chara?¡± Flowey asked out of the blue.

    He asked this question every now and again. Most of the time, it was faint. But¡­

    ¡°I do,¡± they said. ¡°Chara grew louder, clearer, when I killed Sans.¡±

    ¡°They always did have good taste,¡± Flowey said with exaggerated pride and Frisk shoved him over.

    He flowed with the movement, laughing, and managed to not mess up his song.

    There was another moment of silence, barring the music.

    ¡°Flowey?¡± Frisk asked.

    ¡°Yeah?¡± he said.

    ¡°I just¡­ you do know how much you mean to me, don¡¯t you?¡± they said softly.

    He nodded.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you know,¡± they said.

    ¡°That¡¯s kind of stupid,¡± Flowey said. ¡°There was no possible way I wouldn¡¯t know that, wouldn¡¯t get that.¡±

    They smiled.

    ¡°I¡¯m a little worried about this conversation, too,¡± they said. ¡°We normally just¡­ you know. Memories, random stuff you¡¯ve been up to, whatever. I¡¯m worried this is bad, that I¡¯m being selfish, because of the whole thing about reminding you of¡­ things.¡±

    Of the fact that he couldn¡¯t feel right, of what he¡¯d lost.

    ¡°It does suck,¡± he said. ¡°All of it. The situation, the reminder. It also sucks being reminded that my best friend is fanatically devoted to the biggest asshole I¡¯ve ever met, and I¡¯m including myself here.¡±

    They couldn¡¯t help but snort at that.

    ¡°I really wish you could get over that and just have fun with me,¡± Flowey said. ¡°There¡¯s all sorts of things to try. The surface is so full of options. Or maybe to focus on the soul thing, so I can feel again. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯d work, but it¡¯d be nice, even to try.¡±

    He sighed.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want a conversation like this all the time,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s annoying. But I¡¯m not blind. I could tell you were struggling.¡±

    He smiled a little slyly.

    ¡°I am also completely aware that you evaded my questions about what you were afraid of and why you feel lost,¡± he said. ¡°You could make up for the bothersome parts by telling me those things.¡±

    They shoved him again and he laughed, moving on to a more upbeat song.

    ¡°I guess the problem is that in some ways I¡¯m stable, and in some ways I¡¯m pretty fragile,¡± they said. ¡°I¡¯ve hinged my entire existence, my entire self upon Sans-¡±

    ¡°Which was an incredibly stupid idea,¡± Flowey interjected.

    Frisk shrugged.

    ¡°In any case, it means Sans can destroy me, hurt me, in ways and to degrees even I¡¯m afraid of,¡± Frisk said. ¡°I mean, stuff like killing me or physical pain, that¡¯s nothing, but¡­¡±

    They sighed and Flowey nodded in agreement.

    ¡°But if he rejects me completely¡­ if he pushes me the wrong way, I¡­ I don¡¯t know what would happen to me,¡± they admitted softly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Flowey said, continuing to play a chipper tune. ¡°No matter what happens with Sans, I¡¯ll still be around. And even if you completely break down again, you¡¯ve already shown that you can get up and become something new. I wouldn¡¯t leave you hanging, leave you wondering, insecure, afraid, and lonely. Not like he does.¡±

    He smiled.

    ¡°I find it funny that I¡¯m a soulless flower who can¡¯t feel love, who can¡¯t feel most things, and yet I know how to be a friend better than Sans does,¡± he said.

    Frisk looked down.

    ¡°He¡¯s¡­ not exactly trying to be my friend,¡± they said, and Flowey gave them a curious look. ¡°I mean, he is, but that¡¯s not his focus. He¡¯s trying to do what he thinks is right.¡±

    ¡°He really sucks at that, too,¡± Flowey said.

    Frisk laughed a little at that.

    ¡°Maybe,¡± they allowed. ¡°But he tries. I respect that, you know? It¡¯s something I really respect about you, too - even with all the reason to be the worst sort of monster, you spent the majority of your life trying hard to do right. To be everyone¡¯s friend.¡±

    The music slowed, shifting into a softer sound.

    ¡°And, the fact is, he does care about me,¡± Frisk said.

    Flowey scoffed at that.

    ¡°Really, Flowey, you have no ground to stand on here,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Your care for me is also messed up. Trying to get me to kill Sans like that was an asshole move.¡±

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t actually what I was aiming for,¡± Flowey said. ¡°What I wanted was one of a few outcomes. One - I wanted Sans to own up to his hypocrisy, or at least for you to see it. Two, I wanted to finally kill him in a satisfying way. So it kind of failed, but as failures go, it was entertaining. A shame I couldn¡¯t be there to see it all myself.

    ¡°Also, you brought this topic up, so it doesn¡¯t count as me harassing you, and anyway, I¡¯m just confirming a guess. Did he make you do it?¡±

    Frisk hesitated.

    ¡°Sort of,¡± they said. ¡°He was trying to get my opinion on things, he was respectful about it¡­¡±

    ¡°Did he make you kill him?¡± Flowey pressed.

    Frisk. I¡¯m calling it in. The debt you owe me. I am giving you an order and I expect you to obey. Do it.

    ¡°It was the only way,¡± Frisk said quietly.

    ¡°That¡¯s a lie,¡± Flowey said, shaking his head. ¡°Don¡¯t you get it, Frisk? If I killed him, that would be uncomfortable for him, and no one else would have suffered at all. I¡¯d have accepted all sorts of limits, like on how much I could hurt him before he died.¡±

    Frisk gave him a dark look.

    ¡°I¡¯m saying that I wouldn¡¯t have hurt him before he died, you don¡¯t need to get upset about that,¡± Flowey said with a huff. ¡°I know he wouldn¡¯t have accepted any interesting options.¡±

    ¡°Flowey¡­¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°Anyway,¡± Flowey said. ¡°The point is, I could have killed him just as painlessly as you, without making you suffer, and it would have been nothing more than, what, discomfort? Maybe a blow to his pride? You matter less to him than that, Frisk.¡±

    Frisk¡¯s jaw clenched.

    ¡°Or he could have killed himself,¡± Flowey said. ¡°That¡¯s how I did it, and I know you could do it, too. How hard would it really be to aim one of those blasters at himself? Did it even occur to him?¡±

    Frisk was quiet.

    ¡°But no, he made you do it,¡± he said. ¡°Because you matter less to him than his pride, than his comfort, than his fear. Or whatever reason that would keep him from killing himself. Knowing how much you care about him, knowing how much it would hurt you - did he even offer an alternative?¡±

    Frisk stayed quiet.

    ¡°Did he give you any choices at all?¡± Flowey asked. ¡°This part, I¡¯m less sure of my guess, but my guess is still that he didn¡¯t. He just decided when and how it would happen, said a few things to make you not blame him for it, and then made you do it.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how it say it right, but it didn¡¯t feel like that,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°It didn¡¯t feel like that,¡± Flowey repeated skeptically.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to pretend he¡¯s this amazing friend of perfect virtue who always does things in the best way,¡± Frisk said. ¡°I know he¡¯s got flaws, but¡­¡±

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t really care about you, Frisk,¡± Flowey said. ¡°He just cares about himself.¡±

    ¡°Come on, Flowey,¡± Frisk said. ¡°When you held everyone¡¯s souls, you told me outright how much they cared about me.¡±

    Flowey frowned.

    ¡°Okay, he cares a little,¡± he muttered.

    Frisk raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°Look, I don¡¯t remember each individual monster¡¯s feelings all that well,¡± Flowey said. ¡°There were lots of them. And how he felt in that moment doesn¡¯t matter compared to how he treats you, how he treats everyone.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how much I agree with that,¡± Frisk said. ¡°And you can¡¯t think he doesn¡¯t care about Papyrus, do you?¡±

    ¡°Do you have any idea how many lies he¡¯s told Papyrus?¡± Flowey asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure he has reasons,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°Now you¡¯re just making excuses for him,¡± Flowey said. ¡°He¡¯s a piece of garbage, Frisk. Smiley trashbag. The name fits.¡±

    Frisk chuckled a little.

    ¡°Look, Flowey,¡± Frisk said. ¡°I¡¯m not blind. I¡¯ve seen the same things you have - maybe not all the same things, but the main points, anyway. I know there¡¯s darkness in him, I know he¡¯s got problems with connecting to people. But I think you¡¯re biased, too. I really do think he cares about me, and I think I¡¯ve seen enough to believe it.¡±

    Flowey shook his head.

    ¡°And honestly, the fact is, both of the most important people in my life, both of the people I have the deepest connection to,¡± Frisk said with a rough smile. ¡°They¡¯re both kinda fucked up in the head and don¡¯t do caring friendship right.¡±

    ¡°That is a reasonable point,¡± Flowey admitted with a little laugh. ¡°Have you tried hanging out with Papyrus, though? He¡¯s great at that.¡±

    ¡°Yeah he is,¡± Frisk said with a bemused smile. ¡°But, uh, he can be a little much sometimes.¡±

    Flowey just laughed at that.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to feel like I was unfair,¡± they said. ¡°Did I address your curiosity enough?¡±

    ¡°Partially,¡± Flowey said. ¡°I get the fear, but not the feeling of being lost.¡±

    ¡°If my purpose is to serve Sans,¡± they said, and he scowled again. ¡°And my idea makes him push me all the way away, then I have no purpose.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what happens when you decide you¡¯d rather be a tool than a person,¡± Flowey said bitingly. ¡°If you can¡¯t handle that risk, then maybe you should try not being a tool.¡±

    They blinked at that. Flowey was right. It was part of a tool¡¯s purpose to be set aside, wasn¡¯t it? Weirdly, that made them feel better. A tool, once set aside, could always be picked up again later. They could just¡­ stay Sans¡¯ tool, even if he set them aside, and make sure he knew they were always available to use again in the future. It wasn¡¯t as good as being actively used, but they could be left on the metaphorical shelf. As pragmatic as he was, there was no way he wouldn¡¯t use them at least a little, eventually.

    They smiled. Talking with Flowey had really helped.

    ¡°Glad you¡¯re feeling better,¡± Flowey said. ¡°One last thing. You need to tell me what your idea is.¡±

    They awkwardly looked away.

    ¡°Er, it¡¯s kinda what you were talking about,¡± they said. ¡°About how he doesn¡¯t really connect to people. I wanted to try to connect more, um, deeply.¡±

    Flowey burst out laughing at that.

    ¡°I really want to know how that goes,¡± he said.

    ¡°I¡¯ll let you know,¡± Frisk said.

    The broad outcome, anyway. They sure as hell weren¡¯t going to give him specifics.

    ¡°In the meantime, though, maybe you were right,¡± they said, and he gave them a curious look. ¡°We should go do something fun together. This has been nice, listening to your music like this. It¡¯s been¡­ amazing, actually. You are amazing, Flowey.¡±

    He laughed and thanked them again, moving on to a silly, victorious tune. They made a plan to go watch a new theater production the next week, and Frisk went on their way.

    It had been good, talking to Flowey. It didn¡¯t often make them feel better, but in a strange way, this conversation really had. One way or another, they would make their idea available to Sans, and they would lay everything at his feet, in trust that they had seen him. That they were right about him.

    And one way or another, no matter how it turned out, they would find themself on their feet.

    After all - they never gave up.

 Ch 14 - Proposal (Frisk POV)

    Frisk was extremely nervous. Their plan seemed solid. It seemed like it honestly should work. They¡¯d tried so many other things and had stalled out. It had been over a month since their partial success, and nothing else had worked.

    And the thing Alphys had said, about forging a bond through sex, sounding as though it were more tangible than normal emotional connections¡­

    Frisk took a steadying breath.

    They¡¯d told Sans they wanted to meet him privately to discuss something, and they didn¡¯t know how long the discussion would take. They¡¯d told Flowey that the scheduled time of the meeting might be a good time to sleep.

    Just in case Sans agreed and was interested in trying right away.

    They felt a¡­ rather pleasant sort of clenching feeling and tried to push it away.

    They were in Sans¡¯ house, with Papyrus off on some little adventure, with no plans to return till late. The three of them had become friends fully to the ¡°come in the house whenever¡± level, and didn¡¯t even bother knocking anymore. Sans and Papyrus were always welcome at Toriel¡¯s house, where Frisk lived, too.

    Sans hadn¡¯t happened to be home this time and had said they could either show up on time, or wait for him there. He was never late for meetings, but he did have a habit of showing up exactly on time. At least, for anything that felt ¡°business¡± related - he was more likely to show up early for anything that was more fun.

    In any case, it was five minutes until their agreed meeting time.

    For those five minutes, Frisk desperately tried to settle their thoughts. They were unsuccessful.

    With a faint sound, Sans abruptly appeared. He looked the same as he always did, save for the look of blended concern and amusement on his face. A weirdly mutable skull with lights flickering in his eye sockets that could express a wide range of emotions. The trick to reading his expressions was always his eyes, as he otherwise simply looked like he was smiling or grinning. The blue jacket that he loved, hanging loosely on his frame. A frame that always seemed a little bulky, considering there was a literal skeleton underneath. Comfy, long shorts. He often wore ¡°shoes¡± of the comfiest possible kind - slippers. Other times, he wore sneakers. Today was a purple bunny slippers day.

    ¡°so,¡± Sans said. ¡°what¡¯s all this about?¡±

    Maybe they could just do more of the dying trials? Those were fine. It was way easier to ask Sans to kill them than to¡­ than to¡­

    Hell, they couldn¡¯t even think it out loud in their own head.

    They swallowed.

    ¡°I¡­ had an idea a while ago,¡± they said. ¡°It¡­ as far as I can tell, from learning some things from Alphys, it really seems promising. Especially combined with what we¡¯d learned from our success, with the impressions lingering between resets. We¡¯ve been kind of trying some things that didn¡¯t seem as likely as this to work, but, um¡­¡±

    ¡°but you hesitated to mention it,¡± Sans said.

    ¡°Y-yes,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Um. I¡­ I don¡¯t¡­ uh¡­ trust my judgment in this. Um. I¡¯m not¡­ objective about this idea. At all. A-and I know, um, that I c-can be blind sometimes, in the, uh, right circumstances¡­¡±

    ¡°pretty sure whatever it is you¡¯ve thought of, you¡¯ve already done worse,¡± Sans said dryly, an amused glint in his eyes. He chuckled at their half-hearted glare before saying, ¡°go on, spit it out.¡±

    Frisk covered their face with their hands and took a breath.

    ¡°I¡­ in the long reset timeline, I¡­ sort of¡­ fell into a conversation with Alphys, and, uh, I found something out,¡± they stammered.

    ¡°that was months ago,¡± Sans said.

    ¡°Y-yes, but I didn¡¯t put things together until the success with the lingering impressions,¡± Frisk said. ¡°But, uh, the idea being that, um, we n-need to forge a bond between us, right? With the soul absorption being one angle, one that wasn¡¯t quite enough. Another way to forge a bond, or strengthen a bond, was needed. And, I-I¡­ okay, damn, this is hard¡­ I asked Alphys about¡­ about¡­¡±

    Frisk choked and turned away. They couldn¡¯t look at Sans while they said this. They took a breath, braced themself, and forced the words out in a single, long breath.

    ¡°I asked Alphys about the practical considerations of a sexual relationship between humans and monsters, and one of the many things I learned was that there was a magic thing in the process that could forge a bond of some kind.¡±

    There was silence for a moment.

    ¡°so lemme get this straight,¡± Sans asked, his tone amused. ¡°as the next in a series of trials to get me to remember the resets, you want me to have sex with you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna die,¡± Frisk said, covering their face. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­ this¡­ this was a mistake, can I just reload and this conversation never happen¡­¡±

    ¡°no,¡± Sans said directly. ¡°i don¡¯t want this conversation erased.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± Frisk said, their voice a bare whisper.

    They managed to glance at him in the silence, but couldn¡¯t bear to keep their gaze on him.

    ¡°i have questions,¡± Sans said after a moment of just watching them.

    Frisk swallowed and braced themself.

    ¡°first¡­ i get this conversation is a hard one,¡± Sans said. ¡°i¡¯m not gonna force you to answer anything. if ever it¡¯s too much, we can just drop it.¡±

    Frisk writhed, feeling overwhelmed.

    ¡°And¡­ by drop it, I assume that also would mean definitely not doing it,¡± Frisk said, hiding their face again.

    ¡°naturally,¡± Sans said.

    The burning heat in their veins was somehow stronger than their embarrassment. There was absolutely nothing that would stop them from¡­ making this option available to him. No matter how embarrassed they got, no matter what he said.

    ¡°I¡¯ll answer any and all questions,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°kid¡­¡± Sans said and sighed. ¡°guess i probably shouldn¡¯t call you that.¡±

    He suddenly winked mischievously.

    ¡°unless you wanna call me daddy.¡±

    ¡°Oh my god, no, Sans, you can¡¯t do that to me,¡± Frisk said, half shrieking and hiding under a couch cushion.

    Sans just laughed. Frisk tried to glare a laser through the couch cushion, which was not a power they¡¯d ever gotten, but would be remarkably convenient right now.

    Frisk wondered if Sans was actually into that sort of thing, or if he was just messing with them. With a sinking feeling, they realized it almost didn¡¯t matter. There was no escape. Not without giving up. Which meant there was no escape.

    ¡°honestly, though,¡± Sans said. ¡°this isn¡¯t like the other experiments. we¡¯re not even going to clear the air about this topic if it¡¯s out of obligation. i¡¯m telling you outright. if you don¡¯t want to be here, if you don¡¯t want to have this conversation, if you don¡¯t want any part of this, we¡¯re dropping it.¡±

    Oh. Yeah, they had been obviously subservient to Sans. They could see how he¡¯d be worried that they were¡­ sort of prostituting themselves to the goal. Which, frankly, Frisk would do without a second thought. If Sans wanted them to have sex with someone - Sans himself, or anyone he chose, why would they refuse?

    Did he maybe not realize that they¡­ wanted him? He might not. It might be hard to distinguish between desire to serve and desire for sex, especially since they had been trying to hide it, to not pressure him at all. And when one was a target of sexual interest, it was really common to have a hard time seeing it, even if it¡¯s obvious to an outsider.

    They could be brave. They would let him know. They pulled out from under the cushion and took a trembling breath, looking Sans straight in the eye.

    ¡°I want this,¡± they said, their voice burning and rough.

    His grin widened and he sat down on the couch, breathing out a contented sigh, looking completely relaxed and comfortable, the smug bastard.

    ¡°oh?¡± he asked as he sat. ¡°you wanna jump these bones?¡±

    Embarrassment surged and Frisk couldn¡¯t help but let out another shriek.

    But he¡¯d asked, and they would not give up.

    ¡°Yes,¡± they said, as soon as they could find the strength to speak.

    Sans was silent, looking contemplative.

    ¡°i¡¯m gonna be straight with you,¡± he said after a moment. ¡°i have done my best not to think about anything sexual regarding you pretty much ever. the power dynamic between us isn¡¯t exactly, uh, standard. i¡¯m a lot older than you. the fact that you¡¯re eager to obey me in what seems like absolutely every way makes things a little¡­ ethically ambiguous.¡±

    Did that mean he was making himself not think of them sexually; as in, that was what he¡¯d want to do? Or that he was kind of repulsed by the idea and avoided it? Was it just ethics that held him back?

    Nothing else to do but encourage him to continue. They nodded.

    ¡°i¡¯m pretty sure i know the answer, but i feel i still have to ask. out of a sense of obligation to me¡­ is there anything you wouldn¡¯t do?¡± Sans asked.

    Their mind blanked on the question. It was almost hard to comprehend. Either their mind blanked out on the idea of him actually giving an order, or they¡¯d obey it. But there were things they wouldn¡¯t do. Probably.

    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine literally anything that you might actually ask that I¡¯d refuse,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Like, if you asked me to kill Papyrus and have it stick, I don¡¯t think I could do that. Maybe if there was a damned good reason, but the idea of you asking that seems even more impossible than doing it.¡±

    ¡°heh,¡± Sans said. ¡°what about sexual things?¡±

    A delightful shudder ran through them at the question.

    ¡°Literally anything,¡± Frisk said without hesitation.

    ¡°and that right there is the problem,¡± Sans said with a sigh. ¡°i know you are, uh, committed. to me. to your course in life. but you aren¡¯t a sex toy for me to use and discard at will.¡±

    Holy fuck that was hot. Images flooded Frisk¡¯s mind and they struggled to stay still.

    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    ¡°I could be,¡± Frisk said, blushing intensely.

    ¡°i don¡¯t want you to be,¡± Sans said after a little sigh.

    That was a shame.

    ¡°Then I won¡¯t,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°it matters to me what you actually want,¡± Sans said. ¡°and why.¡±

    ¡°That matters to me, too,¡± Frisk said quietly. ¡°What you want, I mean. And why. It matters to me a lot.¡±

    ¡°i don¡¯t know what i want,¡± Sans said, his expression unreadable. ¡°you¡¯ll have to wait to find out. but it sounds like you already know what you want.¡±

    He didn¡¯t know¡­ which meant that he wasn¡¯t so opposed to the idea that the answer was easy. And he¡¯d mentioned ethical problems before. Not revulsion.

    ¡°But you haven¡¯t cut this conversation off,¡± Frisk said. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ something that it¡¯s possible you¡¯ll agree to.¡±

    ¡°i¡¯m making no promises either way,¡± Sans said. ¡°don¡¯t get your hopes up.¡±

    Frisk knew that they couldn¡¯t use resets to cheat, but deep down, they¡¯d developed a faith that if something they wanted was possible, then it was inevitable. As long as they didn¡¯t give up, which was never going to happen.

    ¡°Too late,¡± they said with a cheeky grin.

    ¡°you really want me to¡­ bone you?¡± he asked with an exaggerated wink.

    His previous comment about them being a sex toy had lit a fire in their blood that raged and burned. Being asked so directly¡­ yes, it was just a pun, but still¡­ they found their embarrassment being burned away by sheer, naked desire.

    They laughed at his joke, the sound oddly rich and throaty. Then they grinned at him. He had asked his question, and he would have his answer.

    ¡°Yes, I do,¡± they said, and the answer just kept coming. ¡°I¡¯ve fantasized about it so much that I was honestly afraid that I was blinded, that I was seeing a possible solution where none existed. That I was subconsciously using the idea as a way of getting what I want, even if it¡¯s insane and impractical. That¡¯s why it¡¯s taken so long for me to approach you. I wanted to make sure it seemed actually viable.¡±

    Maybe that was too much. Sans seemed to stretch a little, settling into a more comfortable position with a bit of a huff.

    ¡°if it¡¯s something you wanted that badly, why didn¡¯t you let me know before?¡± he asked.

    That was a much less sexy question, and also kind of a hard one. Also, seriously, did he not realize how difficult this was? Bah. Well, Frisk would focus on the more serious side of the answer, because honestly, embarrassment was nothing compared to that.

    ¡°Because you owe me nothing,¡± Frisk said seriously. ¡°I love you. I want you. But I have no claim on you, no hold on you. You have given me everything, and I killed the version of you that maybe might have loved me back. I can ask to pursue plans related to our objective - that seems fair. But everything else¡­ it is yours to decide what we are. Friends, enemies, lovers, friends with benefits, friends where one is an occasional sex toy to be used and discarded. Anything.¡±

    ¡°that is really not healthy,¡± Sans said with a sigh.

    ¡°I am not healthy,¡± Frisk said. ¡°What I am is utterly and entirely yours, Sans. And while I like some ideas more than others, I¡¯m not really¡­ opposed¡­ to any option that includes you boning me. At all.¡±

    Quite the contrary. Frisk was increasingly having trouble staying focused.

    Well. Focused on some things.

    ¡°what is it you really want?¡± Sans asked.

    Hnng. That was a really awkward question at this exact moment.

    ¡°You¡­ sure you want to know?¡± Frisk asked uneasily.

    ¡°i think i need to,¡± Sans said.

    If it¡¯s what he wanted, then it¡¯s what he¡¯d have.

    Oh, this would be uncomfortable. They braced themself and poured it all out.

    ¡°I want a hundred million things, many of which are completely incompatible,¡± they said. ¡°I want to be your lover. The one you love. But also, what you said about being a sex toy that you use and discard¡­ that was way hotter than I¡¯d expected, and I find that I want that, too. Or a sex slave, or a million other things.

    ¡°But what I think it all boils down to¡­¡±

    They hesitated, trying to find the right way to word this. They took a breath and continued.

    ¡°Wise or not, sane or not¡­ and I know it¡¯s probably ¡®not¡¯ for both of those¡­ I¡¯ve committed myself to you, heart and soul,¡± they said. ¡°I want to be yours. Part of me wants to say ¡®in any capacity,¡¯ but that¡¯s not true. If you wanted me as a personal assassin, I¡¯d do it, but that doesn¡¯t¡­ seem like a happy future.¡±

    His eyes were dark and thoughtful, but Frisk just couldn¡¯t tell what he was thinking. They wanted to know, so badly.

    But he had asked, and so they answered.

    ¡°I want¡­ to be yours. Personally. I want you to feel like you can trust me. Tell me things, rely on me, on both a personal and pragmatic level. I want you to tell me jokes, and share secrets, and laugh with me. I want you to care about me personally. To deeply care.¡±

    They had some of what they wanted. He did seem to enjoy their company, but they didn¡¯t really have faith, deep down, that he wanted to spend time with them because he actually really liked them, rather than because they were an easy option. He talked to them about some things, but they had no idea how much he really trusted them.

    When they¡¯d killed him a month ago - and wasn¡¯t that memory a relic of nightmares - he¡¯d said he trusted them. But trust was complicated. He almost certainly did, in some ways. He seemed to honestly believe that they¡¯d obey him, for example.

    But other things¡­ Almost everything he said was superficial or business. They still had no idea where he¡¯d come from, or what it was he¡¯d lost. They hadn¡¯t pried, either, but as far as they knew, he didn¡¯t talk to anyone about that sort of thing.

    They didn¡¯t even know if he trusted them to remain loyal. For all they knew, he was worried they were too insane, and would snap and become obsessed with something else. That they could be trusted to obey in the short term, but not beyond that.

    What they shared was nice¡­ but Frisk was still afraid.

    They sighed.

    ¡°Part of it is with the resets,¡± they said. ¡°Right now, the only one who is¡­ completely, 100% real to me at all times is Flowey. And he¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°he¡¯s flowey,¡± Sans supplied.

    Heh. That was a way to put it. Frisk looked at Sans and wondered if, with his practically-magic ability to read expressions, if he¡¯d be able to really understand what they were saying. How they wanted a guarantee of connection; of something reliable and absolute. If he had any idea how powerful the connection between them and Flowey had become, due to the shared resets, for all that their connection was tainted by¡­ the fact that he was Flowey.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± they said. ¡°I want to keep you forever at my side, to never, ever be afraid of losing you. But not mine. I don¡¯t want you to ever feel trapped by me, held back by me. I want to be yours. Kept on a metaphorical shelf at home, or actually at your side, whatever you need, but always yours. Someone, something you can rely on, to always trust to be there for you. That I can rest easy in the knowledge that you have a simple, absolute faith that I¡¯m yours to do with as you wish.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to phrase it right, why it appeals so much. The idea of belonging to you, rather than belonging to me, if that makes sense. The idea of you trying to make yourself love me is revolting. The idea of you having sex with me, without actually wanting to, is revolting.¡±

    They would, of course, but it would be upsetting. Really, deeply upsetting. But they wanted him to understand that their devotion wasn¡¯t completely blind. They did have real desires and preferences, too.

    ¡°but you¡¯d rather me love you than just use you for sex,¡± he said.

    The question was jarring. It felt like it was crashing into walls in Frisk¡¯s head. The idea of wanting him to be a certain way was almost even confusing - what Frisk wanted was for Sans to be Sans. If the true Sans would love them, then they wanted him to love them. If the true Sans would hate them, it would break their heart, but he should hate them.

    They would prefer the love, of course, but there were a million kinds of love, and so many¡­ they felt like they¡¯d be happy with any of them.

    Part of them, uh, objected to this sort of thinking. Part of them did, in fact, want him to feel things in a certain, rather specific way.

    Honesty was hard sometimes.

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ hard to answer that,¡± Frisk said. ¡°It¡¯s hard to see it that way. I want¡­ I want the truth. I do want you to care about me, but even the word ¡®love¡¯ - there¡¯s a million kinds of love. The love you have for Papyrus, for example, is a beautiful and powerful thing. I love so many, especially the monsters - they¡¯ve stolen my heart in ways and to depths I didn¡¯t even know I was capable of.

    ¡°Yes, I want you to love me¡­ but the idea of constraining things to say that I specifically want romantic love seems wrong.¡±

    The hard part of this question was coming, but it felt like it had to be said.

    ¡°I definitely want to have sex with you. I want you to want that. I have to admit, that is something specific I really want. A lot.¡±

    They needed to shut up on that point before they started rambling, or worse, begging.

    Unless he was into that. They¡¯d totally beg.

    ¡°But the difference between romantic love, where I¡¯m a lover, and a deep bond of friendship, where I¡¯m also a sex toy¡­ it doesn¡¯t seem that significant to me. As long as, whatever kind of love it is, that it is true to you. That¡¯s the part that matters.¡±

    ¡°be honest,¡± Sans said. ¡°if your happiest imaginings came true right now, you¡¯d prefer to have me declare romantic feelings for you, right?¡±

    They flushed a deep red.

    Oh no.

    No, no, no, no, no.

    He didn¡¯t just ask that question, did he? And did he have to specify ¡°right now?¡± Was that really necessary?

    Oh, very no.

    But he had asked, so they would answer.

    ¡­ maybe with an ¡°are you sure¡± first.

    ¡°U-uh, r-right now?¡± they asked, squeaking a little. ¡°As in, um, right this minute? Not in a general metaphorical sort of overview idea of what I¡¯d like, but what I¡¯d like¡­ right¡­ now?¡±

    ¡°why not?¡± he asked, his voice lower than usual, and an odd smile on his face. ¡°tell me what you¡¯d want me to do right this moment.¡±

    Hnng.

    He had asked, they would answer.

    And the imaginings in Frisk¡¯s head shifted a little into a delicious spiral. That he might be inspired by what they said, and might make it come true, and so they weren¡¯t just declaring what they wanted, they might actually be setting up what could actually happen¡­ and wasn¡¯t that what he was asking? What they found themselves imagining, most eagerly, for him to do right now?

    ¡°I, uh,¡± Frisk said, swallowing. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ really not thinking romantic thoughts right now. Um. Kind of the opposite. I-it seems really hot that you might say that this conversation is, uh, making it hard to think and you could use some relief before continuing things. And then looking me over and deciding exactly what part of me you wanted to use. And it¡¯s not smart at all, but for me to still be desperately writhing after you¡­ after you finish with me, and then find out everything else you want to know, and then finally deciding that yeah, you do want to fuck me properly after all, and then I, uh, also, uh¡­¡±

    Oh this was hard. Their emotions were tangling. He wasn¡¯t reacting at all, they wanted him to react, but maybe he was just hiding his reactions, or maybe he didn¡¯t like this, but he had asked, and oh, it was difficult, but they would finish answering, no matter how they squirmed with embarrassment and need.

    ¡°Then I f-finish, feeling you inside me,¡± they continued, barely able to breathe. ¡°T-that¡¯s what I want right now. I-it¡¯s hard to think of a-anything else, at the moment, to be honest.¡±

    Please, please, Sans¡­ just do it¡­ or give me leave to give you pleasure¡­ or to masturbate in front of you¡­ oh, Sans, give me something¡­

    ¡°interesting,¡± he said casually, putting his hands in his jacket pockets as he got up. ¡°welp, you¡¯ve given me a lot to think about. we¡¯ll need to touch base after i¡¯ve chewed it over.¡±

    He was leaving? No¡­ was the fire only in their blood? Not that he had blood. Had they just made a wretched fool of themself, writhing with obvious lust and confessing a lurid fantasy to someone who was just¡­ curious what they were thinking?

    ¡°Please, Sans,¡± Frisk said, their voice pleading.

    He paused on his way out the door.

    What to ask? How to ask him if he desired them? If he thought them a fool, embarrassed by their sluttiness, or something¡­

    ¡°I know you don¡¯t know what you ultimately want, and I know that¡¯s what matters most,¡± they said. ¡°B-but¡­ it may not matter as much, but it matters, I¡­ do you¡­ I mean, in a short term, short sighted, in the moment way, do you want¡­ this?¡±

    ¡°i dunno if it¡¯s a good idea to answer,¡± Sans said, not turning around.

    I guess I just won¡¯t know, they thought despairingly. But I won¡¯t be a burden, I won¡¯t make him do things he doesn¡¯t want to do. I can endure this.

    ¡°I¡­ I understand,¡± Frisk said.

    Sans sighed.

    ¡°look,¡± he said. ¡°i¡¯ll say this. i knew what i was asking, in that last question. that last order. if my interest were completely pragmatic, i wouldn¡¯t have.¡±

    The fire erupted again. It wasn¡¯t a ringing endorsement, but it meant he¡¯d intentionally and knowingly asked them a sexual question. And he¡¯d done it because of non-pragmatic reasons. Because he¡¯d wanted to.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Frisk breathed, trembling again as they stared at him, their blood boiling and churning.

    He didn¡¯t bother to go to the door and just disappeared.

    Frisk knew it was probably rude to masturbate furiously on a friend¡¯s living room floor, but there was no way they¡¯d successfully make it back to their house like this.

 Ch. 14 - Proposal (Sans POV)

    Frisk had asked Sans to meet up someplace private to discuss an idea. They¡¯d seemed really nervous, which made Sans a little nervous. He was pretty sure it wasn¡¯t a hyper-violent idea, though - they seemed entirely too comfortable with that type of suggestion.

    He didn¡¯t know, and he found himself uneasy about guessing. But it hardly mattered. He¡¯d tried not to take Frisk¡¯s obedience for granted, but at the same time, the fact was he knew he could just tell them to reveal their thoughts, and that would be that. It was really hard not to feel a certain sense of¡­ maybe ¡°comfort¡± wasn¡¯t the right word, but perhaps ¡°certainty¡± would work. To feel certain in their interactions. A sense of absolute control, nevermind that they had power over him in rather uncontestable ways.

    Huh. Now that he thought about it, that was an odd power dynamic. Frisk had absolute power over him, and had surrendered absolute control to him.

    Anyway.

    He¡¯d been chilling at Grillby¡¯s, not feeling especially eager to get started on whatever awfulness Frisk had come up with this time. If it made them uncomfortable, it was probably nightmare fuel for anyone else. He tried not to wonder what it was, because that way lay madness.

    He showed up on time to the meeting in his living room and Frisk was a mess. He was happy to note that they didn¡¯t seem a mess in the bad way - they clearly hadn¡¯t fallen into one of their obsessive guilt spirals again. Just nervousness, anxiety, that sort of thing

    They¡¯d also dressed a little differently. Still their style, but nicer. They had a brand new sweater that said, ¡°Bad to the Bone¡± on it, and Sans couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. He also noted that they almost always wore that heart locket, but weren¡¯t wearing it today.

    They just stared at him when he appeared, and didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°so,¡± Sans said. ¡°what¡¯s all this about?¡±

    They had an odd sort of terror in their eyes as they swallowed nervously.

    ¡°I¡­ had an idea a while ago,¡± they said. ¡°It¡­ as far as I can tell, from learning some things from Alphys, it really seems promising. Especially combined with what we¡¯d learned from our success, with the impressions lingering between resets. We¡¯ve been kind of trying some things that didn¡¯t seem as likely as this to work, but, um¡­¡±

    Interesting. What would make them not mention an idea? They usually couldn¡¯t hardly be stopped from sharing whatever idea had occurred to them, no matter how insane.

    ¡°but you hesitated to mention it,¡± Sans prompted.

    ¡°Y-yes,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Um. I¡­ I don¡¯t¡­ uh¡­ trust my judgment in this. Um. I¡¯m not¡­ objective about this idea. At all. A-and I know, um, that I c-can be blind sometimes, in the, uh, right circumstances¡­¡±

    Part of Sans must have already made a prediction, because the rest of him was trying really hard not to think about the implications of this. And why would he avoid the implications if he didn¡¯t already have an idea where this was going?

    He knew damn well where this was going, but he was going to continue to pretend to himself that he had no idea. He could deny all responsibility, all awareness, until the last possible minute.

    But he could still poke Frisk a little.

    ¡°pretty sure whatever it is you¡¯ve thought of, you¡¯ve already done worse,¡± Sans said dryly, completely confident that this wasn¡¯t ¡®worse¡¯ in that sense at all.

    They gave him a glare that was half amused, half exasperated and he chuckled.

    ¡°go on, spit it out,¡± he said.

    Frisk covered their face with their hands and took a breath.

    ¡°I¡­ in the long reset timeline, I¡­ sort of¡­ fell into a conversation with Alphys, and, uh, I found something out,¡± they stammered.

    ¡°that was months ago,¡± Sans said.

    Jeez, how long had they been hiding this? They weren¡¯t supposed to be hiding things from him.

    ¡°Y-yes, but I didn¡¯t put things together until the success with the lingering impressions,¡± Frisk said. ¡°But, uh, the idea being that, um, we n-need to forge a bond between us, right? With the soul absorption being one angle, one that wasn¡¯t quite enough. Another way to forge a bond, or strengthen a bond, was needed. And, I-I¡­ okay, damn, this is hard¡­ I asked Alphys about¡­ about¡­¡±

    Frisk choked and turned away.

    Sans¡¯ attempt to fool himself into not knowing where this was going was running into a giant problem in glowing neon.

    But¡­ but maybe he was misinterpreting. He sure as hell wasn¡¯t going to be the one to broach this topic.

    They took a few breaths, steadied themself, and then spoke a single, long sentence at high speed, as though forced from their throat with pure determination.

    ¡°I asked Alphys about the practical considerations of a sexual relationship between humans and monsters, and one of the many things I learned was that there was a magic thing in the process that could forge a bond of some kind.¡±

    Called it, that part of him smugly said, only to be shoved aside by the rest of him.

    There were¡­ concerns. Many concerns. He couldn¡¯t even begin to wrap his head around the, uh, personal consequences of this conversation, as far as his own thoughts went.

    Was this a viable idea? Maybe. He hadn¡¯t thought about bonding through sex, and he might need to spend some time thinking about it.

    Was this Frisk¡¯s honest attempt at a viable solution? Maybe. He knew that they loved him¡­ but he was a skeleton and they were human. It was possible that they weren¡¯t actually interested in him in that way, and just thought this was a legitimate approach. And their attachment to him was more¡­ platonic than that. Possibly romantic in some way, but not sexual. And this was a pragmatic, but embarrassing, experimental attempt. Though¡­ he had to admit this didn¡¯t seem likely.

    Was this something that Frisk wanted for, uh, more personal reasons, and had simply wrapped it in a viable excuse? Also maybe. His mind kind of stuttered on trying to explore this hypothesis.

    The nice thing was, he personally had nothing to worry about. Sure, they were stammering, embarrassed, and clearly struggling, but he could just ask anything or tell them to do anything, and that was that.

    Awkward as this was, it might even be a fun conversation, when he looked at it like that.

    ¡°so lemme get this straight,¡± Sans said, his tone amused. ¡°as the next in a series of trials to get me to remember the resets, you want me to have sex with you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna die,¡± Frisk said, covering their face. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­ this¡­ this was a mistake, can I just reload and this conversation never happen¡­¡±

    He was pretty sure they were just verbally flailing, but it still wasn¡¯t something he liked. So¡­

    ¡°no,¡± Sans said directly. ¡°i don¡¯t want this conversation erased.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± Frisk said, their voice a bare whisper.

    And that was that.

    He was really not doing a great job of not taking that for granted. At least he didn¡¯t just take advantage of the situation and fail to appreciate it.

    ¡°i have questions,¡± he said after a moment to try to organize his thoughts.

    Frisk swallowed.

    ¡°first¡­ i get this conversation is a hard one,¡± Sans said. ¡°i¡¯m not gonna force you to answer anything. if ever it¡¯s too much, we can just drop it.¡±

    Frisk writhed awkwardly.

    ¡°And¡­ by drop it, I assume that also would mean definitely not doing it,¡± Frisk said from behind their hands.

    ¡°naturally,¡± Sans said.

    ¡°I¡¯ll answer any and all questions,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°kid¡­¡± Sans said and sighed. ¡°guess i probably shouldn¡¯t call you that.¡±

    The timing needed to be exactly right for this next bit. He winked and added, ¡°unless you wanna call me daddy.¡±

    ¡°Oh my god, no, Sans, you can¡¯t do that to me,¡± Frisk said, half shrieking and hiding under a couch cushion.

    Sans just laughed. He could almost feel the glare. It was glorious. That particular bit of play wasn¡¯t really his thing, but it looked like fantastic ammo for making Frisk scream.

    ¡°honestly, though,¡± Sans said. ¡°this isn¡¯t like the other experiments. we¡¯re not even going to clear the air about this topic if it¡¯s out of obligation. i¡¯m telling you outright. if you don¡¯t want to be here, if you don¡¯t want to have this conversation, if you don¡¯t want any part of this, we¡¯re dropping it.¡±

    Frisk pulled out from under the cushion and looked him in the eye. They were trembling but resolute.

    ¡°I want this,¡± they said, their voice burning and rough.

    That¡­ hit Sans a little harder than he¡¯d expected. He let out a breath, but he had the perfect rejoiner.

    ¡°oh?¡± he asked, sitting down on the couch and laying back in an exaggeratedly relaxed way that also kept his jacket in a necessary position. ¡°you wanna jump these bones?¡±

    Another shriek filled the air and Sans laughed again. He took the opportunity, with Frisk¡¯s silent embarrassment, to try to sort through his own head a little.

    But the silence didn¡¯t last as long as he expected.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Frisk said, a hoarse whisper.

    He¡­ had to admit, that was his fault. He¡¯d laid out the terms that they had to answer questions to proceed, and he¡¯d asked a question. He had no one to blame but himself.

    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    ¡°i¡¯m gonna be straight with you,¡± Sans said after a moment. ¡°i have done my best not to think about anything sexual regarding you pretty much ever. the power dynamic between us isn¡¯t exactly, uh, standard. i¡¯m a lot older than you. the fact that you¡¯re eager to obey me in what seems like absolutely every way makes things a little¡­ ethically ambiguous.¡±

    They nodded, with a serious look.

    ¡°i¡¯m pretty sure i know the answer, but i feel i still have to ask. out of a sense of obligation to me¡­ is there anything you wouldn¡¯t do?¡± Sans asked.

    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine literally anything that you might actually ask that I¡¯d refuse,¡± Frisk said seriously. ¡°Like, if you asked me to kill Papyrus and have it stick, I don¡¯t think I could do that. Maybe if there was a damned good reason, but the idea of you asking that seems even more impossible than doing it.¡±

    That didn¡¯t help much. Almost didn¡¯t help at all. Now, to try to guess Frisk¡¯s limits, he¡¯d have to guess what Frisk thought Sans¡¯ limits were. Eh, he was pretty sure he already knew their effective limits in general - draw the line at ¡°sane things he could ever conceivably ask for¡± and then, if he was lucky, their limits might be in view. Maybe.

    But he could try to narrow things down a little for this particular discussion.

    ¡°heh,¡± Sans said. ¡°what about sexual things?¡±

    ¡°Literally anything,¡± Frisk said without hesitation.

    ¡°and that right there is the problem,¡± Sans said with a sigh. ¡°i know you are, uh, committed. to me. to your course in life. but you aren¡¯t a sex toy for me to use and discard at will.¡±

    ¡°I could be,¡± Frisk said, blushing intensely.

    That needed another breath.

    ¡°i don¡¯t want you to be,¡± Sans said.

    ¡°Then I won¡¯t,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°it matters to me what you actually want,¡± Sans said. ¡°and why.¡±

    ¡°That matters to me, too,¡± Frisk said quietly. ¡°What you want, I mean. And why. It matters to me a lot.¡±

    ¡°i don¡¯t know what i want,¡± Sans admitted. ¡°you¡¯ll have to wait to find out. but it sounds like you already know what you want.¡±

    ¡°But you haven¡¯t cut this conversation off,¡± Frisk said. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ something that it¡¯s possible you¡¯ll agree to.¡±

    ¡°i¡¯m making no promises either way,¡± Sans said. ¡°don¡¯t get your hopes up.¡±

    ¡°Too late,¡± they said with a cheeky grin.

    ¡°you really want me to¡­ bone you?¡± he asked, expecting another shriek.

    Instead, Frisk just laughed, a far more sensual sound than he¡¯d ever heard from them. He saw an almost manic grin as they leaned forward breathlessly.

    ¡°Yes, I do,¡± they said. ¡°I¡¯ve fantasized about it so much that I was honestly afraid that I was blinded, that I was seeing a possible solution where none existed. That I was subconsciously using the idea as a way of getting what I want, even if it¡¯s insane and impractical. That¡¯s why it¡¯s taken so long for me to approach you. I wanted to make sure it seemed actually viable.¡±

    That¡­ required another breath. Or two.

    ¡°if it¡¯s something you wanted that badly, why didn¡¯t you let me know before?¡±

    ¡°Because you owe me nothing,¡± Frisk said seriously. ¡°I love you. I want you. But I have no claim on you, no hold on you. You have given me everything, and I killed the version of you that maybe might have loved me back. I can ask to pursue plans related to our objective - that seems fair. But everything else¡­ it is yours to decide what we are. Friends, enemies, lovers, friends with benefits, friends where one is an occasional sex toy to be used and discarded. Anything.¡±

    ¡°that is really not healthy,¡± Sans said with a sigh.

    ¡°I am not healthy,¡± Frisk said. ¡°What I am is utterly and entirely yours, Sans. And while I like some ideas more than others, I¡¯m not really¡­ opposed¡­ to any option that includes you boning me. At all.¡±

    ¡°what is it you really want?¡± Sans asked.

    ¡°You¡­ sure you want to know?¡± Frisk asked uneasily.

    ¡°i think i need to,¡± Sans said.

    ¡°I want a hundred million things, many of which are completely incompatible,¡± they said. ¡°I want to be your lover. The one you love. But also, what you said about being a sex toy that you use and discard¡­ that was incredibly hot¡­ and I find that I want that, too. Or a sex slave, or a million other things.

    ¡°But what I think it all boils down to¡­¡±

    They hesitated and took a breath.

    The hesitation was good for him, too. He¡¯d not really pursued anything sexually ever since the incident that brought him here, for a number of reasons. It wasn¡¯t that he lacked any interest, but, well¡­ sex was complicated. Nuanced relationships, expectations, demands on his time. And completely casual sex was either a lot of work to set up - it wasn¡¯t like he was a sex idol or anything - or it was for reasons he didn¡¯t particularly enjoy. There were lots of humans who were interested in monsters just because they were monsters, for example, but that didn¡¯t appeal.

    But none of that meant he didn¡¯t feel any desire. He just managed things on his own and enjoyed other aspects of life.

    This was hitting him like a wrecking ball. His body, that is. His mind was so taken aback - mostly due to his refusal to allow himself to think about this ahead of time, to see it coming - that he was practically operating on instinct. Gather information, and let the cards fall where they may.

    These cards were a little, uh, hard.

    ¡°Wise or not, sane or not¡­ and I know it¡¯s probably ¡®not¡¯ for both of those¡­ I¡¯ve committed myself to you, heart and soul,¡± they said. ¡°I want to be yours. Part of me wants to say ¡®in any capacity,¡¯ but that¡¯s not true. If you wanted me as a personal assassin, I¡¯d do it, but that doesn¡¯t¡­ seem like a happy future.¡±

    He suppressed a sigh at the confirmation that they¡¯d kill if he asked them to, but it¡¯s not like he didn¡¯t already know that. Even so.

    ¡°I want¡­ to be yours. Personally. I want you to feel like you can trust me. Tell me things, rely on me, on both a personal and pragmatic level. I want you to tell me jokes, and share secrets, and laugh with me. I want you to care about me personally. To deeply care.¡±

    Practically all of that was already the case. He did try not to take advantage of their obedience, their devotion, but it was hard not to. He did feel like he could trust them. Not their judgment - they weren¡¯t all that sane - but to have his back? To keep his secrets? They¡¯d burned that doubt away and not even dust remained, in these last months. And they did share in jokes and fun, all the time. They loved his humor, even before they started losing their mind, and their reactions were fantastic.

    He¡¯d even partially revealed one of his biggest secrets, if not the details of why. Where his body had been accidentally altered to give him both extra power and extra vulnerability. He could bend reality, could freeze time and space, could teleport freely, could summon powerful weapons¡­ and also die to a hard poke, if it was edged with almost any killing intent at all.

    Not even Papyrus knew quite how vulnerable he was. There was a reason he was a bit trigger happy with his teleports and dodges.

    They sighed.

    ¡°Part of it is with the resets,¡± they said. ¡°Right now, the only one who is¡­ completely, 100% real to me at all times is Flowey. And he¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°he¡¯s flowey,¡± Sans supplied.

    Sans wanted that, too. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was possible, but the faint success they¡¯d had was impossibly alluring. He had to admit, he wanted it badly. They¡¯d admitted to him about what he¡¯d been like at the end of the long stretch reset, and he didn¡¯t want that. He never wanted to find himself in a doomed timeline, and if they could nail this, he never would. It was good that he never had to wonder if he was in a doomed timeline - beyond the worry that Frisk would snap in some way down the line, or something unexpected went wrong - because Frisk would always tell him, but he¡¯d rather it just never be an option in the first place.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± they said. ¡°I want to keep you forever at my side, to never, ever be afraid of losing you. But not mine. I don¡¯t want you to ever feel trapped by me, held back by me. I want to be yours. Kept on a metaphorical shelf at home, or actually at your side, whatever you need, but always yours. Someone, something you can rely on, to always trust to be there for you. That I can rest easy in the knowledge that you have a simple, absolute faith that I¡¯m yours to do with as you wish.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to phrase it right, why it appeals so much. The idea of belonging to you, rather than belonging to me, if that makes sense. The idea of you trying to make yourself love me is revolting. The idea of you having sex with me, without actually wanting to, is revolting.¡±

    All of this was weird to his way of thinking. Well, except for that very last bit - that, at least, seemed sane. But they were so earnest, so serious. A big part of him thought it sounded dangerous and unethical and messed up. But¡­ but another part couldn¡¯t help but ask, if it¡¯s what they really wanted, was it actually that bad?

    Yet another part was convinced they were just saying that, and what they really wanted was a standard romance with him, but were too broken to admit it. So he called them out on it.

    ¡°but you¡¯d rather me love you than just use you for sex,¡± he said.

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ hard to answer that,¡± Frisk said. ¡°It¡¯s hard to see it that way. I want¡­ I want the truth. I do want you to care about me, but even the word ¡®love¡¯ - there¡¯s a million kinds of love. The love you have for Papyrus, for example, is a beautiful and powerful thing. I love so many, especially the monsters - they¡¯ve stolen my heart in ways and to depths I didn¡¯t even know I was capable of.

    ¡°Yes, I want you to love me¡­ but the idea of constraining things to say that I specifically want romantic love seems wrong. I definitely want to have sex with you. I want you to want that. I have to admit, that is something specific I really want. A lot. But the difference between romantic love, where I¡¯m a lover, and a deep bond of friendship, where I¡¯m also a sex toy¡­ it doesn¡¯t seem that significant to me. As long as, whatever kind of love it is, that it is true to you. That¡¯s the part that matters.¡±

    That¡­ really didn¡¯t sound like they wanted romantic love but were denying themself. But it might be.

    ¡°be honest,¡± Sans said. ¡°if your happiest imaginings came true right now, you¡¯d prefer to have me declare romantic feelings for you, right?¡±

    They flushed a deep red.

    ¡°U-uh, r-right now?¡± they asked, squeaking a little. ¡°As in, um, right this minute? Not in a general metaphorical sort of overview idea of what I¡¯d like, but what I¡¯d like¡­ right¡­ now?¡±

    He was going to need to end this conversation soon and clear his head. Clear something, at any rate.

    He should say no, and that he meant the big picture way. That is absolutely what he should say. No question.

    ¡°why not?¡± he asked, his voice lower than usual. ¡°tell me what you¡¯d want me to do right this moment.¡±

    He always did love Frisk¡¯s reactions, and damn were they squirming deliciously right now.

    ¡°I, uh,¡± Frisk said, swallowing. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ really not thinking romantic thoughts right now. Um. Kind of the opposite. I-it seems really hot that you might say that this conversation is, uh, making it hard to think and you could use some relief before continuing things. And then looking me over and deciding exactly what part of me you wanted to use. And it¡¯s not smart at all, but for me to still be desperately writhing after you¡­ after you finish with me, and then find out everything else you want to know, and then finally deciding that yeah, you do want to fuck me properly after all, and then I, uh, also, uh¡­¡±

    He needed to leave. No, he needed Frisk to leave, this was his house. Because he did, in fact, feel absolute faith in the idea that he could order them to come over to the couch, use their mouth, and then just resume the conversation and he would personally have no problems that would result from this.

    And seeing them writhe with desire for him was hot in a way that he¡¯d never experienced. Not that he¡¯d ever had anyone writhing with lust and looking at him that way before.

    It was really, really hard to resist.

    ¡°Then I f-finish, feeling you inside me,¡± they continued, breathless. ¡°T-that¡¯s what I want right now. I-it¡¯s hard to think of a-anything else, at the moment, to be honest.¡±

    Okay, this had to stop. Now. Because if he went along with this even a little bit more, he¡¯d end up doing something he regretted. And he would regret it, no matter what. He¡¯d regret making an impulse decision about something so important, even if it turned out great.

    ¡°interesting,¡± he said casually, making sure his jacket was well positioned as he got up. ¡°welp, you¡¯ve given me a lot to think about. we¡¯ll need to touch base after i¡¯ve chewed it over.¡±

    ¡°Please, Sans,¡± Frisk said, their voice pleading.

    He paused on his way out the door.

    ¡°I know you don¡¯t know what you ultimately want, and I know that¡¯s what matters most,¡± they said. ¡°B-but¡­ it may not matter as much, but it matters, I¡­ do you¡­ I mean, in a short term, short sighted, in the moment way, do you want¡­ this?¡±

    ¡°i dunno if it¡¯s a good idea to answer,¡± Sans said honestly.

    ¡°I¡­ I understand,¡± Frisk said, sounding like they were trying to be brave.

    Sans sighed.

    ¡°look,¡± he said. ¡°i¡¯ll say this. i knew what i was asking, in that last question. that last order. if my interest were completely pragmatic, i wouldn¡¯t have.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Frisk said and he swore he could feel them behind him.

    Yeah, he just needed to leave. Screw doors.

    His old bedroom in the underground was dusty from disuse, but it was private. It took a little while before he could think again.

 Ch. 15 - Decision (Frisk POV)

    Frisk was in a state of panic until they received a reassuring text from Sans that their relationship was fine and that this hadn¡¯t impacted their friendship. They weren¡¯t completely sure that was true, but it was comforting anyway.

    Over the last months, Sans had grown increasingly comfortable - as far as they could tell - with speaking bluntly to them, with asking them to do things, with asking them direct questions.

    He was always nice about it, though. Unless he was in a hurry, he would double check that they actually wanted to do whatever it was.

    There was a time they¡¯d shown up early to a comedy show and everything was going wrong. As soon as Sans had seen them, he¡¯d sighed with relief and started giving them orders on how to help get the sound equipment set up, and it had felt so good. It had been wonderful to see his reaction, his faith, that as soon as they showed up, he knew he had support and he didn¡¯t even have to ask if they¡¯d help. It had seemed like the question hadn¡¯t even occurred to him - they were there, of course they would help, this is what they needed to do.

    All of that meant, of course, that their trust in him had grown. It was far from absolute, but they really believed that if he said their friendship was fine, then it probably really was.

    For the next week, they were anxious about what he''d say, what he''d do. Finally, finally, Sans texted that he was ready to discuss and they picked a time. Frisk informed Flowey of a possibility of mega time loops again, and then settled in as best as they could to wait the last stretch.

    This time, Sans had said that he¡¯d be home. It was sunset as they arrived - a few minutes early, as usual - and they went right in.

    Sans was already comfortable and sitting on the couch, lazily gesturing them over.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± Frisk said nervously, wringing their hands as they walked over to the couch. ¡°I really got carried away last time, and it wasn¡¯t until after that I realized, what I¡¯d said and done, I¡­¡±

    ¡°stop,¡± he said.

    So they did, a sense of relief filling them at the feeling he¡¯d taken control of the situation.

    ¡°relax, frisk,¡± he continued. ¡°you didn¡¯t do anything wrong. we both got caught up in the moment and carried away. it¡¯s fine. i¡¯m glad you honestly answered my questions.¡±

    He wanted them to relax. Whether or not he actually thought that way, he wanted them to believe they had nothing to feel bad about. And really, he probably was glad they¡¯d answered his questions.

    Their anxieties melted into comfort and contentment.

    He gestured at the stuffed lazy chair beside the couch and they sat down. It left space between them, much more than sharing the couch would have, but not all that much space. They could hold hands without sitting up, and if they leaned forward, they could reach the rest of him. A barrier, but not true distance.

    It was comfortable.

    ¡°there is something i need from you,¡± he said, which made them feel even more settled and secure. ¡°i¡¯ve, uh, done my best to make sure that i won¡¯t be as easy to distract this time.¡±

    He¡¯d¡­ tried to make sure he wouldn¡¯t get distracted? What did he mean by that?

    One interpretation came to mind. That last time, he¡¯d been distracted due to lust and so he¡¯d masturbated a bunch today to try to prevent that. He couldn¡¯t mean that, could he?

    They couldn¡¯t think of anything else, but then¡­ it might be because they suddenly couldn¡¯t think of anything else.

    ¡°i didn¡¯t do a great job of actually addressing my main concerns before. so, here¡¯s what i need. today, this meeting, we¡¯re not doing anything sexual, no matter what. even if i, uh, start to change my mind, i want you to remember that and make sure nothing happens. can you do that?¡±

    Oh no. Sans, no¡­

    Inside they were howling with laughter and writhing with sexual frustration at once. He wanted them to make sure the two of them didn¡¯t do anything sexual today?

    Even if he started to change his mind?

    The fact that he thought it was a possibility that he might start to change his mind¡­ it made their previous interpretation of his first statement seem more likely. Oh, this was going to be hard.

    But if he wanted to be sure they stayed on track today, they would do their utmost.

    ¡°I admit that will be hard,¡± they said. ¡°But I will. You don¡¯t need to worry.¡±

    ¡°good,¡± he said. ¡°because your, uh, hope for things to go that way was one of the more difficult problems last time.¡±

    Oh yes, this was going to be difficult. Seeing how much they wanted him had caused him problems, had it? So they¡¯d have to try to both be honest with him but not too obvious with their desire?

    Their knees trembled with the desire to fall to them before him and openly show how much they ¡°hoped for things to go that way,¡± but they squashed that hope hard. They pushed back against their own lust. Nothing would happen, because Sans didn¡¯t want either of them to fall to the temptation. They could masturbate to this situation later, but for now they needed to focus.

    The burning faded, mostly replaced by a wicked amusement, as they grinned at him.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad to have the chance to protect you from yourself,¡± they said.

    He snorted at that.

    ¡°i¡¯ve thought about this situation a lot, this last week,¡± he said. ¡°here¡¯s the thing, frisk. this situation is messed up. it¡¯s beyond messed up. it¡¯s completely fucked up.¡±

    They¡¯d heard him curse before, but rarely - it shocked them, and that shock carried a wave of shame through them. This situation was messed up because of how messed up Frisk was.

    ¡°if i try to look at the situation from a perspective of what ¡®should¡¯ happen, i shouldn¡¯t have anything to do with you,¡± he said, his voice heavy. ¡°every interaction with you is taking advantage of a completely fucked up mind. having sex with you is even worse, and i¡¯m sure there¡¯s people who would think that it¡¯s morally only a step removed from rape.¡±

    No, no, no, no, no¡­

    Frisk¡¯s mind was a shattered scramble, this was¡­ they didn¡¯t want him to feel this way, to view things this way, this was wrong¡­

    ¡°but i don¡¯t always do what i think morality says should be done,¡± he said, a hint of sorrow, or perhaps guilt, tinging his voice, as he looked down at his hands.

    That pulled them back to the present. They knew that feeling, and rather than taking what he¡¯d said a moment ago as the real way he thought of things, maybe it was just his guilt talking.

    They knew that feeling, too.

    ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, Sans, I really feel differently,¡± Frisk said softly.

    His gaze returned to them.

    ¡°I am my own person, and I have my own wants,¡± they said, the desire for him to understand flooding their voice. ¡°If a person loses their sight because of traumatic reasons, they should still be loved and accommodated, including if they desire things that relate to their blindness.

    ¡°Yes, I do recognize that my devotion to you is ¡®messed up,¡¯ but this is who I am now, and I am glad to be this way. I don¡¯t want to be otherwise. Even if you think my devotion is due to mental injury¡­ which it pretty obviously is¡­ I think it still deserves respect. Not to be obeyed, not to force you to accept it, but¡­ to respect that I have the right to be who I want to be. If I truly desire you, and my whole being is in agreement, then to say that having sex with me is tantamount to rape is to say I have no right to consent. I think I deserve better than that.¡±

    He looked away again, silent. They would let him think.

    ¡°you honestly think that it¡¯s more respectful to use you?¡± he asked after a minute.

    ¡°No,¡± they said, shaking their head. ¡°That¡¯s not it at all. I¡¯m saying I think it¡¯s more respectful to accept that I am glad to be someone for you to use. What you do with that situation is up to you, and it¡¯s fine either way. But if you want to use me, and don¡¯t, it¡¯s because you believe that my existence is wrong. That¡¯s the part that seems less respectful of my own capacity for choice.¡±

    ¡°but,¡± he said. ¡°but you¡¯re talking about me using you like a tool. and you only feel that way because you had a really fucked up experience that broke you completely. taking advantage of that is¡­ well, taking advantage of you.¡±

    They grinned.

    If that was the only problem, that he was ¡°taking advantage¡± of them, that hardly seemed like a problem at all.

    ¡°I¡¯m kinda used to unfair advantages,¡± they said. ¡°And besides - life isn¡¯t fair. And if life is going to be unfair, then fuck it all, we should cheat. I want to give you advantages. I want to give you unfair advantages. If you ever have a desire to ¡®take advantage¡¯ of me, then by all means, do it. It feels good when you do. You¡¯re talking about doing something that fights back against the unfairness of life in a way that helps you and makes me feel good. Why the hell not?¡±

    He stared at them for a moment then sighed heavily.

    ¡°this is so completely messed up,¡± he said, a groan in his voice. ¡°you know that, right?¡±

    They shrugged.

    ¡°Does it matter?¡± they asked. ¡°I¡¯m an adult, I have the capacity to reason, I am who I am, and I¡¯m happy with who I am.¡±

    They winced slightly at the untruth. They weren¡¯t hugely happy with a lot of details of who they were - that they were capable of such great evil, for example - but they were happy with who they were with Sans. It was the part of their existence they felt the most comfortable with. If only he¡¯d accept them, it¡¯d feel even more secure.

    ¡°Er¡­ sort of, but I am in this particular sense, anyway,¡± they amended. ¡°And you don¡¯t have to do anything. You don¡¯t have to ever tell me to do things. You could tell me to take a different approach to your questions, that I don¡¯t always answer them, or that I¡¯m allowed to be dishonest. I¡¯m not insisting that you take me as a slave or anything. Just¡­ respecting the fact that I have chosen - though that doesn¡¯t quite feel like the right word - to be always and forever available to you.¡±

    It really wasn¡¯t the right word. They didn¡¯t feel like this had been a choice, exactly. From the moment they¡¯d held the knife, staring down at him, the transformation their soul underwent¡­

    This was simply who they were.

    He took his time thinking again and they waited, watching him.

    ¡°i¡¯ll need to chew on that at some point,¡± he said eventually. ¡°but in the end, it just makes me feel better about the conclusion i already came to. as i¡¯d started to say, i don¡¯t always do what it seems like morality would say i should. i¡¯d already decided that, even if this situation is wrong, even if i am just taking advantage of you, i¡¯m willing to do it anyway.¡±

    He was accepting them? He was willing to have them be his, in some fashion? The fact that he thought it was wrong wasn¡¯t great, but this was his choice.

    And¡­ did that mean¡­ that he would¡­ that together, they¡¯d¡­

    Heat rushed through them at the thought, and they aggressively tried to shove it away, but the knowledge burned within their mind and heart. And maybe other places.

    ¡°mostly because of things you already mentioned,¡± he continued. ¡°the fact that you want me to, that you¡¯re happier when i do, counts for a lot. if no one is getting hurt, then it doesn¡¯t seem like it¡¯s as bad as it sounds.¡±

    He slowly took a breath as they beamed at him.

    ¡°sex is a little more sticky,¡± he said.

    That was so bad and they couldn¡¯t help but giggle. He gave them a genuinely amused grin and then continued.

    ¡°the fact is, between the two of us, one hundred percent of the sanity is in here,¡± he said, tapping at his skull.

    Couldn¡¯t disagree with that. They nodded in full acceptance.

    ¡°that means if i care about sanity at all, i need to be the one who makes certain decisions,¡± he said, and they nodded again. ¡°normally, i¡¯d have to trust my partner for something like this, but frankly, i don¡¯t. not for this sort of thing - you¡¯re willing to do way too much.¡±

    That wasn¡¯t ideal, but also, it¡¯s not like they could argue about it. If he meant that he¡¯d normally rely on a partner to set sane boundaries, that was something they couldn¡¯t be relied on for.

    ¡°so i need certain information in order to decide if we¡¯re going to go through with this, and it¡¯s going to be really uncomfortable for you,¡± he finished.

    Oh. Oh yes. ¡°In order to decide if we¡¯d go through with this¡± meant that he was seriously considering going through with this.

    Which meant, if he was satisfied with their answers, then he would¡­ he would¡­

    Oh, that fire in their veins was going to be a problem. It was getting harder and harder to smother, but they tried.

    Not today. He wouldn¡¯t take them today. But maybe soon¡­ and for it, they just had to answer some uncomfortable questions?

    ¡°Whatever you want to know,¡± they said, and meant it absolutely.

    ¡°we¡¯re gonna start this with an order,¡± he said. ¡°you need to make sure your answers are designed to convey to me what you actually feel, deep down, and not what you think i want to hear. not what you think aligns with your vision of how your devotion works. not with any fanciful thoughts of how you want things to be. if there¡¯s a fight in you between two answers, you give me both. nothing fancy, nothing flowery, just the straight facts. do you understand?¡±

    ¡°I do,¡± they said solemnly. ¡°You¡¯re right. That will be uncomfortable.¡±

    ¡°i¡¯ve barely started, kid,¡± he said and then scratched at his head, seeming uncomfortable.

    ¡°asking you what you actually feel for me would be a bad question, because it¡¯d probably take days,¡± he said and they laughed. This was true. ¡°so i¡¯m taking a different approach. i don¡¯t know what¡¯s really going on in your head, and have a number of different hypotheses. i¡¯m going to tell you one of them, and you¡¯re going to tell me exactly how correct or incorrect it is.¡±

    This seemed downright easy. They nodded, eager.

    ¡°before your genocide run, you were heading for romance with the other sans,¡± he said. ¡°i don¡¯t mean in the sense that he felt that way - i¡¯m just talking about your half here. resetting destroyed that, and in your head, destroyed all possibility of it. you¡¯ve mostly accepted that, but you¡¯re straining to regain any hint of what could have been, what you wanted.

    ¡°so what you really want, deep down, is a romance of equals between us; a shared, mutual, romantic love. and all of the rest of this is born from your belief that you destroyed it, that what you want is actually impossible, and you¡¯re trying to grab on to anything you can that makes you feel like it maybe wasn¡¯t as completely destroyed as you¡¯d first thought.

    ¡°so, first question - does this hypothesis make sense?¡±

    Maybe not so easy. This hypothesis had a number of points that hit rather¡­ heavily. Hard. Hearing him say these things¡­ some parts of their heart hurt, and even caught them by surprise by the pain of it. And the type of pain. This wasn¡¯t how they would have expected to feel, on having this brought to light this way.

    ¡°Yes, it does,¡± they said seriously.

    ¡°then tell me exactly to what extent it is true,¡± he said.

    ¡°I need a moment to think,¡± they said and he nodded.

    That was an understatement. They¡¯d had flashes of thoughts of things with Sans before, of course, but they¡¯d all been scattered and ephemeral. They¡¯d never latched on to one particular fantasy, because the biggest fantasy was uncovering the depths of his soul, the discovery of his truest nature, the connection to his deepest truths.

    That. That was what they wanted.

    Glimpses of him using them in various ways, or fucking them, or pulling them into a hug because he wanted comfort, instead of just for their sake, or telling them how much he appreciated them¡­ they were all scattered. Nothing as coherent as dreaming about being in a romance with him. Though they hadn¡¯t had fantasies of marriage, or candlelit dinners, or anything like that. Maybe because those things were just preludes to the real fun, but either way, they just hadn¡¯t.

    They¡¯d tried to tell him that last week, too. But he¡¯d obviously not been convinced. Or possibly hadn¡¯t understood, that they¡¯d said it wrong.

    There were true things in the hypothesis, and yet, in looking at them¡­ they felt wrong. Even the things that were true.

    Oh, this was going to be a mess to sort through.

    They focused, chasing the sensations, organizing them, facing them as directly as they could. Then when they felt they understood what was going on, they took some time to try to organize it, to turn the mess coherent.

    They hated that they were making him wait, but he was patient, and he wanted their best answer, not an off the cuff one.

    ¡°The Frisk that existed before the genocide route is dead,¡± they said at last. ¡°They got ill from the fear of Chara and the implications of the loop. They started to die at the realization of what they destroyed, and as they started to kill. And the moment they surrendered to Chara, after your gambit of attempting mercy? That was the moment they died. The moment I existed was the moment I fought back against Chara, fought to apologize to your passed out form, fought to reset. My birth was complete, when this timeline was born. My soul began to heal into its new shape when I spoke to you at the cliff, that first day.¡±

    He continued to look at them impassively. They wished they could read his face half as well as he could read theirs.

    ¡°I say this because, I look at that Frisk, and frankly, they¡¯re not me,¡± they said. ¡°Their desires aren¡¯t my desires. Their thoughts seem almost alien to me, in many cases. They seem almost as much not-me as Chara does.

    ¡°I think that hypothesis is right, in some ways. I think they wanted to walk a path of romance with you. That ¡®me¡¯ didn¡¯t think of it in those terms, but it does look like that¡¯s where their heart was leading them. But that desire isn¡¯t my desire. It looks alien to me now. The thought of a relationship like that? It looks¡­ weird and difficult.

    ¡°If you said you wanted us to be deeply intimate friends, sharing everything from jokes, to secrets, to sex, where you could just trust in my loyalty and companionship? That seems easy and natural. That seems like it fits the shape of my soul. That image seems like a breath of relief, to stop trying to twist myself in unnatural directions.

    ¡°If you confessed your love for me in a romantic way, and wanted a relationship of equals, like other people have relationships¡­ that would be very difficult. I would, of course; I would try with everything I had to fit that shape. But who and what I am, now, is a thing that is utterly subservient to you. That¡¯s not naturally compatible with a romance of equals.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t fit the shape of my soul, and while it¡¯s¡­ it is a little sad to realize that I don¡¯t think I am capable of ever having that, with anyone¡­ it¡¯s not all that sad. It¡¯s like the wistfulness when I appreciate someone¡¯s art skills and think it¡¯d be nice if I could do that, too. It¡¯s a little sad I¡¯m not an amazing artist, but well, I¡¯m just not, and that¡¯s okay.¡±

    They frowned, thinking over what they¡¯d said.

    ¡°I think I answered your question right,¡± they said. ¡°Did I?¡±

    ¡°so you really, deep down, aren¡¯t pining for me to declare my love for you and to have that whole fairy-tale happy ending?¡± he asked.

    Did he really think that, or was he just trying to make absolutely sure?

    Either way, the question hurt more than they¡¯d have thought. How distant, how alien the question was¡­

    They shook their head.

    ¡°It¡¯s kind of sad to admit, now that I think about it,¡± they said. ¡°I want you to love me, but¡­ when I think about those stories of love, when I think about Alphys and Undyne, when I see these things¡­ they aren¡¯t the shape of my soul. I don¡¯t see anything anywhere that matches me. All I have to go on is my own thoughts and feelings.¡±

    They¡¯d never seen anything that felt like a match for who they currently were, in so many ways. In fiction and reality both, they were intensely isolated. Not that they spent much time looking at fictional things, but still.

    Flowey, the only one who was forever real, and who had lost so much of himself.

    Sans, who they tried to bring with them, but it only worked in the context of words. And so, there was that eternal awareness that, with just a surge of will, anything he¡¯d said or done, or they said or did, could just¡­ not be. That whatever version of Sans they were talking to could be the fake one, all depending on their choices.

    And no one else did they even try to take with them. Echoes and ghosts, everywhere. Mostly real, because they avoided resetting, but always the possibility.

    And of course, the way they''d changed in direct relation to Sans. To feel like their soul was wrapped around him in particular, such that he was their purpose.

    There was nothing that was like the dynamic between Sans and them. This was a truly new path and they had no guidance whatsoever.

    They pressed on.

    ¡°And in those fondest imaginings, you do declare your love for me, but not¡­ not like that,¡± they admitted, feeling another surge of distant aching. ¡°Not that shape of love, not that style. You tell me that your own heart has settled into a position of trust in me, that your faith in me - in my loyalty, in my love, in my commitment - is absolute. That you know, deep down, that I am yours, and I am something that you treasure above almost anything else. That you are glad that I exist, that I¡¯m in your life, and glad that I am yours. That you want me by your side for life, to always have that sense of security and certainty that, even if all else in the world is crazy and unknown, the fact that I am yours and I love you is a bedrock you can count on. That, even if it¡¯s weird and not like what other people think is okay, that I matter, deeply and personally, to you. That is the kind of declaration of love I want most desperately from you.¡±

    Oh, this hurt, to tell him this openly. Their heart trembled, now that it was explicitly in the air between them. Now that he knew the deepest key to their soul, their fondest desire.

    And yet, they couldn¡¯t even manage to be afraid. Because they were his, and if his desire was for them to be put aside, then¡­ that was their purpose.

    They gazed at him, waiting.

    He leaned back in his seat, his gaze distant as he thought. He stayed that way for long moments before his gaze turned to them again.

    How deep and dark his eyes were, the blackness within the sockets lit only by a faint spark. Not as dark as when he chose to embrace his darkness, of course, but still, it wasn¡¯t brightness and cheer that he was thinking about.

    ¡°okay,¡± he said at last. ¡°let¡¯s talk about a different side of things. what if i fell into a normal romantic relationship with someone else? how do you think you¡¯d really feel? not what you want to feel, how you¡¯d actually react.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d be disappointed,¡± they said immediately, and then paused. ¡°But¡­ well, maybe that¡¯s not true, actually. If they were okay with me being sexually used by you, I¡¯d love that. You could have a great relationship with them, and I could help satisfy you when they weren¡¯t around, or maybe participate and help out, all three of us. You could also give me to them for their use, too. That whole idea seems like it¡¯d be awesome, actually.¡±

    The more they thought about this, the more they liked it. It seemed both fun and hot as hell. Would it be Toriel? That would be awkward and maybe not so great. But if it wasn¡¯t Toriel, pretty much literally anyone else, then they would be all over this plan. And things had seemed to just not go anywhere between Sans and Toriel anyway.

    He sighed heavily at that.

    ¡°If they weren¡¯t okay with that, or if you decided you didn¡¯t want to do anything sexual with me in general, I¡¯d be pretty much equally disappointed, I think,¡± they said. ¡°I do want to be with you sexually. A¡­ hell of a lot, and I admit I¡¯d really struggle with my desires if you were opposed to that. And I¡¯d want to talk to you and figure out what you thought was best to do about that, uh, need. I don¡¯t think I can do a normal romance with anyone ever, and frankly, why would anyone else want me when I¡¯m devoted to you? So I¡¯d probably be stuck with casual options. But maybe I could find some sort of friends with benefits situation with someone that everyone could be happy with. Or you could give me to some people on occasion - that sounds hot.¡±

    ¡°you actually don¡¯t think you¡¯d be jealous?¡± he pressed.

    They shook their head.

    How could they be jealous of something they were incapable of even properly wanting?

    ¡°No,¡± they said with a bit of a sad smile. ¡°Now that I¡¯ve really tried to think about what a proper romance with you would look like¡­ again, I¡¯d be willing, even eager, to try, but I feel like¡­ who I am would have to change, in order for it to work at all. And¡­ to be entirely honest, though it pains me to say it¡­¡±

    They realized something as they spoke - figured out how to say it, at any rate. And they didn¡¯t want to say it, they couldn¡¯t¡­

    But he¡¯d made it very clear what his expectations for this conversation were.

    They really didn¡¯t want to and they felt the pain of it appear on their face.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say this part, if it weren¡¯t for your orders earlier,¡± they said with a sigh. ¡°But while a part of me likes the idea of a romance between us, I honestly suspect that, deep down, I don¡¯t have that capability anymore. That I could try - that I would try, with everything I have - but that, in the end, I would fail. And so if you do desire a¡­ let¡¯s call it standard romance, a love between equals, without this messed up power dynamic, then you¡¯d¡­¡±

    God, they had to say this, didn¡¯t they. They didn¡¯t want it to be true, they wanted to be able to give him anything he wanted, any type of connection he wanted, but¡­ but¡­

    They forced themself to speak.

    ¡°You¡¯d¡­ you¡¯d probably have to find it somewhere else, in the end,¡± they said roughly.

    Admitting this failure hurt terribly. And what if they were just thinking about it wrong? People could change. Maybe they could change, too.

    ¡°But I could be wrong,¡± they whispered. ¡°If that¡¯s what you wanted, I would try, I would, and it might work.¡±

    ¡°if i¡¯m understanding you, the reason you¡¯re upset isn¡¯t because you¡¯re sad that we can¡¯t have a romantic relationship. it¡¯s because you¡¯re upset at the idea of me wanting something from you and you not being able to provide,¡± he said.

    He understood.

    ¡°Yes, exactly,¡± they said, a surge of relief flooding them.

    He sighed again and gave them a sidelong look.

    ¡°you realize if i ever do end up in a romantic relationship with anyone, they¡¯re probably going to hate the idea of you even existing,¡± Sans pointed out.

    Frisk laughed at that, and yet it hurt.

    Maybe he hadn¡¯t fully understood. They kept telling him, but, maybe he didn¡¯t even want to believe them.

    ¡°I¡¯ve said it so many times, but I think on some level you don¡¯t want to believe me,¡± they said with a sad smile. ¡°I am yours, Sans. Yours to use, to set aside, as you will. If you want me to stay away from you for the rest of your life, then I will. I would want to make sure you have some way to contact me, in case you change your mind, but other than that, I would. If we decide that it¡¯s safe for me to let go and let myself die for real, and you want me dead, then I want to die. If you decide that I shouldn¡¯t exist, then I won¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°so you¡¯re saying i¡¯m stuck dealing with the responsibility for your life,¡± Sans said, frustration clear in his voice.

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Only deal with the issue of my life if ever you feel like it. I can manage it on my own. My life or death are simply available to you, if you ever do feel like doing anything with them.¡±

    Sans leaned back and just groaned, a sound of sheer, overwhelming exasperation.

    They felt bad about that, but he¡¯d wanted the truth, and they were doing their best.

    ¡°if you¡¯re this obsessed with me, how would you even function if i weren¡¯t around?¡± he asked, still looking up at the ceiling, still sounding exasperated.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Frisk said, looking down. ¡°I would try very hard to avoid resets, to let time pass us all by. Otherwise, only Flowey would feel fully real, and that dynamic might be dangerous. Or, actually¡­ I¡¯d dedicate myself to trying to solve Flowey¡¯s soul problem, and then if it worked, I think Asriel would be a great influence on me.¡±

    That honestly seemed like a solid plan. They¡¯d rather be with Sans in some capacity, any capacity, but if they couldn¡¯t¡­ their biggest regret over the awfulness of life, outside of their own actions, was what Flowey had lost. It seemed good, and healing, to help him with that.

    They wanted to deal with Chara eventually, too, but now that they had a better sense of Chara, it really didn''t seem urgent. That whole situation was scary, but it wasn''t getting worse.

    ¡°Yes, I think that works,¡± they said.

    He glanced at them for a moment, then resumed looking at the ceiling, thinking again.

    They waited patiently. They couldn¡¯t put their finger on it, but it almost felt like something in the air between them was changing over the next minutes. No particular shifting of his hands, or sound of his breath gave it away, and yet there was a heaviness that hadn¡¯t been there before.

    They awaited his judgment in silence.

    ¡°i¡¯ve decided,¡± he said, after several minutes. ¡°we¡¯ll try it once. that¡¯s all i¡¯m agreeing to right now. we¡¯ll have sex once and we¡¯ll see if it looks like it¡¯s having any effect.¡±

    Oh. This was going to be a problem. The fire they¡¯d suppressed came roaring back at the promise of actually¡­ of actually¡­

    Oh, they couldn¡¯t breathe. They needed to not encourage anything today, but they could¡­ they could try to focus on details, on practicalities, on¡­

    Images flashed through their mind and they focused. Not yet, not yet, they could keep things focused.

    ¡°So then,¡± Frisk said, desperately trying to keep on track, ¡°what we¡¯ll need to do is save right as we¡¯re about to start, right? To see if it¡¯s working?¡±

    ¡°that makes sense,¡± he said, an odd note in his voice.

    Oh, that thought was hard to bear. How long would they loop, feeling him inside of them?

    They couldn¡¯t think about that right now. They couldn¡¯t. He¡¯d given an order to keep things from going that way today, and that¡­ oh, that thought, oh¡­

    ¡°When?¡± they asked, and he looked at them consideringly.

    ¡°tomorrow, maybe?¡± he asked.

    So soon, so distant. How could they survive till then? Would they explode into a fiery pillar of sheer desire? So soon, just tomorrow, if they could just sleep then it would be tomorrow, and it would be the day that he¡­

    Oh, this was difficult.

    ¡°How do you want me to be?¡± they asked. ¡°Should I¡­ I don¡¯t know, dress sexy? Act in a certain way? I¡­ I don¡¯t know what you want, what you like.¡±

    ¡°this isn¡¯t a date,¡± he said. ¡°it¡¯s not a romance. it¡¯s nothing resembling that. i am going to have sex with you as a means to an end. i want you to just be you.¡±

    A dash of cold water on their soul.

    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    A terrible hypothesis rose up in their mind.

    He found it hot when they¡¯d been obviously lusting after him, but he¡¯d have felt that way about anyone lusting after him. He wasn¡¯t actually interested in them at all, and possibly even found them a little sexually repulsive. Not completely, of course, else he wouldn¡¯t have pursued things last time. But maybe he was just making himself do this because of the hope of remembering the resets.

    That he¡¯d be making himself have sex with them, when he didn¡¯t want to.

    They''d thought he lusted for them, but they weren''t thinking clearly, what if they were wrong, what if they''d misinterpreted something he''d said, what if¡­

    They looked away.

    They had to know¡­ they had to ask¡­ but what if he didn¡¯t answer¡­?

    ¡°Sans?¡± they asked timidly. ¡°Can I ask something?¡±

    ¡°sure,¡± he said.

    ¡°Do you¡­ want to have sex with me?¡± they asked, still looking away. ¡°Or¡­ or is it something that you¡¯re just making yourself do because it seems like it might work?¡±

    ¡°there isn¡¯t a simple answer,¡± he said. ¡°last week¡­ i admit that i, uh, felt things. i expect i¡¯ll enjoy myself. but if it weren¡¯t for the practical side of things, there¡¯s no way. there might have been a real chance of romance between you and that first sans - i have no issues with your body or personality or anything like that. the entire problem is how messed up this whole situation is. i feel like i¡¯ve agreed to do something wrong, because i selfishly want to remember, and i just have to accept that.¡±

    ¡°So¡­ the issue is just ethical?¡± they pressed. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for your ethics, you would¡­ want this?¡±

    That was a good sign. A really good sign. The water he¡¯d thrown in their face boiled away.

    He let out a low breath, halfway to a sigh.

    ¡°it¡¯s a little hard to argue with what you¡¯re offering,¡± Sans admitted, and their heart - and other places - surged with triumph. ¡°i¡¯m not the best person, frisk. i¡¯d say i try to be, but that¡¯s not true, either. i just¡­¡±

    He paused for a moment.

    ¡°if i say i just try hard enough to make sure i¡¯m not a monster, would that make sense?¡± he asked.

    Lust fell to the side - not gone, but ignored - as their heart leapt and reached out to him for something that was far, far more important to Frisk.

    He didn¡¯t talk about this sort of thing. About himself. Oh, sure, he would when under pressure, like when they¡¯d been about to reach Asgore for the first time, or when he was about to die last month. Even then, he deflected and danced, usually.

    They wanted to reach out to him so badly, but they didn¡¯t want to push, never wanted to push. Only available, never demanding.

    They reached a hand forward, towards his.

    But they could ask.

    ¡°May I?¡± they asked.

    He sighed and nodded.

    They took his hand into theirs and squeezed it.

    They¡¯d had almost no direct physical contact with him, ever. He¡¯d taken their hand at the restaurant so long ago, when they¡¯d been particularly vulnerable and he¡¯d wanted to comfort them. They¡¯d taken his hand later in that conversation, too.

    He¡¯d put a hand on their shoulder, or they¡¯d shared in hugs, or things like that from time to time, but that was always through clothing. But direct contact between his bones and their skin? It had only ever been that first day. Mostly, they remembered thinking that he¡¯d felt just how he looked - like a skeleton.

    ¡°It does make sense,¡± they said softly. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re that kind of monster, Sans.¡±

    They kept his hand in theirs. Maybe it would still be comforting. He could always pull away if he wanted. They really wanted to explore his hand.

    ¡°aren¡¯t i, though?¡± he asked, leaning back into the couch cushion, staring at the ceiling.

    They fell to the temptation a little. They held his left hand with their right. Their left hand began to gently move over his hand, feeling the texture of his bones.

    It was interesting. There wasn¡¯t cartilage holding the bones together, or tendons, or anything like that. It was magic. If they focused, they could feel a faint tingling sensation at the joints, and a sort of¡­ repulsion effect, perhaps. Like there was something invisible, soft, and squishy where the bones met each other.

    Part of their mind explored his hand while the rest listened.

    ¡°if it weren¡¯t for a promise, i¡¯d have killed an innocent person, knowingly, for personal gain. and i would have, frisk. unlike you, it wouldn¡¯t have been with the intention of it just being temporary.¡±

    Their heart ached, as they gently touched him. They understood. They had no idea what to say, but he already knew. There was no way he wouldn¡¯t know that they understood.

    His eyes closed.

    ¡°i¡¯ve¡­ done other things, too, a long time ago. you aren¡¯t the first person i¡¯ve ever fought,¡± he said in a low tone. ¡°...that i¡¯ve ever killed.¡±

    Ah, their heart¡­ how could they tell him how much they felt for him? How much they appreciated his trust, that he would share this with them?

    They had no idea, but he had given them his hand, and maybe they could use that?

    They got up from their chair, carefully, to avoid disturbing him, to avoid moving their clasped hands. They knelt beside him, by the couch, and pressed his hand to their cheek, holding it against their face. Holding him as close as they dared.

    They didn¡¯t know how to say it, but maybe he could feel it. That their reaction to this was to press closer. Not sexually, not possessively, but just¡­ closer.

    There was silence for a time. Sans breathed, Frisk breathed, and they held him close. The only part that they had been given leave to touch. Words fluttered in their mind and heart, but they didn¡¯t know if they should say them. Actions occurred to them to take, but they didn¡¯t know if it would be unwelcome.

    Eventually, they decided they needed to try. Just in case he didn¡¯t know.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I should say anything,¡± Frisk murmured. ¡°But¡­ I understand guilt. I understand wondering about whether you¡¯re that kind of monster. And I know you care, Sans. You care about doing the right thing.¡±

    ¡°and yet i¡¯m¡­¡± he said with a sigh. ¡°i care about you, frisk. you¡¯re my friend. you¡¯re important to me. and in the end, i¡¯m¡­¡±

    Their heart surged with a joy so acute it hurt, and it hurt wonderfully. They squeezed his hand more firmly to their cheek, thanking him for saying these things, feeling these things, but not speaking. They wouldn¡¯t interrupt this.

    ¡°it¡¯s wrong, what i¡¯m doing,¡± he said. ¡°i should be trying to help you heal and become your own person. instead¡­ i¡¯m going to take advantage of your broken mind in so many ways, all for personal benefit. i¡¯m going to have sex with you because i want to remember the resets and have the benefit of your power. and because¡­ because it¡¯s going to feel good and it¡¯s been a long time since i¡¯ve felt that.¡±

    Their lust hadn¡¯t been completely forgotten, but with this¡­

    Oh, this was going to be difficult.

    He did want them. Desire was one of the reasons he was going to do this. He thought it was wrong, which wasn¡¯t ideal, but¡­ but he wanted them, and oh, their body sang.

    But not tonight. He¡¯d ordered them to make sure, and so they had to hold back. They wondered if he could feel them trembling. They wondered, with as perceptive as he was, if he knew about the fire that was consuming them.

    The fire grew hotter as they wondered if knowing that would make his own lust surge.

    Oh, this was not easy¡­

    ¡°i know you view it differently,¡± he said, his eyes still closed. ¡°i know you don¡¯t think this is wrong. i know you think that i¡¯m disrespecting you, the way i¡¯m seeing the situation with you. maybe i am. no. i definitely am. i don¡¯t see the way you are as being a¡­ i dunno. valid way to be. that it¡¯s just wrong for you to be this way. that going along with it is taking advantage, it¡¯s morally wrong, it¡¯s¡­ abusive, maybe. it¡¯s bad enough when i¡¯m lazy and just messing around with you, but with sex, i¡­ this is wrong.¡±

    He put his other arm over his face, covering his eyes.

    They didn¡¯t know what to say. They¡¯d already said how they felt, and it sounded like he understood. What could they say that they hadn¡¯t already said?

    The guilt in his voice as he spoke of fulfilling their desires tore at them. How could they fix this? How could they make him let go of his worries?

    ¡°and i can¡¯t stop thinking about how good it¡¯s going to feel,¡± he admitted hoarsely.

    Lava flooded their veins, their breath wrenched from them. They resisted, they tried, they couldn¡¯t encourage this, oh, but a desperate sound escaped their throat.

    Silence, and stillness, and a desperate war.

    There was one way that they could very easily, naturally, and effortlessly think of that could distract him from his ethical quandries.

    But they weren¡¯t allowed to do that.

    And really, any other thoughts at all were proving¡­ inaccessible. There was only fire, and devotion, and a desire for him to feel as good as they could, in every way they could.

    And a number of incredibly selfish desires, but Frisk was good, they wouldn¡¯t do that.

    Not yet.

    But they sure as hell couldn¡¯t say anything, not when their lungs were full of fire.

    But eventually, as the silence stretched, they had to anyway. They had to push back their lust and try to fix this.

    ¡°I¡­ I know you see it that way,¡± Frisk said, trying and failing to keep their voice steady. ¡°But¡­ this is a precious memory you¡¯re giving me. I hate that you feel bad about it, and maybe it¡¯s horribly selfish of me, but I am¡­ I am so grateful to have this. I wish¡­ I wish you could be happier about this. I wish you could just let go of all your worries, even just for the one time. Just for those minutes or hours, just let it go, and let yourself enjoy it. Enjoy me.¡±

    ¡°i¡¯ll try,¡± he said.

    They hoped he meant it.

    ¡°I¡­ may not be the most experienced with this sort of thing, but I¡¯m going to try to make it feel as good as I can,¡± Frisk murmured, fire leaking into their voice. ¡°Try to¡­ distract you from pesky thoughts.¡±

    He moved his other arm away from his eyes and looked at them. Searching. They didn¡¯t know what he saw, but they wanted him to see everything.

    No, no, they shouldn¡¯t want that, it would distract him, he¡¯d said he didn¡¯t want¡­

    But they couldn¡¯t help but be naked before his gaze, pierced by the faint lights within the consuming void.

    Slowly, he moved the hand they held, and they let him. But he didn¡¯t pull away. They trembled harder as he began to touch them. Gently, softly, slowly, he traced over their cheek and jaw, his hand moving down to their chin. He gripped their chin a little more firmly and traced his thumb over their lips, still silently appraising.

    Oh, they were going to die. They would just spontaneously combust, they couldn¡¯t¡­ his touch on their lips did not feel platonic in the least and a little gasp escaped them despite their flagging attempts at restraint.

    And as their mouth opened, his thumb slid in.

    Oh, oh, this wasn¡¯t fair. Their mouth closed over his thumb, reflexively taking him in, their whole body shivering with need.

    And they could have never imagined that he¡¯d feel like this.

    He tasted like dust and magic. A different fire lashed at them at the realization that somehow he tasted like the air had after they¡¯d killed one of the monsters. And they had no idea how ¡°magic¡± was even supposed to be a taste, but that¡¯s what their brain insisted on. No other flavors, no saltiness or anything, but just pure death and magic.

    And for some reason, he didn¡¯t feel the same to their tongue as he had to their finger. There was a pulsing pressure, not too unlike the throbbing of blood, that emerged from his bones. With each pulse¡¯s height, it was almost like it was an actual finger, if a bit thin, with all of the hard edges smoothed out by the soft presence of his magic. Between each pulse, it felt more like a bone, but still they could feel, could taste, the bindings of magic that held him together.

    The bone of his form was just the only part they could normally see.

    And the magic, as they pressed their tongue to him, tingled.

    They couldn¡¯t help but wonder what that would feel like inside them elsewhere, and the madness within them burned yet higher.

    They wanted to¡­ they wanted¡­

    Oh, but was this even allowed? Did this count as sexual? It was, wasn¡¯t it? Or was it?

    With a surge of will, they managed to pull back slightly, his thumb wetly resting against their lip.

    ¡°Y-you said n-not to let anything sexual happen between us today,¡± they said, their voice scorched from the heat. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know if t-this counts.¡±

    ¡°let¡¯s say it doesn¡¯t,¡± he said, the darkness in his gaze consuming them.

    Close enough.

    A moan escaped entirely unchained as they leaned forward to take his thumb into their mouth again. They would explore the taste and texture of him thoroughly.

    Oh, this was probably wrong, probably too far, but they¡¯d been given an out. An outlet for this fire as they sucked and licked. How could they resist¡­

    The magic seemed to be growing and thickening, oddly. There was more¡­ presence, more pressure, less roughness as time went on. The pulses were getting stronger, too - maybe it was just that they were receding less. His digit thickened in their mouth and they focused on the faintly tingling sensation of his magic.

    His breath started to catch and they heard a tremble in the sound, as he slowly and carefully exhaled.

    Oh, this wasn¡¯t fair. He wanted them. Right now, Sans wanted them. He was burning, too. The look on his face remained impassive as they squirmed, making love to his thumb, but they knew.

    Something caught their attention. His jacket had shifted slightly open. And, just as Alphys had indicated would be the case, something was pressing up the fabric of his shorts.

    That was it, they¡¯d died. Frisk no longer existed. Only fire and lust remained.

    But¡­ but no, he¡¯d said that they weren¡¯t to do anything sexual, they had to stay focused.

    Restraining the whimpers and moans was no longer something they were strong enough to do, however. They writhed, a worm on a hook, bound by their mouth and unable to do anything to escape the delicious torment.

    After an intense, agonizing stretch of time, he suddenly moved. His hand gripped their mouth, their jaw, with real strength and he pulled them forward. He didn¡¯t pull hard, but they had no choice but to obey as he pulled them into position beside him on the couch.

    If he had any body heat at all, they¡¯d be close enough to feel it. Somehow they felt scorched by his proximity anyway.

    His hand relaxed and freed them to resume helplessly loving at the pulsing pseudo-flesh of the magic within their mouth.

    This was escalating, wasn¡¯t it? Oh, they needed to stop this, didn¡¯t they? But how? How could they¡­

    But they had to try, they had to.

    ¡°Sans, I¡­¡± they managed from around his thumb.

    ¡°your mouth feels good,¡± Sans said.

    Oh¡­ oh this was hopeless, they could do nothing to stop this¡­

    Another whimper escaped them as the memory of his order pierced them again. No, no, they had to be strong enough.

    ¡°i find myself wondering things that i haven¡¯t let myself think about before,¡± he continued in a tone that was lower and huskier than they¡¯d ever heard, but full of artful casualness. ¡°do you want to know?¡±

    Knowledge was okay, right? Knowledge was safe. Knowledge wasn¡¯t something that was sexual. They could agree to this.

    ¡°Yes,¡± they whispered before assaulting his thumb again.

    He pulled away his thumb and their breath caught, wondering what he would do. He shoved two fingers into their mouth in its place - his index and middle fingers. Two digits to pleasure, now, and their tongue worked feverishly as another full moan escaped with no hint of restraint. The magic of his presence was thick enough now that there weren¡¯t any really rough edges, just parts that were harder than others.

    ¡°i¡¯ve asked questions from time to time about your devotion,¡± he said. ¡°but i¡¯ve never brought up a situation that pits what you really want against an order.¡±

    They had a feeling that this was going to be difficult, but thoughts were kind of impossible, so they would just have to suffer helplessly and find out what he had in mind.

    His other hand reached up and moved through their hair, sending pleasant shivers down their spine. He¡¯d never just¡­ touched them like this and it felt good in an entirely different way.

    Oh¡­ they just wanted to surrender. To give in to this, to let him have his way with them, to just do anything and everything, helpless to resist his pleasure, their pleasure, lost to this burning madness¡­

    But somehow, they had to hold on.

    ¡°what would you do if i pulled down my shorts, grabbed you by the hair, and¡­¡±

    He trailed off leadingly as his hand suddenly clenched a fistful of their hair, holding them in place, and they gasped in shock. His grip was slightly painful, and that clearly meant they were utterly bound and could do nothing but helplessly go along with this.

    Their brain completely short circuited. Another moan slipped out and they writhed as they were completely forced to lick and suck at his fingers, with no possible escape imaginable.

    But he¡¯d asked a question, and so they had to answer, right?

    ¡°I-I¡­¡± they tried, but words were really hard for many reasons.

    His fingers pressed into their tongue, and oh, they had no choice at all, they couldn¡¯t possibly speak, more sounds of lust escaping the thing that Sans possessed.

    ¡°because i think you¡¯d want me to do that,¡± he said.

    This was absolutely true and they ¡°mm-hmm¡¯d¡± in response.

    ¡°i want to do that,¡± he said.

    How? How could these fires that had raged, had consumed them with madness, how did they keep rising higher and hotter? Only a faint slip of sanity remained, that Sans had ordered them not to let the two of them do anything sexual¡­ and they¡¯d kind of screwed that up a little, but they at least had some small measure of plausible deniability.

    All else but that single note of sanity burned with need and a desperate sound filled the air.

    ¡°your mouth feels good¡­ and it¡¯d feel good elsewhere, too,¡± he said, his tone achingly rough with his own need. ¡°so, i¡¯m curious, frisk. i want you to use your mouth on me. what are you going to do?¡±

    He let go and pulled both hands away, leaning back again.

    This wasn¡¯t fair. This was cruel. Their eyes fell to the bulge in his shorts and they writhed, but that single thread of sanity was also the core of who they were, and as much as they wanted to do as he desired, they just¡­ couldn¡¯t.

    ¡°T-th-that isn¡¯t what you really want,¡± they managed, their gaze torn back and forth between his face and his bulge. ¡°I¡¯d said I¡¯d protect you from yourself, and I didn¡¯t think it¡¯d¡­ but¡­ I can¡¯t. Not¡­ not today.¡±

    ¡°Mmm,¡± he said. ¡°that¡¯s good.¡±

    ¡°It is?¡± they asked, deeply confused in the haze of torn desire and devotion.

    ¡°i like knowing that i can trust you to obey me,¡± he said, and another sound escaped them, a touch of deep satisfaction and joy that they hadn¡¯t expected added to the inferno of their mind. ¡°i shouldn¡¯t like that, but i do.¡±

    A finger touched under their chin, pointing their head upwards and they didn¡¯t resist. It felt more like a bone again, rather than the pseudo-flesh of semi-tangible magic as it roughly and slowly scraped down their neck. They were sure they¡¯d have a faint red line left in its passage.

    ¡°i wonder,¡± he said, as he started to pull down their collar. ¡°i wonder where you¡¯d draw the line.¡±

    He tugged sharply at their collar, as though about to rip off their clothes and they gasped, staring at him with the insane fires of lust, with confusion, with desperation, with really quite a huge host of complicated feelings.

    He let go with a faint chuckle, leaning back again.

    ¡°where could i touch you before you stopped me?¡± he said, his voice an interesting blend of curiosity and lust. ¡°if i took your hand, where could i put it on me, before you pulled away?¡±

    He had asked, they had to answer. They had to. Even if there wasn¡¯t anything in their skull, they had to somehow find words.

    ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡±

    This wasn¡¯t working.

    ¡°no, don¡¯t answer,¡± he said. ¡°it¡¯s fun to imagine, though, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    God yes. The images were scorching them, rending them, ripping them to little shreds.

    ¡°Yes,¡± they whispered.

    But they had to resist. They had to.

    ¡°the things i might ask you to do,¡± he murmured. ¡°the things you might beg me to do... i wonder how easy it would be to make you beg.¡±

    Probably really damned easily.

    They didn¡¯t know how long this battle could continue. Would they fail, would they break the order he¡¯d given? Would they lose their mind to lust to such an extent that they might find themselves doing things, allowing things to be done, that were just too much?

    Some things were obvious. If he bent them over and started to¡­ god, just thinking of it made their mind scream¡­ that was obviously too far. They¡¯d have to stop that. Somehow. They couldn¡¯t even realistically pretend to be overpowered, they¡¯d defeated him once.

    They had to do something.

    ¡°Sans¡­¡± they said, their voice rough. ¡°I¡­ we¡­ this is getting carried away, isn¡¯t it¡­?¡±

    ¡°heh heh heh¡­ yeah, we are,¡± he said. ¡°i don¡¯t think you actually mind, though.¡±

    ¡°Not at all,¡± they admitted. ¡°But I don¡¯t know where to draw the line.¡±

    He sighed.

    ¡°probably should have drawn it a while ago,¡± he said. ¡°but that¡¯s on me. there¡¯s things i want to ask, want to do, but i¡¯m pretty sure i¡¯m already going to be annoyed at myself in the morning.¡±

    A touch of sanity grew in the flames of their mind. He would regret what they¡¯d already done? Then that made it clear. Their eyes sharpened and their voice grew steady.

    ¡°Then we should stop,¡± Frisk said.

    He slowly reached out a hand to their face and they held statue still. Uh. Reaching for them wasn¡¯t explicitly sexual. That was probably not one of the problem activities. Saying they needed to stop going too far didn¡¯t mean they had to stop all interactions. They¡¯d be careful, they would.

    His hand gently cupped their cheek and their resistance broke as they leaned into it. They raised a hand to his, pressing his hand against their cheek. This was just the loving connection they¡¯d had, before things got¡­ fiery.

    Wait, loving?

    Well. It was on Frisk¡¯s side, at least.

    They needed to try to obey that order, and Sans was clearly not putting that much effort into resisting.

    ¡°Tomorrow, Sans,¡± they whispered. ¡°I¡¯ll somehow survive till tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°i want something from you,¡± he said.

    They loved it when he said that. Anything he wanted.

    ¡°Yes,¡± they said, agreeing without question.

    As long as it didn¡¯t contravene their order.

    ¡°i like you like this,¡± he said. ¡°desperate and needy. make sure you¡¯re particularly riled up tomorrow.¡±

    They whimpered again. Images burned in their mind.

    ¡°Sans, I¡­ I really want to¡­ I will¡­¡± they choked out.

    ¡°i look forward to seeing¡­ how did you put it? for you to finish with me inside of you?¡± he said.

    Their little fantasy that he¡¯d dragged out of them last week. Their body clenched so hard at his words they swore they¡¯d almost orgasmed just from that, and they stared at him in naked need as they did so.

    ¡°tell me, frisk,¡± he said. ¡°i don¡¯t know your body, your patterns. will it make you hornier tomorrow if you don¡¯t finish yourself today?¡±

    Oh, this was dangerous. Oh no. They needed¡­ oh, this was going to be so hard.

    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know,¡± they said. ¡°... but probably.¡±

    ¡°then don¡¯t,¡± he said.

    There was no escape from the torment, from the fire. The very next time they came, it would be from him. Flashes of images, of imagined sensations, tore at the scattered ashes of sanity of their mind. They squirmed helplessly, pierced in place by his gaze.

    ¡°As you wish,¡± they said.

    The question burned in their mind, and escaped without any conscious choice.

    ¡°...will you?¡±

    ¡°of course,¡± he said with a smug grin. ¡°i¡¯ll be thinking of how desperately you¡¯ll be writhing, unable to do anything about it, when i finish.¡±

    Tonight, while they were tormented by need, he¡¯d be getting off to that very torment. They held themself back from begging him to somehow rescind his earlier order, to maybe let them cum right in front of him now, something.

    But that was all they could restrain, as sounds of need emerged in strangled whimpers, as their body writhed in desperation.

    ¡°in fact, i think i¡¯d like to start right away,¡± he said. ¡°so, in the interest of us not doing anything sexual together today, you probably should leave.¡±

    He wanted to satisfy himself right now, and if he tried with them here, they would surely cross some other line. But that made things simpler. They would leave. They would burn and melt. They would be ready for the next day.

    They managed to stand and moved towards the door.

    But it wasn¡¯t quite right, yet. There was something they wanted him to know. They turned around to face him, face the darkness of his gaze.

    ¡°Sans?¡± they asked.

    ¡°yeah?¡± he said.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± they said, trying to pour their sheer gratitude, their appreciation, their joy at all this into their voice. Hopefully he could hear it. ¡°I look forward to tomorrow.¡±

    They gazed at him longingly and then turned to leave, stepping forward¡­ and bumping into Sans.

    Their eyes refocused and he was right there. Scant inches from their face, their startled breath washing over him, their breasts lightly pressing into his chest. His grin broadened as they didn¡¯t step back.

    ¡°you seem distracted,¡± he said, sounding deeply amused.

    ¡°Y-yes,¡± they said.

    ¡°it occurs to me that you might get lost or even walk into telephone poles on your way home, so how about we take a shortcut instead?¡±

    ¡°Oh, uh, yes, thank you,¡± they said and he laughed.

    With another shifting sound - and they really should have heard it the first time, if they were able to think - they found themself in their room. It was dark, with only the lights of the town coming through the window.

    Sans had positioned them with him standing right at the edge of the bed so that Frisk¡¯s legs were pushed forward, making them fall backwards onto it.

    They stared at him. Framed in shadow, the only thing they could clearly see was the spark of flame in his eyes. There was also a strange sort of blue glow from his body, like a light was shining inside his clothes. He looked dangerous, some primal part of them reacting to the sight of a skeleton, glowing with magic, in the darkness of their room.

    They lay in front of him, on their bed, and he could so easily¡­ he could do anything he wanted to them. He wouldn¡¯t, and they wouldn¡¯t let him, but¡­ but it would be so easy. The tension was so thick they couldn¡¯t breathe.

    He seemed to breathe slowly, too, as he stood there in the silence, staring. His hand slipped out from his pocket and slid to the top of his shorts, fiddling with the band. He was clearly considering something¡­ but what? What did he want to do? He shouldn¡¯t, they shouldn¡¯t let him, but he clearly was struggling with his own desire, and that was going to make them completely insane.

    He let out a slow breath and closed his eyes, breaking the spell. They discovered that they hadn¡¯t been breathing and took a wavering breath as his hand stilled.

    ¡°goodnight, frisk,¡± he said in a low tone.

    ¡°G-goodnight, Sans,¡± they said and he disappeared.

    Oh it was going to be very hard to sleep tonight. They fell back onto the bed in a daze for long minutes. They lay there for around an hour, occasionally touching themself because they just couldn¡¯t resist, with all the thoughts running through their head. It was a shame they couldn¡¯t cum, because that was the horniest they¡¯d ever been in their life and waiting till tomorrow just seemed impossibly difficult.

    They were still in a daze of lust when they heard their phone buzz with a text. They checked it.

    Sans: uh frisk

    Sans: i realize that i was being a dick

    Sans: so i need to apologize

    Sans: uh sorry

    They giggled and grinned at the screen as they responded.

    Frisk: Don¡¯t apologize.

    Frisk: That¡¯s the hottest thing that has ever happened to me.

    Frisk: It was so good.

    Frisk: You should do that again.

    Frisk: wait

    Frisk: Only if you want to.

    Sans: frisk

    Frisk: Yes.

    Sans: u rly need to hear me out b4 agreeing to things

    Frisk: Only if you order me to

    Frisk: but inside I¡¯ll agree anyway

    Frisk: You can¡¯t stop that

    Sans: uh

    Sans: i think ur still having trouble

    Frisk: So much trouble. It¡¯s so good.

    Sans: u dont have to do anything i said at the end

    Frisk: Okay

    Frisk: I appreciate that

    Frisk: but I think the horny Sans had a better idea of what tomorrow¡¯s horny Sans will want.

    Frisk: You¡¯ll want me desperate and needy. I bet it¡¯ll be easy to make me beg.

    Sans: i feel like i need to stop this somehow.

    Sans: this is my fault.

    Frisk: Yes, Sans. It is all your fault. You made me into a quivering puddle of horny desperation. You did this.

    Frisk: And tomorrow, you can fix it.

    Sans: uh

    Sans: ur gonna be rly embarrassed when u read this later. i would say i wont make fun of u for it.

    Sans: but that would be a lie

    Frisk: I probably will. Do you like it when I¡¯m embarrassed?

    Sans: im trying to stop the insanity

    Sans: or at least slow it down

    Frisk: I can¡¯t be stopped.

    Sans: ok that is true

    Sans: but u dont have to be determined about this

    Frisk: I know what I want. I want to see you like that again. I want to taste you. I want to feel you.

    Sans: i hate to do this to u

    Sans: but its only the one time

    Sans: its not right. i prolly shouldnt have agreed.

    Frisk: but you did agree. I will have a memory to cherish forever.

    Frisk: Now I¡¯m worried. You don¡¯t regret agreeing, do you?

    Sans: uh. dont worry.

    Frisk: That¡¯s not an answer.

    Sans: of course i regret agreeing.

    Sans: that doesnt mean ive changed my mind.

    Frisk: Please don¡¯t regret this. You¡¯re only worried about it for my sake, right?

    Sans: i think so. its a whole mess.

    Frisk: I want this so much. Even just the one time. Today was incredible. I¡¯m so grateful.

    Frisk:  You have no idea how much I want this.

    Frisk: Especially right now.

    Sans: i uh

    Sans: could tell.

    Sans: u arent good at hiding things from me.

    Sans: at least i dont think so. unless u hid something from me that i dont know about.

    Frisk: I can¡¯t think of anything I¡¯ve hidden from you.

    Frisk: Well.

    Frisk: Nothing important.

    Sans: frisk.

    Frisk: Sans.

    Sans: frisk no.

    Frisk: Frisk yes.

    Sans: that was so bad. u shud feel ashamed

    Frisk: You know you laughed.

    Sans: u cant prove anything

    Frisk: Really though. I did hide how much I¡¯ve wanted this for months. So I guess I could hide it.

    Sans: uh

    Sans: i think i knew. sorta. i was rly trying not to think about it. so i pretended i didnt have any hints

    Sans: but looking back its kinda obvs

    Frisk: I¡¯m glad that you could see it, even if you pretended otherwise. I don¡¯t like hiding things from you.

    Sans: its good that u dont want to hide things from me

    Sans: somebody has to know enough to keep u sane

    Sans: well not sane but something close to it

    Frisk: I¡¯m really not sane right now.

    Frisk: It¡¯s going to be so hard to sleep.

    Sans: u rly r allowed to do something about that

    Sans: u dont need to do this to urself

    Frisk: I want to. I want to cum. I also want to be desperate for you tomorrow. This is so hard, Sans.

    Sans: u could just uh do what u need to sleep well tonite and then work on the other thing tomorrow

    Frisk: Would you like that? For me to play with myself before coming over, so I¡¯m extra needy?

    Sans: wow so this convo is going to be xtra hard for u tomorrow.

    Sans: i wonder if ill hear u scream from here when u read it

    Frisk: I bet you¡¯ll hear me scream tomorrow.

    Sans: i give up. this is hilarious. ull just have to accept never living it down.

    Sans: make sure u get enough sleep tonite ok?

    Frisk: I¡¯ve got some sleeping meds. Don¡¯t worry.

    Sans: i dont think i have a choice.

    Sans: i just hope ull be ok

    Sans: when all this is over

    Frisk: I will be.

    Sans: sleep well ok?

    Frisk: You, too, Sans. Goodnight.

    Sans: night.

    The sleeping meds were, in the end, quite necessary. And when Frisk woke up the next morning a little more sane, if not completely recovered, they did in fact scream in mortification when reading the text messages from the previous night.

 Ch. 15 - Decision (Sans POV)

    Sans took his time trying to wrangle with everything. It was difficult and, in a few ways, kind of depressing. If he were a better person, or if either of them were mentally healthy, this would be easier¡­ but also, in any of those cases, this situation wouldn¡¯t exist at all.

    He texted Frisk later that first day, saying that everything was fine, their friendship was still solid, and that he would send them another text when he¡¯d finished sorting out his thoughts. They often needed that reassurance, else they¡¯d get twitchy. It was true, too - this really hadn¡¯t impacted their relationship in any way that actually made a difference.

    In some ways, he¡¯d had a wrecking ball just go on a demolition rampage through his poor skull. In others, he hadn¡¯t actually learned anything new.

    In hindsight, the only reason he hadn¡¯t thought it extremely likely that Frisk wanted a sexual relationship was because it would complicate things, and he¡¯d let himself fall into the idea that if he never thought about it, it wasn¡¯t a problem. He¡¯d poked and prodded at the limits of their loyalty and devotion before - a process that was simultaneously comforting, horrifying, and bewildering - but he¡¯d willfully refused to look in the direction of sex. Just, at all.

    Partly because¡­ well, he knew he wasn¡¯t exactly a moral paragon. He did care about his self appointed role as a judge. He did care about concepts of morality. And on a deep level, they did matter, but in the end¡­

    Well, in the end, he¡¯d initially taken Frisk to be just a child, due to their baggy clothing and short height, and despite that, would have killed them the moment they appeared in Snowdin because he wanted Papyrus to see the sun. Only reason he didn''t was because of a promise that he didn''t even want to make.

    In other words, while he wasn¡¯t quite as fucked in the head as Frisk - and other than Flowey, he¡¯d never met anyone else who was even close - they were still quite a pair.

    There was this distant sense of the way things should be¡­ but that¡¯s not the way things were. And sometimes, trying to abide by what ¡°should be¡± just messed things up worse. Sometimes you just had to work with the world the way it was.

    And his reality was, there was a time-looping immortal who had, as they put it once, ¡°broken into burning shards and reforged with devotion to Sans as the single thread of purpose to their soul.¡±

    He had tried to encourage them to try to heal, to try to be their own person, but they¡¯d just said stuff like, ¡°it¡¯s not who I was, but it is who I am now, and it is my deepest desire to always remain so.¡±

    Which, of course, made him feel like an asshole trying to turn them into someone they didn¡¯t want to be. Especially since they weren¡¯t pushy about it at all - never giving him any trouble about spending time with others, even encouraging him towards a romance with Toriel, which hadn¡¯t gone anywhere, never making demands on his time. Well, beyond their fervent excitement about the memory-reset experiments.

    They¡¯d also made excellent points about how the rather profound extent of their collective issues - their trauma, their guilt, their extremely top-secret and dangerous power of time looping and all the consequences of that, their bizarre association with Flowey, their fanatical devotion to Sans - was almost certainly beyond the pay grade of any therapist in existence.

    Which collectively meant he couldn¡¯t do anything to make them not attached to him. Other than giving them absolute orders in a way that seemed somehow even worse. What ¡°should be¡± involved a world where that wasn¡¯t the case at all, so how were questions of what he ¡°should¡± do even applicable?

    Even an entire year of only really interacting with Alphys and Flowey hadn¡¯t made a dent in their devotion to him. If anything, it only seemed more stable. Part of him had just become convinced that they really had broken and reforged their soul permanently like this. That he really could just count on them being there forever.

    And it really was convenient. And comforting. And increasingly comfortable. Part of him wanted to just give up resisting the situation and just accept it. To use them like they wanted to be used. A friend, a confidant, a companion, a source of insight and perspective, a place of warmth in an often dark world. And now, as a sexual outlet. He¡¯d never used them as a maid, or anything, but all of the other things? They wanted to be used that way.

    In that last case, clearly wanted it quite badly¡­

    And if ever he was unsure if they really, honestly wanted to be used in any given way, he could just ask. They did try to mislead him a little on occasion - usually by pretending to be more okay or more sane than they were, though he¡¯d mostly broken them of that - but, as long as he was paying attention, he was pretty hard to fool. Which meant he didn¡¯t have the usual uncertainties about what people really wanted. He could just ask, and that would be that.

    They didn¡¯t pretend to be something they weren¡¯t. He¡¯d asked them, once, if they¡¯d clean the house, and they said they obviously would. He¡¯d then asked them if they¡¯d want to clean the house, and they said they hated cleaning, but wanted him to be happy. They just¡­ made themself available to him. Their skills, their likes, their dislikes, anything. He even could ask details about which of his jokes they liked, and they didn¡¯t pretend to like them all - though they¡¯d insisted that his delivery salvaged even jokes they¡¯d otherwise dislike.

    All that, really, just added up to the fact that, in some extremely critical ways, his trust in them was just about absolute.

    And none of it changed just how fucked up this all was.

    It was about a week before he texted them that he was ready to meet. Together, they came up with a time, and then they came over.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± Frisk said, as soon as they arrived and stepped inside, framed in sunset colors as they wrung their hands. ¡°I really got carried away last time, and it wasn¡¯t until after that I realized, what I¡¯d said and done, I¡­¡±

    ¡°stop,¡± he said, and of course, they stopped instantly and looked immediately calmer. ¡°relax, frisk. you didn¡¯t do anything wrong. we both got caught up in the moment and carried away. it¡¯s fine. i¡¯m glad you honestly answered my questions.¡±

    Their face relaxed into one of contentment and relief. He gestured them to come and sit on the chair next to the couch, where he was sitting.

    ¡°there is something i need from you,¡± he said, and their face lit up. ¡°i¡¯ve, uh, done my best to make sure that i won¡¯t be as easy to distract this time. i didn¡¯t do a great job of actually addressing my main concerns before.

    ¡°so, here¡¯s what i need. today, this meeting, we¡¯re not doing anything sexual, no matter what. even if i, uh, start to change my mind, i want you to remember that and make sure nothing happens. can you do that?¡±

    Their face did a number of things before settling on bemusement, with a faint, but still wicked gleam in their eye.

    Which was exactly why he¡¯d decided to phrase things that way. Their hopes were already up anyway, and he had a sinking suspicion that there was no way things were going to unfold in a direction that stopped this insanity.

    But he had to keep them from driving this conversation in that direction this time, for the sake of his short-term sanity, if nothing else. And the best way to do that, he had decided, was to both outright ask, and to make a single, awkward confession.

    It was helped by the realization that he¡¯d been kind of a dick to Frisk last time, with them making themself profoundly vulnerable and having no idea if he felt anything at all. So this little confession made the situation feel more fair.

    ¡°I admit that will be hard,¡± they said. ¡°But I will. You don¡¯t need to worry.¡±

    ¡°good,¡± he said. ¡°because your, uh, hope for things to go that way was one of the more difficult problems last time.¡±

    Their grin broadened.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad to have the chance to protect you from yourself,¡± they said, amusement dancing in their eyes.

    He snorted at that.

    ¡°i¡¯ve thought about this situation a lot, this last week,¡± he said. ¡°here¡¯s the thing, frisk. this situation is messed up. it¡¯s beyond messed up. it¡¯s completely fucked up.¡±

    He rarely cursed, mostly so that when he did, it¡¯d prove more potent, and it paid off. Their eyes went wide with shock.

    ¡°if i try to look at the situation from a perspective of what ¡®should¡¯ happen, i shouldn¡¯t have anything to do with you,¡± he said. ¡°every interaction with you is taking advantage of a completely fucked up mind. having sex with you is even worse, and i¡¯m sure there¡¯s people who would think that it¡¯s morally only a step removed from rape.¡±

    If looks could speak, Frisk¡¯s face would be screaming fervent denial, just yelling ¡°no¡± over and over again, horror and rejection dominating their face.

    ¡°but i don¡¯t always do what i think morality says should be done,¡± he said, looking down at his hands as guilt twisted him.

    Their expression shifted into one that was tender, regretful, and solemn.

    ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, Sans, I really feel differently,¡± Frisk said softly. ¡°I am my own person, and I have my own wants. If a person loses their sight because of traumatic reasons, they should still be loved and accommodated, including if they desire things that relate to their blindness.

    ¡°Yes, I do recognize that my devotion to you is ¡®messed up,¡¯ but this is who I am now, and I am glad to be this way. I don¡¯t want to be otherwise. Even if you think my devotion is due to mental injury¡­ which it pretty obviously is¡­ I think it still deserves respect. Not to be obeyed, not to force you to accept it, but¡­ to respect that I have the right to be who I want to be. If I truly desire you, and my whole being is in agreement, then to say that having sex with me is tantamount to rape is to say I have no right to consent. I think I deserve better than that.¡±

    That argument shook him.

    He kind of¡­ was viewing them in that particular way, wasn¡¯t he? He continuously thought of the way he could just ask questions and be confident in the answer, or tell them to do something and them doing it, as ¡°taking advantage¡± of them. The idea that his very attempt to try to keep himself more moral, more restrained, was itself disrespectful to them¡­ he had a hard time with that concept.

    ¡°you honestly think that it¡¯s more respectful to use you?¡± he asked.

    ¡°No,¡± they said, shaking their head. ¡°That¡¯s not it at all. I¡¯m saying I think it¡¯s more respectful to accept that I am glad to be someone for you to use. What you do with that situation is up to you, and it¡¯s fine either way. But if you want to use me, and don¡¯t, it¡¯s because you believe that my existence is wrong. That¡¯s the part that seems less respectful of my own capacity for choice.¡±

    ¡°but,¡± he said, having some trouble with this. ¡°but you¡¯re talking about me using you like a tool. and you only feel that way because you had a really fucked up experience that broke you completely. taking advantage of that is¡­ well, taking advantage of you.¡±

    They grinned.

    ¡°I¡¯m kinda used to unfair advantages,¡± they said. ¡°And besides - life isn¡¯t fair. And if life is going to be unfair, then fuck it all, we should cheat. I want to give you advantages. I want to give you unfair advantages. If you ever have a desire to ¡®take advantage¡¯ of me, then by all means, do it. It feels good when you do. You¡¯re talking about doing something that fights back against the unfairness of life in a way that helps you and makes me feel good. Why the hell not?¡±

    He stared at them for a moment then sighed heavily.

    He had noticed, of course he had, that their anxieties and nerves, their guilt and shame, all sorts of things, tended to evaporate when he fell to the temptation to give them orders of some kind. That, to the best he could tell, they really did feel good being used by him. They¡¯d frequently get this contented expression like everything was right in the world.

    ¡°this is so completely messed up,¡± he said, a groan in his voice. ¡°you know that, right?¡±

    They shrugged.

    ¡°Does it matter?¡± they asked. ¡°I¡¯m an adult, I have the capacity to reason, I am who I am, and I¡¯m happy with who I am. Er¡­ sort of, but I am in this particular sense, anyway. And you don¡¯t have to do anything. You don¡¯t have to ever tell me to do things. You could tell me to take a different approach to your questions, that I don¡¯t always answer them, or that I¡¯m allowed to be dishonest. I¡¯m not insisting that you take me as a slave or anything. Just¡­ respecting the fact that I have chosen - though that doesn¡¯t quite feel like the right word - to be always and forever available to you.¡±

    He could do that. He could try to order them to break off from him, to speak to him more normally, to stop obeying him in all things. To stop answering his questions like this.

    But¡­ damn them both to hell, neither of them wanted that.

    If Frisk hated this situation, then yeah, he¡¯d do everything he could to try to break them free of their devotion. But they loved it.

    And on a purely selfish level¡­ the only other person in the world he felt he could absolutely trust to have his back was Papyrus, and well¡­ he kept a lot of things from Papyrus. He never wanted to burden his brother with anything, and his own head was full of burdens.

    Frisk, despite their utter insanity that ought to make them count as unstable, managed to be a point of stability in Sans¡¯ life. He would second guess himself sometimes, sure, but he never had to. And sometimes, when he was feeling lazy, he just didn¡¯t. He would just tell them what he wanted them to do, just tell them to explain their thoughts or feelings, and things would be so easy.

    And on a purely selfish level, he didn¡¯t actually want to give that up. And they didn¡¯t want him to give it up, either. So¡­ why did it seem like giving it up was right, in that case? What was right, in this situation?

    ¡°i¡¯ll need to chew on that at some point,¡± he said eventually. ¡°but in the end, it just makes me feel better about the conclusion i already came to. as i¡¯d started to say, i don¡¯t always do what it seems like morality would say i should. i¡¯d already decided that, even if this situation is wrong, even if i am just taking advantage of you, i¡¯m willing to do it anyway.¡±

    Why the hell were their eyes shining with such delight? He suppressed a groan. He knew damn well why, of course, but still.

    ¡°mostly because of things you already mentioned - the fact that you want me to, that you¡¯re happier when i do, counts for a lot. if no one is getting hurt, then it doesn¡¯t seem like it¡¯s as bad as it sounds,¡± he said.

    He took a breath and braced himself. This next bit was incredibly uncomfortable.

    ¡°sex is a little more sticky,¡± he said, and they giggled. He grinned at them. ¡°the fact is, between the two of us, one hundred percent of the sanity is in here.¡±

    He tapped at his skull, and they nodded in full acceptance.

    ¡°that means if i care about sanity at all, i need to be the one who makes certain decisions,¡± he said, and they nodded again. ¡°normally, i¡¯d have to trust my partner for something like this, but frankly, i don¡¯t. not for this sort of thing - you¡¯re willing to do way too much. so i need certain information in order to decide if we¡¯re going to go through with this, and it¡¯s going to be really uncomfortable for you.¡±

    Their eyes were shining with manic glee.

    He supposed he had just said that he¡¯d agree if the questions were answered to his liking¡­ well, it was a good thing he¡¯d tried to beat out all hint of lust from interfering.

    ¡°Whatever you want to know,¡± they said.

    ¡°we¡¯re gonna start this with an order,¡± he said. ¡°you need to make sure your answers are designed to convey to me what you actually feel, deep down, and not what you think i want to hear. not what you think aligns with your vision of how your devotion works. not with any fanciful thoughts of how you want things to be. if there¡¯s a fight in you between two answers, you give me both. nothing fancy, nothing flowery, just the straight facts. do you understand?¡±

    ¡°I do,¡± they said solemnly. ¡°You¡¯re right. That will be uncomfortable.¡±

    ¡°i¡¯ve barely started, kid,¡± he said and then scratched at his head uncomfortably.

    He¡¯d been calling them that forever, but it did feel awkward when they were talking about having sex. He hadn¡¯t meant to say it again, but habits were hard to break.

    ¡°asking you what you actually feel for me would be a bad question, because it¡¯d probably take days,¡± he said and they laughed. ¡°so i¡¯m taking a different approach. i don¡¯t know what¡¯s really going on in your head, and have a number of different hypotheses. i¡¯m going to tell you one of them, and you¡¯re going to tell me exactly how correct or incorrect it is.¡±

    They nodded eagerly.

    ¡°before your genocide run, you were heading for romance with the other sans,¡± he said. ¡°i don¡¯t mean in the sense that he felt that way - i¡¯m just talking about your half here. resetting destroyed that, and in your head, destroyed all possibility of it. you¡¯ve mostly accepted that, but you¡¯re straining to regain any hint of what could have been, what you wanted.

    ¡°so what you really want, deep down, is a romance of equals between us; a shared, mutual, romantic love. and all of the rest of this is born from your belief that you destroyed it, that what you want is actually impossible, and you¡¯re trying to grab on to anything you can that makes you feel like it maybe wasn¡¯t as completely destroyed as you¡¯d first thought.

    ¡°so, first question - does this hypothesis make sense?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it does,¡± they said seriously.

    ¡°then tell me exactly to what extent it is true,¡± he said.

    ¡°I need a moment to think,¡± they said and he nodded.

    He had to wait almost ten minutes before they spoke, but their facial expressions were interesting during that time.

    ¡°The Frisk that existed before the genocide route is dead,¡± they said at last. ¡°They got ill from the fear of Chara and the implications of the loop. They started to die at the realization of what they destroyed, and as they started to kill. And the moment they surrendered to Chara, after your gambit of attempting mercy? That was the moment they died. The moment I existed was the moment I fought back against Chara, fought to apologize to your passed out form, fought to reset. My birth was complete, when this timeline was born. My soul began to heal into its new shape when I spoke to you at the cliff, that first day.¡±

    The fucked-up-ness of this situation was not improving. Also they really apparently struggled with the whole ¡°not flowery answers¡± thing.

    ¡°I say this because, I look at that Frisk, and frankly, they¡¯re not me,¡± they said. ¡°Their desires aren¡¯t my desires. Their thoughts seem almost alien to me, in many cases. They seem almost as much not-me as Chara does.

    ¡°I think that hypothesis is right, in some ways. I think they wanted to walk a path of romance with you. That ¡®me¡¯ didn¡¯t think of it in those terms, but it does look like that¡¯s where their heart was leading them. But that desire isn¡¯t my desire. It looks alien to me now. The thought of a relationship like that? It looks¡­ weird and difficult.¡±

    This was interesting, mostly because it didn''t match his predictions at all. He''d honestly thought that hypothesis was the most likely option, and failing that, that they wanted romance in some fashion. But they were actually opposed to it?

    ¡°If you said you wanted us to be deeply intimate friends, sharing everything from jokes, to secrets, to sex, where you could just trust in my loyalty and companionship? That seems easy and natural. That seems like it fits the shape of my soul. That image seems like a breath of relief, to stop trying to twist myself in unnatural directions.

    ¡°If you confessed your love for me in a romantic way, and wanted a relationship of equals, like other people have relationships¡­ that would be very difficult. I would, of course; I would try with everything I had to fit that shape. But who and what I am, now, is a thing that is utterly subservient to you. That¡¯s not naturally compatible with a romance of equals.¡±

    It was a little unsettling how incorrect he''d apparently been.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t fit the shape of my soul, and while it¡¯s¡­ it is a little sad to realize that I don¡¯t think I am capable of ever having that, with anyone¡­ it¡¯s not all that sad. It¡¯s like the wistfulness when I appreciate someone¡¯s art skills and think it¡¯d be nice if I could do that, too. It¡¯s a little sad I¡¯m not an amazing artist, but well, I¡¯m just not, and that¡¯s okay.¡±

    They frowned.

    ¡°I think I answered your question right,¡± they said. ¡°Did I?¡±

    It was¡­ interesting. And he had to admit, kind of appealing. Romance was hard for him, too. What they¡¯d described as their ideal, of being ¡°deeply intimate friends¡± who shared everything, including sex? That was kind of what romance was, except it just sounded easier.

    No relationship worries, no second guessing, none of the usual bull and uncertainties.

    But with lots of guilt for using them like that. He didn¡¯t see any way around that issue.

    Still, he wanted to make absolutely sure.

    ¡°so you really, deep down, aren¡¯t pining for me to declare my love for you and to have that whole fairy-tale happy ending?¡± he pressed.

    They shook their head.

    ¡°It¡¯s kind of sad to admit, now that I think about it,¡± they said. ¡°I want you to love me, but¡­ when I think about those stories of love, when I think about Alphys and Undyne, when I see these things¡­ they aren¡¯t the shape of my soul. I don¡¯t see anything anywhere that matches me. All I have to go on is my own thoughts and feelings.

    ¡°And in those fondest imaginings, you do declare your love for me, but not¡­ not like that. Not that shape of love, not that style. You tell me that your own heart has settled into a position of trust in me, that your faith in me - in my loyalty, in my love, in my commitment - is absolute. That you know, deep down, that I am yours, and I am something that you treasure above almost anything else. That you are glad that I exist, that I¡¯m in your life, and glad that I am yours. That you want me by your side for life, to always have that sense of security and certainty that, even if all else in the world is crazy and unknown, the fact that I am yours and I love you is a bedrock you can count on. That, even if it¡¯s weird and not like what other people think is okay, that I matter, deeply and personally, to you. That is the kind of declaration of love I want most desperately from you.¡±

    He leaned back thoughtfully.

    It was kind of like the last conversation, really. Feeling like a wrecking ball was going through his thoughts from revelations, but at the same time, not actually revealing anything that, on some level, he didn¡¯t already know.

    They¡¯d said all this, in some fashion or another, since the day they¡¯d first met. In this timeline, anyway. He''d just constructed something else in his head.

    The look on their face - now, and all those other times - they absolutely believed it.

    The only question was - were they right about themself? Were they self aware enough?

    Maybe it was wrong of him, but¡­ he really thought they were.

    He looked at them again.

    The temptation to just¡­ accept everything and let them be his was real. It would be so easy. Just to give up second guessing everything, give up worrying about their mental health, give them an order to tell him if ever their mental health seemed to be degrading, and just let the cards fall where they may.

    Well. There were a few things he could still hash out.

    ¡°okay,¡± he said. ¡°let¡¯s talk about a different side of things. what if i fell into a normal romantic relationship with someone else? how do you think you¡¯d really feel? not what you want to feel, how you¡¯d actually react.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d be disappointed,¡± they said immediately. ¡°But¡­ well, maybe that¡¯s not true, actually. If they were okay with me being sexually used by you, I¡¯d love that. You could have a great relationship with them, and I could help satisfy you when they weren¡¯t around, or maybe participate and help out, all three of us. You could also give me to them for their use, too. That whole idea seems like it¡¯d be awesome, actually.¡±

    That earned another long sigh. Seriously¡­? He wasn''t even going to think about that. At least, he''d try not to.

    There was no way he would successfully not think about this, but that was a problem for future Sans.

    ¡°If they weren¡¯t okay with that, or if you decided you didn¡¯t want to do anything sexual with me in general, I¡¯d be pretty much equally disappointed, I think,¡± they said. ¡°I do want to be with you sexually. A¡­ hell of a lot, and I admit I¡¯d really struggle with my desires if you were opposed to that. And I¡¯d want to talk to you and figure out what you thought was best to do about that, uh, need.¡±

    And of course they thought he should have a say in how they handled their needs¡­

    Though, to be fair, he figured it was just them being careful in the same way he was trying to be - making sure no issues of jealousy or the like crop up.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can do a normal romance with anyone ever, and frankly, why would anyone else want me when I¡¯m devoted to you? So I¡¯d probably be stuck with casual options. But maybe I could find some sort of friends with benefits situation with someone that everyone could be happy with. Or you could give me to some people on occasion - that sounds hot.¡±

    Of course it did.

    That particular bit of ridiculousness aside¡­ this was sad. And it made a lot of sense. Until they healed, if they ever did, they couldn''t ever have one of the most fundamental needs of the human mind. And worse, apparently couldn''t even properly want it.

    That was the part he had the hardest time with. Not being able to fulfill a basic need because of mental damage made sense, but not even wanting it? Or being jealous of those who had it?

    ¡°you actually don¡¯t think you¡¯d be jealous?¡± he pressed.

    They shook their head.

    ¡°No,¡± they said with a bit of a sad smile. ¡°Now that I¡¯ve really tried to think about what a proper romance with you would look like¡­ again, I¡¯d be willing, even eager, to try, but I feel like¡­ who I am would have to change, in order for it to work at all. And¡­ to be entirely honest, though it pains me to say it¡­¡±

    Their face scrunched up.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say this part, if it weren¡¯t for your orders earlier,¡± they said with a sigh. ¡°But while a part of me likes the idea of a romance between us, I honestly suspect that, deep down, I don¡¯t have that capability anymore. That I could try - that I would try, with everything I have - but that, in the end, I would fail. And so if you do desire a¡­ let¡¯s call it standard romance, a love between equals, without this messed up power dynamic, then you¡¯d¡­¡±

    Their lip trembled and they forced themself to speak.

    ¡°You¡¯d¡­ you¡¯d probably have to find it somewhere else, in the end,¡± they said roughly.

    They looked incredibly vulnerable as they trembled in the next chair over.

    ¡°But I could be wrong,¡± they whispered. ¡°If that¡¯s what you wanted, I would try, I would, and it might work.¡±

    It wasn''t like he didn''t already know their head was fucked up to a staggering degree. It was still sad to see the extent of it anyway. It made sense, too. Romance, in the usual sense, just wasn''t a match for the whole subservient devotion thing.

    They were bound to him in a way that meant they couldn''t even hope for that kind of love. They deserved better than this.

    And worse, if he was understanding them correctly¡­

    ¡°if i¡¯m understanding you, the reason you¡¯re upset isn¡¯t because you¡¯re sad that we can¡¯t have a romantic relationship. it¡¯s because you¡¯re upset at the idea of me wanting something from you and you not being able to provide,¡± he said.

    Their face lit up with relief.

    ¡°Yes, exactly,¡± they said.

    He sighed again. He thought about offering them a hug - he was sure it would make them feel so much better - but he needed to stay objective. To stay focused. To keep them at arm¡¯s length as he tried to sort out this giant mess.

    ¡°you realize if i ever do end up in a romantic relationship with anyone, they''re probably going to hate the idea of you even existing,¡± Sans pointed out.

    Frisk laughed at that, and the sound was wrenched in pain in ways that Sans had not expected from his comment.

    ¡°I¡¯ve said it so many times, but I think on some level you don¡¯t want to believe me,¡± they said with a sad smile. ¡°I am yours, Sans. Yours to use, to set aside, as you will. If you want me to stay away from you for the rest of your life, then I will. I would want to make sure you have some way to contact me, in case you change your mind, but other than that, I would. If we decide that it¡¯s safe for me to let go and let myself die for real, and you want me dead, then I want to die. If you decide that I shouldn¡¯t exist, then I won¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°so you¡¯re saying i¡¯m stuck dealing with the responsibility for your life,¡± Sans said, feeling a little frustrated with this insanity.

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Only deal with the issue of my life if ever you feel like it. I can manage it on my own. My life or death are simply available to you, if you ever do feel like doing anything with them.¡±

    Sans didn¡¯t tend to groan out loud, but this situation earned the exasperated noise that escaped him. He was leaning back and looking at the wonderfully not insane ceiling.

    ¡°if you¡¯re this obsessed with me, how would you even function if i weren¡¯t around?¡± he asked, letting his exasperation into his voice.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Frisk said, looking down. ¡°I would try very hard to avoid resets, to let time pass us all by. Otherwise, only Flowey would feel fully real, and that dynamic might be dangerous. Or, actually¡­ I¡¯d dedicate myself to trying to solve Flowey¡¯s soul problem, and then if it worked, I think Asriel would be a great influence on me.¡±

    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    They nodded thoughtfully.

    ¡°Yes, I think that works,¡± they said.

    He supposed that was reasonable. A long time ago, he¡¯d figured they just needed some goal, some purpose, to latch onto. That being a creature of such intense determination without any focus is part of what screwed them up to begin with.

    With a start, he suddenly realized, that was it. That was all the things he really needed to know.

    They really weren¡¯t pining after him for a conventional, fairy-tale romance. What they wanted was to be his most cherished ¡°possession,¡± of sorts, to be used in whatever ways he needed, and ideally used in ways that they wanted. To have a relationship, a dynamic, that was as simple as it was fucked up - that they were simply his, in pretty much every sense.

    The question was, what should he do now?

    No. That ship had sailed. The question was, what did he want to do now?

    With a sensation almost like dread, he realized he knew the answer to that.

    Other than things like wanting the people who mattered to him to be happy, what he wanted most was to remember the resets. To never, ever have to face being in a dead end in time. To never have to be erased like so many other Sans-es had been erased.

    And their idea was practical. But it was missing a component. Deep down, he¡¯d been trying to keep Frisk at arm¡¯s length. To be their friend, to care about them, but not to let them into his heart too deeply. And if what was needed for the memories to stay was a strong bond between their souls, he¡¯d probably have to let them in.

    And sex seemed as good a way as any to compel him into trying to take that step.

    As his thoughts ground their way to that conclusion, another part of him was staring in horror. Was he really going along with this? Was he really going to do this - to fuck his friend for personal gain and pleasure, despite how incredibly messed up the situation was?

    Slowly, he grew to accept that the answer was yes.

    But he would try to keep some measure of sanity in all this. He still thought it was wrong to just give in and use them completely.

    ¡°i¡¯ve decided,¡± he said, after several minutes. ¡°we¡¯ll try it once. that¡¯s all i¡¯m agreeing to right now. we¡¯ll have sex once and we¡¯ll see if it looks like it¡¯s having any effect.¡±

    ¡°So then,¡± Frisk said, their voice breathless and desperately restrained, ¡°what we¡¯ll need to do is save right as we¡¯re about to start, right? To see if it¡¯s working?¡±

    ¡°that makes sense,¡± he said, almost begrudgingly.

    The idea of them looping during sex was kinda¡­ he didn''t even know. But the only time they''d ever not looped for a trial was when they''d killed him, so it just made sense.

    He¡­ for many reasons¡­ really wanted this to work. And after their last success, a part of him believed it really might this time.

    ¡°When?¡± they asked, and he looked at their bright and eager face.

    What was he doing¡­?

    ¡°tomorrow, maybe?¡± he asked.

    ¡°How do you want me to be?¡± they asked. ¡°Should I¡­ I don¡¯t know, dress sexy? Act in a certain way? I¡­ I don¡¯t know what you want, what you like.¡±

    Guilt tore at him. He shouldn''t be doing this, shouldn''t be encouraging this, he just¡­ he wanted Frisk to be okay. And yet he was going to¡­

    ¡°this isn¡¯t a date,¡± he said. ¡°it¡¯s not a romance. it¡¯s nothing resembling that. i am going to have sex with you as a means to an end. i want you to just be you.¡±

    Their face fell and they looked away.

    ¡°Sans?¡± they asked timidly. ¡°Can I ask something?¡±

    ¡°sure,¡± he said.

    ¡°Do you¡­ want to have sex with me?¡± they asked, still looking away. ¡°Or¡­ or is it something that you¡¯re just making yourself do because it seems like it might work?¡±

    This was wrong. Anything he said would make it worse. Didn''t want them to feel unwanted, didn''t want them to feel used, didn''t want them to feel encouraged towards the two of them having a sexual relationship¡­ what the hell could he even say?

    ¡°there isn¡¯t a simple answer,¡± he said. ¡°last week¡­ i admit that i, uh, felt things. i expect i¡¯ll enjoy myself. but if it weren¡¯t for the practical side of things, there¡¯s no way. there might have been a real chance of romance between you and that first sans - i have no issues with your body or personality or anything like that. the entire problem is how messed up this whole situation is. i feel like i¡¯ve agreed to do something wrong, because i selfishly want to remember, and i just have to accept that.¡±

    ¡°So¡­ the issue is just ethical?¡± they pressed. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for your ethics, you would¡­ want this?¡±

    He let out a low breath, halfway to a sigh. ¡°If not for your ethics,¡± like it was a thing he could just discard. That was an important part of him. But outside of that concern? If he could believe that everything was okay, that Frisk was okay¡­ who the hell could turn away from that?

    ¡°it¡¯s a little hard to argue with what you¡¯re offering,¡± Sans admitted. ¡°i¡¯m not the best person, frisk. i¡¯d say i try to be, but that¡¯s not true, either. i just¡­¡±

    He paused for a moment.

    ¡°if i say i just try hard enough to make sure i¡¯m not a monster, would that make sense?¡± he asked.

    They reached a hand forward, towards his.

    ¡°May I?¡± they asked and he sighed, but nodded.

    They squeezed his hand comfortingly. All his uncertainties aside¡­ the contact felt nice.

    ¡°It does make sense,¡± they said softly. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re that kind of monster, Sans.¡±

    If he had to let them in¡­ well, he might as well say these things outloud.

    ¡°aren¡¯t i, though?¡± he asked, leaning back into the couch cushion, staring at the ceiling. ¡°if it weren¡¯t for a promise, i¡¯d have killed an innocent person, knowingly, for personal gain. and i would have, frisk. unlike you, it wouldn¡¯t have been with the intention of it just being temporary.¡±

    Frisk was gently tracing their fingers over the bones of his hand. Their hand was so warm and soft.

    He never said these things out loud. But if anyone could understand¡­ and he needed to connect with them anyway¡­

    His eyes closed.

    ¡°i¡¯ve¡­ done other things, too, a long time ago. you aren¡¯t the first person i¡¯ve ever fought,¡± he said in a low tone. ¡°...that i¡¯ve ever killed.¡±

    Warmth pressed against his hand. Their cheek, he figured. He didn¡¯t open his eyes to check.

    There was silence. Silence and warmth. Frisk often stayed silent when they weren¡¯t sure what to say, when they had no questions to answer. But they held his hand gently and the warmth was nice. They didn¡¯t turn away.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I should say anything,¡± Frisk murmured, several minutes later. ¡°But¡­ I understand guilt. I understand wondering about whether you¡¯re that kind of monster. And I know you care, Sans. You care about doing the right thing.¡±

    ¡°and yet i¡¯m¡­¡± he said with a sigh. ¡°i care about you, frisk. you¡¯re my friend. you¡¯re important to me. and in the end, i¡¯m¡­¡±

    He sank deeper into the cushions as they pressed their face more firmly to his hand. Appreciation, he thought.

    ¡°it¡¯s wrong, what i¡¯m doing,¡± he said. ¡°i should be trying to help you heal and become your own person. instead¡­ i¡¯m going to take advantage of your broken mind in so many ways, all for personal benefit. i¡¯m going to have sex with you because i want to remember the resets and have the benefit of your power. and because¡­ because it¡¯s going to feel good and it¡¯s been a long time since i¡¯ve felt that.¡±

    Their breath was hot on his hand and they were trembling. Desire, he thought.

    ¡°i know you view it differently,¡± he said, finding the words oddly flowing, in the darkness of his closed eyes. ¡°i know you don¡¯t think this is wrong. i know you think that i¡¯m disrespecting you, the way i¡¯m seeing the situation with you. maybe i am. no. i definitely am. i don¡¯t see the way you are as being a¡­ i dunno. valid way to be. that it¡¯s just wrong for you to be this way. that going along with it is taking advantage, it¡¯s morally wrong, it¡¯s¡­ abusive, maybe. it¡¯s bad enough when i¡¯m lazy and just messing around with you, but with sex, i¡­ this is wrong.¡±

    He put his arm over his face, half to hide his face, half to make sure he didn¡¯t open his eyes.

    ¡°and i can¡¯t stop thinking about how good it¡¯s going to feel,¡± he admitted hoarsely.

    He¡­ probably shouldn¡¯t have said that.

    A faint sound escaped Frisk. A sharp intake of breath followed by a sound halfway between a whimper and a moan.

    There was silence for another long, few minutes. Sans just lay there on the couch, listening to Frisk struggle to breathe, feeling them trembling through the hand they still held tight. The anticipation he felt, the sound of their struggle with desire¡­ apparently he hadn¡¯t beat out his lust quite well enough.

    ¡°I¡­ I know you see it that way,¡± Frisk said eventually, their voice wavering and husky. ¡°But¡­ this is a precious memory you¡¯re giving me. I hate that you feel bad about it, and maybe it¡¯s horribly selfish of me, but I am¡­ I am so grateful to have this. I wish¡­ I wish you could be happier about this. I wish you could just let go of all your worries, even just for the one time. Just for those minutes or hours, just let it go, and let yourself enjoy it. Enjoy me.¡±

    ¡°i¡¯ll try,¡± he said, and meant it.

    ¡°I¡­ may not be the most experienced with this sort of thing, but I¡¯m going to try to make it feel as good as I can,¡± Frisk murmured. ¡°Try to¡­ distract you from pesky thoughts.¡±

    He moved his arm away from his eyes and looked at them. They knelt before the couch, holding his hand to their face, as he¡¯d thought. Their cheeks were flushed and their eyes sparkling, their gaze burning with desire.

    Desire for him. Pure, sweet, and compelling. No judgment for admitting that he was a killer. Their eyes were full of love, despite all the reasons they shouldn''t love him. Acceptance of him, despite his inability and refusal to accept them.

    He found that he just couldn''t turn away from that gaze.

    Slowly, feeling like his own better judgment was flaking away, he moved the hand they held. He traced his fingers over their cheek, their jawline. He held their chin and ran his thumb over their lips. They gasped lightly, and he let his thumb go into their open mouth. The wet heat of their tongue pressed against the bone. They closed their mouth, enveloping him in the sensation.

    Their body trembled and another whimper escaped them. The warmth, the wetness, the pressure¡­ it was nice.

    They pulled back slightly, so that his thumb rested on their lower lip.

    ¡°Y-you said n-not to let anything sexual happen between us today,¡± they said, their voice rough. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know if t-this counts.¡±

    It totally did.

    ¡°let¡¯s say it doesn¡¯t,¡± he said.

    With a moan, they moved forward and took his thumb into their mouth again. A slow breath escaped him as their tongue danced around him, caressing and sucking.

    It felt so good.

    His dick had been beaten into submission, but this was too much. If he wasn¡¯t careful, his newest difficulty would be visible.

    He wasn¡¯t careful.

    Another whimper and moan escaped Frisk when they noticed, higher pitched and desperate, and they writhed as they sucked at his thumb.

    God, it was hot to see that. To feel this.

    It was wrong to put this on Frisk, but¡­ he didn¡¯t need to worry about losing control and doing anything too much tonight. He could just relax. He could just enjoy this.

    He gripped their chin and mouth and pulled them up to the couch, beside him, then let them start suckling his thumb again.

    ¡°Sans, I¡­¡± Frisk said around his thumb.

    ¡°your mouth feels good,¡± Sans said and they whimpered again. ¡°i find myself wondering things that i haven¡¯t let myself think about before. do you want to know?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± they whispered before assaulting his thumb again.

    He pulled his thumb out and shoved in two fingers. They moaned and fervently resumed pleasuring him. It was weird how the sensation seemed to connect directly to his dick. It made him want the real thing.

    ¡°i¡¯ve asked questions from time to time about your devotion,¡± he said. ¡°but i¡¯ve never brought up a situation that pits what you really want against an order.¡±

    While they sucked the fingers of his left hand, his started to gently brush his right hand through their hair.

    ¡°what would you do if i pulled down my shorts, grabbed you by the hair, and¡­¡±

    He trailed off leadingly, gripping their hair a little too tightly. They moaned and gasped adorably, squirming as they licked and sucked.

    ¡°I-I¡­¡± they stammered, but it was hard to speak with their tongue occupied like that.

    ¡°because i think you¡¯d want me to do that,¡± he said.

    The shiver that ran through them was beautiful.

    ¡°Mm-hmm,¡± they affirmed, their eyes wild.

    ¡°i want to do that,¡± he said and they whimpered desperately. ¡°your mouth feels good¡­ and it¡¯d feel good elsewhere, too. so, i¡¯m curious, frisk. i want you to use your mouth on me. what are you going to do?¡±

    He let go and pulled both hands away, leaning back again. Their eyes fell to the bulge in his shorts and they writhed.

    ¡°T-th-that isn¡¯t what you really want,¡± they managed, their gaze torn back and forth between his face and his dick. ¡°I¡¯d said I¡¯d protect you from yourself, and I didn¡¯t think it¡¯d¡­ but¡­ I can¡¯t. Not¡­ not today.¡±

    ¡°Mmm,¡± he said. ¡°that¡¯s good.¡±

    ¡°It is?¡± they asked, looking dazed.

    ¡°i like knowing that i can trust you to obey me,¡± he said and they whimpered again. ¡°i shouldn¡¯t like that, but i do.¡±

    He lifted their chin, making them face the ceiling, and traced a finger roughly and slowly down their neck.

    ¡°i wonder,¡± he said, as he started to pull down their collar. ¡°i wonder where you¡¯d draw the line.¡±

    They gasped and gave him a richly complicated expression as he tugged sharply at their collar and then let go, leaning back again.

    ¡°where could i touch you before you stopped me?¡± he said, his voice idly curious with a husky undertone. ¡°if i took your hand, where could i put it on me, before you pulled away?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± they tried to speak, their eyes wide and wild.

    ¡°no, don¡¯t answer,¡± he said. ¡°it¡¯s fun to imagine, though, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± they whispered.

    ¡°the things i might ask you to do,¡± he murmured. ¡°the things you might beg me to do... i wonder how easy it would be to make you beg.¡±

    So many interesting ideas.

    ¡°Sans¡­¡± they said, their voice rough. ¡°I¡­ we¡­ this is getting carried away, isn¡¯t it¡­?¡±

    ¡°heh heh heh¡­ yeah, we are,¡± he said. ¡°i don¡¯t think you actually mind, though.¡±

    ¡°Not at all,¡± they admitted. ¡°But I don¡¯t know where to draw the line.¡±

    He sighed.

    ¡°probably should have drawn it a while ago,¡± he admitted. ¡°but that¡¯s on me. there¡¯s things i want to ask, want to do, but i¡¯m pretty sure i¡¯m already going to be annoyed at myself in the morning.¡±

    ¡°Then we should stop,¡± Frisk said, their gaze sharpening.

    Except he didn''t want to.

    He slowly reached out a hand to their face and they held statue still, indecision warring in their eyes. He touched their cheek and they cracked, leaning into it, reaching up to hold his hand there.

    ¡°Tomorrow, Sans,¡± they whispered. ¡°I¡¯ll somehow survive till tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°i want something from you,¡± he said and they trembled in his grasp.

    ¡°Yes,¡± they said - a statement, not a question.

    ¡°i like you like this,¡± he said. ¡°desperate and needy. make sure you¡¯re particularly riled up tomorrow.¡±

    They whimpered again.

    ¡°Sans, I¡­ I really want to¡­ I will¡­¡± they choked out.

    ¡°i look forward to seeing¡­ how did you put it? for you to finish with me inside of you?¡± he said.

    The look on their face was a work of art.

    ¡°tell me, frisk,¡± he said. ¡°i don¡¯t know your body, your patterns. will it make you hornier tomorrow if you don¡¯t finish yourself today?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know,¡± they said, their eyes wide. ¡°... but probably.¡±

    ¡°then don¡¯t,¡± he said and they squirmed deliciously.

    ¡°As you wish,¡± they said. ¡°...will you?¡±

    ¡°of course,¡± he said with a smug grin. ¡°i¡¯ll be thinking of how desperately you¡¯ll be writhing, unable to do anything about it, when i finish tonight.¡±

    They whimpered and writhed again.

    ¡°in fact, i think i¡¯d like to start right away,¡± he said. ¡°so, in the interest of us not doing anything sexual together today, you probably should leave.¡±

    They staggered to their feet, dazed. They started to make their way to the door, and then turned to face him.

    ¡°Sans?¡± they asked.

    ¡°yeah?¡± he said.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± they said, their voice thick with gratitude. ¡°I look forward to tomorrow.¡±

    It didn''t seem right, letting them leave just like that.

    With one more longing look towards him, they turned to leave.

    Nah, this wouldn¡¯t do. As they turned, he acted on impulse and teleported way, way too close to them, barely shifting to a standing posture in time.

    Soft breasts pressed against his chest as they started to move forward, and their face was just in front of his. They were close enough that even with a human tongue he could have licked the tip of their nose, and their eyes widened like saucers. Their pupils were so dilated that they looked utterly lost as they gazed at him.

    It was honestly kind of adorable. And better yet, even though their breasts had pressed against him with the step they¡¯d taken, they hadn¡¯t stepped back, keeping that very pleasant sensation on his chest. He couldn¡¯t help but grin.

    ¡°you seem distracted,¡± he said, a laugh in his voice.

    ¡°Y-yes,¡± they said, almost mindlessly.

    ¡°it occurs to me that you might get lost or even walk into telephone poles on your way home, so how about we take a shortcut instead?¡±

    ¡°Oh, uh, yes, thank you,¡± they said, still gazing at him with a lost expression, and he laughed at how mentally not present they sounded.

    He bet he could have suggested taking them away so they wouldn¡¯t get abducted by aliens, or because their blood had turned into chocolate, and they¡¯d have agreed in exactly the same way. In hindsight, he totally should have, but then, he hadn¡¯t realized quite how lost they were.

    He reached out through space to their room, and following another playful impulse, lined up the target very carefully. Once primed, he activated it, and with a flash of blackness, they arrived.

    He stood at the side of their bed, knees practically touching it. Frisk, however, for some totally unknown reason, didn¡¯t have enough room for their legs, which were pushed forwards, making them fall back.

    He could barely see them there, in the faint light coming through the window, shadows on their face. But he could see enough. He could see the way they gazed at him, on their back on the bed, their legs spread in the position they¡¯d fallen. They didn¡¯t move, and seemed completely captured by his gaze.

    Their clothes could be torn apart with such incredible ease, with all the magic he had. They might as well be naked, and the way they were staring at him¡­

    In this particular moment, other than the orders he¡¯d given them earlier - and on some level, he was deeply regretting giving those - he knew that he could do anything he wanted with Frisk. Not because of their devotion, not because of them being broken, not because of any choices they¡¯d made, but because of the sheer intensity of their desire.

    Which, as far as his feelings were concerned, made his ethical objections seem really, deeply unimportant. And that meant the only reason he couldn¡¯t do anything about this was because he¡¯d decided earlier that they shouldn¡¯t. Which, ironically, meant that the reason for his objections in the first place - their insane devotion and brokenness - was the only thing that prevented him from doing¡­ anything.

    His hand pulled from his jacket pocket and he thumbed the waistband. In this moment, they were his in a way more fundamental and primal than any sort of insanity, and that felt good in a way that he had never experienced before. If it weren¡¯t for those¡­ questionable orders¡­ what would he do with them?

    Thoughts he¡¯d fought against so hard before were flooding through his mind. Temptations, pleasures. An image of Frisk desperately begging and then screaming in pleasure as he drove them to utter madness. How hard could he push them?

    But, their devotion would stop him. How hilariously ironic.

    The only thing he could think of that he could probably get away with was just masturbating in front of them, but that didn''t appeal. It was downright boring. He wanted them to struggle, but not like that, not when even his choices were bound by his own damned order. He didn¡¯t just want to enjoy himself, didn¡¯t just want to torment them, he wanted their pleasure.

    So he¡¯d have to wait till tomorrow.

    He closed his eyes and slowly exhaled, his hand going still. They gasped, the sound wavering and shocked, and he realized they hadn¡¯t been breathing.

    Yeah. It was time to go.

    ¡°goodnight, frisk,¡± he said, his voice low.

    ¡°G-goodnight, Sans,¡± they said, barely over a whisper.

    He teleported directly to his room and fell to his own temptations, enjoying the knowledge of how Frisk couldn''t do a damned thing.

    It didn¡¯t take him long at all before his head cleared and he realized that, once again, he¡¯d been a dick. This was becoming a pattern¡­

    He was incredibly frustrated with himself. He took a bubble bath to try to relax and responded to Papyrus¡¯s message about coming home a little later, and then just took some time to think.

    He had decided to go along with things because of a pragmatic reason. He had intended to not encourage Frisk into even hoping for a sexual relationship with him. This was supposed to be a one-off thing for science.

    And in the interest of hoping, trying, something, to make a real emotional bond between the two, when he¡¯d relaxed his guard and just ran with things¡­

    He had not done a great job of preventing Frisk from getting their hopes up. Kinda the opposite. While he had, just a few minutes prior, really enjoyed the thought of the state they must be in, now that his head had cleared¡­

    He was absolutely an asshole. He¡¯d ordered a friend, his best friend, to go to bed horny and show up the next day lusty out of their mind¡­ when he intended to not allow any sort of sexual relationship between them for real.

    This whole situation was wrong and doing it for the sake of helping him to remember the loops was bad enough, but he couldn¡¯t just use them sexually.

    Even if just minutes ago it was looking like a really good idea.

    And really, what the hell was wrong with him, at the end there? It was absolutely ridiculous that, apparently, he could trust Frisk more than he could trust himself. All his reasons, all his worries, all his decisions¡­ when they looked at him like that, completely lost in a haze of desire¡­ he would have done it. He would have taken them. If it weren¡¯t for the earlier order¡­ and he hadn¡¯t said that to stop himself, he¡¯d said it to keep Frisk on task and make things easier.

    But he would have cracked, if not for that limit.

    He knew he wasn¡¯t the best at resisting temptation, but also, the hell.

    And what he¡¯d said and done to Frisk¡­ that was downright mean. They shouldn¡¯t have to suffer tonight just because the idea of it was hot to him. That was definitely taking advantage of them in a bad way.

    He took out his phone and sighed. He had to say something to Frisk. He just had to.

    Sans: uh frisk

    Sans: i realize that i was being a dick

    Sans: so i need to apologize

    Sans: uh sorry

    It didn¡¯t take long before Frisk responded.

    Frisk: Don¡¯t apologize.

    Frisk: That¡¯s the hottest thing that has ever happened to me.

    Frisk: It was so good.

    Frisk: You should do that again.

    Frisk: wait

    Frisk: Only if you want to.

    Sans: frisk

    Frisk: Yes.

    Sans: u rly need to hear me out b4 agreeing to things

    Frisk: Only if you order me to

    Frisk: but inside I¡¯ll agree anyway

    Frisk: You can¡¯t stop that

    Sans: uh

    Sans: i think ur still having trouble

    Frisk: So much trouble. It¡¯s so good.

    Sans: u dont have to do anything i said at the end

    Frisk: Okay

    Frisk: I appreciate that

    Frisk: but I think the horny Sans had a better idea of what tomorrow¡¯s horny Sans will want.

    Frisk: You¡¯ll want me desperate and needy. I bet it¡¯ll be easy to make me beg.

    Sans: i feel like i need to stop this somehow.

    Sans: this is my fault.

    Frisk: Yes, Sans. It is all your fault. You made me into a quivering puddle of horny desperation. You did this.

    Frisk: And tomorrow, you can fix it.

    Sans: uh

    Sans: ur gonna be rly embarrassed when u read this later. i would say i wont make fun of u for it.

    Sans: but that would be a lie

    Frisk: I probably will. Do you like it when I¡¯m embarrassed?

    Sans: im trying to stop the insanity

    Sans: or at least slow it down

    Frisk: I can¡¯t be stopped.

    Sans: ok that is true

    Sans: but u dont have to be determined about this

    Frisk: I know what I want. I want to see you like that again. I want to taste you. I want to feel you.

    Sans: i hate to do this to u

    Sans: but its only the one time

    Sans: its not right. i prolly shouldnt have agreed.

    Frisk: but you did agree. I will have a memory to cherish forever.

    Frisk: Now I¡¯m worried. You don¡¯t regret agreeing, do you?

    Sans: uh. dont worry.

    Frisk: That¡¯s not an answer.

    Sans: of course i regret agreeing.

    Sans: that doesnt mean ive changed my mind.

    Frisk: Please don¡¯t regret this. You¡¯re only worried about it for my sake, right?

    Sans: i think so. its a whole mess.

    Frisk: I want this so much. Even just the one time. Today was incredible. I¡¯m so grateful.

    Frisk:  You have no idea how much I want this.

    Frisk: Especially right now.

    Sans: i uh

    Sans: could tell.

    Sans: u arent good at hiding things from me.

    Sans: at least i dont think so. unless u hid something from me that i dont know about.

    Frisk: I can¡¯t think of anything I¡¯ve hidden from you.

    Frisk: Well.

    Frisk: Nothing important.

    Sans: frisk.

    Frisk: Sans.

    Sans: frisk no.

    Frisk: Frisk yes.

    Sans: that was so bad. u shud feel ashamed

    Frisk: You know you laughed.

    Sans: u cant prove anything

    Frisk: Really though. I did hide how much I¡¯ve wanted this for months. So I guess I could hide it.

    Sans: uh

    Sans: i think i knew. sorta. i was rly trying not to think about it. so i pretended i didnt have any hints

    Sans: but looking back its kinda obvs

    Frisk: I¡¯m glad that you could see it, even if you pretended otherwise. I don¡¯t like hiding things from you.

    Sans: its good that u dont want to hide things from me

    Sans: somebody has to know enough to keep u sane

    Sans: well not sane but something close to it

    Frisk: I¡¯m really not sane right now.

    Frisk: It¡¯s going to be so hard to sleep.

    Sans: u rly r allowed to do something about that

    Sans: u dont need to do this to urself

    Frisk: I want to. I want to cum. I also want to be desperate for you tomorrow. This is so hard, Sans.

    Sans: u could just uh do what u need to sleep well tonite and then work on the other thing tomorrow

    Frisk: Would you like that? For me to play with myself before coming over, so I¡¯m extra needy?

    Sans: wow so this convo is going to be xtra hard for u tomorrow.

    Sans: i wonder if ill hear u scream from here when u read it

    Frisk: I bet you¡¯ll hear me scream tomorrow.

    Sans: i give up. this is hilarious. ull just have to accept never living it down.

    Sans: make sure u get enough sleep tonite ok?

    Frisk: I¡¯ve got some sleeping meds. Don¡¯t worry.

    Sans: i dont think i have a choice.

    Sans: i just hope ull be ok

    Sans: when all this is over

    Frisk: I will be.

    Sans: sleep well ok?

    Frisk: You, too, Sans. Goodnight.

    Sans: night.

    Welp, he¡¯d tried. And if he pulled back from worrying about the mental and emotional health of his friend, it was hilarious. They were going to be so embarrassed about it.

    He slept surprisingly well, all things considered.

 Ch. 16 - Connection (Frisk POV)

    Once Frisk woke up, read their messages and screamed, they realized they had no idea when they were supposed to head over. A quick text exchange settled that, with Sans surprisingly not harassing them about the previous night - he seemed subdued.

    It was a long few hours till their chosen time. Frisk texted Flowey and met up, making sure he knew that this time there was definitely going to be a major loop. He hadn¡¯t been conscious during the other times, just using some magic to fall asleep, and intended to do the same thing again. He noticed that Frisk was being weird, but they managed to deflect him.

    Frisk made it to Sans¡¯ door, but wasn¡¯t quite the puddle of desperate goo that they¡¯d hoped to be the previous night. Nerves edging on actual panic had actually dominated a lot of their thoughts that day. They¡¯d done everything to try to make things as perfect for Sans as possible. Clean, well rested, a trip to a spa for some services the internet recommended, only water and monster food in their system for over a week. They had no idea what else to do and couldn''t even try to dress special.

    Their engine would rev pretty easily, but what Frisk actually felt when they approached Sans¡¯ house was a bundle of nerves. They thought about trying to do a knock knock joke when they showed up, but they were too twitchy to sell it.

    They opened it and went in, and Sans was waiting for them, leaning up against the couch.

    Frisk immediately turned beet red and couldn¡¯t speak.

    Partially because Sans had actually put in some effort into his appearance - in a manner of speaking. He was wearing the exact same outfit he had the first day they¡¯d met. They¡¯d lived that day quite a bit, and had fought him in that outfit. The blue jacket he never took off, a white t-shirt underneath, and black shorts with a white line on the front of the legs. And of course, those pink slippers. It was a day they could never forget, in more than one way, and for more than one reason.

    ¡°good to see ya,¡± Sans said. ¡°we¡¯ll have to take this meeting somewhere else, though. paps will be back soonish.¡±

    ¡°Let me guess, we¡¯re taking one of your shortcuts?¡± Frisk asked.

    ¡°yep,¡± Sans said, heading over to them.

    He activated the teleport as he reached their side, and a draft of cold air hit them both.

    ¡°Here?¡± Frisk asked, eyes going wide.

    ¡°it¡¯s a bit musty, but it¡¯s private,¡± he said, going into his old house in Snowdin.

    ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve done a bit with the place,¡± Frisk said curiously as they looked around.

    The lights had been replaced with glowing crystals. There wasn¡¯t any humming from the appliances in the kitchen, and the shadows were odd, but it was mostly untouched. It seemed warmer in here than last time they¡¯d visited.

    ¡°CORE isn¡¯t running anymore, so there¡¯s no power,¡± he said, heading to the stairs. ¡°still, i have a generator out back if i need any. the light crystals are good enough. got some magic heating going. no one else comes down here, ever, so it was worth it to do a bit to get it usable. to have a spot that¡¯s guaranteed private, y¡¯know?¡±

    ¡°Makes sense,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°yeah,¡± he agreed as he led them to his bedroom. ¡°uh. i need to say something. there¡¯s, uh, actually a number of things we kinda need to talk about first.¡±

    ¡°Y-yeah?¡± Frisk asked.

    They stepped into his bedroom and something about that made everything seem real. It was a blow to Frisk¡¯s gut. They felt so nervous they could cry.

    They¡¯d never seen his bedroom before. It looked like there was a lamp with some light, but not nearly enough. It was pretty dim. There was a double mattress just laying on the floor, up against the wall - no bedframe, no box spring. Light came through the window, too - the shadowy early morning light that Snowdin always seemed to have. A simple desk and what looked like an unused treadmill were the only other things in the room.

    ¡°i, uh,¡± Sans said, and maybe Frisk was projecting, but he actually sounded nervous, too. ¡°i¡¯ve never, uh, been with a human before. i have seen the internet, i know the basics, and it matches up pretty well, but. uh.¡±

    Maybe he really was nervous.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never been with a monster,¡± Frisk admitted, shuffling around with no idea what they were supposed to do. ¡°Though I asked Alphys and it doesn¡¯t sound like there will be any problems.¡±

    Sans went and sat on his bed. It wasn¡¯t the biggest bed, just a double, but there was enough room to, um. And it looked like the sheets had been freshly changed, which was really sweet, since Frisk knew he hated tidying up. There was a pile of blankets at the foot, next to a haphazardly placed pair of pillows, which was so Sans they just smiled.

    There wasn¡¯t a chair or anything, though. Frisk had no idea what to do, so they ended up standing there awkwardly.

    ¡°I¡¯m not completely inexperienced, though,¡± Frisk added in a low murmur.

    He gestured for them to come closer and patted the bed beside him.

    Oh. They would be with Sans. On the bed.

    Okay, so they¡¯d technically done that part before, with the whole killing him thing a month ago, but that was very different.

    This was¡­

    Their face felt hot, but he¡¯d asked, and so they would obey. They didn¡¯t know where exactly they should position themself, so they tried to model the distance from the previous night. Close enough to touch, but not enough to count as pushy.

    ¡°oh?¡± Sans said.

    ¡°I had a few boyfriends and one girlfriend before I fell down here,¡± they said, fidgeting. ¡°Though none at the time I fell, and none that were worth going and seeing again.¡±

    ¡°so it¡¯s been a while,¡± Sans said and they nodded. ¡°it¡¯s been a while for me, too.¡±

    Oh god, this was real, Frisk was going to die. Except, no, that¡¯d be easier.

    They had worked themself up into a bit of a frenzy, and it had died down in their sheer, uncontrollable panic, but this situation was¡­ reminding their body of that fact.

    They had no idea what to do. Should they say something? Should they stay silent?

    Their terror was gripping them in pretty awkward ways, and all other issues aside, he was the one they trusted in the most, so maybe they could just admit that part.

    ¡°I, er, so I¡¯m feeling really awkward,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Excited, too, but now that it¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s real and looming, it¡¯s kind of terrifying, you know?¡±

    ¡°it¡¯s kinda similar for me,¡± Sans said. ¡°less terrifying in the nervous way, and more in the ¡®what the hell am i doing¡¯ way.¡±

    He sighed and Frisk looked away. They wished so badly he didn¡¯t feel bad about this.

    ¡°look, uh, frisk,¡± he said. ¡°before, uh, we do anything, there¡¯s some things that kind of need to be said.¡±

    While part of them wanted things to advance immediately, on a different level, this was nicely not-terrifying. So they nodded and looked at him, curious.

    ¡°your plan is good,¡± he said, looking at the ceiling. ¡°practical. but there¡¯s¡­ uh, it¡¯s incomplete.¡±

    ¡°How so?¡± they asked.

    ¡°if i went and found a prostitute, that wouldn¡¯t make the kind of bond that i think¡­¡± he started to say, then paused. ¡°it¡¯s not about the sex, exactly. the sex is a means to an end.¡±

    Frisk nodded. That made a lot of sense. And Alphys had said it was completely optional.

    ¡°the problem is on my end, not yours,¡± he said. ¡°but¡­¡±

    He hesitated and sighed. Frisk¡¯s hand twitched. He seemed to be having trouble. Should they take his hand? Or would that seem greedy?

    ¡°i see the way you and flowey interact,¡± he said. ¡°i know about your history. i think you¡¯ve told me everything at this point, haven¡¯t you?¡±

    They had completely not expected him to bring up Flowey.

    ¡°I¡¯ve skipped trivial details, but, well, they¡¯re trivial,¡± Frisk said, wondering where he was going with this. ¡°You know everything remotely important.¡±

    ¡°i know it¡¯s not even slightly romantic between you two,¡± Sans said, and Frisk nodded aggressively.

    That was a downright unpleasant thought.

    ¡°but there is still, uh. emotional intimacy i think is the best way to put it. the connection between you two? it runs deep. in both of you.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it does,¡± Frisk murmured.

    ¡°even though he can¡¯t feel things right,¡± Sans said. ¡°it runs deeper than just emotions. i know he doesn¡¯t have a soul, but, if i say it¡¯s like it¡¯s part of his soul, would that make sense?¡±

    ¡°Completely,¡± Frisk said. ¡°And you¡¯re right. I thought¡­ I thought you didn¡¯t have any chance of knowing how powerful our connection is. And, a big part of me¡­ I know how observant you are, Sans, but I think you can¡¯t possibly understand it. Not really.¡±

    Maybe it was rude to say it, but Frisk really didn¡¯t think it was possible to understand. Even if Sans started to remember¡­ between their history together, and having a time where there was only one other in all the world who could understand and remember¡­ Flowey¡¯s mark was on their soul, and vice versa, forever.

    ¡°that connection alphys was talking about¡­¡± Sans said, and sighed again. ¡°it¡¯s not something that¡¯s guaranteed. it''s just, when monsters share magic, it¡¯s possible for more than just magic to be shared. it makes it easier to, uh, connect more deeply.¡±

    Frisk nodded.

    ¡°here¡¯s¡­ here¡¯s the thing, frisk,¡± Sans said. ¡°i have a lot of magic, and am pretty damn good at working with it. i can make the bridge. and, unless we are both seriously confused about something, your side of that connection is, uh, ready. you are already bound to me pretty intensely.¡±

    They nodded again.

    ¡°i, uh,¡± he said, and rubbed at his head awkwardly. ¡°i¡­ don¡¯t do that. do the thing where, uh¡­¡±

    He was clearly struggling to say this part, but they were pretty sure they understood. And it weirdly made them feel better. It wasn¡¯t that he wasn¡¯t connecting with just Frisk¡­ he didn¡¯t with anyone. It wasn¡¯t good, he should make those connections, but it wasn¡¯t about them.

    Still, they could at least help give words to what he was clearly trying to say.

    ¡°Where you meaningfully connect in a real way with another person,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Where you let them in to the depths of your soul, absolutely and completely vulnerable.¡±

    ¡°er, yeah, that,¡± he said.

    His awkwardness was honestly kind of cute. Frisk had never really had a chance to see him like this. He seemed¡­ downright vulnerable.

    Which, of course, reminded them of another moment, a month prior. Where Sans had been vulnerable in an entirely different way that nonetheless felt related, both to this moment, and to what he was saying.

    The connection to that moment was too potent and the memory swept them away as it had done so much this month.

    ¡°Hugging a friend is a good way to go,¡± he¡¯d said, his voice trembling with emotion. With fear.

    Sans, no, no, no, they thought, desperate and hurting. They hated this, hated it, hated it¡­

    Chara was faintly audible and was laughing, and they couldn¡¯t block out the sound, there should be no laughter in a moment like this¡­

    They didn¡¯t know what they should do, but they embraced him, pressing into his chest. Blood, a strange sort of blood, was all over their face and clothes as they held him close. He shouldn¡¯t die alone, he shouldn¡¯t die, no, Sans, no, no, no¡­

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± he¡¯d gone on to say, his voice sounding hoarse. Dusty. Like Toriel¡¯s, like Papyrus¡¯s, like everyone except Undyne, as they breathed their last. ¡°I¡¯ll be okay, Frisk.¡±

    In Sans¡¯s last moments, as he lay dying in their arms, killed by them, with the demon howling laughter in their head, Sans comforted them.

    They felt it, saw it, his body was starting to¡­

    No, Sans, no¡­.

    Tears poured from their eyes and for a moment they didn¡¯t know if he was blurry because of the tears or because he¡­ he was¡­

    Something changed. He gripped them tighter, and they could feel that something had changed. This was for him, this moment, this last embrace. It wasn¡¯t to reassure them. It was because he was afraid.

    They embraced him with all of the love in their heart, with a demon¡¯s cackle in their ear¡­ and then with dust in their lungs, they were alone.

    They looked away as the memory, the nightmare, the hint of the demon¡¯s laugh, touched their mind.

    ¡°You did once,¡± their voice seemed to say from a distance.

    ¡°i did?¡± he asked, sounding confused.

    Because it never happened, because he¡¯d never experienced it, because he¡¯d never, ever had to be afraid like that.

    ¡°At least, it felt that way,¡± Frisk said, only halfway returned to this moment from the memory. ¡°When¡­ when I killed you, last month. You¡­ you didn¡¯t want to die, and the way it felt at the end¡­ you were hugging me close for your sake, not mine.¡±

    Sans was silent. Frisk joined him in the silence, trying to surface fully from the memory.

    ¡°i feel like i should say sorry, and i don¡¯t even know why,¡± Sans said.

    Frisk couldn¡¯t help but laugh.

    ¡°It was hard,¡± they said. ¡°Really, really, really hard. I never want to see you die again.¡±

    ¡°welp, that seems reasonable to me,¡± Sans said. ¡°i¡¯m not interested in dying.¡±

    In a weird way, Frisk maybe knew that better than Sans did. He knew his thoughts; Frisk knew him in his final moments. It was a strange sort of connection and it pulled forth a gentle smile, because in the end, it should never, ever come up ever again.

    ¡°I¡¯ll never let you die,¡± they said, and then realized they had to amend that. ¡°I mean¡­ unless you choose to.¡±

    ¡°and even though it¡¯s incredibly selfish, i¡¯m really happy to hear you say that,¡± he said. ¡°anyway. this situation is messed up. we¡¯re not doing it on a lark. if we¡¯re gonna do it at all, we need to do it right. so, uh.¡±

    He paused, seeming to struggle with his words again.

    ¡°i¡¯m, uh, gonna try,¡± he said. ¡°to, uh, do the thing.¡±

    ¡°Where you emotionally connect with me?¡± Frisk asked, a gentle smile tugging at their lips.

    Who knew Sans could be so cute?

    ¡°yeah,¡± he said awkwardly.

    They couldn¡¯t help it. They reached out and took his hand, squeezing it tightly. He gave them a smile, which was a relief - this was welcome.

    ¡°i tried a little yesterday, too,¡± he said. ¡°but then you distracted me.¡±

    The distant fire in their veins coughed politely and reminded them of its existence. Yesterday was¡­ oh, yesterday had been¡­

    Their delight infected their face and voice, and could not be stopped.

    ¡°I accept all blame for that,¡± they said playfully. ¡°Should I be punished for it?¡±

    He shoved them over and they started laughing, pulling themself back upright. It was so much fun to tease like that.

    ¡°yeah, yeah,¡± he said. ¡°i was thinking about what i¡¯d said, and i didn¡¯t say a lot of things. like, uh. a problem. i kind of am split in half about you.

    ¡°on one hand¡­ frisk, you deserve better than this. than to be this way. you deserve a chance to heal and become your own person. i know you said it¡¯s disrespectful to think it¡¯s wrong for you to exist this way, and i¡¯m sorry, but that¡¯s how i feel.¡±

    Bright side, he had listened and seemed to understand what they¡¯d said. Dark side, he believed their existence was wrong. Well, he was probably right about that, honestly. They were an abomination that probably shouldn¡¯t exist. But they were his abomination, and he was good, so it was fine.

    Maybe their thoughts were still being affected by the memory of killing him¡­

    ¡°at the same time¡­ i really like having you be like this,¡± he said and suddenly everything was better. ¡°the stuff you said yesterday, the kind of love you wanted - a lot of that stuff is already¡­¡±

    Their heart was floating, flying, and free. They pulled his hand to their heart, embracing him to what extent felt safe to do so.

    ¡°i am glad you exist. i¡¯m glad that you¡¯re there for me,¡± he continued. ¡°that i can always rely on you. and i feel like an absolute monster for feeling that way.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ feel bad about partially fulfilling my wildest dreams?¡± they asked, their bewildered incredulity thick in their voice.

    Of all the things to feel bad about¡­ seriously?

    ¡°yeah, i do,¡± he said. ¡°because things shouldn¡¯t be this way. you shouldn¡¯t be this way. i¡¯ve been trying to be better than i am. trying not to encourage you. trying to give you space to become your own person, to be less attached to me.¡±

    Whiplash. He was just wrenching them everywhere. But this was his struggle he was sharing. He wasn¡¯t trying to wrench them around, he was trying to show them how he was feeling wrenched around. This wasn¡¯t an attack on them; it was a confession of his own struggles.

    They didn¡¯t know what to think, how to help him, how to support him, but this was hard to hear.

    ¡°i¡¯m not good at that, either,¡± he said, sighing. ¡°i keep using you, encouraging you. i¡¯m trying not to, but i guess i¡¯m too lazy to resist. it¡¯s just¡­ easy, having you around, y¡¯know?¡±

    And for all that they¡¯d struggled, in the end he wanted to use them and it took effort not to. He wanted them to exist, he wanted them to be his. They¡¯d done it right, they¡¯d been good and easy for him.

    ¡°this is gonna encourage you, too,¡± he said darkly.

    They grinned at him. Yes, of course it would, but it didn¡¯t matter. It didn¡¯t matter if they were encouraged or faced opposition. They never fucking quit.

    ¡°this is the kind of thing that makes what we¡¯re doing here wrong. i should be trying to stop this, not trying to make it worse.¡±

    ¡°Haven¡¯t you learned, Sans?¡± they asked, flying high on a strange feeling of triumph. ¡°I can¡¯t be stopped.¡±

    ¡°i bet, with the right orders, with keeping my distance, and with time, you would change,¡± he said, knocking them out of the sky with a voice that sounded lost. ¡°and i don¡¯t know, frisk. maybe that would be the right thing to do. maybe not. i don¡¯t know what¡¯s right. i don¡¯t know anything. i just know that this feels wrong.¡±

    Their face fell and they sighed.

    This was ridiculous. Their sanity had shaken with the memory and it wasn¡¯t piecing back together very well. Partly because they hadn¡¯t had much to begin with, but still. This was really frustrating.

    ¡°Sans¡­¡± they said. ¡°Why? Why is who I am so awful, when I love it, and you like it, too? You¡¯re talking about trying to force me¡­ to force me against my will¡­ to become someone I¡¯m not.¡±

    How could they put this, so he¡¯d understand¡­?

    ¡°If I had a magic button that would suddenly change me - maybe back into the Frisk who existed before the genocide route, or into some other version of Frisk, like me but what you''d think of as healthy - I wouldn¡¯t want to press it. I would beg you, pleading and crying, to please not press it.¡±

    They wished they could understand his expressions half as well as he understood theirs. If only they could see if he understood.

    ¡°If you ordered me to press it, I wouldn¡¯t obey you right away. I¡¯d defy you, if only a little. I¡¯d try to insist that I¡¯d see it as me dying, as losing who I am. If you insisted, I would do it eventually, but only because I¡¯m willing to die for you. And honestly, Sans?¡±

    This admission hurt, it hurt and it felt like he¡¯d given them no choice, they didn¡¯t know how else to make it clear. Surely, he understood how devoted they were to him, surely he understood the significance of saying that they would partially defy him.

    ¡°If you refused to see it as killing me, I would die feeling like I had been betrayed by the one I love,¡± they said, heat in their voice. ¡°Regardless of what the new Frisk felt, that¡¯s how I would go.¡±

    He looked away and caught a glimpse of pain on his face. They felt suddenly guilty. Maybe they were being unfair. But they wanted him to understand, damn it.

    ¡°i¡­ guess it¡¯s good that i wouldn¡¯t want to press it, either,¡± he said, his voice low and rough.

    Relief flooded them, but incomplete. They kissed his hand and breathed. It was good that he didn¡¯t want to destroy them, but they didn¡¯t¡­ they didn¡¯t want him to think it was right, either.

    ¡°Please, Sans,¡± they said. ¡°Please say that you don¡¯t think it would be right to force me to change who I am.¡±

    ¡°you¡¯re right, frisk, it wouldn¡¯t be the right thing to do,¡± he said, his tone oddly desolate. ¡°but that means i have no idea what is right.¡±

    Strange. He sounded like he had on that day, the first day they truly existed, the day they had slaughtered everyone and they broke upon the wall of their love for him. He sounded like he had when they¡¯d survived his final attack. Like he had when he had been defeated. He sounded resigned, lost, maybe even hopeless.

    Damn it, this wasn¡¯t okay, either!

    ¡°Why does it matter?¡± they asked, desperate for him to understand. ¡°Who cares what¡¯s normal, the way things ¡®should¡¯ be, or anything like that? I like me being like this, you like me being like this, just¡­ just accept me, Sans.¡±

    Please, Sans, don¡¯t fight this.

    He looked over at them, locking gazes for a long moment as they willed for him to be okay, for him to accept this, to just have everything be okay. He sighed again and grabbed their shoulder, lightly pulling them into his side. This certainly felt more like acceptance than rejection. A happy noise escaped them as they snuggled into his side.

    ¡°it¡¯s really hard to argue with you, kid,¡± he said in a grumpy tone.

    ¡°Does that mean you accept me?¡± they asked hopefully.

    ¡°i dunno,¡± he said. ¡°but¡­ today, i¡¯ll try. just today, though. i¡¯m gonna try to just let go and feel whatever, say whatever, and let the cards fall where they may. i¡¯ll burn for my sins later, and i¡¯ll try not to think about it till then.¡±

    Okay, they knew this feeling, and unlike him, they couldn¡¯t summon bones to throw at his head. Also they wouldn¡¯t quite dare to do that much, but still. A firm poke and a glare was close enough. He jerked slightly at the poke and met the glare with a soft smile.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a sin,¡± they said. ¡°I know what it feels like, to have sins crawling on my back.¡±

    And they were currently experiencing far more interesting and pleasant feelings. Hmm. That might help.

    ¡°Clearly what needs to happen is to distract you from these thoughts,¡± they said, letting their lust into their voice.

    ¡°heh,¡± he said. ¡°speaking of, did you¡­ uh¡­ manage to sleep last night?¡±

    A pleasant shiver ran through them at the thought of their attempt to sleep.

    ¡°Only because of the use of sleepy meds,¡± they said. ¡°And I¡¯ve been on a slow simmer all day.¡±

    ¡°that does sound distracting,¡± he said and they grinned.

    ¡°Good,¡± they said. ¡°I want you to let go and just enjoy things, even if it¡¯s just the once. I want you to accept the decision you made and let this time, let today, be free of all that.¡±

    ¡°it won¡¯t be easy,¡± he said. ¡°good thing you¡¯re here to help.¡±

    Oh, yes, this they could do.

    ¡°I am eager to serve,¡± they said, pouring their desire into their voice.

    ¡°there are still other, uh, concerns,¡± he said.

    No¡­ they wanted¡­ they needed¡­

    A pout pulled at their lips.

    ¡°i¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s terrible that i¡¯m making you talk to me,¡± he said, his tone dry and amused.

    Words almost escaped their lips - of him talking and them doing something else with their mouth in the meantime, and that was so wrong¡­ they choked off, blushing furiously.

    ¡°what?¡± he asked.

    No, no, no, they¡¯d have to tell him, wouldn¡¯t they? That they were thinking of blowing off a conversation that he thought was important, to blow him instead.

    They shook their head, hoping that he wouldn¡¯t make them answer.

    ¡°are you actually not gonna tell me?¡± he asked, amused.

    That¡­ that wasn¡¯t an option, they had to say, but¡­ but¡­

    ¡°It was awful, I shouldn¡¯t have thought it, it was the worst thing, I couldn¡¯t¡­¡± they managed with a squeak.

    He grinned at them.

    ¡°tell me,¡± he said.

    God his orders felt good to hear, even when they didn¡¯t want¡­

    They covered their face with their hands.

    ¡°Just that there are things that I could be doing while you¡¯re talking,¡± they confessed, hiding. ¡°But those things are not helpful for discussion.¡±

    ¡°heh heh heh¡­ no, i wouldn¡¯t expect they are,¡± he said, his voice heated, too. ¡°i¡¯ll ask you for the details in a minute. otherwise, i¡¯ll get distracted.¡±

    Mmm, they wanted him to be distracted. And if they distracted him enough, he''d forget to ask! Wins all around, as far as they were concerned.

    ¡°Understood,¡± they said, squirming a little.

    ¡°so, this isn¡¯t a problem, exactly, but it¡¯s a thing to be aware of,¡± he said. ¡°the whole¡­ thing¡­ about using magic to try to help set up a connection? you¡¯ve, uh, already learned about what accidental magic interacting with humans can lead to.¡±

    Their eyes widened as they realized what he was describing. That, during the actual act, his magic might flood through them, burning them like his blasters did, killing them as they¡­ as they¡­

    ¡°Are you saying you might literally fuck me to death?¡± they asked incredulously.

    ¡°come on, frisk, i¡¯ve got more control than that,¡± he grumbled.

    So it could happen, if he didn¡¯t have control. Not that they wanted to actually die, that¡¯d upset him, but that was still hot. They grinned at him.

    ¡°just, uh, that it¡¯d be completely safe if i weren¡¯t trying to make a connection like that. and i could try to be really careful and controlled, to do it without risking hurting you,¡± he said and glanced away uneasily. ¡°but, uh¡­ but i don¡¯t actually want to. be that careful, i mean.¡±

    He didn¡¯t want to be careful. He wanted to just cut loose and enjoy them, not holding back, and if it hurt them, so be it.

    He wanted to use them exactly the way they wanted to be used.

    ¡°with anyone else, i wouldn¡¯t even mention it, i¡¯d just make sure to always keep my head,¡± he said with a little cough. ¡°but, with you, i figured¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sans,¡± they said, practically purring. ¡°I am absolutely okay with this. You try to connect with me, and just let yourself go. Let yourself fall to everything.¡±

    ¡°i am not okay with you accidentally dying,¡± he said. ¡°you need to make sure you keep your vitality up.¡±

    That was funny.

    ¡°You know who I live with, right?¡± Frisk asked dryly. ¡°I pack more healing magic food items than most monster hybrid hospitals. I¡¯ve got this.¡±

    ¡°and if ever it¡¯s, uh, more than you¡¯re comfortable with, you hafta let me know,¡± he said. ¡°i don¡¯t want this to be bad for you.¡±

    He really had no idea what he was getting into, did he? They grinned at him, laughing internally at his naivete. That was absolutely not going to be a problem.

    ¡°seriously, frisk,¡± he said.

    ¡°I promise to make sure I am enjoying every part of what you¡¯re going to do with me,¡± they purred.

    ¡°that is so not what i said,¡± he said.

    ¡°Too bad,¡± they said, flashing another grin.

    Oh, they¡¯d do what he said, if it came up, but they legitimately couldn¡¯t conceive of how that could actually happen.

    He shoved them over again and they couldn¡¯t help but break into a giggling fit.

    ¡°what have i gotten myself into,¡± he grumbled.

    ¡°You know you¡¯re looking forward to it,¡± they said, getting back on their knees and gazing at him hungrily.

    ¡°yeah, yeah,¡± he said, but grinned at them anyway. ¡°i guess we¡¯ll play that by ear. so, uh, one last thing.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡± they asked.

    One last thing¡­ that meant it was soon¡­ they bit their lip.

    ¡°uh, so, you kind of have shown an interest in, uh, making me have a good time,¡± he said and they laughed at the sheer obviousness of that statement. ¡°i, uh, am a little concerned about making sure you do, too.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious,¡± Frisk said, their jaw dropping. ¡°You¡¯re actually worried about me enjoying myself?¡±

    That was downright sweet. Also hilarious.

    He coughed.

    ¡°i don¡¯t know your likes, your tastes,¡± he said. ¡°i don¡¯t want to have us do things that match my tastes only. i just, uh, want things to be more¡­ mutual.¡±

    ¡°But, Sans, what turns me on most is the idea of giving you pleasure,¡± they said.

    ¡°which means that this shouldn¡¯t be too hard,¡± he said. ¡°i figure, the easiest solution is for you to tell me some things. things you¡¯d really like to try, things you¡¯d definitely want to avoid.¡±

    They frowned. There were things they¡¯d like specifically, but it was just¡­ so awkward seeming. What would they say? ¡°Sans, I find the idea of you hurting me really hot, but only if you¡¯re into that.¡± Or ¡°Sans, I find the idea of you forcing me to do things while I protest really hot, but only if you¡¯re into that.¡± Or ¡°Sans, I like the idea of a gentle lovemaking session, where you treat me like I¡¯m precious to you, but only if you¡¯re into that.¡± Like, what was the point? They¡¯d read up on all sorts of kinks online, and kept imagining what Sans might like, and as it happened, there was really very little that wouldn¡¯t get them off in that context. Some things, yes, but not much.

    And worse, almost everything on their ¡°no¡± list was the stuff that was legitimately awful to even think of, let alone speak.

    ¡°That¡­ doesn¡¯t sound fun,¡± they said. ¡°Just listing things out like that. Maybe I can just mention things as we go along.¡±

    ¡°i can see that working out well for things you really like, but it¡¯d be awkward for things you don¡¯t like,¡± he said.

    ¡°Maybe,¡± they said and thought about how to solve that. They had an idea and gave him a sly little smile. ¡°Sans? Do you¡­ like it when I¡¯m embarrassed?¡±

    ¡°honestly, yeah,¡± he said. ¡°your reactions are hilarious.¡±

    ¡°Then,¡± they said, blushing a little. ¡°Then it shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±

    All they had to do was twist the awkwardness onto their own self, and that should work. He¡¯d get an embarrassed reaction he¡¯d like, and also the knowledge he wanted.

    Except there was a problem that suddenly occurred to them.

    ¡°But,¡± they continued, frowning. ¡°Does it apply retroactively?¡±

    ¡°yes,¡± he said.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if this is the sort of thing you want me to mention. I don¡¯t hate it, I¡¯m not opposed, but um, the ¡®daddy¡¯ thing is really not, uh, sexually my thing,¡± they admitted.

    If that was his thing, they''d happily do it, but it always seemed so cringy to them personally.

    ¡°but it embarrassed the hell out of you,¡± he said, grinning.

    ¡°This is very true,¡± they said.

    ¡°good,¡± he said. ¡°it¡¯s always good to have handy tools for horrifically embarrassing your friends.¡±

    There really was no escape.

    ¡°Oh my god, Sans,¡± they said into their hands.

    He laughed again. Embarrassing as it was¡­ they loved his laugh.

    ¡°also, you should tell me borderline stuff like that, too, if you¡¯re unsure if i figured it out myself,¡± he said.

    ¡°Okay,¡± they said with a smile.

    ¡°that aside,¡± he said. ¡°i want to know what you would want to do. like, right now, for example.¡±

    They pulled their hands away and gazed at him with naked hunger.

    ¡°Give you pleasure,¡± they said. ¡°Touch you, taste you, feel you. Drive you to distraction.¡±

    ¡°bit vague,¡± he teased.

    They flushed and looked away. There was sadly a reason for that.

    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t actually know what to do,¡± they admitted. ¡°Or what I can do. I don¡¯t know when or if I¡¯m allowed to touch you. Or¡­ or how to touch you. I¡¯ve only, uh, figured out three things. Two ways of pleasing you with my mouth - one we tried, and one we alluded to - and sex itself. But¡­ but many things with, uh, humans don¡¯t look like they¡¯d apply. Like, uh, kissing, for example.¡±

    ¡°you¡¯re right that kissing isn¡¯t something i can do,¡± he said. ¡°and all that is a potential problem. so let¡¯s start with that. i¡¯ll show you what i like. how to touch me. i¡¯ll learn your body some, too. and you¡¯ll tell me if anything is either really up your alley, or really not.¡±

    That seemed reasonable.

    ¡°O-okay,¡± they said, biting their lip.

    ¡°go ahead, frisk,¡± he said, gesturing vaguely at himself. ¡°touch me.¡±

    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Their mind blanked.

    ¡°W-w-where?¡± they asked.

    ¡°where do you want to?¡± he asked with a grin.

    Their gaze dropped to the bulge in his pants and they turned bright red, earning another laugh.

    But¡­ while they supposed they could escalate¡­ they didn¡¯t want things to go too fast. This opportunity was precious. Even if they really wanted to, there were things they wanted more deeply than that.

    They reached, instead, for his face. His eyes closed and they touched his forehead. It was smooth and cool, but still warmer than room temperature. They traced their fingers over the side, feeling more of the magic pseudo-flesh over his temple and where his jaw connected. It was more pronounced over his cheekbone. With his ¡°eye¡± closed, they could feel the changed shape of the bone. They lifted their hand to skip over his teeth, reaching down to touch his jawline. They felt almost nothing there - just the bone.

    ¡°It feels so strange,¡± they said. ¡°What does this feel like for you?¡±

    ¡°probably similar to humans,¡± he said. ¡°your fingers are soft and warm. it feels nice.¡±

    That was good. They were glad that their touch was nice for him.

    ¡°Touching lips feels really nice to humans,¡± they said. ¡°But teeth, not so much. What about for you?¡±

    ¡°whether it feels like teeth or skin to me depends on how much i exist outside of my bones,¡± he said. ¡°go ahead.¡±

    ¡°That magic pseudo-flesh,¡± they said. ¡°You feel it directly.¡±

    ¡°heh, that¡¯s a good way to refer to it,¡± he said. ¡°yeah, i do. pretty, uh, intensely.¡±

    Good, very good. They grinned happily and went to touch over his teeth, where lips should be. Their fingers were fully held back from his teeth, with a firm barrier between. They felt him breathing through his nose hole, and none through his mouth. So his pseudo-flesh allowed some air control - probably helping him to speak like humans do. Weird.

    ¡°So weird,¡± they said. ¡°And¡­ and your mouth?¡±

    ¡°what about it?¡± he asked.

    Eek, how could they ask this? But they wanted to know, and it¡­ had a possibility of being relevant. They blushed as they tried to speak.

    ¡°Do you¡­ um¡­¡± they said awkwardly. ¡°Do you have a tongue?¡±

    ¡°not always,¡± he said. ¡°some parts of me, the parts made purely of magic, they only exist when the reason for them to exist is present.¡±

    So cool. But also, did that mean¡­?

    Their gaze fell to his shorts.

    ¡°including that, yeah,¡± he said and they blushed furiously.

    So he didn¡¯t always have a¡­ a cock. But when it was needed¡­ when he felt desire, when he felt a sexual drive, it would actually come into existence. That was kinda cool. They wondered what it¡¯d feel like, if they had their hand where it would form during that process.

    Though, they realized with a twinge of regret, if this was the one and only time, they¡¯d probably never find out.

    ¡°so i have a tongue when i want to speak or eat.¡±

    They were so curious. And if this was the only time, they wanted to experience everything.

    ¡°Would¡­ would it be bad to ask to feel it?¡± they squeaked out.

    ¡°nope,¡± he said, grinning more broadly at them. ¡°go ahead and ask.¡±

    He wasn¡¯t going to make them ask, was he? Nooooo¡­ this was hard, damn it!

    ¡°Sans¡­¡± they whined.

    He laughed at them, the bastard.

    ¡°well?¡± he prodded.

    They didn¡¯t give up, damn it.

    ¡°M-may I feel your t-tongue?¡± they stammered.

    ¡°sure,¡± he said, and then added in a lower tone, ¡°where?¡±

    Heat flooded them at that question. They pulled back, covering their face and letting out a pathetic squeak.

    ¡°i like seeing you blush,¡± he said lightly.

    They wouldn¡¯t deny him, then, even if it was horribly embarrassing. With a surge of effort, they pulled their hands away, revealing their red face and naked desire.

    ¡°and i know the answer, but tell me anyway. did you enjoy me doing that to you?¡±

    He was going to make them confess everything, to reveal the naughty, dirty slut they really were, wasn¡¯t he?

    ¡°Y-y-yes,¡± they managed with a shiver.

    ¡°good,¡± he said. ¡°also, you didn¡¯t answer that last question.¡±

    His last¡­ oh. About where. Their blush had started to go away, but that had been fixed. They tried to steady themself with a breath.

    ¡°M-m-maybe my fingers,¡± they managed.

    ¡°hmm,¡± he said thoughtfully. ¡°is that really where you want to feel it?¡±

    They were helpless before him, he would take everything from them, he would find out any dirty thoughts, he would take his pleasure from them, and oh¡­

    Their body was trembling and writhing and they were powerless to do anything about it.

    ¡°I¡­ would like to feel it in several places, but I¡¯m curious, and I think my fingers might be the¡­ e-e-easiest p-place to start,¡± they said.

    He reached out and took their hand, bringing it to his mouth. He opened it and they twitched in surprise as they felt something wrap around their index finger. It was like¡­ a snake, maybe, or like that tentacle porn that for all they knew he¡¯d make them confess to having watched. It didn¡¯t feel like a tongue at all. Thick like one, sure, but much longer, stronger, and vastly more flexible than tongues were.

    ¡°It¡¯s completely invisible,¡± they said, staring at their finger.

    He laughed and the sensation vanished like smoke.

    ¡°sort of,¡± he said. ¡°humans can learn to see magic, but it¡¯s not easy. i¡¯ll make it more visible for now.¡±

    This time, when his tongue emerged from his mouth, it was glowing a faint blue. The same hue his eye glowed when he gathered his magic, or that some of his summoned bones glowed. Most of his magic was bone white, and they wondered at the difference.

    Seeing it more clearly, it was definitely more like a flat, thick tentacle than a tongue. It moved gracefully as it wove around their fingers, binding them with a gentle strength. Like the rest of his pseudo-flesh, it had a pleasant sort of tingle to it, that somehow felt like the sound of humming.

    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful,¡± they said as they examined it. ¡°It feels so weird¡­¡±

    ¡°in a good way, i hope,¡± he said, his tongue ceasing to exist just before he spoke, but letting them play with it again as soon as he finished.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± they said, having a surprising amount of fun with this. It felt really nice. ¡°Tingly, not wet at all, it feels really cool.¡±

    ¡°think it¡¯ll feel good elsewhere?¡± he prodded, his tone playful.

    Aaaaaand their thoughts were in the gutter again. This beautiful, fascinating marvel of magic, of discovery about a cool biology thing about their friend¡­ and now they were imagining what that strength would feel like as it rubbed against their clit, about the tingling sensation, and how that¡¯d drive them mad¡­

    They tried to pull away reflexively, to hide their embarrassment, but he held their hand tight. Bound, held in place, at his mercy. They helplessly writhed in his grip as he held their hand flat and drove his tongue between the fingers, pushing past the flesh that held him back effortlessly.

    The sensation of his tongue pushing past them¡­ it was like he was driving his tongue into them. The imagined sensation filled them and their body clenched with need.

    He laughed again, his tongue fading from where it had tormented them, as he grinned at them expectantly.

    He¡¯d asked a question, after all.

    ¡°Y-y-es,¡± they managed.

    ¡°now it¡¯s your turn,¡± he said.

    What? They had no idea what was going on.

    ¡°M-my turn?¡± they asked, dazed.

    ¡°unlike you, i know the basics of how your body should work,¡± he said. ¡°it¡¯s your tastes i don¡¯t know about. though i¡¯m sure i¡¯ll know your ¡®taste¡¯ soon, too.¡±

    Their face filled with heat. That sounded¡­ that sounded¡­ like many things. It did sound hot, but¡­ but¡­ it was important, it was critical, that it was what he wanted. If he was trying to pleasure them for their sake, that would be downright boring and sad. If he enjoyed doing that to them, though, then it¡¯d be¡­ it was hard to even think about it¡­

    And he¡¯d said they had to tell him. But how to phrase it? They weren¡¯t thinking clearly. They wanted it and also needed it to be the right way, but¡­

    ¡°A-a-about that,¡± they said. ¡°Um, I¡­ the sensation would be nice, and I have absolutely no objections, it¡¯s a good thing, but¡­ but, in knowing my preferences, being given pleasure like that isn¡¯t, uh, isn¡¯t really hot for me.¡±

    ¡°would it give you pleasure? make you writhe and squirm?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Yes,¡± they said. ¡°B-but so would me tasting you.¡±

    ¡°hmm,¡± he said. ¡°if i¡¯m understanding you right, you¡¯d enjoy it, you¡¯d feel pleasure and i could make you finish, but the idea of it is only hot if i¡¯m enjoying doing it to you.¡±

    He was magic, that was all there was to it. How had he understood so clearly from so little? Or maybe he¡¯d had enough hints from other things they¡¯d said.

    ¡°Exactly,¡± they said with a smile.

    ¡°what i¡¯d enjoy is making you writhe, squirm, and moan, bringing you close to the edge and then deciding on a whim if you get to finish or not,¡± he said.

    Frisk couldn¡¯t breathe. A wave of pleasure tore through them and ripped their breath away, leaving them shaking. Their breath came back heavily when it returned.

    He really was growing to understand them, wasn¡¯t he? That was¡­ could he have phrased that in a way that was hotter? They honestly didn¡¯t know.

    But if that¡¯s what he really wanted¡­ they weren¡¯t sure if it¡¯d be possible for them to not cum on his tongue.

    Unless he was a horrible tease. Oh no. No, no, no¡­ he probably was, wasn¡¯t he?

    ¡°think that¡¯ll work out?¡± he asked, breaking them from their agonizingly pleasurable spiral.

    ¡°Yes,¡± they whispered.

    ¡°good,¡± he said. ¡°but, hmm. not yet.¡±

    No? What was he going to do to them?

    He put a finger under their chin, lifting it, just as he had the previous day. In a mirrored motion from then, he traced his finger down their neck.

    They suspected they¡¯d find out what he¡¯d been tempted to do yesterday. Oh this was hard.

    ¡°tell me,¡± he said casually, like this was easy for him. ¡°is there anywhere i shouldn¡¯t touch you? anything i shouldn¡¯t do to you?¡±

    That was an extremely difficult question at the moment. They tried, honest, but they just¡­

    ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t think of anything,¡± they said. ¡°B-but, I admit, it¡¯s also because I can¡¯t think.¡±

    ¡°hmm,¡± he said, tugging at their collar. ¡°do you like this shirt?¡±

    They didn¡¯t even remember what shirt they were wearing. But they didn¡¯t care about clothing at all right now. And didn¡¯t care in general, either, save for the locket that they weren¡¯t wearing.

    ¡°What shirt¡­?¡± they asked dumbly.

    He laughed.

    ¡°how upset would you be if none of your clothing survived today?¡± he asked.

    He was going to destroy their clothes? They¡¯d just be naked in front of him, and vulnerable, and revealed, and couldn¡¯t even escape to put them on if they wanted to, and so utterly at his mercy, and¡­

    They managed to make themself breathe, a quick gasp of air, before they could speak.

    ¡°N-not upset at all,¡± they said.

    ¡°good,¡± he said. ¡°anything in your clothes that shouldn¡¯t be destroyed?¡±

    How could they have forgotten about their phone and keys and stuff? They had been completely ready for him to wreck everything. An embarrassed squeak squeezed out of their throat and they started digging in their pockets.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I forgot, I¡­¡± they admitted, tossing aside their cell phone, keys, and wallet.

    He laughed at them and his eyes glinted.

    A small storm of bone shards appeared, delicately flying through and rending their shirt and bra into scraps. They barely touched Frisk¡¯s skin, but never quite cut at them, and they tried not to feel a little disappointed at that.

    He looked down at their chest and torso, blatantly taking them in. They weren¡¯t embarrassed about how they looked - they knew they were conventionally attractive, for being thin if nothing else. Probably too muscular for most people¡¯s tastes, but whatever. That¡¯s what happened when you trained four or five times a week with Undyne.

    But they didn¡¯t know what he liked. Did he like softer bodies? Did he find humans attractive at all - would he prefer it if they were a bunny girl from Snowdin, for example? Would he rather have a female skeleton, with cool magic pseudo-flesh that could shape itself to his needs?

    It was so embarrassing, being topless and revealed in front of him like this. They remembered how much they¡¯d struggled with just having their shirt cut off below their breasts, during the stabbing trials. This was¡­ maybe not fully revealing themself to him, but really close.

    He put his finger back where it had been before he summoned the bones and began tracing it down. He shifted to using his whole hand, gently, as he ran it over their stomach. Then he made a slow circle, spiraling in towards their right breast.

    ¡°your body is nice,¡± he said as his hand moved. ¡°i had to make myself stop thinking about it, when we had to do that stabbing trial, you know.¡±

    So he did find them attractive. He¡¯d had to stop himself from thinking about them that way. He actually did want them.

    They supposed he¡¯d already admitted that to a certain extent, but there were many ways and many reasons to want someone, and Frisk wanted them all. Okay, maybe not actually all, but at least all the good ones.

    His gentle caress abruptly stopped and he turned, pushing them against the wall. They slid across the bed and, once braced, he harshly grabbed at their breast, squeezing and clawing at it roughly. This didn¡¯t feel like exploration, this felt like desire and the idea of Sans really, actually, lusting for them, to feel it and not just think it¡­

    Fireworks were going off in their mind and moans were shamelessly flowing from their lips. Their gaze met his and they knew, they knew he wanted them, and oh, he could just take them right now, they wanted so badly to have more, they needed him, they needed to cum, oh¡­

    ¡°tell me,¡± he said. ¡°what felt better? when i was gentle, or like this?¡±

    Their brain was giving them error messages, that¡¯s what was happening.

    ¡°W-wh-whichever way you like more, th-that¡¯s what I want,¡± they said, almost by reflex.

    He pinched and twisted their nipple, hard. A sharp edge of pain stabbed through their body, feeling like it raced straight to their clit, making them throb with need and sharp pleasure. They didn¡¯t expect that. Also¡­ they were pretty sure if he tormented their nipples they would cum. They had mixed feelings about this. How embarrassing would it be to cum from him torturing their nipples, from just pain, without ever even touching their pussy?

    Mmm, but if he wanted that¡­ and he did, he liked it, they could see it on his face¡­

    ¡°wrong answer,¡± he said. ¡°i know you like my pleasure. i want to know what you like.¡±

    ¡°Fucking hell, Sans, that was so hot I can¡¯t think,¡± they moaned.

    ¡°oh?¡± he asked, a sly tone in his voice. ¡°you think i like hurting you?¡±

    Wait, were they wrong? Was it just that they were masochistic and had made assumptions? Was it just them? But they¡¯d really liked it¡­ but¡­

    Sans just laughed, and they stammered helplessly.

    He reached out and tweaked their other nipple almost as hard. They couldn¡¯t help but respond, another lance of pain and pleasure ripping through them. Maybe some things didn¡¯t matter if he liked them all that much, because it felt so good when he hurt them like that¡­

    They wanted him to want this, but also¡­ but also they wanted him to do it again. To do more, to hurt them more, to give them more pleasure, to please, please make them cum, they couldn¡¯t handle this, they needed more¡­

    ¡°i hated stabbing you. i hated the impression, the feeling, of burning out your heart,¡± he said. ¡°but this? this is fun.¡±

    He clawed down their chest, and they felt none of the protective softness of his pseudo-flesh. Rough bone scraped their skin, leaving what had to be red marks in their passage. They were being marked by him, hurt by him, and it felt so good¡­ more pathetic whimpering escaped them.

    Suddenly, his hand was soft and thick with magic. His touch was gentle and felt loving as he softly touched both of their breasts. In the wake of the roughness, it felt impossibly sweet, like he wanted them in more ways than just carnal.

    And they had no idea what he¡¯d do next.

    ¡°tell me,¡± he commanded.

    They tried to focus, to make words exist.

    ¡°Both feel really good, honest,¡± they said. ¡°The rough feels sexier, the gentle feels sweeter. One to drive my body wild; the other for my heart. I¡­ I admit the whiplash, the uncertainty, not knowing which way you¡¯ll touch me next¡­ that¡­ that was really, uh, really hot.¡±

    ¡°you like the pain, too, don¡¯t you?¡± he asked, pinching their nipple and making them squeak and tremble. ¡°masochist.¡±

    Oh, he knew. He knew they wanted to be hurt by him, that they loved it, that they needed it. They couldn¡¯t speak, but they nodded.

    ¡°and how much pain would be too much?¡± he asked. ¡°before it stopped being good for you, that is?¡±

    They blushed brightly. Oh that was not a good question. That was probably a very dangerous question.

    ¡°U-uh, I-I, um, I think you really don¡¯t want to know,¡± they stammered.

    ¡°and why¡¯s that?¡± he asked.

    Because I¡¯ve literally gotten off to the memory of you killing me, they thought, but they couldn¡¯t possibly say that.

    ¡°B-because you have concerns about my mental health, and the answer would not be reassuring,¡± they said instead.

    He laughed again, trailing into an affectionate and faintly exasperated sigh.

    ¡°kinda figured,¡± he admitted. ¡°i doubt we¡¯ll cross your lines, then, but if we do, you are to tell me immediately.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± they said.

    He tweaked their nipple again, pulling another squeal out of them.

    ¡°not one for being called ¡®sir,¡¯¡± he said, sounding thoughtful.

    Maybe he¡¯d like something else more.

    ¡°Should I call you master?¡± they asked, their gaze burning. ¡°Lord? My god?¡±

    He tweaked their other nipple again and they squirmed.

    ¡°you could call me daddy,¡± he said, grinning.

    Wait, did he like that¡­? He knew they didn¡¯t¡­ but¡­

    It was too much. Too embarrassing, too ridiculous, too¡­ too everything! They pulled away, shrieking in sheer mortification, and hid their face before remembering he wanted to see them blush. They pulled their hands down, as if their hands were bound.

    ¡°Do you actually want me to?¡± they asked, which was the most important question.

    ¡°nope,¡± he said.

    He didn¡¯t even¡­ but¡­ why¡­

    Because he wanted to embarrass them. Damn it, Sans! They glared at him with all the rage they could summon from under the mountain of desire and he utterly failed to catch on fire in any way, shape, or form.

    ¡°that was educational,¡± he said casually again. ¡°my turn.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± they asked, confused.

    Oh. Right. They¡¯d¡­ learned about his tongue, and then¡­

    ¡°i learned about your breasts, and a few other questions besides,¡± he said. ¡°what part of me do you want to learn about next?¡±

    He leaned back against the wall and grinned at them.

    That was it, they were going to die. They couldn¡¯t. They couldn¡¯t do this. They needed to cum. They needed him to torment their breasts, to use their mouth, to use their pussy, to make them cum, they really¡­

    But he wanted to torment them. Their face fell into their hands and they just groaned, and then groaned louder at the sound of him bursting out laughing. He was mocking them, the smug bastard, as they writhed and needed and burned¡­

    And he liked them like this, desperate and needy, he¡¯d said. It wasn¡¯t going to stop. They were going to be tormented by him for as long as he wanted and fuck that was so hot.

    ¡°You could just do whatever you wanted with me,¡± they said, desperation clear in their voice. ¡°You could just tear off everything, and use me, in whatever ways you wanted.¡±

    ¡°you¡¯re saying you don¡¯t want to know anything else about me?¡± he asked.

    R-right, they wanted a lot of things, and they really did want to learn about him more than most anything else, but they needed to cum, but, no, they had to learn more, this was a priceless opportunity, but, but¡­

    ¡°Sans,¡± they whined, knowing it wasn¡¯t going to help, but unable to stop themself. ¡°You¡¯re tormenting me. On purpose.¡±

    ¡°yep,¡± he said. ¡°but you like it, don¡¯t you?¡±

    How could they answer this? No, no, they didn¡¯t like it, they wanted him to take them now and make them scream in pleasure, but also, fuck, it was so hot, but¡­ but he¡¯d asked, they had to answer, so they had to pull their thoughts together someh-

    ¡°answer me,¡± he commanded, and a wave of delicious pleasure ran through their body at his command, pulling a gasp from their lips.

    ¡°Yes, I do,¡± they said immediately, helpless before his order.

    ¡°i admit, i am tempted to use you to get off right now,¡± he said. ¡°not sure what i¡¯d prefer - your mouth has been tempting for a week now, but also¡­ hmm.¡±

    They were just going to die. They¡¯d been needy all day, and after yesterday, they couldn¡¯t take this¡­

    He reached over and trailed a finger down over their abs, then over their pants, stopping just slightly after it he¡¯d reached an ¡°inappropriate¡± terrain change, but substantially too soon to give any pleasure or relief to their poor clit.

    ¡°what term do you prefer for your bits?¡± he asked.

    They so did not care.

    ¡°U-uh-uh, I don¡¯t know, uh, pussy is normal I think?¡± they stammered.

    ¡°sure,¡± he said. ¡°your mouth and your pussy are both tempting. so while you explore, make sure you remember how much i¡¯m looking forward to that.¡±

    Oh. Oh that made it easy. Their gaze dropped to his bulge. He wanted them to taste him, and they wanted that, this would be easy, but they couldn¡¯t cum like that, or hell, maybe they could, they were going insane¡­ what would it feel like in their mouth¡­

    ¡°So¡­ so that¡¯s what I should do,¡± they said as they gazed, lost in a haze of desire.

    A sudden pain in their head pulled Frisk¡¯s attention away. They were shocked and pulled back, confused, and then saw the shit-eating grin on Sans¡¯ face. He''d¡­ he''d thrown a bone at their head, hadn''t he? They tried to glare at him, but the sheer ridiculousness of everything was just¡­ it was too much. They cracked and just fell over, laughing madly. There was no escape. Only delicious torment.

    ¡°nope,¡± he said. ¡°wrong answer again. y¡¯know, frisk, i wonder if you¡¯re even paying attention.¡±

    They were so totally paying attention! They were! He said he wanted them to taste him! They sat up and tried their best to glare, but they knew it was ruined by how fucking horny they were, and he just laughed at them, again, and they couldn¡¯t take this¡­

    But they loved his laugh, and loved his pleasure, and for all that they whined in their head, they loved this¡­

    ¡°i¡¯d asked you what you¡¯d like to learn about next, and told you to think about how much i¡¯m looking forward to using you to get off while you do it,¡± he said. ¡°i want to see you struggle.¡±

    Right. Right, they¡¯d already figured that out. He liked to torment them, to see them desperate. He wanted to see them battle between conflicting desires.

    He could get that, too, if they were sucking his cock, just saying.

    But, they understood. They¡¯d let him torment them more.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how much more I can take,¡± they whimpered.

    ¡°let¡¯s find out,¡± he said.

    How would this end? Would he find their limit? Would they stop trying to focus on his pleasure and just start begging for him? Maybe that¡¯s what he wanted. But¡­ but the sooner he took them, the sooner this ended, and they may well never have this again. So they were in no hurry, even though they really wanted to fucking cum, god dammit.

    How much more of this was he going to do to them? Oh¡­ they wanted more, and they couldn¡¯t take it, but they¡¯d just have to take anything he gave them, and they would take everything, and soon¡­ soon, for his own pleasure if nothing else, they would have it all.

    Their body quivered with need, but they needed to focus. He¡¯d asked what they wanted to learn about, and when they weren¡¯t begging to cum - out loud or otherwise - it was an honestly good question. They could suffer while they learned, for his pleasure. But they drew on their will, their determination, whatever it took so they could think about the goddamned question.

    ¡°I¡­ I want to understand how to touch you in general,¡± they said after a minute, gazing at him with desperate need barely constrained by their focus. ¡°To not be afraid of touching the wrong place, or doing the wrong thing. Like your torso - in hugging you, I¡¯ve felt, um, like there¡¯s a body under your shirt. More¡­ more than your face seemed to have.¡±

    He gestured at himself, inviting them. They flushed and crawled forward to kneel directly beside him. They hesitantly reached out a hand. He would stop them if it was a problem, right? Well, no, maybe they should outright ask first.

    ¡°Your question earlier,¡± they said. ¡°It was a good one. Anywhere I shouldn¡¯t touch, anything I shouldn¡¯t do?¡±

    ¡°eh,¡± he said with a shrug. ¡°there¡¯s stuff, but nothing i¡¯d expect you to actually do. like, don¡¯t try to hurt me, for obvious reasons.¡±

    They nodded vigorously at that, a wave of fear passing through them at the thought. It was good he wasn¡¯t a masochist, because they honestly didn¡¯t think they could handle that, even if it weren¡¯t for the whole vulnerable-because-of-a-magic-accident thing.

    ¡°i¡¯m inviting you to explore with your hands for a reason,¡± he said, gesturing at them again. They began to move closer. ¡°i¡¯m not worried, and i have no problems stopping you, or worst case, teleporting away if there¡¯s a problem. so go ahead.¡±

    They nodded and reached for his jaw again. From there, with perhaps more caution than necessary, they trailed their finger lower.

    His neck was completely filled with the pseudo-flesh. Inches of the stuff, and not just a little projection like over his fingers, or a separate sort of magic limb thing like his tongue. It was like an actual throat.

    ¡°So weird,¡± they said. ¡°You actually have a throat.¡±

    ¡°i do breathe,¡± he said with a laugh, then blew some air into their face.

    They really had not thought about that detail at all. Even with all the times he¡¯d sighed, or how both he and Papyrus had panted with exhaustion after their fights, a year ago - they just¡­ never thought about it.

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s true,¡± they said sheepishly.

    With a little more confidence, their hand traced further down. Unlike him, they didn¡¯t try tugging at his shirt or anything, and just felt over it. They¡¯d hugged him, but pretty much always in a situation where they were distracted by not-sexy emotions. They¡¯d never really got a sense of his body, other than the fact that he seemed to have one.

    Like his throat, the ¡°flesh¡± under his shirt was weirdly thick. His throat had been more¡­ throat-feeling, all firm and such, but his chest was really squishy.

    ¡°It¡¯s just weird that there¡¯s¡­ I don¡¯t know, so much pseudo-flesh here,¡± they commented curiously.

    ¡°hey,¡± he said, glaring at them. ¡°are you calling me fat?¡±

    Wait, what?

    Oh no, they had, hadn¡¯t they? They started spluttering and the glare on his face disappeared as he fell against the wall, laughing.

    They tried to apologize, and he grinned at them, summoned a bone, and threw it at their head. Again. Well, they supposed that meant they could stop stammering out awkward, confused apologies.

    ¡°it¡¯s my core,¡± he said and gestured at them to resume touching him. ¡°honestly, it¡¯s, uh¡­ how do i put this¡­ you remember when i said i¡¯d had an accident that had some effects on me?¡±

    They nodded. That wasn¡¯t a moment they¡¯d forget. There was a lot they were curious about, and frankly, they were even more curious than they were horny. Though only just. And mostly because his little prank had cooled their heat a little - feeling like they¡¯d offended him wasn¡¯t hot, but he clearly was amused by the whole thing.

    He poked at their hand and they chuckled, realizing they¡¯d gotten so lost in their head they¡¯d stopped exploring! They went back to touching him all over his chest, and then down to his stomach.

    It was like he was fat. Not seriously obese or anything, but definitely on the thick side. It was so weird that he was, in one sense, bone-thin, but also had a protruding belly. They didn¡¯t mind, though. It wasn¡¯t like his physical body had anything to do with their attraction to him, anyway - they hadn¡¯t even been able to fantasize with any details until Alphys had told them about his magic cock. It was his mind, his personality, his soul¡­ and his magic, his badassery, his humor, his power, that they were attracted to. And the situation that had reforged their entire existence with him as the center of everything, naturally.

    ¡°so, papyrus would have a body more like the rest of me,¡± he said. ¡°where it sort of resembles humans, since we¡¯re human skeletons, but only exists where and how it¡¯s needed, so pretty slim. me, though¡­ i am more powerful and more unstable. i am ¡®fat¡­¡¯ but also, i have to be.¡±

    ¡°It only exists when there¡¯s a purpose, and so I could have guessed, if I¡¯d thought about it the right way, that it needed a purpose,¡± they speculated and he grinned.

    ¡°you got it,¡± he said. ¡°it serves a lot of the same purposes as in humans, actually. energy storage, insulation, and a layer of protection. i need a lot of food to maintain it, too. it helps keep my magic contained and prevents accidental, uh¡­¡±

    They¡¯d never forget how he¡¯d said how vulnerable he¡¯d been made.

    ¡°Prevents you from getting killed by wayward pokes?¡± they asked.

    ¡°sadly, yeah,¡± he said. ¡°not quite that vulnerable, but basically. the rest of me - like my hands or whatever - aren¡¯t such a risk. it¡¯s only if you strike my core.¡±

    Now that they were thinking about it¡­

    ¡°That¡¯s why you always wear a jacket, isn¡¯t it?¡± they asked.

    ¡°yep,¡± he said. ¡°temperature is really not a thing for paps or me.¡±

    ¡°But touching you isn¡¯t dangerous?¡± they asked, a little worried.

    If they died, whatever. If he died¡­ no.

    He hesitated.

    ¡°i trust you,¡± he said.

    Three of the happiest worst they could hear from him. A shiver of sheer joy ran through them.

    ¡°the fact is, i would have a hard time letting anyone else touch my core. you, uh, remember how you accidentally killed toriel that first time, even though you didn¡¯t mean to, even though you didn¡¯t have a proper weapon?¡±

    ¡°Even a slightly edged intent would be dangerous,¡± they said, gently poking at his stomach.

    They¡¯d really gotten the hang of controlling their intent with Undyne, so they weren¡¯t worried.

    ¡°sorta,¡± he said. ¡°it would take some real intent to actually kill me in a single strike, though not much. hurting me is easy - i basically have no defense at all. but it¡¯s nothing to worry about. i know you¡¯ve mastered that aspect of magic."

    Wait, what?

    ¡°Of magic?¡± they asked.

    ¡°i mean, humans can learn magic,¡± he said. ¡°and you¡¯ve started. you¡¯ve learned to shape and control the intentions of your strikes - to make them lethal, painful, or harmless, like against undyne in your spars. you even learned how to manipulate your defenses consciously, when we did the stabbing trials.¡±

    Wait. They were learning magic?

    They¡­ guessed they knew that it was possible. Human magicians were the ones who had built the barrier in the first place, which meant humans had to be able to learn magic. And they were changing how their strikes hit Undyne, and how magic hit them - what else would that be?

    ¡°I¡­ guess that¡¯s true,¡± they said, staggered at the revelation.

    ¡°so, i wouldn¡¯t let anyone else touch me here,¡± he said. ¡°either i wouldn¡¯t trust their control or their intentions. but you, frisk? go ahead and explore.¡±

    He really trusted them. It felt so nice. The joy of it mixed with the molten puddle in their heart and just blended into a lovely sensation of desire, acceptance, and¡­ belonging, maybe? Trusting them like this, it made this feel right, like he had cast aside his uncertainties, like he did truly want them here. And not for superficial reasons - for pragmatism, or simple pleasure.

    ¡°Can¡­ can I, under your clothes, um¡­¡± they asked.

    He laughed, obviously loving their nervousness.

    ¡°tell me what you want to do,¡± he said.

    ¡°I want to pull aside your jacket and lift up your shirt, to see what your core feels like directly, rather than through clothes,¡± they said.

    ¡°do it.¡±

    A shiver ran through them at his command and they reached forward to obey. To obey their own desires, to obey him. But they knew he was vulnerable, so they were careful. They reached for the bottom of his shirt, which was right next to his cock. It twitched as they grew close and they were nearly undone.

    They could give up, they could just beg for this to be over, beg for him to take them, and he might, or he might torment them more, but they wanted¡­

    But they wanted this, too. This was also a precious memory and they might never get this chance again.

    His jacket was pulled aside and they carefully lifted up his shirt. It had been laying on ¡°nothing¡± - there was nothing beneath but a spine and ribs. They pulled his shirt all the way up.

    So weird. They reached out with both hands, stroking and touching curiously. It didn¡¯t feel like a human - fat or otherwise. It kinda did through the shirt, but not like this. It felt like¡­ well, like compressed magic. Magic that pushed back against them, but didn¡¯t have a clear boundary. It was soft and didn¡¯t resist them much - they could ¡°squish¡± pretty easily - but it also left their hand feeling partially immersed. Like they were, in a strange way, partially inside of him.

    Some of their explorations made his cock visibly throb and each time was almost their undoing. He wanted them, he wanted their mouth, he wanted their pussy¡­ oh how it made them squirm. But they could stay focused, they could have both, and this was so cool on pretty much every level.

    Some of their explorations got him to murmur about how nice it felt, which sent shivers up their spine in a similar, but distinct way. He seemed to be enjoying just laying back and being touched.

    How deep could they reach into him? They kept their intention as focused as possible, the most harmless and non-edged it could conceivably be - it was practically kittens and feathers. Wait, no, kittens were pointy. The point was, they shouldn¡¯t possibly harm him. They pressed with purely physical power, their hand starting to slip slightly under his rib cage when a strange sensation hit them.

    They had a feeling like they saw a faint wave of orange pass through the space under his ribs, though they also definitely didn¡¯t see anything. It was a feeling of seeing the color, without the color.

    With it came a faint burning sensation in their hand. Like they¡¯d dipped their hand into a weak acid, maybe, but it didn¡¯t feel physical. It technically hurt, by the barest of technicalities, and they felt their life energy slowly get nipped away.

    But why?

    ¡°Why does this hurt?¡± they asked him.

    He chuckled.

    ¡°you¡¯re pushing a bit deep,¡± he said. ¡°doesn¡¯t hurt me at all. you¡¯re being careful - which i appreciate - but like i said, my core is a bit unstable.¡±

    They were directly feeling the instability in his core? The source of his power and vulnerability both? His attacks were very ¡°Sans,¡± but this was the purest manifestation of him. An idea occurred to them.

    They hadn¡¯t thought about it in these terms, but they had learned to refine their defenses. A little with Undyne, though she was less explicit in her instructions, and more focused on Frisk¡¯s attitude. But mostly during that trial where Sans stabbed them over and over again. Come to think of it, the way they''d learned to dodge in midair with some of Sans'' attacks had required some twisting of their soul, too. Quite a few of his attacks had required something like that, now that they were thinking of it that way.

    In hindsight, they''d done a lot with selective modification of their natural defenses, hadn''t they? They just hadn''t really thought about it.

    His blasters would attack their soul, and his bones would attack their body and soul alike, but there was considerable overlap. This was a perfect source for both of those attacks. If they refined their defense against this? This should apply to everything.

    Including the connection he wanted to forge.

    And they were pretty sure it was the physical damage he was most uncomfortable with. If he stabbed them and it phased right through, they bet if they were getting off, he¡¯d be fine with it, but would draw the line at blood.

    If they could try to make this as non-physical as possible, to pull it away from their body as completely as they could, to take the full measure of attack on their soul? That should make him most comfortable. And, that was the kind of damage that the healing magic was best at.

    This was a hell of an opportunity.

    They focused. Their intention remained sunshine and rainbows, and their defenses began to shift. They focused hard on the sensations, trying to make sure they understood when and if it hurt their hand itself at all.

    ¡°what are you doing?¡± he asked, sounding curious.

    ¡°I want to be familiar with the feeling,¡± they said. ¡°I also want to make sure my defenses against it are as strong as I can make them. It feels a lot like how your blasters feel, or your bones when they were cutting my¡­ my self, rather than just my body. I imagine when you try to make that connection between us, it¡¯ll be similar, and I don¡¯t want to have to stop things to grab pie any more than I have to.¡±

    ¡°makes sense,¡± he said with a laugh.

    They were getting the hang of this. Their hand wasn¡¯t getting any more specks of reddened skin, and the magic¡¯s interaction with their soul kept changing. They were very pleased to note that certain ¡°defense configurations¡± made his breath catch slightly and were apparently downright pleasurable.

    But they wondered if they could make it complete. An absolute separation from their body, an absolute surrender to his magic. On a purely primal level, that was hard to do. It felt like they were trying to submit themself to being consumed.

    Now that they thought of it like that, having their soul consumed by his magic was also kinda hot¡­

    And with that thought, their desire catalyzed the change.

    Abruptly, all resistance disappeared. Their hand slipped fully into his core, and they felt their vitality draining into him with a strange sort of pain that didn¡¯t touch their nerves at all.

    The sensation lasted only a fraction of a second, however, as Sans immediately disappeared. They blinked and started to look up.

    ¡°what¡¯d ya do, kid?¡± he asked, sounding surprised, standing beside the bed.

    He¡¯d teleported¡­ had they hurt him?

    ¡°You¡¯re not hurt, are you?¡± they asked.

    He started to make his way back to the bed.

    ¡°not at all,¡± he said. ¡°it¡­ actually felt oddly pleasant.¡±

    Pleasant? Good. They felt a wave of relief. This seemed like it had potential. It might help with the connection he wanted to forge, plus there might be benefits to being able to do what seemed like transferring their vitality directly.

    And there were some interesting ideas on what they could do with this. His bulge seemed large and their mouth wasn¡¯t, and they weren¡¯t exactly experienced with deep throating¡­

    ¡°That¡¯s a relief,¡± they said as he sat back down. ¡°That seems like an interesting trick that could be fun.¡±

    ¡°no, frisk, that was way too dangerous,¡± he said.

    Dangerous? But¡­

    ¡°I thought you said it didn¡¯t hurt you,¡± they said, suddenly intent.

    ¡°i mean, for you,¡± he said and they scoffed. ¡°seriously, frisk, that could kill you.¡±

    He just did not get it.

    ¡°I really know how much I can take before I die,¡± they said with an amused smile. ¡°I know better than anyone. It barely did anything, and I feel like I could maybe make things smoother.¡±

    ¡°frisk, no,¡± he said. ¡°there have to be some limits of sanity. sacrificing your vitality, your health, your very life force for my pleasure is insane.¡±

    That tore through them like nothing else. A wave of pleasure at the idea of it burned through them, their body clenching and their pussy twitching so desperately they couldn¡¯t think.

    That was the hottest thing they¡¯d ever heard¡­ oh, they needed this, they needed to do this, the idea of doing this while sucking him off, to serve him, to sacrifice their life for him, but not all the way, but enough to give him pleasure in so many ways at once, and oh¡­

    A primal sound of desire emerged from them and then they managed words, they had to have this, they had to.

    ¡°P-please, Sans,¡± they said, their voice quavering with a need that was as absolute as it was mad. ¡°God, that was so hot, you saying that¡­¡±

    ¡°frisk, that¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s way outside of my comfort zone,¡± he said.

    If he really didn¡¯t want this, then they shouldn¡¯t. They hesitated.

    But. But they honestly thought he didn¡¯t understand. He was afraid of hurting them in a bad way. This was pleasurable for them. He didn¡¯t want them to accidentally die. It was completely under their control, it was safer than any other type of harm they could think of, they could pull back at the speed of thought. He didn¡¯t want their body hurt, and it didn¡¯t touch their body. He didn¡¯t want anything too intense, but the pain of it was barely more intense than what he¡¯d done to their nipples. Yes, nipple play couldn¡¯t kill them, but they were well aware of the limits of their vitality.

    Saying all this was outside their mental reach.

    ¡°If I were really careful in its use?¡± they asked. ¡°Really, so careful, to be sure it wouldn¡¯t push me over the edge¡­ to death, I mean, not the other edge¡­¡±

    ¡°you could actually get off from that?¡± he asked incredulously.

    ¡°Not from just that, but in combination with other things? Yes, oh god yes, I could,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Please, Sans, please don¡¯t take that option away. I¡¯ll be careful.¡±

    They were probably going to cum from sucking him off, oh they wanted this¡­

    They crawled a little closer, on their knees, gazing up at him and begging him with their eyes.

    ¡°you have to remember that i don¡¯t like seeing you seriously hurt,¡± he said.

    They absolutely knew this. They nodded.

    ¡°If it doesn¡¯t affect my physical body, and it doesn¡¯t kill me, it¡¯s okay, right?¡± they pressed.

    ¡°i don¡¯t want it to almost kill you either,¡± he said. ¡°nowhere near it.¡±

    That gave them less leeway to work with, more interruptions for completely unnecessary healing. They didn¡¯t want interruptions.

    ¡°Can we compromise on kinda close to killing me?¡± they asked hopefully.

    He leaned back and groaned. Maybe they could help convince him with desire. They ran their hands over him, stroking and admiring, and almost running into his cock several times, and they wanted him so badly¡­

    ¡°Please, Sans,¡± they whispered. ¡°Please. Trust me. I won¡¯t die.¡±

    ¡°damn it, frisk, this is so fucked up,¡± he said.

    They so completely did not care about that. They moved against him, stroking and shifting, changing their defenses so the sensation of them would change.

    He grabbed their hands and made them stop. They whimpered¡­ what would he do with them? They writhed and undulated within his grasp and they needed so badly¡­

    ¡°if we¡¯re doing something that risky, you should go ahead and fucking save,¡± he said, frustration clear in his voice.

    It wasn¡¯t good that he was frustrated, but he¡¯d see, they¡¯d be so good, it would be so good for him, and they wouldn¡¯t die, they¡¯d be so careful. They were grinning and bouncing as they reached over the edge. But they needed determination and focus to make save points and they had clearly not thought this through because they were a little short on real focus.

    What could they focus on, that resonated with their determination? It took long seconds to stop thinking about what they¡¯d do next.

    He was going to fuck them sometime in the next little while. He would and this was a goal they were dreaming about, had been striving for for a while, and it was almost theirs. Yes. That was the fate they were committed to, that they would anchor time itself to. Oh, it was deliciously wrong to anchor a point in time to the idea of being ravaged by him, but too bad!

    It was right by the bed, in easy access no matter where on it they were.

    ¡°I won¡¯t have to reload,¡± they said with a grin. ¡°And now I might not even need pie! It¡¯ll be great, you¡¯ll see.¡±

    Still - they might. The save point needed concentration in a way the pie didn¡¯t, and would probably be slower. They¡¯d learned pretty quick how to ¡°eat¡± monster food insanely fast. They hopped over to where they¡¯d put their phone and withdrew five slices, setting them down on the floor by the bed.

    ¡°either way, it¡¯s the first timeline,¡± he pointed out as they put down the last piece of pie. ¡°we don¡¯t actually know yet.¡±

    They were right. He didn¡¯t understand. He was afraid of killing them - he wasn¡¯t afraid of them being drained for his pleasure. They would be careful, in case things ramped up unexpectedly, but they would make sure that his fear would prove false.

    They knelt before him and gazed at him with determination, with lust, with their faith in their skill, with their need, and hoped he could see it all.

    ¡°Please trust me,¡± they said. ¡°I¡¯ve died so much, I really know my limits. I will be careful.¡±

    ¡°alright, alright,¡± he said. ¡°i¡¯ve agreed already. please don¡¯t make me regret this.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± they said happily. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    He just sighed.

    ¡°two things are happening next,¡± he said, his voice rough with need and maybe some frustration. ¡°you¡¯re going to show me how to pleasure you by bringing yourself as close as you can to the edge and then stopping. i want you so horny it hurts. then i¡¯m using your mouth and getting a little relief before things continue.¡±

    Oh, oh, he was going to torment them, and then they¡¯d¡­ they¡¯d¡­ it was really happening¡­

    The idea of trying to suck him off, with using the trick they¡¯d thought of, while that horny¡­ oh fuck this would be hard¡­

    It was going to be so hard not to cum.

 Ch. 16 - Connection (Sans POV)

    The next day, Sans couldn¡¯t really get his mind off things. Good thoughts, bad thoughts. Appreciation, lust, anticipation, worry, self-loathing, frustration - it was a hell of a combo. It ate at him.

    Especially the feeling like he was doing something wrong. But after what Frisk had said, he was wavering. Yet, despite his uncertainty about his reasoning, the dread in his gut that this was wrong wouldn¡¯t move. Did that maybe mean he was wrong about why he felt this way? He had no clue, and didn¡¯t think he¡¯d figure it out before they met. After all, his mind kept getting horribly distracted by all sorts of wildly inappropriate thoughts about a mentally ill friend.

    He responded to a text from Frisk and set up an actual time to meet, then made sure the room was ready - the sheets in there were really musty, and it wasn¡¯t that much work to change them. He wondered if he should do anything else. He thought of something they might appreciate and smiled at the thought. It meant he had to do a bit of laundry, but meh.

    The hours went by. He got Asgore to ask Papyrus to hang out when Frisk was supposed to come over. Asgore was the least likely to ask awkward questions or insert himself where he wasn¡¯t wanted. Undyne needed to be kept well away from all this¡­ she might decide to be helpful and that was almost terrifying. He and Frisk wouldn¡¯t stay at the house, just in case Papyrus came back, but he didn¡¯t want the two to see each other right now.

    Papyrus was usually completely oblivious to practically everything, but he had his moments. If he did notice and managed to get any idea what was going on between Sans and Frisk, if he asked any awkward questions¡­ what the hell could Sans even say?

    Best to distract him and avoid the whole thing.

    All of them, really. His gut clenched at even admitting to anyone that he was thinking about doing this, let alone that he agreed to it. Part of him was convinced they¡¯d, one and all, condemn him for it. And he agreed with that condemnation, even if he wasn¡¯t sure anymore exactly why, so what the hell was he doing?

    This was yet another shameful secret that he couldn¡¯t tell anyone about, another choice to willfully do the wrong thing for reasons that he just couldn¡¯t resist.

    The hours passed and brought with them a whole lot of feelings of many different kinds. He had thoughts several times of calling the whole thing off, but¡­

    Well, the reasons he agreed in the first place were still true.

    And despite it all, a part of him was really looking forward to it.

    Finally, the time came. He knew they¡¯d be there pretty much exactly five minutes early and just leaned up against the couch, waiting.

    And they showed up, exactly when he expected. They timidly walked in and looked at him, immediately turning beet red.

    Part of him was disappointed, but a bigger part was a little relieved that they didn¡¯t look half mad with lust. Mostly they looked embarrassed and so nervous they could fall over. Their eyes went over his outfit and his grin broadened at how pleased they looked.

    Yeah, he figured they¡¯d remember what he¡¯d worn that first day, when they met.

    ¡°good to see ya,¡± Sans said. ¡°we¡¯ll have to take this meeting somewhere else, though. paps will be back soonish.¡±

    ¡°Let me guess, we¡¯re taking one of your shortcuts?¡± Frisk asked with a small smile.

    ¡°yep,¡± Sans said, heading over to them.

    As soon as he reached their side, he activated the teleport and felt a draft of cold air.

    ¡°Here?¡± Frisk asked, eyes going wide at the sight of his old place in Snowdin.

    ¡°it¡¯s a bit musty, but it¡¯s private,¡± he said, heading inside.

    He could have teleported them both straight to his room, but they''d never been inside before. He figured it would make them feel more comfortable to know where exactly they were. And it felt a little more¡­ correct for them to walk into the house, into the room, of their own will. He felt bad enough about all this as it was.

    ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve done a bit with the place,¡± Frisk said curiously as they looked around.

    Eh, he hadn¡¯t done much.

    ¡°CORE isn¡¯t running anymore, so there¡¯s no power,¡± he said, heading to the stairs. ¡°still, i have a generator out back if i need any. the light crystals are good enough. got some magic heating going. no one else comes down here, ever, so it was worth it to do a bit to get it usable. to have a spot that¡¯s guaranteed private, y¡¯know?¡±

    Cleaned out the fridge, replaced the lights in the main room with glowing crystals, replaced the furnace with something he¡¯d rigged up with Alphys, set up a generator out back with some fuel. It was noisy, and so he didn¡¯t like to use it when he just wanted some space to think. That was all.

    The most important reason was because his workshop was here and he didn''t feel like moving everything. Why bother, when he could teleport?

    But Frisk hadn''t learned about that.

    ¡°Makes sense,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°yeah,¡± he agreed as he led them to his bedroom. ¡°uh. i need to say something. there¡¯s, uh, actually a number of things we kinda need to talk about first.¡±

    His bedroom was a little bit dark - other than the one window, there was a single lamp that had a crystal of magic in it, making it shadowy, but visible. There was something oddly intimate about seeing them standing in the dim light like that, in his room, knowing why they were there.

    But he had things they needed to talk about, so he needed to not think about that yet. Or the reasons why he¡¯d made the house unusually warm. His gaze flicked to Frisk¡¯s clothes that they¡¯d likely not be wearing for long and internally grumbled at his lack of focus.

    Completely ordinary clothes, like they wore every day. Just like he¡¯d asked.

    ¡°Y-yeah?¡± Frisk asked.

    They were nervous as hell. But then¡­ he was pretty nervous, too.

    ¡°i, uh,¡± he said. ¡°i¡¯ve never, uh, been with a human before. i have seen the internet, i know the basics, and it matches up pretty well, but. uh.¡±

    It was a little extra awkward, considering his history of killing humans. He had never imagined he''d have sex with one. There was a stupid part of his mind which kind of thought of it as ¡°conquering the enemy¡± and was feeling smug, which was even more messed up. Still, even if the reasons were dumb, it made him look forward to it even more.

    Better than the alternative, he supposed. And that sort of thinking had almost entirely died away, but this situation just brought it to mind.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never been with a monster,¡± Frisk said, shifting around nervously. ¡°Though I asked Alphys and it doesn¡¯t sound like there will be any problems.¡±

    Sans went and sat on his bed. That was actually maybe not true, about there not being any problems, and he wasn¡¯t sure how to bring it up. Man, this was awkward.

    ¡°I¡¯m not completely inexperienced, though,¡± Frisk murmured.

    He gestured for them to sit on his bed, too, and they turned red and twitched with nerves, but did so. They sat at almost exactly the same distance they¡¯d been yesterday, when they¡¯d been on the chair, and he on the couch. They looked like they had no idea what they were supposed to do with their hands and just fidgeted.

    ¡°oh?¡± Sans said.

    ¡°I had a few boyfriends and one girlfriend before I fell down here,¡± they said, shuffling around nervously. ¡°Though none at the time I fell, and none that were worth going and seeing again.¡±

    ¡°so it¡¯s been a while,¡± Sans said and they nodded. ¡°it¡¯s been a while for me, too.¡±

    It''d been a really long time, and it still hurt a little to think of her. He tried not to. He knew he couldn''t go back. In these last months, he didn''t even want to anymore.

    ¡°I, er, so I¡¯m feeling really awkward,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Excited, too, but now that it¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s real and looming, it¡¯s kind of terrifying, you know?¡±

    ¡°it¡¯s kinda similar for me,¡± Sans said. ¡°less terrifying in the nervous way, and more in the ¡®what the hell am i doing¡¯ way.¡±

    He sighed.

    ¡°look, uh, frisk,¡± he said. ¡°before, uh, we do anything, there¡¯s some things that kind of need to be said.¡±

    They nodded and looked at him curiously.

    ¡°your plan is good,¡± he said, looking at the ceiling. ¡°practical. but there¡¯s¡­ uh, it¡¯s incomplete.¡±

    ¡°How so?¡± they asked.

    ¡°if i went and found a prostitute, that wouldn¡¯t make the kind of bond that i think¡­¡± he started to say, then changed his mind. He took a different approach. ¡°it¡¯s not about the sex, exactly. the sex is a means to an end.¡±

    Frisk nodded.

    ¡°the problem is on my end, not yours,¡± he said. ¡°but¡­¡±

    He hesitated and sighed. This was not easy.

    ¡°i see the way you and flowey interact,¡± he said. ¡°i know about your history. i think you¡¯ve told me everything at this point, haven¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve skipped trivial details, but, well, they¡¯re trivial,¡± Frisk said. ¡°You know everything remotely important.¡±

    ¡°i know it¡¯s not even slightly romantic between you two,¡± Sans said, and Frisk nodded aggressively. ¡°but there is still, uh. emotional intimacy i think is the best way to put it. the connection between you two? it runs deep. in both of you.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it does,¡± Frisk murmured.

    ¡°even though he can¡¯t feel things right,¡± Sans said. ¡°it runs deeper than just emotions. i know he doesn¡¯t have a soul, but, if i say it¡¯s like it¡¯s part of his soul, would that make sense?¡±

    ¡°Completely,¡± Frisk said. ¡°And you¡¯re right. I thought¡­ I thought you didn¡¯t have any chance of knowing how powerful our connection is. And, a big part of me¡­ I know how observant you are, Sans, but I think you can¡¯t possibly understand it. Not really.¡±

    He understood enough to know it was something way beyond anything he generally allowed in himself. Anymore, anyway.

    ¡°that connection alphys was talking about¡­¡± Sans said, and sighed again. Man, this was uncomfortable. ¡°it¡¯s not something that¡¯s guaranteed. it''s just, when monsters share magic, it¡¯s possible for more than just magic to be shared. it makes it easier to, uh, connect more deeply.¡±

    Frisk nodded.

    ¡°here¡¯s¡­ here¡¯s the thing, frisk,¡± Sans said. ¡°i have a lot of magic, and am pretty damn good at working with it. i can make the bridge. and, unless we are both seriously confused about something, your side of that connection is, uh, ready. you are already bound to me pretty intensely.¡±

    They nodded again.

    ¡°i, uh,¡± he said, and rubbed at his head awkwardly. ¡°i¡­ don¡¯t do that. do the thing where, uh¡­¡±

    ¡°Where you meaningfully connect in a real way with another person,¡± Frisk supplied after a moment of him struggling. ¡°Where you let them in to the depths of your soul, absolutely and completely vulnerable.¡±

    ¡°er, yeah, that,¡± he said.

    Frisk looked away suddenly, a haunted look on their face.

    ¡°You did, once,¡± they said, sounding distant.

    ¡°i did?¡± he asked.

    ¡°At least, it felt that way,¡± Frisk said softly. ¡°When¡­ when I killed you, last month. You¡­ you didn¡¯t want to die, and the way it felt at the end¡­ you were hugging me close for your sake, not mine.¡±

    He had no idea what to think or feel about that. He''d wanted it to work. Wanted Frisk to be okay. Wanted everything to be good. Same as today, really.

    And, same as today, lots of feelings of guilt about it all. Funny, looking back, how much less guilty he had felt about having Frisk kill him once, as opposed to sex.

    Looking at it that way¡­ wasn''t that worse? Or¡­ maybe it was worse for them, but this was worse because it was encouraging their attachment to him?

    Or¡­ honestly, he didn''t even know. There was a lot about the situation with Frisk that he just couldn''t figure out. Not when it came to how he should feel.

    Other than guilty.

    ¡°i feel like i should say sorry, and i don¡¯t even know why,¡± Sans said and Frisk laughed.

    ¡°It was hard,¡± they said. ¡°Really, really, really hard. I never want to see you die again.¡±

    ¡°welp, that seems reasonable to me,¡± Sans said. ¡°i¡¯m not interested in dying.¡±

    They smiled at him.

    ¡°I¡¯ll never let you die,¡± they said. ¡°I mean¡­ unless you choose to.¡±

    A being of incredible, world shaking power, who could control the fate of monsters and humanity both¡­ was absolutely dedicated to his personal well-being and survival, above all else.

    ¡°and even though it¡¯s incredibly selfish, i¡¯m really happy to hear you say that,¡± he said. ¡°anyway. this situation is messed up. we¡¯re not doing it on a lark. if we¡¯re gonna do it at all, we need to do it right. so, uh.¡±

    He really wasn¡¯t good at this. But it was the only way he felt he could make this at all right. If he was going to do this, he had to give it his best, even if - no, especially if it was hard.

    ¡°i¡¯m, uh, gonna try,¡± he said. ¡°to, uh, do the thing.¡±

    ¡°Where you emotionally connect with me?¡± Frisk asked, a deeply amused smile on their face.

    ¡°yeah.¡±

    They reached out and took his hand, squeezing it tightly.

    ¡°i tried a little yesterday, too,¡± he said. ¡°but then you distracted me.¡±

    They grinned brightly.

    ¡°I accept all blame for that,¡± they said with a mischievous glint in their eyes. ¡°Should I be punished for it?¡±

    He shoved them over and they started laughing.

    ¡°yeah, yeah,¡± he said. ¡°i was thinking about what i¡¯d said, and i didn¡¯t say a lot of things. like, uh. a problem. i kind of am split in half about you.

    ¡°on one hand¡­ frisk, you deserve better than this. than to be this way. you deserve a chance to heal and become your own person. i know you said it¡¯s disrespectful to think it¡¯s wrong for you to exist this way, and i¡¯m sorry, but that¡¯s how i feel.

    ¡°at the same time¡­ i really like having you be like this. the stuff you said yesterday, the kind of love you wanted - a lot of that stuff is already¡­ i am glad you exist. i¡¯m glad that you¡¯re there for me, that i can always rely on you. and i feel like an absolute monster for feeling that way.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ feel bad about partially fulfilling my wildest dreams?¡± they asked incredulously, as they held his hand tightly to their heart.

    His hand was also being nicely cushioned, and he was trying not to think about that part. Soon, but not yet.

    ¡°yeah, i do,¡± he said. ¡°because things shouldn¡¯t be this way. you shouldn¡¯t be this way. i¡¯ve been trying to be better than i am. trying not to encourage you. trying to give you space to become your own person, to be less attached to me.¡±

    The look they were giving him made him feel guilty and that was kind of frustrating, when he was talking about trying to be a better person.

    ¡°i¡¯m not good at that, either,¡± he said, sighing. ¡°i keep using you, encouraging you. i¡¯m trying not to, but i guess i¡¯m too lazy to resist. it¡¯s just¡­ easy, having you around, y¡¯know?¡±

    Their eyes were shining with joy and another stab of guilt filled him.

    ¡°this is gonna encourage you, too,¡± he said darkly and they grinned. ¡°this is the kind of thing that makes what we¡¯re doing here wrong. i should be trying to stop this, not trying to make it worse.¡±

    ¡°Haven¡¯t you learned, Sans?¡± they asked brightly. ¡°I can¡¯t be stopped.¡±

    They said that, but¡­

    ¡°i bet, with the right orders, with keeping my distance, and with time, you would change,¡± he said. ¡°and i don¡¯t know, frisk. maybe that would be the right thing to do. maybe not. i don¡¯t know what¡¯s right. i don¡¯t know anything. i just know that this feels wrong.¡±

    Their face fell and they sighed.

    ¡°Sans¡­¡± they said. ¡°Why? Why is who I am so awful, when I love it, and you like it, too? You¡¯re talking about trying to force me¡­ to force me against my will¡­ to become someone I¡¯m not. If I had a magic button that would suddenly change me - maybe back into the Frisk who existed before the genocide route, or into some other version of Frisk, like me but what you''d think of as healthy - I wouldn¡¯t want to press it. I would beg you, pleading and crying, to please not press it.

    ¡°If you ordered me to press it, I wouldn¡¯t obey you right away. I¡¯d defy you, if only a little. I¡¯d try to insist that I¡¯d see it as me dying, as losing who I am. If you insisted, I would do it eventually, but only because I¡¯m willing to die for you. And honestly, Sans?¡±

    The look they gave him was pained and oddly chilling. Their words were tearing him apart.

    ¡°If you refused to see it as killing me, I would die feeling like I had been betrayed by the one I love,¡± they said. ¡°Regardless of what the new Frisk felt, that¡¯s how I would go.¡±

    He¡­ felt that he understood. Like how reloading wasn¡¯t really killing the other versions, but it kinda was, because they lost whatever they¡¯d turned into.

    And he didn¡¯t know what was right. He¡¯d been trying to figure it out all week, and then with new information, all day today, and felt he¡¯d only managed to conclude that he felt like this was wrong. He couldn¡¯t even put his finger on exactly why, it was just how he felt.

    But at the end of the day¡­

    ¡°i¡­ guess it¡¯s good that i wouldn¡¯t want to press it, either,¡± he admitted.

    They pulled his hand up and kissed it gently.

    He felt like the worst sort of monster for it, but he really wouldn¡¯t want them to be different. This was too easy, too nice, too comforting, too secure, too comfortable. Having this kind of trust in someone was just¡­ he didn¡¯t want to give it up.

    ¡°Please, Sans,¡± they said. ¡°Please say that you don¡¯t think it would be right to force me to change who I am.¡±

    ¡°you¡¯re right, frisk, it wouldn¡¯t be the right thing to do,¡± he said with a defeated sigh. ¡°but that means i have no idea what is right.¡±

    He cared about morality, even though he fucked it up so much. He cared about what was right, and he felt like every single possible decision was wrong. It felt hopeless.

    ¡°Why does it matter?¡± they asked. ¡°Who cares what¡¯s normal, the way things ¡®should¡¯ be, or anything like that? I like me being like this, you like me being like this, just¡­ just accept me, Sans.¡±

    He looked over at them, at the loving, concerned, longing look on their face. He sighed again and reached over, pulling them into a sort of side-hug. They happily nestled in, contented.

    ¡°it¡¯s really hard to argue with you, kid,¡± he grumbled.

    ¡°Does that mean you accept me?¡± they asked.

    The very fact that he wanted to felt wrong. What kind of person was he, that he enjoyed them being a broken husk of a person, who was so messed up that they were in a sort of mental slavery to his every whim, utterly and unshakably devoted to him when he honestly hadn¡¯t done anything to deserve it? And really, who could do anything to deserve something like that?

    But he wanted to be better than that. He had to be.

    ¡°i dunno,¡± he said. ¡°but¡­ today, i¡¯ll try. just today, though. i¡¯m gonna try to just let go and feel whatever, say whatever, and let the cards fall where they may. i¡¯ll burn for my sins later, and i¡¯ll try not to think about it till then.¡±

    He felt a hard poke in his side and Frisk was trying to glare at him, but the effect was broken by the sympathy, amusement, and hint of pain that marred their features.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a sin,¡± they said. ¡°I know what it feels like, to have sins crawling on my back.¡±

    Their smile turned more mischievous.

    ¡°Clearly what needs to happen is to distract you from these thoughts,¡± they said, a hint of fire in their voice.

    ¡°heh,¡± he said. ¡°speaking of, did you¡­ uh¡­ manage to sleep last night?¡±

    ¡°Only because of the use of sleepy meds,¡± they said. ¡°And I¡¯ve been on a slow simmer all day.¡±

    ¡°that does sound distracting,¡± he said.

    ¡°Good,¡± they said. ¡°I want you to let go and just enjoy things, even if it¡¯s just the once. I want you to accept the decision you made and let this time, let today, be free of all that.¡±

    ¡°it won¡¯t be easy,¡± he said. ¡°good thing you¡¯re here to help.¡±

    Their grin broadened.

    ¡°I am eager to serve,¡± they said, almost purring.

    ¡°there are still other, uh, concerns,¡± he said, and they pouted. He added in a dry tone, ¡°i¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s terrible that i¡¯m making you talk to me.¡±

    They started to say something and then went bright red.

    ¡°what?¡± he asked.

    Their eyes went wide and they shook their head desperately.

    ¡°are you actually not gonna tell me?¡± he asked, amused.

    ¡°It was awful, I shouldn¡¯t have thought it, it was the worst thing, I couldn¡¯t¡­¡± they squeaked.

    He grinned at them.

    ¡°tell me,¡± he said.

    They covered their face with their hands.

    ¡°Just that there are things that I could be doing while you¡¯re talking,¡± they managed. ¡°But those things are not helpful for discussion.¡±

    His mind filled in plenty of possible, tantalizing details. There were a lot of distractions from the conversation in that¡­ he needed to keep things on track, tempting as their embarrassment was.

    ¡°heh heh heh¡­ no, i wouldn¡¯t expect they are,¡± he said. ¡°i¡¯ll ask you for the details in a minute. otherwise, i¡¯ll get distracted.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± they said, squirming a little.

    Yeah, he¡¯d have to try to get through this quickly.

    ¡°so, this isn¡¯t a problem, exactly, but it¡¯s a thing to be aware of,¡± he said. ¡°the whole¡­ thing¡­ about using magic to try to help set up a connection? you¡¯ve, uh, already learned about what accidental magic interacting with humans can lead to.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying you might literally fuck me to death?¡± they asked, eyes wide.

    ¡°come on, frisk, i¡¯ve got more control than that,¡± he grumbled, and they grinned hugely. ¡°just, uh, that it¡¯d be completely safe if i weren¡¯t trying to make a connection like that. and i could try to be really careful and controlled, to do it without risking hurting you.¡±

    This next bit was really awkward to admit, but he''d been building up predictions of Frisk and it really seemed like it''d be fine. Still, he found his gaze torn away from how uncomfortable he was admitting this.

    ¡°but, uh¡­ but i don¡¯t actually want to. be that careful, i mean.¡±

    Their eyes had taken on a fully manic glint.

    ¡°with anyone else, i wouldn¡¯t even mention it, i¡¯d just make sure to always keep my head,¡± he said with a little cough. ¡°but, with you, i figured¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sans,¡± they said, their voice even huskier. ¡°I am absolutely okay with this. You try to connect with me, and just let yourself go. Let yourself fall to everything.¡±

    Yep, that was as predicted. On one hand, that made him feel a little better. On the other¡­

    ¡°i am not okay with you accidentally dying,¡± he said. ¡°you need to make sure you keep your vitality up.¡±

    ¡°You know who I live with, right?¡± Frisk asked dryly. ¡°I pack more healing magic food items than most monster hybrid hospitals. I¡¯ve got this.¡±

    ¡°and if ever it¡¯s, uh, more than you¡¯re comfortable with, you hafta let me know,¡± he said. ¡°i don¡¯t want this to be bad for you.¡±

    They grinned in a way that he honestly did not trust at all.

    ¡°seriously, frisk,¡± he said.

    ¡°I promise to make sure I am enjoying every part of what you¡¯re going to do with me,¡± they purred.

    ¡°that is so not what i said,¡± he said.

    ¡°Too bad,¡± they said, flashing another grin.

    He shoved them over again and they just started giggling.

    ¡°what have i gotten myself into,¡± he grumbled to no one in particular.

    But, well, he did trust them, and even if they were being playful about it, he just found himself confident that they wouldn''t let it get too bad for them. Wouldn''t completely defy his orders. But they''d probably stretch it more than he''d like, so he needed to keep an eye on things.

    ¡°You know you¡¯re looking forward to it,¡± they said, getting back on their knees as they looked at him enthusiastically.

    ¡°yeah, yeah,¡± he said, but grinned at them anyway. ¡°i guess we¡¯ll play that by ear. so, uh, one last thing.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡± they asked him eagerly.

    ¡°uh, so, you kind of have shown an interest in, uh, making me have a good time,¡± he said and they laughed in agreement. ¡°i, uh, am a little concerned about making sure you do, too.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious,¡± Frisk said, boggling at him. ¡°You¡¯re actually worried about me enjoying myself?¡±

    He coughed.

    ¡°i don¡¯t know your likes, your tastes,¡± he said, valiantly pushing ahead. ¡°i don¡¯t want to have us do things that match my tastes only. i just, uh, want things to be more¡­ mutual.¡±

    ¡°But, Sans, what turns me on most is the idea of giving you pleasure,¡± they said.

    They were really making it difficult for him to stay focused.

    ¡°which means that this shouldn¡¯t be too hard,¡± he said.

    Even if other things were¡­

    ¡°i figure, the easiest solution is for you to tell me some things,¡± he said. ¡°things you¡¯d really like to try, things you¡¯d definitely want to avoid.¡±

    They frowned.

    ¡°That¡­ doesn¡¯t sound fun,¡± they said. ¡°Just listing things out like that. Maybe I can just mention things as we go along.¡±

    ¡°i can see that working out well for things you really like, but it¡¯d be awkward for things you don¡¯t like,¡± he said.

    ¡°Maybe,¡± they allowed, and then gave him a sly smile. ¡°Sans? Do you¡­ like it when I¡¯m embarrassed?¡±

    ¡°honestly, yeah,¡± he said. ¡°your reactions are hilarious.¡±

    ¡°Then,¡± they said, blushing a little. ¡°Then it shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±

    He had a feeling that this wasn¡¯t right, but his focus was increasingly difficult to hang onto. His mind kept going to interesting, distracting thoughts for some reason.

    ¡°But,¡± they continued, frowning. ¡°Does it apply retroactively?¡±

    Y¡¯know, he wasn¡¯t even going to question this.

    ¡°yes,¡± he said.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if this is the sort of thing you want me to mention. I don¡¯t hate it, I¡¯m not opposed, but um, the ¡®daddy¡¯ thing is really not, uh, sexually my thing,¡± they admitted.

    He''d gotten that impression. However¡­

    ¡°but it embarrassed the hell out of you,¡± he said, grinning.

    ¡°This is very true,¡± they said.

    ¡°good,¡± he said. ¡°it¡¯s always good to have handy tools for horrifically embarrassing your friends.¡±

    ¡°Oh my god, Sans,¡± they said into their hands and he laughed again.

    ¡°also, you should tell me borderline stuff like that, too, if you¡¯re unsure if i figured it out myself,¡± he said.

    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°Okay,¡± they said with a smile.

    ¡°that aside,¡± he said. ¡°i want to know what you would want to do. like, right now, for example.¡±

    Their eyes were burning as they looked at him again.

    ¡°Give you pleasure,¡± they said without hesitation. ¡°Touch you, taste you, feel you. Drive you to distraction.¡±

    ¡°bit vague,¡± he teased.

    They flushed and looked away.

    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t actually know what to do,¡± they admitted. ¡°Or what I can do. I don¡¯t know when or if I¡¯m allowed to touch you. Or¡­ or how to touch you. I¡¯ve only, uh, figured out three things. Two ways of pleasing you with my mouth - one we tried, and one we alluded to - and sex itself. But¡­ but many things with, uh, humans don¡¯t look like they¡¯d apply. Like, uh, kissing, for example.¡±

    ¡°you¡¯re right that kissing isn¡¯t something i can do,¡± he said. ¡°and all that is a potential problem. so let¡¯s start with that. i¡¯ll show you what i like. how to touch me. i¡¯ll learn your body some, too. and you¡¯ll tell me if anything is either really up your alley, or really not.¡±

    ¡°O-okay,¡± they said, biting their lip.

    This seemed like an interesting opportunity to see their priorities. Given freedom and a crippling lack of knowledge, what would they seek and why?

    Yeah, he knew exactly how he wanted to play this.

    ¡°go ahead, frisk,¡± he said, gesturing vaguely at himself. ¡°touch me.¡±

    ¡°W-w-where?¡± they asked.

    ¡°where do you want to?¡± he asked with a grin.

    Their gaze dropped to his shorts and they turned bright red. He laughed again.

    But instead of reaching for his dick, their expression softened and they reached for his face. He closed his eyes and felt their fingers lightly trace over his skull, then his cheek, then down to his jaw.

    So. They begin with gentle, loving, affectionate, and soft. Nothing explicitly sexual at all, despite their clear arousal.

    Oddly flattering, in a strange sort of way. That despite all the hunger in their gaze, tenderness was dominant.

    Kinda like what he''d seen that first day, come to think of it. Despite their love of combat, their sheer power, their unbreakable determination - they gently laughed and played with all those that had once murdered them.

    He''d managed to forget about that. About the reasons why he''d trusted them so quickly, despite their clear insanity. It made his heart warm.

    ¡°It feels so strange,¡± they said. ¡°What does this feel like for you?¡±

    ¡°probably similar to humans,¡± he said. ¡°your fingers are soft and warm. it feels nice.¡±

    ¡°Touching lips feels really nice to humans,¡± they said. ¡°But teeth, not so much. What about for you?¡±

    ¡°whether it feels like teeth or skin to me depends on how much i exist outside of my bones,¡± he said. ¡°go ahead.¡±

    ¡°That magic pseudo-flesh,¡± they said. ¡°You feel it directly.¡±

    ¡°heh, that¡¯s a good way to refer to it,¡± he said. ¡°yeah, i do. pretty, uh, intensely.¡±

    They grinned at that and moved their fingers over where his lips would be, if he had them. He put in a little focus into making sure his pseudo-flesh was more pronounced.

    His mind returned to what their actions told him about them. Careful, cautious, gentle. He''d kept them at arm''s length so much, he just hadn''t really been reminded of what had always been there. He kept seeing the fierce determination in the experiments, the intensity beyond any hint of reason, the insane extent of self sacrifice. But the self sacrifice wasn''t just a thing to be pitied and frustrated at. It was the reason they were on the surface at all. The reason they were all alive, despite what they''d collectively done to Frisk.

    Why had he forgotten?

    ¡°So weird,¡± they said. ¡°And¡­ and your mouth?¡±

    ¡°what about it?¡± he asked.

    Depending on what they asked, it might be dangerous. He''d see.

    ¡°Do you¡­ um¡­¡± they said awkwardly, blushing a little. ¡°Do you have a tongue?¡±

    Aha. The sexuality side of things was starting to show up. He''d known it wouldn''t take long.

    ¡°not always,¡± he said. ¡°some parts of me, the parts made purely of magic, they only exist when the reason for them to exist is present.¡±

    Their gaze fell to his shorts.

    ¡°including that, yeah,¡± he said and they blushed furiously. ¡°so i have a tongue when i want to speak or eat.¡±

    ¡°Would¡­ would it be bad to ask to feel it?¡± they squeaked out.

    Their embarrassment was so much fun. His grin broadened.

    ¡°nope,¡± he said, amusement thick in his voice. ¡°go ahead and ask.¡±

    ¡°Sans¡­¡± they whined adorably.

    He laughed.

    They were giving him the cutest puppy dog eyes, and it looked completely unintentional.

    ¡°well?¡± he prodded.

    ¡°M-may I feel your t-tongue?¡± they stammered.

    ¡°sure,¡± he said, and then added in a lower tone, ¡°where?¡±

    They pulled back with a squeak and covered their face. He was really enjoying this too much.

    ¡°i like seeing you blush,¡± he said lightly, and they pulled their hands away, revealing a bright red face and naked desire. ¡°and i know the answer, but tell me anyway. did you enjoy me doing that to you?¡±

    ¡°Y-y-yes,¡± they managed with a shiver.

    He wasn''t sure what was heating up his bones more - the look on their face of clear embarrassment, of lust, or their forced confession of how they liked him teasing them.

    ¡°good,¡± he said. ¡°also, you didn¡¯t answer that last question.¡±

    Their flush deepened and they took in a breath.

    ¡°M-m-maybe my fingers,¡± they managed.

    ¡°hmm,¡± he said, pretending to look thoughtful. ¡°is that really where you want to feel it?¡±

    They choked and trembled, starting to writhe.

    ¡°I¡­ would like to feel it in several places, but I¡¯m curious, and I think my fingers might be the¡­ e-e-easiest p-place to start,¡± they said.

    Nice and easy.

    He reached out and took their hand. They didn¡¯t resist as he brought it to his mouth. He had to pour in a little extra magic to make this work well. The inside of his mouth wouldn¡¯t feel great to them, for a number of reasons, and so he pushed to make his tongue longer, stronger, and more flexible than it would naturally be.

    They jerked in surprise once he wrapped his tongue around their index finger.

    ¡°It¡¯s completely invisible,¡± they said, looking fascinated.

    He laughed, his tongue disappearing from around their finger.

    He wasn''t focusing on improving his sense of taste, so he wasn''t getting much of that. Generally, he just tasted life, magical properties, and magical intensity, rather than the physical stuff humans tasted, like salt. Unless he tried to enhance that sort of thing - which he did all the time, because food tasted better than way. From their skin, he mostly just tasted that they were alive and full of vigor. It was a good taste, rich and invigorating.

    ¡°sort of,¡± he said. ¡°humans can learn to see magic, but it¡¯s not easy. i¡¯ll make it more visible for now.¡±

    He didn¡¯t have limitless stamina, but this wasn¡¯t exactly magic-intensive. His tongue glowed a faint blue and snaked around their fingers again.

    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful,¡± they said, marveling and touching it. ¡°It feels so weird¡­¡±

    ¡°in a good way, i hope,¡± he said, which again made his tongue have to reform in his mouth, but he quickly modified and extended it again.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± they said, looking more fascinated than anything else. ¡°Tingly, not wet at all, it feels really cool.¡±

    ¡°think it¡¯ll feel good elsewhere?¡± he prodded playfully, wanting that blush back.

    There it was. They tried to pull away, but he tightened his grip on their hand. He held it flat and then drove his tongue between two fingers, forcing them apart. Hopefully drawing to mind how he could shove past certain other obstacles, too. He let his tongue cease to be, and then laughed again.

    He gave them an expectant look, watching their flush deepen.

    ¡°Y-y-es,¡± they managed.

    He could do this all day. Their stammering embarrassment, their need¡­ it was exquisite.

    ¡°now it¡¯s your turn,¡± he said.

    ¡°M-my turn?¡± they asked with a deer in headlights look.

    ¡°unlike you, i know the basics of how your body should work,¡± he said. ¡°it¡¯s your tastes i don¡¯t know about. though i¡¯m sure i¡¯ll know your ¡®taste¡¯ soon, too.¡±

    They blushed again.

    ¡°A-a-about that,¡± they said. ¡°Um, I¡­ the sensation would be nice, and I have absolutely no objections, it¡¯s a good thing, but¡­ but, in knowing my preferences, being given pleasure like that isn¡¯t, uh, isn¡¯t really hot for me.¡±

    Hmm. He was pretty sure they weren''t saying this right. The look on their face - the blend of desire, uncertainty, pleasure, interest¡­

    ¡°would it give you pleasure? make you writhe and squirm?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Yes,¡± they said. ¡°B-but so would me tasting you.¡±

    But not the same way. Again, it was clear that they were struggling with their words, that it wasn''t coming out right.

    The combination of their expression with their reaction to his tongue and teasing, some comments they''d made, the way they seemed to focus the entirety of their pleasure on him¡­

    ¡°hmm,¡± he said. ¡°if i¡¯m understanding you right, you¡¯d enjoy it, you¡¯d feel pleasure and i could make you finish, but the idea of it is only hot if i¡¯m enjoying doing it to you.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± they said with a shy smile.

    So, in order to give them pleasure, he''d need to be selfish, which was kind of ironic. A part of him was laughing bitterly about how he was actually pretty good at that, so at least it worked out.

    ¡°what i¡¯d enjoy is making you writhe, squirm, and moan, bringing you close to the edge and then deciding on a whim if you get to finish or not,¡± he said.

    A shiver ran through them with such power it was almost a spasm and their breaths were heavy as they stared at him.

    ¡°think that¡¯ll work out?¡± he asked, yet another question for which he knew the answer but wanted to see them give it.

    ¡°Yes,¡± they whispered.

    ¡°good,¡± he said. ¡°but, hmm. not yet.¡±

    He put a finger under their chin, lifted it and trailed his finger down on the opposite side of their neck from yesterday, in a perfect mirror. Their breath caught and they tried to hold still, but were trembling.

    ¡°tell me,¡± he said, feigning casualness again. ¡°is there anywhere i shouldn¡¯t touch you? anything i shouldn¡¯t do to you?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t think of anything,¡± they said. ¡°B-but, I admit, it¡¯s also because I can¡¯t think.¡±

    ¡°hmm,¡± he said, tugging at their collar. ¡°do you like this shirt?¡±

    ¡°What shirt¡­?¡± they asked in a daze.

    He laughed.

    ¡°how upset would you be if none of your clothing survived today?¡± he asked.

    They gasped and their cheeks flamed a little more.

    ¡°N-not upset at all,¡± they said.

    ¡°good,¡± he said.  ¡°anything in your clothes that shouldn¡¯t be destroyed?¡±

    They squeaked and turned red.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I forgot, I¡­¡± they said, digging into their pockets and tossing aside their cell phone, keys, and wallet.

    He laughed. He was glad he¡¯d remembered - destroying their cell phone would have been not so great on a few levels - but it was hilarious how distracted they were. It was just so much fun, driving them insane.

    More insane than they already were. He told the feeling of guilt to go away; he was busy.

    Giving them an amused look, he summoned a small swarm of tiny bones, shredding their top and bra to pieces.

    He was careful with his aim. He didn¡¯t want to hurt them, even if he suspected that they would be completely fine with that outcome.

    His gaze fell to their exposed body and he took it in. It was quite sexy. He¡¯d noticed and appreciated their lean, fit shape when they¡¯d done the stabbing trials before, but this time he didn¡¯t have to pull his mind away from properly admiring it. Their taut lines were even more noticeable - they¡¯d clearly continued to work hard training with Undyne these last months and they were rocking some sexy abs. Their breasts were well formed and looked tantalizingly soft. And all boobs were sexy, but his favorites were the ones that liked being played with.

    Their blush extended quite far down their trembling body. He returned his finger to where it had been before their clothing had rudely interrupted, and began tracing it down again.

    ¡°your body is nice,¡± he said, his hand trailing around their stomach before moving to one of their breasts, slowly circling towards the erect nipple. Their body - quivering, taut, and smooth - felt so good to touch. ¡°i had to make myself stop thinking about it, when we had to do that stabbing trial, you know.¡±

    The delighted look on their face was a treasure.

    After a moment of soft spirals towards their nipple, he changed tack. He turned and pushed them against the wall, so they were braced, and started roughly grabbing at their breast. It felt good in his hand, but that was nothing compared to how they reacted.

    They moaned, squirming under his hand, and gave him a deliciously desperate look. To judge by their face and sounds they were making, he half wondered if he could get them off like this.

    ¡°tell me,¡± he said. ¡°what felt better? when i was gentle, or like this?¡±

    Their face told him a great deal, of course, but words would give him more. Plus, it''d embarrass them: win-win.

    ¡°W-wh-whichever way you like more, th-that¡¯s what I want,¡± they said.

    It was a bit of a gamble, but he was pretty confident in his guess that this would work out¡­

    He tweaked their nipple, hard. The sound they made was a blend of pleasure, pain, and shock, and damn, did it sound nice.

    ¡°wrong answer,¡± he said. ¡°i know you like my pleasure. i want to know what you like.¡±

    ¡°Fucking hell, Sans, that was so hot I can¡¯t think,¡± they moaned.

    Damn, he loved doing that to them.

    ¡°oh?¡± he asked, a sly tone in his voice. ¡°you think i like hurting you?¡±

    They spluttered in horror and he just laughed.

    He decided to stop their stammering by tweaking their other nipple almost as hard. The shiver that ran through their body was delightful.

    Oh, the look they were giving him. It was making it so much easier to ignore that little alarm in the back of his head that all this was wrong.

    ¡°i hated stabbing you. i hated the impression, the feeling, of burning out your heart,¡± he said. ¡°but this? this is fun.¡±

    He pulled back his ¡°pseudo-flesh¡± from his fingers, to make them as rough and bone-like as possible, then slowly clawed down their chest, leaving five thin red lines on their skin. They trembled and whimpered again.

    He reversed his action, thickening his digits so they were soft and featherlight, then gently caressed their breasts.

    ¡°tell me,¡± he commanded.

    It''s not like he didn''t know, but there was always the chance he''d missed something. Plus he wanted to train them to answer him properly. Part of him objected to this sort of thinking, but he told it to shut up for today. Just for today.

    ¡°Both feel really good, honest,¡± they gasped. ¡°The rough feels sexier, the gentle feels sweeter. One to drive my body wild; the other for my heart. I¡­ I admit the whiplash, the uncertainty, not knowing which way you¡¯ll touch me next¡­ that¡­ that was really, uh, really hot.¡±

    That was excellent to know. And it suited him well - he did like to do things on a whim.

    ¡°you like the pain, too, don¡¯t you?¡± he asked, pinching their nipple and making them squeak and tremble. ¡°masochist.¡±

    They nodded, unable to speak.

    ¡°and how much pain would be too much?¡± he asked. ¡°before it stopped being good for you, that is?¡±

    They blushed brightly.

    ¡°U-uh, I-I, um, I think you really don¡¯t want to know,¡± they stammered.

    ¡°and why¡¯s that?¡± he asked.

    ¡°B-because you have concerns about my mental health, and the answer would not be reassuring,¡± they said and he just laughed.

    Yeah, he''d suspected as much. The way they''d fondly looked at the blasters before being repeatedly murdered¡­ that was surely beyond their limits for what they could sexually enjoy, but clearly their threshold for pain was way beyond sanity.

    Though he also remembered how much they didn''t seem to like the stabbing trials. There were clear limits. He got the impression that they objected to physical damage more than spiritual, but wasn''t sure if there was more to it.

    For his part, he didn''t really care about what kind of damage they took. As long as it wasn''t a risk to their life, their mental health, or a risk of long term damage. Healing magic couldn''t get everything, and that was a reason to be extra careful with physical damage. But spiritual damage was harder to see.

    ¡°kinda figured,¡± he admitted. ¡°i doubt we¡¯ll cross your lines, then, but if we do, you are to tell me immediately.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± they said, and he tweaked their nipple again, earning another delightful squeal.

    ¡°not one for being called ¡®sir,¡¯¡± he said, musing.

    ¡°Should I call you master?¡± they asked, their gaze burning. ¡°Lord? My god?¡±

    He wasn''t sure he was interested in being called anything other than his name. He was sure they''d be screaming ¡°oh god¡± or something like it soon, but it didn''t need to be a title.

    He tweaked their other nipple again. It was way too much fun. He could listen to the sounds they made all day.

    ¡°you could call me daddy,¡± he said, grinning.

    It worked just like he¡¯d hoped. They went bright red, shrieked in mortification, and pulled away from him.

    ¡°Do you actually want me to?¡± they asked.

    ¡°nope,¡± he said.

    They glared at him, and really, it had to make his top ten list of glares.

    ¡°that was educational,¡± he said casually again. ¡°my turn.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± they asked, blinking in confusion, then flushed.

    ¡°i learned about your breasts, and a few other questions besides,¡± he said. ¡°what part of me do you want to learn about next?¡±

    He leaned back against the wall and grinned at them as they put their face in their hands and just groaned for long seconds. He couldn¡¯t resist and started laughing. This made them groan louder, which made him laugh harder, creating an absolutely fantastic cycle.

    ¡°You could just do whatever you wanted with me,¡± they said, half pleading. ¡°You could just tear off everything, and use me, in whatever ways you wanted.¡±

    ¡°you¡¯re saying you don¡¯t want to know anything else about me?¡± he asked.

    Seriously, he was getting quite the collection of amazing expressions from Frisk today. He was glad his memory was so good, because this was another Hall of Famer.

    ¡°Sans,¡± they whined. ¡°You¡¯re tormenting me. On purpose.¡±

    ¡°yep,¡± he said. ¡°but you like it, don¡¯t you?¡±

    They whimpered and looked away, turning bright red.

    ¡°answer me,¡± he commanded, about a second before he judged they¡¯d have managed on their own.

    This sent shivers running through their body and they gasped. This was too much fun. And hot at the same time. He couldn''t hope to resist.

    ¡°Yes, I do,¡± they said.

    ¡°i admit, i am tempted to use you to get off right now,¡± he said. ¡°not sure what i¡¯d prefer - your mouth has been tempting for a week now, but also¡­ hmm.¡±

    He reached over and trailed a finger down over their pants, but stopping just as he felt the mound, giving them no hint of true satisfaction.

    ¡°what term do you prefer for your bits?¡± he asked.

    ¡°U-uh-uh, I don¡¯t know, uh, pussy is normal I think?¡± they stammered.

    ¡°sure,¡± he said. ¡°your mouth and your pussy are both tempting. so while you explore, make sure you remember how much i¡¯m looking forward to that.¡±

    ¡°So¡­ so that¡¯s what I should do,¡± they said, looking down at his dick hungrily.

    Okay, he was definitely going to need to get off soon, because damn.

    However¡­

    A summoned bone thwacked Frisk lightly in the head. They blinked and recoiled, shocked, and then glared at his shit-eating grin for all of two seconds before falling over with laughter again. The way their laughter shook their breasts was quite nice.

    ¡°nope,¡± he said. ¡°wrong answer again. y¡¯know, frisk, i wonder if you¡¯re even paying attention.¡±

    These looks were priceless. He laughed again as they sat back up and tried to glare at him.

    ¡°i¡¯d asked you what you¡¯d like to learn about next, and told you to think about how much i¡¯m looking forward to using you to get off while you do it,¡± he said. ¡°i want to see you struggle.¡±

    Understanding lit in their eyes as they trembled.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how much more I can take,¡± they whimpered.

    He wasn¡¯t sure, either, but he was having way too much fun to stop now.

    ¡°let¡¯s find out,¡± he said and another wracking shiver tore through them as they inhaled sharply.

    They closed their eyes and focused, that familiar cast of determination on their features.

    Weirdly, that was hotter than he could have expected. With that look, they weren¡¯t just his friend. The immortal, unstoppable nightmare of world-ending power, of combat mastery and deadly skill, was kneeling topless and trembling before him, needing to call on their greatest power merely to resist immediately throwing themself at his dick.

    He hated himself a little for it, but deep down, all he could think was that life was good.

    ¡°I¡­ I want to understand how to touch you in general,¡± they said, opening their eyes and piercing him with a focused look haloed in flames of desire. ¡°To not be afraid of touching the wrong place, or doing the wrong thing. Like your torso - in hugging you, I¡¯ve felt, um, like there¡¯s a body under your shirt. More¡­ more than your face seemed to have.¡±

    He gestured at himself, inviting them. They flushed and crawled forward to kneel directly beside him, starting to reach out a hand, then stopped.

    ¡°Your question earlier,¡± they said, hesitating. ¡°It was a good one. Anywhere I shouldn¡¯t touch, anything I shouldn¡¯t do?¡±

    ¡°eh,¡± he said with a shrug. ¡°there¡¯s stuff, but nothing i¡¯d expect you to actually do. like, don¡¯t try to hurt me, for obvious reasons.¡±

    They nodded vigorously at that.

    ¡°i¡¯m inviting you to explore with your hands for a reason,¡± he said, gesturing at them to continue. They started to reach for him again.

    A few reasons, really. With his body being magic, it wasn''t as simple as pointing to a part and saying how it should be touched. His ¡°biology¡± was really kinda simple: bones, core, general magical presence - what Frisk had called pseudo-flesh - that would appear all over, and a few pieces of purpose based ¡°summons.¡± His throat had purpose practically always, so it didn''t feel like it fit the category as nicely, but basically that last option only included his tongue, dick, and to a lesser extent, ¡°lips¡± and throat. Some other stuff sort of counted, too - breathing required something like lungs, his eyes kinda existed in various ways depending on things, but whatever.

    So there just wasn''t much to say. How Frisk touched him mattered significantly more than where they touched him, with a few exceptions. And that seemed best learned hands on.

    Plus, of course, he was very interested in what their freeform explorations revealed about them.

    ¡°i¡¯m not worried, and i have no problems stopping you, or worst case, teleporting away if there¡¯s a problem. so go ahead.¡±

    They touched his jaw and then, with a gentle touch and care, they trailed their finger lower.

    ¡°So weird,¡± they said. ¡°You actually have a throat.¡±

    ¡°i do breathe,¡± he said with a laugh, then blew some air into their face.

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s true,¡± they said sheepishly.

    They continued to trail their finger down, gently touching his chest through his shirt.

    ¡°It¡¯s just weird that there¡¯s¡­ I don¡¯t know, so much pseudo-flesh here.¡±

    ¡°hey,¡± he said, with a mock offended glare. ¡°are you calling me fat?¡±

    They blinked in shock, turned red for a completely different reason, and started spluttering. He couldn¡¯t take that face and fell back against the wall, just losing himself to laughter for a minute. He normally didn''t cut loose and just laugh like this - he usually kept a straight face to help the jokes land harder, but he was feeling¡­ an odd sort of relaxation.

    They tried to apologize and he threw another bone at their head. Really, that was addictive. If only he could always throw bones at people when they did something ¡°wrong.¡±

    ¡°it¡¯s my core,¡± he said as their spluttering settled down, gesturing at them to resume exploring. ¡°honestly, it¡¯s, uh¡­ how do i put this¡­ you remember when i said i¡¯d had an accident that had some effects on me?¡±

    They nodded, curiosity now blazing foremost in their eyes. He poked at their hand and they chuckled, then resumed touching his torso through his shirt, making their way down to his stomach. It was more curious than erotic, their touches, but it still felt really nice.

    ¡°so, papyrus would have a body more like the rest of me,¡± he said. ¡°where it sort of resembles humans, since we¡¯re human skeletons, but only exists where and how it¡¯s needed, so pretty slim. me, though¡­ i am more powerful and more unstable. i am ¡®fat¡­¡¯ but also, i have to be.¡±

    ¡°It only exists when there¡¯s a purpose, and so I could have guessed, if I¡¯d thought about it the right way, that it needed a purpose,¡± they speculated and he grinned.

    ¡°you got it,¡± he said. ¡°it serves a lot of the same purposes as in humans, actually. energy storage, insulation, and a layer of protection. i need a lot of food to maintain it, too. it helps keep my magic contained and prevents accidental, uh¡­¡±

    ¡°Prevents you from getting killed by wayward pokes?¡± they asked.

    ¡°sadly, yeah,¡± he said. ¡°not quite that vulnerable, but basically. the rest of me - like my hands or whatever - aren¡¯t such a risk. it¡¯s only if you strike my core.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why you always wear a jacket, isn¡¯t it?¡± they asked.

    Kinda funny. This line of questioning would normally be deeply uncomfortable, but he didn''t even feel the faintest unease at admitting this stuff.

    Guess he really knew Frisk wouldn''t hurt him, all the way to his bones.

    ¡°yep,¡± he said. ¡°temperature is really not a thing for paps or me.¡±

    ¡°But touching you isn¡¯t dangerous?¡± they asked.

    He hesitated. How to phrase this¡­

    ¡°i trust you,¡± he said, and a happy shiver ran through them. ¡°the fact is, i would have a hard time letting anyone else touch my core. you, uh, remember how you accidentally killed toriel that first time, even though you didn¡¯t mean to, even though you didn¡¯t have a proper weapon?¡±

    ¡°Even a slightly edged intent would be dangerous,¡± they said, gently poking at his stomach.

    ¡°sorta,¡± he said. ¡°it would take some real intent to actually kill me in a single strike, though not much. hurting me is easy - i basically have no defense at all. but it¡¯s nothing to worry about. i know you¡¯ve mastered that aspect of magic."

    ¡°Of magic?¡± they asked.

    ¡°i mean, humans can learn magic,¡± he said. ¡°and you¡¯ve started. you¡¯ve learned to shape and control the intentions of your strikes - to make them lethal, painful, or harmless, like against undyne in your spars. you even learned how to manipulate your defenses consciously, when we did the stabbing trials.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ guess that¡¯s true,¡± they said, a bewildered expression on their face.

    ¡°so, i wouldn¡¯t let anyone else touch me here,¡± he said. ¡°either i wouldn¡¯t trust their control or their intentions. but you, frisk? go ahead and explore.¡±

    And it was true. He did feel completely comfortable with them touching him. Yeah, it''d be practically impossible to die from a flicker of ill intent from their bare hand - there was a reason they''d used a knife and focus last month - but it would be incredibly easy to accidentally hurt him. To hurt him badly. And yet, he felt fine. Safe.

    ¡°Can¡­ can I, under your clothes, um¡­¡± they asked.

    He laughed.

    ¡°tell me what you want to do,¡± he said.

    ¡°I want to pull aside your jacket and lift up your shirt, to see what your core feels like directly, rather than through clothes,¡± they said.

    ¡°do it.¡±

    Even just this little order, to do what they''d decided they wanted to do, visibly sent a shiver of pleasure through them.

    They did so, moving carefully and gently. They were clearly distracted by his clearly visible boner and trembled as their hands grew near it, but didn¡¯t touch. His jacket was pushed to his sides, revealing the white tshirt underneath with the presence of what looked like a diet of too many burgers underneath. They lifted his shirt, revealing nothing but his spine and curiosity filled their gaze. They lifted higher, exposing his ribcage.

    They boggled again at touching invisible flesh, pressing and squishing curiously. They occasionally touched him in a particularly nice way that made his dick twitch, and they squirmed each time. He would also mention when a touch was particularly enjoyable.

    Really, this whole thing was relaxing and pleasurable. Not in a way that was leading to things ending, but¡­ well, he didn¡¯t actually want things to end. Far as he was concerned, Frisk could drag this out as long as they wanted. It was just nice.

    He was just basking in lust and pleasure, on a simmer, as Frisk had put it, as a topless, sexy individual touched him in pleasurable ways. There was a lot to enjoy and he was letting his mind drift to things he''d want to do next.

    At one point they pressed firmly, almost reaching their hand under his ribcage, when a look of confusion crossed their face.

    ¡°Why does this hurt?¡± they asked, bewildered.

    He chuckled.

    ¡°you¡¯re pushing a bit deep,¡± he said. ¡°doesn¡¯t hurt me at all. you¡¯re being careful - which i appreciate - but like i said, my core is a bit unstable.¡±

    He felt Frisk¡¯s soul shift, for lack of a better word, their defenses changing as they held their hand a little too close, their vitality slowly draining from their hand.

    ¡°what are you doing?¡± he asked curiously.

    ¡°I want to be familiar with the feeling,¡± they said. ¡°I also want to make sure my defenses against it are as strong as I can make them. It feels a lot like how your blasters feel, or your bones when they were cutting my¡­ my self, rather than just my body. I imagine when you try to make that connection between us, it¡¯ll be similar, and I don¡¯t want to have to stop things to grab pie any more than I have to.¡±

    ¡°makes sense,¡± he said with a laugh.

    Whatever they were doing, it felt interesting, with occasional moments that felt oddly nice.

    And what it revealed of them was interesting, too. He really had been thinking of them too rigidly. They''d only really interacted lately in superficial, playful ways, or in context of their experiments. This was a much more complicated situation.

    When faced with the freedom to do what they wanted, a lack of guidance, and intense personal desire, they were driven to do it right. Careful, thoughtful, gentle gaining of knowledge. Experimentation and thoroughness. Setting aside their need as a background motivation, instead of letting themself be compelled by it into short-sighted actions.

    He had a lot of respect for that attitude.

    The feeling of their hand continued to shift in different ways until suddenly they gasped, surprise and pain on their face, and their hand dipped into his core. He reflexively teleported to the other side of the room, so impulsively that he was half surprised to discover he¡¯d done it at all.

    ¡°what¡¯d ya do, kid?¡± he asked in surprise.

    ¡°You¡¯re not hurt, are you?¡± they asked, clearly anxious.

    He started to make his way back to the bed.

    ¡°not at all,¡± he said. ¡°it¡­ actually felt really pleasant.¡±

    Now that the surprise was wearing off, the memory was odd. They¡¯d managed to sort of superimpose their flesh on his magic, to fully break their defense against its effects. That would make them completely vulnerable to him, his very presence devouring their soul, but also meant that their soul nourished and supported his.

    Not really a sexual pleasure, but still nice.

    Except for the fact that it was at the direct cost of their health, their vitality, their life.

    ¡°That¡¯s a relief,¡± they said as he sat back down. ¡°That seems like an interesting trick that could be fun.¡±

    ¡°no, frisk, that was way too dangerous,¡± he said.

    ¡°I thought you said it didn¡¯t hurt you,¡± they said, suddenly intent.

    ¡°i mean, for you,¡± he said and they scoffed. ¡°seriously, frisk, that could kill you.¡±

    ¡°I really know how much I can take before I die,¡± they said with an amused smile. ¡°I know better than anyone. It barely did anything, and I feel like I could maybe make things smoother.¡±

    ¡°frisk, no,¡± he said. ¡°there have to be some limits of sanity. sacrificing your vitality, your health, your very life force for my pleasure is insane.¡±

    That, uh, did not have the desired effect. Their pupils dilated, their body quivered, and their breath took them in a way that he half wondered if they were close to cumming from him saying that.

    He didn''t want to, but he couldn''t help but respond to that sight. An aching rush of need ran through him. He tried to shove it aside, but he wasn''t successful.

    A breathless half moan later, they managed to speak.

    ¡°P-please, Sans,¡± they said, their voice quavering in a way that made him weak in the knees. ¡°God, that was so hot, you saying that¡­¡±

    ¡°frisk, that¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s way outside of my comfort zone,¡± he said.

    That slowed them down a little, but only a little. The madness in their eyes wasn¡¯t particularly diminished.

    ¡°If I were really careful in its use?¡± they asked. ¡°Really, so careful, to be sure it wouldn¡¯t push me over the edge¡­ to death, I mean, not the other edge¡­¡±

    This was not helping his other problem. Or maybe his other problem wasn¡¯t helping with this. It was hard to think clearly.

    ¡°you could actually get off from that?¡± he asked incredulously.

    ¡°Not from just that, but in combination with other things? Yes, oh god yes, I could,¡± Frisk said, squirming desperately in front of him. ¡°Please, Sans, please don¡¯t take that option away. I¡¯ll be careful.¡±

    They crawled forward on their knees, looking up at him with a complex expression of longing.

    It was so fucking hot, seeing them like this.  He didn¡¯t feel particularly sane himself.

    They were begging¡­ and it was for this, really? For the chance to sacrifice their vitality for his pleasure? This was so wrong¡­

    And clearly their madness was affecting him, because right now that also seemed kinda maybe appealing, too¡­

    ¡°you have to remember that i don¡¯t like seeing you seriously hurt,¡± he said, feeling like he was losing a battle against the madness.

    They nodded, their eyes blazing.

    ¡°If it doesn¡¯t affect my physical body, and it doesn¡¯t kill me, it¡¯s okay, right?¡± they pressed.

    ¡°i don¡¯t want it to almost kill you either,¡± he said. ¡°nowhere near it.¡±

    ¡°Can we compromise on kinda close to killing me?¡± they asked hopefully.

    He leaned back and just groaned. They reached over and started touching him again, hands roaming over his torso and getting within a hair¡¯s breadth of his dick. It felt so good to be touched, to be wanted, to have them squirming against him¡­

    ¡°Please, Sans,¡± they whispered. ¡°Please. Trust me. I won¡¯t die.¡±

    The sound of their voice as they begged was running him through, crushing him, tearing away his thoughts. This was so wrong, damn it all!

    ¡°damn it, frisk, this is so fucked up,¡± he said, but he felt himself losing.

    The trembling pressure of their hands as they caressed him was not helping. He grabbed their hands and held them still in a bid to keep whatever scraps of sanity he could. They whimpered and writhed in his grip and fucking hell.

    He couldn¡¯t take much more of this.

    ¡°if we¡¯re doing something that risky, you should go ahead and fucking save,¡± he said, frustration clear in his voice.

    They grinned so happily and were bouncing so much it took them nearly thirty seconds to get their head together enough to actually manifest the save point. Now that it was made, it was easier to use, so at least they wouldn¡¯t have that problem again. They¡¯d considerately made it right beside the bed.

    ¡°I won¡¯t have to reload,¡± they said with a grin. ¡°And now I might not even need pie! It¡¯ll be great, you¡¯ll see.¡±

    As they said that, they went over to where they¡¯d placed their phone and withdrew five slices of pie, setting them off the bed, to the side.

    He had intensely mixed feelings about seeing the pie. There was something about laying out unusually powerful healing magic, multiple doses of it, for sex. What the hell was wrong with them both?

    And a twisted part of him was pleased at the preparation. Pleased at the freedom, the knowledge of how much harder he could push Frisk with the healing right there. He didn''t want them to actually be hurt, but he wanted to see their limits.

    He shouldn''t want that¡­ he shouldn''t, he didn''t want to admit it to himself, but he felt it anyway.

    ¡°either way, it¡¯s the first timeline,¡± he pointed out as they set down the last piece of pie. ¡°we don¡¯t actually know yet.¡±

    They knelt before him again and looked up at him with eyes that he just¡­ damn them, he couldn¡¯t resist this.

    ¡°Please trust me,¡± they said. ¡°I¡¯ve died so much, I really know my limits. I will be careful.¡±

    ¡°alright, alright,¡± he said. ¡°i¡¯ve agreed already. please don¡¯t make me regret this.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± they said happily. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    He just sighed.

    ¡°two things are happening next,¡± he said, his voice rough with a blend of lust, frustration, exasperation, and Frisk¡¯s madness which was apparently contagious. ¡°you¡¯re going to show me how to pleasure you by bringing yourself as close as you can to the edge and then stopping. i want you so horny it hurts. then i¡¯m using your mouth and getting a little relief before things continue.¡±

    The way their body convulsed at that, he wasn¡¯t completely convinced they hadn¡¯t cum on the spot.

    Either way, it was time to ramp things up.

 Ch. 17 - Pleasure (Frisk POV)

    The look Sans was giving them was dark and controlling, uncompromising. They didn¡¯t exactly want him to feel, uh, harsh towards them, but also, mmm.

    He reached out and grabbed the front of their pants roughly, then growled, ¡°get ready to heal.¡±

    With no further warning, another swarm of bones appeared. These weren¡¯t as carefully directed, though. He didn¡¯t even look where he was aiming, just holding Frisk¡¯s gaze as though daring them to object to this sort of treatment.

    The shards ripped through flesh and pants alike, but Frisk had learned how to take these hits, pulling their power to corrode their soul, not their flesh. It burned and ached, but he was just taking what he wanted from them, and they couldn¡¯t help but tremble. More shameful sounds of need escaped them.

    As they were rendered naked, they reached out and took hold of the save point, feeling the power flood them, their body rapidly healing from the assault.

    He looked them over possessively and they took a sharp breath. A bony hand reached out and raked down their body, pushing them back a little for easier access to their pussy. They¡¯d gotten it waxed and hoped he preferred it that way. He didn¡¯t comment and just toyed with them.

    It was rough and almost uncaring, his motion, as he flicked their clit and ran a finger around their entrance. They gasped and wriggled at his touch. He lingered there for a moment, grinning at their hopeful face, but pulled away without letting them feel him inside.

    He looked contemplative for a moment as he flicked their clit again, then grabbed their waist and roughly forced them over onto their belly. He squeezed their ass, then slapped it, chuckling to himself in amusement. Probably at the sound they made from the slap¡­ they flushed again. He spread their cheeks and their flush deepened. Wait, was he into¡­ uh¡­

    A stinging pain filled them - had he just flicked his finger at their asshole? The hell, Sans! He continued to chuckle, a steady sound of amusement. He grabbed them and flipped them back over onto their back, their legs ending up awkwardly spread before them.

    ¡°time to show me,¡± he said, his voice still low and dark. ¡°show me how you like to be touched and don¡¯t let yourself cum. i want you lost to desire. i want you to know that you¡¯ll only cum when i feel like making you.¡±

    ¡°As you wish,¡± they said, shivering at the sound of his command.

    They knelt before him, ready to worship him in any way he desired. Their embarrassment and pleasure were the tribute he requested, and so with one hand, they rubbed at their clit, and the other clawed down from their neck to their breasts.

    ¡°you really like the pain, don¡¯t you?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Y-yes,¡± they admitted, breathless.

    They were getting close, so they moved from stroking their clit to massaging over their pussy, especially around where they were achingly empty. They''d never figured out an angle that felt satisfying with fingering themself, and so they remained agonizingly empty.

    ¡°I know you don¡¯t want to hurt me, not as much as I want, so I¡¯m trying not to¡­ not to ask you to do things you don¡¯t want to do,¡± they said.

    ¡°i¡¯m kinda frustrated with you right now,¡± he said, and they flinched. ¡°maybe hurting you would be more fun than usual - as long as you¡¯re getting off on it.¡±

    Him saying that¡­ oh god, they were too close. They tore their hand from their pussy and tried to shove away the feelings. That was too close, they almost came. Touching themself while he was saying things like this, while they¡¯d been broiling all day and all night¡­ it was too much, they couldn¡¯t handle this!

    But once that wave passed, there was something more important.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want you frustrated with me,¡± they said meekly.

    ¡°you say that,¡± he said. ¡°but you¡¯re supposed to obey me and you were trying to defy me, weren¡¯t you?¡±

    As he started to speak, he ran his hand through their hair gently, then suddenly gripped it and pulled them into him. His presence, even through the shirt and shorts, was a pressure on their mind and body, and they couldn¡¯t help but squirm.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t, not really,¡± they protested, their face against his neck.

    He wanted them to suffer, to writhe in need, and they felt their pussy could take a little more again, so they shoved a hand down. And¡­ and¡­ they were lined up, they could feel him, his erection pressing against their hand through his shorts. They wanted¡­ they needed¡­ but they had to be careful¡­

    But they really had to focus, to explain this to him.

    ¡°You wanted me to not die, you wanted things that matched my tastes, you wanted me to hurt but only within the extent I could enjoy, you wanted my body to not be seriously hurt at all,¡± they forced out. ¡°You just didn¡¯t have enough faith in me. You didn¡¯t trust me to give you what you wanted. I am skilled enough, Sans, to do this and have it all.¡±

    ¡°it¡¯s hard to believe you could really enjoy that sort of pain,¡± he said.

    Doubt, again, damn it.

    ¡°Test it,¡± they said, determination blazing as they pulled back just enough to give him a challenging look. ¡°Hurt me, Sans.¡±

    ¡°tell me, frisk,¡± he said with a grin. ¡°you keep pulling your hand away from yourself. how close are you to cumming?¡±

    ¡°S-so close,¡± they admitted, pressing into his body harder. ¡°I keep getting so close, too close, but I can suffer more for you, this is so good¡­¡±

    His hand moved and then they felt a sharp pleasure/pain from their nipple. No, no, too close, damn it! They shuddered against him, holding back their orgasm again with a cry.

    ¡°you almost came from that, didn¡¯t you?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Y-yes, almost¡­ god, Sans¡­¡± they whimpered.

    ¡°i could make you cum just like this, couldn¡¯t i?¡± he said. ¡°squirming against me while i hurt you.¡±

    They shuddered again, they couldn¡¯t handle this, they were going insane. They gripped his shirt desperately.

    ¡°Yes,¡± they whispered, begging him in their mind to make it stop, to make them cum.

    ¡°but you don¡¯t get to cum yet, do you?¡± he asked and they whimpered desperately. ¡°so i can¡¯t try hurting you right now, because then you¡¯d get off and i wouldn¡¯t get to see you like this.¡±

    He chuckled to himself again as they writhed and whimpered and begged him with their eyes.

    ¡°i want you to know how hot i find this,¡± he told them, setting off another inferno within them. ¡°it¡¯s driving me insane, watching you squirm, hearing those sounds you¡¯re making, feeling you move against me like this. i don¡¯t want this to end, so i¡¯m dragging it out, even though i can¡¯t handle much more myself. i¡¯m pretty close to cracking, and as soon as i do, i¡¯m going to start taking your mouth.¡±

    Frisk had died and gone to heaven. There was no sanity in them now, not on hearing this. He wanted them, he was being driven insane, his control was on the edge of breaking, and when it did, they would taste him and feel him get off with their mouth, and they still wouldn¡¯t be able to cum, and¡­

    There was only fire in them, and need, and desperation, and devotion, and always, always, determination.

    With a casual motion, he took off his jacket, throwing it across the room. They suddenly realized they¡¯d never actually seen his sides or arms before and he looked somehow¡­ different. It was the way he held himself. Like his shoulders almost wanted to hunch in. Maybe that there was a nervousness to him.

    The impression passed quickly, and he resumed looking like the domineering Sans that they¡¯d been kneeling before today. He gazed at their body with desire and all speculations on his momentary vulnerability burned away. They wanted him so badly.

    They pressed up against his body again. He hadn¡¯t objected when they¡¯d felt him while touching themself, but maybe grabbing for him would be too much. Maybe¡­ maybe they could just press against his erection, grind their needy pussy against it, but they couldn¡¯t cum, they couldn¡¯t, they were going to die¡­

    With an odd grin, he suddenly lay down onto his back and pulled them on top. They straddled him, feeling his bulge right where it needed to go, and they couldn¡¯t touch themself, they couldn¡¯t. With him like this, they were too close, again, but they could suffer more for him, they could claw at themself and whimper and writhe.

    He reached down and suddenly they felt something that wasn¡¯t cloth. A tingling pressure of magic pressed against them, right against their clit, and a prickle of sensation ran over their entire body. Oh. Oh, was he going to take them now? He was wrapped in their folds, wet with their juices, but not inside, they wanted him, was he about to¡­?

    His hands gripped their waist for a moment and they gasped. But instead of driving into them, his left eye shone blue and orange, just as it had that fateful day, and they felt his magic hold them, pull at them. They didn¡¯t resist and their body slammed into the wall by the bed with a thud. They fell, landing on their hands and knees, and suddenly he was holding their hair tightly, too tightly, they couldn¡¯t move.

    He pulled them over to him again and their mouth was right over¡­

    They didn¡¯t have time to admire the glowing blue appendage, its sleek shape, its size, before he thrust it into their mouth.

    Right, he¡¯d said that he¡¯d take their mouth once he started to lose control, and so this meant he desired them so much that he¡­

    They shuddered around his cock, loving at it with their tongue, feeling the ridges and head as he forced them to take it. It was hitting the back of their throat, too large for them to take, but they needed a moment to adjust. It felt good, it felt amazing, being used like this, knowing they were a thing for his pleasure, feeling his pleasure against their tongue, pressing against their throat. They heard him groan and breathe harder as he took his pleasure from them.

    This was so good.

    His cock was amazing, and felt so strange. They¡¯d sucked two guys off before, but Sans was incredibly different. No saltiness - he still tasted like death and magic, but also like lust and pleasure. Again, they didn¡¯t exactly understand how ¡°lust and pleasure¡± could be a taste, but apparently it was. No random hairs, or smooth skin. It was a sleek thing of magic that was an experience all its own, one for which the word ¡°texture¡± didn¡¯t even seem to make sense. It was uncompromisingly hard in some ways, feeling like he could drive past even if they tried to slow him down. Soft in others, as the surface seemed as semi-real as the rest of his pseudo-flesh.

    It felt like power, and magic, and inevitability, and lust, and death, and they were in love.

    They managed to get a handle on things. He wasn¡¯t moving too fast, giving them a chance to breathe between thrusts, if only just. But that meant that they could try their secret weapon. Okay, not secret, but they were sure this would be great.

    They focused, pulling on their training, their practice, their memory. They needed to get this right the first time. He wanted to feel them around his cock, he just needed to have the ability to go deeper. And they knew how to do that.

    Around his cock, with their tongue and lips, they maintained their defense, maintained their presence, their ability to pleasure him. But in the back of their throat, they focused on the other sensation. A feeling like death, which they knew intimately. A feeling of absolute vulnerability, of absolute surrender, of complete acceptance, of sacrifice and invitation. In that specific place, their soul wasn¡¯t just available, it lay on the altar in tribute to their god.

    His next thrust didn¡¯t end at their throat, but pressed beyond, burning and consuming as it drained out their soul. But they felt the desire in it, they felt the sheer presence of magic that was pure desire, pure lust, pure pleasure - that was its purpose, and they felt it within them.

    Oh, this was hard. They had to be careful, to keep the pace sustainable, to ensure they wouldn¡¯t die too quickly. He needed to cum first. And they had to stay focused on not cumming themself, which was maybe the harder task.

    The sound he made as he bottomed out was something they wanted to remember forever. A gutteral noise, of need, of pleasure, of desire, a thing of madness. He shifted and they discovered he had been intentionally kind to them as his grip went from a pleasantly gentle stinging to true pain, the bones of his hands digging into their scalp. With both hands he forced them, and they focused their entire will on maintaining that effect.

    With each thrust, another measure of their soul was stolen away, another measure closer to death. But only a little, and less each time, as they tightened the connection to a small flow. They could maintain this for long enough. They had to brace themself, to be ready, because it would probably be a hell of a lot more intense when he came.

    God, they wanted to feel that.

    He thickened and grew still larger as he thrust into their mouth, so much so they felt like their jaw was practically going to be unhinged, and their soul was burning even deeper. But they didn¡¯t care, it was so good. And all the power of the sensations magnified with its size - the death, magic, lust, and pleasure alike.

    With another gutteral groan that nearly pushed them over the edge, he came. His cock was buried to the hilt and swelled with power, releasing it in a wave of magic directly into their soul. It burned all that it touched, but also carried with it his pleasure¡­

    And that was too much. They felt their own pleasure start to peak in response, but they couldn¡¯t, they weren¡¯t allowed to cum, they threw the walls of their defenses up hard, blocking off the magic absolutely and clamped down in their mind on their own sensations. He was physically ¡°ejected¡± from their soul, from their body, and they had to pull away. They couldn¡¯t breathe, they had to stop the pleasure from cresting.

    Agonizingly, it settled down into an ember of desperate need, but they¡¯d succeeded, they hadn¡¯t come, they¡¯d been good. With a gasp, they reached out to the save point, drawing forth the strength they needed to restore themself.

    They¡¯d succeeded. Barely. But they hadn¡¯t died, and while if they¡¯d tried to take it, it¡¯d have been¡­ really really close, they honestly thought they could handle it. They¡¯d discovered on that darkest day that no matter how thoroughly his corrosive magic poisoned them, it could never fully kill them, and so they were almost completely sure they¡¯d have survived. By the skin of their teeth, maybe, but that was really not that important to Frisk. To Sans¡­ probably, but they didn¡¯t have to mention that part.

    Besides, they thought, as they grinned at his limp form with a dazed, happy expression on his face, he¡¯d clearly enjoyed himself. They gazed at him happily, memorizing how he looked in this incredible moment. Yeah, they were still on fire and were absolutely not done, but this? This was precious.

    They laid down next to him and snuggled close. Maybe it was presumptuous, but surely, after all that, it would be allowed. They laid their head on his oddly soft chest - they still couldn¡¯t fully get over a skeleton having a soft and squishy chest and stomach - and sighed happily. They couldn¡¯t quite feel, uh, content with this much fire in their veins, they couldn¡¯t quite manage to restrain their squirming completely, but it was still nice.

    ¡°S-sorry,¡± they whispered from beside him. ¡°For pulling away like that.¡±

    ¡°you did the right thing,¡± he said, still with a dopey expression on his face. ¡°i don¡¯t want you hurt.¡±

    ¡°H-hurt?¡± they asked, confused. ¡°No, Sans, that¡¯s not what happened.¡±

    ¡°it isn¡¯t?¡± he asked, looking over at them.

    Meeting his gaze in his bed like this was really not easy at the moment. A quivering breath escaped them but they managed to stay focused. They had to make sure he understood.

    ¡°No, not even close,¡± they said. ¡°Okay, maybe that¡¯s not true. It was probably closer than you¡¯d like. Er. If I¡¯d taken everything, definitely closer. But I could have taken it all.¡±

    Uh, they needed to get off that point. They tried to corral their thoughts again.

    ¡°No, the problem was I lost control. I started to cum, and I¡¯m not allowed, I had to pull away, else I¡¯d be bad, and I realized after that you might have preferred for me to cum then. I should have realized ahead of time and asked what you¡¯d prefer.¡±

    He looked amused and shifted, wrapping his arm around them and pulling them tightly to his chest. It was such a strange feeling. His chest was bizarrely soft, but his arm was exactly what they¡¯d expect a skeleton arm to feel like.

    Being with Sans was weird, but they wouldn¡¯t trade it for anything.

    Being still was still not happening, though.

    ¡°you were good,¡± he said, and they felt a deep wave of satisfaction at his praise. ¡°you did just as you should have.¡±

    They squirmed happily and made some pleased noises as they snuggled into his side.

    ¡°you know, i¡¯m actually a little capable of thinking again,¡± he said and they grinned.

    ¡°Mmm, that¡¯s kind of a shame,¡± they murmured and started stroking his chest. ¡°It was so hot, what you said, that I was making you lose control.¡±

    He let out a soft sound, almost a sigh, sounding so content. This was so good, in a very different way than the fire in their blood demanded, but still so good. They kinda wished they had cum so they could enjoy it without being quite as distracted, but it was still amazing.

    His hand was stroking up and down their back. It wasn¡¯t teasing, or erotic, or anything - it just seemed affectionate. Appreciative.

    He was silent and seemed so at peace, so relaxed. Slowly, they settled. Their trembling eased as they embraced the soft sweetness of this moment.

    ¡°this is nice,¡± he said and they hummed in agreement. ¡°sorry for, uh, being kind of cruel to you.¡±

    They giggled and poked him affectionately. That was the most ridiculous thing.

    ¡°I can¡¯t cum now, but I¡¯m going to be cumming to that memory so much later,¡± they admitted breathlessly. ¡°It¡¯s going to be so hard, holding myself back from whatever you¡¯re going to do next.¡±

    ¡°you do seem to have cooled down quite a bit, though,¡± he said.

    ¡°I¡¯m no longer on the edge, but that means I can take more without pulling back,¡± they murmured, wriggling against him with delight at a thought. ¡°Maybe you could test it, now, how much pain I can take before it becomes unpleasant, now that I¡¯m not on the edge of cumming?¡±

    ¡°you want that, don¡¯t you?¡± he asked. ¡°you want me to hurt you.¡±

    Even just him saying that¡­ damn it, they were trying not to ruin the serene peace he was feeling, but the fire was not satisfied with this situation.

    ¡°It feels soooo good,¡± they said in a moan. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to admit it before, it¡¯s still so embarrassing, I shouldn¡¯t be like this, but it¡¯s so good¡­¡±

    ¡°it¡¯s kinda funny,¡± he said with a little laugh. They felt a sharp pinch on their ass and yiped in shock. He laughed harder and then continued. ¡°i was trying so hard to figure out what your tastes were. what you liked, what you wanted, because i didn¡¯t want to just take advantage of you, i didn¡¯t want to hurt you. but you¡¯re a slutty little masochist who wants to be hurt and taken advantage of. it¡¯s not just your devotion, it¡¯s your fetish.¡±

    Squeak. This was mortifying. It was true wasn¡¯t it, they were a slutty little masochist who¡¯d dragged him into their perversions and this was so bad¡­ but so fucking hot, even just hearing him say it¡­

    They couldn¡¯t face him, couldn¡¯t face this, couldn¡¯t face the melting in their insides at the realization¡­ they buried their face in his side and just hid from everything.

    Not that they were safe there. Or anywhere. They¡¯d realized that first day they presented their plan to him that he would embarrass them and, as long as they didn¡¯t give up, there was no escape. Meaning there could never be an escape.

    ¡°tell me if i¡¯m right,¡± he said.

    Yep. No escape.

    ¡°Y-yes,¡± they admitted directly to his ribs.

    God this was embarrassing.

    ¡°you get off on the idea of being used,¡± he continued. ¡°whether i¡¯m using you directly, or what you¡¯d said before, giving you to someone else for their use.¡±

    No, no, no, no¡­ They had said that, hadn¡¯t they? They hadn¡¯t thought about what it meant, but it was so true. They couldn¡¯t speak and buried their face even deeper into his side. They felt a poke.

    ¡°God, yes, Sans,¡± they whimpered, embarrassed beyond anything they¡¯d ever felt.

    ¡°and does it always turn you on when i give you orders? even for non sexual things?¡± he asked, continuing to softly stroke their back and ass. It felt so nice.

    ¡°No, but, it always feels really good,¡± they said, resting their face on his chest again, but not yet able to meet his eyes. ¡°It feels so¡­ satisfying. Like being given a hug and being told that everything is going to be okay. But, um, if I¡¯m already horny when you give an order, then yeah, it turns me on more. Even if it¡¯s not sexual.¡±

    ¡°so you¡¯re saying, if you¡¯re turned on and i order you to¡­ i dunno, swap out a lightbulb, it¡¯d actually turn you on more?¡± he asked.

    ¡°The lightbulb part, no,¡± they said. ¡°But the sound of your voice when you order me to do it, the pleasure of knowing I¡¯m of use to you, the pleasure of knowing you want me for something¡­ yes, it would.¡±

    ¡°because, on pretty much every level, you just want to be mine,¡± he said, his tone thoughtful.

    Wait. No. This didn¡¯t have that same sound of despair, exasperation, and bewilderment that had always underlaid those words. He¡­ he wasn¡¯t actually understanding, was he?

    Either way, they nodded, feeling a surge of hope.

    ¡°for my joy, my happiness, my use, my pleasure - sexually and otherwise. you really, actually desire that,¡± he said, still sounding thoughtful and understanding, still sounding like he wasn¡¯t just speaking words of condemnation. Their trembling, tentative hope grew stronger. ¡°and not just out of a place of brokenness and a desperate need to feel like your life has meaning, but also out of¡­ more than that. even as an outright fetish.¡±

    Was that the key to helping him understand? He¡¯d thought of this desire as a negative thing that chained them, not a positive thing that eagerly spurred them on, and this perspective finally let it flip?

    A strange sort of happy sound, half laugh and half contented sigh, slipped from them as they gazed at him with real hope. The way he looked at them now, with curiosity and appreciation, not guilt and faint pity like he usually did when he spoke of their devotion to him¡­

    Their heart was soaring.

    He touched their face softly, a gesture of appreciation and loving gentleness, and his eyes were smiling with equal tenderness. The spark in his eyes shifted as his attention drifted downwards and he looked at their body. The hand that had stroked their face shifted to a finger beginning to trail down.

    ¡°i want to explore your body,¡± he said, his finger tracing past their neck to their chest. ¡°i want to see what you enjoy. you¡¯re going to tell me what you¡¯re enjoying, even if it¡¯s embarrassing, even if you¡¯re afraid you¡¯ll drive me away.¡±

    Their fire approved, but¡­ he needed to understand.

    ¡°Please, Sans,¡± they whimpered. ¡°You¡­ you have to want it, you have to only do things you want, if I¡¯m left wondering, then I won¡¯t¡­ then it won¡¯t be that good for me, but if I know it¡¯s what you want¡­¡±

    He grabbed their breast and his thumb scraped over their nipple, a harsh sensation that made them squeak.

    ¡°i¡¯m not a sadist,¡± he said.

    Seriously? Who did he think he was fooling? Maybe himself, but not Frisk. They were giving him a disbelieving, amused grin.

    ¡°well, not exactly,¡± he amended and their grin widened. ¡°but i love reactions, frisk. you know that. i don¡¯t want to hurt you, but i do want the sounds you make when i hurt you.¡±

    He pinched their nipple and they squealed, wriggling against him.

    ¡°i don¡¯t want you to actually suffer, but the sight of your desperation when i¡¯m tormenting you and not letting you cum, leaving you insane with need¡­ i like that,¡± he said. ¡°i guess it¡¯s a difficult balance, between being a sadist and not.¡±

    Okay, this was difficult, they were still on fire, and his finger was still trailing downwards, and damn it¡­

    ¡°I think you kind of are,¡± they said, squirming. ¡°You don¡¯t want it to be so much that I¡¯m driven away, that I¡¯m actually having a bad experience, but you want me overwhelmed to the point of breaking.¡±

    He totally was. He even outright said he wanted to torment them, like seriously, how in denial could a guy be? But they couldn¡¯t quite accuse him of it. Or maybe they should. Maybe he needed to know this about himself.

    ¡°you got me,¡± he said, his finger reaching their needy pussy, but sadistically - whether or not he admitted it - refusing to touch them in a satisfying way, just touching his finger to their clit and holding it there. ¡°so i guess what i¡¯m saying is, i want to know what will give me the hottest reactions. what tools will drive you to the edge of insanity, what i could do that will break your will and leave you actually begging me to make you cum. for my sake, because that¡¯s what i want to do.¡±

    How the fuck did he not realize he was a god damned sadist. What did they ever do to deserve this?

    No, stupid question.

    Those flailings in their mind were distant, though, as their body had reacted to this all on its own. Because, as awful as that sounded, it was also incredibly hot and they were going to burst into flames and just die and damn it all. It was so awful, so hot, so terrible, they were going to suffer so horribly, and he would drive them insane, and they wanted to cum so goddamned badly and they were going to teach him how to torment them even more so there would never be an escape and¡­

    Their hands were gripping his shirt, their mouth was half open as if ready for his cock to be inserted, they gazed at him with wild need and they were just doomed.

    ¡°H-hurt me,¡± they said, and they didn¡¯t even know if they were begging or telling him what he wanted to know, and it didn¡¯t even matter, because there was no escape. ¡°Take what you want of me, force me to do things, do things without warning, without asking, so I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going to happen. T-that¡¯s what turns me on more than anything else, Sans, it¡¯s so¡­ so goddamn hot¡­¡±

    ¡°that much, i¡¯ve figured out,¡± he said, his voice thick with amusement and heat. ¡°let¡¯s find out more.¡±

    He leaned over on top of them and paused, looking over their whole body. They felt no shame at his gaze, they wanted him to desire them, to touch them, to make them fucking cum, god damn it.

    After a moment of just watching them squirm, the pervert, he leaned his head close to their breasts and a line of blue darted out. Thinner than before, the faintly blue glowing tendril was almost whiplike as it lashed against their nipple. They hadn¡¯t expected that, and they shrieked in surprise and pleasure at the feeling. It wasn¡¯t even remotely tongue-like, what the hell!

    What else could he shape it to be like?

    Hnng, those thoughts were not helping.

    His tongue wrapped around their nipple and squeezed it, but then shifted. It had been sort of snake-like - warm, firm, but with a little bit of give, and very smooth. But it grew harsh bumps of uneven size and it ripped over their skin mercilessly, sending waves of sensation that magically seemed to make their way directly to their horribly neglected clit and they were going to lose their goddamned mind.

    ¡°Fucking hell, that¡¯s hot,¡± they whimpered. ¡°B-be careful, I can probably cum from that if you keep it up.¡±

    They wanted to cum so badly, but it¡¯d be at his will, not by accident. They felt his tongue pause in its assault after they spoke. It quivered and shifted its texture and they grinned. That had really turned him on, hearing that, hadn¡¯t it?

    And, now that they thought of it, they weren¡¯t completely helpless, were they? If he put his pseudo-flesh - his coherent magic that directly connected with his own soul, with his core - in immediate contact with their flesh¡­ they had options, didn¡¯t they?

    Without thinking it through, they chased the impulse, and lay bare their defenses on their breast. His tongue slipped through and he reeled back in surprise as they giggled as his expression.

    The pain of it was so good, feeling the burning directly on their nipple like that, feeling the raw, pure magic inside of them, feeling their soul pour into him. That was god damned addictive, is what it was. It wasn¡¯t burningly hostile like his attacks were, didn¡¯t hurt in the same way at all, but was so incredibly compelling.

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    The pleasure pushed them near the edge again. They were practically bubble wrap, ready to pop at any and every provocation. Their body was just so done with this nonsense, so ready to cum, so eager to cum.

    ¡°That was so good, Sans,¡± Frisk moaned, writhing and arcing upwards to press into his body.

    ¡°this is supposed to be about exploring you, frisk, not you doing things that we already know you like,¡± Sans chided.

    Oh. Right. Whoops.

    ¡°maybe i should try pushing your masochism a little,¡± he said with a dark grin that sent shivers up their spine. ¡°not sure it counts as punishment, all things considered, but we can pretend.¡±

    He leaned back and grabbed them, shoving them over to the save point with a chuckle. With a sheepish grin, they saved and then looked at him.

    ¡°What are you going to do to me?¡± they asked nervously, biting their lip as they gazed at him.

    ¡°in the spirit of punishment,¡± he said, letting his eyes go black and making them squirm with nervous anticipation. ¡°i am going to hurt you. i want to know exactly how it feels.¡±

    He was actually going to outright hurt them on purpose, for their pleasure. Not just a little tweak of their nipple, but¡­ but what? It was so wrong that this was so hot, this was terrible, they shouldn¡¯t react like this, but damn it, and he could see it, he could see how much they wanted this, what a slutty little masochist they were and it was going to feel good and he¡¯d know it, because they¡¯d have to tell him how it felt and¡­

    A bone appeared, but not one of the little shards he¡¯d used to wreck their clothes. It was a full sized attack, like the ones that had killed them so many, many times on that dark day. Sharp edged and violent, they could feel the malicious intent behind its craftsmanship from here. This was a real attack, the fuck.

    It was so wrong that this was so hot. But also, also, it meant he¡¯d believed them, that he was starting to understand. Their skin warmed all over, feeling utterly naked before him for an entirely different reason as they quivered in anticipation.

    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re really going to¡­¡± they asked, breathless, feeling stunned.

    ¡°shouldn¡¯t we find out what your limits are?¡± he asked, his tone amused as he playfully balanced the bone on his finger.

    Hnng. That wouldn¡¯t be anywhere close to their limits, which was embarrassing and made them blush more. But¡­ but the fact that he was trying, that he was pushing past his own comfort zone for their sake¡­ in a twisted sort of way, this was incredibly sweet and they had no idea how to even begin to react to this.

    He gestured for them to come closer and when they did, he casually began to scrape the edge of the bone over their chest and stomach. They felt the faint corrosion take them with every impact, but their skin was fine - they felt another flush of appreciation at the realization that he¡¯d tempered his magic to avoid their flesh, striking only at their life instead. It was hot, way more than it had any right to be, this was so wrong, and what was he going to do?

    They could only squirm and gaze at him and wonder and endure anything he wanted to do to them¡­

    His left hand darted forward and grabbed them by the throat tightly, too tightly, they could barely breathe and they gasped and squirmed, helpless before his assault. His right hand moved next and a sharp, burning, cleansing wave of pain burst from their shoulder and wove through their body and it was so good and¡­

    Oh fuck, they were starting to¡­

    They cried out sharply and shook, trying to keep focus, yelling, ¡°No, Sans, stop!¡±

    The bone vanished immediately, he let go of their throat, the pain started to ease, but it still burned in their soul, and they tried so hard to clamp down on the sensations, they were so close to¡­

    ¡°that was¡­? i¡¯m so sorry, frisk, i thought-¡± he started to say, but no, no, they couldn¡¯t let him be wrong like that, and they threw themself at him, clapping a hand over his mouth as they desperately tried to keep their body from falling over the edge.

    God, he felt good, and they felt like they only had the barest tatters of control, they were still right on the edge, they were going to explode, they couldn¡¯t breathe. Without choosing to, their body was pressed against him, writhing, but they couldn¡¯t let themself cum. Not yet, not yet.

    ¡°You have to learn to trust me, Sans,¡± they said, burning and dying and still burning with his magic, it hadn¡¯t faded. ¡°That wasn¡¯t too much pain¡­ I almost came, I was starting to, and I¡¯m not supposed to yet.¡±

    They gazed at him desperately, wanting him to understand.

    ¡°I want you to make me cum, I need you to make me cum, but I want it to be on purpose, I want you to decide to do that to me, not by accident,¡± they continued, still quivering, still pouring their fire out into him. ¡°And you wanted to know how it felt.¡±

    He nodded, an odd look of¡­ surprise, maybe, on his face. God, they were still basically on the edge, his magic was only now fading from its burning in their soul, like holy fuck. They would grind against him mindlessly, but then stop, they couldn¡¯t cum, they couldn¡¯t, they couldn¡¯t¡­

    ¡°I felt you¡­ you, Sans, your magic, your power, your intensity, your might, inside of my very being, helplessly run through by your strength,¡± they said, the words flowing strangely easily. ¡°Pain isn¡¯t important the way it used to be, it¡¯s just intense, and if it¡¯s on my body, it can be unpleasant, but in my soul, it¡¯s now to the point that I just¡­ it just doesn¡¯t matter. It isn¡¯t bad, it¡¯s only overwhelming. And it was overwhelmingly you. Within me, burning me, flooding me with your soul¡¯s magic, consuming me. The pain heightened it, blended with it, tore through my mind.¡±

    ¡°tell me,¡± he said. ¡°how close was that to your real limits? of how much pain would be pleasurable to you.¡±

    They could finally breathe again and gazed at him, wondering if they should tell him the extent of their insanity.

    ¡°I still think you don¡¯t want to know,¡± they said.

    ¡°tell me anyway,¡± he said.

    And how easy that made everything.

    ¡°I have no idea where my real limits are,¡± they said, freely and still too immersed in the fire to feel real embarrassment. ¡°Not when it comes to magic damaging my soul, anyway - my limits with physical pain are, maybe not sane, but closer to it. Let¡¯s just say that that little strike wasn¡¯t anywhere close, and frankly, I don¡¯t believe it¡¯s possible for you to willingly approach them.¡±

    Physically, yeah, it wouldn¡¯t be all that difficult for him to reach their limits. Even the stabbing trials were decidedly unpleasant. But with magic? As hot as they were burning right now, they were pretty sure they¡¯d cum if he pulled a blaster on them and killed them. Though they would die and reset too fast to finish cumming, so they''d just start to fall over the edge and then be right back to being so desperately needy and holy fuck that was hot and¡­

    Damn it, they needed to not think about that right now, and really, how fucking insane were they?

    But he didn¡¯t look at them with revulsion, with disgust, with horror, or any other reaction they¡¯d been afraid of. His smile turned gentle, for some reason, and even appreciative. They didn¡¯t understand. Was he confused at how insane they were? They were confused at how insane they were, like, what the hell. But he didn¡¯t look confused, either.

    He looked¡­ oddly happy. Relieved, maybe. They didn¡¯t understand¡­ was he actually okay with the depth of their masochism? They¡¯d¡­ they¡¯d never expected that.

    He reached out and touched their face again, gently brushing his fingers over their cheek and they smiled. It suddenly occurred to them¡­ if he wasn¡¯t capable of kissing, that might kind of be his equivalent.

    ¡°i¡¯m glad you told me,¡± he said, continuing to brush his fingers softly on their face. ¡°i¡¯m going to tell you now how i want you to cum. you¡¯re going to stay like this, needy and insane, for a little while longer.¡±

    Being told exactly how they would cum¡­ this was so fucking hot and also so weird in context with his affectionate smile, but that was also good, and they were just going to helplessly sit here and melt while they listened.

    ¡°i am going to resume exploring your body and you¡¯re going to continue to stop me every time i am getting close to making you finish, showing me how to drive you even further into lust and madness.¡±

    Yep, they were going to die. They would reach the limits of The Madness of Frisk and would discover that sheer horniness could, in fact, cause spontaneous human combustion.

    ¡°you¡¯re going to resist giving in,¡± he continued gently, with that terrible, awful, deliciously erotic order, and they squirmed.

    Fuck him to the depths of hell, they were doomed. Also literally fuck him, because mmm.

    ¡°i don¡¯t want you to do the devotion thing, of clinging to your insane determination to get through this, because i do trust that you could resist anything that way, but that¡¯s no fun,¡± he said, and they had to admit this was a fair point. And also appreciated his simple acceptance of it. ¡°i want it to be more¡­ natural than that. i want you to resist as much as you feel like you can, with your own natural limits. i want to see if i can break you and force you to beg, and as soon as you do, i¡¯m going to take you and make you cum on my dick.¡±

    He was going to make them complicit in their own torture, he was going to be getting off on their suffering, he was going to force them to actually try to resist it, he was going to break them, and only then¡­ fucking hell¡­

    They wanted to cum so badly they could cry and he loved that, the sadistic bastard.

    And fuck them, so did they.

    ¡°of course,¡± he added in a casual tone. ¡°it¡¯s possible that i¡¯ll crack first and i¡¯ll just take you. i wonder if i¡¯ll warn you first. maybe we¡¯ll just have to play that by ear.¡±

    So at any time, without warning, he might¡­

    Another lash of fire took them, and they couldn¡¯t breathe, damn it, Sans! They thought he wanted them to be sane, didn¡¯t he always complain about how insane they were, this was so not right, but¡­ fuck, they didn¡¯t want him to stop. Their mind was a molten puddle of lava and nothing but a vessel for his sadistic pleasure and they were loving every moment of it.

    ¡°oh, one last thing,¡± he said, pulling them close and speaking into their ear. ¡°it¡¯s selfish, but i¡¯m hoping you lose this little game.¡±

    They couldn¡¯t breathe, they couldn¡¯t think, he wanted them broken from lust and begging, they could right now, but no, they were supposed to resist, but¡­ fuck.

    But one thought managed to stick around despite the inferno. The understanding of their plan that maybe he hadn¡¯t fully comprehended, that they could be in a loop of having him inside of them, as they used their power to see if the connection was forming.

    They wanted that, they would cum as much as they wanted to, they needed to remember that.

    ¡°I-I just have to remember to save right before,¡± they said, trembling.

    He laughed lightly in their ear.

    ¡°i love that about you, frisk,¡± he said.

    The fire was instantly cleared to make room for something far more fundamental to their soul. It still burned them, but those words¡­

    Sans loved something about them.

    ¡°i¡¯d completely forgotten about the entire reason we¡¯re here,¡± he admitted. ¡°i just want you.¡±

    Feelings that were too complex for their poor, molten soul flooded them and they trembled against him, moaning as the feelings tried to come out. He wanted them, he cared about them, he wasn¡¯t just here for the reset thing. Well, that was a main reason for his original motivation, but right now he was here because he wanted to be, and no other reason. Because he wanted to be with them.

    He sighed and hugged them tight to his chest.

    ¡°hey, frisk,¡± he said, pulling back a little.

    The amused, dark lust of his voice was absent, and he sounded¡­ tentative? Nervous? They blinked and looked at him, curiosity pushing back the flames.

    For all that they wanted him - and fucking hell, they wanted him - this was more important.

    ¡°i, uh¡­¡± he said uneasily and their focus sharpened yet further. He was confessing something? ¡°what you said, it reminded me of a thing. who¡¯d¡¯ve guessed, i got distracted again.¡±

    What could possibly have distracted him. It was a mystery for the ages.

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t imagine why,¡± they said with an amused smile, then prompted him. ¡°A thing?¡±

    ¡°uh, i should probably¡­ i mean¡­ i should maybe say stuff, tell you things, like, uh,¡± he said, adorably awkward. ¡°the reason i¡¯m still wearing stuff is because, uh, i feel kinda¡­ uh¡­ i dunno. exposed or something if i don¡¯t.¡±

    Ah, yes. He needed to emotionally connect, and so he was confessing his vulnerability. They wanted to kiss him, but that wasn¡¯t an option. But their fire was very friendly with feelings of love, and stepped into the other room for these feelings that filled them now. They hadn''t forgotten, certainly not, but their lust was simply a background need that somehow sharpened their focus, purging away irrelevant parts of their other feelings. It was oddly¡­ easy.

    ¡°Vulnerable?¡± they said, supplying the word with a small smile.

    ¡°uh, yeah, probably,¡± he said.

    He was so cute, this was amazing. They touched his cheekbone softly, affectionately. It was the equivalent of a kiss, right?

    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to be uncomfortable, Sans,¡± they said warmly.

    ¡°kinda need to be vulnerable with you, though, right?¡± he asked awkwardly.

    He didn¡¯t need lips to be kissed on the cheek. Surely that was more the equivalent of a kiss, and surely that was allowed by now. Right?

    They leaned in slowly and kissed his cheekbone with all the love they could pour into the gesture. They pulled back a little and smiled at him.

    ¡°It¡¯s your core you¡¯re most uncomfortable with, right?¡± they asked, and he nodded. ¡°Maybe just taking off your shorts?¡±

    ¡°you just want easy access to my dick,¡± he accused, sounding amused.

    The fire knocked politely at their clit and they grinned.

    ¡°This is true,¡± they admitted. ¡°But also, I want you to feel good.¡±

    He was silent for a long moment, looking away.

    ¡°i haven¡¯t, uh, been with anyone since the incident,¡± he said, sounding subdued. ¡°didn¡¯t expect to feel this awkward.¡±

    If they could kiss his cheek, they could kiss elsewhere, too. They moved down and kissed at his neck, amused at kissing invisible magic, but still trying to pour love and acceptance through the gesture.

    ¡°What would feel best for you?¡± they asked, continuing to kiss down his neck, to his collarbone.

    ¡°uh,¡± he said, sounding completely lost.

    They giggled into his collar, kissing at him again. It was adorable.

    ¡°You¡¯re really cute when you¡¯re awkward and not being all dommy,¡± they said, gazing at him lovingly.

    And they saw the most amazing thing. His cheekbones started glowing blue like the hell, that was so cute.

    ¡°i have no idea what you¡¯re talking about,¡± he said with a huff.

    ¡°And you blush blue, oh my god,¡± they said, grinning and giggling.

    ¡°i have options. i can do things to you,¡± he said gruffly.

    Hnng, they were very easy to distract right now, but they would try, this was soft and sweet and more important than the fire, no, it really was.

    They bit their lip and tried to focus.

    ¡°This is true,¡± they murmured. ¡°Anything you want, Sans, always. No matter if it seems unfair. Really. Wear your clothes if it¡¯s more comfortable, or doff them if you¡¯d rather. I am yours, either way.¡±

    He sighed and leaned back, pulling them to his chest. They were snuggling, yay. If only they could have enjoyed an orgasm first. This was a strange sort of torment, but they couldn¡¯t actually complain.

    ¡°i¡­ i know,¡± he said quietly. ¡°this is hard for me, but the fact is, frisk, i trust you more than anyone else.¡±

    That was funny and sweet, and they laughed happily. He must be distracted right now, still.

    ¡°That¡¯s not true,¡± they corrected him teasingly. ¡°There¡¯s Papyrus!¡±

    ¡°no, frisk,¡± he said, resting his head against theirs and just breathing into their hair.

    Wait. What?

    ¡°i haven¡¯t told him things,¡± he said, his tone soft and serious. ¡°i can¡¯t. i haven¡¯t told you everything, either, i guess. but¡­ i mean, i still don¡¯t wanna talk about a lot of that, especially right now, but¡­ the idea of it, it¡¯s less scary with you than him.¡±

    Warmth of an entirely different sort flooded them at his words, not washing away the fire, but relegating it to completely unimportant signals from their body. They inhaled, almost a gasp, as the understanding filled them.

    He¡­ he really trusted them that much. More than Papyrus. Despite holding them at arm¡¯s length, despite trying to deny their devotion, despite encouraging them to be something else, despite all that¡­ in the end, they had truly earned this depth of trust.

    They trembled, their heart aching, and they hugged him with desperate joy and love and feelings they couldn¡¯t possibly have put into words if they tried. The warmth reached their eyes, which watered, and a moment later they sniffled a little.

    ¡°Oh Sans, I¡­¡± they whispered and trailed off. They needed to tell him, but what words could possibly¡­ ¡°I¡¯m feeling so many things, I have no idea what to say, or¡­¡±

    He laughed lightly.

    ¡°you don¡¯t have to say anything,¡± he said, stroking his hand through their hair, the touch so gentle and loving. ¡°i already know.¡±

    They felt seen, they felt understood, they felt¡­ overwhelmed by the joy of all these feelings.

    ¡°i want you,¡± he confessed.

    Yes, yes, the fire was definitely still filling them. They trembled from that, but also, this didn¡¯t sound like lust. Or, not just lust. They listened, with warmth in their heart.

    ¡°sexually, as a friend, as a companion, as a rock in my life, as a confidant¡­¡± he said and they were going to burst from sheer joy. ¡°and as something that i can trust will be mine, that will obey me, that i can just have absolute faith in.¡±

    They were falling, they were flying, they were fulfilled. On some level, he had truly accepted who they were, and absolutely everything was right in the world. Tears began to overflow.

    ¡°i don¡¯t know what feels more wrong - you being like this, or me wanting it. but if i¡¯m ignoring that problem and just being real¡­ the fact is, i do want it.¡±

    In the end, the only thing that had stopped them was Sans¡¯ fear that this was wrong. He, himself, wanted them. In the ways they wanted to be loved¡­ maybe they weren¡¯t hearing him right, maybe they were misunderstanding, but it sounded like they had it. That he loved them.

    They squeezed him and trembled, tears dripping onto his shoulder. He sighed and ran his hand down their back.

    ¡°heh, sorry,¡± he said, sounding awkward again. ¡°i guess my timing is kinda awkward.¡±

    They laughed, their soul singing with amusement, with pleasure, with mirth, with joy.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous,¡± they said, a smile on their face and love in their heart. ¡°This is¡­ the nicest thing you could have possibly done. It¡¯s even better than the sex.¡±

    ¡°you sure about that?¡± he asked, his tone dropping a little.

    He shifted and they felt his erection press directly into their clit and they were immediately back to being about to die, gasping at the sensation.

    ¡°Both are nice,¡± they managed.

    But, no, they would not be distracted from this. Uh. Not completely, anyway. They turned to face him and kissed his cheek again, though with more of a blend of love and lust this time.

    ¡°Thank you, Sans,¡± they murmured.

    ¡°yeah, yeah,¡± he said awkwardly. ¡°maybe let¡¯s just do the thing where i make you scream instead of all this sappy crap.¡±

    They laughed at that, and the laughter grew in them. Soft at first, and then possessing them, their joy and mirth too much to be contained and just pouring out of them. They shook from their laughter so much that they fell from his embrace, collapsing onto the bed. He watched them, an adorably goofy grin on his face.

    ¡°Oh my god, Sans, you drive me insane,¡± they said once they finally got their laughter under control, beaming at him.

    ¡°that isn¡¯t saying much,¡± he commented dryly, grinning right back.

    ¡°True,¡± they said, softly, lovingly.

    He accepted them in all of their insanity. They sat up and moved to him again, running a hand down his chest. They were going to stop on his stomach like before, but¡­

    The fire tugged at their hand and they bit their lip, wondering. If they weren¡¯t allowed, he could stop them. They could trust him, they didn¡¯t have to be so afraid of doing the wrong thing. They let their hand rest on his erection, despite the lack of invitation to do so, and it throbbed at their touch.

    Okay, they were distracted again.

    ¡°So, for your clothes,¡± they asked, gazing up at him. ¡°Do you want me to take them off?¡±

    ¡°uh¡­ sure,¡± he said, still sounding adorably awkward.

    Despite the searing lava insisting on tearing off his clothes and immediately jumping on his dick, they stayed focused. The love was softer and less demanding, but more important. And he was afraid. Feeling vulnerable was hard. They would make him feel safe with them.

    Softly and gently, they ran their hands down his chest. They moved slowly, to make sure he never felt too overwhelmed. With a soft caress, they began to lift his shirt. They bent down and kissed at the strange, soft, semi ethereal invisible flesh of his core, feeling resistance at their lips but also not quite the sensation of contact.

    Licking at him was even more interesting, a funny tingling pressure on their tongue that almost pulled giggles from them, but they didn¡¯t want him to feel like they were laughing at him. The taste was of magic and death again, but more¡­ burning, somehow. Like spiciness, not like pain.

    They rose slowly, pulling his shirt up as they went, and once they reached his shoulders, he obligingly lifted his arms. They pulled off his shirt, stretching upwards, and then suddenly moaned when they felt his tongue on their breast, gently squeezing and then sharply striking their nipple.

    He was horribly taking advantage of them, the bastard, and that was so hot and they wanted to beg him for more, but no, damn it, they were going to do this right. They trembled, but tried to glare at him. But there was too much love and amusement and affection on their face, there was no way the glare actually worked.

    Harumph.

    They would not be stopped. Maintaining their gentleness and speed, they turned to his shorts. He rose to his knees a little so they had space to work with as they slid his shorts down. His cock sprung up the moment it was freed and their breath caught.

    Okay, this was impossible to ignore. They couldn¡¯t help but stare, captivated, desperate, hungry.

    ¡°hey, look. its a BONE-r,¡± he said with a grin.

    They couldn''t help but giggle and groan at the terrible, terrible pun, and grinned up at him. Making the bad joke seemed to have made him more comfortable, and they couldn''t help but beam at him.

    But not for long. Something was demanding their attention irresistibly.

    His cock glowed a faint, ethereal blue, seeming to throb softly. It looked oddly humanlike - though, they supposed, if he was a human skeleton, that made sense, actually. Mushroom head, gentle curve, though none of the texturing - it was all just the faint blue glow. It looked a little smaller than when he''d taken their mouth, but then, they knew damned well that he grew larger when he was falling more to his lust.

    They wondered how large he could get and their mind stuttered.

    It was interesting, too, how the glow faded towards the base, the very bottom of the shaft completely invisible. It was like a floating, erect cock made out of light was just hovering in front of a skeleton and that was so weird and cool.

    They wanted so badly to¡­ to do everything. To kiss it, to lick it, to explore with their hands, to suck it again, to feel it throb in their mouth as he came again, to feel it inside of them¡­

    They couldn¡¯t breathe, they were going to go insane. No, no, they could focus. He might let them, and then things would end faster, and that just wasn¡¯t acceptable.

    It throbbed and thickened, growing brighter. The way it did when he was overwhelmed before. He saw them staring hungrily at his cock and it was turning him on more and¡­ okay, okay, damn it, they could do this.

    But¡­ but maybe¡­

    Their will was cracking as they leaned forward and kissed his cock, trying to stay gentle, to stay restrained, to not throw themself at it in desperation, in worship, in need. Just a kiss, feeling the tingling pressure on their lips, lightly touching their tongue to him and tasting everything, and then pulling away, not taking him into their mouth.

    Fucking hell this was hard.

    Heh. So was he.

    They finally succeeded, getting his shorts the rest of the way off, and tossing them aside. He looked so oddly nervous and uncertain, a bare skeleton with a pale blue glow at his cheeks and a throbbing glow at his pelvis. He was adorable.

    ¡°we got distracted by something different this time, but you know the plan,¡± he said, grinning at them.

    Right. The cruel, awful, tormenting plan of doom that was going to make them erupt and die as the first human to ever die of pure, overwhelming lust.

    Their face flushed and they squirmed eagerly.

    ¡°also, uh, it occurs to me - you aren¡¯t cold, are you? i do have blankets,¡± he said.

    Uh huh. He was definitely suddenly aware of the possibility of them being a little chilly now, and it had absolutely nothing to do with him feeling exposed.

    ¡°Sure, blankets are nice,¡± they said, unable to resist smirking at him.

    The blankets were just in a pile at the foot of the bed, so they reached over and pulled one up, wrapping it around their shoulders. It was hugely oversized. They weren¡¯t sure if they should offer it to him, too, or¡­?

    He laid down on the bed on his back and gestured to himself.

    ¡°c¡¯mere,¡± he said.

    They moved on top of him, his cock right beneath them. Would he just take them now? He¡¯d said he might.

    They quivered in uncertain anticipation. Would there be torment, or pleasure? Or both?

    ¡°on my face,¡± he said and they flushed.

    They swallowed as they moved upwards. In this position, he was covered with the blanket, too. They knelt, knees beside his head, their pussy inches from his mouth.

    This was going to be awful and they wanted it so badly.

    ¡°you need to stay here and stay in position,¡± he said, his voice fully back to the thick amusement and desire it had before. ¡°you can writhe some, of course, but you can¡¯t escape me. you have to submit to whatever i¡¯m doing to you, unless i¡¯m about to make you cum, in which case you must stop me. and, of course, you must keep me informed about the effectiveness of everything i try.¡±

    This was going to be so bad, they were going to explode. But fucking hell, his words stoked the fires even higher. How long before their will crumbled? They had to try, they had to¡­

    They managed to express their understanding, though it sounded more like a squeak than words. They held themself in position over him, making sure they could hold this pose for a while.

    ¡°and don¡¯t forget,¡± he said, almost as an afterthought, ¡°none of that is a real order that you have to obey - it¡¯s what i want you to do. as soon as you can¡¯t handle giving me what i want, as soon as you¡¯re starting to crack, and you beg for your own sake¡­¡±

    His tongue pressed up against their entrance and they let out a desperate gasp. As soon as they cracked and were greedy, they¡¯d have him, but¡­ but he wanted to torment them, and¡­

    And then it began.

    His tongue was a marvel, an instrument of pleasure and torture they couldn¡¯t have imagined. It moved deftly, with strength and ease, gliding over their pussy, their clit, the rim around their entrance, with agonizing precision. It shifted as it moved - sometimes a smooth caress, sometimes throbbing, sometimes fucking vibrating like that was fair, the hell. The texture changed, too, again and again - squishy, soft, steel cord, ribbed, studded, what might have been maybe mini bone blades that only touched their soul and not flesh, it was just ridiculous.

    They tried to speak, they did, but fuck, it wasn¡¯t fair, he was watching them smugly, and he knew damn well when they were about to cum, he kept bringing them to the edge, the bastard, it felt so fucking good.

    But he never went inside them, he kept almost doing so, getting so close, teasing around the entrance, but never¡­ they were a hollow void, aching, they needed something within, they wanted it so badly they could cry, but they could still resist, they still weren¡¯t quite broken, even if they wanted to sob and beg relief.

    Their pussy was nothing but fire and pleasure and their mind was almost lost when he decided to torment them in an entirely new way. His hand had occasionally caressed their ass while he worked his dark art, but suddenly they felt his finger caress their asshole and they flushed, shrieking in surprise. And maybe moaning a little, too, not that they¡¯d ever admit it.

    It was so wrong, but so fucking hot. His tongue disappeared and their legs clenched, but they held their position steady. His finger was still lightly stroking their asshole as he spoke.

    ¡°tell me how that feels,¡± he growled, his voice a dark command, and then his tongue punished them again with delicious pleasure.

    ¡°I¡¯ve¡­ I¡¯ve never¡­ ah¡­¡± they moaned.

    How the hell were they supposed to speak when he was doing this to them? They couldn¡¯t breathe, but they had to speak, they¡¯d gotten an order, they couldn¡¯t just not do it.

    They almost managed to speak again, getting the first syllable out when suddenly his finger went a little into their ass¡­ and fuck them, they almost came from that. And he knew it, too, the bastard, his tongue pulling away from their twitching clit like the absolute monster he was.

    ¡°Oh my god, Sans, I can¡¯t¡­¡±

    They couldn¡¯t breathe, they couldn¡¯t think, there was only fire and need and pleasure and his awful tongue and finger and they were so fucking good¡­

    They couldn¡¯t escape, they couldn¡¯t pull away, they were trapped on the edge, doomed to writhe and whimper with need, squirming on his face.

    He chuckled, laughing at their suffering.

    But no, damn it, they would not be defeated. They would answer his goddamned question.

    ¡°It¡¯s good,¡± they managed with a moan. ¡°Fuck, Sans, it¡¯s good, I¡¯ve never¡­ it¡¯s so wrong, but it¡¯s still good, I don¡¯t want you to make me cum like that, it¡¯s so wrong.¡±

    They couldn¡¯t cum from that, it would be the worst, and then his finger thickened and shoved all the way in and they almost¡­ no, no, no¡­

    ¡°But fuck, no, please, that wasn¡¯t an invitation to, ah¡­¡±

    They were so embarrassed, this was so dirty and wrong, but they were going to die, they couldn¡¯t...

    ¡°do you want me to stop?¡± he asked, a knowing laugh in his voice, his tongue disappearing with his words, now with only his evil, wriggling finger keeping them at the edge.

    ¡°No,¡± they said, confessing the awful truth. ¡°Please¡­ Sans¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t take much more of this¡­ god¡­¡±

    His tongue returned and squirmed right at the entrance to their aching, desperately empty pussy.

    Please, please, please¡­

    It slipped in slightly, sending sparks through their veins, but only just pressing within, not the fullness that they wanted, that they needed¡­

    A sound tore from their lungs, almost a scream, a cry, a desperate plea, they didn¡¯t even know. Their body trembled.

    ¡°Yes, god, Sans, please¡­ I¡­ god¡­ I need¡­¡± they said.

    His tongue disappeared again and they could just cry, whimpering, but his finger continued to torment them.

    ¡°you need something?¡± he asked, amusement thick in his tone. ¡°maybe this?¡±

    As soon as he finished speaking, they felt something new. They looked down, and his tongue was¡­ it was ridiculous, is what it was. Long and thick, not even vaguely pretending to be tongue-like, it pressed against their body as it kept extending from his mouth, moving upwards all the way to their breasts and licking at their nipple.

    He could have done that inside them if he weren¡¯t such a goddamned monster.

    Part of their mind noticed that this thought made absolutely no sense and they told it to shut up.

    The rest of them had other things to say, apparently, they didn¡¯t even know what was coming out of their mouth as their fingers dug painfully into their thighs.

    ¡°Oh my god, yes, Sans, please, I need¡­ I need you inside of me¡­ I need to cum¡­¡± they whimpered.

    He hummed, a sound of cruel satisfaction and his tongue briefly disappeared before pressing against their pussy, right against the entrance. It was so thick, now, almost as thick as his cock would be, was he going to¡­ it would feel so satisfying, oh please¡­

    They could feel the clenching as their body tried to somehow pull him inside, they needed him so badly¡­

    They felt him begin to slide inside and they quivered with delicious anticipation. Would they finally have some true satisfaction, some true relief from the torment, was it finally¡­?

    But as soon as his tongue passed within¡­ somehow, it wasn¡¯t there. They felt it go in, actively sliding into their body, but it was¡­ what, disappearing once inside? Yet, their mind couldn¡¯t stop the anticipation of the fullness from feeling him slide in, brains weren¡¯t meant for this sort of mind-fuckery, they couldn¡¯t¡­ they couldn¡¯t¡­

    A scream tore from them, a sound of sheer madness and driving need, and they choked, their body convulsing, this was too much¡­

    They couldn¡¯t take this. Their knees trembled and they partly failed to do as they''d been told, moving from their position, if only a little. They fell forward, their hands by Sans¡¯ head, gazing at him in desperate insanity, with only need remaining.

    They didn¡¯t know if he was ready for this to stop, but they¡­ they just couldn¡¯t¡­

    ¡°Please¡­ god, please, Sans, I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t take anymore¡­ I need¡­ I can¡¯t take it, I need you inside of me, please, no more, I need you¡­¡± they stammered out, and desperately hoped he could see it on their face, they couldn¡¯t, they really couldn¡¯t handle any more.

    He looked smug as hell as he gazed at them. And then, with a familiar shifting noise, he was further up the bed. Before they could fully comprehend what happened, his hands were on their waist and his cock was pressed right up against their entrance. They trembled.

    ¡°oh?¡± he asked. ¡°you want this?¡±

    ¡°Yes, please, Sans, please fuck me, please¡­¡± they whimpered, hoping that this was the end.

    He moved slightly, pressing the tip inside them just the faintest bit, and then held still. The tingling hum of magic tormented them, they wanted to feel it all¡­ They writhed, they squirmed, they couldn¡¯t breathe, was he really going to torment them more?

    But he was simply holding still, like he was waiting for something, and still with that smug grin on his face. They gazed at him, begging him with their eyes, please, please, please¡­

    ¡°aren¡¯t you forgetting something?¡± he asked, his grin widening even more.

    They stared. Memory. They needed to remember something.

    Oh. Right. Their eyes widened at the memory of what they were going to have, and they looked over at the save point, then back at Sans. Were they really¡­ was it really over, would they finally¡­?

    He laughed, the sound rich with mirth and lust.

    ¡°i¡¯m going to fuck you as soon as you¡¯ve saved,¡± he said.

    As soon as¡­ they probably almost pulled something as they desperately lunged for the save point. But it was right beside them, that wasn¡¯t really necessary, but still. They shoved their hand into the glow, trying to remember how determination worked for a moment, and then as soon as the wave of vitality from time poured into them¡­

    Pleasure scorched them, flooding them, tearing through them as Sans thrust fully inside. No teasing, no taunting, just complete and utter satisfaction for their tormented body.

    From the first thrust, they fell and fell, screaming as they were thrown beyond the edge, cumming so hard they almost blacked out, and he thrust again and they were nothing but a thing of pleasure, convulsing on his cock as he kept thrusting, as he gave them everything, everything¡­

 Ch. 17 - Pleasure (Sans POV)

    Sans had kind of had it with Frisk in a few ways. He wasn¡¯t¡­ mad, exactly, but he was kind of feeling like¡­ if they wanted to sacrifice themself for his pleasure, and just serve him with no consideration for their own needs, and pretend they didn¡¯t care about what they wanted, then maybe he could just show them what that looked like.

    He was trying to be considerate of them, damn it, but maybe for just a little bit, he could be done with that and just do whatever the hell he wanted.

    ¡°get ready to heal,¡± he said and grabbed the top of their pants.

    He didn¡¯t give them any time to prepare and just unleashed some magic, holding their gaze with a dark look all the while. They met his gaze, an expression of pleasure and worshipful need on their face as his magic ripped into them.

    He didn¡¯t want to wreck his room or seriously hurt them, but shards of bone tore through them and their jeans alike. He was pleased to note there was no blood - they¡¯d managed to take his attack completely on their soul, despite his lack of caution. Their skin was reddened where he¡¯d struck them and the sounds they made as their clothing was wrecked did not help with his sanity.

    Apparently, cruel and wrong as that was, it was nowhere near too far for them. His own restraint cracked a little more, seeing that.

    As soon as the attack stopped, they reached out to the save point and were flooded with vitality. The redness disappeared and their body was pristine.

    And what a body it was. He raked a hand down to their freshly waxed pussy, exploring it roughly and making them gasp and squirm under his touch. He didn¡¯t have any particular care towards human fuzziness levels, but he appreciated the effort.

    He was being deliberately cruel anyway. He didn¡¯t want them to have true satisfaction on any level, not yet - playful flicks of their clit, and spirals of sensation around their labia, but the first thing that would enter their pussy would be his dick.

    He loved that idea, that they''d grow increasingly desperate to feel something within, increasingly focused on that lack, and their only relief being his direct pleasure.

    But while that idea was incredibly appealing, there was also the fact that he was half insane with his own desire, and their pussy was ready and right there. They were soaked, and their pussy was practically glowing red, so flushed was it with desire.

    He could imagine how it would feel.

    He could just tear off his shorts and drive into them.

    But then all this would end, and he just¡­ he didn¡¯t want this to be over. He might feel like he had to stop, afterwards. But if he got them to suck him off first, then he¡¯d feel like he was still supposed to get back into the fray. His refractory period wasn¡¯t long at all, as long as he was¡­ motivated.

    He flipped them over and squeezed their ass. Undyne had obviously made them do a lot of squats because damn, that ass. It was a thing of perfection. And, due to their preference for loose clothes, he was the only one who had any idea. He slapped it and chuckled at the way it jiggled and Frisk yiped. Then he decided to torment them a little more. He spread their cheeks with one hand and flicked their asshole sharply.

    The mortified sound and way they writhed under him¡­ he couldn¡¯t wait to feel them writhing on him. He kept chuckling, amused at their struggles.

    But first, he wanted them to suffer with need as much as possible while they sucked him off. And provide some extremely valuable information in the meantime. He flipped them back onto their back.

    ¡°time to show me,¡± he said. ¡°show me how you like to be touched and don¡¯t let yourself cum. i want you lost to desire. i want you to know that you¡¯ll only cum when i feel like making you.¡±

    ¡°As you wish,¡± they said, clearly well into insanity already.

    They pulled themself up into a kneeling position. One hand snaked down to their pussy, rubbing at their clit roughly. The other clawed into their neck, ripping down towards their breasts, leaving sharp red lines in its wake.

    ¡°you really like the pain, don¡¯t you?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Y-yes,¡± they admitted, breathless as they shifted from rubbing their clit to stroking around their entrance. ¡°I know you don¡¯t want to hurt me, not as much as I want, so I¡¯m trying not to¡­ not to ask you to do things you don¡¯t want to do.¡±

    ¡°i¡¯m kinda frustrated with you right now,¡± he said, and they flinched. ¡°maybe hurting you would be more fun than usual - as long as you¡¯re getting off on it.¡±

    They shuddered and ripped their hand away from their pussy, and he watched it clench on emptiness. That brought them close, did it?

    His plans for the day involved memorizing every little hint of them approaching the edge. He''d gotten damned good at reading people, and was planning on pushing that skill as hard as he could. About as hard as he planned on pushing Frisk.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want you frustrated with me,¡± they said in a soft voice.

    ¡°you say that,¡± he said. ¡°but you¡¯re supposed to obey me and you were trying to defy me, weren¡¯t you?¡±

    He stroked their hair gently, and then gripped it tight and pulled them against his chest. The way their body felt, squirming against him¡­

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t, not really,¡± they protested, their breath hot against his neck.

    Their hand was touching their pussy again, and with the way he held them against himself, the back of their hand was moving against his dick. It felt good. It wasn''t what he really wanted, but it made it harder to resist temptations.

    ¡°You wanted me to not die, you wanted things that matched my tastes, you wanted me to hurt but only within the extent I could enjoy, you wanted my body to not be seriously hurt at all,¡± they said. ¡°You just didn¡¯t have enough faith in me. You didn¡¯t trust me to give you what you wanted. I am skilled enough, Sans, to do this and have it all.¡±

    Maybe they had a point.

    ¡°it¡¯s hard to believe you could really enjoy that sort of pain,¡± he said.

    ¡°Test it,¡± they said, their eyes blazing. ¡°Hurt me, Sans.¡±

    He could. But¡­

    ¡°tell me, frisk,¡± he said with a grin. ¡°you keep pulling your hand away from yourself. how close are you to cumming?¡±

    ¡°S-so close,¡± they murmured, pressing their body into his and damn that felt amazing. ¡°I keep getting so close, too close, but I can suffer more for you, this is so good¡­¡±

    He reached up and pinched their nipple again. They cried out and shuddered against him, pulling their hand from their pussy.

    ¡°you almost came from that, didn¡¯t you?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Y-yes, almost¡­ god, Sans¡­¡± they whimpered.

    ¡°i could make you cum just like this, couldn¡¯t i?¡± he said. ¡°squirming against me while i hurt you.¡±

    They shuddered again, gripping at his shirtly tightly.

    ¡°Yes,¡± they whispered, half an answer and half a plea.

    ¡°but you don¡¯t get to cum yet, do you?¡± he asked and they whimpered deliciously. ¡°so i can¡¯t try hurting you right now, because then you¡¯d get off and i wouldn¡¯t get to see you like this.¡±

    Another thought occurred to him and he chuckled.

    ¡°i want you to know how hot i find this,¡± he told them, the madness in their eyes growing brighter at his words. ¡°it¡¯s driving me insane, watching you squirm, hearing those sounds you¡¯re making, feeling you move against me like this. i don¡¯t want this to end, so i¡¯m dragging it out, even though i can¡¯t handle much more myself. i¡¯m pretty close to cracking, and as soon as i do, i¡¯m going to start taking your mouth.¡±

    The way they clung to him and moved, the desperate sounds of pleasure¡­ holy crap, it wasn¡¯t far from getting him off. Extra benefit of taking their mouth first - he wasn¡¯t going to last long at this rate. He knew telling them that would push their buttons, but damn.

    He took off his jacket and tossed it across the room. It made him feel really vulnerable - more than he¡¯d expected. It was a strange contrast - he wasn''t feeling afraid of Frisk exactly, not at all, but being around someone other than Papyrus without a jacket was twigging at him.

    He didn''t want to be uncomfortable so he left it at that, and they resumed squirming against his body. It was funny - they weren¡¯t touching his dick with their hands, presumably because they were still unsure if they were allowed to for some reason, but they had no problem grinding their pussy and abs against it.

    He could just pull down his shorts and then drive right in, they were right there.

    He wanted to feel it.

    Ah, fuck it, why not.

    He lay down on his back and pulled them on top of him. They squirmed against his erection, moaning as they clawed at their breasts, refusing to touch their own pussy because of how close they were to cumming. He hadn''t quite gotten to see them edge themself as much as he''d prefer, but even so, he was pretty confident in his ability to drive them to their limit.

    After admiring the view for a moment, he pulled down the front of his shorts and pressed his dick up against their pussy.

    The wet heat scorched him and he almost lost control. The heat of them, the way the folds halfway wrapped around his dick, the way their body was trembling, the look on their face¡­

    He grabbed their hips and almost drove himself inside. No, he wanted more than just this. If it was only gonna be the once, he wanted to get everything he could, but damn it, he couldn¡¯t take this¡­

    Yeah, he was done delaying.

    He couldn¡¯t quite reach their hair from here, but that was hardly an obstacle. With a surge of power, his magic gripped their body and threw them into the wall beside him, pulling them off his dick. The cool air almost felt painful, as intense as his desire was. They gasped and stared at him in wild-eyed need, falling to their hands and knees beside him.

    Now their hair was in reach.

    He gripped it, entirely uncaring of whether it was the right amount of strength, and pulled their head into position. He held them there and just started thrusting into their mouth.

    The sensation of their tongue, the slick heat of their mouth around his dick, were almost too much. His body was magic - he could resist cumming as long as he wanted to, but it was really hard to stop himself from wanting to. He barely held back, driving to the back of their throat with each thrust.

    Sadly, as turned on as he was, his dick was a bit big. If he could pull himself back more, make it a little smaller, he¡¯d feel them around the whole thing, but he was way too far gone for that sort of restraint. His dick was as mutable as the rest of his magic flesh, but that required focus, which was just not available. He¡¯d just have to make do with their mouth around most of his dick, and enjoy the sounds they made as he slammed into their throat.

    He also retained enough presence of mind that he was paying attention to whether they tried to pull away - he didn¡¯t want them to actually choke or gag. But so far as he could tell, they were thoroughly enjoying this.

    He tried to straddle the line between enjoying this and losing himself, since as much as he wanted to blast down their throat, he didn¡¯t want this to end.

    But then something changed.

    One of his thrusts didn¡¯t stop at the back of their throat. His dick phased through, immersed in a sea of vitality that surged into his body. Surged into him through his locus of pleasure and desire, twisted as it passed through him, and filling him with desperate pleasure and need.

    They¡¯d done the thing that he was afraid of, but in so doing, he lost control. He didn¡¯t care if they were hurt. He didn¡¯t care if it was too much. He didn¡¯t care if this was wrong and screwed up. He didn¡¯t care about almost anything.

    There was only the wetness and heat and pressure and desperate motions of their tongue. There was only their whimpers, moans, and gasps, the amazing view of their ass sticking out into the air as they bent over in service to him. There was only that illicit surge of pleasure each time he passed through their flesh, consuming them with each thrust, and transforming their life directly into magic, strength, and lust.

    It didn¡¯t take long before his pleasure peaked. But he didn¡¯t cum in their mouth, where it was safe, where their soul and flesh would protect them from the surge of power. He came inside them, fully inside them, where their soul was defenseless and torn apart by the wild magic.

    Stars burned in his bones, the pleasure of his orgasm carried by the wave of vitality to infuse his entire body and he fell limp under its intensity.

    They pulled away hard as he came, and he realized he¡¯d almost killed them, but the aftershocks of his pleasure were keeping his mind addled. They immediately reached out to the save point and drew on its power, the grey cast of their skin immediately restoring to vigor.

    There was no way he¡¯d admit that was the best orgasm of his life. It would encourage them and that was dangerous, damn it. He¡¯d been right to worry.

    After saving, they smiled at him and then snuggled into his side.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± they whispered from beside him. ¡°For pulling away like that.¡±

    ¡°you did the right thing,¡± he said, still soaking in bliss. ¡°i don¡¯t want you hurt.¡±

    ¡°H-hurt?¡± they asked, sounding confused. ¡°No, Sans, that¡¯s not what happened.¡±

    ¡°it isn¡¯t?¡± he asked, looking over at them.

    Even with his pleasure spent, the look of desperation and need on their face was still hot. Yeah, it wouldn¡¯t take him long to get back into things.

    ¡°No, not even close,¡± they said. ¡°Okay, maybe that¡¯s not true. It was probably closer than you¡¯d like. Er. If I¡¯d taken everything, definitely closer. But I could have taken it all.

    ¡°No, the problem was I lost control. I started to cum, and I¡¯m not allowed, I had to pull away, else I¡¯d be bad, and I realized after that you might have preferred for me to cum then. I should have realized ahead of time and asked what you¡¯d prefer.¡±

    Aaaand his dick was already starting to reform.

    He wrapped his arm around them, holding them close to his chest. It was odd and pleasant - halfway like an affectionate cuddle, and halfway erotic, as they were still trembling and squirming pleasantly.

    Either way, it was nice. He had no complaints.

    ¡°you were good,¡± he said, and they let out a happy sound that pleased him on too many levels. ¡°you did just as you should have.¡±

    He just¡­ really liked this, and in the afterglow of the most powerful orgasm ever, he just couldn¡¯t bring himself to care about abstract thoughts about what was or wasn¡¯t the right thing to do. He wanted to be here, Frisk wanted to be here, and it was good.

    ¡°you know, i¡¯m actually a little capable of thinking again,¡± he said.

    ¡°Mmm, that¡¯s kind of a shame,¡± they murmured as they gently rubbed at his chest. ¡°It was so hot, what you said, that I was making you lose control.¡±

    He almost admitted that he did, in the end, but didn¡¯t want to encourage this. He still thought it was dangerous. And now that his mind was starting to fully clear, as the afterglow began to fade¡­ what the hell had he done? He knew his magic was dangerous and practically poisonous to life.

    And despite knowing that, he just let himself release a surge of that deadly magic without even warning Frisk that his orgasm might be more intense than they might have expected, as far as the danger went. He didn¡¯t even try to restrain it, to make sure the magic was harmless, he just let it flow, knowing how dangerous it was. It was a flagrant risk to their life.

    But a part of him just couldn¡¯t bring itself to care, because he knew it would just be a tiny reset, like the many, many thousands they¡¯d already done, and it¡¯s not like Frisk would object to sucking him off again.

    He had to admit, his prediction of what would happen if Frisk accidentally died from that was probably to find it hilarious, not upsetting. A quiet part of his mind even predicted that they¡¯d find it hot, but no, he couldn¡¯t think that, it was way too insane. Even for them.

    That quiet part of his mind was looking at him skeptically.

    But Frisk¡¯s opinion aside, what had just happened was¡­ he let out a sigh.

    That distant sense of wrongness peaked its head out again - he couldn¡¯t just let himself kill them during sex, that was way too messed up!

    He let the feeling wash over him and fade away. That¡¯s not what today was about. He was just going to run with it and think about things in an abstract way later. Whatever happened today¡­ it¡¯s not like it¡¯d have any true consequences, save for knowledge, save for changing his opinions.

    Because in this moment, he couldn¡¯t help but accept that Frisk was utterly and absolutely his, and damn it, he liked that. He pulled them a little closer, feeling their warmth and just appreciating it, even as they trembled.

    He liked that he could just take comfort or pleasure from them any time. He liked knowing that all the times he¡¯d been lonely, he could have just called them over and had warm hugs and a listening ear, or mind blowing sexual pleasure, or both, and they¡¯d have been so happy to be that for him.

    Sure, he¡¯d been lonely in a number of ways, but¡­ it was his own fault. He didn¡¯t have to be. In this moment, the idea of going back to that, of refusing to call on them for anything too personal¡­ he didn¡¯t want to. His hand stroked down their back and backside, gently but possessively.

    This felt so good and he never wanted to let them go.

    Their trembling slowly eased as they lay in his embrace and their desire seemed to settle into contentment.

    ¡°this is nice,¡± he said and they hummed in agreement. ¡°sorry for, uh, being kind of cruel to you.¡±

    They giggled and poked him affectionately.

    ¡°I can¡¯t cum now, but I¡¯m going to be cumming to that memory so much later,¡± they admitted breathlessly. ¡°It¡¯s going to be so hard, holding myself back from whatever you¡¯re going to do next.¡±

    ¡°you do seem to have cooled down quite a bit, though,¡± he said.

    ¡°I¡¯m no longer on the edge, but that means I can take more without pulling back,¡± they murmured, wriggling against him delightfully. ¡°Maybe you could test it, now, how much pain I can take before it becomes unpleasant, now that I¡¯m not on the edge of cumming?¡±

    ¡°you want that, don¡¯t you?¡± he asked. ¡°you want me to hurt you.¡±

    ¡°It feels soooo good,¡± they confessed with a moan. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to admit it before, it¡¯s still so embarrassing, I shouldn¡¯t be like this, but it¡¯s so good¡­¡±

    ¡°it¡¯s kinda funny,¡± he said with a little laugh, pinching their ass and making them yip. ¡°i was trying so hard to figure out what your tastes were. what you liked, what you wanted, because i didn¡¯t want to just take advantage of you, i didn¡¯t want to hurt you. but you¡¯re a slutty little masochist who wants to be hurt and taken advantage of. it¡¯s not just your devotion, it¡¯s your fetish.¡±

    They were glowing such a bright red it was a wonder they weren¡¯t casting shadows. They squeaked and buried their face into his side.

    ¡°tell me if i¡¯m right,¡± he said and they trembled again.

    ¡°Y-yes,¡± they said.

    ¡°you get off on the idea of being used,¡± he continued. ¡°whether i¡¯m using you directly, or what you¡¯d said before, giving you to someone else for their use.¡±

    They made another mortified sound and buried their face into his side with so much pressure it was almost painful. He poked them.

    ¡°God, yes, Sans,¡± they whimpered, a sound of embarrassment so pure it was beautiful.

    ¡°and does it always turn you on when i give you orders? even for non sexual things?¡± he asked, continuing to stroke his hand along their very pleasantly soft skin.

    ¡°No, but, it always feels really good,¡± they said, relaxing a little as they rested their head on his chest. ¡°It feels so¡­ satisfying. Like being given a hug and being told that everything is going to be okay. But, um, if I¡¯m already horny when you give an order, then yeah, it turns me on more. Even if it¡¯s not sexual.¡±

    ¡°so you¡¯re saying, if you¡¯re turned on and i order you to¡­ i dunno, swap out a lightbulb, it¡¯d actually turn you on more?¡± he asked.

    ¡°The lightbulb part, no,¡± they said. ¡°But the sound of your voice when you order me to do it, the pleasure of knowing I¡¯m of use to you, the pleasure of knowing you want me for something¡­ yes, it would.¡±

    ¡°because, on pretty much every level, you just want to be mine,¡± he said, repeating words he¡¯d heard and even said so many times, and only now was maybe finally understanding. They trembled again, nodding. ¡°for my joy, my happiness, my use, my pleasure - sexually and otherwise. you really, actually desire that. and not just out of a place of brokenness and a desperate need to feel like your life has meaning, but also out of¡­ more than that. even as an outright fetish.¡±

    The sound they made now, the look on their face - it wasn¡¯t a simple thing of lust, desire, pleasure, and joy. It looked like it ran deeper than that. He brushed his other hand over their face, softly, appreciatively, then looked down at their taut, trembling body.

    He wanted to do something about that¡­ and with Frisk, if he wanted it, why shouldn¡¯t he have it? Maybe he¡¯d burn for it later, but he wasn¡¯t going to think about that yet.

    ¡°i want to explore your body,¡± he said, tracing a finger down. ¡°i want to see what you enjoy. you¡¯re going to tell me what you¡¯re enjoying, even if it¡¯s embarrassing, even if you¡¯re afraid you¡¯ll drive me away.¡±

    ¡°Please, Sans,¡± they whimpered. ¡°You¡­ you have to want it, you have to only do things you want, if I¡¯m left wondering, then I won¡¯t¡­ then it won¡¯t be that good for me, but if I know it¡¯s what you want¡­¡±

    He grabbed their breast and roughly ran a thumb over their nipple, making them squeak.

    ¡°i¡¯m not a sadist,¡± he said, and they gave him an amused look. ¡°well, not exactly. but i love reactions, frisk. you know that. i don¡¯t want to hurt you, but i do want the sounds you make when i hurt you.¡±

    He pinched their nipple and they let out one of those delicious squeals of pleasure and pain.

    ¡°i don¡¯t want you to actually suffer, but the sight of your desperation when i¡¯m tormenting you and not letting you cum, leaving you insane with need¡­ i like that,¡± he said. ¡°i guess it¡¯s a difficult balance, between being a sadist and not.¡±

    ¡°I think you kind of are,¡± they said, squirming. ¡°You don¡¯t want it to be so much that I¡¯m driven away, that I¡¯m actually having a bad experience, but you want me overwhelmed to the point of breaking.¡±

    Yeah, his lust was definitely starting to fully wake up.

    ¡°you got me,¡± he said, trailing a finger down to their still-enflamed pussy. ¡°so i guess what i¡¯m saying is, i want to know what will give me the hottest reactions. what tools will drive you to the edge of insanity, what i could do that will break your will and leave you actually begging me to make you cum. for my sake, because that¡¯s what i want to do.¡±

    A shudder tore through them with desperate strength and they gripped his shirt and stared at him. Yep, that was exactly what he wanted. Damn, those eyes. Who knew that sheer insanity blended with lust so nicely on a face?

    ¡°H-hurt me,¡± they said, their voice halfway begging. ¡°Take what you want of me, force me to do things, do things without warning, without asking, so I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going to happen. T-that¡¯s what turns me on more than anything else, Sans, it¡¯s so¡­ so goddamn hot¡­¡±

    ¡°that much, i¡¯ve figured out,¡± he said. ¡°let¡¯s find out more.¡±

    He leaned over on top of them and just took in the sight of them. Would he ever be able to see them in a non-sexual way again? Would he ever forget the way they were looking at him now, naked and trembling, with that body that had been built and toned to perfection?

    Maybe there were inescapable, permanent consequences to this after all.

    Maybe it was already too late, and he¡¯d find himself doing this again, and again, and¡­

    Okay, he needed to stop thinking about that.

    He knew they liked their breasts played with, and he manifested his tongue again, darting it over and around a nipple. They shrieked in surprised pleasure. He shifted the texture of his tongue, aiming for something rough - like rough studs, though he couldn¡¯t quite get the texture even. Their body convulsed even harder as their skin reddened under the assault.

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°Fucking hell, that¡¯s hot,¡± they whimpered. ¡°B-be careful, I can probably cum from that if you keep it up.¡±

    And he was completely hard again, without a trace of sexual satisfaction to be found. His tongue trembled on their skin, revealing his true reactions more than he normally would.

    They suddenly grinned at him and his tongue went from pressing into their nipple to phasing into their breast. The surge of vitality hit him as they giggled and he reeled back in surprise.

    Going through his tongue instead of his dick was way different and much less sexual, but it still felt good. He noticed, this time, that it actually seemed to¡­ feed him, he supposed was a way to put it. He hadn¡¯t used too much magic today, but he¡¯d definitely used a decent chunk, and this had restored some real strength. It didn¡¯t just feel good, it was an infusion of actual power.

    That, uh, was dangerous in a different way. Frisk could draw power from cracks in time, and could apparently feed it to him directly. The only reason he slept and ate so much was because of the staggering energy requirements of his screwed up core, and this could directly sustain him. He didn¡¯t actually need food or almost any sleep - he just needed magic.

    He was absolutely not going to mention this detail until he¡¯d thought about it in depth.

    ¡°That was so good, Sans,¡± Frisk moaned, writhing under him.

    ¡°this is supposed to be about exploring you, frisk, not you doing things that we already know you like,¡± Sans chided and they flushed. ¡°maybe i should try pushing your masochism a little. not sure it counts as punishment, all things considered, but we can pretend.¡±

    He¡¯d intended to test out their masochism a bit anyway, and this was a perfectly good pretext.

    He shoved them over to the save point with a laugh. They grinned sheepishly and saved.

    ¡°What are you going to do to me?¡± they asked nervously, biting their lip as they gazed at him with clear hunger.

    That would never get old.

    ¡°in the spirit of punishment,¡± he said, grinning darkly. ¡°i am going to hurt you. i want to know exactly how it feels.¡±

    Sadism may not be his thing, but the look on their face when he said that absolutely was. Their breath caught, their eyes widened, their abdomen clenched, and their whole body quivered. It was really messed up that they reacted like that to saying he¡¯d hurt them, of all things, but¡­ well, it¡¯s not like he didn¡¯t know that they were messed up in the head.

    He summoned a bone - a full sized one, of the sort he¡¯d actually try to attack with. It was sharp, but he made it more ethereal, aimed at attacking the soul more than the body, kinda like how Papyrus¡¯s were. With them having saved a minute ago, it couldn¡¯t realistically kill them in a single strike, but it was a lethal type of attack, especially with the corrosive effect of his magic.

    Their eyes were like dinner plates, and a flush had taken them in all sorts of places.

    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re really going to¡­¡± they asked, breathless, looking stunned.

    ¡°shouldn¡¯t we find out what your limits are?¡± he asked playfully, balancing the bone on his finger.

    This had to be close to their limits, and that was in the spirit of punishment, wasn¡¯t it?

    They flushed a deep red and looked like they couldn¡¯t speak. Rather than getting them to answer, he gestured at them to come closer.

    Their suffering should be their own fault, by their own actions, after all. There was a delicious sort of irony to that that appealed to him.

    Once they knelt before him, he scraped the sharp edge of the bone over their chest and abdomen, making them squirm. Their reaction was insane¡­ but also so good. He couldn¡¯t help but love this, seeing them go mad with lust, even if the reason for it was just inexplicable.

    It was mad that they honestly looked like they were ramping back up, close to orgasm, from just this treatment.

    But he had a decision to make. Where should he stab them? He didn¡¯t want to have any actual negative associations, it might actually be a little much, they could be wrong about the level of pain they wanted¡­ maybe the shoulder. He gripped them by the throat with one hand, making them whimper and squirm deliciously, and then drove the bone into their shoulder.

    They cried out sharply and shook in his grasp.

    ¡°No, Sans, stop!¡± they yelled and it was like they¡¯d thrown water in his face.

    The bone vanished immediately, and he let go of their throat.

    ¡°that was¡­? i¡¯m so sorry, frisk, i thought-¡± he started to say, but then something really unexpected happened.

    They clapped a hand over his mouth and stopped him from speaking, pressing their body against him and writhed desperately. They weren¡¯t asking, they weren¡¯t offering, they were just stopping him. They didn¡¯t do that.

    ¡°You have to learn to trust me, Sans,¡± they said, the heat in their voice scorching. ¡°That wasn¡¯t too much pain¡­ I almost came, I was starting to, and I¡¯m not supposed to yet.¡±

    The look in their eyes was as insane as what had just happened.

    ¡°I want you to make me cum, I need you to make me cum, but I want it to be on purpose, I want you to decide to do that to me, not by accident,¡± they said and fucking hell, the sound of their voice, the look on their face, it was¡­

    It wouldn¡¯t be long before he dragged the two of them into the final act of this little play.

    ¡°And you wanted to know how it felt,¡± they said, their gaze drilling into him and making him feel like it was them in control of this insanity, not him, nevermind they they obeyed his every order. He just nodded dumbly.

    They were grinding against him, squirming against him, breathing like he was actively pleasuring them, as they spoke.

    ¡°I felt you¡­ you, Sans, your magic, your power, your intensity, your might, inside of my very being, helplessly run through by your strength. Pain isn¡¯t important the way it used to be, it¡¯s just intense, and if it¡¯s on my body, it can be unpleasant, but in my soul, it¡¯s now to the point that I just¡­ it just doesn¡¯t matter. It isn¡¯t bad, it¡¯s only overwhelming. And it was overwhelmingly you. Within me, burning me, flooding me with your soul¡¯s magic, consuming me. The pain heightened it, blended with it, tore through my mind.¡±

    So that did not sound sane, but he could kind of see why it seemed hot to them. He didn''t want that, not for himself, but if it felt like that to them¡­ doing it to them again seemed¡­ it was tempting in a way he really shouldn''t be tempted.

    ¡°tell me,¡± he said. ¡°how close was that to your real limits? of how much pain would be pleasurable to you.¡±

    The heat in their gaze seared him.

    ¡°I still think you don¡¯t want to know,¡± they said.

    ¡°tell me anyway,¡± he said.

    ¡°I have no idea where my real limits are,¡± they said. ¡°Not when it comes to magic damaging my soul, anyway - my limits with physical pain are, maybe not sane, but closer to it. Let¡¯s just say that that little strike wasn¡¯t anywhere close, and frankly, I don¡¯t believe it¡¯s possible for you to willingly approach them.¡±

    They had no idea what their real limits were, outside of physical pain. No idea, despite having extensive, hours long memories of being murdered by him. The comments they''d made during that experiment took on a new meaning, in this light. He could kill them outright, and it wouldn''t be too much. It wouldn''t even be close enough for them to have an idea where their limits might be.

    It should be upsetting, to know how deranged they were. But¡­ instead, it was reassuring. He hadn¡¯t wanted to truly hurt them, but they¡¯d been right. He couldn¡¯t. He just had a different way of pleasuring them. He supposed he could if he attacked their body, but neither of them wanted that. And it¡¯s not like accidental magic interactions affected the body anyway.

    Messed up as this was¡­ it meant they were safe. Other than accidentally killing them, which would just be a small reset, with how often they were saving. That fear that he couldn¡¯t quite put a finger on before - that he¡¯d truly hurt them and they¡¯d hide it or something, that they¡¯d be willing to suffer for his sake but it¡¯d secretly be a bad time¡­ it faded away.

    And in its place came a¡­ it didn''t feel like an idea, it felt too certain for that. He knew what he wanted to do, how he wanted to bring all this to its end. He wasn''t ready for things to be over, but at the same time¡­ the path felt laid out before him.

    And they had said they liked to have things done without warning, but they also clearly liked having a plan laid out for them, so they knew exactly what was expected. It¡¯d be a balance between surprising them and keeping them feeling secure, but he felt like he understood how to walk it.

    ¡°i¡¯m glad you told me,¡± he said, gently stroking at their face again. ¡°i¡¯m going to tell you now how i want you to cum. you¡¯re going to stay like this, needy and insane, for a little while longer. i am going to resume exploring your body and you¡¯re going to continue to stop me every time i am getting close to making you finish, showing me how to drive you even further into lust and madness.

    ¡°you¡¯re going to resist giving in. i don¡¯t want you to do the devotion thing, of clinging to your insane determination to get through this, because i do trust that you could resist anything that way, but that¡¯s no fun. i want it to be more¡­ natural than that. i want you to resist as much as you feel like you can, with your own natural limits. i want to see if i can break you and force you to beg, and as soon as you do, i¡¯m going to take you and make you cum on my dick.¡±

    He grinned at the trembling, agonized, aching horror and lust on their face.

    ¡°of course,¡± he added in a casual tone. ¡°it¡¯s possible that i¡¯ll crack first and i¡¯ll just take you. i wonder if i¡¯ll warn you first. maybe we¡¯ll just have to play that by ear.¡±

    The real benefit of getting to know someone¡¯s buttons was how much damn fun it was to play them like a fiddle. Their eyes were wide, their breaths were sharp, their body was quivering, and they looked like there wasn¡¯t a shred of sanity to be found.

    ¡°oh, one last thing,¡± he said, pulling them close and speaking into their ear. ¡°it¡¯s selfish, but i¡¯m hoping you lose this little game.¡±

    He didn¡¯t want them to resist too much, after all.

    ¡°I-I just have to remember to save right before,¡± they said, trembling.

    He laughed lightly in their ear, enjoying the feeling of their body against his.

    ¡°i love that about you, frisk,¡± he said, and heard their breath catch in a different way. ¡°i¡¯d completely forgotten about the entire reason we¡¯re here. i just want you.¡±

    The way they moaned at that¡­ it wasn¡¯t just lust and desire, it was more, and it warmed his heart to hear it.

    He¡¯d normally try to push that away, but they¡¯d reminded him of the purpose of all this. It wasn¡¯t supposed to just be a fun romp of sexual exploration. He was supposed to let them in. Let himself feel¡­ feel like this. Feel connected to them.

    He held them tight to his chest, and enjoyed the feeling of their warmth. But¡­ it was through his clothes, because actually being naked was really uncomfortable for him.

    But that was exactly the kind of discomfort he was supposed to be trying to overcome. The feeling of always needing a barrier between him and everyone else.

    He could do this. He could let himself be more vulnerable.

    And if he was going to do that, he should speak, too.

    ¡°hey, frisk,¡± he said, pulling back a little and they gave him a curious look, clearly hearing something in his tone. ¡°i, uh¡­ what you said, it reminded me of a thing. who¡¯d¡¯ve guessed, i got distracted again.¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t imagine why,¡± they said, smiling, then prompted him. ¡°A thing?¡±

    ¡°uh, i should probably¡­ i mean¡­ i should maybe say stuff, tell you things, like, uh,¡± he said. Jeez, this was hard. ¡°the reason i¡¯m still wearing stuff is because, uh, i feel kinda¡­ uh¡­ i dunno. exposed or something if i don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Vulnerable?¡± they asked with a soft smile.

    ¡°uh, yeah, probably,¡± he said.

    They chuckled and touched the side of his face gently.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to be uncomfortable, Sans,¡± they said, low and sweet.

    They were being really nice about this, which wasn¡¯t exactly surprising, but still. This was harder than he¡¯d expected.

    ¡°kinda need to be vulnerable with you, though, right?¡± he asked, looking away and trying to seem less awkward. ¡°that¡¯s kinda the point. or a point. i dunno.¡±

    They leaned in and kissed his cheekbone lovingly and tenderly.

    ¡°It¡¯s your core you¡¯re most uncomfortable with, right?¡± they asked, and he nodded. ¡°Maybe just taking off your shorts?¡±

    ¡°you just want easy access to my dick,¡± he accused and they laughed.

    ¡°This is true,¡± they admitted with a grin. ¡°But also, I want you to feel good.¡±

    He didn¡¯t even know what he wanted.

    He did know that staying clothed and just moving aside his shorts would be easy. He knew that he was uncomfortable with his frailty, with how he was a single tiny accident from death at all times. It was a major reason why he wanted to remember the resets so badly - a form of immortality, after so many years of being a stray breeze from death?

    He knew he kept people at arm¡¯s length. He pretended to have no idea, but he knew damned well why things had stalled with Toriel. He just couldn¡¯t be real with her. And she wasn¡¯t an idiot, she could see that he always kept things silly and superficial, and while they really enjoyed each other¡¯s company¡­ there was absolutely no way he could ever see himself trusting Toriel with all this. With everything. She was gentle, and if she ever knew him, knew his secrets, why wouldn''t she hate him the same way she did Asgore?

    So he¡¯d pushed her away, like he pushed everyone away. Laughter, fun, and superficial play, that was Sans. Always there for a good time, but anytime shit gets real, it¡¯s deflect, joke, or maybe accidentally let something slip and pretend he was joking. Even with Papyrus.

    But, with Frisk¡­ maybe¡­

    Even in his own head, it was hard to think of crossing that line. Of actually connecting, of actually opening up, of actually letting someone in. But a part of him honestly thought that it would, for real, be okay. That little faith, that real optimism, it felt¡­ he wouldn''t have been able to find words, but one thing he knew, it felt as warm and soft as Frisk''s smile.

    ¡°i haven¡¯t, uh, been with anyone since the incident,¡± he said, looking away. ¡°didn¡¯t expect to feel this awkward.¡±

    Not exactly pouring his thoughts out, but he was trying.

    They leaned down and kissed at his neck. This was feeling good in a completely different way that he did not feel as ready for.

    ¡°What would feel best for you?¡± they asked, continuing to kiss down his neck, to his collarbone.

    ¡°uh,¡± he said, sounding incredibly articulate and intelligent.

    They giggled into his collar.

    ¡°You¡¯re really cute when you¡¯re awkward and not being all dommy,¡± they said.

    He felt a flush.

    ¡°i have no idea what you¡¯re talking about,¡± he said with a huff.

    ¡°And you blush blue, oh my god,¡± they said, flashing him a grin and giggling again.

    ¡°i have options. i can do things to you,¡± he said gruffly.

    They bit their lip and their eyes sparkled.

    ¡°This is true,¡± they murmured. ¡°Anything you want, Sans, always. No matter if it seems unfair. Really. Wear your clothes if it¡¯s more comfortable, or doff them if you¡¯d rather. I am yours, either way.¡±

    He sighed and pulled them to his chest again. He had to be real, that was the point, it was the only way he could come out of this without feeling regret. It was hard, but he had to.

    And there was something about this - the desire, the intimacy, the closeness, the vulnerability of everything they''d done and shared¡­ it made it easier. It made this feel possible.

    ¡°i¡­ i know,¡± he said quietly, with a feeling like something softly ripping in his chest. Scars, maybe. ¡°this is hard for me, but the fact is, frisk, i trust you more than anyone else.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not true,¡± they said with a happy laugh. ¡°There¡¯s Papyrus!¡±

    ¡°no, frisk,¡± he said, resting his head against theirs. He just breathed into their hair. ¡°i haven¡¯t told him things. i can¡¯t. i haven¡¯t told you everything, either, i guess. but¡­ i mean, i still don¡¯t wanna talk about a lot of that, especially right now, but¡­ the idea of it, it¡¯s less scary with you than him.¡±

    The sound of their surprised inhalation, the tremble in their body, the way they hugged him tighter - it wasn¡¯t anything like the lust of before. A moment later, he heard a faint sniffle. They were silent for a minute.

    The idea of Papyrus learning his secrets, knowing everything he''d done was¡­ terrifying wasn''t even the right word. It was more absolute than that, deeper and more gut wrenching. Papyrus was so gentle, he might turn away. Probably not, especially with what Frisk had said about how he''d acted during their genocide timeline, but it still seemed possible. Some stuff was scary for other reasons - he didn''t want to see Papyrus¡¯s reaction to knowing how vulnerable Sans was, didn''t want to see his fear. Or his lack of comprehension of what certain facts would imply - the idea of spelling it all out, walking Papyrus through it all¡­ Papyrus didn¡¯t even understand what death was, he believed everyone was still alive, and telling him that he¡¯d intentionally misled him about that¡­

    Frisk, though? The terrifying part was the idea of making himself say it. He just couldn''t pull up even a smidgen of fear that they''d turn away. That they''d freak out. That they wouldn''t understand. They already knew things Papyrus didn''t, and hadn''t given Sans any trouble whatsoever over his vulnerability. Partly, he was sure, because they knew better than anyone how skilled he was at evading harm. Even so, he also knew they trusted him and had no interest in controlling him.

    He knew, all the way to his bones, that in some of the most important ways, they trusted him absolutely. And the feeling was mutual. They might not know that¡­ but they deserved to.

    ¡°Oh Sans, I¡­¡± they whispered and trailed off. ¡°I¡¯m feeling so many things, I have no idea what to say, or¡­¡±

    He laughed lightly.

    ¡°you don¡¯t have to say anything,¡± he said, stroking his hand through their hair. ¡°i already know.¡±

    Another happy sound emerged from them.

    ¡°i want you,¡± he confessed, almost feeling like he was bleeding through the part that had ripped a moment ago. He felt them tremble as he held them close. ¡°sexually, as a friend, as a companion, as a rock in my life, as a confidant¡­ and as something that i can trust will be mine, that will obey me, that i can just have absolute faith in. i don¡¯t know what feels more wrong - you being like this, or me wanting it. but if i¡¯m ignoring that problem and just being real¡­ the fact is, i do want it.¡±

    He felt wetness on his shoulder, dripping into his core, as they squeezed him tightly. He sighed, running his hand down their back.

    ¡°heh, sorry,¡± he said, feeling bad about making them cry. ¡°i guess my timing is kinda awkward.¡±

    They laughed, and something in the sound felt so good, so alive.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous,¡± they said, their voice loving. ¡°This is¡­ the nicest thing you could have possibly done. It¡¯s even better than the sex.¡±

    ¡°you sure about that?¡± he asked, shifting the way he held them a little in order to press his dick against their clit. They let out a broken gasp.

    ¡°Both are nice,¡± they breathed.

    They turned their head and kissed his cheek again. A little more heat was in it, this time.

    ¡°Thank you, Sans,¡± they murmured.

    ¡°yeah, yeah,¡± he said awkwardly again. ¡°maybe let¡¯s just do the thing where i make you scream instead of all this sappy crap.¡±

    They started laughing, softly at first and then with increasing gusto, until they fell from his embrace and just collapsed onto the bed. He watched them, a dumb grin on his face, just appreciating the sight of it, the sound of their joy.

    ¡°Oh my god, Sans, you drive me insane,¡± they said after a minute.

    ¡°that isn¡¯t saying much,¡± he noted with a grin.

    ¡°True,¡± they said, smiling back with so much joy in their eyes it almost hurt to see.

    How could this feel so right? He couldn''t even feel any of the wrongness that had tormented his thoughts this last week. This moment just seemed¡­ good. Perfect. Right.

    They sat up again, moving to sit pressed against him. They ran a hand down his chest and then, biting their lip, let their hand rest on his dick, which throbbed at the attention.

    First time they''d touched him there directly. Maybe they were feeling safer, too. Part of him remembered that he thought it was wrong, that they shouldn''t feel closer to him, that this was all messed up¡­ but in this moment, he didn''t feel it. He was glad that they felt it was safe to touch him.

    ¡°So, for your clothes,¡± they asked, gazing up at him. ¡°Do you want me to take them off?¡±

    Couldn¡¯t be more awkward than what he¡¯d just said, right?

    ¡°uh¡­ sure,¡± he said lamely.

    They didn¡¯t just tear his clothes off, like he suspected they were tempted to. They ran their hands down his chest and stomach slowly and gently before starting to lift his shirt. They lowered themself and kissed and licked at him as they rose higher, the sensation strange on the semi-real ¡°flesh¡± of his core, but thoroughly enjoyable.

    He lifted his arms and they pulled off his shirt, which happened to line things up so that he had a faceful of boob.

    There was no reason to resist that temptation, and his tongue snaked out again, earning a trembling moan for his efforts. Their hands shook, but they gave him a piercing look as they drew their hands to his shorts with equal care and slowness as before. It seemed so awkward to him as they slid the shorts off, but Frisk seemed captivated.

    ¡°hey, look. its a BONE-r,¡± he said with a grin and they giggled and groaned.

    After giving him a fond grin, they went back to staring at his dick. It started off invisible, but the more intense its¡­ purpose, the more magic it had. The more magic it had, the more it glowed. Basically, it was barely visible by the time it was fully erect, and only grew more glowy from there, though he could suppress the effect if he felt like it.

    He wasn¡¯t half mad with lust, like earlier - it wasn¡¯t shining like a blue star or anything - but its shape was clearly visible. Their mouth opened and their lip quivered, clearly wanting to suck him off again. Damn, if that wasn¡¯t hot. His dick throbbed and the glow strengthened at the thought.

    They swallowed and leaned forward to kiss it gently as they finished removing his shorts. Their lips were soft, with a hint of tongue that made his dick twitch again, and their breath was hot. He was absolutely tempted to take their mouth again, but no. He wanted something different for his pleasure this time.

    Weird, how much more awkward he felt, being naked with them. And yet¡­ well, it was Frisk. Sure, it was awkward, but he found he felt completely safe in every single way that mattered.

    ¡°we got distracted by something different this time, but you know the plan,¡± he said with a grin once his clothes were tossed away.

    They blushed and grinned back at him, squirming eagerly.

    ¡°also, uh, it occurs to me - you aren¡¯t cold, are you? i do have blankets,¡± he said.

    They gave him a knowing smirk.

    ¡°Sure, blankets are nice,¡± they said, reaching over and pulling the blankets from where they were piled at the foot of the bed.

    He¡¯d changed the sheets, but actually making the bed would have just been asking too much. And they were easy access, which was the important thing.

    He laid down on the bed and gestured to himself.

    ¡°c¡¯mere,¡± he said.

    With a blanket on their shoulders, they moved over him, straddling right over his dick. The look in their eyes as they hesitated there, with their dripping pussy just a scant inch from his exposed dick¡­

    But no, there was one last thing he wanted to do first.

    ¡°on my face,¡± he said and they flushed before moving up.

    It was kinda ridiculous, but he felt a lot better once the blanket was covering his body again. He hadn''t had a reason to be naked with anyone, so he hadn''t realized how bad his nerves were about it.

    He discreetly confirmed they were both positioned in the way that lined up with his plan - Frisk was in the middle of the bed, with easy access to the save point - and then looked up at them.

    It was a nice view, with their bare pussy right over his face, their tight abs curving up above that, and then their soft tits just beyond. He could see their face, too, but there was some great scenery along the way. Seeing their face was critical for this plan - he was planning on pushing them hard and would be relying on his ability to read their expressions minutely.

    ¡°you need to stay here and stay in position,¡± he said. ¡°you can writhe some, of course, but you can¡¯t escape me. you have to submit to whatever i¡¯m doing to you, unless i¡¯m about to make you cum, in which case you must stop me. and, of course, you must keep me informed about the effectiveness of everything i try.¡±

    They squeaked out an affirmation and swallowed, holding themself steady.

    ¡°and don¡¯t forget,¡± he added, ¡°none of that is a real order that you have to obey - it¡¯s what i want you to do. as soon as you can¡¯t handle giving me what i want, as soon as you¡¯re starting to crack, and you beg for your own sake¡­¡±

    He extended his tongue and danced around their pussy, almost but not quite sliding in. They clenched and trembled.

    He laughed at the desperate gasp that came from them and got to work.

    Their clit was so swollen. The poor thing clearly needed some help, some relief, and not to be cruelly tormented anymore.

    Too bad.

    Turned out they liked some pain here, too, but loved the contrast most. A gentle, soft, thick, pulsating tongue pressing against the clit, suddenly shifting to a rough texture, tearing away, very nearly made him lose the goal of them not cumming quite yet. Their thick thighs, tight with muscle, were trembling constantly as they held in position, whimpering again and again as he whipped and tormented their pussy.

    Keeping them at the edge was so much fun.

    He honestly didn¡¯t need their verbal feedback - they were really quite expressive - but it was fun seeing how embarrassed they were admitting things to him. And it turned out that, as long as he was having fun, they seemed to enjoy most things. Some things more than others, naturally, and he was happy to see that they enjoyed being tormented possibly as much as he enjoyed doing it to them.

    The taste was also fantastic. It was definitely a different experience, tasting a human rather than his own kind, but the important tastes were all there, if a bit muted. While it wasn¡¯t something he could really consume - not in a way that made sense for sex - even just the taste of their lust and pleasure was delightful. Their clit was especially so - it was so thick with pleasure and need at this point it was almost like licking a battery, the jolt was so intense on his tongue. And their vitality was richer and headier than any monster¡¯s, which was also a treat.

    At one point, he decided to harrow them in a different way. He reached up and ran his finger along their asshole, but they just shrieked and moaned, not saying anything. So he pulled back his tongue to ask.

    ¡°tell me how that feels,¡± he commanded, resuming his tongue¡¯s torment.

    ¡°I¡¯ve¡­ I¡¯ve never¡­ ah¡­¡± they moaned, struggling with speech for some strange reason, as his tongue whipped at their clit again, and the tip of his finger went into their ass. ¡°Oh my god, Sans, I can¡¯t¡­¡±

    They whimpered and writhed, but couldn¡¯t move away from him and he chuckled.

    He wondered if he should try to make them too distracted to speak, and then punish them for not answering.

    ¡°It¡¯s good,¡± they moaned, ¡°fuck, Sans, it¡¯s good, I¡¯ve never¡­ it¡¯s so wrong, but it¡¯s still good, I don¡¯t want you to make me cum like that, it¡¯s so wrong, but fuck, no, please, that wasn¡¯t an invitation to, ah¡­¡±

    His finger was buried in their ass as he laughed at the red look on their face. He¡¯d sheathed it in pseudoflesh, of course, and made it more slick, so its passage was easier. This was so much fun.

    And it was more than just fun, too. Feeling them like this, tight and hot around his finger, feeling the muscles clenching with desire¡­ it was hot as hell. He enjoyed the thought of taking them this way, but not for the first time, so¡­ that meant probably never. It shouldn''t ever happen. It really shouldn''t. That''s what he''d been thinking when he''d been clear headed.

    Part of him was refusing to accept that, but most of him was refusing to think about it.

    ¡°do you want me to stop?¡± he asked, knowing damned well that they didn¡¯t. And that they didn¡¯t want to admit it.

    ¡°No,¡± they whimpered. ¡°Please¡­ Sans¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t take much more of this¡­ god¡­¡±

    He extended his tongue again and danced it around the entrance to their pussy. He¡¯d never let it go inside, but he decided to slip in just a little, just slightly teasing around the shallowest of their walls.

    A half strangled scream came from their throat and they shook over him.

    ¡°Yes, god, Sans, please¡­ I¡­ god¡­ I need¡­¡± they said, an adorable pleading whine to their tone.

    Eh, it totally didn¡¯t count as begging to the point he had to end this. Totally needed to be more coherent. The fact that he was having way too much fun had nothing to do with that decision.

    They whimpered as his tongue disappeared, though his finger continued to wriggle cruelly.

    ¡°you need something?¡± he asked, amusement thick in his tone. ¡°maybe this?¡±

    He poured some more magic in and made his tongue much thicker and longer. He snaked it up the front of their body, extending past their belly button and reaching to their breasts, licking at the nipple. That was a bit more expensive magically, sure, but damn, it was worth it.

    ¡°Oh my god, yes, Sans, please, I need¡­ I need you inside of me¡­ I need to cum¡­¡± they whimpered, their hands clenching their thighs so tightly that their knuckles were white.

    He laughed and let his tongue disappear.

    His next trick would take some concentration, which wasn¡¯t easy, but his malicious glee at the thought of their reaction helped him keep his focus.

    He made his tongue thick and firm, then brought the tip to their entrance again and began sliding it in, slowly, caressing the sides as he went, spreading Frisk wide open.

    But¡­ every part of his tongue that got more than maybe half an inch in, he allowed to stop existing. They felt him sliding into them, but had none of the relief of him doing so.

    Another desperate scream came from them, followed by a choked sound that was almost like a sob. Their body quivered and they fell forward, their knees bending and pulling their pussy away from his mouth a little, their arms on either side of his head.

    ¡°Please¡­ god, please, Sans, I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t take anymore¡­ I need¡­ I can¡¯t take it, I need you inside of me, please, no more, I need you¡­¡± they stammered out, and the look on their face¡­

    An incredibly smug feeling filled him at that. The shame, the uncertainty, the desperation¡­ they¡¯d cracked. They¡¯d tried to resist and reached their limit - without being ridiculously stubborn about it, and he did realize that they could have - but they had fallen to their need. They weren¡¯t trying to please him, in this delicious moment. For their own sake, for their own need - that is what they were acting on.

    They¡¯d fallen a little, but there was still room for his plan to work. He teleported just a tiny bit upwards, so that their pussy was lined up over his dick instead. He grabbed at their waist and pressed himself against their entrance.

    Their wide eyed shock was another in the long list of treasures he¡¯d acquired today.

    ¡°oh?¡± he asked. ¡°you want this?¡±

    ¡°Yes, please, Sans, please fuck me, please¡­¡± they whimpered and he pushed a little harder, starting to slide in just the tiniest bit.

    He held still, grinning at them, curious if they¡¯d remember. The feeling of their pussy on his dick was driving him to absolute distraction, but he¡¯d had reason to remain a little more sane than they had, recently. They whimpered and gazed at him with a look that scorched his bones.

    ¡°aren¡¯t you forgetting something?¡± he asked with the biggest shit-eating grin.

    They stared and their eyes widened with realization, glancing over at the save point and then back at him. As though they couldn¡¯t fully comprehend that they were actually about to get what they wanted, that the torment was actually over.

    He laughed.

    ¡°i¡¯m going to fuck you as soon as you¡¯ve saved,¡± he said, and their body nearly convulsed as they desperately reached over to the save point.

    If it weren¡¯t for his own need, it¡¯d have been tempting to teleport them both away, just to hear how loudly they¡¯d scream. But no. He¡¯d had enough, too.

    Just as the golden glow began to fade, he gripped their hips and drove himself deep into their quivering wet heat and groaned in pleasure.

 Ch. 18 - Loops (Frisk POV)

    Frisk came on Sans¡¯ cock for a delicious eternity that ended far too soon. And he was already driving them to another as he continued to fill them, to take his pleasure from them. He felt so good within them, thick and hard and tingling with magic. It was more intense than they could have imagined. And they¡¯d given their imagination their best shot.

    The half fallen blankets cushioned their legs, so that his bonier parts weren¡¯t uncomfortable at all. His breaths were getting harder and he was getting a sheen of sweat, which they hadn¡¯t seen since their fight on that day. Still weird that he sweated, but they¡¯d honestly forgotten that detail.

    He gripped them tightly, digging rough fingers into their skin as he pounded them. But no, that wasn¡¯t fair. They started taking over the movements, riding his cock now that they were sane enough to move at all. He groaned in pleasure as they did so, and they silently thanked Undyne for her grueling workout routine. This was easy and the effort didn¡¯t distract them from their pleasure at all.

    A timeless moment of groaning bliss later, he grinned at them. He shoved their hips into the air a small ways, pulling them off his cock¡­

    And then, with a faint shifting sound, he was behind them, shoving them forwards onto their hands. Without any warning, he filled them from behind, slapping their ass as he did so. He laughed at their shocked noises and began to take them in earnest. Once they started to get used to it, he shoved a finger into their ass and laughed again as they squeaked.

    The delicious, wretched depravity of it all sent them over the edge for a second time and they screamed again, cumming on his cock and finger both. His cock swelled within them, twitching, and his fingers dug into their hips.

    ¡°fuck,¡± he grunted, holding them close and not letting them move for a moment, his cock pulsing inside them. ¡°i forgot i need to¡­ damn it, frisk, this is distracting¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s so good,¡± they said, flopped onto the bed.

    ¡°you feel amazing,¡± he groaned and took a sharp breath. ¡°i almost forgot and was getting close¡­ i need to do the thing. you need to be careful, alright?¡±

    ¡°I will,¡± they murmured, and then more words fell from their lips in a whisper. ¡°Please, Sans, stay with me¡­¡±

    ¡°i¡¯ll try,¡± he said. ¡°i know it¡¯s a bit repetitive, but the first position honestly will probably work best for this. i¡¯d kinda forgotten why i¡¯d chosen it.¡±

    They giggled and pulled themself upright. With another flicker of magic, he appeared below them and immediately thrust inside with a groan of satisfaction. They began to move on him once more, riding him and letting him work his more literal magic.

    He gripped them tighter and they felt magic pour from his cock directly into them. Wow, that was unexpected for some reason, and also really hot. It felt¡­ strange. There was the burning pain of a soul attack, like they were accustomed to. But there was more. There was a flicker of feeling, like there were alien emotions just beyond a glass wall. Alien in the sense that they weren¡¯t Frisk¡¯s, but some felt familiar.

    Guilt - even muffled as it was, Frisk was well acquainted with guilt. It felt a lot different than their own, though, even if it was still guilt at its core. Fear, uncertainty, self-loathing - these feelings were familiar, too, if only just barely able to be made out. Good emotions, also - it wasn¡¯t all bad, but they couldn¡¯t make those out as clearly. The kinds of good feelings that Frisk intimately knew clearly weren¡¯t the same type as these.

    These were Sans¡¯ feelings, weren¡¯t they? Not what he was feeling right this moment, but in general. They were feeling who he truly was inside. A surge of tender care flooded them as they gazed down at him.

    They had paused in their movements, which Sans apparently decided to fix. He began to thrust into them again and they were torn away, lost in their distraction.

    This pleasure was more tender, now, more desperate in a far different way. Sans clung to them, rather than merely gripping them; he filled them, rather than merely taking them. They leaned in close, their bodies pressed together, feeling his magic flooding them in so many ways - through his cock, through the contact with his semi-ephemeral core, through the strange connection that flooded them with pleasure and burning alike.

    The burning wasn''t bad at all, but it could kill them in time. Still, it was the same stuff as his core, really - with a bit of time and focus, they found a way to hold their will so that the burning was negligible and the connection was undiminished.

    They needed to grab a quick piece of pie, since they''d rather not risk anything with his orgasm, just in case. Eating the pie like this was always such a shame - by bringing it to their mouth and willing to consume it, it faded into magic and healed them without them actually being able to taste it properly. An important skill to develop when trying to heal during combat, if less useful lately. Still, they were safe, now.

    They kissed at his neck and fell to this pleasure, feeling it building up and up and up again. He, too, was building up, his cock itself growing thicker with his need. It wasn¡¯t long before they came once more, writhing and convulsing on the feeling of him within, and their orgasm set off his. He groaned and gripped them so tightly they¡¯d have bruises - not that they minded. His pleasure filled them in a strange way, not passing through their flesh, and remaining well contained and perfectly safe, while his cock twitched deliciously within.

    They both panted out their fatigue, collapsed together in a happy puddle.

    ¡°That was amazing, Sans,¡± they murmured. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°it was sans-sational,¡± he said and that set Frisk into a fit of giggles.

    ¡°That was so bad,¡± they said, unable to stop giggling.

    ¡°your pussy quivers when you laugh,¡± he said with a grin. ¡°it feels good.¡±

    They grinned back, but other feelings were creeping in and their heart wasn''t in it. He thought this should probably never happen again. And if it didn¡¯t work¡­

    And¡­ and they didn¡¯t really want to reset. This had been so wonderful, they wanted him to remember.

    ¡°Did it work?¡± they asked.

    ¡°i¡¯ve never done this before with a human,¡± he said. ¡°it was different. i made the bridge, but i dunno. it¡¯s the best i can do. i guess it¡¯s time to see if it worked.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to forget,¡± they murmured into his neck.

    ¡°me neither,¡± he said. ¡°for, uh, multiple reasons.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to try,¡± they said.

    He took a breath and nodded.

    They closed their eyes and, as they pushed on the feeling of time, they whispered, ¡°Please stay with me.¡±

    A hint of a black void, and then¡­

    <hr>

    Pleasure scorched them, flooding them, tearing through them as Sans thrust fully inside. No teasing, no taunting, just complete and utter satisfaction for their tormented body.

    From the first thrust, they fell and fell, screaming as they were thrown beyond the edge, cumming so hard they almost blacked out, and he thrust again and they were nothing but a thing of pleasure, convulsing on his cock as he kept thrusting, as he gave them everything, everything¡­

    It was a delicious minute later that they regained sanity enough to remember exactly when this loop began. Oh that was distracting.

    ¡°Sans,¡± they said as they started to ride him, hearing him groan in pleasure as he relaxed and enjoyed their efforts. ¡°Do you remember¡­?¡±

    He didn¡¯t look surprised.

    ¡°i knew it wasn¡¯t the first loop,¡± he said breathlessly as they continued to move on his cock. ¡°it felt stronger than other impressions, but also maybe because it¡¯s¡­¡±

    He trailed off.

    ¡°We can try again,¡± they said. ¡°Make the connection, Sans, and let me give you pleasure.¡±

    He lay back and let them ride him. He was clearly disheartened by the failure, but still enjoyed the sex, so they tried to make it as good as they could. They didn¡¯t really know what they were doing, but at the very least, they could learn to ride him better.

    He forged the connection again, but it was vastly weaker. Frisk¡¯s heart clenched in sympathy. This Sans had given up, hadn¡¯t he? Oddly, they made something out in the connection they hadn¡¯t really felt before. Maybe like taking a step back, to see the forest and not just the trees. Just a faint sense of loss - that was what Sans¡¯ soul looked like, when one blurred out all the details.

    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    Frisk¡¯s heart hurt to feel it. They tried to give him what pleasure they could, and when he groaned with release, they didn¡¯t make him face the end. As soon as he began to go limp, they pushed at time and reset.

    <hr>

    And were immediately blown away by an overwhelming orgasm again. That was distracting in the best way.

    Despite everything, it was hard to remain dour after an orgasm that intense. Maybe this wasn¡¯t working, but they could take their pleasure of him again and again, and learn to ride him so well that maybe they could distract him from his own thoughts! Mmm, that sounded fun.

    By the time they¡¯d reached loop number ten, they had really gotten the hang of knowing when he was about to cum.

    By the time they¡¯d reached loop¡­ number thirty, maybe, they¡¯d gotten good at controlling when, exactly, he came.

    By the time their loop count was in the fifties or so, they could thoroughly distract him so much that sometimes he couldn¡¯t make the connection at all. Or, they could push him into making it about as strong as the first loop, but that took some major distraction and edging on their part. This was excellent fun to practice.

    By the time the loop count was probably in the vicinity of the seventies, they¡¯d grown thoroughly addicted to cumming on his cock and never wanted to stop. They never grew fatigued or hungry, never had their body wear out, never lost their sensitivity. And it was always the first time for Sans, always overwhelmingly intense, always - at least, now - mind-blowingly good for him. They¡¯d never get tired of the sounds he made when they moved exactly right.

    It was so good. But one thought kept poking at them. A type of intensity that they wanted to experience. They shouldn¡¯t, they really shouldn¡¯t, it was so wrong¡­ but as they grew accustomed to the loop, as they started to take the lack of consequences for granted, they cracked.

    ¡°Sans,¡± they moaned, still feeling a thrill that it was him inside of them. ¡°This is so good, but I want¡­ I want¡­¡±

    ¡°i know,¡± he said. ¡°it didn¡¯t work.¡±

    Oh yeah, that. And¡­ it totally worked with what they were thinking. Why, they could pretend to be something other than a complete pervert! They gazed down at him, moving with exquisite precision on his cock, making him groan again.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do more,¡± they said. ¡°Let¡¯s combine ideas. Kill me, Sans.¡±

    ¡°what the¡­ damn it, frisk, no, that¡¯s¡­¡± he spluttered.

    Mmm, no, he didn¡¯t get a chance to think. They rode him the way that would drive him to a height of pleasure, but not letting him cum, trying to distract him. He groaned with pleasure.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be so good,¡± they said, closing their eyes again as they focused on blinding his thoughts with all of their skill. ¡°It¡¯s so good when you kill me, Sans.¡±

    ¡°i can¡¯t kill you during sex, frisk, that¡¯s way too far,¡± he said, a harsh note in his tone.

    God, even just him saying that¡­

    ¡°But it¡¯s good,¡± they said with another moan. They shouldn¡¯t push, but it was hot, and it wasn¡¯t like he¡¯d stay upset at them because he wouldn¡¯t remember, and it was horrible they were thinking that, but¡­ ¡°I deserve it, Sans, I killed Papyrus. You should kill me. I want you to kill me when I cum¡­ it¡¯s so good¡­¡±

    It didn¡¯t even make sense. If they deserved something for being bad, they should suffer, but this was pleasurable. It was like they were saying they should be rewarded for killing Papyrus, and it was awful, they were glad he wouldn¡¯t remember this part. They didn¡¯t word correctly when riding his cock, but then, they didn¡¯t think they could be completely blamed for that.

    ¡°fuck you,¡± he said, a different sort of heat in his voice, with a sound like he was growling. ¡°i¡¯ll kill you when i cum.¡±

    They clenched at his words. Holy fuck, that was the new record for hottest thing anyone had said in the history of ever, they couldn¡¯t¡­ another orgasm ripped through them and they cried out with pleasure¡­ and with pain.

    He swelled within them, his cock growing ridiculously huge, it felt like it was at the edge of tearing them open. It hurt, but it was so good, and they were continuing to cum around him, squeezing him, but they couldn¡¯t move, he was too big to ride.

    They weren¡¯t paying attention properly, and suddenly felt skeletal fingers clenching their throat hard enough for even them to notice the pain of it. They were wrenched to the side, aided by a burst of magic as his eye flickered, an angry expression on his face. Hnng, too many feelings, that was hot, but also bad, they didn¡¯t want him mad, but that¡¯s kind of how he looked when he told them they should be burning in hell, on the first day they truly existed and that was so¡­ that was¡­

    They found themself on their back, Sans aggressively thrusting between their legs, tearing them apart and not managing to fully fit within despite his efforts. It hurt, in a different way, they¡¯d never been hurt like this, and it was also so good, and they were just going to die, and they were also actually going to die, and that was so hot and¡­

    ¡°let me all the way in,¡± he growled. ¡°let me take your fucking soul.¡±

    Was this another candidate for ¡°hottest thing ever said in the history of ever?¡± They couldn¡¯t think. That was a problem for future Frisk to deal with. All current Frisk could do was hurt, and be pleasured, and give pleasure, and obey Sans in all things, always.

    They would give him everything, and it would be so good. It was hard to focus, but they had to, they couldn¡¯t fail, not at this. It was hard not to give too much, they wanted him to still be crushed by their too-small pussy. They needed to let him just have the depth, as far as he needed.

    By a miracle of extreme practice at following through, they managed the focus required. His next thrust filled them and filled them and it was so good, they were going to die¡­

    Er, but literally, actually, whoops. It was intense and pleasureful beyond imagination, but they didn¡¯t want it to end just yet. They twisted, trying to keep some measure of focus, and grabbed a piece of pie, consuming its magic almost mindlessly. The power rushed through them, but some was lost somehow.

    Not their concern. It was enough.

    They fell back and soaked in the sensation. Sans was amazing in so many ways, and one of which was that he apparently had enough presence of mind to make the connection again. It was clearer than it had ever been, which was a shame, because Frisk was too distracted to actually make any sense of it. A profound, yet distant sense of loss, of old pain, of a deeply rooted isolation. That¡¯s all they could really gather.

    It also tore through their life more harshly than before. He''d been trying to control it before, hadn''t he?

    Sadly, between the burning magic of the connection, and the absolutely amazing, but also draining, sensation of his cock tearing through them, they felt their vitality dropping fast. They reached over and grabbed a second piece of pie, trying to focus enough to slow down the damage.

    He began to cling to them more tightly, and they clung back. They didn¡¯t want him to feel alone.

    For a time, they just savored the experience, the wildly intense sensation of death, magic, lust, and pleasure driving into their very soul, of feeling Sans¡¯ deepest self, of feeling a wildly oversized cock ripping into them, of feeling Sans holding them close and filling them. The feeling of dreams fulfilled that they never even dared to imagine.

    They never wanted this to end.

    ¡­ and to that end, they needed a third slice of pie.

    Another timeless moment of connection flowed through them, as Frisk¡¯s soul was drained into Sans, and Sans¡¯ soul thrust into theirs, poured into theirs, burning them as it consumed them. Pleasure beyond anything Frisk had conceived of flooded them, a mixture of pleasures and pains that they hadn¡¯t even known was possible, and wouldn¡¯t have dared to hope for even if they knew.

    And then Sans summoned the blasters.

    Their pussy clenched tight at the sight, and they moaned as another shockwave of pleasure coursed through them. It was almost time. They would go from being the thing that Sans used for his pleasure, to being killed by him as he came, to be utterly immersed in his magic.

    They couldn¡¯t even think about how wrong it was, and only felt the pleasure at the prospect of experiencing the absolute.

    He had been holding himself up, but fell forward onto them, clinging to them with a feeling of desperation - but it was different than before in ways they weren¡¯t presently equipped to comprehend. It wasn¡¯t the tender, near love-making sort of feeling of the first loop, but rather a thing of frenzied desperation and sheer need. But they¡¯d grown to know him at his end - he was fighting to resist cumming. He was trying to stay in this moment.

    They didn¡¯t know what specifically had made him not give up this time, but it was so good to have him like this. Their vitality was draining fast, still, so they reached out for the second to last slice and consumed its magic, then fell into just savoring this experience.

    It¡­ it hurt in a strange sort of way. They didn¡¯t want this to end, because this felt like their every dream fulfilled. Seeing Sans¡¯ cracking will as the pleasure broke him down, knowing that this was about to be over, and that Sans would forget¡­ it hurt. It hurt, because they wanted him, not just sharing this pleasure in the moment, but for him to stay with them, to remember, to have this pleasure shared for real.

    And that pain opened the last floodgates within Frisk¡¯s own soul. Nothing mattered, save loving Sans and giving him everything. Tears began to flow as they cried out his name. They tried to tell him things, about how much he meant to them, about how good this felt, but it wasn¡¯t coherent. Mostly just words and sounds of pleasure and satisfaction poured from them.

    It was so good, and they saw he was reaching his limit. Their pleasure mounted and there was no resisting this climax. They felt it take them, and also flow from them into Sans. With whatever scraps of will they had, they tried to strengthen that flow - it didn¡¯t matter if it killed them, after all, as long as they survived long enough for him to cum. They wanted him to have everything - their pleasure, included.

    It was too much for him and they felt him fall. His cock burned with magic as it poured into them without any restraint, and while they couldn¡¯t think, they knew that even without his blaster, they didn¡¯t have long to live from that alone. They let go. They let their life, their pleasure, their love, their everything pour into the connections. They let him take it all.

    With only faint wisps of life remaining, they heard the roar of his blasters and felt their entire being burn. They smiled, though perhaps only in their heart. The cleansing perfection of their sins burning away, of everything being right and correct in the world, of the true peak of their existence¡­

    The absolute had been achieved. Absolute perfection, pleasure, fulfillment, and completion.

    And then this moment of sheerest perfection was interrupted by a healthy body and Sans lying beneath them, a desperate need driving them to move. They didn¡¯t need to think to know what to do, and they fell onto him, feeling him inside and instantly cumming on his cock once again. This was just too much in the best possible way.

    Maybe they¡¯d never stop, and would just spend eternity cumming on Sans¡¯ cock, sharing in these moments of absolute perfection with him, and never, ever having to give it up.

 Ch. 18 - Loops (Sans POV)

    The instant Sans thrust into Frisk, he felt them start convulsing around his dick and the look on their face was just as beautiful as he¡¯d imagined. He wasn¡¯t anywhere near as close to the edge as they were, and was delighted to be able to stretch out their pleasure as hard as he could.

    God it felt good.

    The tightness, the heat, the slick wetness, the way their depths gripped him, almost crushing with the strength of their orgasm¡­ it had been way too long. They honestly looked close to blacking out and so, in addition to everything else, he felt a wave of pride flood him.

    For a time, he lost himself to the primal pleasure of it all, gripping their hips and slamming into them as they screamed and moaned out his name. Something about sex was just so easy to get lost in. Those nagging doubts and uncertainties were washed away, and for the first time - other than when Frisk pulled that little stunt with the blowjob - he was able to just lose himself in the moment. It just felt good on so many levels.

    He also managed enough presence of mind to note he remembered absolutely nothing, not even faint impressions. This was the first loop. This might really work. Hope, real hope, was a wonderful thing to feel and blended well with everything else.

    After Frisk more or less recovered from their fantastically intense orgasm, they slowly regained themself and started taking over the movements. He let them and lay back, letting himself be pleasured for a little while.

    This. This was amazing. Laying back and letting himself just enjoy it all. Watching them move on his dick, feeling the pressure squeezing around him with the rhythmic motions, seeing the slight sheen of sweat as they lightly panted, the look of absolute bliss on their face¡­

    It didn''t look or feel like they were trying to drive themself to another orgasm. It was like they were simply savoring the experience, like they wanted to stay in this moment forever. Still, he knew it couldn''t last. Both of them were driving higher and both of them would fall.

    He wanted to drive them insane again. Guess that meant it already couldn''t last, because the temptation was irresistible.

    He grinned at them and pulled them off his dick, then teleported directly behind them. He shoved them roughly forwards, displaying their ass and a different angle on their pussy.

    He didn''t want them to have time to think, to anticipate, so he immediately thrust into that beautifully tight pussy again, and slapped their ass once he did so.

    The sounds of shocked pleasure were the finest background imaginable for the pleasure coursing through him. He laughed in sheer delight and fell again to his need, pounding them hard.

    But there was more fun to be had.

    Before they fully managed to recover from the surprise, he had another one for them. Grabbing their ass, he made a nice sheath of slick magic around his thumb and drove it in all the way, making for a fantastic squealing shriek from them. He couldn¡¯t help but laugh again.

    Apparently they really liked having their ass played with, because it set them off, and he groaned as he felt them convulsing around his dick and thumb both. Nearly sent him over the edge and it was all he could do to hold back, feeling himself swell and twitch within them. He dug his fingers into their sides, trying to maintain a grip on his own sanity.

    ¡°fuck,¡± he grunted, holding them still and trying to pull back from the edge. ¡°i forgot i need to¡­ damn it, frisk, this is distracting¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s so good,¡± they said, flopping down onto the bed.

    He laughed a little, but that made him move and his dick twitched some more, shifting his laugh into a groan.

    ¡°you feel amazing,¡± he said, taking a quick breath. ¡°i almost forgot and was getting close¡­ i need to do the thing. you need to be careful, alright?¡±

    ¡°I will,¡± they murmured, and then they whispered, ¡°Please, Sans, stay with me¡­¡±

    A sweet, but painful wave of emotion filled him at that. Bittersweet, hopeful, joyful that they wanted this to work, too; fearful, guilty that all this was technically just for pragmatic reasons¡­

    ¡°i¡¯ll try,¡± he said, keeping the emotion from his voice, and then internally sighing at himself for doing so. ¡°i know it¡¯s a bit repetitive, but the first position honestly will probably work best for this. i¡¯d kinda forgotten why i¡¯d chosen it.¡±

    They giggled and sat upright, spreading their knees to give him room. With another flicker of magic, he appeared below them and immediately thrust inside with a groan of satisfaction. They began to move on him once more, riding him smoothly.

    In some ways, this ¡°bridge¡± was incredibly easy. Sans just had to let go of all his emotional barriers and let his heart flow into them. Monsters could do it accidentally, if they were feeling really intimate during sex.

    But in two rather specific ways, this wasn¡¯t easy. One, because Frisk was human, it wouldn''t be safe to happen naturally - Sans had to try to direct and push the connection consciously, which took a little bit of focus. He wasn''t going to be perfectly careful, but he needed to keep it at least a little under control.

    And, the bigger problem¡­ even with everything he¡¯d said and done, everything he¡¯d tried¡­ he didn¡¯t know if he could fully let go.

    He could, before. Back before he¡¯d gotten trapped here. He knew what it was supposed to feel like. Thing is, those memories still ached. Now? He didn¡¯t know if he could do it.

    But he¡¯d try.

    He relaxed the boundaries of magic around his dick, letting his soul seep into Frisk. It didn¡¯t feel the same as what he remembered, but then, he had no idea if it was because Frisk was human, or because of emotional issues in himself, or if Frisk had emotional issues blocking things, or if he¡¯d made the connection wrong, or what. He had no idea if it would work. But he just focused on letting himself flow, as best as he could.

    It hurt. It hurt more than he''d expected.

    He didn¡¯t touch these memories, these powerful experiences that had shaped his soul, didn¡¯t talk about them, for a reason. He wasn''t reliving them or anything, but even just trying to want Frisk to see him made him aware of what, exactly, Frisk would be seeing. It wasn¡¯t the worst pain, but it ached.

    He clung to Frisk tighter as he filled them, embracing the closeness and not just the pleasure. He tried to want Frisk to feel him, and to feel them in turn.

    It wasn¡¯t smooth, but he could feel a glimpse of them. Of their soul. A strangely deep sense of contentment, satisfaction, and simplicity of purpose. Fear, guilt, and other things flooded the mix, but at the root of it all was an odd sense of stability.

    Their devotion to him, he realized. It really was baked into the depths of their soul. And it didn¡¯t hurt them at all. It was a thing of joy, not bondage, to them. Just like they''d been trying to tell him all along.

    Something loosened in his own heart, feeling that. A mirrored sort of contentment.

    He looked up at them and they met his gaze with curiosity, awe, and pleasure on their face. He wondered what they felt of his soul.

    They¡¯d stopped moving as they gazed at him, and he pulled them close once more. Less desperately, less needfully, and with more tender care, he sank into them. He still couldn¡¯t quite stop that feeling of a barrier in his own heart, a desire for them to not really see everything, but he tried to tear his heart open as he took them.

    They had a look of concentration for a time as he thrust into them, that grew to an increasingly satisfied smile, though their skin grew more pale. Finally, they looked content and reached over quickly to grab a pie, once again demonstrating their knowledge of how to consume its magic without actually eating it, restoring their vitality. With that, they grinned at him brightly and joyously. Triumphantly, even.

    They kissed at his neck and lay on his core, his magic overlapping their body where they lay. His pleasure slowly crested and he knew this would soon be over. He didn¡¯t want it to end, but he wanted¡­ he wanted the satisfaction. He let his dick grow thicker, feeling them tighten around him, hearing their breath as they grew closer to their own release.

    They met his eyes as they came, moaning beautifully as their pussy clenched around his dick, and there was no resisting that. The pleasure flooded him as he came inside, buried to the hilt and gripping them with his full strength. Not within their soul, but still wrapped in their heat and pleasure. It wasn¡¯t as powerful an orgasm as before, but it was wonderful and ever so much more fulfilling.

    Frisk collapsed onto him, and they both panted in fatigue.

    ¡°That was amazing, Sans,¡± they murmured. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    He grinned, even though they couldn¡¯t see it.

    ¡°it was sans-sational,¡± he said and that set Frisk into a fit of giggles.

    Their laugh was great to hear, and the way their body felt on his as they laughed was even better. Especially since he was still inside. Mmm. He didn''t want to stop feeling them, and until he let go of the sensation, his dick would remain to provide it.

    ¡°That was so bad,¡± they said, unable to stop giggling.

    ¡°your pussy quivers when you laugh,¡± he said with a grin. ¡°that¡¯s good to know. it feels good.¡±

    They grinned back, but their expression was a little downcast.

    They were afraid that he¡¯d forget. He was trying not to be afraid, too. If it didn¡¯t work, he¡¯d forget all of this. The way it had felt, physically and otherwise, the insight into who they were¡­ he didn¡¯t want to lose this. It had been incredible. Just a few minutes, sure, but an important few minutes.

    ¡°Did it work?¡± they asked.

    ¡°i¡¯ve never done this before with a human,¡± he admitted. ¡°it was different. i made the bridge, but i dunno. it¡¯s the best i can do. i guess it¡¯s time to see if it worked.¡±

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to forget,¡± they murmured into his neck.

    ¡°me neither,¡± he said. ¡°for, uh, multiple reasons.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to try,¡± they said.

    He hesitated, staring at them. He didn¡¯t want to lose this. But it was time. He hoped¡­ and he nodded.

    They closed their eyes and whispered, ¡°Please stay with me.¡±

    That was the last thing that Sans ever heard.

    <hr>

    Just as the golden glow began to fade, Sans gripped Frisk¡¯s hips and drove himself deep into their quivering wet heat and groaned in pleasure. He felt them start convulsing around his dick and the look on their face was just as beautiful as he¡¯d imagined. He wasn¡¯t anywhere near as close to the edge as they were, and so retained a presence of mind.

    Enough to realize that this seemed very familiar.

    It hadn¡¯t worked.

    They felt good on him, and that was distracting as hell, but he tried to think about those impressions he was feeling. They seemed unusually strong, but they were always stronger with emotional intensity. And this was a really intense experience. Maybe the connection had helped, but also maybe it was just because of how potent it all was.

    Which meant he felt kinda hopeless. He¡¯d have a good time, and then this version of him would cease to exist, would die. He could make them stop, but there was a chance multiple trials might make a difference, so he could just leave things to Frisk. And so this would happen over and over until Frisk gave up on this approach.

    Considering how intense the start of the loop was, it might be a while. Well, he¡¯d give them both a good time, at least. Dying man¡¯s prerogative, right?

    They took some time to come down from their initial orgasm. As soon as they seemed to regain themself at all, they started to take control, riding him, as they met his eyes and spoke. He groaned in pleasure as they moved on him.

    ¡°Sans,¡± they said. ¡°Do you remember¡­?¡±

    Second loop, then.

    ¡°i knew it wasn¡¯t the first loop,¡± he said breathlessly. ¡°it felt stronger than other impressions, but also maybe because it¡¯s¡­¡±

    He trailed off.

    ¡°We can try again,¡± they said. ¡°Make the connection, Sans, and let me give you pleasure.¡±

    He lay back and let them please him. It was good. They moved in different ways, and he freely let them see what worked best for him. Might as well give the other Sans-es a good time, too. While they worked his dick, he worked his magic, though he felt the wall in his heart had thickened up again. Still, he tried.

    The connection wasn¡¯t the strongest it could be, but it was the best he could do. He even got a sense of deeply rooted contentment from them, like they were satisfied with something in their life, though couldn¡¯t really get any details. He hoped it meant they were happy, and that they were okay. He hoped they would be okay.

    He knew, when his pleasure crested and he finished within them, that this wouldn¡¯t work, that he would die, but it had been a good way to go.

    They didn¡¯t ask his thoughts, or talk, once he finished. That Sans¡¯ last moment ended on a very high note.

    <hr>

    Just as the golden glow began to fade, Sans gripped Frisk¡¯s hips and drove himself deep into their quivering wet heat and groaned in pleasure. He felt them start convulsing around his dick and the look on their face was just as beautiful as he¡¯d imagined. He wasn¡¯t anywhere near as close to the edge as they were, and so retained a presence of mind.

    Enough to realize that this seemed extremely familiar.

    It hadn¡¯t worked.

    They felt good on him, and that was distracting as hell, but he tried to think about those impressions he was feeling. He didn''t realize that he was thinking the exact same thoughts he¡¯d had dozens of times before, repeating pointlessly.

    Once Frisk¡¯s orgasm started to pass, they moved more assertively on him. They felt good - too good. The pace, the angle, the way their depths gripped him¡­ He was taken aback by the sheer perfection of their movements. And the look on their face - how long had they been riding him for?

    Good as this felt, he wasn¡¯t going to stop them. They had this under control and he just lay back and let himself be intensely pleasured. Didn¡¯t stop the dark thoughts, the nihilism and sense of hopelessness, but it was a damned good way to go.

    ¡°Sans,¡± they said with a breathy moan. ¡°This is so good, but I want¡­ I want¡­¡±

    ¡°i know,¡± he said. ¡°it didn¡¯t work.¡±

    They opened their eyes and met his gaze as they rode him.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do more,¡± they said. ¡°Let¡¯s combine ideas. Kill me, Sans.¡±

    ¡°what the¡­ damn it, frisk, no, that¡¯s¡­¡± he spluttered, but they ramped up the intensity of their movements, making it practically impossible to think.

    The one thing he could readily recall was that this was a line he¡¯d been absolutely committed to not crossing. He¡¯d started to think that accidents might not be the worst, but still, to intentionally kill them? No.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be so good,¡± they said, closing their eyes again as they started moving with maddening perfection, driving him even harder. He couldn¡¯t think. ¡°It¡¯s so good when you kill me, Sans.¡±

    They were seriously pushing him on this. On killing them during sex. And they were asking a version of Sans that was about to die, so his last act would be to cross a dearly held line, for their deranged pleasure. He couldn¡¯t think, but he could feel, and what he felt was anger.

    ¡°i can¡¯t kill you during sex, frisk, that¡¯s way too far,¡± he said, the flames of that anger filling his voice.

    ¡°But it¡¯s good,¡± they said with another moan. ¡°I deserve it, Sans, I killed Papyrus. You should kill me. I want you to kill me when I cum¡­ it¡¯s so good¡­¡±

    That was it. Sans had had it.

    Something about this request¡­ a line he¡¯d considered absolutely, horrifically uncrossable, presented in the form of a demented kink. The way that wretched suggestion paired with his own desolate despair, and the impaired thoughts from the maddening pleasure. The fact that they brought up killing Papyrus now, of all times. He broke. He was completely out of fucks to give.

    ¡°fuck you,¡± he growled, real anger, bordering on rage, heating his voice. ¡°i¡¯ll kill you when i cum.¡±

    Their eyes widened and they gasped, and of all the fucking things, that apparently set off their orgasm, as they spasmed and clenched on his dick. He had fucking had it with their fucking insanity.

    He¡¯d had it with all of his limits.

    He cut all restraint from the magic binding the form of his dick, and it swelled within them. They felt incredibly tight around him, their own life energy constraining his form as his girth stretched and strained their body.

    It was too much, he didn¡¯t fit well. But his struggle to take them was just due to their position - he didn¡¯t have the leverage.

    He reached up and grabbed them by the throat, a flash of magic in his eye helping his motion as he slammed them into the bed. He flipped over onto them and drove himself between their legs. With this angle, force and intention would make him fit, regardless of physical complications. They let out a scream of blended pleasure and pain as he bottomed out, their pussy not even slightly able to take his full length, still shaking in the aftereffects of their orgasm.

    This growth wasn''t good for anyone. It was wild, unstable, and dangerous. He was leaking magic like a sieve, and he didn''t have the magical stamina to maintain this sort of thing.

    But he knew a solution to that problem.

    ¡°let me all the way in,¡± he growled as the limits of their flesh prevented him from going deeper. He didn¡¯t know how to phrase things, but he didn¡¯t care. ¡°let me take your fucking soul.¡±

    Another gasp of pleasure ripped from them, and a look of focus crossed their face.

    His next thrust wasn¡¯t stopped by flesh at the end, and the surge of vitality flooded him again. It was even better than before, as it was not only going through his locus of pleasure, but it was also immersed in theirs. Their vitality restored him, enabling him to keep his outsized, unstable dick in action.

    He didn¡¯t want to cum yet, because he knew as soon as he did, he¡¯d die for real. This version of him, anyway. A minute ago, he was fine with that, but right now¡­ he was too pissed at them to want to let go. He didn¡¯t even know what he wanted. He was just¡­ everything. Anger, lust, despair, hopelessness, frustration, pleasure - shit tons of pleasure - and just everything. He was just throwing everything at them in sheer overwhelming¡­ everything.

    And it felt incredible.

    They twisted as he took them, reaching over and grabbing a piece of pie. They pulled it to their mouth, touching their tongue to it, and quickly absorbing the healing magic. He felt the magic flow through them, flow through his dick and into him. Neat - it was still healing magic as it affected him. Not that it mattered, when he was about to die from killing them.

    But all of this felt so good.

    He wasn¡¯t going to be able to resist for long. He cut his emotional barriers, too, letting the connection flow without any sense of sanity or restraint. They shuddered again, their skin visibly going pale and they flailed for another piece of pie. As before, they consumed the magic with masterful speed.

    The pleasure was intense. Mindbreakingly so. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that he knew that he¡¯d die when he came, there was no way he¡¯d resist. And he was still too mad at them to give up, to go quietly to his end.

    Even so, he knew it wouldn¡¯t take long. Each thrust, feeling the physical pleasures - the tightness, the heat, the texture of their trembling walls gripping him. The soul pleasures - the vitality surging through him, carrying their lust and his both, flooding through his entire being, infusing pleasure and desire into every part of his body and soul. The emotional connection that he was halfway ignoring, in part due to being pissed at them at this exact moment, that nonetheless filled him with a sense of Frisk¡¯s contentment and satisfaction with life.

    They ate a third slice of pie. He was going to try to hold out until they¡¯d eaten all of it. He wouldn¡¯t live long, but this was so intensely good, he didn¡¯t want to give it up.

    He summoned his blasters when he knew his will would crack soon.

    They moaned in renewed pleasure on seeing the blasters and the look they gave him was not making it easier to resist cumming. He fell onto them, gripping them tightly, trying not to let go of this pleasure. Trying to hold on, in every sense.

    His emotions grew muddled within the insanity and the sheer, mind-breakingly intense sensations. He didn¡¯t even know if he was mad at them anymore. He was just a mindless thing of need, of connection, of sexual gratification. He barely noticed when they reached out and grabbed a fourth slice. He barely heard them as they moaned out his name, and tears flowed down their cheeks, and they babbled about how good everything felt.

    They came again and that was too much. Their orgasm poured through the two connections - through his dick buried in their soul, through the more normal emotional magical connection he¡¯d forged. Combined with his own pleasure, he couldn¡¯t even remember why he was resisting this anymore. A vague thought of death crossed his mind, but he didn¡¯t comprehend it.

    He released everything, absolutely everything, into Frisk. His orgasm, his magic, the blaster¡¯s strike, his own soul pouring through their connection. And he felt it returning to him as their body burned beneath the assault, clenching in more than just the throes of orgasm as death took them. Their soul was already ¡°leaking¡± into his from the connection, but as they died, it poured into him more absolutely.

    The full measure of power of a human soul, pouring through an oversized and unstable conjuration of lust and pleasure, compounding all other sensations that were already tearing apart his mind from the intensity.

    It was pleasure unimaginable. Satisfaction beyond all comprehension. It was a moment of such absolute perfection, despite all the deranged circumstances that led to it - but in that moment, none of that mattered. There was only perfect fulfillment.

    Save for a single low note. He felt a faint touch of sorrow that this was the end¡­ and then he felt disoriented as he was laying on his back for some reason, and Frisk was falling down onto his dick, immediately orgasming as they did so.

 Ch. 19 - Memory (Frisk POV)

    As had become the usual, Frisk started the loop by cumming on Sans¡¯ cock. But something was different. He¡¯d always been taking them, pounding them as they did so, right from the start.

    But this time, they were riding him, rather than being taken from where they perched. Though after perhaps ten seconds or so, he started thrusting into them again.

    Still, the pleasure was distracting. Their body had been saved in a rather¡­ precarious state.

    Eventually, as it always did, the pleasure simmered down into something that was compatible with a brain. They looked down at Sans, seeing a surprisingly huge grin on his face.

    ¡°hey frisk,¡± he said. ¡°your boneheaded idea worked.¡±

    Their mind went numb from the words. It was almost like each separate syllable was being processed individually. Their body went still, but he continued to thrust into them, providing a background of pleasure that a part of them was still really appreciating.

    ¡°It¡­ it worked¡­?¡± they managed to ask. ¡°It really¡­ you remember? You actually¡­ you really remember, Sans?¡±

    ¡°yeah,¡± he said.

    Emotions flooded them and they choked. It worked¡­ he was¡­

    They fell down onto him, moving in a way to give him intense pleasure, kissing at his face and touching him everywhere they could. Tears of impossible joy fell from their face as they did so, lost in a sensation of satisfaction and joy so intense it was almost too painful for them to take.

    ¡°You remember,¡± they said, almost sobbing. ¡°You¡­ you¡¯ll stay, no matter what happens with resets, you¡¯ll always stay, it¡¯ll always be you, Sans. You are forever¡­¡±

    ¡°we don¡¯t know if it worked fully yet,¡± he pointed out.

    Wait.

    It¡­ might not be? He might be taken from them?

    No.

    Determination blazed, as powerfully as it ever had. No. They were going to keep Sans and absolutely nothing was going to get in their way.

    This had proven it was possible. And they¡¯d had it drilled into their bones - if there was something they wanted, and it was possible, then it was inevitable.

    Frisk was inevitable and they dared anything to try to stop them.

    There were things that Sans would need to do, and therefore, he was going to do them. Their eyes locked onto his, which seemed oddly subdued in a way they were struggling to comprehend. But if it didn¡¯t relate to their goal, it didn¡¯t matter.

    But they wanted his pleasure, too, and so they moved on him in ways that commanded that pleasure.

    ¡°We¡¯ll do it again,¡± they said, informing him - and reality, and anything else - of the way things would be. ¡°You will fill me beyond capacity, and I shall sacrifice to you my soul with each thrust. You will forge the connection, and when you orgasm, you will kill me.¡±

    ¡°i¡­ uh¡­¡± he started to say, but trailed off.

    That sounded like possibly an argument. That was not acceptable. It meant he didn''t understand the way reality was to be.

    ¡°You will,¡± they said, piercing him with as much will as they could put in their voice, their gaze. ¡°I will not lose you, Sans. We will repeat this trial and we will make sure it works.¡±

    ¡°i was really pissed at you and i dunno if i can just do all that again,¡± he said quickly.

    He¡¯d been pissed¡­? Ow, yes, that wasn¡¯t good. But it was fair, they¡¯d gone too far.

    But. But, in this moment, it didn¡¯t matter. If he needed to be pissed in order for them to get what they were going to have, then fine. So be it.

    ¡°Do you want me to make you angry again?¡± they asked, letting their mind slip into angles they could try. ¡°I expect I can.¡±

    ¡°no,¡± he said immediately.

    It might not matter. And if it didn¡¯t work, then they knew what to try with the next Sans.

    Because one way or another, this was ending with him having full memories of the loops.

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll make do without that variable,¡± they said. ¡°Everything else, Sans. You must.¡±

    They closed their eyes. He had to, else¡­ but no, he had to. He needed to remember¡­ he needed to be always, always real¡­

    ¡°I won¡¯t lose you,¡± they said, almost murmuring.

    ¡°one¡­ one issue,¡± he managed, and they looked at him again.

    Issues were things to be solved, and so they were not especially concerned.

    ¡°i, uh, was able to resist, uh, finishing things because of how pissed i was¡­ but¡­¡±

    Really? This was what he thought counted as an issue?

    ¡°You¡¯re worried you¡¯re going to cum too soon?¡± they asked, grinning brightly.

    He nodded and they just looked up at the ceiling and laughed.

    If that was the issue, then victory was theirs. They had merely to claim it.

    They gazed back down at him, at the one they would have forever, to whom they would eternally belong. They belonged to him, but in this moment, his pleasure belonged to them. They moved on him, seeing his face twist with the pleasure they could command.

    He had no idea, did he?

    ¡°I have a confession to make, Sans,¡± they said, amusement and pleasure thickening their tone, and they moaned a little at the sensations and memories. ¡°I may have indulged a little bit today. I may have dedicated a few¡­ dozen¡­ loops to having a little fun and learning a few little tidbits.¡±

    They laughed as they confessed this. Already time to put those skills to the test, wasn¡¯t it?

    ¡°You handle the magic,¡± they said, practically purring as they grinned at him. ¡°I will decide when you cum.¡±

    His eyes closed and his cock twitched a little. He seemed to be enjoying this, if not as much as when they were driving him to his limits. But he wasn¡¯t arguing, and that was the important thing.

    ¡°Now,¡± they said, when his eyes opened again and met their gaze. ¡°I need you a little larger to easily draw you into my soul.¡±

    He nodded slightly and his cock grew within. Not quite as ridiculously oversized as before, but something manageable. It felt good to be stretched like this. And it would push their skills in a bit of a new way - they hadn¡¯t incorporated the soul phasing ability into their experimentation with the connection.

    But they were pretty damned confident that they had this, anyway.

    Sliding down onto him, they felt him sink into body and soul alike and it felt incredible. This was the way they wanted sex to always be. He obviously felt similarly, as he groaned and gripped their sides tightly.

    Feeling his magic, his desire, embedded within their very being, they spoke to him again.

    ¡°Now make the connection,¡± they said.

    The connection surged, but they knew this feeling. It was like the times when he¡¯d been too lost in his head to connect properly - or at least, that was what they¡¯d concluded.

    ¡°Good,¡± they said. ¡°But you¡¯re thinking too much. Let¡¯s fix that, shall we?¡±

    They grinned knowingly at him and got to work. Time to drive him to the edge as fast as they could, and then give him whiplash. Nothing seemed to jar his thoughts loose better than that.

    No matter how many times they did this, they absolutely loved his bewildered groans of pleasure as they drove him to his peak hard.

    Just as he reached the edge of losing control, they shifted their focus. This one had been a hard trick to learn, because it was anathema to their own thinking. They didn¡¯t want to reject him, to turn him away, to refuse him access to their body, to try to deny him sensation. But the results were too fun for that to be an issue, and they¡¯d learned it.

    Ejected from the phasing effect, and held back by their shifted defenses, they grinned at him once more. They¡¯d discovered - to their delight and his occasional frustration - that even if he wanted to, he actually couldn¡¯t orgasm at all when they did this.

    Which meant, as long as they knew when he was about to cum, there was no risk of unfortunate incidents.

    His eyes widened in that adorable expression of realization, lust, and near-horror that they¡¯d grown to know well.

    And as soon as his cock began to settle, they permitted full sensation again.

    This really was a skill that required a lot of focus and, well, skill. They needed to focus on the connection, think about what it seemed to be missing and what that indicated about Sans¡¯ state, and then fix things. Sometimes by edging him - god that was fun - and sometimes by shifting their defenses rapidly to create an array of sensations that seemed to really mess with his head. And distract him!

    It was even more effective when he was directly immersed into their soul. This was fantastic. Even beyond the pleasure, eternally refilling energy, and the benefits of non-linear time, they could do this all day.

    But they had an objective to fulfill. While they weren¡¯t quite as deep in the grips of mad determination, that was mostly because there was nothing in their way, as they settled into their task. They¡¯d done this quite a few times with Sans, pushing him into forging the connection as powerfully as he could, and while his mindset was a little different this time, they had the hang of this.

    The connection grew clearer and clearer, until it reached the second-to-last stage. Of what they''d managed to reach, anyway. They¡¯d thought it interesting that he always needed a¡­ break, of sorts, as though what he needed was to realize something, in order for the connection to finish. They rode him more gently, in a way that would let him feel pleasure but just savor the sensation for a while.

    And, as they¡¯d felt¡­ oh, probably a dozen or so times, it worked. They felt a bit of fuzziness in the connection fade away, leaving it about as clear as it had been on that first loop. Not as powerful as it had been in the last loop, which was a shame, but it wasn¡¯t like they were going to give up. Even if he forgot - well, they¡¯d just fix it, wouldn¡¯t they?

    It was good to feel this connection, though. It was almost painful to feel, and they hoped that they could use the knowledge to better serve him in the future. That loneliness that he felt¡­ surely, if they knew that, and he knew that they knew that, he would let them do something about it? Be there for him? And maybe they should push to learn his past, to get those pains off his chest?

    It hurt to know that the one they loved was broken inside. But they would help him, in any and every way they could.

    ¡°There it is,¡± Frisk said, panting a little and smiling at him. ¡°The last piece. That¡¯s the strongest I¡¯ve learned how to make the connection.¡±

    He laughed a little at that, then pulled them down into a tight hug. It didn¡¯t really let them move, so he started to thrust into them. They hugged him back and trembled as they silently promised him they would help.

    ¡°thank you,¡± he said into their ear.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to lose you,¡± they said, fear touching their voice.

    They would succeed eventually, but they¡­ it was maybe dumb, but they wanted this Sans to remember. They were really quite done with him forgetting. They felt bad enough about the first Sans forgetting, at the end of that beautiful loop, at the beautiful moment they¡¯d shared. They didn¡¯t want him to forget.

    He summoned a blaster, and they looked at it fondly, giggling. He was honestly going to try, and he didn''t seem angry at all. And also, being killed by him was ridiculously hot.

    ¡°i¡¯m not going anywhere,¡± he said. ¡°c¡¯mon, i¡¯ve got an insane time traveller to kill. let¡¯s do this.¡±

    He really¡­ he really was okay with this? He was making jokes about it and seemed amused by the situation. A surge of happy feelings flooded them at the feeling of¡­ rightness. That everything was coming into place, that all that they were was accepted, that everything was okay.

    They laughed and fell to him again, kissing at his face. Tears of joy filled their eyes as they beamed at him. He had really accepted this, and didn¡¯t seem angry as he prepared to kill them, still filling them with pleasure with each thrust.

    Best to be absolutely prepared, of course.

    They grabbed a slice of pie and then, on consuming it, started taking over his pleasure again. They let him fill them and phase into their soul, loving the richness of the sensation as he groaned and started taking them with increasing vigor.

    ¡°I¡¯ll let you cum, now, whenever you¡¯re ready,¡± they said.

    They suppressed a snicker at feeling his cock twitch at that. Poor thing was ready to cum, wasn¡¯t it? They had no idea what that felt like, did they?

    Turnabout was fair play, and they had no regrets.

    They were glad to see that he was resisting, though, and allowing the pleasure to build up more. Yes, they¡¯d learned how to edge him to the point that he¡¯d order them to let him cum - which was always fun - but it was good to see things progress more naturally.

    It felt really natural, actually. They could feel him letting himself go, and the connection actually strengthened a little more. They certainly weren¡¯t to be outdone. They focused on the sensation, giving him everything they possibly could. They remembered how it had felt before, as he¡¯d taken all that they could give, and they tried to match it once more.

    And in the end, as they came together, one setting the other off - the pleasure was just as impossibly intense as before. As overwhelming and absolute, as it ended with the pure and wonderful sensation of burning within his magic, and their very life flowing into him.

    And when the flicker of the void passed, and they gazed down at him, they saw his grin.

    He remembered.

    But their body was, uh, a little insanely teased, wow, it¡¯d been a while since they¡¯d been this horny¡­

    And his cock was right there.

    Pleasure exploded in their veins again as they fell upon him, their poor, tormented body instantly cumming once more. He thrust into them, expanding and extending the pleasure. The flush of success ran through them, so heady that they very nearly blacked out from the combination.

    It was working.

    Everything was going to be okay.

    But there was no harm in being thorough, was there? Especially when thoroughness meant being killed by him in the midst of one incredibly intense orgasm, only to be thrown immediately into another?

    That seemed like a very compelling situation.

    Sans accused them of being addicted to that level of pleasure, which¡­ was probably true¡­ but it was definitely a desire for thoroughness that was motivating them, absolutely, no question. They insisted, and while Frisk wasn¡¯t quite sure either of the two believed them, it didn¡¯t matter.

    Because Sans went along with it.

    Again and again, they did everything. Edging him to distraction, to make him forge the connection at full strength. Feeling his oversized cock driving into them, tearing into them, phasing into their soul. By the second loop, they¡¯d both started doing that right from the start, even while Frisk was¡­ distracted¡­ by their initial orgasm. Being killed at the height of everything, and feeling that bizarre blending of souls that kept happening when all those pieces were in place, that resulted in such overwhelmingly intense pleasure.

    Only five loops of that, before Sans suggested trying something different. Hmph. Rookie numbers. Still, it was so good, and still overwhelming that he remembered.

    Sans made the very reasonable point that they should try doing less until they tried just a regular reset. It was an unpleasantly good point.

    The first treasure they lost, in the next loop, was the magical connection. Still, they had his cock buried beyond physical limits and were still killed by him in the end, so they honestly had no room to complain. It wasn¡¯t like they¡¯d forget what they¡¯d seen of his soul, anyway.

    Fear, loss, uncertainty, guilt of a completely different flavor than their own, self-loathing, cynicism, tentative hope, optimism and fear of optimism - they¡¯d gotten a good look at his soul, in the¡­ eh, probably close to a hundred loops they¡¯d had.

    They did confess their disappointment about no longer feeling the connection, and he laughed sadly - they figured he felt the same, but didn¡¯t want to say it.

    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    The next loop, with a clearly begruging expression, he didn¡¯t make his cock oversized anymore. It just filled them to their limits and didn¡¯t hurt even a little. They¡¯d gotten spoiled, clearly. Still¡­ still, even without driving into their soul directly, they could feel it all - the magic, death, lust, pleasure, and feeling of inevitability that it carried, as he thrust within them.

    They still had no problems whatsoever cumming on his cock, especially with that blaster primed to kill them right as Sans finished.

    Though they were a little more mentally present when experiencing the death this time. It still¡­ hurt, technically, but it felt incredibly good. But it was like they¡¯d imagined - they looped too quickly for any true satisfaction. Good thing the start of the loop had them extremely ready to orgasm and positioned to do so right away. That¡¯d be awful, otherwise.

    The idea of it, starting to cum and feeling the pleasure and having it taken away and just squirming desperately¡­ mmm, that was so terrible, they shouldn¡¯t think about that¡­

    They¡¯d at last reached the final loop of this plan - they were going to have relatively ordinary sex, all told, because it was kind of hard not to, after the way the loop started. Then Frisk would just¡­ reload.

    He¡¯d said that¡¯s what they were going to do, so of course, that¡¯s how things would go. They did sigh a little, though, which made him laugh.

    At least he¡¯d decided to take advantage of more mental space to think, as he used the chance to take them in a variety of positions. They didn¡¯t quite know how to move right in some of them, but Sans was clearly enjoying himself anyway, which meant they were, too. His ability to teleport was really quite convenient for repositioning.

    When he came inside them this time - still waiting for their orgasm first, like the gentleman he was - it was so¡­ well, ordinary, by comparison. But it was still so nice and sweet. In some ways, it was better than the orgasms that were so intense that they lost their sense of self, because this allowed Frisk to both cum and appreciate the fact that it was Sans they were with. Not just any Sans, but the Sans who would always, always remember.

    Sans let himself fall to his back, pulling Frisk onto his chest and grabbing blankets as well. He sighed happily.

    But they weren¡¯t sure¡­ weren¡¯t they supposed to reload now?

    ¡°Should I reload right away?¡± Frisk asked.

    ¡°no,¡± Sans said, sounding amused. ¡°let¡¯s take a moment.¡±

    Frisk was having an odd problem as they lay there.

    ¡°It¡¯s so weird, not having you inside me,¡± Frisk said, squirming a little at the empty sensation. ¡°It feels wrong, like I¡¯m incomplete.¡±

    He laughed.

    ¡°it does feel damned good,¡± he said, a pleased rumble in his voice.

    ¡°Yeah, it does,¡± they said dreamily. ¡°All of this has been so wonderful, Sans.¡±

    ¡°it¡¯s been sans-sational,¡± he said with a grin.

    They giggled at that, and it was so nice and also it hurt, but it was good. He didn¡¯t remember making this joke, it was an unintentional repeat, but if this really, actually, worked, that would never happen again. This was the last time they¡¯d ever hear that.

    They did get a kick out of hearing his repeated jokes, and now, they would always be the one in on the jokes. And Sans would hear some of the repeated jokes, such as from Papyrus. He was on their side of the line of memory, now¡­ if it worked.

    And there was something sweet and wonderful that the last ever of the timeline repeat jokes would be him bragging about being good in bed.

    They smiled at him, their heart flooding with joy, and wiped at their eyes.

    ¡°In the first loop, when we finished together, you made the same joke,¡± they said, by way of explanation. ¡°It¡¯s sad you don¡¯t remember that loop¡­ it was a really sweet one.¡±

    He hugged them close.

    ¡°at least we don¡¯t have to worry about that anymore,¡± he said.

    ¡°But what if it doesn¡¯t work¡­?¡± they said, voicing their fear.

    ¡°why wouldn¡¯t it?¡± he asked. ¡°the only thing we did last loop was me killing you, without any of the magic connection stuff. i¡¯m pretty damned confident that it was permanent from the first time you pissed me off and i remembered.¡±

    They winced at that. They felt guilty that they¡¯d intentionally said something awful like that¡­ they hadn¡¯t expected him to remember¡­

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for pissing you off,¡± they mumbled.

    ¡°can¡¯t argue with the results,¡± he said with a shrug. ¡°couldn¡¯t even get on your case about it, from how happy and then¡­ uh¡­ determined you were about the memory thing.¡±

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s good,¡± they said awkwardly, their feeling of guilt worsening, since they hadn¡¯t actually done it for pragmatic reasons. ¡°I won¡¯t do that again, though. I really shouldn¡¯t have in the first place¡­¡±

    ¡°but it worked, cut yourself some slack,¡± he said.

    They squirmed uncomfortably as guilt raked at them. They didn¡¯t want to tell him the truth, but they couldn¡¯t just¡­ and to hide something from Sans on purpose, something like this? When he¡¯d said he didn¡¯t want them to hide things? They didn¡¯t want to be that, to be someone who would hide things from him, even if they really didn¡¯t want to say anything.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hide anything from you,¡± they said in a small voice.

    ¡°oh?¡± he asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to confess, but I¡­¡± they said, their voice trembling as they tried to do the right thing.

    ¡°tell me,¡± he said with a small smile.

    Their breath came easier. It didn¡¯t matter that they felt uncertain and torn. He¡¯d given them an order, and thus, they would speak.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think it would work,¡± they admitted, swallowing. ¡°It¡¯s just that I¡¯d gotten off to the idea of you killing me before, and I -¡±

    ¡°wait, before today, you¡¯d gotten off to the idea of me killing you?¡± he asked - fortunately sounding amused, not horrified.

    A surge of feelings overran them and they just squeaked, burying their face into his chest - or, at least, the blankets there - as they made themself nod. He didn¡¯t sound horrified, it was okay, right? It¡¯d be okay?

    ¡°no wonder you were hesitant to tell me the extent of your masochism,¡± he said and they nodded again. ¡°anyway, you were saying?¡±

    He didn¡¯t seem upset at all, and like he really was brushing it off. Was¡­ was this really okay? But they had to keep confessing, they had to tell him. He¡¯d probably get angry again, and this time, without horniness to distract him¡­

    They were afraid, but he had asked, and so they would answer.

    ¡°I¡­ I only said it because I believed you wouldn¡¯t remember,¡± they confessed, their face bright red. ¡°There¡¯s no way I would have had the courage otherwise.¡±

    ¡°that¡¯s hilarious,¡± he said, laughing and sounding honestly amused. ¡°so you wanted to live out your fantasy of getting killed by me during sex, used the hope for the memories as an excuse, and said something that you knew was fucked up in order to get what you wanted. you did it with the expectation that it wouldn¡¯t work, so you could have what you wanted consequence free.¡±

    Putting it that way¡­ that is what they¡¯d done. They¡­ how could they have done that¡­ they weren¡¯t thinking it through, but that was¡­ that was¡­

    They felt sick with guilt, with shame, and their eyes welled up with tears

    ¡°Y-yes, Sans,¡± they admitted roughly. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ I wasn¡¯t really thinking, but when you put it that way¡­ god, I can¡¯t believe I¡­¡±

    ¡°hey, it¡¯s alright,¡± he said, squeezing them in another hug. ¡°honest.¡±

    It was alright. He wasn¡¯t mad. He didn¡¯t sound mad. They relaxed a little.

    ¡°one, it worked, so i¡¯m glad you did it,¡± he said, which made sense, soothing them a little more. ¡°two, if i¡¯m right and i¡¯m fully in the loop now, then that situation can¡¯t even come up again.¡±

    It needed to work, it had to be permanent. But he was right, if it was permanent, they couldn¡¯t do it again even if they wanted to.

    ¡°three, i also know what it¡¯s like to be distracted and to fall to temptation,¡± he continued.

    He had a point. Even yesterday, he¡¯d¡­ he had decided it was wrong, decided they shouldn¡¯t do anything, and the way that he looked at them, in their bedroom¡­ he definitely knew what it was to struggle with temptation. Their anxieties eased even more.

    ¡°and four,¡± he said. ¡°i understand you better now. you couldn¡¯t have gotten me to understand the killing you thing then.¡±

    ¡°You understand it now?¡± they asked, surprised, as they finally had the courage to meet his eyes again.

    ¡°probably not completely,¡± he said. ¡°and i sure as hell don¡¯t want it for myself. but i better get that, for an immortal, it¡¯s just an intense experience, not really death. and you¡¯re very into intense experiences.¡±

    Today was just the best day in all of time. They got to have sex with Sans - not just any sex, but mindblowingly great sex. They got to keep Sans - it might really, actually, be truly permanent, which their mind was still stuttering over. They got to feel his soul, to get a sense of who he truly was inside, in ways that were precious beyond all measure. He sort of confessed his love for them, in the way they wanted to be loved. They got to see him blush, which was so adorable they couldn¡¯t handle it. He was understanding them and accepting them in a way that he never had before - how many times, today alone, had he demonstrated a depth of understanding and acceptance of their insanity? The nature of their devotion; their¡­ fetish, eep; the depth of their masochism; and now the triviality of impermanent death?

    They still felt¡­ er¡­ awkward about the thing they¡¯d done, but everything else? They smiled at him, their heart flooded with warmth.

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± they said, sighing happily. ¡°Today has been incredible.¡±

    ¡°yeah,¡± he agreed softly.

    Why did joy hurt sometimes? His agreement with that statement¡­ there were no words, but it was so wonderful that it ripped and tore at them, like their soul was bleeding joy itself.

    With only a single note of sorrow.

    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t really want it to be over,¡± they admitted.

    ¡°when you reload, it¡¯s not like i¡¯m just gonna leave you hanging,¡± he said. ¡°so there¡¯s at least a little more ¡®coming.¡¯¡±

    That pun was the worst, and they giggled, smiling at him fondly.

    Still, did that mean that they¡¯d reload, be together once more, and then¡­

    It¡¯d change how they acted, how they¡¯d feel, if they believed that this reload would be the last time they¡¯d ever feel him inside, the last time they¡¯d ever be able to enjoy this.

    ¡°You¡¯d only committed to the once, to today,¡± they said. ¡°But¡­ I mean, you know I¡¯m up for future things, too. Do you¡­ do you think it¡¯ll only be today?¡±

    He sighed, his smile fading away into uncertainty and thoughtfulness.

    ¡°i¡¯m still too¡­ uh¡­ close to those memories to really think things through,¡± he said. Mmm, they understood that, and grinned at him. ¡°right now, it seems like a great idea to just have you whenever the hell i want.¡±

    He wanted to accept them. When he stopped fighting himself, when he let himself go, he wanted this to be forever. Not just their devotion in general, but this - all the sexuality. Even though he wasn¡¯t all wound up with lust. He wanted this.

    Their grin widened.

    ¡°i dunno what i¡¯ll think when i¡¯ve had a chance to really think, though,¡± he said and they nodded. Sadly fair. ¡°who knows. i may go back to thinking this is all awful and wrong and i shouldn¡¯t do this.¡±

    They snuggled closer to him, feeling his cool presence, warmed by their physical body. Feeling the magic of all this, in more than one way. Remembering the closeness, the intimacy, how precious this all had been.

    ¡°I hope not,¡± they said.

    ¡°same,¡± he said in a low tone.

    A sound of bittersweet joy, of hope and appreciation and love, squeezed from their throat. He wanted them, he wanted this, but if his perspective of them resettled into one where he felt their existence was wrong¡­ then neither of them would have what they wanted.

    ¡°So¡­ so this might be the only time we ever¡­¡± they said, and he nodded sadly. ¡°If that¡¯s the case¡­ and¡­ and right now, neither of us want it to be over¡­ maybe we could¡­ maybe take advantage a little?¡±

    Was it wrong to suggest this? But, Sans wanted this. The two of them already had incredible, wonderful memories, they¡¯d already done so much - was it bad to squeeze in a little more, just in case?

    ¡°what do you have in mind?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Just¡­ just in case you decide not to do this again, maybe we could make sure there¡¯s nothing that we regret not doing,¡± they said, squirming a little, uncertain if they were doing something bad.

    ¡°what is it you wanted to do?¡± he asked with a grin.

    They blushed. There were many things they could say, but one¡­ one thing, above all the rest¡­

    ¡°I¡­ honestly, the main thing, is I really want to feel like you¡¯ve taken me at least once because you want to, not because of the memory thing,¡± they confessed. ¡°I know that that line¡¯s a little blurry anyway, I know you were driven by desire, and I felt, uh, quite a bit of lust. But¡­ but the idea of continuing to have sex with me even after your memories are in place? Where there¡¯s no reason at all, except desire? I¡­ I want that.¡±

    He hugged them close and their heart hurt with joy again.

    ¡°i can do that,¡± he said in a low tone.

    Today was officially the greatest day that had ever existed.

    ¡°What about you?¡± they asked. ¡°Anything you¡¯d want to try?¡±

    His grin slowly widened. That look on his face¡­ mmm¡­ their engines were starting to run again.

    ¡°a few things,¡± he said, chuckling with some heat in his voice. ¡°and some of those things¡­ it¡¯s stuff that i absolutely would need to ask about ahead of time. it¡¯d be incredibly wrong to just do them by surprise. a bit curious about your thoughts on the topic.¡±

    Okay, the answer was just fuck yes, because yes.

    ¡°Do it,¡± they said, gazing at him and trying to tell him with their eyes that they really meant this. ¡°Do it all. Don¡¯t ask, just do what you want to me. Anything you want to me. Just a blanket permission, for all things ever, no matter when or where.¡±

    He laughed.

    ¡°i figured you¡¯d say something like that, but seriously, frisk, there¡¯s gonna be things you actually don¡¯t want me to do,¡± he said.

    Were there? They pushed back their awakening lust and thought. Yeah, actually, there really was a decent list. But the fact is, they couldn¡¯t see him doing any of that. Or at least, not continuing to do it, once he knew they didn¡¯t like it.

    If he did decide to use them after today, there¡¯s lots of things they¡¯d read other people objecting to, but they wouldn¡¯t. Having sex with them while they were sleeping? That sounded like an amazing way to wake up. Spying on them, maybe while they were doing something like masturbating? The only downside would be if he never told them, because that sounded hot, too. Randomly grabbing them and making them do sex acts? Yes, please.

    Surprise kinks of various sorts? Some, eh, really not a fan - but they couldn¡¯t think of anything that he¡¯d do that they¡¯d really be upset by him trying. As long as he stopped once he knew they didn¡¯t like it. Lots of stuff they didn¡¯t want, but nothing they felt they couldn¡¯t handle once, by surprise or otherwise.

    And they remembered the way he¡¯d dismissed the bone when he¡¯d been¡­ deeply confused¡­ and believed he¡¯d hurt them in a bad way. They just couldn¡¯t see him pushing things too far, not for real. He was too perceptive and too invested in their responses.

    ¡°I know you don¡¯t want me to actually suffer,¡± they said and he nodded. ¡°I know you want me to enjoy myself, even if you like it when I¡¯m whining.¡±

    He chuckled a bit at that and they smiled.

    ¡°So I¡¯m fully aware that, if I pretend to enjoy something and you later find out that I was only pretending - or worse, that I was hiding things from you on a longer term basis - it would be way worse than the disappointment that I don¡¯t share whatever random kink it was,¡± they said, and he nodded again.

    They smiled at him warmly. Sure, they were flirting around the subject of really messed up kinks, but¡­ the heart of this was that they loved him, they trusted him, and they knew that he cared about them. That he loved them, too, in his own way. They could trust in that love, trust in him to never take them further than they could handle going.

    ¡°I want to be real with you,¡± they said. ¡°You saw on my face, the embarrassment squashing my lust, with the whole ¡®daddy¡¯ thing. You¡¯ll see how I feel about things. And I trust you. If you see that I¡¯m legitimately not enjoying something, why should I withdraw consent when I know you¡¯d stop anyway?¡±

    He looked thoughtful.

    ¡°And if I think you¡¯re somehow not seeing it on my face, that I¡¯m not enjoying something, I¡¯ll tell you,¡± they said. ¡°But the whole ¡®daddy¡¯ thing was hilarious, the way you used it to mess with me, even though it was so awful and embarrassing. I don¡¯t want to take away tools from you, even tools that I don¡¯t personally directly enjoy. I¡¯d rather trust you with them. So I want you to have blanket consent for everything.¡±

    ¡°you were protesting a little, when i was having fun with my tongue,¡± he said.

    This was absolutely true, and they laughed.

    ¡°i was pretty sure you were protesting the teasing because you wanted to cum, and not what i was actually doing,¡± he said. Why did he sound concerned, when he could read them so perfectly? ¡°but from what you¡¯re saying¡­ it sounds more broad than that. that even if you¡¯re protesting what i¡¯m doing, you want me to trust my own judgement, not necessarily listen to you.¡±

    The images that came to mind from him saying that¡­ oh¡­ their body clenched in delighted anticipation. Oh, they liked where this was going.

    ¡°Yes,¡± they breathed. ¡°Absolutely, completely yes.¡±

    ¡°even if you¡¯re saying no, if i don¡¯t think you actually mean it¡­¡± he said.

    Oh god yes. This was¡­ what he might do to them¡­ and they wouldn¡¯t have to worry about whatever came out of their mouth while he did it, that they might accidentally stop him¡­

    ¡°Yes,¡± they whispered, biting their lip. ¡°If I really mean it, it¡¯ll be clear.¡±

    How intense would it have to be for them to be overwhelmed, to the point where it was too far? Fucking hell, they wanted to find out. And maybe they wouldn¡¯t make it clear enough, maybe they¡¯d just be forced to endure whatever he was doing, and¡­

    They trembled with anticipation.

    ¡°i¡¯m not perfect,¡± he said - maybe not by his standards. ¡°with that kind of¡­ i could easily see myself falling to temptations, pushing you way too hard, going too far.¡±

    Sans falling to temptations to do things to them? To use them in all sorts of ways, to push them harder and harder and¡­

    They gazed at him in raw hunger and squirmed.

    ¡°I want to experience that at least once,¡± they said. ¡°Being pushed too hard, being taken too far. If ever I really can¡¯t handle things, I will tell you. Kinda felt that way a little with the bullshit you pulled with your tongue, not gonna lie.¡±

    He cracked up at that. He was a sadistic bastard, and maybe one day they would make sure he fully knew that, but they were also trying not to laugh.

    ¡°that was fun,¡± he said with a grin. ¡°i¡¯ll never forget the look on your face.¡±

    They harumphed at him, and then they both laughed.

    ¡°i¡¯ll trust you,¡± Sans said, stroking a hand through their hair, the soft touch feeling almost like it was directly on their heart. ¡°i¡¯ll trust that you¡¯ll let me know if ever anything¡¯s actually too much, and otherwise¡­¡±

    Mutual trust, mutual love - of non-standard sorts, maybe, but whatever. But he was accepting it. Accepting them. Once they reloaded, he¡¯d just use them how he wanted, and they¡¯d get to see what he was like when he didn¡¯t hold himself back.

    They couldn¡¯t wait.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad,¡± they said. ¡°Should I go ahead and reload?¡±

    An odd look crossed his face and then he pulled them close. His cheek pressed against theirs, and they felt his breath pass by their ear. The gesture felt¡­ intimate and sweet. Their heart fluttered and they turned slightly to kiss at his cheek, pouring love into the kiss once more.

    ¡°you¡¯ll reload,¡± he said. ¡°and then i¡¯m going to take you because i want to. each time i kill you, it¡¯ll be because i want you to reset, because i want to do it again.¡±

    They¡¯d already said today was the best ever, and it was going to get even better. Their body trembled in his grasp.

    ¡°and i don¡¯t want you to be afraid,¡± he said, stroking their hair again as he spoke, making them smile. ¡°i want you to feel like you can do things, try things, say things. i want you to be you. your real reactions, desires, everything, while i take what i want from you.¡±

    Freedom to just be who they were, to just love him, no matter how deranged or messed up they were. Freedom, to beg, or whine, or resist, or try to take, or touch, or¡­ or anything. They would both just¡­ see each other, unrestrained.

    They wanted to reload right now because fuck yes.

    ¡°i¡¯m going to use you until i¡¯ve had my fill,¡± he murmured and they moaned, god, yes, they were getting everything they wanted. ¡°if you think you can handle that.¡±

    ¡°God, yes, Sans, please,¡± they whispered and he laughed, the sound rich and thick with heat.

    ¡°heh heh heh. welp, it¡¯s that time, isn¡¯t it? let¡¯s do this.¡±

    Frisk shoved at time maybe a little more aggressively than strictly necessary. The black void flickered, and then¡­

 Ch. 19 - Memory (Sans POV)

    The sensation of Frisk riding his dick and cumming so hard they nearly blacked out was certainly distracting, but Sans persevered. It didn¡¯t take long to realize what happened.

    It worked.

    It actually worked.

    He¡­ was honestly almost resentful of that, because really, of all the timelines, it had to be that one? He¡¯d been so angry, so frustrated, so bitter, so convinced of his own end¡­

    ¡­ it was also an extremely pleasurable memory. So there was that. And while he was still a little upset at what they¡¯d done, he couldn¡¯t argue with the results.

    He moved with Frisk, just enjoying this experience while they recovered from their orgasm. Once they seemed to regain the capacity for thought, he spoke.

    ¡°hey frisk,¡± he said with a grin. ¡°your boneheaded idea worked.¡±

    They locked up, staring at him in wide-eyed shock. He continued to thrust into them - it felt really good, after all, and his desire had been completely restored.

    ¡°It¡­ it worked¡­?¡± they asked, dumbfounded. ¡°It really¡­ you remember? You actually¡­ you really remember, Sans?¡±

    ¡°yeah,¡± he said, and a choked sound came from them.

    He meant to poke them about the bullshit they¡¯d pulled, but their reaction silenced him. They fell on him desperately, riding him with consummate skill, kissing at his face with mad intensity, tears falling from their face, which was lit up with wild joy.

    ¡°You remember,¡± they said, their voice almost a sob as they moved on him. ¡°You¡­ you¡¯ll stay, no matter what happens with resets, you¡¯ll always stay, it¡¯ll always be you, Sans. You are forever¡­¡±

    It was kinda hard to stay mad at them about the whole Papyrus bullshit when they were being like this.

    ¡°we don¡¯t know if it worked fully yet,¡± he pointed out, and their expression transformed.

    A surge of honest-to-goodness fear filled him at the blazing determination that took over their face. Their eyes drilled like lasers as they moved on him with a focused will. When they spoke, their voice was resolute, as though their words were commands to the very structure of reality itself.

    ¡°We¡¯ll do it again,¡± they said, moving on him in maddening ways. ¡°You will fill me beyond capacity, and I shall sacrifice to you my soul with each thrust. You will forge the connection, and when you orgasm, you will kill me.¡±

    ¡°i¡­ uh¡­¡± he tried to say, but trailed off.

    He was trying to say that he really didn¡¯t want to kill them, but that look in their eyes was, uh¡­

    ¡°You will,¡± they said, their eyes blazing as though reality itself had dare not argue. ¡°I will not lose you, Sans. We will repeat this trial and we will make sure it works.¡±

    ¡°i was really pissed at you and i dunno if i can just do all that again,¡± he said quickly.

    There was a faint wince that crossed over their face, but it was lost in the raging inferno of will. It didn''t slow down their movements on his dick, either.

    ¡°Do you want me to make you angry again?¡± they asked, their eyes terrifyingly intense. ¡°I expect I can.¡±

    ¡°no,¡± he said immediately.

    Fuck no. He absolutely did not want Frisk to try to piss him off, he didn¡¯t even want to think about what they might do.

    Not that he could actually think when they were moving on him like this.

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll make do without that variable,¡± they said. ¡°Everything else, Sans. You must.¡±

    They closed their eyes, letting him escape the intensity for a moment.

    ¡°I won¡¯t lose you,¡± they said in a low voice.

    Did they want him to remember even more than he did? It really seemed like they might. He was sure he could oppose them if he had to. He was sure he could knock them out of this headspace with a well chosen order.

    But¡­ but maybe just going along with this was best? He did want to remember, and doing it twice wasn''t really any worse than doing it once, right?

    Still. There was one problem that he couldn¡¯t help but be extremely aware of with the way they were moving.

    ¡°one¡­ one issue,¡± he managed, and their eyes opened, their gaze stabbing into him again. ¡°i, uh, was able to resist, uh, finishing things because of how pissed i was¡­ but¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re worried you¡¯re going to cum too soon?¡± they asked with a grin and he nodded.

    They tilted their face up to the ceiling and laughed.

    It was not an especially sane laugh.

    Something about that laugh made his brain catch up to the extremely obvious situation he was in. In a rather important way, it wasn¡¯t Frisk he was with right now.

    The nightmare of world-ending power brought its gaze back to him, burning him with the depths of its insanity. It moved with exquisite mastery on his body and looked at him with an expression of untouchable confidence.

    He¡­ had very mixed feelings about this, but it still felt too damned good to think.

    Also he kinda felt a little extra bad for the genocide route Sans, because holy fuck, Frisk could be terrifying.

    ¡°I have a confession to make, Sans,¡± Frisk said with a throaty tone, still piercing him.

    Uh¡­

    ¡°I may have indulged a little bit today,¡± they said with a soft moan. ¡°I may have dedicated a few¡­ dozen¡­ loops to having a little fun and learning a few little tidbits.¡±

    They laughed as they leaned over him, grinning in a predatory way that, again, gave him some very mixed feelings. Wasn¡¯t he supposed to be the one in charge, here?

    ¡°You handle the magic,¡± they purred, still grinning in a way that was both somehow hot and terrifying. ¡°I will decide when you cum.¡±

    Maybe his life would be easier if he just went along with this?

    Frisk really seemed to have a handle on this whole thing, he could just¡­ let them run the show for a bit, that was fine.

    He had a flash of sympathetic pity and fear for the next Sans if this didn¡¯t work, and Sans didn¡¯t remember. Poor guy. Hopefully he wouldn¡¯t exist in the first place.

    ¡°Now,¡± they said, fixing him with a sharp look. ¡°I need you a little larger to easily draw you into my soul.¡±

    He didn¡¯t think he could just let his dick get to the full instability as before. It had kind of been the result of him breaking from overwhelming¡­ everything. But that probably wasn¡¯t critical. He let his magic flow and swelled within them - tight, but not so much that they couldn¡¯t manage to ride him, if only just. And bottoming out with just a few inches spare, rather than nearly half a foot.

    As they slid down on him, he slid into their soul, immersed in their vitality again. It felt so goddamned good and he felt his control start to slip as he gripped their sides.

    ¡°Now make the connection,¡± they said.

    He tried, but it was hard to let himself go. This was feeling absolutely incredible, but a lot of thoughts were pulling him away.

    ¡°Good,¡± they said. ¡°But you¡¯re thinking too much. Let¡¯s fix that, shall we?¡±

    The grin they gave him was once again not helping him thiiiinnnnkkk¡­ what the hell were they¡­

    He groaned as they moved faster on him, driving him to the brink, there was no way he wouldn¡¯t¡­

    Right as he was about to lose control, their spirit shifted and ejected him. But, he wasn¡¯t just pushed out of the phased-in part of their flesh. It was like a faint barrier was holding him back from the walls of their pussy. And, worse, the faint barrier was slightly numbing.

    It wasn¡¯t really anything they hadn¡¯t already done - they were just pushing the sensation of the very surface of their spirit, as it overlay their skin, to have a numbing and repulsion effect, just like they¡¯d changed the sensation of their spirit when touching his core before. But this was¡­ uh¡­ targetted and refined.

    He realized with a sensation almost like horror that if they did that, he couldn¡¯t cum even if he wanted to.

    Just as he started to pull from the edge, the barrier withdrew and he felt the full pressure of their tight pussy.

    The torment began in earnest. He would slide into their soul, absorbing a measure of their strength, he would be crushed and squeezed by their wet heat, their body moving with exquisite perfection, combined with their body rejecting him and forcibly numbing him so that he couldn¡¯t cum, even when he lost control.

    It wasn¡¯t long before he couldn¡¯t even comprehend trying to be in control.

    They could clearly feel the connection and tried to strengthen it on their side. They moved in rewarding, pleasurable ways when his emotional walls cracked. They were distracting when his walls thickened, a surge of varied sensations that distracted him from any hope of thought. He found himself being dragged into relaxing and letting them feel him, like a goddamned dog being trained.

    The connection did grow quite strong, in the end. Not as strong as it had been in the previous loop, but still potent. And their¡­ insane determination seemed to have settled down, returning the Frisk he knew and loved.

    And as they rode him in a way that was not quite driving him to distraction, letting him soak in the sensation for a moment, he realized something.

    What he felt in them¡­ a sense of stability, of contentment, of a deeply rooted satisfaction¡­ he realized it was their devotion to him that he was seeing. It was a thing of joy, not of constraint. They weren¡¯t his slave, exactly; he was their god, whom they loved and worshipped. That wasn¡¯t quite right, either, but the closest his frazzled mind could come up with.

    They¡¯d been saying all along that this was a good thing, and that it¡¯d become a core part of their soul, and he hadn¡¯t believed them. Hadn¡¯t understood.

    As he gazed up at their sweaty face, at the soft smile they were giving him, he realized that¡­ as messed up as they were¡­ they were okay.

    A last wall in his own heart loosened, feeling that. A mirrored sort of contentment filled him. If they were okay, if this wasn¡¯t wrong, then there was nothing to hold him back, was there?

    ¡°There it is,¡± Frisk said, panting a little and smiling at him. ¡°The last piece. That¡¯s the strongest I¡¯ve learned how to make the connection.¡±

    He laughed a little at that. It hadn¡¯t just been an indulgence - they¡¯d been trying to make him remember with those loops, and while they were obviously having fun doing so¡­

    He reached up and pulled them down by their arms into a tight hug. They squeezed him back and trembled a little.

    ¡°thank you,¡± he said into their ear as he continued to thrust into them, since this position didn¡¯t really let them move.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to lose you,¡± they said with a little whimper in their voice.

    He went ahead and summoned a blaster. They looked at it and giggled, which made their pussy clench in interesting ways.

    ¡°i¡¯m not going anywhere,¡± he said. ¡°c¡¯mon, i¡¯ve got an insane time traveller to kill. let¡¯s do this.¡±

    They laughed again, and fell to kissing at his face, tears filling their smiling eyes. They reached out and grabbed a piece of pie, consuming it quickly. Then they started riding him in earnest again, letting him fill them completely, and he groaned as their strength flowed into him.

    ¡°I¡¯ll let you cum, now, whenever you¡¯re ready,¡± they said.

    After all of the insanely ridiculous nonsense they¡¯d put his poor dick through, it wouldn¡¯t take much.

    Still, he resisted, trying to let the pleasure build up as powerfully as possible. He let himself go, as completely as possible. He gave them everything and felt them give everything in turn.

    And in the end, it turns out that if pleasure is incomprehensibly intense, it¡¯s also hard to compare. Save for the sorrow of that first loop, which had no place in his heart now. So, beyond that, who¡¯s to say which loop ended on a higher note?

    Hardly mattered, since when his desire and stamina were once again restored, he remembered both.

    It was working.

    And damn, was this a good moment to return to.

    It turned out he was pretty persuadable when he had someone sexy riding his dick and repeatedly blowing his mind with levels of pleasure that he¡¯d previously never imagined existed. Who¡¯d have guessed?

    It resulted in another five loops of repeating what they¡¯d done, which Frisk insisted was ¡°being thorough¡± and not ¡°being addicted to that level of pleasure.¡± He had his doubts, but well¡­ he¡¯d been persuaded somehow.

    His mind was reeling in the background, though. Something about actually experiencing this made it real in a way it never had been. He¡¯d known that Frisk¡¯s energy was fully restored with every loop - even mental energy to an extent, as their physical brain was refreshed - but living it was something else.

    He could exhaust himself as much as he wanted, pour out magic to whatever extent he felt like it, and it was all back. He could physically wear himself out by pounding them without any restraint, and went back to being completely fresh. He hadn¡¯t pushed himself at all, save a little magical fatigue, by the time they¡¯d saved. So he had a lot of strength and stamina, of all types, to work with.

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    He could drive himself to his limits, cumming inside of them and feeling absolute, full body satisfaction, and go back to feeling fresh and full of lust, ready to do it all again.

    And he finally, finally understood them about the whole death thing. He finally understood how trivial it was. How a masochist who loved the feeling of his magic inside them would legitimately enjoy that approach to resets. Because it wasn¡¯t death, it really wasn¡¯t - it was just a way to trigger resets that Frisk liked but made others uncomfortable.

    It just meant that both he and Frisk had the power to make time reset. They did it by choosing to; he did it by killing Frisk.

    And as they died again on his dick, as he came inside and blasted them on a few levels, their life pouring through his dick to flood his existence with power, vitality, and mind-breakingly intense pleasure¡­ a part of his mind increasingly grew to accept that this was just how reality was, now. That this pleasure was his, forever, whenever he wanted it.

    Still, he wanted more than just to repeat the same thing forever. Even if it was extremely compelling.

    He told Frisk that they should start backing off, and trying fewer things, to make sure the memories were stable. The first thing he tried was to stop forming the emotional connection, since that hadn¡¯t seemed to really help in the first place. They were disappointed at no longer feeling it - privately, Sans had to admit, he felt the same.

    Then, with a far more begrudging feeling, he stopped making his dick oversized and stopped phasing it into them. They both were really struggling with that one. He really had gotten addicted to the feeling of taking their soul that way.

    It had gotten to the point that he¡¯d begun making it oversized from the instant the loop restarted, and they were so used to whatever weird thing they did to make the phasing thing happen that they could do it even during that first, overwhelming orgasm. Stopping that was legitimately difficult for them both. He just¡­ he didn¡¯t want to.

    It was weird to realize, actually, as they rode his dick in a humanly possible way, with the usual level of sensations of excellent sex, giving him mental space to think a little. He¡¯d objected to them doing that in the first place. He¡¯d gotten mad at them for wanting to do that. Well, frustrated and annoyed, really. And why? Because it could slightly and temporarily hurt an immortal being in a way that could be easily handled by every single remedy they had? When that being was also a masochist?

    Why had he been so bothered by killing them? They were immortal.

    The worst part about killing them now, he thought to himself as he came and blasted them again, was that without either the emotional connection or the phased in dick, their life and pleasure didn¡¯t flood into him. It felt like a waste.

    But their death spasms on his dick felt nice, at least.

    ¡°this time, let¡¯s not do anything special, and then reload without dying,¡± he said, as soon as they regained the ability to think after their initial orgasm.

    They sighed a little at that and he laughed.

    They could just reload now, without him finishing inside, but¡­ well, he didn¡¯t want them to. He started off feeling pretty intense desire, after all, and why not do something about that?

    What with this being kinda regular sex at this point, he had some fun with different positions. He found that they were extremely skilled at riding him, but significantly less so in other positions, though of course they could still shift their defenses in ridiculous ways.

    Things were less intense without that phasing trick, but it was still a good time. Even without the connection, he preferred holding out until they came, because it felt so good to cum together.

    Even if it was just a normal orgasm that stayed contained in his dick, he still groaned with satisfaction. He fell to his back and pulled them to his chest, pulling up the blankets while he was at it. They might want to use the mental break to talk a little.

    ¡°Should I reload right away?¡± Frisk asked.

    ¡°no,¡± Sans said, amused. ¡°let¡¯s take a moment.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s so weird, not having you inside me,¡± Frisk said, squirming a little. ¡°It feels wrong, like I¡¯m incomplete.¡±

    He laughed at that. It''d probably been close to an hour straight of being inside them for him¡­ how long had they been riding him for, in the loops before he remembered?

    ¡°it does feel damned good,¡± he said.

    ¡°Yeah, it does,¡± they said with a dreamy smile. ¡°All of this has been so wonderful, Sans.¡±

    ¡°it¡¯s been sans-sational,¡± he said with a grin.

    They started giggling at that, way harder than the joke deserved, and their eyes watered, almost overflowing. They wiped at their eyes and smiled at him with a surprisingly intense expression of love and appreciation.

    ¡°In the first loop, when we finished together, you made the same joke,¡± they said a moment later. ¡°It¡¯s sad you don¡¯t remember that loop¡­ it was a really sweet one.¡±

    He hugged them close.

    ¡°at least we don¡¯t have to worry about that anymore,¡± he said.

    ¡°But what if it doesn¡¯t work¡­?¡± they said.

    ¡°why wouldn¡¯t it?¡± he asked. ¡°the only thing we did last loop was me killing you, without any of the magic connection stuff. i¡¯m pretty damned confident that it was permanent from the first time you pissed me off and i remembered.¡±

    They winced at that.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for pissing you off,¡± they mumbled.

    ¡°can¡¯t argue with the results,¡± he said with a shrug. ¡°couldn¡¯t even get on your case about it, from how happy and then¡­ uh¡­ determined you were about the memory thing.¡±

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s good,¡± they said, still seeming awkward. ¡°I won¡¯t do that again, though. I really shouldn¡¯t have in the first place¡­¡±

    ¡°but it worked, cut yourself some slack,¡± he said.

    They squirmed uncomfortably.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hide anything from you,¡± they said in a small voice.

    ¡°oh?¡± he asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to confess, but I¡­¡± they said, their voice trembling.

    ¡°tell me,¡± he said with a small smile.

    Whatever it was, they obviously felt like they should tell him. From what he¡¯d observed these last months, especially combined with what he¡¯d seen of their soul - just giving the order would call on that stability and ease their tension. As predicted, their trembling settled, though they were still uncomfortable.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think it would work,¡± they admitted, swallowing. ¡°It¡¯s just that I¡¯d gotten off to the idea of you killing me before, and I -¡±

    ¡°wait, before today, you¡¯d gotten off to the idea of me killing you?¡± he asked, amused.

    They squeaked and nodded, burying their face into the blankets on his chest.

    ¡°no wonder you were hesitant to tell me the extent of your masochism,¡± he said and they nodded. ¡°anyway, you were saying?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I only said it because I believed you wouldn¡¯t remember,¡± they confessed, their face bright red. ¡°There¡¯s no way I would have had the courage otherwise.¡±

    ¡°that¡¯s hilarious,¡± he said with a laugh. The irony was fantastic. ¡°so you wanted to live out your fantasy of getting killed by me during sex, used the hope for the memories as an excuse, and said something that you knew was fucked up in order to get what you wanted. you did it with the expectation that it wouldn¡¯t work, so you could have what you wanted consequence free.¡±

    That got them trembling again, with guilt and shame.

    ¡°Y-yes, Sans,¡± they admitted, sounding like they were on the edge of tears. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ I wasn¡¯t really thinking, but when you put it that way¡­ god, I can¡¯t believe I¡­¡±

    ¡°hey, it¡¯s alright,¡± he said, squeezing them in another hug. ¡°honest. one, it worked, so i¡¯m glad you did it. two, if i¡¯m right and i¡¯m fully in the loop now, then that situation can¡¯t even come up again. three, i also know what it¡¯s like to be distracted and to fall to temptation. and four, i understand you better now. you couldn¡¯t have gotten me to understand the killing you thing then.¡±

    ¡°You understand it now?¡± they asked, glancing up at him.

    ¡°probably not completely,¡± he said. ¡°and i sure as hell don¡¯t want it for myself. but i better get that, for an immortal, it¡¯s just an intense experience, not really death. and you¡¯re very into intense experiences.¡±

    They smiled, still a little sheepish, but with more warmth.

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± they said and sighed happily. ¡°Today has been incredible.¡±

    ¡°yeah,¡± he agreed softly.

    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t really want it to be over,¡± they admitted.

    Sans didn¡¯t either. The memory alone¡­

    ¡°when you reload, it¡¯s not like i¡¯m just gonna leave you hanging,¡± he said. ¡°so there¡¯s at least a little more ¡®coming.¡¯¡±

    They giggled.

    ¡°You¡¯d only committed to the once, to today,¡± they said. ¡°But¡­ I mean, you know I¡¯m up for future things, too. Do you¡­ do you think it¡¯ll only be today?¡±

    He sighed. Even now, even fully sated - okay, it¡¯d been a few minutes and those memories were really compelling, so maybe not fully sated anymore - he didn¡¯t want to turn away from this. He wanted to have Frisk, sexually and otherwise. He wanted to fully accept them and just have this be his life. Sans, with his pet world-ending immortal who gave the best blowjobs, among other things.

    But he also knew that he was still kinda in the moment and he had a lot to think about. There were reasons he¡¯d been opposed to all this, and the fact that he couldn¡¯t really remember those reasons was not a good sign that he was properly thinking things through.

    ¡°i¡¯m still too¡­ uh¡­ close to those memories to really think things through,¡± he said and they grinned at him. ¡°right now, it seems like a great idea to just have you whenever the hell i want.¡±

    Their grin widened.

    ¡°i dunno what i¡¯ll think when i¡¯ve had a chance to really think, though,¡± he said and they nodded. ¡°who knows. i may go back to thinking this is all awful and wrong and i shouldn¡¯t do this.¡±

    ¡°I hope not,¡± they said, snuggling closer.

    ¡°same,¡± he admitted, and they let out a happy noise.

    ¡°So¡­ so this might be the only time we ever¡­¡± they said, and he nodded sadly.

    He really, really hoped that he¡¯d conclude that this was good, because he never wanted to let them go. But he couldn¡¯t think clearly, not with those memories burning in his mind, not with Frisk beside him, not with the knowledge that with a single little summon and release of magic, they¡¯d be cumming on his dick again, with all his desire restored¡­

    He wouldn¡¯t even have to say a word to make it happen.

    He started to get hard again and he knew it wouldn¡¯t be long before he had them reset.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case,¡± they said, ¡°And¡­ and right now, neither of us want it to be over¡­ maybe we could¡­ maybe take advantage a little?¡±

    ¡°what do you have in mind?¡± he asked.

    The not-horny him would probably be disapproving, but that Sans wasn¡¯t around, so too bad.

    ¡°Just¡­ just in case you decide not to do this again, maybe we could make sure there¡¯s nothing that we regret not doing,¡± they said, squirming a little.

    ¡°what is it you wanted to do?¡± he asked with a grin.

    They blushed.

    ¡°I¡­ honestly, the main thing, is I really want to feel like you¡¯ve taken me at least once because you want to, not because of the memory thing,¡± they said. ¡°I know that that line¡¯s a little blurry anyway, I know you were driven by desire, and I felt, uh, quite a bit of lust. But¡­ but the idea of continuing to have sex with me even after your memories are in place? Where there¡¯s no reason at all, except desire? I¡­ I want that.¡±

    With infinite options on the table, they wanted to be wanted. And he could read between the lines - they wanted intimacy and closeness with him. Damn these warm fuzzies.

    He hugged them close again.

    ¡°i can do that,¡± he said in a low tone.

    ¡°What about you?¡± they asked. ¡°Anything you¡¯d want to try?¡±

    A number of fun ideas ran through his head and his grin slowly widened.

    ¡°a few things,¡± he said and chuckled a little. ¡°and some of those things¡­ it¡¯s stuff that i absolutely would need to ask about ahead of time. it¡¯d be incredibly wrong to just do them by surprise. a bit curious about your thoughts on the topic.¡±

    ¡°Do it,¡± they said, their eyes burning bright. ¡°Do it all. Don¡¯t ask, just do what you want to me. Anything you want to me. Just a blanket permission, for all things ever, no matter when or where.¡±

    He laughed.

    ¡°i figured you¡¯d say something like that, but seriously, frisk, there¡¯s gonna be things you actually don¡¯t want me to do,¡± he said.

    They looked thoughtful.

    ¡°I know you don¡¯t want me to actually suffer,¡± they said and he nodded. ¡°I know you want me to enjoy myself, even if you like it when I¡¯m whining.¡±

    He chuckled a bit at that.

    ¡°So I¡¯m fully aware that, if I pretend to enjoy something and you later find out that I was only pretending - or worse, that I was hiding things from you on a longer term basis - it would be way worse than the disappointment that I don¡¯t share whatever random kink it was,¡± they said, and he nodded again.

    The look they gave him now was oddly fond and loving, considering the explicitly sexual nature of the topic.

    ¡°I want to be real with you,¡± they said. ¡°You saw on my face, the embarrassment squashing my lust, with the whole ¡®daddy¡¯ thing. You¡¯ll see how I feel about things. And I trust you. If you see that I¡¯m legitimately not enjoying something, why should I withdraw consent when I know you¡¯d stop anyway?¡±

    That was a backwards way of looking at it, but he had to admit they had a point.

    ¡°And if I think you¡¯re somehow not seeing it on my face, that I¡¯m not enjoying something, I¡¯ll tell you,¡± they said. ¡°But the whole ¡®daddy¡¯ thing was hilarious, the way you used it to mess with me, even though it was so awful and embarrassing. I don¡¯t want to take away tools from you, even tools that I don¡¯t personally directly enjoy. I¡¯d rather trust you with them. So I want you to have blanket consent for everything.¡±

    ¡°you were protesting a little, when i was having fun with my tongue,¡± he said and they laughed. ¡°i was pretty sure you were protesting the teasing because you wanted to cum, and not what i was actually doing. but from what you¡¯re saying¡­ it sounds more broad than that. that even if you¡¯re protesting what i¡¯m doing, you want me to trust my own judgement, not necessarily listen to you.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± they said, squirming a little. ¡°Absolutely, completely yes.¡±

    ¡°even if you¡¯re saying no, if i don¡¯t think you actually mean it¡­¡± he said.

    ¡°Yes,¡± they whispered, biting their lip. ¡°If I really mean it, it¡¯ll be clear.¡±

    ¡°i¡¯m not perfect,¡± he said - understatement of a lifetime, that. ¡°with that kind of¡­ i could easily see myself falling to temptations, pushing you way too hard, going too far.¡±

    Their eyes shone and they squirmed.

    ¡°I want to experience that at least once,¡± they said. ¡°Being pushed too hard, being taken too far. If ever I really can¡¯t handle things, I will tell you. Kinda felt that way a little with the bullshit you pulled with your tongue, not gonna lie.¡±

    He cracked up at that and they gave him a grin that was torn with wry amusement and playful accusation.

    ¡°that was fun,¡± he said with a grin. ¡°i¡¯ll never forget the look on your face.¡±

    They harumphed at him, and then they both laughed.

    ¡°i¡¯ll trust you,¡± Sans said, stroking a hand through their hair. ¡°i¡¯ll trust that you¡¯ll let me know if ever anything¡¯s actually too much, and otherwise¡­¡±

    Their eyes were glinting with delight.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad,¡± they said. ¡°Should I go ahead and reload?¡±

    He was feeling like¡­ maybe not quite yet.

    He pulled them close, pressing his face against theirs, cheek to cheek, as though he were about to whisper into their ear. Frisk didn¡¯t have pseudoflesh that could overlap with his, that could share in intimacies the way his kind could. Still, even if the end result wasn¡¯t the same, the gesture pulled forward a lot of the same emotions.

    Apparently, they felt similarly, as they turned and kissed lovingly at his cheek.

    ¡°you¡¯ll reload,¡± he said. ¡°and then i¡¯m going to take you because i want to. each time i kill you, it¡¯ll be because i want you to reset, because i want to do it again.¡±

    They were trembling with desire as he held them.

    So strange, to have gone from being deeply opposed to killing them during sex, to using it as a way to indicate he was ready to reload, and all it¡¯d taken was a half dozen times killing them in the midst of an orgasm so intense the memory still couldn¡¯t be fully touched from how overpowering it was.

    Though maybe that was sufficient reason, come to think of it.

    Eh, he¡¯d think about that later.

    ¡°and i don¡¯t want you to be afraid,¡± he said, stroking their hair again as he spoke. ¡°i want you to feel like you can do things, try things, say things. i want you to be you. your real reactions, desires, everything, while i take what i want from you.¡±

    They were breathing hard now and squirming in a distracting way. He was tempted to take them now, before reloading, but he loved how intensely powerful that first orgasm of theirs was, how much more desperate their need was.

    Come to think of it¡­

    He grinned as he felt them squirm.

    He idly wondered if he could make them rescind that blanket permission. Part of him really wanted to try to find out.

    ¡°i¡¯m going to use you until i¡¯ve had my fill,¡± he murmured and they moaned, their eyes shining with increasingly wild need. ¡°if you think you can handle that.¡±

    ¡°God, yes, Sans, please,¡± they whispered and he couldn¡¯t help but laugh.

    ¡°heh heh heh. welp, it¡¯s that time, isn¡¯t it? let¡¯s do this.¡±

 Ch. 20 - Indulgence (Frisk POV)

    Frisk fell down onto Sans¡¯ cock, instantly ready to cum again¡­ but he wasn¡¯t there.

    Wait, he wasn¡¯t going to¡­

    They shrieked in realization and horror as their body clenched with need so intense they couldn¡¯t think. They¡¯d been having sex with him for hours and hours, and in a perpetual state of pleasure and satisfaction that entire time. To feel this driving need again¡­

    ¡°No, Sans, I¡­ no, please,¡± they stammered uselessly and they heard him laugh as he shoved them forwards, onto their hands and knees.

    He was just taking them in a different position? That was okay, but they needed¡­

    The feeling of death and magic filled them again, but not where it was needed. He¡¯d just thrust himself into their ass without warning and the hell and¡­

    A mortified sound came out of them, a shriek blended with an accursed moan, this shouldn¡¯t be so hot, but damn it, they couldn¡¯t¡­

    He groaned in pleasure and thrust again¡­ and damn them to hell, this felt good. It shouldn¡¯t, this was so wrong, and dirty, and just¡­

    ¡°No, no, no, no, no,¡± they moaned, and it felt good to protest this, to hear him laugh again as he moved even faster. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­ god¡­ I can¡¯t cum from this, I can¡¯t¡­¡±

    They had no choice. Sans felt too good, too intense, even though it was their ass and not their pussy, it was too much for their body in this state. They fell, screaming, over the edge. Their body convulsed on him in ways they¡¯d never felt, and they let the pleasure consume them, for that was his will.

    They felt him cum just as their orgasm began to fade, followed by the exquisite, searing perfection of his blaster¡¯s strike.

    They tried to drive themself down onto his cock again, but this time, his magic took them and wrenched them to the side. He rolled on top, a malicious grin on his face as he pinned them down. Not true malice, really, but a mischievous glee that both thrilled and mildly terrified them.

    He pulled their legs up, so their knees were at their shoulders, and then forced himself into their ass again.

    This time, he was larger, and it was too much. It hurt, stretching them too far, and they moaned with the blend of pleasure and pain. It was too good, it shouldn¡¯t feel this good to hurt like this, especially that part of them, and he could see it on their face, he could see how much they were enjoying this, god¡­

    Waves of pleasure, of embarrassment, of horror and mortification flowed through them with each of his terrible, wonderful, cruel thrusts. He moved slowly within them, so their body remained desperately at the edge, but they needed to cum, they had to, they couldn¡¯t exist like this¡­

    ¡°heh heh heh,¡± he said. ¡°you like this, don¡¯t you? you like cumming from me taking your ass.¡±

    No, no, no, no, no, they didn¡¯t like this, they definitely didn¡¯t, they couldn¡¯t possibly like cumming from this¡­ this was too embarassing¡­ but they needed to cum so badly¡­

    ¡°I¡­ I need¡­ oh, god, Sans¡­ I can¡¯t¡­¡± they said, moaning, trembling, lost.

    ¡°answer me,¡± he said and the force of his command tore through them.

    No, no, no, he gave them an order, they had to answer, they had to, this wasn¡¯t a choice, but this was¡­ no, it was too embarrassing, they couldn¡¯t, they couldn¡¯t, they¡­ but it felt so good¡­

    They just needed to cum¡­ but they had to answer¡­ but they couldn¡¯t¡­ but¡­

    ¡°It¡¯s so wrong¡­¡± they moaned. ¡°But I want to cum so badly, Sans, please, I need¡­ I need¡­¡±

    ¡°that¡¯s not an answer,¡± he said, sounding amused.

    He stopped thrusting into them and reached up, pinching their nipple. They should cum from that instead, it was embarrassing, too, but not nearly as bad¡­ but it wasn¡¯t quite enough, it hurt a little, but it was too gentle and he wasn¡¯t moving within them and they were going to lose their goddamned mind¡­ they couldn¡¯t think, they just needed to cum¡­

    ¡°tell me how it feels,¡± he ordered.

    Slowly¡­ cruelly slow, he began to thrust into them again. It felt good, better than it should, they could cum from this if he moved a little more¡­ but they couldn¡¯t, it felt so wrong, they just couldn¡¯t cum from this, not again¡­

    ¡°Please, god, please, Sans, I can¡¯t¡­¡± they gasped, writhing under him.

    With a flash of magic, a small bone appeared in his hand. He scraped it along their chest lightly, the corrosive magic burning faintly at them. It almost sent them over the edge and they shrieked¡­ it felt so good¡­

    ¡°you¡¯re not listening,¡± he said, grinning cruelly at them. ¡°maybe i shouldn¡¯t let you cum.¡±

    No, no, no¡­

    ¡°No, no, no, no, no¡­¡± they whimpered, gripping his arms tightly, but they couldn¡¯t look at him, they couldn¡¯t face this¡­

    But he was right, they were being bad, they hadn¡¯t been answering, but they couldn¡¯t think, damn it¡­

    ¡°God¡­ Sans, it feels good, it¡¯s so wrong, but that¡¯s hot, and it feels better than it should, it shouldn¡¯t feel this good,¡± they gasped out desperately. ¡°I want to cum¡­ please, please, please, make me cum¡­¡±

    ¡°tell me,¡± he said, his tone wickedly amused. ¡°do you want me to make you cum from taking your ass?¡±

    No, no, no, but¡­ but also¡­ fuck¡­

    This was too embarassing, they couldn¡¯t handle this, they couldn¡¯t breathe¡­

    But they had to tell him the truth, even if they didn¡¯t want to face it.

    ¡°Yes¡­ yes, please,¡± they whimpered.

    ¡°please what?¡± he asked with a dark laugh.

    As he asked, he thrust into them harshly, and they almost¡­ it was so good, they couldn¡¯t¡­

    ¡°you¡¯ll need to be specific,¡± he said, his eyes glinting with malicious, evil, twisted amusement, the evil bastard.

    He was really going to make them say it. With his cock buried in their ass, feeling him like that, thick and hard and achingly powerful with magic, in a place where nothing was supposed to be¡­ they¡¯d thought about anal stuff before, but hadn¡¯t¡­ this felt so wrong¡­

    But it felt good and they needed to cum so badly¡­

    It all poured out of them in a scream - their embarrassment, their need, the pleasure, the sheer, overwhelming desperation.

    And they could see how much he enjoyed the sound of it.

    Their resistance broke.

    ¡°God, Sans, I can¡¯t¡­¡± they gasped. ¡°Yes! Yes, okay, yes, please, please, please, Sans, please make me cum like this, make me cum from my¡­ my¡­ god¡­ from taking my ass¡­¡±

    He laughed again and he thrust into them hard. And didn¡¯t stop. Like in the last loop, but this time forcibly made to be fully aware of it, they felt their ass spasm in a bizarre orgasm that ripped through the rest of their body. They¡¯d been tormented too much and they screamed again as they came.

    He met their eyes as they came, soaking in their mortification and pleasure and then groaned as he let himself cum inside of them. Their orgasm was only just beginning to fade when a blaster appeared, killing them exquisitely, and leaving them trembling on the edge again.

    No, he couldn¡¯t do that to them again, they needed to cum properly, to enjoy it fully. They pulled themself down onto his cock as fast and as hard as they could, making him laugh as they came again.

    It felt so good to just cum on his cock, the way they¡¯d grown horribly addicted to in the hours they¡¯d been looping on him. He even accommodated them, proving he wasn¡¯t completely the most evil monster ever, letting his cock grow oversized again so they could draw it into their soul, creating the overwhelming pleasure that they so loved. He took them hard and it wasn¡¯t long before he came, as well, ending that fantastic loop on another high note of the pleasure of death at his touch, of their life pouring into him.

    Though maybe he really was the most evil monster ever, as that was the kindest loop they experienced for a while. The next several loops, he didn¡¯t let them have his cock within them at all, and tormented them horribly with having them perform more oral sex. Which, okay, was actually also great.

    He¡¯d been curious if they could still get off to sucking him off, and while they might have preferred to find out when their body hadn¡¯t been horribly tormented for a full day without relief, it was still a lot of fun. And they were, in fact, able to cum from feeling his orgasm burning within their soul, as before.

    Of course, he killed them when he came, so they only had the first few seconds of an orgasm before they were back to trembling on the edge again. It was so cruel they could cry, but¡­ they didn¡¯t even want to admit to themself how hot it was, like he¡¯d somehow see it and be encouraged, the evil bastard.

    The look on his face, he knew damn well what he¡¯d done to them, and seemed to drink in their whimpers of need, their desperation. It was hopeless and they had no escape, but¡­ they didn¡¯t want to escape, either, even as they wailed in their mind.

    The torment escalated further. He used his tongue on them again, but this time, let it bury itself fully within them. And yet, as good as that felt¡­ and holy fuck, it felt good¡­ it wasn¡¯t enough for him. He didn¡¯t let them cum. They¡¯d learned that he would reward them for cracking, for begging, and it wasn¡¯t long before they begged him to let them cum.

    And then he was the cruelest creature to ever exist, because he told them there was something he wanted to do, and asked them if they¡¯d rather cum, or rather him do what he wanted. They¡¯d screamed at that, and had brokenly told him that he could do as he willed with them, and he resumed tormenting them, ignoring their desperate sounds, their pleas for mercy.

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    Apparently they could be edged so intensely that they cried. Only then did he let them cum, and they did briefly black out from it.

    They came to with the feeling of him thrusting into them again and he simply took them for a time, then let them cum once more before he spoke. He asked them if he¡¯d pushed them too hard, asked them if they were still okay.

    That was a very hard question to answer and they hesitated, but they had to tell him the truth, and¡­ and as much as it was really too much in some ways, they¡­ god, it was hot beyond imagination, they couldn¡¯t actually object, not really. Even if they really wanted to. But they didn¡¯t actually want him to stop.

    They had to confess that it wasn¡¯t actually too much, fear and lust warring in their heart as they said it. Would he somehow get even more cruel? They feared it, they desired it, they¡¯d just lost their goddamned mind.

    The sadistic pleasure in his eyes as they confessed made both the fear and lust overwhelming, and they were helpless before him. But they also knew they could trust him, and as soon as they made it explicit that it was too far, he would stop. So, the fear couldn¡¯t really get a true grasp on them - they feared themself, their own refusal to admit defeat, not Sans.

    Though maybe they should fear Sans¡­  he was proving imaginative in his torments.

    After that loop, they were subjected to multiple loops of him experimenting with edging them. Bound by his magic, they were actually helpless, rather than the feigned helplessness they¡¯d been getting off to before. It was as hot as they¡¯d imagined, but also that edge of pseudo-fear flooded them, which ramped up the intensity of it all. He used his magic freely, teleporting to different positions, using hands, tongue, and his cock at his whims, or various summons, bringing the pie to their mouth if ever their body started to go grey.

    A few times he slipped up and they did cum, but he killed them instantly, and then told them in this smarmy tone that he couldn¡¯t possibly let them be rewarded for his failure at edging them, could he?

    So many loops of edging torment, they were going to lose their mind.

    They begged him to cum, with true desperation of a sort they¡¯d only just discovered, a new level at which their will had been broken. The look on his face had been¡­ if they hadn¡¯t already broken into his service, that look, combined with their desperation, might have done it.

    He¡¯d confirmed, so gently that the softness almost seemed mocking, that they wanted to cum. That¡¯s what he should focus on for a time. They agreed, almost missing the cruel edge to the question, but not seeing how this could really backfire.

    He took them and they came together, then he killed them to reset. He instantly took them again in the way they¡¯d been accustomed.

    The orgasm took them within a bare second¡­ and just as it reached its peak, a lash of burning magic flooded them, enhancing the orgasm even as it ended it.

    Before they had time to mentally recover, they felt him inside once more, pushing their trembling body over the edge.

    And again, just as their orgasm reached its peak, another delicious surge of magic enhanced and ended it.

    They would have thought ¡°oh no¡± if they¡¯d been capable of thought.

    Instead, there was only pleasure. Each loop lasted bare seconds, keeping them continually in the highest peak of pleasure from their orgasm.

    Human minds were not built for this. Their mind was buckling beneath the pleasure, in much the same way that it had once buckled beneath the pain of his attacks. It twisted and warped from the intensity.

    While they couldn¡¯t count, it had to be around the tenth loop before they managed to protest. Maybe around the twentieth loop before they managed to squeeze out how they couldn¡¯t think. By the thirtieth or fortieth loop, they¡¯d lost their mind and were begging for mercy, for a chance to breathe, to think, to have a sense of self again. They weren¡¯t sure they were fully coherent, but he seemed to get the idea as he finally, finally let the loop extend.

    Long enough for him to cum before he killed them and tried something new, anyway.

    More and more loops passed, dozens at least, as he came up with new ideas and subjected Frisk to them. Several times, a part of Frisk was given reason to remember that they did have the option of telling him it was actually too far¡­ but it really wasn¡¯t. A few times, he¡¯d tried something that just didn¡¯t work for Frisk, and without a word from either of them, he¡¯d shift into a different approach. He was watching, and as distracted as he obviously was from the fun of it all, he did care and was paying close attention.

    He did skirt that line maybe a little too closely, but still.

    He did come up with one idea that particularly thrilled them. Not only had he accepted the killing and the phasing trick, but he actually wanted to expand on it. He suggested they try to enhance it, to pour their life into him more quickly. He told them that it was actually fully revitalizing for him - it restored him and his magic like food and sleep did.

    It was weirdly relieving to do something not directly sexual for a little bit, to give their brain a chance to recover from the intensity. Even though they were actively having sex while they tried to figure it out, at least they weren¡¯t being edged into madness, or embarrassed beyond all hope of sanity, or forced to endlessly orgasm, or experimented on to find out exactly how much pain it took to get them off without other stimulus, or¡­

    Anyway, so it was nice.

    They were successful, and fairly quickly. It was nice. They simply had to increase the feeling of wanting to sacrifice all that they were to him, to be consumed by him, and it became real. They found, over the course of a few dozen loops, that they could pour their entire life into him in the course of just a few seconds, which he¡¯d said felt absolutely incredible. Not really in a sexual way, but when it happened through his cock, apparently it was something else.

    The two of them also figured out that, while he couldn¡¯t enhance the flow, he could slow it down. As such, they¡¯d decided to keep the flow at a high rate, and thus, give Sans control of what rate to consume their life.

    It wasn¡¯t only Sans that had ideas, though they weren¡¯t nearly as imaginative. The big one was that they wanted to redo something they¡¯d tried in some of their earlier loops, when they were learning how to please him, how to strengthen the connection between them.

    Fortunately, he went along with it, even though they were keeping their plan a secret. The uncertainty on his face as he agreed made them giggle. Yeah, they couldn¡¯t imagine why he might be a little wary of giving them free rein. And it was a little bit of payback.

    It was so hot edging him until he cracked and ordered them to let him cum.

    So many loops came and went¡­ more, they suspected, than they¡¯d died against him on that first endless day. But neither of them were counting. There was only pleasure, desire, satisfaction, and eternal readiness to continue. Soul connections built time and again, reaffirming the intimate understanding they had grown. And, at least it seemed to Frisk, an increasing tenderness of care between them, a depth of trust and love that grew within this moment of infinite bliss.

    How they loved him, and strangely, how much that love could grow. They¡¯d already been his in every way a person could be, and yet, somehow, it became more.

    A loop came like so many others, and he let them cum, taking them sweetly through the wave of pleasure. When it came down, he spoke.

    ¡°hey frisk,¡± he said, his tone gentle, not darkly amused as it had mostly been.

    He was taking them more tenderly than he usually did. It was slow, soft, and satisfying.

    ¡°Mmm?¡± they hummed, too thick with contentment to really manage words.

    ¡°c¡¯mere,¡± he said, pulling them down onto his chest. ¡°this has been incredible.¡±

    That¡­ that sounded like a goodbye. That he was getting ready to end this.

    But¡­ this was such perfection¡­ they refocused their movements, burning this moment into their minds. They didn¡¯t want to let it go. A sad sound slipped from them as they nuzzled their face into his collarbone, the soft pressure of his core an odd contrast to the rigidity of the bone.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want it to end,¡± they confessed in a whimper.

    Eternity, in this moment. To never leave, to never have tomorrow, to just loop endlessly, caught in an infinite cycle of pleasure. Of joy. Of connection. Of this. Would that be so bad?

    Part of them knew it would be, but other parts¡­

    He gently pushed them to the side, rolling them onto their back. He moved with them, continuing to thrust inside with aching slowness, his movements and face equally soft. He moved within their body, within their soul, and he even made the life draining effect softer.

    Guess he didn¡¯t want them distracted by pie.

    ¡°i¡¯ve been having a lot of fun with you,¡± he said. ¡°but this time isn¡¯t about that.¡±

    This time? This loop, presumably? It wasn¡¯t about having fun, about enjoying himself? He reached up a hand and softly ran it down their cheek.

    It clicked. He wasn¡¯t fucking them for fun, he was making love to them, as his goodbye to this moment. They smiled, a wild flurry of emotions ripping through their heart, and they closed their eyes, taking it in.

    ¡°i don¡¯t say things to you, and i should,¡± he said, his thrusts still sweet and slow. ¡°i didn¡¯t think so before, but i was wrong. maybe i¡¯ll go back to thinking that way again, so i wanted to say this now.¡±

    They hadn¡¯t really been using their brain much recently, and this was making them wake up, in a sense. He was saying he¡¯d been wrong about hiding things from them, thought he might do it again. Warmth surged, blending sweetly with his tender movements.

    ¡°thank you,¡± he said, his voice thick with emotion in ways that made their heart tremble. ¡°even if i¡¯m an idiot later who doesn¡¯t say it. don¡¯t ever think that i don¡¯t appreciate you.¡±

    ¡°Sans¡­¡± they murmured, their heart full to bursting.

    Love, joy, aching tenderness¡­ ah, their heart couldn¡¯t take this! They smiled at him and hoped he could see it all in their eyes.

    ¡°don¡¯t let me convince you that i don¡¯t need someone close to my heart,¡± he said. ¡°don¡¯t let me convince myself, either.¡±

    They¡¯d thought they¡¯d known perfect fulfillment before, but it seemed there was still room in their soul for more pieces to click into place.

    They wouldn¡¯t forget this. They would remember, if he ever tried to push them away, that deep down, he needed this. The closeness, the connection, the love.

    How they loved him¡­

    And while they¡¯d said it to him, they¡¯d never quite said it right.

    ¡°I love you, Sans,¡± they said, letting everything out into their voice.

    A flash of pain crossed his face and they embraced him, embraced the feeling of him against their chest, the feeling of him thrusting gently within them.

    He fell onto them, embracing them back, and their heart sang.

    They felt more, though. Maybe it was from the soul connections that whispered between them, or the glimpse of his face before he fell onto them, or maybe a tremble running through his body. They weren¡¯t sure, and yet, they knew.

    Being loved by them, and loving them back in his own way¡­ it hurt.

    And yet, he let the soul connection strengthen and deepen, as though the pain enhanced it, breaking down his walls yet further. Love lost in times past. Love felt in the moment, but scarred and painful. He did love them, and their heart swelled yet further. Surely, much more and it would burst in their chest, hearts couldn¡¯t handle feelings like this!

    His love may have been scarred, twisted, and broken, but it was theirs. It even seemed fitting, somehow, that even the love they could foster was broken¡­ but they would help him heal.

    He didn¡¯t speak again and simply moved within them, driving them both to the end with gentleness and care. Slowly their life drained into him, a thing of connection and pleasure now, without either of them thinking of it as anything unusual or harsh. It meant that they did need to quickly nab a piece of pie, but it meant nothing. Not a flicker of concern or regret on his face, at what he had feared and resented only short minutes or long hours ago, depending on how one counted them.

    It meant nothing, and it meant everything. He had changed, in his heart; he had accepted them.

    They resisted their orgasm as it approached, knowing that he would finish with them, knowing that it would be the end. But they couldn¡¯t resist it for long. Not when it was Sans. Not when they felt him resisting his own release, to wait for them, to share with them. Not when being loved like this, touched like this, felt so incredibly good to their newly healed soul.

    Rough for their body, gentle for their heart - they¡¯d been right about that, and righter than they knew.

    The orgasm took them and filled them; so, too, did Sans. The sound of his pleasure as he came inside them, the feeling of his hands gripping their shoulders hard enough to bruise, the feeling of his orgasm, his pleasure, his soul ripping through theirs as his pleasure released deeper than their body could take¡­ it was a thing of sweet, tender perfection. Well¡­ tender as they conceived of it, anyway.

    Their body had only known two orgasms, and could easily handle more, and yet¡­ that had been deeply satisfying. Their desire washed away within that satisfaction as Frisk and Sans both held each other close. They breathed together, somewhat hard at first, but settling into gentle relaxation, true satiation.

    A quiet moment of stillness, without any fire lashing at their minds. A new moment, a contrast to the burning pleasures of the timeless time they had known together.

    Everything was exactly as it should be, and Frisk¡¯s soul sang.

 Ch. 20 - Indulgence (Sans POV)

    A flash of darkness, and there Frisk was again, poised over his dick. Primed to the limits of what they could handle, ready for a mind-blowing orgasm, at any time he wanted.

    Seemed a waste to just let them cum so easily, didn¡¯t it?

    He grinned as he teleported behind them before they managed to get on him and they shrieked.

    ¡°No, Sans, I¡­ no, please¡­¡± they babbled, and he laughed as he shoved them forward onto their hands and knees.

    A shame he couldn¡¯t see their face from this angle, but there were other benefits.

    He pulled back the magic on his dick, making it a little smaller. He wanted to torment them with pleasure, not excessive pain, after all. And physical pain wasn¡¯t so much their thing.

    Fortunately, the magic of his dick¡¯s form was rather slick, and so he had no trouble as he pushed into their ass for the first time.

    Another mortified shriek and moan came from them as he buried himself into their heat. It felt good, and interestingly different. He¡¯d never been able to do this before - his own species wasn¡¯t equipped for it, after all. Frisk was tight on him - probably too tight, if his magic didn¡¯t let him forcibly ignore issues like that.

    He thrust again, drawing forth another desperate, shaking moan of embarrassed pleasure from them. By the sounds they were making, pain wasn¡¯t an issue at all.

    ¡°No, no, no, no, no,¡± they moaned, sounding hilariously embarrassed as he increased the pace. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­ god¡­ I can¡¯t cum from this, I can¡¯t¡­¡±

    For all of their embarrassment making them hold back, their body was just too intensely primed for this. With another desperate shrieking moan, they came and holy fuck did their ass clench tightly when they did.

    Not that it so much as slowed him down. And there was no reason to hold himself back. Why resist the pleasure, when he could just have it again?

    As their orgasm began to fade, he came inside, summoning blasters and killing them as he did.

    He did kinda regret not seeing their face, but hey, that was fixable.

    This time, as soon as the flickering void passed by, he grabbed them with magic and tore them to the side, rolling on top of them and pinning them down. He pulled their legs up as they protested once more and slammed into their ass again - this time without reducing his size.

    Their face was bright red with beautiful embarrassment and horrified mortification. A blend of pleasure and pain, too - not too much pain, it looked like, not for his pet masochist.

    ¡°heh heh heh,¡± he said. ¡°you like this, don¡¯t you? you like cumming from me taking your ass.¡±

    They managed to get to an even brighter shade of red as he moved more slowly, not letting them cum just yet.

    ¡°I¡­ I need¡­ oh, god, Sans¡­ I can¡¯t¡­¡± they moaned, trembling.

    ¡°answer me,¡± he said.

    New world record for reddest Frisk ever. He laughed again as he continued to fill them, at a pace just short of what would let them cum. They looked close to crying, but he could see their pleasure. It was maybe pushing things a little too far, but hey, they wanted that, didn¡¯t they?

    ¡°It¡¯s so wrong¡­¡± they moaned. ¡°But I want to cum so badly, Sans, please, I need¡­ I need¡­¡±

    ¡°that¡¯s not an answer,¡± he said, and paused in his thrusts to reach up and pinch their nipple.

    Heh heh heh¡­ he¡¯d have to be careful with that. Keeping them on the edge with them this primed and being inside of them, that was no easy feat. He was having to hold completely still.

    ¡°tell me how it feels,¡± he ordered, moving slowly within them again.

    ¡°Please, god, please, Sans, I can¡¯t¡­¡± they gasped, writhing under him.

    He summoned a small bone and scraped it along their chest lightly, making them shriek.

    ¡°you¡¯re not listening,¡± he said with a grin. ¡°maybe i shouldn¡¯t let you cum.¡±

    ¡°No, no, no, no, no¡­¡± they whimpered, gripping his arms tightly and looking away, their face practically glowing. ¡°God¡­ Sans, it feels good, it¡¯s so wrong, but that¡¯s hot, and it feels better than it should, it shouldn¡¯t feel this good, I want to cum¡­ please, please, please, make me cum¡­¡±

    ¡°tell me,¡± he said, enjoying how much they were struggling with this. ¡°do you want me to make you cum from taking your ass?¡±

    They could barely breathe, they were so mortified.

    ¡°Yes¡­ yes, please,¡± they whimpered.

    ¡°please what?¡± he asked with a dark laugh and a harsh thrust that was almost too much, almost pushed them over the edge. ¡°you¡¯ll need to be specific.¡±

    They cried out, a gargled scream of mortification, embarrassment, pleasure, need, and desperation. The sound was exquisite.

    ¡°God, Sans, I can¡¯t¡­¡± they gasped. ¡°Yes! Yes, okay, yes, please, please, please, Sans, please make me cum like this, make me cum from my¡­ my¡­ god¡­ from taking my ass¡­¡±

    He laughed again as he stopped holding back, slamming into them and immediately pushing them over the edge. They screamed as they came and it felt fantastic. Different than their pussy, but still a great sensation, and he was absolutely loving the blushing ecstasy on their face. He let himself go within them, and with another surge of power from his blasters, he was ready to do it all over again.

    This was just too much fun. What should he do next?

    He laughed as they drove themself down onto his dick as he tried to think about his next entertainment. So strange, to orgasm and then just instantly be filled with desire; to pound them hard and instantly be filled with vigor; to let time pass him by and not lose a single moment.

    Watching and feeling them cumming hard on his dick gave him another¡­ fun idea. He couldn¡¯t help but grin again and summoned the blasters. He might as well cum first before reloading. He let his dick get outsized again, pounding into them aggressively and soaking in the pleasure of their strength.

    It didn¡¯t take long to reach his peak and fire his blasters, feeling their life burning and pouring its way into him, flooding him with overwhelming pleasure once more.

    Damn, that felt good. Normal sex was practically just foreplay now, by comparison. Could he ever be satisfied with it again? Not like he¡¯d even had that much since coming to this world¡­ but he didn¡¯t need to think about any of that.

    There was another way he¡¯d thought of to push Frisk, and that¡¯s all that needed to occupy his mind.

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    The next few loops he played with oral sex again. He wanted to see how much Frisk would squirm being that close to the edge while sucking him off. And to find out if, even after getting accustomed to the intense pleasures of sex - and the nonsense the two of them had gotten up to - if they could still get off from sucking him off with the phasing trick. Turned out they could!

    But, it was a terrible shame, he killed them when he came, and that meant they didn¡¯t get to properly enjoy it. How horrible. The look on their face¡­

    Heh heh heh.

    So the next loop he decided to have fun with his tongue. Without letting them cum first, of course. He hadn¡¯t gotten them off that way before, after all, or played around with his tongue inside of them. Turned out he could edge them hard enough to make them cry, but the sensation of them cumming around his tongue was a lot of fun. He did check afterwards that they were still okay and while they whined excessively before answering, they did confirm that it wasn¡¯t actually too much. The hesitation in their eyes before they admitted that pleased him more than was probably good, but eh. They were both having fun.

    Using his magic to bind them in place and teleporting around to take them in different ways was also fun. When they were bound like that, he could push them even closer to the edge, it turned out. And if he messed up, he could just kill them and try again! Before they had the satisfaction of the orgasm, of course, because he didn¡¯t want to reward them for his slipup. That just wouldn¡¯t do at all.

    After a few loops of driving them absolutely insane with perhaps excessive edging play, they begged him earnestly to be able to cum. Which gave him another fantastic idea that they would be certain to love maybe a little less than he did.

    This whole tormenting them thing was too much fun and he had no idea that he¡¯d love it so much.

    He decided to try to bind them in a reset loop of endless orgasms. He took them hard from the moment the loop started, and just as the orgasm began to fade from its peak, he killed them and did it again. It meant that he wasn¡¯t able to cum himself for a while, but that was just a sacrifice he was going to have to make. After all, he really needed to know if he could make them beg for mercy from pleasure. Wouldn¡¯t that be hilarious?

    Turns out they would after enough loops, and it totally was. He didn¡¯t count, but he was pretty sure it had to be close to thirty or forty back-to-back orgasms before they became a gibbering mess, saying they couldn¡¯t breathe, they couldn¡¯t think.

    After that, of course, he wanted to enjoy cumming for a bit. He was getting really quite accustomed to cumming with his dick buried in their flesh and soul alike, flooding him with overwhelming life and pleasure as he killed them. And, as much as he enjoyed messing with them, edging them, and denying them, it was the absolute best when they came together, when the flowing vitality forced their pleasure into him with their life.

    All this fun, all this pleasure, and not a single whiff of the post-orgasm clarity that might make him question the wisdom of his current priorities. But who needed wisdom, anyway?

    He had one idea that he was kind of disappointed it took so long to think of - and he couldn¡¯t blame Frisk for not thinking of it, he was kinda making them incapable of thought - was trying to get Frisk to change the way the phasing trick worked. They¡¯d prioritized survivability before, after all, when he¡¯d foolishly worried about killing them. They might be able to enhance the effect, instead.

    It was a terrible shame it took so long to think of it, because they could. Took a little while to get it right, but what did time matter in this eternal afternoon? They could shift it to the point where they¡¯d die in seconds, pouring their whole life into him. Damn, that was a rush. They enjoyed it, too, for reasons he still could not even slightly wrap his mind around. But that was alright. It was also astoundingly revitalizing - a full meal and a full night¡¯s sleep in seconds, effectively.

    He even told them why he was having them try, about how it restored him. He knew he¡¯d decided not to mention it earlier, but that just seemed senseless. He could trust Frisk, and it was useful. So many of his quibbles from earlier just seemed pointless. Part of him was still trying to be worried that changing his mind about so many things so quickly was not a good sign, but he¡¯d decided to brush that aside for today. So it didn¡¯t matter.

    Nothing mattered, but this unending moment of pleasure and connection.

    Some things that he tried weren¡¯t to Frisk¡¯s taste, but as easy as they were to read, he just switched to something else. They barely even counted as off notes, and just were part of the play and exploration. No condemnation from either - just fun and ideas.

    He wasn¡¯t the only one who had ideas, though. Frisk had one main one that he was initially a little worried about. They didn¡¯t want to tell him what it was, saying it was something they¡¯d done in one of their earlier loops and wanted him to be able to remember. Considering all he¡¯d done to them, he was a little wary of giving them free rein but, eh, he trusted them.

    Turned out, when Frisk was edged to the point of madness, they begged him for mercy. When he was edged to the point of madness, he flat out ordered them to let him cum. It was fun to be on the receiving end, though, especially since he could always end the game whenever he wanted.

    Time passed, and they shared in so many pleasures. Endless desire and satisfaction, never a moment needed to breathe. Endlessly reforged soul connections, to share in a wordless intimacy of love, of the twisted sorts in both of their hearts.

    And yet¡­ and yet the time weighed on his mind in other ways.

    His mind slowed in giving him new ideas of things to try, and Frisk fell more fully into his sway. They were his, mind, body, and soul, and as true as that had been for a while, it somehow grew to feel more so.

    ¡°hey frisk,¡± he said, after letting them finish their initial orgasm, thrusting into them in a slow, satisfying way.

    ¡°Mmm?¡±

    ¡°c¡¯mere,¡± he said, pulling them close to his chest. ¡°this has been incredible.¡±

    They whimpered a little and nuzzled their face into his collarbone, moving against him in wonderful ways.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want it to end,¡± they whispered.

    He didn¡¯t, either. But he didn¡¯t want this to be eternity. He didn¡¯t want to never see anyone else he cared about. It had to end.

    He rolled them over onto their back and resumed taking them. Slowly, gently, softly. Still phasing into their soul, because that¡¯s just how things went now. But he could slow the life drain himself, now, help keep them alive longer.

    ¡°i¡¯ve been having a lot of fun with you,¡± he said. ¡°but this time isn¡¯t about that.¡±

    They looked a little confused, but then softly smiled, closing their eyes, as he brushed his hand down their cheek.

    ¡°i don¡¯t say things to you, and i should,¡± he said, thrusting into them slowly. ¡°i didn¡¯t think so before, but i was wrong. maybe i¡¯ll go back to thinking that way again, so i wanted to say this now.¡±

    They blinked up at him.

    ¡°thank you,¡± he said, trying to let his feelings out into his words. ¡°even if i¡¯m an idiot later who doesn¡¯t say it. don¡¯t ever think that i don¡¯t appreciate you.¡±

    ¡°Sans¡­¡± they murmured, smiling up at him lovingly as they moved with him.

    ¡°don¡¯t let me convince you that i don¡¯t need someone close to my heart,¡± he said. ¡°don¡¯t let me convince myself, either.¡±

    It hurt, and yet felt so freeing, to say this as he was wrapped, body and soul, in their life and pleasure.

    ¡°I love you, Sans,¡± they said, embracing him.

    He¡­ he couldn¡¯t¡­

    He fell onto them, embracing them back, but those words hurt.

    Hearing those words, feeling like this¡­ he hadn¡¯t let himself miss her in years, not really, not letting himself fully feel it. His heart was torn open and he couldn¡¯t speak.

    Frisk wasn¡¯t her, but they mattered to him anyway.

    He let the connection flow between them, despite knowing what they¡¯d feel, but he could trust them. He might not be able to speak, but he could do that, before it was too late. Before the more pragmatic, fearful, cautious version of him decided to close himself off again.

    They had to eat some pie, but that was barely a blip. It was a good moment, sweet and soft, and it proved surprisingly difficult to not kill them as he came. He¡¯d gotten really used to that. Still, even without their full soul flowing into him as they died, it was a wonderfully satisfying orgasm as they came together.

    He had no idea what his future self would think, but for what it was worth, he tried to commit to the idea that this wouldn¡¯t be the last time. He didn¡¯t want to lose this.

    He held them close as they panted together, feeling sated for the first time in quite a few hours.

 Ch. 21 - Broken Walls (Frisk POV)

    Sans lay on his back, covered in blankets, while Frisk happily snuggled on his chest. Minutes passed in sweet silence.

    ¡°that was a hell of a way to spend an afternoon,¡± Sans said.

    Frisk laughed. Truer words were never spoken.

    I love you, Sans.

    Well, okay, some words may have been more true. Frisk hummed happily.

    ¡°Agreed,¡± they said. ¡°I really hope to do that again sometime.¡±

    ¡°maybe not quite so much abuse of your time powers, though,¡± he said.

    They grinned. That did not sound like a no. In fact, that sounded like agreement. This was a very, very good sign.

    ¡°It was a lot of fun, you have to admit,¡± they said.

    ¡°that i do,¡± he said. ¡°also gotta admit, i feel like a bit of a hypocrite. got on your case, and was hostile towards flowey way back when, over not taking resets seriously. and then, literally as soon as i have access to it myself in any way¡­¡±

    They laughed and hugged him close. Flowey would have just loved to hear that particular admission, but they weren¡¯t going to tell him.

    ¡°You were totally distracted,¡± they said.

    ¡°true,¡± he said. ¡°and most loops weren¡¯t longer than a couple of minutes. and we weren¡¯t interacting with anyone, so no one else really lost anything.¡±

    Was he really going to just start accepting everything? That¡¯s how Frisk had seen it for ages. It was kind of erasing people if they¡¯d actually done something different in the loop, they understood that, but it didn¡¯t feel like they were messing with the world at large. Only those they interacted with, or affected in any way.

    And speaking of the lengths of loops¡­

    ¡°Yeah,¡± they said in a biting tone. ¡°Some loops were even unreasonably short.¡±

    ¡°seemed pretty reasonable to me,¡± he said with a grin.

    God that had been fun. Still. They poked him and he laughed.

    His laugh faded into silence, broken only by the sound of breathing, in that sweet, still moment. Thoughts echoed in Frisk¡¯s mind.

    So many things had changed, in these last hours. Sans had accepted them - on some level, anyway. He had shown them how much he cared about them. He was part of the loops, which meant he was forever. Their connection was unbreakable.

    Their heart felt stable, now. Like they could trust him not to destroy them in the ways that mattered; like they could speak to him without fear. He would silence them if he needed to, and if he didn¡¯t, he would listen.

    They smiled softly. Trust, a depth of trust like this¡­ it was good.

    And so they would speak.

    ¡°Hey Sans?¡± they asked quietly.

    ¡°yeah?¡±

    ¡°I want to say something, but I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll come out the wrong way,¡± they murmured. ¡°You know I don¡¯t want to push you, to make you uncomfortable or anything, right?¡±

    This was a bit of a delicate point.

    ¡°i know,¡± he said with a sigh.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t asked about your past, about the things that weigh on you, because I don¡¯t want you to feel pressured,¡± they said. ¡°I wanted to leave it up to you, how you wanted to handle all of that. But I am curious. I do want to know. And not just out of selfish curiosity - though there is that - but also because I want you to have someone you can talk to about things.¡±

    He closed his eyes, but didn¡¯t ask them to stop. Didn¡¯t push them away.

    ¡°I want you to know that I¡¯m available, always, for that,¡± they said. ¡°I think you knew that already, though. Thing is, what I saw in your soul¡­¡±

    He exhaled slowly and his face was tight. They hugged him tighter and he seemed to relax a little. They pressed on.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you can be happy like this,¡± they whispered. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to feel alone¡­ to feel lost. I¡­ I don¡¯t want to pressure you. To ask you to tell me things. But I do want you to be okay, Sans. I want you to be happy. I want you to heal.¡±

    No orders, no demands, no requirements, not even asking. Just¡­ just letting him know that they wanted to know, that they loved him, that they supported him, that they were here. That they cared. That it was okay.

    There was silence for a moment.

    ¡°if you¡¯d said that at any other time, i¡¯d have blown you off,¡± he said, his eyes still closed.

    They¡¯d figured as much, and softly smiled at him.

    ¡°earlier today, i would have been distracted by all the sex stuff,¡± he said. That was also not surprising. ¡°before today, i¡¯d have made jokes or whatever. probably been a little angry at you, and then angry at myself for being angry at you.¡±

    They nodded. They knew this was hard for him. Not why, but it clearly was. To completely isolate himself the way he had, to talk to no one, not even Papyrus¡­

    ¡°it¡¯s not easy to talk about that stuff,¡± he said. ¡°for lots of reasons. it hurts, but also, it¡¯s really goddamned complicated. so i don¡¯t know what to do. the idea of setting aside a few hours to just say everything¡­ that sounds awful. it hurts to even think about, it¡¯s just way too much. but if i try to say stuff without context, it won¡¯t make any goddamned sense.¡±

    That made sense. They¡¯d felt similarly, when he¡¯d asked about why they¡¯d murdered everyone. How could they answer that, without telling him everything?

    And yet, on that first day for this Sans, he didn¡¯t trust Frisk. He wouldn¡¯t accept the emotions, the motives, any of it, without that context. But they trusted him. Even without context, they would understand. They would listen.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s true, though,¡± they said, trying to phrase things gently still. ¡°I mean, the last bit. Telling me your pet glazbeck died and you¡¯re sad about it wouldn¡¯t be hard to understand, even though glazbeck is something I just made up, you know? It¡¯s the heart of things that matters, not the details. I can just trust you that all the pieces do make sense, even if I don¡¯t immediately know how. And I¡¯m pretty sure you come from another world - I get why that would complicate your history.¡±

    His face relaxed a little more and he looked contemplative.

    ¡°how did you figure that out, anyway?¡± he asked.

    They chuckled with gleeful satisfaction. They were right, ha!

    ¡°Lots of tiny hints,¡± they said. ¡°You knew what the sun was with absolute confidence, you recognized me as human immediately, and most monsters, Papyrus included, were clueless. You couldn¡¯t figure out how to ¡®go back¡¯ to your home, despite having teleportation, which implied it wasn¡¯t in the underground, yet also weren¡¯t interested in going to the surface anymore, because everything felt pointless with the loops, implying your home wasn¡¯t on the surface, either. You and Papyrus ¡®just appeared¡¯ one day, according to folks in Snowdin, without any indication of where you came from.

    ¡°Your combat skill and knowledge of EXP and LOVE just did not match up with¡­ I don¡¯t know how to put it¡­ the way society was set up down here? Where, how, could you possibly have gotten that good at killing things? Especially since Undyne¡¯s in charge of the Royal Guards, should be in charge of a lot of combat related stuff, and comments she¡¯s made suggest she didn¡¯t have the faintest idea that you were combat capable. And Flowey¡¯s comments about how quick you were to kill him, especially in the earliest days of the loops? You¡¯re too good at killing things, too quick to choose to do so, seemingly accustomed to it, for a society of cinnamon buns. And you have a clear scientific background that, among other things, relates to studying spacetime related stuff. No idea if you¡¯re from the future, or past, or an alternate universe, or what, but it seemed the only thing that matched.¡±

    He seemed amused.

    ¡°you weren¡¯t surprised at all when i admitted to having killed before, were you?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Nope,¡± they said, then realized that wasn¡¯t quite right. ¡°I mean, sort of. I was surprised you told me.¡±

    He chuckled.

    Maybe¡­ worth mentioning another thing they¡¯d guessed. Gently, still.

    ¡°I¡­ admit I would be surprised to find out you¡¯ve only killed one person,¡± they said, and he sighed.

    ¡°you¡¯re right about that, too,¡± he said. ¡°i¡­ it¡¯s not easy to talk about that stuff, though, frisk.¡±

    ¡°I get that,¡± they said. How could they not? ¡°But it¡¯s not easy to live like this, either, is it?¡±

    His face tightened a little and he hugged them close again. They stayed like that for a minute, held in his arms.

    ¡°no, it¡¯s not,¡± he said, in a soft tone.

    It hurt to hear that. It wasn¡¯t surprising, but still, it hurt. They wanted him to be happy, and this¡­ he wasn¡¯t, they had to fix this, they had to!

    ¡°Then tell me,¡± they said, their voice rough. ¡°Whenever, however, in whatever sized chunks you want. Please don¡¯t feel alone, Sans.¡±

    Maybe this was pushing too hard - they were telling him to do something, but they¡­ what else could they do?

    He sighed and was silent for a time.

    ¡°i wasn¡¯t always alone,¡± he murmured. ¡°it¡¯s probably hard to believe, but i¡­ if i weren¡¯t a moron, i would have been married. or at least engaged.¡±

    It actually worked¡­? He was¡­

    Frisk froze, suddenly afraid of screwing things up. But no. No, it was okay. They stroked his chest as he spoke, making sure he knew that they were listening, that they cared.

    ¡°i thought, even despite the war, i thought we had all the time in the world,¡± he said, pain clear in his voice.

    They did kind of get what he meant about context. What war? With whom? Was he a soldier of some kind - was that where his experience came from?

    And¡­ he¡¯d been in love. The right way. He¡¯d had hope for the future. Which was very unlike the Sans of today. Frisk¡¯s heart ached at where this was going.

    ¡°i was wrong,¡± he said, his voice rough. ¡°i never even got to say goodbye.¡±

    Frisk squeezed him tightly. It hurt to hear this, but they were so glad he was saying it.

    ¡°today was the first time i¡¯ve¡­ any of this¡­ since then,¡± he said. ¡°i keep being reminded of her. of us. today, i mean.¡±

    The last time he¡¯d been with someone, it was in that other world. And it had been a thing of love, of hope. And today, by comparison, it was two broken souls colliding.

    They swallowed.

    When they¡¯d told him they loved him¡­ the pain on his face, his reaction¡­ it made sense, now. He¡¯d lost her. But¡­ the way he lost her, it mattered. They weren¡¯t sure how to ask, but they felt they needed to.

    ¡°I¡­ with you being from somewhere else, there¡¯s a few things that could mean,¡± they said carefully. ¡°Is she okay?¡±

    ¡°she was, last i saw her,¡± he said, to their relief. ¡°but that was years ago.¡±

    She was one of the reasons he¡¯d wanted to go back, then. He could at least hope that she was okay. Frisk was glad for that hope.

    ¡°almost everyone else i knew is dead,¡± he said, the pain thick in his voice.

    God. What could they say¡­?

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    ¡°but i can¡¯t tell papyrus,¡± he continued, his voice desolate. ¡°he thinks they¡¯re all okay. that we¡¯d all just get back together again, if ever we made it home.¡±

    Flowey¡¯s words about how much he¡¯d lied to Papyrus echoed in their mind. Frisk had said he had reasons, and they were right. Maybe not good reasons, but they understood.

    ¡°he thinks that because that¡¯s what i told him,¡± he said, sounding as though it were a deathbed confession, his soul pouring out onto them. They continued to touch him gently. ¡°i lied to him, over and over, practically his entire life. one day, he¡¯s gonna figure out what death is, figure out what probably happened. i keep lying, keep misdirecting him, keep putting it off, but-¡±

    His words broke off. Not like he trailed off, but like his throat closed and he couldn¡¯t speak. They continued to touch him, unsure of what else to do.

    This situation wasn¡¯t a good one. And unlike the loss of his would-be-fiance, the situation with Papyrus wasn¡¯t resolved¡­ that wouldn¡¯t end well.

    Still. He cared. And even if he was making some wrong choices, he was doing it because he wanted things to be okay. Frisk knew that feeling.

    ¡°I understand,¡± Frisk whispered.

    He squeezed them tightly to his chest and their heart ached with a blend of joy and pain. This was real. Not a thing of comforting them, or just doing what he felt needed to be done, or checking off a box. In this moment, it was a connection more¡­ human, they supposed, than the magic they¡¯d played with earlier. Mortal, maybe? Regardless, there were no walls between them now. They¡¯d come back, Frisk was sure, but now?

    They smiled as they embraced him back. There was silence, for a time. A simple sharing of connection, of pain, of unspoken love.

    But¡­ they couldn¡¯t just fix things, but maybe they should try to acknowledge the mess he was in? In a supportive and helpful way? A low pressure, full acceptance, whatever-he-wants kind of support?

    ¡°Alphys couldn¡¯t handle things until she had support,¡± Frisk said, after thinking about how to phrase it. ¡°Papyrus understood that. You saw how gentle and accepting he was. Something¡¯s going to happen with this situation eventually, but maybe there¡¯s some time. Maybe you can talk things through with me, try to get everything to hurt less, and make a plan for how you want things to go? I don¡¯t want the fear of that ticking time bomb to hold you. But whatever you want to do, I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m here for you, Sans.¡±

    He let out another slow breath, seeming thoughtful for a moment, and then gave them a tight hug again.

    ¡°i know,¡± he said. ¡°it¡¯s been an insane mess to get us in this situation, where you¡¯re here for me like this, but i can¡¯t help but appreciate it.¡±

    It had been an insane mess, their journey to this point.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Frisk laughed softly.

    Some of that journey had been better than others. The first of the sex loops, and the hesitation on Sans¡¯ face, how he didn¡¯t want to forget having sex with them for the first time.

    Or¡­ or the very first Sans¡­

    Guilt tore at them at the memory of that last goodbye and they sighed.

    ¡°I¡¯m so glad you remember now,¡± they said. ¡°I still feel guilty about what I¡¯d done to the first Sans, when I refused to try to get him to remember, after coming up with the genocide idea. There are so many things I wish you remembered.¡±

    ¡°hey, don¡¯t worry about it,¡± he said. ¡°this is probably the only way things could¡¯ve worked out. can you imagine any way at all that first sans could have done what we just did?¡±

    Frisk blinked.

    They hadn¡¯t thought of that. They hadn¡¯t thought about that at all.

    That first Sans¡­ he¡¯d been so gentle with them. After that little stalking prank, anyway. Lighthearted jokes, playful stuff. The harshest thing he¡¯d ever said was the thing about how he¡¯d have killed them if it weren¡¯t for his promise, and that felt like he¡¯d only said it because he¡¯d cracked a little under his own pressures and anxieties.

    This Sans had deliberately pushed them, twisted the knife, from the day they met. But it was because he knew what they¡¯d done, had a better sense of what they could handle. That first Sans¡­ he¡¯d have never hurt them. Not because he couldn¡¯t, but because he cared about Frisk, and that first Frisk couldn¡¯t have handled it.

    Hell, this Sans struggled to hurt them, even knowing their history, even knowing they wanted him to kill them. That admission was one of the first things they¡¯d ever told him. During those trials, they saw the discomfort on his face, the regret. He¡¯d mentioned the feeling of guilt from burning out their heart.

    Was there any way at all that first Frisk, that first Sans, could have ever ended up doing this?

    There really wasn¡¯t.

    If they¡¯d tried, they¡¯d have failed. And maybe concluded it was impossible.

    So¡­ the choice they made¡­ was this the only way¡­?

    ¡°I¡­ guess not,¡± they said, feeling kind of overwhelmed by the realization.

    Sans chuckled.

    ¡°i¡¯m glad we did all that,¡± he said. ¡°so, while it¡¯s been a whole mess¡­ i¡¯m glad for it all. you don¡¯t have to be alone anymore, barring flowey. i don¡¯t have to feel like things are pointless because of the resets thing.¡±

    More hammer blows, of the best kind. On their mind, their heart, their everything.

    And¡­ and did that mean¡­

    ¡°You¡­ you think I made the right choice, to go and kill everyone?¡± they asked.

    ¡°i have no clue,¡± he said. ¡°all i know is that the choices you made brought us here. this is a good moment, a success i can¡¯t imagine we could have had otherwise, y¡¯know? and however we got here, i¡¯m glad we did.¡±

    He was glad for the choices they made. Maybe what they did wasn¡¯t right, and well¡­ yeah. But he was glad anyway. He was glad for today. He was glad for all of it - for who they were, for what they¡¯d done, for the choices they¡¯d made, for the love they had for him.

    At least, that¡¯s what it sounded like. It couldn¡¯t be real, could it?

    ¡°You¡¯re happy for today, happy for me being like this, you¡¯re¡­ good with everything?¡± Frisk asked, their heart trembling. ¡°Really?¡±

    Sans sighed, a heavy sound.

    ¡°i don¡¯t know how i¡¯ll feel about things tomorrow,¡± he said. ¡°but right now? yeah.¡±

    Which meant that, while he might tangle himself up in knots, on some level he really was glad for it all.

    Funny, how much the joy of feeling accepted could hurt. Good thing they liked pain! They squeaked happily and nuzzled into his chest.

    He seemed maybe less happy, though. He grew more tense, the lines of his face going tight.

    ¡°i¡¯m probably going to regret saying this, but whatever,¡± he said, with an odd, sort of frustrated tone to his voice. ¡°even if i decide that this is all wrong and everything, don¡¯t forget something.¡±

    They looked up at him curiously and he met their gaze. They melted at the way he looked at them. Like he was really seeing them, like they weren¡¯t just some person, or even a friend, but like he was taking in all that they were.

    Beyond his words or actions, just in the look on his face, they knew how much they meant to him and their heart flew.

    ¡°this matters to me,¡± he said. ¡°you being there for me like this, it matters. even if i do my usual crap of pushing you away, i don¡¯t actually want you to go.¡±

    And that was it, then. They never had to fear him pushing them away, not really. They could always be available to him. They could always know that on some level, it was welcome.

    They smiled and softly stroked at his cheek again, the only way they knew how to ¡°kiss¡± him.

    ¡°I¡¯ll always be here for you, Sans,¡± they said.

    The way his breath caught revealed things in a way his face never could, but even that was overshadowed by the way he crushed them to his chest. He was pulling them close so hard it actually hurt a little, and they couldn¡¯t help but giggle at that.

    But their amusement was nothing to their joy. A happy, humming sound emerged from them as they just savored this feeling.

    ¡°i know,¡± he said, and it sounded like faith and certainty in his voice.

    His grip grew looser as he relaxed. This was such a good and sweet moment. They felt so happy, laying here like this. His breaths grew deeper and slower.

    After a while, they thought he¡¯d fallen asleep. They were kind of curious if he really was.

    ¡°Sans?¡± they whispered, and he didn¡¯t react at all.

    They lightly touched his face, and likewise, there was no reaction.

    Their heart surged with joy again. They remembered what Flowey had said - that his naps were a lie. Which, naturally, was just Flowey whining, but it meant that Sans didn¡¯t sleep deeply enough to even be killed by a surprise attack, in Flowey¡¯s experience, at least outside of his room. And, even with notable hostility motivating him, and infinite tries, he never managed to catch Sans actually sleeping, not even once.

    It wasn¡¯t that Frisk didn¡¯t already know that Sans trusted them more than others, that he was paranoid about issues of his own safety, and all that. And yet, it just¡­ it felt good to have this. To know that Sans really and truly felt safe with them.

    It was a good way to be. With another happy hum, Frisk made sure the blankets were well positioned, and snuggled into the odd, semi-real squish of his chest. Naps were nice, and there was nowhere they¡¯d rather be.

    <hr>

    Their consciousness stuttered into place, with a few odd noises pulling their awareness forward. They blinked blearily and saw Sans stumble for no reason they could see.

    ¡°Sans?¡± they managed to mumble out, trying to wake up. ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°of course,¡± he said, sounding completely casual and normal. ¡°why wouldn¡¯t i be?¡±

    Did he really think that would fool them? They couldn¡¯t help but smile at him, despite the exasperation. Hopefully he wouldn¡¯t completely try to disregard what had happened between them.

    ¡°gotta lot of things to think about from today,¡± he went on, still sounding entirely normal. ¡°i don¡¯t know how long we slept. hope you didn¡¯t have any plans that got messed up.¡±

    No matter how normal he pretended things were, Frisk knew better, all the way to their bones. He wouldn¡¯t push them away, even if he tried. It was a giddy feeling.

    ¡°I made sure the entire evening was free,¡± Frisk said, amused. ¡°No rush on my account.¡±

    ¡°good, that¡¯s good,¡± he said, his casual tone starting to crack away, amusing them further. ¡°me, uh. me, too. no plans, i mean. i think i¡¯ll just drop you off and go home and kinda think about things.¡±

    Just in case he was pressuring himself in a silly way¡­

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to be alone while you¡¯re thinking, I would be happy to stay with you,¡± they said, keeping their tone gentle.

    He closed his eyes and turned around, his back to them. He just seemed to breathe for a moment. They frowned in concern. Was he okay¡­?

    ¡°i think i need to be alone for a bit,¡± he said.

    Maybe they could reassure him?

    They got up and shook out their arms, fully waking up as they walked over to him. Weird how comfortable they felt being naked with him, beyond the fact that he couldn¡¯t see. They smiled as they reached him. No reaction, but of course he knew they were there. They put their hands on his shoulders lightly, softly.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t feel afraid, or uncertain, or anything like that, about calling on me,¡± they murmured. ¡°For anything.¡±

    ¡°i know,¡± he said. ¡°no promises about how i¡¯ll feel, but i know anything like that is completely on my end.¡±

    At least he was being self aware about it all.

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s good enough,¡± they said, laughing wryly.

    He took another moment to just stand there and breathe. They wondered what he was thinking. They wondered if it would be bad to ask. It was silent while they struggled to decide what to do, but then he spoke.

    ¡°i¡¯m not going to completely fall back into old habits or anything,¡± he said. ¡°some things have totally changed. i just need to try to wrap my head around everything. it¡¯s, uh, a lot.¡±

    That was a good point. A lot had happened today. For Frisk, mostly what had happened was getting¡­ well, basically everything they wanted. It was the best day of their life by such a wide margin, everything else they¡¯d ever known seemed empty. As though this was the first day of the rest of their life.

    For Sans, though¡­ yeah. His morals, his linear existence in time, the way he thought about Frisk¡­ so much had changed. It hopefully wasn¡¯t bad, they certainly didn¡¯t think so, but it was a lot.

    ¡°Yeah, it is,¡± they said. ¡°And¡­ whatever you end up deciding, or feeling about it all¡­ for what it¡¯s worth, I¡¯m so incredibly happy for today. For everything.¡±

    And they really, really hoped they¡¯d do it again. But it wasn¡¯t their choice¡­ it was his to decide if and when they would know that pleasure again.

    His hand reached up and rested on theirs, on his shoulder.

    ¡°i know,¡± he said in a low tone. ¡°go ahead and grab your stuff. i¡¯ll take you to your room.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± they said.

    Definitely best to go straight home, with no extra stops along the way, what with the whole naked thing. Straight to their room, too - Toriel should be home by now. They moved over and packed up the extra pie pieces that weren¡¯t used in this timeline, and grabbed their phone, wallet, and keys.

    Sans remained standing there, unmoving, as they grabbed everything. Hopefully he just needed a little time.

    ¡°I¡¯m ready,¡± they said.

    With an odd sort of slowness, he turned around and looked at them. They froze at the look on his face. Emotions could be hard to make out on his face sometimes - his eyes were expressive, but the lack of other hints, like eyebrows or lips, was not helpful - and yet, something in his gaze burned fiercely. A possessive sort of intensity, as though he were consuming them, as though they were falling into the void of his eyes.

    Naked they were before that gaze, in every sense of the word.

    He simply stared at them like that for a long moment. He could stare as long as he liked, and they would let him see their love.

    Still, as time passed, they began to wonder again if everything was okay.

    ¡°Sans?¡± they asked uncertainly.

    ¡°er, uh, yeah, uh, let¡¯s go,¡± he said abruptly, blinking, and approached them.

    A flicker of black brought them to their room.

    ¡°yep, so, we¡¯ll talk later. see ya,¡± he said, and didn¡¯t even wait for their response before teleporting away.

    Hmph. He really was having trouble, wasn¡¯t he? They smiled a little to themself.

    They wondered exactly what kind of trouble he was having and their grin broadened.

    Now that he wasn¡¯t present and dominating their thoughts with focusing on him, thinking about his mental state, and all that¡­

    Oh, these memories¡­

    The memories surged within them, taking them, commanding them, tearing them apart¡­ just like their contents¡­ mmm¡­

    Their hand slid down as they moved into bed, but as they stroked, it was so unsatisfying. It felt so¡­ empty and weak. Their smile faded. Could they even cum like this anymore?

    Or were they now so addicted to Sans¡¯ cock, his tongue, his power, that they were helpless, unable to achieve satisfaction any other way, and would have to beg to ever be able to cum again and¡­

    Oh, these thoughts were not helping. They moaned as they tried again, fruitlessly, to feel any measure of satisfaction from their own touch.

    ¡°Frisk? Are you home?¡± Toriel asked, sounding surprised, and Frisk eeped a little.

    Right, they¡¯d totally forgotten that they shared this house with someone. It sounded like Toriel had walked over to their door to ask, but hadn¡¯t opened it out of respect for their privacy.

    ¡°Yes! Uh! I took a nap!¡± Frisk called back, and Toriel laughed lightly.

    ¡°That is good. You should come out soon,¡± Toriel said. ¡°I am making dinner. I would love to hear about your day.¡±

    With that, Frisk heard Toriel patter off to the kitchen.

    They started giggling at what just happened, and that turned into belly laughter.

    Yeah, they were not going to be telling Toriel about their day. It was almost a shame, that the best day of their life, the best moments of their life, had to be a secret. Still. They could remain at a simmer, in case Sans decided he wanted to do something about that - a thought which made their belly clench delightfully - and in the meantime, chat with one of the nicest people in the world.

 Ch. 21 - Broken Walls (Sans POV)

    Sans lay on his back, covered in blankets, while Frisk happily snuggled on his chest.

    ¡°that was a hell of a way to spend an afternoon,¡± Sans said, after a few minutes of comfortable, sated silence.

    Frisk laughed.

    ¡°Agreed,¡± they said. ¡°I really hope to do that again sometime.¡±

    ¡°maybe not quite so much abuse of your time powers, though,¡± he said.

    They grinned.

    ¡°It was a lot of fun, you have to admit,¡± they said.

    ¡°that i do,¡± he said. ¡°also gotta admit, i feel like a bit of a hypocrite. got on your case, and was hostile towards flowey way back when, over not taking resets seriously. and then, literally as soon as i have access to it myself in any way¡­¡±

    They laughed and hugged him close.

    ¡°You were totally distracted,¡± they said.

    ¡°true,¡± he said. ¡°and most loops weren¡¯t longer than a couple of minutes. and we weren¡¯t interacting with anyone, so no one else really lost anything.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± they said. ¡°Some loops were even unreasonably short.¡±

    Their tone was slightly biting for some completely unknown reason and he snickered. That forced orgasm speed loop thing was a ton of fun. Probably five seconds per loop?

    ¡°seemed pretty reasonable to me,¡± he said with a grin.

    They poked him and he laughed.

    There was another soft, silent moment.

    ¡°Hey Sans?¡± they asked quietly.

    ¡°yeah?¡±

    ¡°I want to say something, but I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll come out the wrong way,¡± they murmured. ¡°You know I don¡¯t want to push you, to make you uncomfortable or anything, right?¡±

    ¡°i know,¡± he said and sighed a little.

    He had a feeling he knew what was coming.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t asked about your past, about the things that weigh on you, because I don¡¯t want you to feel pressured,¡± they said. ¡°I wanted to leave it up to you, how you wanted to handle all of that. But I am curious. I do want to know. And not just out of selfish curiosity - though there is that - but also because I want you to have someone you can talk to about things.¡±

    Yep. His gut clenched and he closed his eyes, listening.

    ¡°I want you to know that I¡¯m available, always, for that,¡± they said. ¡°I think you knew that already, though. Thing is, what I saw in your soul¡­¡±

    His gut churned even more and he suppressed the urge to push them away like he always did. It was easier, since he also felt the desire to keep holding them close.

    They hugged him tighter and it soothed the ache.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you can be happy like this,¡± they whispered. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to feel alone¡­ to feel lost. I¡­ I don¡¯t want to pressure you. To ask you to tell me things. But I do want you to be okay, Sans. I want you to be happy. I want you to heal.¡±

    That was about as gently non-pressuring as they could have possibly put that. He appreciated it. All of it. The sentiment, the kindness, the gentleness.

    ¡°if you¡¯d said that at any other time, i¡¯d have blown you off,¡± he admitted, his eyes still closed. ¡°earlier today, i would have been distracted by all the sex stuff. before today, i¡¯d have made jokes or whatever. probably been a little angry at you, and then angry at myself for being angry at you.¡±

    He felt them nod on his chest and pulled them closer.

    ¡°it¡¯s not easy to talk about that stuff,¡± he said. ¡°for lots of reasons. it hurts, but also, it¡¯s really goddamned complicated. so i don¡¯t know what to do. the idea of setting aside a few hours to just say everything¡­ that sounds awful. it hurts to even think about, it¡¯s just way too much. but if i try to say stuff without context, it won¡¯t make any goddamned sense.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s true, though,¡± they said. ¡°I mean, the last bit. Telling me your pet glazbeck died and you¡¯re sad about it wouldn¡¯t be hard to understand, even though glazbeck is something I just made up, you know? It¡¯s the heart of things that matters, not the details. I can just trust you that all the pieces do make sense, even if I don¡¯t immediately know how. And I¡¯m pretty sure you come from another world - I get why that would complicate your history.¡±

    They had a point.

    ¡°how did you figure that out, anyway?¡± he asked and they chuckled happily. Probably because he confirmed the guess.

    ¡°Lots of tiny hints,¡± they said. ¡°You knew what the sun was with absolute confidence, you recognized me as human immediately, and most monsters, Papyrus included, were clueless. You couldn¡¯t figure out how to ¡®go back¡¯ to your home, despite having teleportation, which implied it wasn¡¯t in the underground, yet also weren¡¯t interested in going to the surface anymore, because everything felt pointless with the loops, implying your home wasn¡¯t on the surface, either. You and Papyrus ¡®just appeared¡¯ one day, according to folks in Snowdin, without any indication of where you came from.

    ¡°Your combat skill and knowledge of EXP and LOVE just did not match up with¡­ I don¡¯t know how to put it¡­ the way society was set up down here? Where, how, could you possibly have gotten that good at killing things? Especially since Undyne¡¯s in charge of the Royal Guards, should be in charge of a lot of combat related stuff, and comments she¡¯s made suggest she didn¡¯t have the faintest idea that you were combat capable. And Flowey¡¯s comments about how quick you were to kill him, especially in the earliest days of the loops? You¡¯re too good at killing things, too quick to choose to do so, seemingly accustomed to it, for a society of cinnamon buns. And you have a clear scientific background that, among other things, relates to studying spacetime related stuff. No idea if you¡¯re from the future, or past, or an alternate universe, or what, but it seemed the only thing that matched.¡±

    He was laughing on the inside as they spoke.

    ¡°you weren¡¯t surprised at all when i admitted to having killed before, were you?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Nope,¡± they said. ¡°I mean, sort of. I was surprised you told me.¡±

    He chucked out loud at that.

    ¡°I¡­ admit I would be surprised to find out you¡¯ve only killed one person,¡± they admitted cautiously.

    He sighed.

    ¡°you¡¯re right about that, too,¡± he said. ¡°i¡­ it¡¯s not easy to talk about that stuff, though, frisk.¡±

    ¡°I get that,¡± they said. ¡°But it¡¯s not easy to live like this, either, is it?¡±

    That was another gut punch and he hugged them closer again.

    ¡°no, it¡¯s not,¡± he admitted softly after a minute.

    ¡°Then tell me,¡± they said, with pain in their voice that also ripped at him. ¡°Whenever, however, in whatever sized chunks you want. Please don¡¯t feel alone, Sans.¡±

    He sighed again. Memories swirled in his mind¡­ maybe it would hurt less if he said some things to them. Maybe this was the only moment he could. Maybe tomorrow, he¡¯d have locked himself down tight again, pushing everything and everyone away, and there was no way he could say anything.

    ¡°i wasn¡¯t always alone,¡± he murmured. ¡°it¡¯s probably hard to believe, but i¡­ if i weren¡¯t a moron, i would have been married. or at least engaged.¡±

    Frisk went still, for the most part. They softly stroked his chest as he spoke.

    ¡°i thought, even despite the war, i thought we had all the time in the world,¡± he said. God, this hurt to say, and yet the words just kept coming for some reason. ¡°i was wrong. i never even got to say goodbye.¡±

    Frisk squeezed him tightly.

    ¡°today was the first time i¡¯ve¡­ any of this¡­ since then,¡± he said. ¡°i keep being reminded of her. of us. today, i mean.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ with you being from somewhere else, there¡¯s a few things that could mean,¡± they said carefully. ¡°Is she okay?¡±

    ¡°she was, last i saw her,¡± he said. ¡°but that was years ago.¡±

    He hesitated, but now that he¡¯d started to speak, the words were practically pushing themselves out.

    ¡°almost everyone else i knew is dead,¡± he said, his voice rough. ¡°but i can¡¯t tell papyrus. he thinks they¡¯re all okay. that we¡¯d all just get back together again, if ever we made it home.¡±

    More ripping, tearing sensations. Why was he still speaking, when it hurt so much?

    ¡°he thinks that because that¡¯s what i told him,¡± Sans confessed, the words pouring out almost against his will, feeling like he was bleeding all over his bed. ¡°i lied to him, over and over, practically his entire life. one day, he¡¯s gonna figure out what death is, figure out what probably happened. i keep lying, keep misdirecting him, keep putting it off, but-¡±

    Even with the pressure behind the words, they broke off. He couldn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°I understand,¡± Frisk whispered.

    Something loosened in his chest at their acceptance. It was stupid. It¡¯s not like he actually thought they¡¯d turn away from him or anything. Why did them knowing about his lies, about the rough outline of his loss, why did that matter?

    He held them close to his chest. It mattered anyway.

    ¡°Alphys couldn¡¯t handle things until she had support,¡± Frisk said, after a long moment of silence. ¡°Papyrus understood that. You saw how gentle and accepting he was. Something¡¯s going to happen with this situation eventually, but maybe there¡¯s some time. Maybe you can talk things through with me, try to get everything to hurt less, and make a plan for how you want things to go? I don¡¯t want the fear of that ticking time bomb to hold you. But whatever you want to do, I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m here for you, Sans.¡±

    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    It was a ticking time bomb, wasn¡¯t it? One that he refused to face, one that he kept making worse, for years. If he did nothing, if he kept on this same course, things would blow up in his face. His gut clenched at the idea of Papyrus¡¯s reaction, at him understanding¡­

    There was a reason he¡¯d refused to face it. It would be better if he made a plan, if he addressed things proactively. But the thought of facing either the time bomb, or a controlled reveal¡­ both burned too hot to touch, he couldn¡¯t.

    But Frisk wasn¡¯t suggesting doing anything about it now. To stay the course until he was stronger¡­ it seemed cowardly, but maybe they were right?

    He squeezed them tightly again.

    ¡°i know,¡± he said. ¡°it¡¯s been an insane mess to get us in this situation, where you¡¯re here for me like this, but i can¡¯t help but appreciate it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Frisk laughed softly, and then sighed. ¡°I¡¯m so glad you remember now. I still feel guilty about what I¡¯d done to the first Sans, when I refused to try to get him to remember, after coming up with the genocide idea. There are so many things I wish you remembered.¡±

    ¡°hey, don¡¯t worry about it,¡± he said. ¡°this is probably the only way things could¡¯ve worked out. can you imagine any way at all that first sans could have done what we just did?¡±

    Even with Frisk being extremely comfortable with pain and death, even loving it, due to their experiences with the genocide route, it was practically a fluke he went along with things. Without that? Not in a million years.

    Frisk blinked.

    ¡°I¡­ guess not,¡± they said after a moment, sounding bewildered.

    Sans chuckled at that.

    ¡°i¡¯m glad we did all that,¡± he said. ¡°so, while it¡¯s been a whole mess¡­ i¡¯m glad for it all. you don¡¯t have to be alone anymore, barring flowey. i don¡¯t have to feel like things are pointless because of the resets thing.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ you think I made the right choice, to go and kill everyone?¡± they asked timidly.

    ¡°i have no clue,¡± he said. ¡°all i know is that the choices you made brought us here. this is a good moment, a success i can¡¯t imagine we could have had otherwise, y¡¯know? and however we got here, i¡¯m glad we did.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re happy for today, happy for me being like this, you¡¯re¡­ good with everything?¡± Frisk asked, a catch in their voice. ¡°Really?¡±

    Sans sighed.

    ¡°i don¡¯t know how i¡¯ll feel about things tomorrow,¡± he admitted. ¡°but right now? yeah.¡±

    They squeaked out a happy noise and nuzzled into his chest again.

    The thought bothered him, though. Who knew how he¡¯d feel in the morning? Would he lock himself down again, hold Frisk at arm¡¯s length? Refuse to connect, refuse to say anything, maybe get mad at them for wheedling stuff out of him?

    His jaw clenched. He could see himself possibly doing that. He knew he was still lost in a haze of emotion right now, in a timeless gap of eternity, all his walls broken down from intimacy so intense it was downright aggressive.

    ¡°i¡¯m probably going to regret saying this, but whatever,¡± he said. Screw his future self, if he disagreed with what he was about to say. ¡°even if i decide that this is all wrong and everything, don¡¯t forget something.¡±

    He moved a little to meet Frisk¡¯s gaze. The love, kindness, acceptance, and understanding in their eyes¡­ he¡¯d be an absolute idiot to reject that, but he knew that was exactly the kind of idiot he usually was.

    ¡°this matters to me,¡± he said. ¡°you being there for me like this, it matters. even if i do my usual crap of pushing you away, i don¡¯t actually want you to go.¡±

    They smiled at him and gently stroked his cheek.

    ¡°I¡¯ll always be here for you, Sans,¡± they said.

    He¡¯d thought the same of her once, too.

    But Frisk was an immortal with power over time itself, and had done as they¡¯d promised. They¡¯d taken him with them. Unless something happened to break their power, he couldn¡¯t ever lose them. Even if he died. Even if, by some bizarre happenstance, he died and then they saved without realizing - it¡¯d just mean he¡¯d wake up to the alarm about the reports on that first day, because he knew that there was absolutely no chance Frisk would let him stay dead.

    Maybe this really was forever.

    It felt good, crushing them to his chest like this. They giggled a little and then hummed happily.

    ¡°i know,¡± he said, and it was true.

    His grip loosened as he just relaxed. He couldn¡¯t think entirely clearly, and he couldn¡¯t touch his recent memories without possible complications, but in this exact moment¡­ everything was okay. He felt at peace. Safe. Comfortable.

    Loved.

    It was a couple hours before he woke up, feeling more refreshed than he had in a long time.

    He smiled at Frisk¡¯s sleeping form, drool soaking part of the blankets. That was kinda gross, and he really looked forward to telling Frisk about it. Though he¡¯d have to make sure to time it right. It might be a trifle harder to embarrass them now, after all.

    With a careful blend of positioning and teleportation, he managed to slip out from their sleepy grasp without waking them. He started to toss on his clothes quietly.

    Today had been¡­

    The look on Frisk¡¯s face as he came within them, his magic burning them away, their pleasure blending with his own as their soul flooded him with the dual orgasms, the pleasure incomprehensibly intense, the satisfaction absolute¡­

    The memory surged a little too intensely and he stumbled, catching himself on the lamp. Desire surged and he shoved it away as best he could. He focused on his breathing.

    He¡­ he wanted¡­

    No, he also wanted to have a life. To see Papyrus. He couldn¡¯t stay here forever. He wouldn¡¯t want that.

    He really needed to not think about those memories.

    It was really hard not to.

    Later. When he was alone in his room, that¡¯d be fine. For now, he had to focus.

    He managed to finish getting dressed with only two more times almost falling when memories ripped at him. Maybe there was such a thing as sex that was too good. This was maybe a problem.

    He¡¯d deal with it later. For now, they had lives to get back to. He¡¯d take them back home, and then he¡¯d go home, and the two of them would adjust.

    Things would just go back to normal.

    Don¡¯t let me convince you that I don¡¯t need someone close to my heart. Don¡¯t let me convince myself, either. You being there for me like this, it matters. Even if I do my usual crap of pushing you away, I don¡¯t actually want you to go.

    Maybe things wouldn¡¯t go back to normal.

    He couldn¡¯t believe he¡¯d actually said that.

    So many things he¡¯d said, how could he¡­

    The feeling of their soul¡¯s devotion to him, the absolute peace and stability they felt as something belonging to Sans. The love in their eyes as they accepted him, saw him, knew him, embraced him.

    He stumbled again. It wasn¡¯t just the sex memories that were too goddamned intense.

    ¡°Sans?¡± Frisk asked in a mumbled, sleepy voice. ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°of course,¡± he said blithely, slipping into old habits without thinking. ¡°why wouldn¡¯t i be?¡±

    He glanced over at them and they smiled at him knowingly, fond exasperation touching at their eyes.

    ¡°gotta lot of things to think about from today,¡± he went on, trying to keep his emotions out of his voice. ¡°i don¡¯t know how long we slept. hope you didn¡¯t have any plans that got messed up.¡±

    ¡°I made sure the entire evening was free,¡± Frisk said, looking like they were suppressing a laugh. ¡°No rush on my account.¡±

    ¡°good, that¡¯s good,¡± he said, feeling really off balance. ¡°me, uh. me, too. no plans, i mean. i think i¡¯ll just drop you off and go home and kinda think about things.¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to be alone while you¡¯re thinking, I would be happy to stay with you,¡± they said softly.

    He closed his eyes and turned away as another memory lashed at him, of Frisk screaming in pleasure, of the feeling of their body squeezing him as they came¡­

    Steady breaths. In and out, he could stay focused. His magic responded to his will, which meant his body responded to his will. He just had to stay focused.

    ¡°i think i need to be alone for a bit,¡± he said.

    He heard them stand and walk over to him. They wouldn¡¯t be wearing anything, of course. He needed to keep his eyes closed, needed to continue to face away from them.

    The memories were too much, too powerful. He wasn¡¯t the best at resisting even normal levels of temptations, and this¡­

    He felt their hands gently rest on his shoulders.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t feel afraid, or uncertain, or anything like that, about calling on me,¡± they murmured softly. ¡°For anything.¡±

    ¡°i know,¡± he said. ¡°no promises about how i¡¯ll feel, but i know anything like that is completely on my end.¡±

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s good enough,¡± they said with a little laugh.

    The thought occurred to him that he could just take them now, and feel a little more clearheaded in just a few minutes.

    Another steadying breath.

    No. The sleep had resettled his brain, he was more himself again. He¡­ definitely wasn¡¯t the same, and felt incredibly unsteady, but he could try to do things the right way. At least for now.

    A part of him was convinced that, no matter what he decided, or thought he decided, there was no way that he¡¯d resist the temptation forever. He was going to feel it again. There was no way he wouldn¡¯t.

    Didn¡¯t matter. It didn¡¯t. For this moment, he¡¯d try. Hell, he wasn¡¯t even feeling all that horny, exactly - he¡¯d pushed it away well enough. It was mostly a mental compulsion, a pure desire to feel that pleasure again.

    He wanted to be more than a creature of lust and sex, wanted to be a thinking being with a life, with a brother, with things in his life other than the mindless pursuit of -

    Stars burning in his bones, power surging through him, the feeling of Frisk¡¯s soul in every way he could experience¡­

    - pleasure, no matter how compelling.

    This was ridiculous. He had to try to keep his head on straight.

    ¡°i¡¯m not going to completely fall back into old habits or anything,¡± he said. ¡°some things have totally changed. i just need to try to wrap my head around everything. it¡¯s, uh, a lot.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it is,¡± they said. ¡°And¡­ whatever you end up deciding, or feeling about it all¡­ for what it¡¯s worth, I¡¯m so incredibly happy for today. For everything.¡±

    He reached up to his shoulder and put his hand on theirs.

    ¡°i know,¡± he said in a low tone. ¡°go ahead and grab your stuff. i¡¯ll take you to your room.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± they said with a little laugh.

    He didn¡¯t open his eyes or turn around, just listening as they moved.

    It would be so easy to¡­

    Breathing, nice and steady.

    ¡°I¡¯m ready,¡± they said.

    He had to be able to face them. It wasn¡¯t easy to teleport things without having a sense of exactly where they were, especially something as large as a person.

    Bracing himself, he turned to look at them.

    They were beautiful. The soft blush on their cheeks as their eyes sparkled with joy, the slightly shy way they held their body, the cute way they bit their lip uncertainly¡­

    The endless love in their eyes which somehow burned even deeper and brighter now than he¡¯d ever seen. It was mesmerizing.

    ¡°Sans?¡± they asked.

    ¡°er, uh, yeah, uh, let¡¯s go,¡± he said and wrapped them both in a spacetime bubble.

    First to Frisk¡¯s room, followed by a very quick goodbye, and then fleeing, er, teleporting as planned to his own room, where he collapsed into his bed.

    His room, his bed, where he was totally safe from all temptations.

    He swallowed.

    Except for the fact that absolutely nothing was stopping him from teleporting back to Frisk¡¯s room at any moment. Whenever he wished. Frisk sure as hell wasn¡¯t going to stop him.

    Without anything to distract him, the memories ripped at him. Impossibly alluring, impossibly powerful, impossibly tempting.

    Nope, nope, nope. He wasn¡¯t a sex addict, this was not going to be his life, he could get a grip on things.

    ¡°AHA!¡± he heard from downstairs and he smiled. ¡°I DID IT!¡±

    He knew exactly how to get his head in order. He sighed with relief and headed downstairs to chat with the best brother in the world.

 Ch. 22 - Outside Perspectives - Toriel

    ¡°What can I do to help?¡± Frisk asked as they walked into the kitchen.

    ¡°You look so cheerful today!¡± Toriel said happily. ¡°Oh, it is good to see you smile like that. Go ahead and set the table, if you would, please.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Frisk said, completely unable to stop smiling. They did try, it just wasn¡¯t working.

    A happy little tune hummed out from them as they went about setting the table.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ I know that sound,¡± Toriel said with an amused glint in her eyes.

    ¡°Oh?¡± Frisk asked.

    ¡°You have found someone, have you not?¡± Toriel asked and Frisk turned bright red. ¡°Hee hee! I knew it.¡±

    ¡°I, er, um,¡± they stammered out and put down the plates so they could cover their blush.

    Toriel giggled some more.

    ¡°Love is such a wonderful thing,¡± Toriel said, with a glowing smile. ¡°So tell me all about it, my child.¡±

    Frisk smiled up at Toriel. It was so sweet that even after knowing that they were an adult, Toriel still wanted to call them her child, since they were calling her mum.

    A surge of love of a completely different sort filled them as they smiled at the wonderfully kind, loving, and accepting person holding a bag of potatoes in the kitchen.

    Still¡­

    ¡°It¡¯s kind of complicated,¡± Frisk said, looking down awkwardly.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Toriel said. ¡°It often is, in the early days. New love is a beautiful thing. Have you two started dating? Maybe held hands?¡±

    Toriel had this amused, teasing expression on her face and Frisk just exploded into an embarrassed heat of blushing.

    ¡°Y-yes, we did hold hands,¡± Frisk said.

    This was technically true, even if the context was completely false.

    But what the hell were they supposed to say? They didn¡¯t want to refuse to answer, they didn¡¯t want to push Toriel away. At the same time, uh¡­

    ¡°How delightful,¡± Toriel said, still with a mischievous, teasing tone. ¡°Do I know them?¡±

    This question¡­ how could Frisk¡­ they looked down, frozen.

    ¡°You do not have to answer if you do not wish to,¡± Toriel said, sounding a little sad. ¡°It is all right.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ no, I mean, I want¡­ uh¡­¡± Frisk said, and took a breath. ¡°You matter to me, mum. I don¡¯t want to keep you out of my life. I mean, I can¡¯t tell you everything, like, y¡¯know, confidential work things and stuff, but¡­ I, uh¡­¡±

    ¡°You can also tell me things at your own pace, my child,¡± Toriel said warmly.

    Frisk reached out and took her hand, squeezing it. Toriel squeezed back, beaming at them.

    Sans¡¯ cascade of lies to Papyrus, because he didn¡¯t want to face the truth, poked at them. If they tried to hide things from Toriel, they might find themself in a similar spiral. Best to own up to things immediately, even if it was really uncomfortable.

    ¡°This is awkward,¡± Frisk said, looking down. ¡°But I want to be honest with you, and I¡¯m worried that I¡¯m going to make you uncomfortable, but¡­¡±

    Toriel sat down at the table.

    ¡°I am here to listen,¡± she said, and Frisk smiled at her gratefully, sitting down beside her.

    ¡°I, uh, I know how you feel¡­ I mean, I kinda could see, um¡­¡± Frisk said, and sighed, trying again. ¡°Um¡­ would it bother you if Sans and I were together?¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± Toriel said, a mournful expression crossing her face. ¡°I do see why that concerned you. No, my child, I have no objections, not on my account. I had even guessed it was him, and had just wanted to tease. But I do have a concern. While I do not know quite how old he is¡­ is he not far older than you?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ um¡­¡± Frisk said, blinking. ¡°I have no idea how old he is.¡±

    ¡°It might be worth finding out,¡± Toriel said. ¡°You are young enough yet that it still matters. Barely an adult, and still finding who you are.¡±

    ¡°I will totally ask him,¡± Frisk said. ¡°That is definitely a thing that I will do.¡±

    Toriel laughed at that.

    ¡°That is good,¡± Toriel said. ¡°I do confess that I had considered the idea of a romance with him myself, but you do not need to worry about my feelings on that account. It was clearly not meant to be. If you two can be good for each other, then I am truly happy for you both.¡±

    Frisk looked down again. Toriel was¡­ maybe too nice. This was making them feel more guilty, not less.

    ¡°We have shared some really good moments,¡± Frisk said in a low tone. ¡°I do think we¡¯re good for each other.¡±

    ¡°I am glad. I had teased earlier, but I am curious what stage you are at,¡± Toriel said. ¡°I know you have held hands, but have you begun to date? Have you had thoughts of marriage, of a family?¡±

    Frisk blushed again and looked away. They¡¯d specifically had thoughts of being Sans¡¯ possession, and the idea of marriage and a family seemed¡­ weird. Toriel¡¯s perspective made them feel incredibly alien.

    ¡°We¡¯re kind of, um, playing things by ear,¡± Frisk said, feeling overwhelmingly awkward. ¡°And¡­ uh, there¡¯s also, I mean, I don¡¯t actually know what Sans wants at all?¡±

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    ¡°Hmm,¡± Toriel said. ¡°I do understand that problem, very much. I hope that Sans proves to be more forthcoming with you than he was with me.¡±

    ¡°This is a known challenge with Sans,¡± Frisk said with a smile and Toriel smiled back, a touch sadly. ¡°But I think I understand why he has trouble with that. I¡­ well, we¡¯ve talked and with some stuff we¡¯ve said, I have real hope that he will talk to me. For real, I mean, to really connect.¡±

    ¡°That is a good thing to hear,¡± she said, seeming relieved. ¡°It is important to know who someone really is. Being surprised about a person¡¯s true nature is¡­ well, it can be quite painful.¡±

    Somehow, Frisk didn¡¯t think they were exactly talking about Sans anymore.

    ¡°Surprises are inevitable,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Sometimes, life events can impact people. Can change them. Sometimes, in unpredictable ways.¡±

    Toriel frowned a little.

    ¡°I believe that life events merely allow different parts of who a person is to come out, to be clearly seen,¡± she said. ¡°If I had been¡­ that is, if someone is more perceptive, they could see problems ahead of time.¡±

    Yeah, they weren¡¯t talking about Sans right now.

    ¡°People can change who they are, though,¡± Frisk said. ¡°I mean, a true change, even at a deep level, from a significant enough event. Especially the kind of event that destroys you - what emerges can become something new.¡±

    Toriel was frowning thoughtfully.

    ¡°Beyond that,¡± they continued, ¡°sometimes the deepest parts of who a person is? No one knows - that person themself, anyone else, it¡¯s just not known. Loving someone is risky. You have to accept that risk, to trust that their soul is basically what you perceived it to be. And, to love them enough that, even if there¡¯s some darkness blended in, that you can accept them and love them anyway.¡±

    Toriel¡¯s gaze was distant for a moment.

    ¡°Do you believe I was wrong to have left Asgore?¡± she asked, her voice solemn.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know nearly enough to judge something like that,¡± Frisk said. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you saw, what you tried, what you thought, what you felt, nothing. And even if I did, love isn¡¯t rational. If what Asgore did was enough to break your love for him, then that¡¯s simply the truth of the situation. The truth of your nature - the sort of person you can love, the sort of things you can accept. You can¡¯t force yourself to love someone. If you¡¯d tried to force yourself to stay with him, even after your love was broken? Now that would have been unquestionably wrong. Everyone¡¯s love should have some limits of what they can accept before their love is destroyed - that seems healthy and right.¡±

    Not that Frisk had such limits, but well, Frisk had no delusions about being ¡°healthy and right.¡±

    And all this was, of course, why Frisk had never and would never tell Toriel about the genocide timeline.

    And come to think of it, might also be why Sans couldn¡¯t pursue things with Toriel, either, despite the obvious chemistry and mutual appreciation between them. There was too much darkness in Sans and Frisk both, and Toriel had turned away from someone she¡¯d dearly loved for the crime of lashing out in wretched grief. What Asgore had done was wrong, no question, but still¡­ he was a better and kinder person than either Frisk or Sans, by some measures.

    Toriel looked contemplative and a little sad, for a moment.

    ¡°Do feel free to not answer, but I am curious to know,¡± Toriel said. ¡°Do you merely like Sans or are you in love with him?¡±

    Frisk smiled at that.

    ¡°I am fully, completely, and absolutely in love with Sans,¡± they admitted freely. ¡°And I have been for a while.¡±

    ¡°I had noticed that your eyes followed him, whenever you were together,¡± Toriel mused. ¡°But it did not seem¡­ hmm. You did not glow as you glow today.¡±

    They grinned a little, feeling kind of sheepish.

    ¡°For his part, though,¡± Toriel said, frowning more. ¡°Does he love you back?¡±

    They could almost hear the objection in her voice - that she¡¯d seen them watching Sans, but not vice versa. But he¡¯d already addressed that. He¡¯d gone out of his way to avoid thinking of them that way.

    ¡°He hasn¡¯t said the words,¡± Frisk said, feeling a little uncertain. They¡¯d felt the connection in his soul, but apparently him not saying it outloud left a little room for insecurities. ¡°But he has said that he cares about me. That he trusts me deeply, that he wants me around. I really feel like he does love me.¡±

    ¡°Have you ¡®said the words,¡¯ as you put it?¡± Toriel asked.

    ¡°I did,¡± Frisk said, looking down again.

    ¡°You told him outright that you love him, and he did not respond in kind,¡± Toriel said, looking mildly upset.

    ¡°It¡¯s hard for him,¡± Frisk said with a shrug.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Toriel said. ¡°It is hard for him. Well. That may be. Perhaps, then, I should ask as to your thoughts. What do you want from your relationship with him? Are you focused on the moment or are you thinking of your future - of marriage, of family, of a life together?¡±

    ¡°I want to be with him forever,¡± Frisk said. ¡°But as to the details¡­ really, I have no idea.¡±

    ¡°Surely you must have thought about it,¡± Toriel said.

    ¡°Weirdly not, actually?¡± Frisk said. ¡°I just want to be with him, in every way that I can. I want to be by his side forever. And whether that looks like a normal relationship or not, or if it involves marriage, or a family, or anything¡­ I just¡­ I don¡¯t know. I want us to be happy, and whatever that looks like, then, well, that¡¯s what I want. And a lot of that depends on what Sans wants.¡±

    ¡°Which you also don¡¯t know,¡± Toriel said.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°It is the early days of your time together, yet,¡± Toriel said with a smile. ¡°I do know the feeling of a new bloom of love. There are things you should do, things you should learn. His past and nature, what he wants for your relationship, what he sees for your future. But regardless of all that, I am glad to see your joy, and am glad you have spoken to me of this.¡±

    ¡°Me, too,¡± Frisk said. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re always there for me to talk to. And I will totally ask him things. In fact, I think I¡¯ll go right now and text him.¡±

    Toriel tittered at that and got up. When Frisk stood, too, she pulled them into a hug.

    ¡°That is good,¡± Toriel said. ¡°Do tell me how old he is, too - I find I am curious now. I will resume making dinner and I will let you know when it is done.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, mum,¡± Frisk said with a grin and then went back to their room.

    That conversation was totally not what they¡¯d expected, but it was nice. Weird, to somehow feel both loved and accepted, but also isolated and pushed away, in a single conversation. Still, it wasn¡¯t like they didn¡¯t know Toriel would have problems with¡­ uh¡­ everything.

    At least, they assumed so. It wasn¡¯t like it¡¯d be okay to abuse the timeloops to actually find out her real reaction. Sans was really annoyed the one time they¡¯d passingly mentioned the idea - at least, in regards to friends. That was just standard operating procedure with politicians, but they did understand why he felt it was wrong and manipulative to do so with people they were close to.

    They passingly wondered if he¡¯d feel any differently now that he could personally benefit from it¡­

    But no, that wasn¡¯t the priority. They weren¡¯t going to ask about things like marriage and a family - god, no - but they could ask how old he was.

    Frisk: Hey, I was talking to Toriel, and a random thing kind of came up. We were sort of wondering how old you are?

    Awkward, but¡­ well, that was fine. He didn¡¯t respond right away, so they put their phone aside. He often didn¡¯t pay attention to his phone, unless it was blaring alarms.

    In the meantime¡­ this might be a little difficult. The memories were compelling, but they needed to make sure they¡¯d be fit for showing up to dinner.

    Their hand drifted lower. Well, they knew how to focus through their lust¡­ this might still be just fine¡­

 Ch. 23 - Outside Perspectives - Papyrus

    Sans went downstairs and grinned at the absolutely ordinary image of Papyrus happily wearing an oversized apron and beaming in the kitchen.

    ¡°what¡¯d you pull off, paps?¡± he asked as he made his way down.

    ¡°KING ASGORE SET ME A CULINARY CHALLENGE, AND I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WAS SUCCESSFUL!¡± Papyrus said and Sans chuckled.

    ¡°what¡¯d you make?¡± he prodded.

    ¡°PEPPERMINT TEA!¡± Papyrus stated proudly. ¡°IT IS APPARENTLY EXTREMELY POPULAR! ALMOST AS POPULAR AS I AM!¡±

    This was the best. Sans sat at the table and got Papyrus talking, occasionally prodding Papyrus into speaking more, telling him all about his day and his adventures with learning how to brew tea from Asgore. He was otherwise quiet and just listened.

    ¡°SANS? WHAT¡¯S WRONG WITH YOU?¡± Papyrus asked out of the blue.

    ¡°huh? nothing¡¯s wrong,¡± Sans said.

    ¡°YOU¡¯RE BEING WEIRD,¡± Papyrus said. ¡°AND BY THAT I MEAN YOU¡¯RE BEING NORMAL. YOU HAVEN¡¯T MADE A SINGLE PUN OR JOKE THE ENTIRE TIME I¡¯VE BEEN TELLING YOU ABOUT MY DAY. NOT EVEN WHEN I ACCIDENTALLY ALMOST MADE A PUN. COMPLETELY BY ACCIDENT.¡±

    Damn it, Papyrus was having one of his observant moments again. And he¡¯d completely missed Papyrus setting him up for a joke.

    Maybe Sans was being a little obvious.

    He almost did his usual of blowing Papyrus off, of making a joke and distracting him.

    But as he met his brother¡¯s eyes, his gut churned. Trust. Concern. Less obvious, but still visible, love and care. Frisk¡¯s words about the ticking time bomb echoed in his mind. He still felt raw from the day. Vulnerable, even if the source of the vulnerability wasn¡¯t exactly here.

    Papyrus was an adult now, too, even if Sans had maybe not encouraged him to grow out of his childhood as much as he maybe should have.

    Memories and thoughts lashed at him. The sexual temptations were easier to push aside while talking to Papyrus, so it was the rest of the nonsense that was ripping at him now. Fear and pain churned in his chest. Uncertainty.

    ¡°... SANS?¡± Papyrus asked, the concern on his face growing.

    For months, he¡¯d been struggling with the ethics of the situation with Frisk. Quietly struggling, never letting anyone have any idea even of the nature of the problem. And now, he had a new struggle - his mind had been changed in ways that were kind of terrifying. Overwhelming pleasure wasn¡¯t exactly an accepted argument in ethics, so the fact that how he felt about things was so vastly changed¡­ didn¡¯t that mean something was wrong?

    He felt like he could barely remember the objections that had plagued him, torn him apart, just this morning. Barely understand them. Should he just accept the changes in how he felt? Should he try to favor how he¡¯d felt before having his mind twisted from possibly literally mind-breaking sensations?

    Maybe he needed to be reminded of why it was wrong? Or¡­ hell, he had no idea.

    That was the problem, really. He just¡­ didn¡¯t know.

    He looked up at Papyrus again. Papyrus, who was always trying so hard to be there for Sans, who wanted to help, who Sans kept blowing off.

    Maybe his opinion about Frisk wasn¡¯t the only thing that should change.

    ¡°maybe i am having a little trouble with something,¡± Sans admitted, looking down at the table.

    ¡°WHAT IS IT? I¡¯M SURE THE GREAT PAPYRUS CAN HELP!¡± Papyrus declared.

    ¡°heh. maybe. i¡¯m kinda dealing with a moral dilemma,¡± Sans said.

    ¡°I AM THE BEST AT THOSE!¡± Papyrus said. ¡°THEY¡¯RE LIKE PUZZLES BUT FOR KNOWING WHAT¡¯S RIGHT!¡±

    That¡­ actually wasn¡¯t wrong. Sans wasn¡¯t going to admit what he¡¯d been up to, but if he twisted it a bit, changed things around¡­

    ¡°there¡¯s an interesting pair of people that are in a strange situation, and i don¡¯t know what they should do,¡± Sans said. ¡°the guy had some messed up experiences. it changed his personality completely. a lot of people would say he¡¯s broken and needs to heal, to go back to what he was, but he disagrees. he likes the way he is, even though he¡¯s¡­ really screwed up in the head. like seriously, papyrus, it¡¯s kind of disturbing. but he says he¡¯s happy.¡±

    ¡°IS HE HURTING ANYONE?¡± Papyrus asked.

    ¡°... no,¡± Sans said.

    Weird to say that, considering what had broken them in the first place, but it was true.

    ¡°SO YOU HAVE A WEIRD FRIEND,¡± Papyrus said. ¡°THIS IS NORMAL. CONTINUE TO THE MORAL DILEMMA!¡±

    Sans snorted at that.

    ¡°now, the girl, she¡¯s smart and has a great sense of humor,¡± Sans said and Papyrus gave him a dubious look. ¡°she¡¯s friends with the guy and cares about him. but, part of what makes him messed up is that he¡¯s decided that he¡¯s completely her slave, sort of. that she owns him, that he¡¯ll obey anything she says. he¡¯d ki- er, hurt himself without hesitation if she wanted him to, paps. he¡¯d hurt others. she doesn¡¯t want him to, so they¡¯re safe, but¡­ it¡¯s messed up.¡±

    ¡°THAT IS CONCERNING. HE SHOULD NOT WANT TO HURT ANYONE.¡±

    ¡°oh, he doesn¡¯t,¡± Sans said. ¡°he¡¯d be really upset about it if she asked him to do that, he¡¯s actually really nice. it¡¯s just the way his screwed-up-ness is. when i say he¡¯ll do anything she asks, i mean anything. and he¡¯s in love with her, and wants to be hers. not in a normal romance way, because that¡¯s something between equals, but in a¡­ loving pet sort of way. a tool, something that belongs to her. and all the normal stuff that goes with a romantic relationship, except the equals part. what should she do?¡±

    Papyrus looked confused for a moment.

    ¡°WHAT DOES SHE WANT TO DO?¡± he asked.

    ¡°uh,¡± Sans said. ¡°sometimes she isn¡¯t sure. she wants to do what¡¯s right, that¡¯s the most important thing. but, other than that, she, uh, i mean, wouldn¡¯t you want to have someone loyal like that, who¡¯d do anything for you?¡±

    ¡°KIND OF LIKE FRISK,¡± Papyrus said, to which Sans barely resisted obviously flinching.

    Frisk¡¯s devotion wasn¡¯t really subtle. Maybe Sans had also been kind of dumb to not think that the others would have clued in, at least a little, to the nature of the situation.

    ¡°er, yeah, kinda,¡± Sans said with a cough.

    ¡°FRISK IS THE BEST!¡± Papyrus said. ¡°SO THE GIRL KNOWS SOMEONE LIKE FRISK, WHO IS MAYBE TOO LOYAL BUT IS GOOD. AND SHE LOVES FRISK BACK. HER FRISK, I MEAN.¡±

    Sans did flinch at that.

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    ¡°maybe, a little, she isn¡¯t really sure how she feels yet,¡± Sans said awkwardly.

    ¡°THEN SHE NEEDS TO DECIDE IF SHE LOVES HER FRISK,¡± Papyrus said, utterly oblivious as he lashed at Sans¡¯ heart. ¡°BECAUSE IF SHE IS A GOOD PERSON WHO WON¡¯T ASK HER FRISK TO DO BAD THINGS, AND SHE LOVES HER FRISK, THEN I DON¡¯T SEE WHERE THE MORAL DILEMMA IS.¡±

    Maybe they were getting sidetracked. His previous issues weren¡¯t just about the relationship itself.

    ¡°but, he¡¯s screwed up in the head in honestly disturbing ways,¡± Sans said. ¡°shouldn¡¯t his friends¡¯ priority be to help him get better?¡±

    ¡°YOU SAID HE LIKED BEING LIKE THIS, THOUGH,¡± Papyrus said.

    ¡°yeah,¡± Sans said.

    ¡°IF HE WANTS TO BE LIKE THIS, AND HE IS HAPPY, AND HE ISN¡¯T HURTING ANYONE, THEN HE ISN¡¯T BROKEN. HE IS JUST WEIRD,¡± Papyrus said.

    That made sense, but¡­ Frisk was really screwed up, though.

    And yet¡­

    The memory of how their devotion to him felt flooded through his mind. The contentment, the peace, the sense of certainty and fulfillment, the stability. How good it felt, no matter how insane it was.

    The memory came, too, of how they were almost downright hostile towards him as they spoke of how they didn¡¯t want to change. Of how they would beg and plead with him to let them stay this way, even if he had a magic button that could forcibly heal them.

    Not broken, and just weird, huh¡­?

    ¡°that¡¯s fair, i guess,¡± Sans said. ¡°but, ok, even aside from trying to get him to be less¡­ mentally disturbing¡­ the idea of a relationship is maybe a problem. we¡¯re not talking about a normal relationship here. we¡¯re talking about basically slavery.¡±

    ¡°IF THE GUY GETS BETTER AND DOESN¡¯T WANT TO BE A SLAVE ANYMORE, WILL SHE LET HIM LEAVE?¡± Papyrus asked.

    ¡°obviously, yeah,¡± Sans said.

    ¡°THEN IT ISN¡¯T SLAVERY,¡± Papyrus pointed out.

    Which¡­ okay, which was a reasonable point.

    ¡°but¡­ isn¡¯t being with him like that, sort of romantically, isn¡¯t that encouraging him to be this way?¡±

    Papyrus looked confused again.

    ¡°ENCOURAGING HIM TO BE THIS WAY? DO YOU MEAN MAKING HIM HAPPY?¡±

    That¡­ was not how Sans had been looking at things.

    ¡°uh. maybe, i dunno,¡± Sans said awkwardly.

    ¡°AGAIN, I AM NOT SEEING THE MORAL DILEMMA HERE,¡± Papyrus said. ¡°ARE YOU SAYING THAT BECAUSE HE ISN¡¯T NORMAL, HE SHOULDN¡¯T BE HAPPY UNTIL HE IS ¡®FIXED¡¯ AND BECOMES NORMAL?¡±

    ¡°no, no, definitely not,¡± Sans said.

    ¡°THEN YOU MUST EXPLAIN IT BETTER BECAUSE I DON¡¯T UNDERSTAND,¡± Papyrus pointed out.

    Sans found himself at a loss for words.

    ¡°it¡¯s mostly that the situation is messed up, that he shouldn¡¯t be that way?¡± Sans tried.

    ¡°BUT HE IS THAT WAY,¡± Papyrus said. ¡°AND HE DOESN¡¯T WANT TO BE NORMAL. HE LIKES THE WAY HE IS. SO HE SHOULD STAY THAT WAY IF HE WANTS.¡±

    ¡°er, isn¡¯t she sort of taking advantage of him, though, if she goes along with this?¡± Sans tried again.

    ¡°IS SHE DOING IT BECAUSE SHE CARES ABOUT HIM OR BECAUSE SHE WANTS A SLAVE?¡± Papyrus asked.

    ¡°it¡¯s all tangled,¡± Sans said. ¡°she does care about him. but she can¡¯t stop herself from liking all the extra benefits, too. like, the fact that she has someone she can trust with absolutely anything. even her worst secrets.¡±

    ¡°THAT SOUNDS HEALTHY,¡± Papyrus said and Sans flinched a little again. ¡°HE LOVES HER AND IS HAPPY THE WAY HE IS. SHE CARES ABOUT HIM AND WANTS TO BE WITH HIM FOR GOOD REASONS. I DON¡¯T SEE A MORAL DILEMMA, SANS.¡±

    Okay, this was not going the way he expected it to.

    ¡°but, look, she wants to make sure he can have an actually good future, too,¡± Sans said.

    Papyrus paused and looked thoughtful for a moment.

    ¡°EVEN IF PEOPLE AREN¡¯T NORMAL, IF THEY¡¯RE HAPPY WITH WHO THEY ARE, THEY¡¯RE FINE THE WAY THEY ARE,¡± he said. ¡°THEY DON¡¯T NEED TO CHANGE THEMSELVES TO BE WHAT OTHER PEOPLE WANT. EVEN IF IT¡¯S BECAUSE THEY¡¯RE BROKEN.

    ¡°MAYBE HE WILL STAY THE WAY HE IS, AND IF HE STAYS HAPPY, THEN THAT IS GOOD. OR, MAYBE HE WILL BE HAPPY WHILE HE IS WITH HER AND SOMEDAY HE WILL CHANGE. AND THEN MAYBE HE WILL WANT SOMETHING ELSE. AS LONG AS SHE IS OKAY WITH THIS AND DOESN¡¯T STOP HIM, THAT IS GOOD, TOO.¡±

    Was¡­ that really a solution to his dilemma? To just accept Frisk as they were now, and make sure they know that if they do ever change, that he¡¯d support and encourage them in their healing? Support them in breaking away, whenever or however it came?

    ¡°heh. you were right, papyrus,¡± Sans said with a smile. ¡°you are the best at these.¡±

    ¡°I STILL DON¡¯T SEE THE DILEMMA,¡± Papyrus said, looking confused.

    Weirdly, the thought hurt, though. He was strong enough for that, right? He wanted to believe he was the sort of person that would let Frisk go. Strange that the idea of letting them go hurt so much when he was trying to decide if he was going to accept them in the first place.

    Maybe that ship had sailed and what he needed to accept was his reality.

    ¡°¡®cause you¡¯re smarter than i am sometimes, that¡¯s all,¡± Sans said, a twisting pain in his chest.

    Months. He¡¯d been struggling with this for months. He¡¯d been pushing Frisk away, making them suffer with loneliness and uncertainty and fear, making himself lonely and all twisted up¡­ and for what?

    A five minute conversation with his brother was all it took.

    God, he was an idiot sometimes.

    ¡°THIS IS TRUE,¡± Papyrus agreed.

    It¡¯s not that Sans didn¡¯t know that talking to people about things was important. Being too close to things, it was so easy to miss the obvious. He¡¯d have given others that advice in an instant.

    But him? No, he had to do everything on his own, come up with his own answers. Who knew what other obvious things he¡¯d missed?

    With the explorations of the spacetime fissure, he had Alphys, Frisk, and possibly Flowey. Not even Alphys knew the size of it, how extensive it was, or almost anything about its nature, other than that there was weird stuff with it letting them see alternate timelines. Even without a scientific background, they might realize something, think of something he¡¯d missed.

    Maybe he could have even gone back home, if he¡¯d trusted Alphys with everything from the beginning. She didn¡¯t even know for sure that other worlds existed - he¡¯d only spoken to her about it as hypotheticals.

    And with his present situation¡­

    He¡¯d been so confident that anyone else would condemn him for being with Frisk under the circumstances, but obviously he¡¯d been completely off base with Papyrus. And with that perspective¡­ the others might actually think it was okay, too. Okay, not the killing bit, most people would have a hard time with that depth of masochism, but the sex and stuff¡­ maybe it wasn¡¯t actually that bad.

    And he¡¯d been deliberately hiding it. Again. He looked up at Papyrus, who was giving him a concerned look again. He¡¯d conspired to get Papyrus pulled away today so he couldn¡¯t ask any awkward questions, by someone else who was chosen to avoid questions.

    Secrets and lies, to cover up secrets and lies, all so that he could fail to handle his own problems.

    ¡°... SANS?¡± Papyrus asked.

    Sans pulled himself to his feet, feeling somehow both relieved and like he was creaking with age. He made his way to the door.

    ¡°you helped a lot, papyrus,¡± he said softly. ¡°i have one last question for ya.¡±

    ¡°ASK AWAY!¡± Papyrus said cheerfully.

    ¡°do you think frisk is ever going to be okay?¡± Sans asked.

    ¡°YOU ARE NOT MAKING MUCH SENSE TODAY, SANS,¡± Papyrus said. ¡°FRISK IS AMAZING ALREADY. THEY DO LIKE PUNS TOO MUCH AND LISTEN TO YOU TOO MUCH, BUT EVERYONE HAS FLAWS. EXCEPT ME. THEY DO SEEM SAD SOMETIMES AND THAT IS A PROBLEM, BUT THEY ARE ALWAYS HAPPY TO SEE US. SO WE SHOULD HANG OUT MORE.¡±

    ¡°yeah,¡± Sans said, heading back to his room. ¡°yeah, papyrus. you¡¯re right, as usual.¡±

    ¡°ANYTIME, BROTHER!¡± Papyrus said, but the cheer sounded a little artificial.

    Papyrus was still worried about him, but well, that was reasonable.

    Sans really had a lot to think about.

 Ch. 24 - Consequences

    When Sans got back to his room after his chat with Papyrus, he saw a message on his phone that he¡¯d missed.

    Frisk: Hey, I was talking to Toriel, and a random thing kind of came up. We were sort of wondering how old you are?

    Very random, he was sure. Especially considering the other text message he¡¯d missed.

    Toriel: Hello Sans. I hope you are doing well today.

    Toriel: I would like to invite you to come over tomorrow. I was hoping that we might discuss a few things, if you have time.

    Yeah.

    He sighed and flopped onto the bed. Both messages had been sent close to an hour ago, so it wasn¡¯t a big deal if he took a little time to think first.

    He wasn¡¯t sure what Frisk had told Toriel, but it might not have been anything at all - Frisk was really easy to read, and if they¡¯d been discussing him, he could absolutely see why Toriel would be concerned. Even if - or perhaps, especially if - Frisk had been refusing to answer. So this made sense, whether or not Frisk said a word.

    Not that he¡¯d made it clear what his preference was, regarding them answering questions. He was confident that they wouldn¡¯t reveal details of his past, or particularly private things they¡¯d picked up, such as from his soul, but beyond that¡­ he was fine leaving it to their judgment.

    In the meantime¡­

    Toriel¡¯s conversation should be short and to the point, while Frisk¡¯s might be distracting, so he started with Toriel¡¯s.

    Sans: ya sure i can come over tomorrow. i gotta thing at 4 so anytime before then is good

    Toriel: That is good to hear. Perhaps at one in the afternoon?

    Sans: sure. ill let ya know when im heading over

    Toriel: Thank you. I look forward to seeing you.

    That was a bit more formal sounding than her usual. No emoticons, no silliness¡­ geh, it was going to be an annoying conversation tomorrow, wasn¡¯t it? He sighed and swapped to Frisk¡¯s message.

    Sans: u cant prove anything

    Frisk: ???

    Sans:  if u dont know my age, u cant prove that ur younger than half my age plus seven

    Frisk:  ??? What are you talking about?

    Sans: really? u havnt seen that thing online, where an age gap is considered creepy if someones with someone less than half their age plus seven?

    Frisk: No I haven¡¯t. Wait. That means you¡¯re at least 26 years old. Or 28, if you count the extra year in the timeloops making me 21 now.

    Sans: which u cant prove

    Frisk: I have both Papyrus¡¯s number *and* Flowey¡¯s number. I¡¯m pretty sure I can get that information.

    Sans: u would have me betrayed by my own brother

    Sans: or by someone who dragged secrets out of my brother

    Sans: that is terrible

    Sans: how could u

    Frisk: haha

    Frisk: If you really don¡¯t want me to know, I won¡¯t press, or ask them. But I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯re just messing around.

    Sans: nah its fine. and u can tell tori even tho its awkward. im 33

    Frisk: dirty old man ;)

    Sans: hey

    Sans: i was a perfect gentleman

    Frisk: Do ¡°perfect gentlemen¡± pin their helpless victims against the wall with gravity magic and edge them till they sob and beg for mercy?

    Heh heh heh. That was a fun memory. Despite his attempts at self control, his breathing was growing unsteady as he texted them back. Also, the fact that they referred to themself as helpless was hilarious to him.

    Sans: absolutely. that is exactly what a proper gentleman should do

    Frisk: I agree. It was terribly wrong of me to accuse you of not being a gentleman.

    Frisk:  I¡¯m willing to be punished for my wretched accusation. One option is for you to remind me of what a proper gentleman you are.

    A rush of desire ran through him and he tried to shove it away.

    Sans: seems like ur feeling FRISK-y

    Frisk: omg no sans. No. Just¡­ omg.

    He outright cackled at that response. They even messed up their capitalization of his name!

    Sans: oh well guess i was wrong. so what r u up to then?

    Frisk: OMG Sans

    He could practically feel the blush and the glare from here and he grinned.

    Frisk:  uh

    Frisk: I don¡¯t want to do anything bad or make things difficult for you.

    Sans: oh?

    Frisk: I mean, teasing a bit about what we¡¯ve done seems fine, though I maybe went a little far, but I know you haven¡¯t had time to decide what you want to do.

    Frisk: And, before, I¡¯d have hidden the sexual stuff.

    Frisk: So if you ask an otherwise innocent question where the answer is sexual¡­ I¡¯m not sure what I should do. I don¡¯t want to tempt you if you want to avoid that, but I also¡­ I mean. You know what I want.

    He slowly exhaled. Frisk was trying to do the wise thing, the safe thing, the sane thing. They were being honest and clear. They were giving him an out¡­ one that he would be very wise to take.

    He should avoid temptations, at least for now, at least until he¡¯d decided things.

    But¡­

    But he didn¡¯t want to.

    Sans: go ahead and answer me honestly

    Frisk: I¡¯m having trouble, actually. I¡¯ve been trying to masturbate and it¡¯s just so empty by comparison. I could probably cum if I really tried, but it¡¯s just so unsatisfying that I keep giving up and soaking in the memories instead.

    His grip tightened on the phone. He didn¡¯t make any conscious decision, but somehow or another, he found himself asking a question.

    Sans: so ur just in ur room, alone, remembering things and touching urself?

    Frisk: Yes.

    Another slow breath. He closed his eyes and felt space around himself. He could reach out to their room so easily¡­

    Sans: outta random curiosity

    Sans: did u save when u got home?

    Frisk: No. Do you want me to?

    Their last save point was in that moment, earlier today. If they reloaded, he¡¯d lose the conversation with Papyrus. They would fall on him, cumming. Again. And he would find himself caught in that cycle of pleasure.

    Saving right now prevented that problem. It was a good thing to do, right? It wasn¡¯t just because he was thinking of having a fallback in case he started to fall to temptations in this part of the timeline?

    Sans: ya. seems smart. u never know what might happen, right?

    Frisk didn¡¯t respond for a minute. Sans tried to wrangle his thoughts, but they spiralled around the agonizingly intense memories.

    Frisk: I saved. Um. I¡¯m not sure if I should mention something¡­

    Sans: tell me

    Frisk: Just in case, I edged myself a little before saving.

    He closed his eyes and leaned against the wall. Right now, Frisk was touching themself, wanting and hoping for him to teleport over and have his way with them. Afraid to ask, because they didn¡¯t want to push him.

    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    He took a breath. It was probably the right thing to do to tell them to cum. To try to beat out his own lust a bit. To then use the clearheadedness to think about what he wanted to do.

    But damn it, he wanted to feel them again.

    And if he was honest with himself¡­ there was no way that he wouldn¡¯t eventually fall to the temptation. He would have a moment of weakness, no matter what he decided. What was the point of resisting, when it was inevitable?

    More shaky breaths followed.

    He didn¡¯t want it to be inevitable. It should be his choice, damn it all.

    Frisk: Er. Sorry if I shouldn¡¯t have.

    Right, it¡¯d been a minute and he hadn¡¯t responded. He had to say something. He stared at his phone but the only things he could think of to say were¡­ him deciding things. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to commit, either way.

    Seconds passed. He knew that Frisk would be feeling increasingly anxious. He needed to say something, damn it.

    Frisk: Sans?

    Another moment passed, with him uselessly staring at the phone and fighting with his mind.

    Frisk: I¡¯m sorry. Don¡¯t worry about anything. I¡¯m okay. I¡¯ll try to get to sleep.

    He still couldn¡¯t say anything. He didn¡¯t want them to worry that they¡¯d upset him. Maybe¡­ maybe he could go to them in person and maybe he¡¯d find a way to let them know.

    He wanted to be there so badly that the teleport was practically effortless, as though a part of him had already locked onto their room and was just waiting for him to stop resisting.

    It was just like the day before, when he was in this room. Standing there, in front of their bed, seeing them in the shadows as they stared at him with wild-eyed need.

    Only this time, they didn¡¯t have any orders that would stop them. Either of them.

    ¡°Sans?¡± they asked, surprised and breathless.

    He still couldn¡¯t speak, he discovered.

    They sat up and the blanket fell from them, revealing the soft curves of their breasts in the light coming from their window. Another shaky breath pulled from him.

    It was his choice. It had to be his choice, he wasn¡¯t an addict, there was no way he could be addicted to¡­

    The sound of Frisk screaming as they begged him for release, and then as he pounded them, feeling their tight heat around him, driving them to their limits as they fell limp on his body, even as their pussy continued to spasm and squeeze his dick.

    His breathing seemed to be growing steadier as he gazed at them, as though some part of him were relaxing. Falling into the moment.

    Giving in.

    Frisk stood up, giving him a concerned look. Their shyness had faded away, presumably from the many hours they had fucked earlier. They stood before him, utterly naked and unashamed.

    Entirely at his mercy.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± they asked.

    Nope, he found that he still couldn¡¯t speak. The part of his mind that handled thinking and speaking was still tangled up, even if the rest of him seemed to have come to a decision. His hand rose and put a finger on their lips, silencing them.

    Their breath caught. They began to tremble as he traced his hand over their jaw.

    ¡°Please,¡± they whispered so faintly that he could barely hear it, but the trembling whimper in their voice was too much.

    No decision had been made, and yet somehow he found himself pinning them down on the bed, his shorts pulled out of the way, and driving himself inside. They cried out sharply in pleasure and he groaned.

    ¡°Oh god, Sans¡­¡± Frisk moaned as he sank into them again and again.

    It was everything it should be. Their heat, tightness, and vitality welcomed him like coming home.

    ¡°Frisk, are you alright?¡± Toriel¡¯s voice called out, and Frisk cut off with a strangled noise.

    But Sans didn¡¯t slow down.

    ¡°whoops,¡± he said. ¡°i guess we¡¯ll have to reset, won¡¯t we? so don¡¯t hold back.¡±

    Even in the shadows, he could see how thick the red color was on their cheeks from that.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± Frisk called out. ¡°Don¡¯t come in!¡±

    He reached up and pinched their nipple hard. They squeaked a little.

    ¡°louder,¡± he said.

    ¡°Sans¡­ she¡¯s¡­ she can hear us,¡± Frisk whimpered.

    ¡°wonder what she¡¯s gonna think when i make you scream,¡± he said, and Frisk gasped. ¡°if you deny me now, i¡¯ll just have to edge you next loop until i get what i want.¡±

    ¡°Oh god¡­¡± Frisk said and let out a half strangled moan as his words set off their orgasm.

    It felt so good, he could have joined them. But he could hold back for a time yet. Besides, the red face, squirming, and squeaky noises of embarrassment were fantastic.

    ¡°Frisk?¡± Toriel asked, from right outside the door.

    ¡°Everything¡¯s f-fine!¡± Frisk said, stuttering a little as Sans thrust a little harder for no particular reason.

    Man that glare was hilarious. He grinned at them.

    Why had he tried to resist this? Every thrust, sliding into that tight pussy, feeling the heat and texture on his dick, their strength pouring into and invigorating him¡­

    The pleasure was building and he looked forward to cumming, and then fixing this little mistake of a timeline.

    But making Frisk lose their mind in embarrassment was too much fun. Since it didn¡¯t seem like a regular orgasm would make them scream, he summoned a small swarm of ethereal bones.

    ¡°Sans¡­¡± Frisk moaned out. ¡°You can¡¯t¡­¡±

    ¡°don¡¯t you remember?¡± he asked with a dark grin. ¡°i can do anything i want to you.¡±

    Even though they¡¯d just cum hardly thirty seconds ago, that nearly set them off again and he laughed. Perhaps a little loudly.

    He heard a sound through the door - a gasp of recognition, maybe? But Toriel didn¡¯t speak. And he was trying not to think about her, or about any hypocrisy issues from resetting the timeline - the two had made a mistake, and needed to fix it, that was all. And that meant that nothing they did had any consequences.

    All that mattered was how good Frisk felt, especially when they were cumming on his dick, and how much he enjoyed their embarrassment.

    With a little bit of help from a well-timed bone swarm, he did get them to cum loudly before killing them and trying again. It took two more tries before they managed to avoid getting Toriel¡¯s attention and he collapsed happily beside Frisk on their bed.

    Which was when the post-orgasm clarity hit.

    He groaned - quietly, still - into Frisk¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± they asked.

    Apparently he could speak just fine when he was falling to temptations. Or when he was so overwhelmed by intimacy that he just freely said things to Frisk he could barely imagine saying, otherwise. Didn''t think he''d have any trouble coming up with words if he decided to blow them off, either.

    He was silent for a moment while he struggled. Frisk gently stroked at his chest again, like they had earlier.

    ¡°Whatever it is, I¡¯m here for you,¡± they whispered.

    Maybe the problem was simply that he was fighting. Maybe instead of trying to say things, trying to figure out what to say, he could just¡­ speak. And if it was wrong, or sappy, or stupid, or conflicted, or whatever, he could just trust Frisk that it¡¯d be okay anyway.

    He hugged them close.

    That¡¯s not how he did things. But, well. Between his mind-wrenching perspective changes earlier, and his conversation with Papyrus, maybe he needed to try to let go of that a little. Or a lot, but ha, that wasn¡¯t happening anytime soon.

    ¡°i didn¡¯t mean to do all that,¡± he said. ¡°i wanted to¡­ make a decision, to think things through. i¡¯d just talked to papyrus, i hadn¡¯t chosen anything.¡±

    Frisk flinched a little.

    ¡°Did I do the wrong thing¡­?¡± they asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to make things difficult for you.¡±

    ¡°no, frisk,¡± he said. ¡°you did exactly right. teasing and messing around - i never want you to feel like you can¡¯t joke around with me. and then you did try to make sure you weren¡¯t saying too much. you were¡­¡±

    He sighed.

    ¡°you¡¯re stronger than me, but i guess we already knew that, didn¡¯t we?¡± he asked with a dark laugh.

    ¡°No, Sans, I¡­ It¡¯s just that I¡¯m messed up in the head, that¡¯s all, I¡¯m not¡­¡± they said, trailing off.

    ¡°i appreciate you trying to salve my ego, but on the other hand¡­¡± he said and flicked their forehead.

    They giggled a little.

    ¡°i know when i¡¯m beat,¡± he said, and a flash of pain went through their eyes. ¡°what was that look about?¡±

    He had his guesses, but he would rather ask, so he did. They looked down.

    ¡°You knew, from before the first time I approached you in the hall, that I¡¯d won,¡± they said softly, and he nodded. ¡°That your only hope was to make me give up.¡±

    ¡°yeah,¡± he said. ¡°i guess i gotta face facts here, too. doesn¡¯t matter if i think it¡¯s right or wrong, if it¡¯s what i should do, if it¡¯s even what i want, in a bigger picture sort of way.¡±

    He hugged them close.

    ¡°i don¡¯t have any choice but to accept you,¡± he said. ¡°to accept everything. i can only hope it¡¯s right, hope that it proves to be something i can live with, because¡­ well.¡±

    He flashed them a shaky grin. The look they gave him was rich and torn, conflicted and joyful.

    ¡°guess what i''m saying is... i''m all in. no more trying to resist the inevitable. just us, figuring things out together.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m not sure¡­ it doesn¡¯t seem like you sound happy about that?¡± they asked tentatively.

    He squeezed them tightly to his chest.

    ¡°i¡¯m afraid,¡± he murmured, and recoiled a little from his own words.

    What the hell was he saying? Maybe this whole ¡°stop trying to figure out what to say and just speak¡± thing was stupid¡­

    Frisk, on the other hand, did not seem conflicted. They inhaled sharply, hugged him back, and then gave him a determined look.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to be afraid,¡± they said.

    ¡°me, neither,¡± he said with a wry laugh.

    But now that he¡¯d said it, named it¡­ he was afraid, wasn¡¯t he? Afraid of looking back at this time in his life, and seeing that he¡¯d destroyed something precious. Destroyed Frisk, and ruined their life by letting them get tangled in his.

    And worse, to have done so without properly thinking through his decision, but simply because sex with them felt too good to resist. Not just the sex, but¡­ everything. The intimacy, the connection, the feeling of being loved and accepted. He didn¡¯t want to let them go¡­ he never wanted to let them go.

    He swallowed. Papyrus had made a really damned good point. He knew what was right. Sans didn¡¯t want to say it¡­ god, he didn¡¯t want to say this, and it probably didn¡¯t even mean anything, but he was afraid if he refused, he might¡­

    Well. If he couldn¡¯t say it now, when there was no chance Frisk would go, then maybe he never would. And he would prove to be something that he despised.

    ¡°there¡¯s¡­ there¡¯s something i have to say,¡± he managed, his voice rough and hoarse. ¡°i know you¡¯re bound to me. i know you don¡¯t want to go. but. but look. things might change. it¡¯s important, it¡¯s critical, that you understand - if things change and you start to feel like you want to belong to yourself again¡­¡±

    Knives were stabbing through his gut. This was ridiculous. They weren¡¯t going anywhere, he knew that. The look on their face told him as much, as clearly as if they were giving him a heartfelt oath.

    ¡°you have to let me know. i¡­ god, frisk, i don¡¯t want you to go, but you have to know that you don¡¯t really belong to me. i¡¯m going to act like you do, because apparently i can¡¯t fight this, but¡­¡±

    He cut off, and they squeezed him tightly.

    ¡°I¡¯m yours forever, Sans,¡± they murmured.

    ¡°you¡¯re only twenty. or twenty one, whatever,¡± he said. ¡°you can¡¯t know that, not for real.¡±

    ¡°Maybe not,¡± Frisk said. ¡°But can anyone, really? I know that right now, I want to be yours forever and I won¡¯t hesitate to commit to that.¡±

    ¡°that may change,¡± Sans said. ¡°i don¡¯t¡­ i don¡¯t want you to be trapped by me, frisk. you deserve better than¡­ than any of this.¡±

    ¡°People keep saying that,¡± Frisk said. ¡°That I deserve better. But, even aside from what I ¡®deserve¡¯ - you¡¯d think it¡¯d be considered a positive thing, not a negative, to get everything I want, and this is what I want. This isn¡¯t some awful fate I¡¯m resigned to because I think I¡¯m the worst or anything. I¡¯m fighting to fulfill my greatest desire.¡±

    A twisted perspective, like how they viewed their devotion, how they viewed pain, how they viewed being used. Alien as it was to him¡­ he¡¯d seen their soul. How was it his place to say they were wrong about what they wanted?

    ¡°And you¡¯d never trap me with you,¡± Frisk said, sounding far more confident than he was on that subject. ¡°Of course if I wanted to leave, you¡¯d let me go.¡±

    Ripping, tearing uncertainty. He would let them go. He would do whatever it took to make sure he¡¯d do the right thing. His grip on them tightened anyway.

    ¡°And as far as it changing?¡± Frisk asked. ¡°I don¡¯t want to change. Isn¡¯t that the best anyone can do, though? To commit to forever, heart and soul, and fight to stay the course, come what may?¡±

    ¡°that¡¯s the problem,¡± Sans said. ¡°i don¡¯t want you to fight to stay this way.¡±

    That was an outright lie. But it¡¯s what he thought a better version of him would want, anyway.

    ¡°You care about what I want, though, right?¡± Frisk asked and he managed to nod. ¡°I do want to be this way, to stay this way, and to fight to remain so. I want, with all of my heart, to be yours.¡±

    They met his gaze and he burned within it.

    ¡°Forever,¡± they said, and it sounded like an oath.

    He was being ripped in two. It hurt like hell and he was probably gripping them way too tightly. Well, if they were anyone but Frisk, anyway.

    On one hand¡­ his selfish desires. If he stopped fighting all his impulses.

    He¡¯d take Frisk as his own, and encourage them to be happy within their devotion, encourage them to stay this way, to be always his. Make sure all their needs were met, emotionally and otherwise, with the aim that they would never be tempted to look at any other path. To worship him, love him, and serve him forever. To love them back, in his screwed up way, and to always trust in them.

    To take their power for his own personal use and pleasure. To discard everything he¡¯d ever said about restraint with the timelines, and just abuse their power as much as he liked - to test things, to learn things, to have fun, to have time to think, for random whims.

    On the other¡­ his better judgment.

    To work towards healing and growth, for himself and Frisk both. To face things with Papyrus, and let him know the truth of everything. To restrain himself to the sorts of entertainments that didn¡¯t have moral problems. To remain cautious and careful, whether with timelines or people.

    To maybe figure out his problems better so he even knew what his better judgment should be. So maybe to try to talk seriously with others, to lean on them and figure things out together?

    Ugh.

    And some things that¡­ maybe weren¡¯t so easy to categorize. The desire to keep people at arm¡¯s length, to keep things simple and uncomplicated. The desire to shove Frisk away, because of how much this hurt. Not like that was an option¡­ the idea of losing them hurt even worse.

    This was all such a goddamned mess.

    His arms relaxed a little as he held them.

    He was tired of fighting. Tired of feeling alone. Tired of trying so hard to do the right thing when he didn¡¯t even know what that was.

    Maybe giving up was the wrong thing. On some level, it was - he should try to do better, to be better. Even if he didn¡¯t know what ¡°better¡± meant, he shouldn¡¯t stop trying. But this evening had clearly shown he wasn¡¯t strong enough to succeed, so maybe he should just give up, trust Frisk, and hope things work out.

    Well. Not ¡°should.¡± He knew it wasn¡¯t what he should do. And yet¡­

    ¡°alright then,¡± he said, relaxing further, with a strange feeling of both loss and relief. ¡°i accept your choice, frisk. until you decide otherwise¡­ you are mine.¡±

    As expected, they let out a sound of joy and fulfillment as they nuzzled into his chest.

    It was a sweet silence that they rested in together, for a time. And when the memories started to grow compelling, Sans whisked them away for privacy, taking Frisk without hesitation or second guessing.

    Frisk slept in his arms that night. The next morning, he stole away back to his room and went about his business, his heart oddly bruised and yet light.

    Apparently this was his life now. Terrifying, hopeful, sweet, aching, morally questionable¡­

    And so good.

 Interlude April Fools - Three Sans Collide

    April Fool''s Interlude - Three Sans Collide

    This chapter''s contents are NOT part of the story. It was posted as an April Fool''s joke and is being left up so future readers can enjoy it, too. Details are in the end of chapter notes.

    The machine was built and ready to go. Sans was impressed at what Alphys pulled off when he told her everything he knew about spacetime, alternate worlds, and the timespace rift. He should have done that ages ago.

    Well, no. If he¡¯d done that, then he probably would have gone home and would never have had this opportunity. A shame Alphys couldn¡¯t be here for this - she¡¯d have loved to, but it was that would complicate things excessively. Frisk would be bad enough, and there was no way he wasn¡¯t going to have them here. For lots of reasons.

    ¡°you ready, frisk?¡± Sans asked with a grin.

    ¡°I, um, yes,¡± Frisk said uneasily.

    Sans was excited, but Frisk was nervous. They had reason for a lot more emotional uncertainty than he did, with this particular plan.

    He put his hand into the device and it locked onto his signature. Matches in the timelines were found. He pulled his hand out and delicately adjusted the controls, locking onto his target. After a minute, everything was ready.

    ¡°here we go,¡± he said, activating it.

    The platform in front of them lit up with an unearthly glow. Magic swirled around it, with threads of black weaving around the platform, making an odd dome of humming power. Within it, a shadow appeared, frozen in place. It slowly manifested into the form of a short figure who looked like they were embracing someone, but nothing was in their arms.

    The image slowly solidified into a strikingly familiar fellow.

    <hr>

    Sans was confused. He¡¯d been holding Frisk, trying to wish them luck, and then the next thing he knew, he was standing in some strange room, surrounded by ominous looking swirls of black threads within a rainbow of what looked like stabilizing magic.

    When it faded, he blinked in surprise. Of all the things he¡¯d expected to see - which, admittedly, his expectations were kinda nonexistent at the moment - seeing another Sans standing by Frisk was not on the list.

    ¡°look who decided to drop in,¡± the other Sans said with a shit-eating grin. ¡°nice jacket.¡±

    Their jackets were identical, though not the rest of their clothes, and Sans chuckled. He glanced over at Frisk. Something weird was going on, but the first concern was whether they were really him and Frisk. Not that he knew why they wouldn¡¯t be, but well, he wasn¡¯t quick to trust, as a rule. He wanted to test them, and why not? He¡¯d rather not have the other Sans give away anything regarding his pre-made passwords with Frisk there, so they were the natural target.

    ¡°you the frisk i knew?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Yes,¡± they said, looking down uneasily.

    ¡°what¡¯s the last thing i said to you?¡± he asked.

    They looked up, and their expression was strange. Sorrow, regret, a hint of burning determination and steel the like of which he¡¯d never really seen in their eyes. They¡¯d been growing a spine in the time he¡¯d known them, but this was something else.

    ¡°You knew that I couldn¡¯t be persuaded from my path, not without a better way,¡± they said, their voice still soft. ¡°You reminded me of all that I needed to remember, to fight for. To remember you. You wished me luck, as I wept in your arms, and then I fled time itself.¡±

    He nodded. No one else should know that. He looked over at the other Sans.

    ¡°well, i¡¯m convinced,¡± he said. ¡°what¡¯s goin¡¯ on?¡±

    ¡°i¡¯m giving ya the short version, since we¡¯re pulling in one more sans in a minute,¡± he said. ¡°this is the last timeline. frisk is never restarting again.¡±

    The other Sans playfully nudged Frisk, and they gave him a sweet smile.

    Uh. Not just sweet, actually. That expression¡­

    He¡¯d deal with that later. He didn¡¯t want to deal with the pained twisting in his heart that Frisk¡¯s expression was making him feel. The knowledge that he¡¯d just been¡­ replaced. With himself. And it had become something more¡­

    Right, not thinking about that.

    ¡°yours was the first timeline,¡± the other Sans continued. ¡°so we¡¯re going to call you sans-one and i¡¯m sans-three.¡±

    Everything clicked.

    ¡°that would mean that sans-two would be the one from the timeline that frisk was planning on creating,¡± Sans-one said in a low tone.

    ¡°yep,¡± Sans-three said. ¡°we¡¯re bringing him in next.¡±

    Sans-three gestured for Sans-one to come out of the portal and he did so, going over to Frisk, as Sans-three started configuring the console again.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Frisk murmured in a low voice. ¡°I was an idiot and I didn¡¯t realize-¡±

    ¡°not yet, frisk,¡± Three said from the machine, as he began to activate it.

    ¡°i dunno, i kinda want to hear this,¡± One said, glancing over at him.

    ¡°i¡¯m getting kinda sick of repetition in my life,¡± Three said. ¡°sans-two will be here shortly and he¡¯ll wanna hear it, too.¡±

    Frisk nodded and One glanced over at them.

    ¡°you okay?¡± he asked quietly.

    ¡°I¡¯m happy,¡± they said, smiling up at him.

    That smile ripped into him. He¡¯d never had anyone smile at him like that before¡­ even she had been more reserved with her love. He swallowed.

    But they did look honestly happy, even if everything was confusing and maybe a little more emotionally jagged than he might have predicted.

    He looked back over at the platform that now had a cloud of black-threaded magic swirling around it.

    <hr>

    Exhaustion tore at Sans¡¯ mind. The only thought he could hold onto was the burning hope that Papyrus was going to be okay. He blinked at the glaringly bright swarm of magic around him, with unsettlingly dark lines weaving through it, so black that they looked like they consumed light, rather than merely failing to reflect it. He didn¡¯t want to be consumed, but he couldn¡¯t¡­

    The magic faded away and he pulled himself to his feet. The room spun uncomfortably and he tried to focus.

    Two other Sans-es were standing before him, as well as the thing. But¡­ but no. Their face¡­ it wasn¡¯t them. Or was it? Damn it, he couldn¡¯t think.

    ¡°what¡­?¡± he asked. ¡°what¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°damn, you¡¯re in bad shape,¡± one of the Sans-es said, the one standing by the machine¡¯s controls. ¡°frisk, you¡¯ll need to top him off in a minute.¡±

    The human nodded and took a careful step forward, but stopped as he tensed.

    ¡°what the hell happened to you?¡± the other Sans said, the one that was standing right next to the human.

    ¡°be careful,¡± he tried to say. ¡°that thing¡­ they¡¯ll¡­¡±

    ¡°what, frisk?¡± the Sans by the machine said with a laugh. ¡°don¡¯t worry about them. anyway, newest sans. sleepyhead. you look pretty toast, so listen up.¡±

    He blinked at the Sans by the machine and tried to stay focused.

    ¡°this is the sans from the first timeline, before yours,¡± he said, gesturing at the Sans standing by the human - Frisk, apparently, their name was. ¡°we¡¯re calling him sans-one and he doesn¡¯t know anything either. you¡¯re from the timeline after his, so you¡¯re sans-two. i¡¯m sans-three.¡±

    Sans-two looked over at the human.

    ¡°you¡¯re the human inside the thing i was fighting,¡± he said, his head clearing a little now that he was no longer trying to maintain his binding attack.

    They nodded and looked down.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± they murmured.

    ¡°still not a good time for that,¡± Three said.

    ¡°i dunno, i kinda want to hear this,¡± Two said, and One snickered. ¡°actually, no, better question - is papyrus okay?¡±

    ¡°you killed papyrus?¡± One asked, looking over at Frisk.

    He didn¡¯t look completely surprised, which immediately set Sans-two on edge. The human, however, immediately whimpered and launched themself at Sans-three. Two might¡¯ve tried to protect him if he weren¡¯t so exhausted, but the human just buried their face into Three¡¯s jacket. He actually wrapped his arms around them comfortingly.

    Two just stared, struggling with this situation.

    ¡°papyrus is great,¡± Three said, and the feeling of relief that flooded Two nearly knocked him off his feet, unsteady as he was. ¡°everyone is. timeline¡¯s solid, too - no risk of everything ending.¡±

    One looked relieved at that. Good news as far as Two was concerned as well, of course, but the news about Papyrus was more important, personally.

    ¡°i know you¡¯ve got reason not to trust frisk, but if you can trust your other selves, take their hand,¡± Three said. ¡°they can restore some energy for ya.¡±

    ¡°you can do magic now?¡± One asked while Two stared at the human.

    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Frisk said. ¡°A little, I guess, but mostly it¡¯s just adjustment of my own spirit within my own body.¡±

    ¡°and infusing killing intent into your strikes,¡± Two muttered.

    Frisk flinched a little at that, but reached out their hand.

    ¡°Please let me restore you,¡± they said.

    He stared at them for a moment, then looked at the other two Sans-es. He pushed at his focus again, trying to take in the situation. Both the previous timeline version of him and the timeline that came after him, assuming the other Sans-es were for real, trusted the kid. But if these Sans-es weren¡¯t for real¡­ honestly, there wasn¡¯t much he could do about that. Teleport away, sure, but he could do that while holding the kid¡¯s hand anyway.

    After all, it was his core that held the risk, not his limbs. He cautiously reached his hand out to theirs.

    ¡°thicken up your presence as much as you can,¡± Three said, while One looked over curiously. ¡°this isn¡¯t the fastest way, but it should do.¡±

    Two obligingly let his magic manifest as a thicker presence on his fingers, even though it was a bit fatiguing to do so. The kid tenderly took his hand.

    Weirdly, their grip went right through his presence, going straight to his bones. Where their flesh overlapped, he felt their strength pouring into him. It was kinda sorta like absorbing a human soul, in some ways. His mind grew clearer and sharper as their vitality sluggishly poured into him. Exhausted as he was, it felt incredible.

    ¡°what are you doing?¡± One asked, sounding curious.

    The human smiled, but kept their eyes on Two.

    ¡°I have only learned this recently, but it was you, Sans-two, from whom I began to learn this,¡± they said, their voice soft. ¡°You have helped me to learn to die. Not just to die, but to embrace death, to love it, to love being killed by you.¡±

    One seemed increasingly horrified as they spoke, and Two was mostly just perplexed.

    ¡°I have learned to die in piecemeal; to sacrifice my life and soul so that any magic that overlaps mine, any soul that overlaps mine, consumes me for their strength,¡± they said.

    ¡°what the fuck, frisk,¡± One said, recoiling from their words.

    Their smile didn¡¯t waver.

    ¡°frisk¡¯s got a knack for turning a simple question into a goddamned novel,¡± Three grumbled. ¡°you¡¯d think, after knowing me so long, they¡¯d have figured out things like shortcuts.¡±

    The human chuckled at that and One continued to just stare, though he and Two did crack a grin at the joke.

    ¡°huh,¡± Two said, his voice steadier. ¡°it¡¯s really slow, but it¡¯s nice. what¡¯s the faster way?¡±

    ¡°you don¡¯t wanna know,¡± Three said and Two sighed.

    ¡°If I may,¡± the human said, stepping a little closer.

    He stepped back instinctively. They stopped, giving him a sorrowful expression¡­ and went down to their knees. They lifted his hand and pulled it closer, towards their throat. He went along with this, stepping forward a little, and they actually put his hand on their neck, his fingers wrapped around their throat. He couldn¡¯t help but tighten his grip.

    ¡°hey,¡± One said, ¡°don¡¯t hurt them.¡±

    Their life flowed much more thickly within their neck and poured into him faster. He met their gaze, his sharpening mind giving him more insight into what lay beyond those green eyes.

    ¡°actually, go ahead and hurt them as much as you like,¡± Three said, to One¡¯s spluttering objection. ¡°just don¡¯t kill them, since that¡¯d trigger a reset, or do anything magic can¡¯t fix.¡±

    ¡°what the hell is wrong with you?¡± One demanded.

    Frisk and Two were both ignoring them, as Three tried to get One to just quietly watch. Two was focused on Frisk¡¯s expression - the face that he¡¯d studied all day, on the worst day of his life.

    No hesitation or fear, despite his grip being probably uncomfortably tight around their throat, their face reddening from the pressure. Now that his mind was clearing¡­ the last thing they¡¯d said to him was that they were sorry, that they were grateful, and that they loved him. He saw it all on their face now, without any of the conflict he¡¯d seen at the end. As though the demon in their mind had been replaced by devotion, but left all the determination behind.

    ¡°you¡¯d let me kill you, wouldn¡¯t you?¡± he asked quietly, gazing into their accepting eyes.

    They smiled softly.

    ¡°I would,¡± they said, their voice a little rough from the pressure he was putting on their throat, but still managing to sound gentle. ¡°As much as you want. But you wouldn¡¯t remember, and it would upset the Sans of this timeline. Still. I would not stop you. You may do anything you wish to me. Anything at all.¡±

    He didn¡¯t see a hint of guile on their face.

    ¡°it¡¯s not as generous an offer as it sounds,¡± Three commented dryly and Two looked over. ¡°they don¡¯t exactly have a problem with being killed. or other things.¡±

    Two chuckled a bit at that, his gaze returning to them. It wasn¡¯t news that they didn¡¯t take death seriously. His grip tightened further, just to see what they¡¯d do. They couldn¡¯t breathe and their face was turning purple, but the gentle smile on their face didn¡¯t waver. Not a hint of fear or uncertainty in their gaze - only loving adoration, regret, sorrow, and acceptance.

    He heard One try to protest, but Three said that Frisk had killed Papyrus and Two had had to witness that. Between that and Frisk being okay with this, it wasn¡¯t right to interfere. Even if Frisk passed out, as long as Two didn¡¯t finish them off, it didn¡¯t matter.

    Frisk got close to passing out, without even a flicker of resistance or defiance on their face. Discomfort, pain, those things he saw, but nothing dangerous. He let go and they gasped for air before bowing their head contritely and standing back up. One rushed to their side and pulled them into a hug for a moment.

    He¡¯d gotten the impression that he¡¯d maybe been friends with the kid in another timeline. Had the hope that the next timeline would be better. Still, it was really fucking weird to see the previous version of him hugging the human, and the later version of him looking over at the pair affectionately. The human seemed to be in love with all three of the Sans-es, and the other two inexplicably seemed to return it to varying degrees. He very much felt like the odd one out, almost like something was wrong with him for hating the thing that had slaughtered Papyrus and everyone else.

    He sighed and tried to relax a little. These two Sans-es were him and they¡¯d seen things he hadn¡¯t. And he had seen those weird signs. Maybe he shouldn¡¯t hate them. The events of the day had left him beyond raw and he¡¯d need a week at Grillby¡¯s to begin to try to handle things¡­ but while he couldn¡¯t trust the human, he did trust his other selves.

    ¡°not completely restored, but that was something,¡± Two commented as he watched. ¡°i want to know why you did it.¡±

    The human flinched a little.

    ¡°wait, you didn¡¯t even tell him?¡± One asked, looking down at Frisk.

    ¡°you knew about it?¡± Two asked, reeling. ¡°you didn¡¯t stop them?¡±

    ¡°i tried to talk them out of it,¡± One said. ¡°but i wasn¡¯t sure what was best - i could see hints of the end of everything and didn¡¯t know what timeline it was in.¡±

    ¡°it was in mine,¡± Two said, practically growling in frustration. ¡°with every person they murdered, it loomed larger.¡±

    He glared at the human, who whimpered a little at his gaze. He closed his eyes for a moment and took a steadying breath. It was still too raw, too recent. His other self had known about the plan and been unsure. That meant it wasn¡¯t as bad as it seemed. He had to try to push back his anger.

    Three went over to the human, gave them a gentle smile, and then grabbed their shoulder, lightly pushing them towards One and Two.

    ¡°go on, say your piece,¡± Three said.

    <hr>

    Frisk swallowed and nodded.

    ¡°I am sorry. To both of you,¡± they said, and turned to One. ¡°I was wrong. I wronged you horribly. I was so afraid, so lost in my obsession and worry, I didn¡¯t realize some obvious things. I didn¡¯t let myself understand that resetting would¡­ would destroy you. In a way I couldn¡¯t get back.¡±

    One sighed heavily and rubbed at his forehead.

    ¡°I¡­ it may not be the best time, but I think you should know, because both of the other Sans-es know, but¡­¡± Frisk swallowed again. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize myself till I fought Sans-two. But I¡¯d fallen in love with you.¡±

    One looked away sharply. Frisk turned to Two.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± they said again. ¡°It was temporary, it was never meant to stay. I¡­ tried to tell you, but I couldn¡¯t face you. Every time I tried to speak to you, I reloaded. I couldn¡¯t handle you knowing I¡¯d tried to talk to you, I was afraid you¡¯d talk to me again. Say things I couldn¡¯t face.¡±

    They bowed their head.

    ¡°that¡¯s nice,¡± Two said dryly, then closed his eyes and shook his head with a sigh. ¡°i mean, i appreciate it. but it doesn¡¯t tell me why you did it, or why my other two selves trust you so much.¡±

    ¡°take it away, frisk,¡± Three said, leaning against the wall. ¡°short version, please.¡±

    They nodded seriously and faced the other two.

    ¡°In the first timeline, I tried to do things the right way,¡± they began and Three sighed.

    ¡°nevermind,¡± he said. ¡°i¡¯ll do it. frisk¡¯s a good kid - sweet, rough background, determined, had some fear issues. got a happy ending in the first timeline. everyone was free, yadda yadda. found out they have a demon possession problem, tried to get sans-one¡¯s help, and alphys¡¯s, to solve it. failed. they freaked out, got obsessive and single-minded, didn¡¯t think things through, decided to reset and go murder-crazy to pull the demon to the surface to figure it out.¡±

    ¡°that actually explains a lot,¡± Two noted thoughtfully.

    ¡°see, frisk? we can understand things without an hours-long explanation,¡± Three pointed out and they pouted.

    One chuckled at that.

    ¡°he has a point,¡± One added and Frisk grumbled.

    ¡°that aside, was it solved? the demon problem?¡± Two asked.

    ¡°No, actually,¡± Frisk said. ¡°It¡¯s not been our priority.¡±

    ¡°seriously?¡± Two asked, directing his glare at Three. ¡°do you know what they did?¡±

    ¡°yeah, i do,¡± Three said. ¡°the demon¡¯s name is chara and it¡¯s¡­ sort of empowered by their LOVE, which doesn¡¯t come with on resets. as long as frisk doesn¡¯t get any LOVE, it¡¯s pretty quiet and harmless. we¡¯ve got time.¡±

    ¡°do you still hear it? feel it?¡± Two asked Frisk.

    They looked away.

    ¡°Yes,¡± they answered.

    ¡°wait, right now?¡± Three asked.

    ¡°... yes,¡± they whispered. ¡°But I know their voice. I know what they want. I won¡¯t listen to them.¡±

    ¡°what are they saying?¡± Two asked, his gaze flicking over to Three.

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to know,¡± Frisk whispered.

    ¡°tell us,¡± Three ordered calmly and Frisk bowed their head, to One¡¯s visible astonishment.

    ¡°They¡¯re¡­ laughing,¡± they said quietly. ¡°Right now, it''s quiet and faint, but I can always hear them. Usually, it¡¯s just little things - insights, observations, that sort of thing. It¡¯s normally not even bad things, in this or the first timeline. It¡¯s often just helpful commentary, actually. But, um. They remember you.¡±

    Frisk took a wavering breath, struggling to make eye contact and mostly failing.

    ¡°They¡¯re laughing as they remind me of¡­ of the most painful moments when I faced you. They¡¯re reminding me of killing Papyrus, of what seeing that must have done to you. They¡¯re reminding me of your mercy, of the false kindness you showed me, of my surrender to them. Of how much I learned about myself and about you, from those moments.¡±

    ¡°that sounds like this should be a priority,¡± Two said, looking at the others.

    ¡°i¡¯m just wondering how the hell you got frisk to actually listen to you,¡± One muttered and Three coughed.

    ¡°you don¡¯t want to know,¡± Three said.

    ¡°you do realize that just makes me want to know more, right?¡± One said dryly and Three chuckled.

    ¡°yeah, yeah,¡± Three said. ¡°it¡¯s not just me, either. frisk, your devotion thing extends to them, too, right?¡±

    Frisk nodded. It was strange, to belong to three people like this, but they were all Sans, so of course they belonged to him.

    ¡°as long as you don¡¯t go counter to my orders, they¡¯ll obey you absolutely,¡± Three said.

    ¡°what?¡± One asked, and Two looked intrigued. ¡°you¡¯re basically our slave now? is that what he¡¯s saying?¡±

    ¡°For three different reasons, and all of them you, I owe you my everything, and my soul is yours,¡± Frisk said, their head bowed. ¡°Everything I am, anything you wish, always.¡±

    The first Sans, who stood by them and helped them to grow, to heal, to have hope, to have faith in themself.

    The second Sans, who showed them what it meant to give his everything in pursuit of what was right. Who awed them with his power, and who showed aspects of himself that they couldn¡¯t help but admire and adore. The one they had hurt, who had saved them from themself, to whom they owed a debt that could never be repaid.

    The third Sans, who had been their focus and purpose as they reforged their soul, whom they had grown to love so deeply and dearly, who had shared with them his own heart and soul.

    ¡°you¡¯ll get used to it,¡± Three said. ¡°it¡¯s actually kinda nice, once you stop tangling yourself in knots about the ethics of it all. trust me, i¡¯ve done enough of that.¡±

    ¡°and you ended up actually accepting this?¡± One demanded.

    ¡°you might stop for a second and think about why that is,¡± Three said. ¡°it¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know me.¡±

    ¡°i feel like i don¡¯t, right now,¡± One said, pulling Frisk into a tight hug. ¡°look, frisk, it doesn¡¯t have to be like that. you¡¯re your own person. hell, i couldn¡¯t get you to stop arguing with me, once i finally got you talking.¡±

    ¡°I was a little obstinate, wasn¡¯t I?¡± Frisk said with a gentle smile.

    ¡°way more than a little,¡± One said with his own soft smile. ¡°seriously, you don¡¯t have to just obey us because of what you did. you had a reason to do it.¡±

    Frisk looked at Three.

    ¡°it took them a ridiculously long time to get me to accept the situation,¡± Three said. ¡°maybe i should have mentioned that. sans-one, you¡¯re three weeks past the day frisk fell into the underground, right?¡±

    One nodded.

    ¡°it¡¯s the same day, the first day, for sans-two,¡± Three said, and Two nodded. ¡°for frisk, subjectively, it¡¯s been¡­ a little over two years, i think?¡±

    ¡°Hard to tell, really, but about that,¡± Frisk agreed.

    ¡°and for me, it¡¯s been ten months, calendar time. but now that i¡¯m able to remember the loops, i¡¯ve lost track of how much time it¡¯s felt like,¡± Three said. ¡°that happened six months ago, four months after they showed up.¡±

    ¡°how were you brought in on the loops?¡± Two asked, and One agreed.

    ¡°you also really don¡¯t want to know,¡± Three said, to the annoyance of the other two. ¡°anyway. i¡¯m not saying chara isn¡¯t an issue at all, but we¡¯ve focused on getting me to remember the resets first. now that we¡¯ve succeeded at that, we can look at other priorities.¡±

    ¡°it¡¯s been six months since then,¡± One pointed out. ¡°that¡¯s plenty of time for other things.¡±

    ¡°we¡¯ve, uh, been distracted by stuff,¡± Three said with a slightly awkward grin. ¡°but that¡¯s what we¡¯re doing now - picking up other priorities again.¡±

    ¡°like maybe getting all of us in on the loops,¡± Two said, frowning. ¡°this bullshit about us not wanting to know is getting old, ¡®cause i¡¯m pretty sure sans-one agrees with me here, we do actually wanna know.¡±

    One nodded vehemently. Three sighed and shifted his weight.

    ¡°i get that, i do,¡± Three said. ¡°but here¡¯s the thing. you both have, uh, opinions about frisk. not only will both of you have objections to things, i dunno if either of you could even do what was involved in getting me to remember the resets. sans-one, you¡¯d have problems with the violent bits-¡±

    ¡°wait, hold on,¡± One interjected, stepping towards Frisk protectively. ¡°violent? towards frisk? what did you do to them?¡±

    ¡°my point exactly,¡± Three said dryly, then gestured towards Two. ¡°and sans-two, here, would have problems with the intimacy bits. it¡¯s kinda pointless.¡±

    ¡°what exactly do you mean by intimacy?¡± Two asked, giving Frisk another speculative look.

    ¡°i¡¯m glad you¡¯re both so cooperative with my i-told-you-so,¡± Three said with a grin. ¡°getting you in on the loops seems like a reasonable long term goal, not short term.¡±

    ¡°i get that,¡± One said. ¡°but the little hints you dropped are gonna bug me till i know. just tell us. whatever it is, we¡¯ll deal with it, you know that.¡±

    Two nodded in agreement and Three sighed.

    ¡°fine,¡± Three said, rubbing at the back of his head. ¡°but after we clear the air and get us all on the same page. how about you two ask your most pressing questions for now before we get into that stuff?¡±

    <hr>

    The two newly arrived Sans-es glanced at each other and nodded. One spoke first.

    ¡°what happened to you, frisk?¡± One asked in a low tone. ¡°the way you¡¯ve been acting, what you guys have been saying - this isn¡¯t you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± they said, looking away. ¡°It isn¡¯t. The Frisk you knew died. I began to lose myself in your timeline, and you watched me wither and decay.¡±

    One¡¯s gut twisted at that. They were being melodramatic again, but he had seen them losing themself.

    ¡°In his timeline¡­¡± Frisk said, their gaze turning to meet Two¡¯s.

    Two simply watched them impassively. He could read his own face pretty well, though - Two was struggling badly with this situation. Frisk would probably have no idea, but Two was hurting and trying not to actively be pissed about it.

    ¡°I lost myself,¡± they continued. ¡°I failed. I tried, but I failed. Doing what I¡¯d done, gaining that much LOVE¡­ it destroyed me.¡±

    ¡°how much did they gain?¡± One asked Two.

    ¡°their LOVE was nineteen,¡± Two said.

    ¡°ninete¡­ the fuck,¡± One said, sharply inhaling. ¡°frisk¡­¡±

    That was nearly the max. They¡¯d been on the edge of complete dissociation. He hadn¡¯t told them about the mechanics of LOVE, what it did to a mind and soul, but he¡¯d tried to warn them. It hadn¡¯t been enough.

    Frisk¡¯s head was bowed and their eyes were closed.

    ¡°It destroyed me, and Chara had nearly taken me over,¡± they said. ¡°Chara is what Sans-two could see on my face, not me.¡±

    ¡°i saw hints of you,¡± Two corrected in a low tone. ¡°it¡¯s the reason i took the approaches i did. i thought that i must¡¯ve been wrong, since you blew them all off, since you were obviously still trying. till the very end, i mean.¡±

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°Practically everything you tried worked, actually,¡± Frisk said with a small smile. ¡°You hurt me to a depth and degree the like of which nothing else I¡¯ve experienced could touch.¡±

    Two smiled darkly at that, and One¡¯s hand clenched. It really bothered him how much Two was pleased at Frisk¡¯s suffering. He understood it, he did, but¡­ it was Frisk they were talking about. One of the gentlest people he¡¯d ever known. Gentler than Papyrus, even - at least Papyrus was willing to attack nonlethally. He¡¯d never seen Frisk lay a finger on anyone.

    Though¡­ he supposed Two didn¡¯t exactly have cause to think of them as gentle. He still could barely believe Frisk had actually gone through with it all, but they¡¯d clearly gone completely insane, to get their LOVE up that high, that fast. Nineteen, in a single day¡­

    ¡°frisk also has problems with giving up,¡± Three tossed in. ¡°our best estimates, from your timeline layer, suggest you killed them between three hundred fifty and four hundred times.¡±

    One just stared at Three, horrified. Close to four hundred deaths¡­? From him alone? Why had they kept trying?!

    Two, on the other hand, just looked amused.

    ¡°that explains a lot, too,¡± Two said. ¡°you were something else, kid.¡±

    ¡°But to address your question,¡± Frisk said to One. ¡°Sans-two tried an approach of feigned mercy. Of calling on¡­¡±

    They trailed off and swallowed, looking away, their face tight with pain.

    ¡°called on what i thought i¡¯d seen hints of,¡± Two said. ¡°that there might be a memory of a good person within them, someone who once wanted to do the right thing.¡±

    Tears began to flow down Frisk¡¯s face, but no sound emerged from them, as Two spoke. One simply watched and listened.

    ¡°that in another timeline, we might have even been friends,¡± Two said, continuing to pretend to be impassive as Frisk¡¯s tears fell. ¡°the plan was to beg them to put down their weapon, to forget all this, to stop fighting. i take it you accepted once, huh?¡±

    Frisk nodded, not meeting his gaze.

    It sounded like his other self had done a bang-up job, not that he¡¯d have expected any different from himself. He¡¯d called on the exact things that One had tried to impress on Frisk not to forget. It was incredibly frustrating to realize that they¡¯d pushed it that far, despite his entreaty. But it had worked out in the end, seemed like.

    ¡°the plan was, if it actually worked, to take advantage of their vulnerability and kill them,¡± Two said, and One gave him a dark look, but as irritating as that was¡­ it was a fair thing to do. ¡°and, as they died, to maybe insult them a little for fun, but also to say that if we were ever friends, they wouldn¡¯t come back.¡±

    Frisk was trembling. One sighed and pulled them in for another hug, trying to soothe them. He passingly wondered why Three was so blase about this, just standing there and watching with an amused look, but at least One could be there for them.

    ¡°i find it interesting that you came back, despite what i¡¯m seeing with sans-one, here,¡± Two said.

    ¡°worth adding in that killing frisk actually takes away their choice on that particular front,¡± Three said. ¡°they reappear at their last save point, without thought or effort.¡±

    ¡°huh,¡± Two said. ¡°would''ve taken a different approach if i¡¯d known that.¡±

    It had never been relevant to One, naturally.

    ¡°That was the final thing that destroyed me,¡± Frisk said, their voice haggard. ¡°I¡­ I should have gone back to the beginning then, I should have. But I was afraid. I hurt too much. I couldn¡¯t handle the idea of facing everyone, facing my sins, of facing you, not yet. And Chara wasn¡¯t afraid, wasn¡¯t hurting. They offered to take over completely, if I just let them, and I wouldn¡¯t have to do anything, and I could find out everything I wanted to know.¡±

    ¡°goddamn it, frisk,¡± One said.

    Literally everything he¡¯d tried to warn them against, everything he¡¯d been afraid of¡­ they¡¯d fallen to it all.

    ¡°so you accepted. and that¡¯s what i was fighting,¡± Two said, and Frisk nodded.

    Their gaze turned back to One and he couldn¡¯t help but feel frustrated with them.

    ¡°I was lost and destroyed, then,¡± they said. ¡°Shattered fragments of a foolish soul, within a wall of LOVE, puppeted by a mad demon. But one thing remained and grew within that wall.¡±

    Their eyes shifted back to Two.

    ¡°My love for you,¡± they said, and Two gazed at them steadily. ¡°With all that you did, all that you said, all that you tried¡­ you are absolutely amazing. I¡¯d fallen in love with the first Sans, but with you, it solidified, it strengthened. It became the only good thing I could feel, within the pile of shards of my self, within the wall of LOVE, as I watched you, cheering you on, as you killed Chara again and again and again.¡±

    They smiled softly.

    This was just¡­ One didn¡¯t even have words. His last moments - at least, he thought they were his last - were spent believing that Frisk didn¡¯t really care about him, not as much as he¡¯d felt for them.

    He had started to sort of maybe fall for them a little himself, slightly. And unlike Toriel, they¡­ well, they had no trouble with Asgore. Or Undyne. Or hell, even that murderous weed, Flowey. They just accepted anything, as long as there was a reason for it. They¡¯d oppose evil, sure, but they just didn¡¯t have it in them to hate. To refuse forgiveness.

    It made them feel¡­ safe. Between that and their earnest care, their soft appreciation for him, the way they¡¯d slowly unfolded around him, finding themself, and growing into an incredible person¡­ how could he not care for them maybe a little more than almost anyone else?

    And apparently it was returned in full. More than.

    ¡°believe it or not, they actually enjoy me killing them,¡± Three said with an amused sigh.

    Another rip at One¡¯s heart.

    ¡°what the hell?¡± One asked, reeling.

    ¡°at first, they convinced me to try for the sake of remembering resets, and i was only so easily convinced because of what happened in the second timeline. then there was a whole mess of drama before i was convinced they liked it,¡± Three said with a shrug. ¡°it¡¯s not like i wanted to hurt them.¡±

    ¡°interesting,¡± Two said, while One spluttered and squeezed Frisk close again.

    ¡°how many times have you killed them?¡± One asked.

    ¡°you probably don¡¯t want to know,¡± Three said.

    ¡°quit it with that crap,¡± Two said, a hint of his emotional exhaustion, pain, and anger leaking past his pretense of calm. ¡°it¡¯s getting old.¡±

    Damned right it was getting old. One needed to know and he glared at Three.

    Three sighed.

    ¡°to be honest, i don¡¯t actually know,¡± he said. ¡°we did a bunch of violent trials to try to get me to remember the loops. probably killed them close to ten thousand times in those¡­¡±

    ¡°WHAT the FUCK?!¡± One yelled.

    ¡°damn, that¡¯s a serious kill count,¡± Two said.

    ¡°not as impressive as yours,¡± Three said with a laugh, ignoring One. ¡°in none of mine did frisk fight back.¡±

    ¡°heh, yeah, that would make a difference,¡± Two said.

    ¡°ten thousand times?!¡± One said.

    ¡°in those trials, yeah,¡± Three said. ¡°and since gaining the ability to remember the loops, i¡¯ve probably killed them several hundred times. maybe even over a thousand.¡±

    ¡°what? why?¡± One asked.

    Three grinned darkly.

    ¡°like i said - frisk likes it, and i didn¡¯t think you wanted to know,¡± Three said smugly.

    One couldn¡¯t help but reel at this. How ridiculously messed up was this¡­?

    ¡°this is messed up,¡± Two said.

    ¡°you have no fucking clue how messed up it is,¡± Three said with a laugh.

    ¡°i think maybe we do actually have a clue,¡± One said, then looked at Frisk, who was peacefully smiling as he held them. ¡°frisk¡­ what the hell happened to you? you were mostly okay with pain and death, by the end, but you still struggled, you still hated the pain, you still were afraid.¡±

    ¡°I got over it,¡± they said with a chuckle, and then looked at Two again. ¡°To finish answering - Chara and I eventually managed to get past everything. It was no easy feat.¡±

    ¡°kinda wish we had a recording of it,¡± Two said with a grin. ¡°it was something else.¡±

    Frisk smiled. One¡­ had to admit he was kind of curious how good at fighting they¡¯d gotten to get that praise from Two. Maybe not outloud, it might encourage someone to do something stupid, but to himself anyway.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± they said. ¡°You were more amazing, of course - I just memorized everything. Painstakingly.¡±

    ¡°except for the random attacks,¡± he said.

    ¡°You say that,¡± they said with a laugh. ¡°But you only ever used one of about fifteen different variations. I actually had to memorize every single goddamned variation, and the opening signs of each.¡±

    ¡°seriously? that¡¯s how you did it?¡± Two said with a laugh. ¡°and here i thought you¡¯d just gotten skilled enough to handle the unknown.¡±

    ¡°Nope,¡± they said. ¡°You completely wrecked my ass.¡±

    ¡°which you love,¡± Three said with a snicker and Frisk blushed.

    One and Two both gave Three a very suspicious look and he coughed. This did not ease their suspicions. One didn¡¯t know what to think about those suspicions, but the thing Three had said about intimacy¡­

    ¡°Er, yes,¡± Frisk said awkwardly. ¡°Anyway. We got past everything. The last bit, with binding me in place, and the things you said¡­ I don¡¯t know how to put it exactly, but it wasn¡¯t really Chara¡¯s thing? They were annoyed and subdued, but determined to sit patiently and get past you anyway. So I could just be quiet, and calm, and just listen. And without the excitement and intensity of the battle, I couldn¡¯t help but be forced to face what it must have felt like for you.¡±

    Two¡¯s face was tight. Yeah, that would have really sucked for him¡­ even with a LOVE of nineteen, it was crazy to think Frisk had it in them to do that to his other self.

    Well, no. He knew how numbing LOVE could be.

    ¡°To think about you, to think about why I was there, what I was doing,¡± they said, looking down. ¡°And I was still being a stupid coward, a broken pile of shards under Chara¡¯s sway. I wasn¡¯t fighting them. Even when they pushed to raise the knife.¡±

    ¡°i don¡¯t get how you even did that,¡± Two said.

    ¡°I don¡¯t, either,¡± Frisk said. ¡°I get the feeling that Chara can pull on my soul for power in some way? I, uh, haven¡¯t wanted to explore that. But it felt like¡­ like Chara was on the edge of making me theirs. Of truly taking over, of making me truly, actually powerless. That I wouldn¡¯t have to feel anything anymore. No more pain. No more fear.¡±

    They looked down.

    ¡°I suspect that they might¡¯ve used my connection to the timeline to destroy all of time,¡± they whispered.

    At least that answered what the weird gap in his reports had been¡­

    ¡°but why?¡± Two asked.

    ¡°To answer that would involve a lot of speculative psychology on an entity that doesn¡¯t exactly have a lot of sanity,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Though in brief, I suppose it¡¯s fair to say I don¡¯t know, and only have guesses. And I¡¯ve been really trying to answer Sans-One¡¯s question.¡±

    And for all they¡¯d learned, they hadn¡¯t even learned enough to know why.

    ¡°alright, alright,¡± Two said.

    ¡°So, I was nothing,¡± they said. ¡°Dead, in all the ways that matter, stripped of all emotion, all meaning, all purpose, all self, save for the love for you that had managed to linger and grow within those many hours of witnessing your badassery. And Chara pushed me to raise the knife.¡±

    ¡°and that was your limit,¡± Two murmured. ¡°you couldn¡¯t kill me.¡±

    Frisk nodded.

    One felt another strange twisting in his chest at that. They¡¯d killed Papyrus, they¡¯d nearly reached their absolute, broken from almost any capacity to feel, to connect. They¡¯d killed everyone else they¡¯d loved and threw themself at his other self hundreds of times. Two would have killed them as torturously as possible, naturally, using every avenue he could to make them stop, emotionally and otherwise.

    Yet their love for him was enough to stop them even then.

    A part of him couldn¡¯t help but wonder¡­ if they could have handled Chara in his timeline¡­ what might have been.

    It didn¡¯t matter. He shouldn¡¯t think about that.

    ¡°Everything else that I was faded away,¡± they said. ¡°Nothing else withstood Chara¡¯s screaming, raging, aching, driving desire to take over. But I decided - or realized, or transformed, however you want to look at it. But in that moment, I became the person I am now. The love for you, the loyalty and gratitude and devotion I felt for you, it became the entirety of my soul and I clung to it. I fought against Chara, and for the first time, it was a struggle. I hadn¡¯t realized they¡¯d grown so powerful. But I fought, and I won. I managed to make myself smile, to say things, and to reset.¡±

    ¡°you said you were sorry, you thanked me, and said you loved me,¡± Two said thoughtfully. ¡°it actually makes sense. huh.¡±

    Frisk smiled warmly at him, then looked at One.

    ¡°And that is who I am now,¡± Frisk said. ¡°My devotion to you is the very essence of my soul, of my self, of all that I am. To serve you is my greatest satisfaction. To love you is my purpose.¡±

    This was just ripping through him in all sorts of ways he just wasn¡¯t ready for. He¡¯d already been feeling really emotionally fragile before being summoned here, and this¡­

    ¡°and yes, i really did try all sorts of things to encourage them to heal and become their own person,¡± Three added in. ¡°but in the end, they convinced me that they really are happy like this. that they don¡¯t want to change. they will give you a seriously hard and mind-wrecking time if you try to argue with them about this, so please don¡¯t.¡±

    They had lost themself. Completely. So the person that he was sort of maybe falling for had died, and he held an echo of that person in his arms. Someone who loved him, but in a twisted, broken way, all that gentle care replaced with steely devotion.

    ¡°so the frisk i knew is dead,¡± One said in a low tone.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Frisk said, looking down. ¡°And the love I felt for you - a love of equals, of romance, of sanity - it is a precious memory, now, but only an influence on what I feel.¡±

    An outright confession that they had loved him in¡­ that sort of way. Another ripping through of what might have been passed through him. But it didn¡¯t matter, that possibility had been lost when Frisk had thrown away everything in their madness and fear.

    He hugged Frisk tightly to his chest again and sighed. Two looked curiously at them, clearly taking in something about about his expression. He didn¡¯t care. Let him think what he wanted.

    <hr>

    Strange how much One seemed to be hurting and caring for the human in his arms. Still weirded Two out that he was willing to hug them, let alone¡­ with that sort of expression.

    He did understand the situation, but emotionally, he was having a hell of a time with it all. He¡¯d never expected to survive the end of his timeline, and it had been the worst day of his life. He¡¯d had some decent contenders for that category, but this one had taken the cake.

    And yet none of it had actually happened. The person who¡¯d done it all had made a few missteps in regards to some sort of weird demon possession thing, but had otherwise tried to use their power for a legitimate reason, in a way that, if it worked the way they intended, would have no real ill effects. No one died.

    End of the day, he¡¯d fought for Papyrus¡¯s future, and he¡¯d won. Papyrus was okay. They all were. It was okay. He had to come to terms with that. He had to.

    Kinda hard when he¡¯d been desperately fighting against the thing they¡¯d become, drowning in despair, hate, and anger, barely half an hour prior. Kinda hard after everything he¡¯d seen them do, everyone he¡¯d watched die, while he stood by and uselessly hoped they¡¯d change their mind without him having to break his promise.

    Maybe if he focused on other aspects of what he¡¯d heard. He turned his attention to Three.

    ¡°if you¡¯ve accepted it, i can¡¯t help but wonder to what extent you¡¯ve taken advantage of it,¡± Two commented and Frisk grinned.

    Three sighed.

    ¡°let me guess,¡± Two said. ¡°i don¡¯t want to know?¡±

    ¡°honestly?¡± Three said. ¡°yeah.¡±

    ¡°i think i need to know,¡± One said. ¡°frisk is actually really damned important to me.¡±

    Frisk squeaked out a happy sound and nuzzled into One¡¯s chest. Two couldn¡¯t help but give them another dubious look. He couldn¡¯t stop seeing Papyrus¡¯s murderer in their face¡­ it was too weird, seeing them like that.

    ¡°look,¡± Three said with another sigh. ¡°i know you care about frisk. i know you¡¯re questioning my motives, and sure as hell questioning my means. but the fact is, no matter how much you care about frisk¡­¡±

    Three¡¯s eyes lingered on the pair of them.

    ¡°it doesn¡¯t compare,¡± he ended quietly.

    Again, Two couldn¡¯t help but reel, hearing that. Three was being more relaxed about everything, which made sense, considering he was the only one not in a difficult situation, or caught by surprise. Still. Two could clearly see that One had¡­ he didn¡¯t even want to think about how much emotion was visible on One¡¯s face. He pretty obviously had fallen for the human, to a fairly major extent.

    Three wasn¡¯t being as transparent about it - pain did a lot to reveal things about a person, and One clearly didn¡¯t feel the need to hide from anyone in the room - but to say that he cared for the human more than that?

    His mind, rejuvenated as it was, couldn¡¯t resist going over what he knew, piecing things together to get a sense of what in them could make two versions of him care for them so much.

    He had to admit¡­ it wasn¡¯t nothing. Even he¡¯d been awash with appreciation for the sheer beauty of their skill, which was born of a determination so intense and pure that it was hypnotic. And even in the midst of hating them, he¡¯d admired them for that.

    Combined with everything else he¡¯d picked up from this conversation¡­

    ¡°how the hell can you say that?¡± One asked. ¡°you¡¯ve killed them over and over. you¡¯ve accepted them being your goddamned slave. and that¡¯s just what you¡¯ve been willing to admit! what else have you done to them? and you claim to care about them?¡±

    ¡°He does, Sans,¡± Frisk said. ¡°He won¡¯t say the words, but in the ways that I need, he loves me.¡±

    ¡°what does that even mean, the ways that you need?¡± One demanded.

    ¡°i¡¯ve told them everything,¡± Three said quietly, and One blinked in surprise. ¡°yeah. everything. where we come from, everyone we¡¯ve lost, the lies we¡¯ve told papyrus, everything we¡¯ve done. all of it.¡±

    Both of the trans-timeline Sans-es stared at him, but Three only looked at Frisk, who smiled warmly back.

    Everything? Everyone? His heart twisted a little, hearing that.

    He kept a lot of things close to his chest. He wouldn¡¯t claim something like that unless he meant it. That level of trust¡­ that level of declaration of care¡­

    ¡°are¡­ you two a couple or something?¡± Two asked uneasily.

    ¡°not exactly,¡± Three said. ¡°their head is too messed up for normal romance, and frankly, so is mine. but beyond that, basically.¡±

    One pulled back from Frisk a little, uncertainly.

    He¡¯d¡­ outright admitted it. As much as he probably ever would. He actually loved the human. Two couldn¡¯t help but stare.

    Stare¡­ and wonder. How peaceful Three seemed. How content.

    Even Two had to admit the human was¡­ unusual. He hated them, and he didn¡¯t really see that changing soon¡­ but he could imagine it changing. Technically, they hadn¡¯t actually done anything. He remembered it, and it¡¯d be hard to let go, but Papyrus was okay, the timeline was safe, and they obviously cared. If things really were as they seemed¡­ he could see himself getting over it. Not easily, but one day.

    Probably not till after he¡¯d spent some time with Papyrus. His smile softened at the idea of Papyrus¡¯s confused glee at having three brothers.

    No, that was really dangerous to think about - he¡¯d probably start getting sappy himself, and after the day he¡¯d had¡­

    He took another steadying breath, feeling half insane. This all was just too much.

    ¡°heh, don¡¯t worry about that,¡± Three said, chuckling as he looked at the uncertain expression on One¡¯s face. ¡°i¡¯ve got no problems sharing, especially with you two. also frisk is really into that.¡±

    ¡°...into being shared around?¡± Two asked and Frisk grinned brightly at him.

    Okay, yeah, that was not where he was expecting this to go.

    ¡°yeah, but mainly, they¡¯ve got a huge kink for being used,¡± Three said. ¡°if they were there for sans-one in a loving way, and were a sex toy for you to use and discard at will, they¡¯d just about explode from excitement.¡±

    Frisk was blushing bright red and squirming awkwardly. Two was just blinking in surprise at the turn this conversion had taken. A¡­ sex toy for him to just use as he wanted? They¡¯d want that?

    ¡°is¡­ that true?¡± One asked Frisk.

    ¡°A-absolutely,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Completely. Really, intensely true.¡±

    Three snickered. Two didn¡¯t know how to feel about this. His mind raced over the conversation, trying to make sure he hadn¡¯t missed anything.

    ¡°that¡¯s the faster way of healing that you said i didn¡¯t want to know,¡± Two said. ¡°isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°your tongue works pretty well, too,¡± Three said. ¡°but yeah. oversized dick and that trick is something else.¡±

    ¡­ huh. That had, uh, felt remarkably pleasant. That sensation elsewhere¡­ Plus, as pissed at them as he still was, the idea of consuming them for power, for his restoration, it was¡­ appealing. Especially considering the whole bit about them obeying absolutely everything. Seemed like a certain perverse justice in forcing them to serve him, too. It really wasn¡¯t the sort of thing he should think about, though.

    Probably.

    ¡°you consume frisk¡¯s soul during sex?¡± One demanded, but was distracted by an odd sound.

    A trembling noise had come from Frisk, and they clapped a hand over their mouth, blushing brightly. Three snickered at them. They¡¯d just¡­ started to moan in desire and cut themself off? Seriously? From¡­ from One asking about consuming them during sex?

    ¡°that was a cut off moan of desire, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Two asked, disbelieving.

    ¡°Y-yes, it was,¡± Frisk admitted breathily, their cheeks lit up in an intense blush.

    He¡¯d always loved people¡¯s reactions, and the complete brick wall they¡¯d been was on the list of reasons he didn¡¯t like them, even beyond the murdering bit. This reaction was rather tantalizing and he found himself tempted to find ways to prod them to do it again.

    Which was weird to feel, when he was still all tangled up with the mess of the day. He needed to do something to deal with the tangled mess in his head.

    ¡°wow,¡± Two said. ¡°that is¡­ messed up.¡±

    ¡°told ya so,¡± Three muttered. ¡°but i didn¡¯t bring you two here so that you could boggle at my pet immortal.¡±

    One gave Three a dark look, but Two¡­ heh. Pet immortal, huh? He couldn¡¯t help but have some interesting thoughts flash in his mind at what he might¡­ rather, what Three had probably done. He really shouldn¡¯t think about that.

    But he couldn¡¯t quite restrain his curiosity.

    ¡°i admit, i¡¯m curious how far that loyalty extends,¡± Two said.

    ¡°so far beyond your comfort level that it¡¯s fair to say they will do literally anything,¡± Three said.

    Anything, huh? From his other self, too, and to this version of him. Surely Three would realize what that implied. What Two might want to do to them. Not just sexually, either - that was an odd and amusing thought, but it was¡­ darker thoughts that were finding purchase now.

    Though¡­ though Frisk was clearly precious to his other selves. Once he worked through his dumpster fire of emotions from the day, he might start to actually think positively of them, too.

    Alphys¡¯s tone was wavering as she tried to keep everyone calm, as they crowded into the lab. He shouldn¡¯t even be here, it was a waste of time, but Alphys needed him. She was barely holding it together. He wasn¡¯t much better himself. She was babbling something about spiders, but he couldn¡¯t focus on her words.

    His gaze passed over the terrified people packed into the too-small lab. The tear-streaked faces, the blank stares, the broken sobs, the desperate efforts of parents to soothe their children, to try to explain things to them.

    One kid asked if Undyne was going to save them, and Alphys clearly heard. She broke again at that and ran off. He couldn¡¯t blame her. They¡¯d watched Undyne die together and hell if that wasn¡¯t one of the most depressing things he¡¯d ever seen. The way she¡¯d slowly collapsed as Undyne melted, the keening wail of agony that choked from her, the desperate denials and sobs¡­ Mind, every one of his top ten for that category of ¡°most depressing things ever¡± took place in the last few hours. And he¡¯d seen some fucked up shit in his prime.

    There was a measure of hope, that the anomaly would undo this. That everything could be okay again. But he couldn¡¯t tell Alphys. The idea of seeing that hope in her eyes, for something so tenuous¡­ As much as he hated the human, he couldn¡¯t do anything. If they didn¡¯t stop all this, he¡¯d have to try. For the sake of everything, he¡¯d have to do whatever it took. That said, if they stopped for anything, for anyone, if they showed some sign of not being the true end of everything, he¡¯d just let them pass. Killing them was pointless, after all, so he¡¯d just have to hope that they¡¯d reset and undo everything. Facing Alphys after that¡­ he couldn¡¯t.

    It¡¯d be a while before he could manage to actually think of them with anything but anger. Or hate.

    ¡°which we don¡¯t need to test,¡± One said, hovering protectively near Frisk again.

    ¡°i gotta admit, it¡¯s really interesting to see you like this,¡± Three said to One. ¡°i spent a lot of time trying to figure out how i¡¯d have felt towards frisk, if i¡¯d seen them the way they described their first timeline.¡±

    ¡°it¡¯s easy to feel protective of a harmless kid who¡¯s too sweet and sensitive to defend themself, who instantly managed to become one of papyrus¡¯ favorite people ever, and who honestly loves my jokes,¡± One said.

    That knocked Two out of his contemplations. That was so different from his experience it was jarring.

    ¡°wow,¡± Two commented, giving him a curious look before turning his gaze back to Frisk. ¡°lots of changes from just one timeline back.¡±

    ¡°I was afraid to let myself feel,¡± Frisk whispered.

    A surge of empathy touched him at that. Part of him pushed back, not wanting to empathize with them, but he should try to resist his hostility a little. Clearly he was stuck with them now.

    ¡°heh,¡± Two said. ¡°gotta admit, i completely understand that. so you actually cared all along. about everyone?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°i was distantly curious how you managed to raise your LOVE as fast as you did,¡± he said. ¡°it¡¯s because you were brutally killing people you actually cared about.¡±

    Frisk flinched.

    ¡°I¡­ wasn¡¯t trying to be cruel,¡± they said.

    ¡°really?¡± he asked skeptically. ¡°you¡¯re trying to say the thing with the snowman wasn¡¯t cruel?¡±

    Frisk shook their head.

    ¡°Chara loved it,¡± they said quietly. ¡°And then mocked him for being a ¡®useless pile of snow¡¯ when he was¡­ gone. But for my part, it was pure practicality. We could feel how potent the magic was in each piece.¡±

    Right, the demon thing. Which he¡¯d seen himself, and the other two versions of him took completely seriously. So Chara was cruel, and Frisk was perfectly gentle?

    He eyed them and then closed his eyes, sighing. Suspicious, but probably not completely wrong. Still, he might as well call them out on it.

    ¡°i guess i can see that,¡± he said begrudgingly. ¡°i just find it a little suspicious that you¡¯re trying to suggest every scrap of hostility is something else¡¯s fault. it¡®s not like humans are all that peaceful.¡±

    Frisk shook their head.

    ¡°I¡¯m not saying I¡¯m perfectly peaceful,¡± they said. ¡°I did lose my temper and kill Undyne in the first timeline.¡±

    ¡°you never told me that,¡± One said.

    ¡°It¡­ I felt like it didn¡¯t really matter, since I reloaded and undid it, and I didn¡¯t want you to think less of me,¡± they said, looking down.

    ¡°c¡¯mon, frisk, i wouldn¡¯t have thought less of you for that,¡± One said, nudging their arm. ¡°i¡¯m sure most people want to kill undyne from time to time.¡±

    ¡°honestly, i¡¯d have only been a little disappointed if you¡¯d kept her dead,¡± Three commented and One nodded agreement. ¡°she was kinda ridiculous to you.¡±

    Two got where the other Sans-es were coming from, but it still¡­ hurt a little to hear them being so dismissive of Undyne after what he¡¯d seen. Her amazing stand against the darkness, and then, her death¡­

    ¡°in my timeline, she was incredible,¡± Two said, his voice mournful.

    ¡°She really was,¡± Frisk murmured. ¡°I just let her kill me a bunch of times before I could find the will to fight her at all. She was too amazing, even with my purpose driving me. She was beautiful.¡±

    Two¡¯s gaze softened a little. So they did see it, did understand it. Something about this made it seem¡­ real, that they¡¯d actually cared. Even if they felt they had to continue.

    ¡°yeah, she was,¡± he said quietly.

    ¡°frisk has told me all the details a bunch of times,¡± Three said. ¡°i¡¯d love to hear your take, too. both from a place of pure appreciation, as well as scientific curiosity.¡±

    Understandable, but holy hell, did he not feel like going there. It¡¯d been an intense day. He wasn¡¯t feeling the exhaustion now, but still. And there was something he¡¯d heard that was really itching at him. If he¡¯d remembered the loops, the human would have never gotten past him.

    ¡°not now, though,¡± Two said. ¡°if we¡¯re here to stay, i want in on remembering the loops. i¡¯d like to address that first.¡±

    Three sighed.

    ¡°agreed,¡± One said.

    ¡°alright, fine,¡± Three said. ¡°don¡¯t say i didn¡¯t warn ya. what we did was make the bond that happens during sex, amplified it by using the trick we talked about earlier to consume them during the act, and then brought it to a peak of merging and intimacy by killing them during a mutual orgasm.¡±

    One stared, his gaze going back and forth between Three and Frisk, and Two started laughing.

    Maybe those idle thoughts and temptations shouldn¡¯t be idle after all.

    ¡°not sure i could manage the soul bond aspects, but it sounds like it could be fun to try,¡± he said with a dark grin. ¡°maybe if they were completely tied up, though.¡±

    He¡¯d feel a lot more comfortable if they couldn¡¯t move¡­ but that also opened up some interesting possibilities. Frisk flushed and looked at him, desire clear on their face.

    Weird, to be wanted by them. And rather¡­ intensely. Part of him couldn¡¯t help but respond, and he didn¡¯t know if he should resist.

    ¡°you seriously killed them during sex?¡± One asked.

    ¡°they¡¯re a masochist like you wouldn¡¯t believe,¡± Three said. ¡°they actually get off to being killed. doesn¡¯t let them have a full orgasm, since, y¡¯know, they die, but it¡¯ll set them off anyway.¡±

    One just stared at Frisk again, who was flushing and squirming. A complete masochist, to that extent, huh? So anything he did to them, even following his darkest impulses¡­ he might just be getting them off.

    That seemed like an interesting compromise to the tangled parts of himself. He could let his anger have an outlet guilt-free, since they¡¯d be getting off to it. Maybe not the safest thing to do normally, but he¡¯d seen how unbothered they were by pain, how fearless they were towards death.

    Hell, if he could remember the resets - not actually likely, if he needed to emotionally connect with them, but still - he could see it being cathartic as hell. Probably would speed up the whole not-hating-them thing, too.

    Might need to kill them quite a few times, but it seemed like everyone but One would be on board with that idea.

    ¡°so i could hurt them as much as i wanted,¡± Two mused. ¡°it wouldn¡¯t actually pay them back any of the pain they caused, not really. still could be fun.¡±

    ¡°Do¡­ do you want to try?¡± Frisk asked.

    That hit him harder than it should have. The hope on their face, combined with the darkness of his thoughts¡­ this was messed up and he was tempted in ways he really shouldn¡¯t be.

    ¡°i¡­ frisk, this is¡­ that¡¯s too¡­¡± One tried to object. ¡°this is wrong.¡±

    ¡°if anyone deserves it, it¡¯s them,¡± Two said bluntly. ¡°but they¡¯re willing anyway, so whatever. i don¡¯t think you should tie yourself into knots over it. they¡¯re fine with it, your older self accepted it, might as well fuck them to death and get some fun and power out of it.¡±

    ¡°huh,¡± Three said. ¡°it took me a lot of work and persuasion on frisk¡¯s part to accept that whole thing.¡±

    Two shrugged. Probably because Three was worried about hurting them too much or making sure he didn¡¯t wrong them or whatever. Two just could not be bothered with that sort of problem right now. He¡¯d probably care later, but why would he come to a different conclusion than his older self? He trusted his own judgment - no sense in tangling himself up.

    ¡°it¡¯s been a day,¡± he said dryly. ¡°plus i trust your judgment. and i gotta confess, maybe i¡¯m less worried about overstepping some moral lines in this particular case.¡±

    He looked at them appraisingly. He wondered how they¡¯d take him being a little¡­ harsh.

    Why the hell not.

    ¡°i¡¯ve never fucked someone i hated before,¡± he said, as though it were an afterthought.

    Frisk hadn¡¯t reacted to the comments about hurting and killing them - not negatively, anyway - but they flinched back from that like they¡¯d been slapped.

    ¡°seems like i can hurt ya after all,¡± he said, amused.

    ¡°look, you wanna stab them or blast them some, i¡¯m on board, but i¡¯d prefer you not actually hurt them for real,¡± Three said.

    Two cocked his head. He wondered¡­

    ¡°what do you think, frisk?¡± Two asked.

    It was the first time he¡¯d referred to them by name and their eyes sparkled.

    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± they said softly. ¡°I owe you a debt that can never be repaid, and I am strong enough to face you now. Perhaps a compromise, to keep Sans-Three happy? I will tell you if I feel you are hurting me to the point that might actually be too much, and you¡¯ll agree to stop if I do?¡±

    Interesting. They were fine with anything, even him being deliberately emotionally cruel. Their hesitation was about not hurting the other Sans. He did feel a touch guilty about that¡­ but fuck that. His gaze hardened a little as he remembered the pile of dust in the snow.

    ¡°to hurt you in ways you don¡¯t actually like,¡± Two said, drawing out his words. ¡°such as by reminding you of the fact i do actually want to kill you.¡±

    They flinched again, pain clear on their face, and then nodded.

    He closed his eyes and took a steadying breath. Again. He was having a hell of a time with all this. No. Sans-One had said something about Frisk being Papyrus¡¯s favorite person, which, from what he was seeing, was probably true in this timeline, too. Hard as it was to wrap his mind around.

    He could torment them, and a part of him was seriously tempted to. But he should restrain himself to things he wouldn¡¯t regret. Plus he didn¡¯t want to do anything that would break their mind and make them go crazy - their mental health was kinda important for the well-being of the world, no matter how satisfying some of his ideas seemed right now.

    ¡°sans-three is right,¡± he said begrudgingly. ¡°i shouldn¡¯t hurt you for real.¡±

    Frisk moved closer to him and he held steady, but they simply dropped to their knees in front of him again, gazing up at him with love burning in their eyes. It was so bizarre, that expression on the same face that had murdered swathes of innocents without a hint of remorse.

    ¡°If it would help you to hurt me, then please,¡± they said softly. ¡°I am yours in any way that you wish. I know that I wronged you. You can let out your anger on me. Your¡­ y-your h-hate.¡±

    They swallowed, nearly in tears from that word. His heart softened another measure in seeing that.

    ¡°frisk, that¡¯s¡­ you don¡¯t deserve to be tormented,¡± One said.

    ¡°It¡¯s not about that,¡± they said, still holding Two¡¯s gaze. ¡°I just recognize that he¡¯s hurt and that hurting me might help. It¡¯s tearing me apart that he hates me, though I can¡¯t blame him for that. But¡­ but when I say I will do anything for you, for any of you, I mean it. If hurting me would help, then that¡¯s what should happen.¡±

    Two reached out his hand and lightly touched the forming bruise on their throat. He had to admit, they were making it a little hard to stay angry at them. He still was angry, of course - seeing what he had wasn¡¯t something he could just get over, no matter how sweet and subservient they were being now.

    But it was increasingly clear how things would go. How his hate would fade over time. Honestly, he wasn¡¯t even prone to hate or anger, all told, and while today had pushed him over that edge¡­ it was already losing its bite. Despair had drowned it earlier, but now it was just¡­ raw.

    Still wanted to hurt them, though. But them getting off to it was maybe more solidly a good thing.

    ¡°this sounds like fun,¡± he said with a laugh. ¡°i¡¯ll agree to your compromise. wouldn¡¯t want you to actually lose it, anyway. or upset the other sans-es.¡±

    Or actually go too far, but it might be more fun if he didn¡¯t admit that part out loud. Them being afraid of him doing more than he actually would might be entertaining. Besides, he¡¯d seen how inured to pain they¡¯d gotten. That¡¯d be a hard thing to top.

    ¡°fine by me,¡± Three said. ¡°frisk, make sure you draw the line on the early side. no risks with your mental health.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± they said and Two nodded, absolutely in agreement with this.

    ¡°are we seriously doing this?¡± One asked, flustered.

    For some reason Two hadn¡¯t quite accepted that his comments meant he was agreeing to do this¡­ ah, what the hell, why not. He was still angry at Frisk, even if it was already starting to fade; he wanted to remember the loops; and he had to admit, it sounded like fun. It¡¯d been a while. Even if he couldn¡¯t remember the loops yet, the attempt seemed like it¡¯d be enjoyable on multiple levels. He had a number of things to get out of his system and this seemed like way more fun than sourly drinking at Grillby¡¯s. Plus he¡¯d heard of hate-fucking - apparently it was a neat experience.

    ¡°you said you wanted to get in on the loops, remember?¡± Three asked with a shit-eating grin. ¡°your turn next, if you¡¯re up for it. or hell, we could make it a group effort.¡±

    Frisk grinned hugely at that and One stepped back in surprise. Two started laughing again.

    ¡°bet sans-two would go a little easier on frisk if you¡¯re there,¡± Three said with a wink, his tone taunting. ¡°maybe not with me, since he knows i¡¯ve accepted hurting them.¡±

    That¡¯d be an amusing dynamic. Three clearly had figured out Frisk¡¯s insane pain tolerance - possibly even more than Two had. But One had no clue. Two might have to show him some of what Frisk could handle, how hard it¡¯d be to push them to their limits. It¡¯d be fun to mess with him - he didn¡¯t have a chance to mess with himself, ever, so that sounded like a blast.

    He would have to go easier on them, with One there. There¡¯s no way he¡¯d stand for some of the things running through Two¡¯s mind. Might not be bad to stop him from doing some of those things, considering he¡¯d probably regret it one day.

    Three looked over at Frisk.

    ¡°what do you think of this idea?¡± he asked, with a grin that said he knew damned well what the answer was.

    ¡°God, yes, please,¡± they said, gazing at the three Sans-es eagerly.

    ¡°and just think,¡± Three went on. ¡°if it doesn¡¯t work, we can just keep trying.¡±

    ¡°As much as you want,¡± Frisk said, their voice trembling with desire.

    ¡°this is insane,¡± One said.

    ¡°absolutely,¡± Three agreed. ¡°so, you in?¡±

    ¡°let¡¯s do this,¡± Two said, thoroughly amused.

    What a weird situation.

    One glanced back and forth between Frisk¡¯s eager, hopeful face and Three¡¯s confident one.

    ¡°i¡­ guess if it¡¯s what they want, and it¡¯s happening anyway, it doesn¡¯t hurt to try,¡± he said uncertainly.

    Three¡¯s grin widened. Heh. Guess that meant they were actually doing this.

    ¡°look at that, frisk,¡± he said. ¡°it worked. happy valentine¡¯s day.¡±

    Their wide-eyed surprise and embarrassed appreciation caught Two by surprise, but he couldn¡¯t help but laugh. All in all¡­ it was a great way to start off the rest of the afternoon¡¯s activities.

    Happy April Fool''s, to those who don''t read the author''s notes! :D

 Start of Arc 3 - Ch. 25 - Fractured

    Sans:  alright, nows a good time. i can head over

    Toriel:  That is excellent. I will see you shortly.

    Sans took a couple of minutes. He didn¡¯t want anyone to get used to him being able to show up at a moment¡¯s notice - it was more fun to keep them guessing and uncertain. With Frisk, they knew about how freely he could teleport, of course. Frisk and Papyrus, that is. And, he supposed, Flowey, though that had never come up. He¡¯d barely interacted with the manipulative little weed, though he realized with a sinking sensation that that would probably be changing soon.

    Remembering the resets was a good thing; it really was. But for the love of all that was good in the world, did it really have to be paired with all of this emotional¡­ mess? He was not up for talking to Toriel. Or Flowey. Or Frisk. Or¡­ anyone.

    The knowledge that, if he were willing to be a little bit hypocritical, he could have all the time he needed was also itching at him.

    But he¡¯d delayed enough. He teleported over to a little alley beside Toriel¡¯s house and headed inside. He heard laughter as he opened the door and smiled.

    ¡°Where do you keep finding these ¡®memes¡¯?¡± Toriel asked as Sans went in.

    ¡°If I told you, you wouldn¡¯t need me anymore,¡± Frisk teased.

    Toriel laughed again, and then greeted Sans. She and Frisk were sitting at the dining room table.

    ¡°heya, tori,¡± Sans said casually. ¡°frisk.¡±

    He tried to casually glance over at Frisk, but he failed. The sight of them, the burning love in their eyes, it seared him once more, the memories raking him over the coals. He¡¯d slipped in twice this morning, taking them away for mutual pleasures, and he was still hit by the desire to do it again.

    It took a moment before he managed to close his eyes and pull his attention away, back to Toriel. She had an odd expression on her face - a blend of relief, satisfaction, and a little pain.

    He¡­ really didn¡¯t want to think about what she was thinking, what she was feeling. It¡¯d been less than twenty four hours since¡­ since all that stuff had happened, and he was still feeling off kilter, unbalanced. Hopefully he¡¯d get through this conversation alright.

    ¡°Hi Sans,¡± Frisk said, a little shyly, and he couldn¡¯t help but grin at that.

    ¡°good to see ya both,¡± Sans said. ¡°so, what¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yes, that does remind me,¡± Toriel said. ¡°Frisk, sweetie? There are a few things that we need from the grocery store. Would you be a dear and take the list from the counter, and go get them?¡±

    ¡°Uh huh,¡± Frisk said dryly. ¡°You were just reminded of that, sure. Be nice to him, okay?¡±

    ¡°Why would I not be nice?¡± Toriel asked with a playful grin.

    ¡°Your ¡®teacher voice¡¯ is scary, and you know it,¡± Frisk said, getting up, and Toriel laughed. ¡°Stay safe, Sans. Text me if you need and I¡¯ll come rescue you.¡±

    ¡°my knight in shining armor,¡± he said, putting a hand over his heart. ¡°wait, that¡¯s undyne¡¯s job.¡±

    Frisk grinned, coming back from the kitchen with the list.

    ¡°I could ask Undyne to come help,¡± they said teasingly.

    ¡°heh, that¡¯s like trading the frying pan for a flamethrower,¡± he said. ¡°it¡¯s a nice house, and undyne¡¯s a bit fast to turn up the heat.¡±

    ¡°There will be some heat, but I would prefer to see Sans ¡®grilled¡¯ and not ¡®roasted,¡± Toriel said, making both Sans and Frisk laugh.

    ¡°Alright, well, I¡¯m off. I¡¯ll try not to be too quick,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°traitor,¡± Sans said, to which Frisk grinned.

    They left with a cheerful farewell, and Sans took their seat at the table. He felt his phone buzz and he quickly checked it.

    Frisk: I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll need it, but just in case, I went ahead and saved.

    Sans: uh thanks

    He had really mixed feelings about that. Had Frisk noticed that he was feeling off, and was just trying to give him a safety net? Did Frisk think he was a complete hypocrite, and now that he had access to the reset power, he¡¯d be fine using it to manipulate relationships with people he cared about?

    He¡¯d have to think about all that later. He put away his phone and looked up at Toriel, whose smile had completely faded. He almost felt like he was in school about to get chewed out by the principal. She¡¯d really nailed that ¡°disapproving teacher¡± look, damn.

    ¡°I am certain you know why I wish to speak to you,¡± Toriel said.

    ¡°actually, no, though i do have some guesses,¡± Sans admitted. ¡°i have no idea what frisk told you.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Toriel said. ¡°Well, then. What do you guess that Frisk told me?¡±

    That hardly seemed fair. She was trying to push him into either confessing more than Frisk had or revealing that he was hiding things.

    ¡°i¡¯m guessing you¡¯re worried about frisk and me getting into a relationship,¡± he said after a moment.

    Seemed like that was the easiest dodge of her question. And that much was a reasonable guess. Not that they were in a normal relationship, but still.

    She frowned.

    ¡°I am,¡± she agreed. ¡°What are your intentions with Frisk?¡±

    He sighed. He really didn¡¯t want to do this. Maybe he could just try to do his usual thing and deal with it later, once he¡¯d had more time to process everything? Or maybe she¡¯d drop it if he made it clear he didn¡¯t want to deal with this?

    ¡°you know me, tori,¡± he said. ¡°i¡¯m always up for a good time.¡±

    Her eyes narrowed.

    ¡°frisk and i had a heart-to-heart chat¡­ or more like bone-to-soul,¡± he said with a wink, which made her lip twitch slightly, but didn¡¯t ease the irritation in her gaze. ¡°we''re not aiming for a fairytale romance. no grand plans, no candlelit dinners. we¡¯re just taking things as they come.¡±

    ¡°That is¡­ Sans, you cannot be serious,¡± Toriel said, with her full-force teacher¡¯s voice. It was sharp as anything, but against the LOVE numbing his heart, it was nothing.

    Though it seemed weaker than he was used to, come to think of it. Emotions were swirling in his chest like they hadn¡¯t in ages. Hell, it was like his LOVE¡­ had¡­

    Oh shit. Had everything they¡¯d done together broken away some of the LOVE that had numbed him?

    He did not have time to think about this.

    ¡°it¡¯s not my place to decide things for frisk,¡± he said, and the irony of that statement was not lost on him. ¡°as for me, i¡¯m not up for anything serious, for my own reasons. with anyone. frisk gets that, and if they want to just do whatever with me anyway, why should i reject that?¡±

    ¡°Do you realize how much they love you?¡± Toriel asked, anger burning in her gaze. ¡°Do you understand how much you mean to them? Yet you are being this frivolous with them?¡±

    He sighed and looked down. He was trying to keep things lighthearted, but he¡¯d pissed her off. And¡­ maybe he was kind of being a dick. But damn it, he didn¡¯t want his heart to be ripped open again.

    ¡°look, tori, just ¡®cause i like to take a chill approach to things doesn¡¯t mean i don¡¯t understand them,¡± he said. ¡°i get it.¡±

    ¡°Do you really?¡± she asked. ¡°I do understand taking a playful approach, but this is no joking matter.¡±

    ¡°isn¡¯t everything a joking matter?¡± he asked with a wry laugh. ¡°i¡¯d be making jokes in the face of the end of the world.¡±

    He happened to know that it was true. Toriel didn¡¯t seem to appreciate it, though.

    She closed her eyes and took a breath, then met his gaze again.

    ¡°Do you love Frisk back?¡± she asked.

    He flinched at that.

    ¡°I thought as much,¡± she said, anger clear in her voice. ¡°But you have convinced them that you do love them. How could you do that to them?¡±

    ¡°i didn¡¯t¡­ look, it¡¯s complicated,¡± he said, looking away as his heart was ripped open anyway.

    ¡°What is possibly so complicated about that?¡± she asked. ¡°Either you do love them or you do not. It is a straightforward question. If you do not, then you should not mislead them! Not about that!¡±

    ¡°since when are emotions straightforward?¡± he asked. ¡°and i¡¯m not misleading them.¡±

    He was just trying to hold himself together, trying to keep things lighthearted, and he just did not want to deal with this shit.

    ¡°Oh?¡± she asked scathingly. ¡°So they came to the conclusion that you love them without any input from you?¡±

    ¡°because they felt my fucking soul, toriel,¡± he said angrily, and then looked away.

    Damn it, he hadn¡¯t wanted to say that.

    ¡°They¡­¡± Toriel said haltingly, the anger in her voice replaced by uncertainty. ¡°You mean¡­ you have¡­¡±

    Sans was furious, but mostly at himself. He couldn¡¯t believe he¡¯d actually snapped at Toriel like that, cursed at her. She just wanted Frisk to be okay, like him, and was being protective - and it was of someone they both were driven to protect.

    What the hell was wrong with him?

    ¡°i¡¯m sorry,¡± he said after a moment. ¡°i shouldn¡¯t have snapped at you like that.¡±

    ¡°I, too, am sorry,¡± she said, looking down. ¡°I let myself believe that your flippant comments meant that you did not care. I should have realized that you were simply trying to avoid having a serious discussion.¡±

    ¡°heh,¡± he said. ¡°you got it. that is what i was trying to do.¡±

    ¡°Sans, this is serious,¡± she said, glaring at him again. ¡°I am worried about Frisk and your attitude is not reassuring.¡±

    Her tone was not exactly understanding. Sans really felt on the back foot here.

    ¡°gimme a moment to think,¡± he said.

    ¡°What is there to think about?¡± she asked. ¡°Excuses? Justifications?¡±

    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    He closed his eyes.

    ¡°word choices, maybe?¡± he said. ¡°look, tori, i get why you¡¯re upset.¡±

    ¡°Do you really?¡± she asked bitingly.

    What the hell, he could always get Frisk to reset if this went too badly.

    ¡°yeah, i do,¡± he said, an odd feeling of relief filling him at the sense of going on the offensive.

    He felt a surge of really nasty temptation. He could tell her that it was because she¡¯d lost everyone, lost her real family, and was being overprotective of Frisk as a result. It¡¯d get her off his case for now, but that was a nuclear option. As annoyed as he was at being grilled like this, he didn¡¯t actually want to hurt her.

    He also didn¡¯t want to reset, but the option meant he didn¡¯t have to be afraid of this backfiring. He could try to be real with her, and if it went badly, oh well.

    ¡°you¡¯re upset because you¡¯ve seen frisk interact with me - you know that they¡¯ve got an¡­ unconventional admiration for me,¡± he said, looking down at the table. ¡°and because you know that i¡­ well, you know the score. i have a hard time saying things sometimes.¡±

    ¡°Sometimes?¡± she asked coolly.

    He looked up at her. Maybe he should address the elephant in the room.

    ¡°and because of us,¡± he said.

    Toriel¡¯s face tightened at that.

    ¡°i couldn¡¯t do right by you, tori,¡± he said. ¡°maybe i¡¯m wrong about how you feel, but i don¡¯t think i am. you and me¡­ it couldn¡¯t work, because of what you¡¯ve gotten on my case about before. i have a hell of a time saying things. it¡¯s not fair to you. it¡¯s not fair to frisk, either, but they don¡¯t care about that.¡±

    Toriel was looking shaken and taken aback.

    ¡°I¡­ that is¡­ what do you mean, that they do not care about that?¡± Toriel managed.

    ¡°i¡¯m packing more baggage than a mettaton costume convention,¡± Sans said dryly. ¡°maybe too much for a relationship at all. but frisk doesn¡¯t even want a relationship.¡±

    Toriel looked very confused. Admittedly, that wasn''t the best way to put things.

    ¡°i pushed you away because i just can¡¯t do all that,¡± he said. ¡°the whole open with my feelings thing. i pushed frisk away for the same reason. pushed them away hard, might i add. frisk and i¡­ we¡¯re not doing the romance thing. they¡¯re not asking me to be fair. they just¡­ they just want whatever i¡¯m willing to give, with no demands for anything more.¡±

    He sighed and looked down.

    ¡°my intention was to try to keep things¡­ i dunno. just friends, purely platonic. trying to be fair to them. i wasn¡¯t even seeing them that way, just trying to ignore the way they looked at me, you know?¡±

    She nodded, looking thoughtful.

    ¡°yesterday, they proved to be¡­ uh¡­ persuasive,¡± he said.

    Her eyes narrowed inquisitively.

    ¡°What happened yesterday?¡± she asked.

    She probably already had a pretty damned good idea, since there weren¡¯t a lot of ways to see someone¡¯s soul. But there¡¯d been more than just sex.

    ¡°a lot of things,¡± he said. ¡°including telling them stuff i¡¯ve told literally no one else, not even papyrus.¡±

    She blinked at that, surprised.

    ¡°i don¡¯t know what i want, what i feel,¡± he said. ¡°but i can tell you that i trust frisk. their weird devotion thing¡­¡±

    Toriel¡¯s lips pursed unhappily.

    ¡°it¡¯s messed up, sure, but it resulted in me feeling like i could actually trust them. that no matter what i said, how badly i screwed up, that they¡¯d be there for me,¡± he said, and looked away. ¡°that they¡¯d never turn away from me.¡±

    He heard a tremor in Toriel¡¯s breath.

    ¡°so that¡¯s what happened,¡± he said. ¡°there¡¯s my intentions. i didn¡¯t try to get in this situation, and actually tried to avoid it. but pushing frisk away now¡­ what¡¯s the point? it¡¯d hurt them, it¡¯d hurt me, and for what? i¡¯m being real with frisk. i¡¯m not holding them back. if they want to stop¡­ whatever this is¡­ they can. i¡¯m just not fighting them anymore.¡±

    He looked back up at her. Her eyes were glistening and she looked torn.

    ¡°Sans¡­¡± she said and took a breath. ¡°I suppose this explains some of the things that Frisk had said to me, about how uncertain they were about your future together.¡±

    He looked down.

    ¡°yeah,¡± he said.

    ¡°But you want to be with them?¡± Toriel asked. ¡°This is not a choice of mere convenience, is it?¡±

    ¡°god no,¡± Sans said, wincing. ¡°no, toriel, i could never do that to them. i¡­¡±

    He hesitated, but this time, Toriel gave him room to find his words. His soul had been ripped apart yesterday, and he felt like he was bleeding again.

    It didn¡¯t help that, in some ways, he¡¯d fallen for Toriel. In¡­ a lot of ways. Talking to her about this¡­ what a mess.

    ¡°yesterday was¡­¡± he started, and then sighed. ¡°i¡­ so, look. i¡¯m feeling like overcooked instant noodles - all soft and mushy. or maybe raw. not my usual flavor, but hey, y¡¯know what they say about variety. my life could use some spice.¡±

    He winked at her and she smiled a little.

    ¡°i dunno how to say it right,¡± he said. ¡°but, uh.¡±

    He struggled for a minute.

    ¡°You can just say that you are glad to be with them,¡± Toriel supplied with a sad little smile.

    ¡°uh,¡± Sans said. ¡°i¡­ am glad to be with them?¡±

    ¡°Why does that sound like a question?¡± Toriel asked and Sans groaned, leaning back.

    ¡°because everything is a mess and it¡¯s complicated,¡± he grumbled.

    ¡°I do not see what is complicated about this,¡± Toriel said. ¡°Are you or are you not glad to find yourself in a¡­ relationship of sorts with Frisk?¡±

    His life was too full of emotional pain lately, that was his problem. The sex was nice - beyond nice - but the rest of it fucking hurt. He didn¡¯t want to be having this conversation. He didn¡¯t want to see that twisted expression on Toriel¡¯s face, that faint look of longing, hurt, and regret in her eyes.

    He had two choices. He could get the hell out of here. He could just say he was glad to be with Frisk, that he¡¯d try to figure things out, try to do right by them, and just leave.

    And pretend he didn¡¯t know what Toriel was feeling.

    Or he could try to face things head on and¡­ and¡­

    He sat up again and took out his phone. He didn¡¯t turn it on, and just stared at it, flipping it over again and again. Fidgeting. Frisk had just saved. That meant that things couldn¡¯t go too badly. He closed his eyes. With Frisk, while he had accepted the situation for now, in a big picture sense, his problem was that he didn¡¯t know what was right. With Toriel, his problem was that he did know what was right, but didn¡¯t want to do it. At least he thought he knew.

    It was hypocritical enough that he was considering resetting if things went badly. He had to at least try to do what he thought was right, didn¡¯t he?

    ¡°i regret a lot of things,¡± he said in a low tone, still staring at his phone and not Toriel. ¡°if things had been different, if i had been different, then i¡­ then, you and me¡­¡±

    He swallowed.

    ¡°it¡¯s not possible,¡± he said. ¡°it never was possible. but there¡¯s still regret anyway, y¡¯know?¡±

    He wasn¡¯t looking at her, but he saw her nod in his peripheral vision anyway.

    ¡°i dunno if there was any other way out of that mess for me,¡± he said. ¡°other than frisk¡¯s¡­ uh¡­ persuasion. i sure as hell couldn¡¯t have said all of this if i weren¡¯t¡­¡±

    He swallowed again and rubbed at his head.

    ¡°If it were not for Frisk¡¯s influence,¡± Toriel said in a low tone. ¡°You¡­ you do not think that I could have¡­?¡±

    ¡°like i said, the situation with frisk makes me feel like i don¡¯t have to be afraid they¡¯ll turn away from me, no matter what i do or say,¡± he said.

    ¡°Right,¡± Toriel said, her voice faint and strained.

    ¡°not that i intend to do or say anything that they, uh, should turn against me,¡± he added.

    Which was a little disingenuous¡­ there were very specific facts about his past that he did not expect Toriel would take well. The problem didn''t have anything to do with him saying or doing stuff in the present day.

    ¡°I understand,¡± Toriel said.

    ¡°so, uh, yeah,¡± he said. ¡°i¡¯m glad for them, in a selfish way. i want to do right by them, but it¡¯s not¡­ i¡­ i don¡¯t know what i¡¯m doing. i do know that i want frisk to be happy. i want you to be happy. i¡¯d like to manage it myself, too, if it¡¯s even possible.¡±

    ¡°I would like that, as well,¡± Toriel said, her voice low.

    ¡°look, i don¡¯t wanna do this again,¡± he said. ¡°this conversation sucks. i just wanted to make sure that¡­ that you were okay. that you knew enough to not¡­ i dunno.¡±

    He sighed again.

    ¡°are we good?¡± he asked.

    ¡°I¡­ ah¡­ there are a few things that I was hoping to¡­¡± she said tentatively.

    ¡°let¡¯s just get it over with,¡± Sans said.

    ¡°I¡­ Sans, you are hurting,¡± she said.

    ¡°yep.¡±

    ¡°We can discuss things another time, if it would be better,¡± she offered.

    ¡°c¡¯mon, tori, you know better than that,¡± he said with a wry laugh. ¡°if i weren¡¯t bleeding all over the floor from frisk ripping my heart open, there¡¯s no way i could have said any of this. if you want to know the truth about something, it¡¯s now or never.¡±

    ¡°You will just go back to how you were before?¡± she asked. ¡°Never speaking of your truths to anyone?¡±

    ¡°i have no clue,¡± Sans said. ¡°but i already don¡¯t want to be having this conversation. i don¡¯t see why i¡¯d be any more eager in the future, and i¡¯d rather not dread it.¡±

    He didn''t know, but his guess was that he''d go back to his usual habits for the most part with everyone else except Frisk. At least for a while.

    ¡°Very well, then,¡± Toriel said. ¡°I am concerned with¡­ the nature of Frisk¡¯s infatuation with you. It seems a little¡­ ah¡­¡±

    ¡°obsessive? insane? excessive? profoundly unhealthy in deeply disturbing ways?¡± he asked wryly.

    ¡°I would not have quite put it like that,¡± Toriel said.

    ¡°i would,¡± Sans muttered.

    ¡°It sounds as though you have put thought into it,¡± she said and he nodded. ¡°I am¡­ well, I am concerned about how a healthy relationship can exist with that level of attachment. I would know your thoughts on the matter.¡±

    ¡°it can¡¯t,¡± he said flatly. ¡°but a healthy relationship can¡¯t exist with my crap, either, so i guess it balances out.¡±

    ¡°That is not how relationships work,¡± Toriel said. ¡°That is not how anything works.¡±

    He chuckled.

    ¡°i¡¯m hoping we can help each other,¡± he said. ¡°frisk wants to be this way, and as long as they¡¯re happy¡­¡±

    He shrugged.

    ¡°if you can convince them to change on that front, you¡¯ve got my support,¡± he said. ¡°but as long as they want to be like this, as long as they¡¯re happy like this, then i don¡¯t think i¡¯m doing them any favours by rejecting them. we¡¯ve discussed this topic extensively and they¡¯re quite committed to staying as they are. feel free to discuss it with them - it¡¯s not a sensitive topic. they¡¯ll talk your ear off, i¡¯m sure. tell them i said it¡¯s fine to talk about it, if they¡¯re hesitant to answer.¡±

    ¡°So you do not intend for this to be long term?¡± Toriel asked.

    ¡°i¡¯m¡­¡± he started to say, but hesitated.

    Again, the idea of letting Frisk go - ever - was hurting.

    ¡°it¡¯s more that i have no clue,¡± he said. ¡°right now? they¡¯re the best thing that¡¯s happened to me in a long time. better than i deserve. i¡¯ll try to do right by them, toriel. for as long as¡­ whatever this is¡­ exists.¡±

    He smiled a little.

    ¡°that cover it for ya?¡± he asked lightly, looking over at her.

    The expression on her face¡­ there were a lot of feelings twisting her heart.

    ¡°You have given me a great deal to consider,¡± she said in a low tone. ¡°I think I understand, and would not hurt you further with my questions.¡±

    He stood up and turned to go, but hesitated. He didn¡¯t want to do this again, didn¡¯t want to have Frisk reset, but¡­

    ¡°maybe you can return the favor a little,¡± he said, his back still to her. ¡°i¡¯d like to know about¡­ well. about you. your thoughts, your feelings.¡±

    He¡¯d seen a great deal from her face, of course, but¡­

    ¡°I am grateful that you have spoken to me like this,¡± Toriel said. ¡°I do not know if the course the two of you are on is a wise one. It does seem to be a course that you both wish to follow, however, and that is important. I have no objections.¡±

    He noticed she didn¡¯t comment on one certain part.

    ¡°anything else you wanna add?¡± he asked lightly.

    ¡°I¡­ also have regrets in my life,¡± she said in a low tone. ¡°I am grateful, too, for what you have told me about¡­ you and I. It is a shame that things could not have been different.¡±

    That wrenched at him.

    ¡°... yeah,¡± he muttered. ¡°i think that¡¯s everything, then.¡±

    ¡°I would think so,¡± she said.

    All in all, it seemed like a good outcome. Doing it again¡­ yeah, he didn¡¯t see that he¡¯d make it turn out better, and he sure as hell didn¡¯t want to try.

    ¡°welp,¡± he said. ¡°enough of that. goodbye, toriel.¡±

    He hadn¡¯t quite meant to phrase it that way, but¡­

    ¡°Goodbye, Sans,¡± Toriel said, a melancholic ache in her voice.

    There was nothing else to say. He left and teleported back to his room. Again. He was spending a lot of time there. He tossed Frisk a message that the conversation went okay and then just¡­ lay there uselessly.

 Ch. 26 - Trust

    Frisk was taking their time shopping but the whole time, they kept fretting over what Toriel was asking Sans about.

    They really hadn¡¯t told Toriel almost anything, but they had revealed some things. Had they said too much? There was no way that Toriel wouldn¡¯t have seen something suspicious just from seeing Frisk so much as look at Sans, it wasn¡¯t really possible to hide it completely, and they didn¡¯t want to deceive Toriel about that sort of thing anyway. Keeping the time loops and the things they¡¯d done secret, that was bad enough, but that was legitimately a top secret issue, and a part of the past, respectively.

    But no, it was okay. Sans wouldn¡¯t be mad at them for the little they¡¯d said. He was understanding of that sort of thing.

    But maybe they should have warned him? They hadn¡¯t expected Toriel to grill him. But maybe it was a normal mom grilling thing. Frisk had never actually seen that in application - their original mom wasn¡¯t exactly invested. Hell, she might not even realize that Frisk wasn¡¯t in town anymore yet. It¡¯d only been about four months.

    Though come to think of it, Frisk had been on the news a lot. They¡¯d taken Toriel¡¯s maiden name as their own, but she might well have recognized them. But then, she wasn¡¯t one to keep up with things like that anyway.

    Ugh, they hadn¡¯t thought of her in ages. They were hoping to keep that trend going.

    All hand-wringing aside, what was done was done, and Frisk just had to go buy things and then go home. No other expectations, nothing else they could do, it was fine.

    They checked their phone compulsively as they went through the store and finally, finally, they got a message. An eternity after they¡¯d arrived - more like half an hour or so, but still.

    Sans:  so that was a conversation

    Sans: the amount of times toriel killed me is 0, which means it went great, compared to any number other than 0

    Sans: everythings fine

    Sans: im gonna just chill for a bit.

    Frisk: That doesn¡¯t sound great? And I¡¯m guessing that means I¡¯m not reloading, right?

    Sans: dont reload. just save. i really dont wanna do that again.

    Frisk:  I will, as soon as I get home. Sorry the conversation was hard.

    He didn¡¯t respond and they sighed. They would save, because he¡¯d said to do so. And they¡¯d talk to Toriel and hopefully¡­ they didn¡¯t know. Maybe find out why the conversation was hard? Toriel hadn¡¯t seemed that upset when they¡¯d talked to her.

    Their heart sank. Maybe Toriel had hidden how she really felt from Frisk. They didn¡¯t always catch things, after all, but they had figured that Toriel took things a little harder than she let on. Maybe they¡¯d underestimated the problem.

    They were a bit of an anxious mess as they finished shopping and rushed home. They stopped at the alley where Sans usually teleported to, and saved at the save point they¡¯d placed there.

    ¡°Mum?¡± Frisk asked as soon as they went through the door.

    Toriel appeared with a strained smile¡­ and slightly damp fur around her eyes.

    Fuck.

    Frisk set aside the food and immediately gave her a hug.

    ¡°Silly child, worry not about this old woman,¡± Toriel said, embracing them back and then gently pulling away. ¡°Here, let me help you put that away.¡±

    Frisk sighed and silently put away groceries. They had no clue what to say.

    ¡°Is everything alright?¡± they asked uselessly.

    ¡°Of course it is,¡± Toriel said as she put the milk in the fridge.

    ¡°That was a stupid question,¡± Frisk said with a sigh. ¡°That¡¯s on me.¡±

    Toriel laughed a little at that. Frisk quickly put away everything else.

    ¡°Is now a bad time to talk?¡± Frisk asked.

    ¡°Now is fine,¡± Toriel said, and sat down at the table. ¡°There are some things that perhaps we ought to discuss.¡±

    Frisk sat down, too.

    ¡°I really don¡¯t want to hurt you,¡± Frisk said. ¡°That matters a lot. If later would be better¡­¡±

    ¡°No, no, do not fret so much,¡± Toriel said. ¡°Really, I am fine.¡±

    ¡°If you say so,¡± Frisk muttered, to which Toriel smiled wanly.

    ¡°Sans told me something,¡± Toriel said hesitantly. ¡°He implied that you would feel open about discussing the, ah, unusual extent of your feelings towards him.¡±

    Oh, was that all? Frisk relaxed a little.

    ¡°Absolutely,¡± they said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what he¡¯s comfortable with me sharing, though.¡±

    Toriel frowned a little.

    ¡°It is your decision, is it not?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Er, I guess,¡± Frisk said. ¡°But I mean, I don¡¯t want to make him uncomfortable. Or, uh, you uncomfortable. So it can be a little hard to figure out what I should say.¡±

    Toriel adjusted her glasses, giving Frisk a passing impression of a stern librarian.

    ¡°Sans told me to tell you that he said you could tell me anything,¡± she said.

    ¡°Anything?¡± Frisk repeated. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ not possible. I mean, maybe there was a miscommunication somewhere, or¡­¡±

    ¡°He was speaking in regards to your¡­ level of attachment,¡± Toriel said. ¡°I would presume he meant anything in regards to that.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna quickly check with him,¡± Frisk said, and pulled out their phone.

    Frisk: Hey Sans, I have an important question.

    Frisk: Toriel says that you said that I could tell her anything.

    Sans: ha. tell her i said nice try but no.

    Frisk giggled and read the text out to Toriel.

    Frisk: About my devotion to you, I mean.

    Frisk: I wasn¡¯t sure what you¡¯d prefer me not to share. In regards to anything, really. I have guesses, but I¡¯m not sure.

    Sans: im pretty sure u can trust ur judgment about things

    Sans: if you wanna tell her what we did, id be surprised, so lemme know if u do

    Sans: but other than stuff about my past or issues, totes up 2 u

    Frisk: Really? Anything other than the things I¡¯ve learned or guessed about your past and special things about you, you¡¯re fine with all of it?

    Sans: some stuff id rather u didnt, like itd be awkward if tori knows some of ur kinks and that i went along with it. but if u wanna say that, i wont stop u. just lemme know so i can hide for a while

    Sans: on another continent.

    Frisk giggled at that.

    Frisk: Haha, that was amazing. Okay, I¡¯ll try to play it careful. Thank you.

    Sans:  uh maybe dont thank me

    Sans: i did accidentally mention that u saw my soul

    Sans: not a lotta ways for that to happen. so she probably knows we not only had sex, but it was xtra intimate

    Frisk: Ah. Thanks for the heads up. I don¡¯t mind her knowing that.

    Sans: good. id rather she didnt know but thats my fault

    Frisk: She¡¯s good at pulling things from people! Hopefully she doesn¡¯t get too much out of me. I¡¯ll try to be careful.

    Sans: just lemme know if i need to flee the country

    Frisk: Haha. Will do.

    Frisk giggled again as they put away their phone.

    ¡°Okay, so he¡¯s actually pretty cool with me sharing things,¡± Frisk said. ¡°More than I expected. I won¡¯t share things he¡¯s told me in confidence, of course, but other than that, it¡¯s up to me.¡±

    ¡°That is good,¡± Toriel said. ¡°And you are comfortable speaking about that topic?¡±

    ¡°My devotion to him?¡± Frisk said. ¡°I am.¡±

    ¡°Your¡­ devotion,¡± Toriel said. ¡°Perhaps you can simply fill me in on what is going on?¡±

    ¡°I guess you¡¯ve seen me be a little weird with him,¡± Frisk said and Toriel nodded. ¡°Look, I really don¡¯t want to make you uncomfortable. That¡¯s my biggest hesitation.¡±

    ¡°You may not be my child by blood, nor by age, but you are still my child,¡± Toriel said, her expression both stern and loving. ¡°I love you, Frisk. I would understand you better, to whatever extent that you feel comfortable sharing with me.¡±

    Frisk looked down and sighed.

    ¡°I love you, too, mum,¡± they said quietly. ¡°I¡¯m worried that it¡¯ll upset you. Worry you unnecessarily. Maybe disturb you.¡±

    ¡°Please do not fear my reaction,¡± Toriel said. ¡°I am here for you.¡±

    Frisk looked up at Toriel¡¯s eyes¡­ and didn¡¯t believe her. A twisting pain filled their chest at the thought. They were sure Toriel meant it, but, well.

    Some things were unforgivable. And while Sans and Flowey were dark enough that Frisk¡¯s tainted soul was welcome, Toriel was too pure and gentle for that.

    Still. Frisk could at least share some things.

    ¡°I love him,¡± they said. ¡°But it¡¯s more than that. A lot more. I, uh. I realize it won¡¯t really make sense. It¡¯s not how people¡¯s minds usually work.¡±

    They hesitated a little.

    ¡°My soul belongs to him,¡± they said after a moment. ¡°All that I am is his to do with as he wishes.¡±

    ¡°What does that mean, exactly?¡± Toriel asked, frowning.

    ¡°Just what it sounds like,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Anything he desires of me is his.¡±

    ¡°You will obey any command he gives you?¡± Toriel asked. ¡°Fulfill any request?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°To what extent?¡± Toriel asked.

    ¡°Anything,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°What of things you truly do not wish to do, or things that you morally object to?¡± Toriel asked.

    Frisk shook their head.

    ¡°Anything,¡± they repeated.

    ¡°Frisk, please be reasonable,¡± Toriel said. ¡°I know that saying ¡®anything¡¯ suits your preference for the melodramatic, but I am attempting to understand what is going on. I would know your limits.¡±

    Frisk looked back up at her. After what had happened yesterday, how much more tightly they were bound¡­ they honestly thought even their last vestiges of limits were gone. Even the example they¡¯d given before, of refusing to kill Papyrus¡­

    Well, if Sans honestly wanted him dead for some reason, which was impossible to imagine, Frisk was pretty sure they would. It¡¯d hurt like hell, it¡¯d tear them apart, but they would.

    ¡°I know it isn¡¯t what you want to hear,¡± Frisk said, their gaze dropping again.

    No, they couldn¡¯t look away for this. They had to own it - they didn¡¯t want Toriel to think they were ashamed of this, or had any interest in changing. They met her gaze again.

    ¡°I will do anything for Sans,¡± they said. ¡°I truly mean that, to a depth and extent that most anyone would not call sane. I know what I¡¯m saying.¡±

    ¡°Frisk¡­¡± Toriel began and sighed. ¡°You cannot be serious. You would not kill someone, for example.¡±

    Frisk looked away.

    ¡°You are saying that you would kill, if he asked you to?¡± Toriel asked incredulously.

    They swallowed and then nodded.

    ¡°Death is not a trivial matter,¡± Toriel said. ¡°This is a poor choice of topic to be frivolous about.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not being frivolous,¡± Frisk said. ¡°I would kill someone if Sans truly wanted me to.¡±

    Toriel stared at them.

    ¡°It is difficult to take this seriously,¡± Toriel said slowly. ¡°You have shown yourself to be an incredibly gentle person, even by the standards of monsters.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not saying that I want to,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Or that it wouldn¡¯t rip me apart. I¡¯m just saying that¡­ this is who I am. I will obey Sans in all things, and I trust in his judgment. If he decides that I should kill someone, I will.¡±

    Toriel looked like she was dealing with some complex emotions, of which confusion was still fairly dominant.

    ¡°You do not know of what you speak,¡± she said, heat in her voice. ¡°You have never killed someone, so-¡±

    She cut off as Frisk flinched and looked away. She blinked slowly.

    ¡°Have you killed anyone?¡± she asked, her tone controlled.

    ¡°Y¡­ you¡­ really hate me that much?¡± Toriel asked, horror and shock on her face transforming to pained realization. ¡°Now I see who I was protecting by keeping you here. Not you¡­ But them!¡±

    Toriel fell to one knee and laughed bitterly before her dust scattered, staining Frisk¡¯s hands and clothes, and scarring their soul.

    ¡°N-no,¡± Frisk said.

    Technically, in this timeline, they¡¯d never killed anyone. So it was kind of true.

    ¡°Why do you sound uncertain?¡± Toriel asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s complicated,¡± Frisk said, staring at the table.

    ¡°You and Sans both say that things are complicated which really should not be,¡± Toriel said sharply. ¡°He either loves you, or he does not. You either killed someone, or you have not.¡±

    And the truth is, Sans loves me, but can¡¯t face it. And I¡¯ve killed people, but no one has died, Frisk thought to themself.

    ¡°Not a single person in all the world, either monster or human, is dead because of me,¡± Frisk said. ¡°So yeah, it¡¯s straightforward that way. But my head is kinda messed up sometimes.¡±

    ¡°You feel like you¡¯ve killed people that you haven¡¯t?¡± Toriel asked.

    ¡°Uh, sorta, I guess,¡± Frisk said hesitantly.

    Trying to be honest while dancing around this topic was not working well.

    ¡°Perhaps we should arrange to have you work with a therapist,¡± Toriel said.

    Frisk coughed.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I could tell a therapist things,¡± Frisk said awkwardly.

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    ¡°Does Sans know?¡± Toriel asked.

    ¡°He knows everything,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°And if he told you to go to a therapist, you would,¡± Toriel said.

    ¡°Uh,¡± Frisk said. ¡°We¡¯ve kinda discussed that already and concluded it wouldn¡¯t be a good idea.¡±

    Toriel blinked again.

    ¡°Why in the world would that not be a good idea?¡± Toriel asked.

    Frisk had absolutely no idea what to say.

    ¡°There¡¯s¡­ things I can¡¯t tell them,¡± Frisk said, leaning on honesty as their default. ¡°Things that are not just uncomfortable to share, but dangerous. Or confidential. Or top secret things. I can¡¯t tell you those things, either.¡±

    ¡°Unless Sans tells you to, I suppose,¡± Toriel said coolly.

    ¡°Well, yeah,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Toriel said, adjusting her glasses. ¡°I suppose I cannot press you on points that you are not allowed to share.¡±

    Frisk nodded.

    ¡°Then I will ask as to your devotion, of which you are permitted to speak,¡± Toriel said. ¡°I would know what has happened to make you like this.¡±

    ¡°Sans¡­ saved me in a certain, critical way,¡± Frisk said.

    Toriel¡¯s face twisted in a strange wave of emotions.

    ¡°He saved you?¡± she asked softly.

    Right, his promise. He¡¯d promised Toriel that he¡¯d watch over and protect any humans that came through.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± they said.

    ¡°From Asgore?¡± Toriel asked.

    ¡°Uh. It¡¯s complicated,¡± Frisk mumbled.

    ¡°How is that possibly complicated?¡± Toriel asked, sounding frustrated. ¡°Did he or did he not save you from Asgore harming you?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ no,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°From someone else?¡± Toriel asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ complicated?¡± Frisk said weakly and Toriel glared at them.

    ¡°Who or what did he save you from?¡± Toriel asked.

    Frisk swallowed. The two possible answers were ¡°myself¡± or ¡°Chara,¡± and neither of those seemed like a good idea to say.

    But they didn¡¯t want to lie.

    ¡°Myself,¡± they said softly.

    Toriel stared at them for a moment. The silence stretched. Frisk didn¡¯t want to lie, and the truth would make no sense. But they didn¡¯t want to share the full truth. So they just awkwardly said nothing.

    ¡°I do not understand,¡± she said. ¡°Is this a matter that you have been forbidden to speak of?¡±

    Technically, the timeloops were top secret, but also, their little conspiracy wasn¡¯t exactly restrictive about it. They¡¯d brought Undyne in just to help Frisk train, and to give Alphys someone to talk to about things. Frisk could tell Toriel, if they wanted.

    And if they were honest with themself, Sans had tried to encourage them to speak to a therapist. They¡¯d convinced him that it was a bad idea in the end, but it was begrudging.

    Beyond that, the only ones who had any claim of authority over Frisk in binding the knowledge of the timeloops were Asgore and Sans. Asgore would permit Toriel to be brought in, obviously, and Sans would, too.

    ¡°No,¡± Frisk said. ¡°I¡¯m sure there¡¯d be opinions about it, but no. This is mine to share or not.¡±

    ¡°Then please, my child,¡± Toriel said. ¡°Tell me what has happened.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t,¡± Frisk said, fiddling with their thumbs.

    ¡°Why would that be?¡± Toriel asked.

    Frisk swallowed uneasily. The silence stretched.

    ¡°Please,¡± Toriel said. ¡°If you cannot speak of what happened, please tell me why.¡±

    Frisk¡¯s eyes squeezed closed, their face twisted with pain and uncertainty. They had no idea what to say. Silence stretched again.

    ¡°You do understand that I love you and that I will support you, do you not?¡± Toriel asked, sounding like her heart was breaking.

    ¡°I do believe that you believe that,¡± Frisk whispered.

    A few seconds passed and Frisk glanced at Toriel¡¯s face. It was stricken.

    ¡°You are afraid,¡± Toriel said, each syllable spoken slowly and painfully. ¡°You fear that if I knew the truth, that you could not trust me to stand by you. That I would turn away from you.¡±

    Frisk¡¯s throat was too tight, they couldn¡¯t speak.

    ¡°Please,¡± Toriel said, her voice pleading as she closed her eyes. ¡°Please, Frisk. Tell me that much. Do you trust me?¡±

    ¡°In so many ways, I do trust you,¡± Frisk said. ¡°I love you and I know you¡¯re there for me.¡±

    ¡°But you are afraid I would turn my back to you,¡± Toriel said.

    Frisk couldn¡¯t say a word.

    ¡°Sans admitted that to me, as well,¡± Toriel said softly.

    Another glance showed tears soaking the fur below Toriel¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Both of the people closest to my heart in all the world believe I would turn on them, were I to know certain truths,¡± Toriel said. ¡°Have I truly shown myself to be so untrustworthy?¡±

    ¡°No, mum, no, you aren¡¯t untrustworthy,¡± Frisk said, reaching out to take Toriel¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Then why¡­?¡± she asked.

    Frisk was silent for a moment, but Toriel kept looking at them with pleading eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m trying to be a good person,¡± Frisk said. ¡°I¡¯ve tried for a long time. Sometimes I¡¯ve made missteps. The same is true of Sans.¡±

    ¡°And you feel I would judge you for those missteps,¡± Toriel said. ¡°To the point that I would turn on you completely.¡±

    Frisk exhaled slowly.

    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m afraid of, yeah,¡± they admitted.

    ¡°You are young, yet,¡± Toriel said. ¡°I do not begrudge mistakes made in learning, in growth. I will support you. You do not need to be afraid.¡±

    Frisk¡¯s hand clenched.

    ¡°But you do not believe me,¡± Toriel said. Frisk opened their mouth to speak and Toriel added, sadly, ¡°Rather, you believe that I believe it, but you feel I am mistaken.¡±

    Frisk managed to nod.

    There was silence for another long moment.

    ¡°It is because of Asgore, is it not?¡± Toriel said, halfway sounding like a statement.

    Frisk¡¯s mouth moved but nothing came out. What could they say? It was true, and Toriel simply figured it out. The reason they believed she would reject them was because she¡¯d rejected Asgore for a crime that was, in certain ways, lesser than their own.

    ¡°I understand,¡± Toriel said hollowly, and got to her feet. ¡°I need to take a little time to myself. Do not fret about me, my child.¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Frisk said, reaching their hand out uselessly as Toriel started moving towards her room.

    They continued to stare in that direction, equally uselessly, until they heard the soft thump of Toriel¡¯s door closing.

    They didn¡¯t hear anything after, but their imagination filled in the sound of Toriel¡¯s broken sobs from knowing that the two people she loved most in the world didn¡¯t trust her.

    They continued to stare in that direction, their mind whirring and accomplishing nothing for a long moment. Then they grabbed their phone.

    Frisk: Um. Not to put any pressure on you or anything. Because I don¡¯t want to pressure you. You don¡¯t have to do anything, say anything, decide anything at all. You can just ignore all this.

    Frisk: But the conversation ended up not going well.

    Sans: how bad was it

    Frisk: I¡¯m pretty sure I accidentally convinced her that both of us think she¡¯s untrustworthy and that we¡¯re afraid she¡¯ll turn on us if we tell her things.

    Sans: ¡­

    Sans: that might not be totally ur fault

    Frisk: She did mention you¡¯d said something like that.

    Sans: ya. i didnt mean it like that tho

    Frisk: Me, neither. Just¡­ I mean, you know. If she couldn¡¯t forgive Asgore, then why would she forgive me? Or you? Though I don¡¯t know your circumstances as well.

    Sans: i hav no clue how shed react to my past

    Sans: urs is weird 2. i dont know that either

    Frisk: Um.

    Frisk: Flowey might have a good guess.

    Sans: from his experience screwing around with her head

    Frisk: Yeah.

    Sans: whats ur plan exactly

    Frisk: I don¡¯t have one. I¡¯m just¡­ I don¡¯t want her to be hurt and it¡¯s killing me.

    Frisk: I don¡¯t know for sure but my guess is that she¡¯s in her room sobbing.

    Sans: damn it

    Frisk: Yeah. I¡¯m sorry I screwed it up so badly. I just started by being honest, and then when I stopped being willing to answer, I refused to throw you under the bus, which meant I was refusing to answer because I didn¡¯t trust her, and then it just sort of snowballed.

    Sans: i get it. ur thinking we should reload

    Frisk: I promised you to take the power seriously. Tiny reloads that don¡¯t affect people are fine; manipulating people we care about isn¡¯t. That¡¯s what you¡¯ve held me to. But we also use it with the alert app to undo disasters that hurt people.

    Frisk: I mean, it¡¯s like accidents and stuff normally, so I don¡¯t know if this counts.

    Frisk: But

    Frisk: But I want to undo it.

    Frisk: I don¡¯t want her to be hurt.

    Sans: me neither. look lets not text about this. go to ur room

    They instantly got to their feet and rushed to their room. Sans was sitting in their desk chair, looking rather haggard himself as they closed the door behind them.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I screwed up,¡± Frisk said, on the edge of tears.

    ¡°don¡¯t blame yourself,¡± Sans said with a sigh, rubbing at his head. ¡°like i said, i told her the same thing.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not looking so lively yourself,¡± Frisk said, covering their face. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have tried talking to her yet.¡±

    ¡°what¡¯s done is done,¡± Sans said. ¡°what we gotta do is figure out what to do about it.¡±

    He sighed and leaned back.

    ¡°i¡¯m feeling a little mentally toast,¡± he admitted. ¡°you up to trying to just lay out all our options?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Frisk said. ¡°The big one is whether or not I reload. If I don¡¯t reload, we have some time pressure, and we¡¯re doing a salvage thing. Trying to undo the results of this conversation in a normal way. The problem is that this isn¡¯t just a miscommunication. She¡¯s correct - neither of us trusts her not to turn away from us if she knows certain things.¡±

    Sans nodded at that.

    ¡°Best I can see is maybe trying to reassure her, but I¡¯m not sure how to do that without either confirming that she¡¯s right, or outright lying to her,¡± Frisk said. ¡°I¡¯d¡­ like to avoid getting caught in a spiral of lies.¡±

    ¡°yeah,¡± Sans said. ¡°one¡¯s bad enough¡­¡±

    Frisk exhaled and rubbed at their face.

    ¡°So yeah,¡± they said. ¡°And trying to salvage things might make them worse. Could easily make things worse. It¡¯s kind of delicate.¡±

    They looked down.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a threat to the world, though,¡± they said quietly. ¡°It¡¯s not a threat to anyone¡¯s life. If resetting is like killing people¡­ then I don¡¯t know that killing a version of Toriel to spare her pain is right. Reloading to fix this feels right to me, but I know it feels different on the outside of the loop.¡±

    They were both silent for a moment.

    ¡°let¡¯s look at our options before we start digging into them,¡± he said.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Frisk said. ¡°The other broad option is we do use a reset, or a bunch of resets, to solve this. There¡¯s a few categorical approaches I can see. One, drawing on Flowey¡¯s expertise. He could probably help us trim things to solving it with only resetting once, but it¡¯d, uh, involve letting him know things kinda right away. He¡¯s already texted me about how many resets we¡¯ve done lately and I¡¯ve been telling him we¡¯d talk to him about it soon.¡±

    Sans grumbled a little under his breath, but Frisk couldn¡¯t quite make it out.

    ¡°If we don¡¯t care about using multiple resets, we have more options,¡± Frisk said. ¡°One¡­ I know you¡¯ve spoken out against this before, I¡¯m just listing it for thoroughness, but we could find out for sure if she can handle knowing things.¡±

    After a moment of silence, Sans said, ¡°keep listing options.¡±

    Frisk nodded.

    ¡°I have only three ideas on how to redo the conversation with her,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Either I tell her the whole truth. Or, I close off and refuse to tell her things more generally, keeping her more distant, but playing it off as maybe shyness, or not being comfortable, or touching on things that are private, that sort of thing. So she doesn¡¯t think I don¡¯t trust her, I just can¡¯t tell her for more normal reasons. Or I go straight up manipulative - lying, twisting things, whatever, so she thinks I¡¯m being real with her, even as I twist her around.¡±

    ¡°that¡¯s all you¡¯ve got, huh?¡± Sans asked and Frisk nodded. ¡°keep things as they stand and try to fix things the normal way. use the loops to try to fix things. use flowey to reduce the number of loops but also deal with his bullshit. tell her the truth and see if she can take it. pull away from her like how i normally would do things. manipulate her in a kinda gross way. that¡¯s the list.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t think of any other basic approach,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Avoidance, maybe, dodging the whole issue entirely.¡±

    ¡°might not be bad,¡± Sans speculated. ¡°could buy her time to recover from the conversation with me.¡±

    ¡°So I guess the first question is - is this situation worth using loops to fix?¡± Frisk asked uneasily.

    Sans closed his eyes and leaned back again.

    ¡°gonna be honest with ya,¡± he said. ¡°i¡¯m pretty frayed myself. between all the stuff from yesterday and my talk with her today, i¡¯m wrung dry.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Frisk said, looking down. ¡°So you want me to be the one to decide, to think of things?¡±

    ¡°it¡¯d make my life easier,¡± he said.

    ¡°Maybe¡­ why don¡¯t you just tell me what you want, not what you think we should do, and I¡¯ll use that to try to figure it out?¡± Frisk tried.

    He sighed.

    ¡°i want to look back on today and not regret it,¡± he said firmly. ¡°that¡¯s the big thing. making a wrong choice - whatever, it happens. sometimes jokes fall flat, and ya should¡¯ve chosen a different one, but who cares, right? i won¡¯t be upset at us for making a ¡®wrong¡¯ choice today, under the circumstances. i just want to not regret it.¡±

    Frisk nodded.

    ¡°right now?¡± he continued. ¡°i¡¯m not thinking abstractly. caring about timeline morality stuff is abstract. wanting tori to be okay is near and dear.¡±

    Frisk smiled a little at that.

    ¡°Maybe¡­¡± they said hesitantly and Sans opened his eyes, watching them. ¡°It¡¯s something you normally wouldn¡¯t like at all, but¡­¡±

    ¡°spit it out,¡± Sans said.

    ¡°Sounds like we¡¯re going to use the loops to try to fix this,¡± Frisk said carefully. ¡°Which means we¡¯re in a dead-end timeline.¡±

    ¡°go on,¡± Sans said.

    Frisk wrung their hands together.

    ¡°I know you tend to view things a little differently,¡± Frisk said, still being cautious. ¡°But¡­ well, in a dead-end timeline, the only things that are really real are you, me, and Flowey. Everything else is a ghost, going to be undone.¡±

    Sans¡¯ face was tight but he nodded slightly.

    ¡°And it doesn¡¯t really matter how long the timeline branch is,¡± Frisk said. ¡°I mean, it matters a little, like six months is too much, but whether it¡¯s a few hours or a few days or whatever¡­ it¡¯s not that big of a difference, right?¡±

    Sans didn¡¯t say anything, and they fidgeted anxiously.

    ¡°You could use some time to just chew on things,¡± Frisk said. ¡°No disasters, no unwanted conversations, no time pressure, no obligations, no guilt, no regret. We¡¯re in a gap in time - we might as well return to the true timeline when we¡¯re ready, instead of rushing it, if we have to end it anyway.¡±

    Sans continued to say nothing, just watching them impassively. They swallowed.

    ¡°You could just go off, anywhere you wanted to go, and just not deal with this at all,¡± Frisk said. ¡°I¡¯ll stay here, and talk to Flowey, and explain what¡¯s going on. I¡¯ll talk to Toriel and just lay it on her, learning what I can, in one miserable timeline. Using Flowey¡¯s advice to try to mitigate how much this Toriel suffers from it all. We just tell you nothing, don¡¯t worry you, let you take your time. And when you¡¯re ready, I¡¯ll brief you and then reload.¡±

    Sans¡¯ gaze was nearly black as he watched them in the silence.

    ¡°There¡¯s¡­ uh¡­ also¡­¡± Frisk said and swallowed. ¡°I kept never managing to actually bring it up in the real timeline, but there¡¯s a set of rules we¡¯d agreed on for dead-end timelines, and you might want to know those, but you could also just not worry about anything for a while and it¡¯d be fine.¡±

    Sans continued to stare at them for a long moment before he sighed and closed his eyes again.

    ¡°really damned tempting idea,¡± he muttered. ¡°you¡¯re trying to solve as many problems as possible, packed into as few resets as possible, at the cost of blowing all moral constraints for a single branch in time.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ actually a really good summary, yeah,¡± Frisk said, and Sans met their gaze again consideringly.

    ¡°i feel like if i agree to this, i might as well get a new jacket labelled ¡®hypocrite¡¯ and swap to it as my usual,¡± he groused.

    ¡°But it¡¯s not your idea,¡± Frisk said. ¡°You gave me the choice, so that means the consequences aren¡¯t your fault.¡±

    ¡°except you¡¯re not doing it unless i okay it,¡± Sans said.

    ¡°Or unless you say the choice is mine, and absolve yourself of responsibility for the mess I created,¡± Frisk said. ¡°I¡¯ll take that burden from you.¡±

    His expression shifted to a more thoughtful one as he gazed at them.

    ¡°that¡¯s a piece i was missing, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Sans said speculatively. ¡°one of the reasons you¡¯re like this. you dumped all moral responsibility for your existence on my head. don¡¯t blame the tool, blame the person holding the tool, sort of thinking. so by making yourself a tool, that¡¯s it. you can¡¯t blame yourself for anything ever again.¡±

    Frisk looked down.

    ¡°I do blame myself for what just happened,¡± they said.

    ¡°i don¡¯t feel like dancing around,¡± he said. ¡°what i said - is that a part of your whole thing?¡±

    ¡°... yes,¡± Frisk admitted quietly.

    He gave them a considering look. They were both silent for what felt like an extremely long time to Frisk.

    ¡°odds are good one of us will screw things up in the real timeline if we try to avoid abusing your power,¡± he said finally. ¡°maybe that¡¯s the better risk, but i just can¡¯t bring myself to think about the tangled moral problems of resets right now.¡±

    Frisk nodded and stayed silent.

    ¡°it¡¯s pretty fucked up that i¡¯m looking at completely abandoning an entire timeline to an extended length of interaction before destroying it. that i¡¯m looking at letting you off the leash i¡¯ve kept you on, letting you abuse your powers to manipulate someone close to me. that i¡¯m letting you take the lead on¡­ well, everything that¡¯s resulted from yesterday, with only flowey as your aide.¡±

    Frisk looked down. When they heard him sigh heavily, they looked up at him and he looked even more haggard.

    ¡°i can¡¯t deal with this crap right now,¡± he said in a defeated tone. ¡°i just can¡¯t. you seem like you¡¯re doing alright.¡±

    Frisk nodded.

    ¡°so i¡¯m going to admit defeat and trust you,¡± he said grimly. ¡°you know how i feel about things. you know what i care about. i¡¯m going to just trust you to take that into account and try to do the best you can, as though i were here advising you and holding you back. i¡¯m going to trust you to not let flowey lead you down dangerous paths. i¡¯m going to trust you to treat this timeline¡¯s toriel with as much care and respect as you possibly can, to hurt her as little as possible.¡±

    He closed his eyes and swallowed.

    ¡°i may change my mind,¡± he said, his tone quieter. ¡°but right now, i don¡¯t wanna know what you end up doing. i just want to believe that you thought things through carefully and you chose what you thought i would believe is the best option, morally speaking.¡±

    ¡°I will do my utmost,¡± Frisk said in an equally quiet tone.

    He started to stand and then hesitated.

    ¡°i want to know the truth,¡± he murmured. ¡°do you respect me less for this?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°no dissembling, no misdirection, none of that nonsense,¡± he said. ¡°expand on that.¡±

    Frisk swallowed.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to say anything hurtful,¡± they muttered.

    ¡°i made it pretty clear what i expect,¡± he said.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on in your head, but I have a number of guesses,¡± Frisk said with a small smile, copying what Sans had said two days ago as best as they could remember. ¡°Seems to me that you¡¯re broken inside in a number of ways, and sometimes those cracks and scars in your soul look like flaws. What I see of this choice isn¡¯t your strength, your wit, your insight, your will to overcome problems. So, some might think I¡¯m saying I¡¯m looking at you being weak. But¡­¡±

    They smiled at him more gently.

    ¡°I see you trying to do as I¡¯d suggested, about Papyrus,¡± they said softly. ¡°Trying to heal, instead of pretending you aren¡¯t injured. Trusting someone, instead of either taking everything on your own head, or blowing it off and pretending you don¡¯t care. I think this is a wiser option than trying to force a solution when you¡¯re too frazzled to think things through, but also¡­¡±

    Their smile turned wry, and they felt more relaxed as some of the tension in his shoulders eased.

    ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure if I can really respect you less, the way my head is wired right now,¡± they said. ¡°I can love you more, respect you more, but I¡¯m not sure if it can go the other way. Maybe it can, but I haven¡¯t seen anything pushing that way at all.¡±

    ¡°you really do wonders for making my life simpler,¡± he said with a rough grin. ¡°and also complicating it, but i suppose there¡¯s no escaping that. alright. keep your phone on you. don¡¯t give me details unless i ask. pass along whatever the hell excuse you want to whomever - i¡¯m just leaving, i¡¯m not dealing with anything.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± Frisk said.

    He closed his eyes.

    ¡°here¡¯s hoping i don¡¯t regret this,¡± he muttered. ¡°good luck, frisk.¡±

    With that, he disappeared.

 Ch. 27 - Bargain

    After Sans disappeared, Frisk took a few minutes to consider. There was a lot on their plate, but well, like Sans had said, their leash was off. Their emotions settled as a core truth of the world was returned to the way it should be - if something they wanted was possible, then it was inevitable.

    Obviously, this was possible. Which meant there was nothing to worry about, really. Still, help would be helpful. They pulled out their phone and texted Flowey.

    Frisk: Hey. Uh. Lots of things to talk about. First things first, we¡¯re in a dead timeline.

    They left it at that for now. It was mid-afternoon on a Saturday - who knew what Flowey was up to?

    He didn¡¯t reply right away and they took out a journal. They had things to focus on, and they needed to not be distracted by memories of yesterday. Sans wasn¡¯t here and wasn¡¯t going to be here - they had to stay focused, hard as that was.

    They started sketching out some rough ideas and thoughts. Things to try, things to avoid, things Sans would hate, things he might approve of, important pieces of what they knew about Toriel¡­

    Eventually, their phone buzzed.

    Flowey: Oh GOOD. How long do we have?

    Frisk: Probably a few days.

    Flowey: *sigh* that doesn¡¯t give me a lot of time to work with. Can you stretch it to a week from Thursday?

    Frisk: Um. Kinda not up to me.

    Flowey: Stupid trashbag. Fine.

    Flowey: When¡¯d you save?

    Frisk: At roughly 1:30pm today. Maybe closer to 1:45.

    Flowey: Easy. I was watching a movie, so that¡¯s convenient. :D

    It really annoyed him when their saves were in the middle of a conversation - they could only imagine how bothersome that would be. Frisk was glad it was good timing this time.

    Flowey: Are we meeting up or just texting?

    Frisk: Meeting up. Might take a while. There¡¯s a lot to discuss.

    Flowey: That¡¯s fine. I had a few plans for this afternoon, but I can just do that when you reload. Where are you?

    Frisk: I¡¯m in my room, but Toriel¡¯s home. You could come here if you¡¯re good with speaking quietly, or we can meet elsewhere. Should be private, though.

    Flowey: I was just heading home. Meet me there.

    Frisk: On my way.

    Frisk got up and tore out a page from the notebook they were using. They thought for a moment and then scribbled a note.

    Dear Toriel,

    First, I just wanted to say I¡¯m sorry. That didn¡¯t come out the way I wanted to and I made a mess of things. I want to talk to you soon and make things right. I¡¯m just out and taking time to try to think.

    I love you always. And I do trust you. Don¡¯t worry, mum. It¡¯ll all work out, you¡¯ll see.

    - Frisk

    It didn¡¯t take long to drive to Flowey¡¯s place. Almost all of the monsters from the underground had moved to a sort of newly built suburb ¡°city,¡± that was separate from, but basically a part of the main city. Asgore, naturally, had named it ¡°Overground.¡± Because of course he did.

    It¡¯d been kinda crazy how fast the area had been put up. Combining human technology with monster magic made for some impressive results.

    It meant that everyone they knew lived near each other. Monsters would visit other places, and some would occasionally move elsewhere, but it was much safer to live here. Flowey¡¯s house was a bit further out, since he had such a lavish place.

    Once they arrived, Flowey led them to a sitting room and he settled himself into some cushions. Frisk sat down.

    ¡°Alright, so there¡¯s a lot to cover,¡± Frisk said. ¡°First, uh, we¡¯re in a dead timeline because I screwed up with Toriel pretty badly, and Sans has kinda put me in charge of fixing everything.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Flowey asked. ¡°How badly could you have possibly screwed it up?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯s convinced that Sans and I aren¡¯t telling her things because we don¡¯t trust her, and we¡¯re kinda the closest people in her life,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°That seems pretty fixable,¡± Flowey mused. ¡°And is it true?¡±

    ¡°Wait, it is?¡± Frisk asked.

    ¡°She¡¯s very forgiving, especially if you frame things right,¡± Flowey said with a shrug. ¡°So? Is she right?¡±

    ¡°Uh,¡± Frisk said. ¡°I mean, with her not forgiving Asgore¡­ kinda, yeah?¡±

    ¡°Might be harder to fix, then,¡± he said casually. ¡°Anyway. What¡¯s the rest of it?¡±

    Frisk took a breath.

    ¡°It worked, with Sans,¡± they said. ¡°He remembers the resets.¡±

    ¡°Excellent,¡± Flowey said, beaming at them. ¡°You can bring others in.¡±

    ¡°Uh,¡± Frisk said. ¡°I have no idea if we can replicate it.¡±

    ¡°You''ve got to be kidding me. After everything, it''s just him?¡± Flowey asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t even know what we¡¯re going to say to Alphys,¡± Frisk said, awkwardly fidgeting. ¡°I really don¡¯t want to admit to¡­ what all was involved.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll tell me, though, won¡¯t you?¡± Flowey asked with a big grin.

    ¡°Er¡­ I¡¯d really rather not,¡± they muttered and he huffed.

    ¡°There¡¯s a lot to work out with that situation,¡± he said. ¡°I would have expected him to be here for that discussion, though.¡±

    ¡°So, um, actually, I need your help,¡± Frisk said, and he gave them a curious look. ¡°So, basically, Sans is sort of tapped out and decided to leave the Toriel situation to me. This whole dead timeline, in fact. He¡¯s just fucked off for a while. We¡¯ll reload when I¡¯ve decided I know how I want to handle the thing with Toriel, and when he¡¯s had time to get his head on straight.¡±

    ¡°Interesting,¡± he said, and his grin took on an edge. ¡°Well, then, I know the price for my help.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°You¡¯ll answer all of my questions,¡± he said.

    ¡°Come on, Flowey,¡± Frisk said. ¡°I can¡¯t agree to that - you could ask about Sans¡¯ secrets.¡±

    ¡°I want to know about how you got him to remember the resets,¡± he clarified, and they blushed.

    His expression turned more curious.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it would be a process that would work for you,¡± Frisk said. ¡°The knowledge may not be useful at all.¡±

    ¡°Like I care if I get some useless knowledge,¡± he said dismissively. ¡°I want to know. You want my help with Toriel, and I can tell you now that it¡¯s something I can help with.¡±

    Frisk squirmed a little, feeling intensely awkward.

    ¡°But I might be able to fix things with Toriel on my own,¡± they said uneasily.

    Flowey gave them a speculative look.

    ¡°Just checking - your issue is that you feel your little stabby timeline is worse than what Asgore did, and since she didn¡¯t forgive Asgore, she won¡¯t forgive you if she finds out,¡± he said.

    ¡°Basically, yeah,¡± Frisk said. ¡°And similar dark stuff in Sans¡¯ past.¡±

    His eyes flashed with a surge of intense curiosity but he sighed and didn¡¯t comment on it.

    ¡°Your problem isn¡¯t with Toriel,¡± he said flatly. ¡°Your problem is that you¡¯re an idiot. You won¡¯t get a happy ending without my help. Not if you¡¯re only getting one shot at reloading.¡±

    ¡°Rude,¡± Frisk said, but flashed Flowey a wry smile. ¡°I¡¯ll need to address some stuff with Toriel right away, though - there¡¯s a lot to talk about and I¡¯d like to reassure her soon, so I can be in a good position to learn what I need.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s make the deal, then, and I¡¯ll help you soothe her as an advance payment,¡± Flowey said. ¡°Here¡¯s the deal. You answer every question at all related to Sans remembering the resets, to anything connected to the process. If it¡¯s information he¡¯s forbidden you to share, you tell me that - saying it''s a secret and not just deflecting, for example. I get the whole picture in as much detail as I want.¡±

    Frisk was bright red as he was speaking.

    ¡°In exchange, I will answer every question at all related to helping fix this problem with Toriel,¡± he continued. ¡°Whether it¡¯s temporary, in making her feel better, or with real fixes for your relationship. I¡¯ll do my best to help you figure out a solution that both you and your garbage owner will be happy with. Deal?¡±

    Frisk stared at him.

    ¡°You really think I can¡¯t solve this on my own?¡± they asked meekly.

    ¡°With enough resets, of course you could,¡± Flowey said dismissively. ¡°But it¡¯s just the one, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°I could probably get him to agree to more,¡± Frisk said and then looked down. ¡°But¡­ I¡¯d like to impress him. I would like a great solution with only one reset.¡±

    ¡°Then you can¡¯t, without my help,¡± he said. ¡°From what you said, you¡¯re obviously missing a major thing with Toriel. So do we have a deal?¡±

    Frisk swallowed.

    ¡°We¡¯ll limit the deal to just in this timeline,¡± Frisk said. ¡°If you come up with questions after I reload, I don¡¯t have to keep answering.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine, and same applies to my help,¡± Flowey said. ¡°Well?¡±

    Frisk squrimed.

    ¡°There¡¯s things I really don¡¯t want to tell you,¡± they said awkwardly.

    ¡°Why?¡± he asked.

    They covered their face.

    ¡°Because it¡¯s too embarrassing,¡± they squeaked.

    ¡°Embarrassing?¡± he said. ¡°Not secret, not dangerous, just embarrassing?¡±

    They nodded, their face still covered.

    ¡°That sounds like something you can just get over,¡± Flowey remarked and Frisk groaned.

    ¡°Could you maybe agree to not press on things that are¡­ horribly awkward¡­ and while maybe part of the big picture, aren¡¯t related to how he gained knowledge of the resets?¡± Frisk asked weakly.

    He looked at them speculatively.

    ¡°If I don¡¯t accept that, would you refuse to deal?¡± he asked.

    ¡°... probably not,¡± Frisk muttered.

    ¡°Then no,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m really curious.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d really just¡­ just make me say embarrassing things that I don¡¯t want to say?¡± they said.

    ¡°That¡¯s a stupid question,¡± he said dryly. ¡°Obviously.¡±

    ¡°Could you maybe agree to try to be nice about it?¡± they asked and he gave them a look like they were being stupid again.

    ¡°Okay, okay,¡± they said. ¡°But you do have to agree not to share this with anyone else. The private things.¡±

    ¡°Agreed,¡± he said. ¡°Does that mean we have a deal?¡±

    They pulled their hands from their face and stared at him.

    ¡°I really don¡¯t want to,¡± they said.

    ¡°How much do you want to disappoint Sans by failing to find a good solution with Toriel?¡± he asked with a huge grin.

    They groaned and he just laughed.

    ¡°Alright, alright, fine,¡± they said. ¡°Anything I think Sans would be notably opposed to telling you, I won¡¯t, but other than that, it¡¯s all yours.¡±

    ¡°Excellent,¡± he said, and did his full creepy laugh, to which they rolled their eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s head to your place. I¡¯ll let you know what you need to smooth things over with her and buy you time, and then we can talk at length.¡±

    Frisk agreed and they headed out, Flowey taking his place on their shoulder.

    ¡°The key to Toriel¡¯s soul,¡± Flowey said in the tones of a professor, ¡°is learning. Character growth.¡±

    ¡°Character growth?¡± Frisk asked, confused.

    ¡°For whatever kind of person you¡¯re pretending to be,¡± Flowey said. ¡°Look, that¡¯s not the point. Both of her children died, and because of that, they are locked into place in her head. Asriel and Chara can¡¯t grow, can¡¯t learn, can¡¯t become anything new, and that is her deepest scar. Anything that feels like it runs counter to that problem, she¡¯s hugely biased towards. Anything that aligns with that problem, she''s biased against.¡±

    Frisk would have been staring at him in shock, if it weren¡¯t really difficult when he was on their shoulder like this. It was also interesting how he spoke of himself in the third person - he was having some trouble with it, torn between ¡°they¡± and ¡°we,¡± for example, but clearly he thought it better to think of ¡°Asriel¡± separately for this.

    ¡°For example, let¡¯s say I showed up and did awful things. She chews me out, teaches me why I¡¯m wrong, I apologize, and do better. She will actually think more highly of me and like me more than if I never did the awful stuff in the first place,¡± he said.

    ¡°Really?¡± Frisk asked.

    Frisk got into their car, and Flowey remained perched on their shoulder.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± he said. ¡°In fact, if she never found out that I used to be Asriel, she wouldn¡¯t trust me at all if I didn¡¯t ¡®screw up¡¯ and then ¡®learn.¡¯ Not really. But by pushing that for all it was worth, I could make her love me like I was her child in just a few days.¡±

    ¡°She treated me like that within seconds of meeting me, though,¡± Frisk said, and he looked at them like they were stupid again.

    ¡°Because of how much you and your situation resembled Chara, obviously,¡± Flowey said. ¡°She¡¯s motherly and caring towards everyone, sure, but it takes growth - especially if she feels like it¡¯s from something she did - to really worm into her heart.¡±

    ¡°The other side of it is where you went wrong,¡± he continued. ¡°Toriel didn¡¯t refuse to forgive Asgore because he did something unforgivable. She refused to forgive Asgore because he was something unforgivable.¡±

    ¡°She did suggest that what he¡¯d done had revealed something about who he was,¡± they noted thoughtfully.

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Flowey said. ¡°If someone learns and grows, it means that they are okay, they have a future, and with patience and love, everything will be okay. If they refuse to learn or grow, it means that¡¯s who they really are, and worse, that they¡¯re locked in time, the same way Chara and I are. Asriel, I mean. So it combines her issues in the worst way.¡±

    ¡°Huh,¡± Frisk said thoughtfully. ¡°So the issue with Asgore wasn¡¯t that he killed some people. It was that he was doing wrong things and staying the course. If he¡¯d changed his approach from her leaving him, she might have gone back to him.¡±

    ¡°She absolutely would have gone back to him, especially if he asked for her to come back in the right way,¡± he said. ¡°Though, by the time either of us were in the picture, it was too late - he had a hundred years to fix his mistake and failed.¡±

    Frisk nodded.

    ¡°And you had all the information you needed,¡± he continued. ¡°You told me about how Toriel got mad at him when he tried to make excuses. How he could have killed one fallen human, crossed the barrier, and gotten the rest of the souls. The problem wasn¡¯t him killing people, though she didn¡¯t agree with it. She can forgive almost anything. The problem was that he was locked in place.¡±

    They drove in silence for a minute. They were getting pretty close to Toriel¡¯s house.

    ¡°She likes Sans, though, and he kind of doesn¡¯t do that,¡± they noted.

    ¡°Because she¡¯s an idiot, too,¡± he groused. ¡°He does change things - he reads his audience and adjusts on the fly. Changing his jokes, his topics, whatever, according to people¡¯s reactions. Knowing how to manipulate people to get what he wants from them is not the same thing as growing as a person, but it¡¯s not like she¡¯s aware of this about herself. They hit it off because of a shared appreciation for stupid jokes, and his perception and responsiveness took things the rest of the way.¡±

    Frisk thought about how Toriel reacted when they said they wanted to stay with her, in the end. How hard that had hit her, how tenderly she had smiled at them. How much more profound it had seemed, than when she¡¯d tried to get them to stay with her, only hours before.

    Flowey was right. They had known everything they needed already. Which meant¡­

    ¡°Do you think she can forgive me, then?¡± Frisk asked quietly.

    ¡°We don¡¯t have time to talk about that yet,¡± he said. ¡°You''re dealing with soothing her first, then discussing with me, then we work on fixing things. So here¡¯s what you need to do. Keep in mind the growth mindset - you made two mistakes. One, the evil thing she knows you¡¯re keeping from her, and two, refusing to trust her. The character you¡¯re presenting to her is one who has already learned and grown from your first mistake, and who needs her help to grow from the second mistake.¡±

    ¡°Um,¡± they said, reeling from this perspective. ¡°I want it to be real, though¡­¡±

    ¡°Not today, you don¡¯t,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯re extracting information from her in this timeline. Save permanent things for the permanent timeline.¡±

    ¡°Um,¡± they said again.

    ¡°You could lay it out as directly as I just said it, and she¡¯ll still listen and feel better,¡± Flowey said. ¡°Same as how I could directly say that you don¡¯t want to disappoint Sans, and you knew that was a blatant manipulation, but it worked anyway.¡±

    ¡°When you have the key to someone¡¯s soul, it doesn¡¯t matter if they know,¡± Frisk murmured.

    ¡°It matters if you don¡¯t want them to know you¡¯re manipulating them,¡± he said with a laugh. ¡°But that¡¯s all.¡±

    Frisk pulled into the parking spot. They took a moment to run their intended approach by Flowey and he approved it. He was going to sneak in and eavesdrop - his weird magic tunnelling trick he¡¯d figured out that enabled him to move through the ground without damaging the floor was handy.

    They were really nervous. They¡¯d put on masks like this - frequently designed by Flowey¡¯s suggestions, too - for dealing with meetings and such, but they had a deeply rooted preference for honesty, for being real with people.

    The note was still on the table where they¡¯d left it when they went inside. It seemed like Toriel hadn¡¯t left her room yet.

    They walked to her room nervously and knocked.

    ¡°Y-yes?¡± Toriel asked through the door, but didn¡¯t open it.

    The fact that she didn¡¯t open the door made Frisk flinch. She could only imagine Toriel¡¯s face, if she didn¡¯t want to show it.

    ¡°Our conversation helped me realize some things,¡± Frisk said. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, mum. I was wrong not to trust you.¡±

    The door opened and Frisk looked at Toriel¡¯s tear soaked cheeks. Their heart settled in a strange way, seeing the look on her face. They¡¯d made the right choices. Of course they had to reset to fix this. Flowey was right about his advice, and so they¡¯d been right to make that deal.

    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    Everything was going to be okay, no matter how red Toriel¡¯s eyes were.

    ¡°You have reason to feel as you do,¡± Toriel said in a soft voice.

    ¡°Yes, I did,¡± Frisk said. ¡°My reason was fear.¡±

    Toriel¡¯s gaze grew softer.

    ¡°Trust is hard sometimes,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Sans is afraid, too, and we¡¯ve been working on that. And it¡¯s working - he¡¯s opened up to me some. I know he¡¯ll learn to open up more in time.¡±

    Toriel smiled faintly at that. It looked entirely genuine.

    ¡°For my part,¡± Frisk said, and took a breath. ¡°You¡¯re right, mum, and I¡¯m sorry that I didn¡¯t see it sooner. You are someone who is understanding of mistakes, and learning from them. That¡¯s always been true, I was just too caught up in feelings of guilt to see it. You are trustworthy, and I do trust you.¡±

    Toriel pulled them into a tight hug, a faint sound almost like a whimper coming from her.

    ¡°We don¡¯t need to talk about any of that right now,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Today¡¯s been kind of rough on you. But I will tell you, mum. It¡¯s hard, and I¡¯m afraid, and I¡¯ll need your help to get through it. But I will tell you the mistake I made and what I¡¯ve learned from it. I''m telling you, not because I feel like I have to, but because you helped me realize that I was holding back from fear. Thank you for always being here for me.¡±

    Toriel was shaking as she squeezed them.

    Frisk felt a little dirty from all this. Filthy, really. It wasn¡¯t that they were lying, exactly, so much that every word was chosen as a deliberate manipulation. That wasn¡¯t how they were.

    They pulled back from their hug and smiled at Toriel¡¯s beaming face. It was strange to see such joy paired with red eyes and wet cheeks.

    ¡°Of course I am, my child,¡± Toriel said warmly. ¡°And I always will be. I cannot tell you how much joy your words have brought me.¡±

    Frisk managed to hide the guilty flinch. Yeah, Flowey was earning his pay, alright¡­

    ¡°I¡¯m glad,¡± Frisk said.

    It felt like a lie, in this moment, even though they were glad Toriel was happy.

    ¡°I think we could both use some time to decompress,¡± Frisk said. ¡°I¡¯ll go off and just hang out with friends, and laugh and have fun. You¡¯re still reading that book that talked about the fibonacci sequence in nature, such as in snail shells, right?¡±

    Toriel laughed lightly and rubbed at her eyes.

    ¡°I finished that one this morning,¡± she said. ¡°But there are other books to read, and I think it is a good idea. Will I see you for dinner?¡±

    ¡°Absolutely,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Maybe we can do snail pie for tonight?¡±

    Toriel laughed at that.

    ¡°You are sweet, my child,¡± she said - since Frisk really didn¡¯t like snail pie. ¡°Very well, but I will also make those roasted garlic mashed potatoes you love so much.¡±

    Frisk grinned hugely.

    ¡°I will make dinner for seven,¡± she said, sounding more put together than she had since their conversation yesterday. ¡°Go and have a wonderful afternoon. Thank you again for your trust.¡±

    ¡°Always,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Have a great one, too! See you at seven!¡±

    With that, they left and sagged when they got into the car. Flowey slipped in when the door opened and just laughed.

    ¡°You did fantastic,¡± Flowey said. ¡°She completely believed you.¡±

    ¡°Ow,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Way to twist the knife, Flowey.¡±

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t feel bad about that,¡± he said with a sigh. ¡°You did what you set out to do and made her hurt less. Why would you feel guilty?¡±

    Frisk pulled out of the driveway and started to make their way to Flowey¡¯s house again.

    ¡°Because I deliberately manipulated her,¡± they said.

    ¡°For her benefit,¡± he retorted. ¡°Literally, you¡¯re doing all this for her. You¡¯re sacrificing things, making yourself uncomfortable, for her, and you¡¯re still twisting yourself into knots. It¡¯s stupid.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re probably right about that,¡± Frisk said wryly. ¡°Still feel bad about it.¡±

    ¡°That idiocy aside,¡± Flowey said. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about Sans remembering the resets.¡±

    Frisk nodded.

    ¡°Since he¡¯s not here, this part shouldn¡¯t be long,¡± he said. ¡°Did you talk to him about the dead timeline rules?¡±

    ¡°No, but I¡¯m pretty sure he won¡¯t be paying attention to anything anyway,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°If he shows up and kills me, I¡¯ll be furious,¡± Flowey said.

    Frisk smiled at that.

    ¡°If he does, I¡¯ll argue for another dead timeline on your behalf,¡± Frisk said.

    Flowey muttered under his breath.

    ¡°Did you talk to him about anything about the three of us?¡± he asked.

    ¡°No,¡± Frisk said. ¡°We kinda got him to remember, talked about his history a little, and then later, the mess with Toriel happened. Well, um, actually, one other thing¡­¡±

    Frisk pretended to pay very close attention to the upcoming left turn as a wave of anxiety crashed through them.

    ¡°Just tell me already,¡± he said as they straightened out.

    ¡°He¡¯s completely accepted me,¡± Frisk said. ¡°My devotion, my service.¡±

    Flowey was silent for a while.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Frisk asked.

    ¡°Just wish it had turned out differently,¡± he said quietly and then sighed. ¡°Do you think you¡¯ll ever be your own person?¡±

    His tone was wistful and that tore at Frisk¡¯s heart.

    ¡°I know this isn¡¯t what you want, but it is what I want,¡± Frisk said. ¡°I don¡¯t ever want to stop belonging to Sans.¡±

    ¡°If you belonged to me, I¡¯d have made you be your own person,¡± Flowey grumbled.

    ¡°You and Sans have that in common,¡± Frisk said, adopting a teasing tone despite the pain of his words. ¡°He was struggling with the idea of whether it was the right thing to do to force me to change who I am against my will. If it came to it, I¡¯d have gotten on my knees and begged not to change.¡±

    Their teasing smile fell.

    ¡°Everyone wants to change who I am,¡± they said in a low tone. ¡°Everyone I¡¯ve talked to about it, anyway. You, Sans, Toriel. Alphys and Undyne tried to be gentle about it, but it seemed the same. Papyrus¡­ I¡¯m not even sure if he noticed.¡±

    ¡°If this is what you want, of course Papyrus wouldn¡¯t want you to change,¡± Flowey said.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ve got one person in all the world who supports who I want to be,¡± Frisk said with a rough laugh. ¡°And I can¡¯t tell him anything.¡±

    ¡°He actually handles learning about the timeloops well,¡± Flowey said. ¡°The problem was, it always got to Sans, and that meant I¡¯d be dead within a week of mentioning anything to him, unless I went into hiding.¡±

    ¡°I am sorry that Sans was such an asshole to you,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Honestly.¡±

    ¡°What difference does you saying that make?¡± he asked, annoyed. ¡°If you can get him to apologize, though? Now that I¡¯d like to see.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll ask him,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure that¡¯ll make a huge difference,¡± Flowey said sarcastically. ¡°The bigger concern is, if he¡¯s the only new one in on the loops and he¡¯s accepted owning you, what happens to me?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re worried I¡¯ll take his side in everything, without any other considerations,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°Obviously,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re the only one who has the power, putting Sans and I on equal ground, except for him owning you. If he didn¡¯t accept it, he maybe wouldn¡¯t control you as much, letting you try to stand up for me some. Or if there were other people, he¡¯d take their opinions into consideration, too. But like this? Why wouldn¡¯t he just get everything he wants?¡±

    ¡°Just because he owns me doesn¡¯t mean he doesn¡¯t care about my desires, my opinions,¡± they said.

    ¡°Can you promise me that you¡¯d stand up to him on my behalf?¡± he asked, and they winced. ¡°I didn¡¯t think so.¡±

    ¡°Not completely, no, but I can promise to try,¡± they said.

    ¡°Better than nothing,¡± Flowey said with a sigh. ¡°You talk to him, make sure he understands the basics - no need to have me there for that - and then set up a time for us all to talk. He and I need to make sure we¡¯re on the same page, with you there as an intermediary. Please don¡¯t just sideline me, Frisk.¡±

    ¡°I will honestly try to be fair,¡± they said. ¡°And really, Flowey, I have no problems pressing him. I¡¯ll cave if he gives an outright order, but I think it¡¯ll¡­¡±

    Frisk¡¯s phone started ringing and they grumbled.

    ¡°Could you connect my phone and answer it for me?¡± they asked, reaching into their pocket and tossing Flowey their phone.

    He quickly plugged it into the car and accepted the call. They mouthed ¡°thanks¡± to him as it connected and he nodded.

    ¡°Hello?¡± Frisk asked.

    ¡°Where is Sans?!¡± Undyne yelled, sounding like she was at a bit of a distance from the phone.

    ¡°Er, uh, that is, we were - I mean, hi, Alphys here,¡± Alphys said, and Frisk chuckled. ¡°Sans didn¡¯t show up for our weekly game, so we tried to call him, but it went straight to voicemail, and his voicemail said he¡¯s away and to talk to you?¡±

    Flowey started snickering.

    ¡°YEAH!¡± Undyne said. ¡°How can we have our game without him? He insults everything and they die!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s, er, a spell called ¡®vicious mockery,¡¯¡± Alphys said. ¡°It¡¯s not the only spell he casts.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s the BEST!¡± Undyne said. ¡°And without him making things bizarre, how will I come in and save the day?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I can still make situations where you can rescue people,¡± Alphys said.

    Frisk was just laughing to themself.

    ¡°But Sans makes situations crazy,¡± Undyne said. ¡°And it¡¯s so great to watch you salvage the situation and make everything make sense again!¡±

    ¡°Uh, yes, so we were wondering where he is?¡± Alphys said.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry we didn¡¯t let you know ahead of time,¡± Frisk said. ¡°It¡¯s ambassador business, I¡¯m afraid - he¡¯s dealing with a situation for me. An emergency situation, where we didn¡¯t have warning - everyone¡¯s safe, he¡¯s safe, nothing to worry about, but sadly, I can¡¯t go into details. He must have forgotten to mention the game, distracted as he was. It sounds like fun, though!¡±

    ¡°YEAH!¡± Undyne said. ¡°It is! It¡¯s a shame you¡¯re too busy to join. And it sucks that Sans isn¡¯t here! When¡¯s he coming back?!?!¡±

    ¡°We¡­ we haven¡¯t actually talked about Frisk joining us lately - er, sorry, Frisk,¡± Alphys said. ¡°You¡¯re w-welcome to join, but when we started the game, you were really busy, and-¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Frisk said, interrupting her. ¡°I have no idea what you guys are talking about, but it sounds great and I¡¯d love to join in when life settles down more. In the meantime, Sans¡¯ mission is a little open-ended. It probably shouldn¡¯t take more than a few days, but it might be as much as a few weeks.¡±

    ¡°WHAT?!¡± Undyne yelled. ¡°He might miss another game, too?!¡±

    ¡°We can play a little without him, it¡¯s alright,¡± Alphys said.

    ¡°But who will distract the Duchess of Elencort so I can break into the prison?¡± Undyne asked.

    ¡°Um, I am a rogue,¡± an unknown voice said in the background.

    ¡°I am legitimately curious as to what in the world you guys are on about,¡± Frisk said as they pulled into Flowey¡¯s driveway. ¡°And as much as I¡¯d love to hear about it, I have to work on my side of the situation Sans is dealing with - all planning, calls, and meetings.¡±

    ¡°That sounds like fun,¡± Undyne said. ¡°NOT! I¡¯m glad I don¡¯t have that job.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d be a terrible gym teacher,¡± Frisk said with a smile. ¡°We each have our strengths.¡±

    ¡°Are you kidding?¡± Undyne asked. ¡°You¡¯d be great! Hey, I just had an idea!¡±

    ¡°Um, Undyne-¡± Alphys tried to speak.

    ¡°You should come as a special guest to my class and they can watch us spar!¡± Undyne said. ¡°The kids could see what real effort looks like!¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t want to traumatize them,¡± Frisk said with a laugh. ¡°Also, how about we chat about all this after I deal with the whole situation? I really have quite a lot to do. I¡¯m sure Sans is sad he couldn¡¯t make your game!¡±

    ¡°He better be!¡± Undyne said. ¡°I¡¯m going to eat all of the hot dogs we got for him. You tell him that!¡±

    ¡°Will do,¡± Frisk said. ¡°See you guys later!¡±

    ¡°Bye, Frisk!¡± Alphys said.

    ¡°See ya, punk!¡± Undyne yelled before the phone clicked off.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe he changed his voicemail to sic people on me,¡± Frisk said with a laugh, turning off the car.

    ¡°I can,¡± Flowey said. ¡°On to the matter of your payment.¡±

    Frisk blushed as they got out of the car and started heading in. Flowey had a modified dimensional storage, courtesy of Alphys, that effectively gave him some pockets in the form of a ring with buttons so he could carry his phone and other things around with him. He pulled out his keys and opened the door.

    ¡°This whole thing is why you¡¯ve been weird this last week, and why there were a bunch of resets last night and this morning, right?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°I¡¯m guessing he got in on the loops yesterday afternoon, at the time you had me sleep,¡± Flowey said, which Frisk confirmed again.

    They hesitated at the door to the sitting room.

    ¡°You are ridiculously nervous,¡± Flowey commented. ¡°Honestly, Frisk, what do you have to be so nervous about? You tell me all sorts of things.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t tell you about this sort of thing,¡± they said, swallowing as they entered the room and sat down.

    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± he said. ¡°Spill.¡±

    ¡°Lots of things were involved,¡± they said, taking a breath and bracing themself. ¡°Including, uh¡­ sex.¡±

    Flowey gave them a contemplative look.

    ¡°I admit I don¡¯t know much about that,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s something I never really looked into.¡±

    Frisk glanced at him, before resuming their efforts to stare a hole into the floor. That made sense. He¡¯d been a child before he died, and then as a flower, it made sense for him to not really feel anything like that. And if he had no experiences with it, no memories to draw on, plus how sex was all about feeling things¡­ it made sense that it meant nothing to him.

    ¡°Um,¡± they said, swallowing. ¡°How much do you know about sex in general¡­?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve read up on it some,¡± he said with a shrug. ¡°It¡¯s a common enough conversation topic and I didn¡¯t want to be clueless.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± they said. ¡°And, um, I don¡¯t know if you already knew, uh, about monsters being able to form sort of soul connections through sex?¡±

    ¡°Vaguely,¡± he said. ¡°That¡¯s what you meant a month ago, isn¡¯t it? About how your plan involved connecting with Sans more?¡±

    They nodded.

    ¡°So that connection was the key?¡± he asked.

    ¡°N-no,¡± they stammered. ¡°Um. It kind of failed. But we were in a timeloop and doing resets and uh, I had an idea¡­¡±

    ¡°Hold on,¡± he said. ¡°I just want to make sure I¡¯m understanding. You were doing resets while having sex?¡±

    ¡°... yes,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°How many times did you loop before you had your idea?¡± he asked.

    Frisk turned bright red.

    ¡°... lots,¡± they muttered awkwardly.

    ¡°Come on, give me a guess,¡± he said.

    ¡°Probably less than a hundred,¡± they squeaked out.

    ¡°Wow,¡± he said. ¡°I get the feeling that you weren¡¯t exactly focusing on getting him to remember that whole time.¡±

    Frisk just squirmed uneasily.

    ¡°So what was your idea?¡± Flowey pressed.

    ¡°F-for him to kill me as, um, as we, er, as I, um¡­¡± they said into their hands.

    ¡°Wait, for him to kill you during your orgasm?¡± Flowey asked. ¡°Wow, you really are a masochist.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Frisk confessed, still covering their face.

    ¡°You can actually get off to being killed?¡± he asked, sounding amused, and they nodded.

    ¡°But, um, physical pain isn¡¯t, uh, isn¡¯t nice,¡± they managed. ¡°At least, after a certain point. A little is, uh¡­ anyway.¡±

    ¡°So that worked, then?¡± he asked. ¡°Killing you with that connection going?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t actually know,¡± they admitted. ¡°He really didn¡¯t want to, he was opposed to killing me, so I kind of, um, intentionally pissed him off¡­¡±

    Flowey grinned hugely at that.

    ¡°And, uh, a bunch of things happened?¡± they said. ¡°I don¡¯t know what part or parts were important. But I didn¡¯t actually want him to remember that loop, and uh, that¡¯s the loop where he did remember.¡±

    ¡°That is fantastic,¡± Flowey said, still grinning hugely. ¡°You abused the resets, turning on Sans for your perverted pleasure because you didn¡¯t have consequences, and you got the consequences anyway.¡±

    They squeaked.

    ¡°How¡¯d you piss him off?¡± he asked, delighted.

    ¡°I told him I deserved to be killed because of how I¡¯d killed Papyrus,¡± they admitted.

    ¡°In the middle of having sex,¡± he said, laughing. ¡°That is something else. I suppose it¡¯s an obvious enough way to push him. What factors do you think might have been involved in him remembering?¡±

    ¡°Um, a few things,¡± they said. ¡°I, uh, during that whole process, I kind of realized that I¡¯m learning to do magic. Like with Undyne¡¯s training. I hadn¡¯t consciously realized that¡¯s what was happening, and Sans pointed it out. And so I took a different approach to some things I was trying and I learned to do something really weird.¡±

    ¡°Tell me,¡± Flowey said eagerly.

    ¡°You¡¯re familiar with monster biology and magic stuff, right?¡± Frisk asked.

    ¡°Obviously,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m probably the most knowledgeable about magic in the world, and have a not quite expert level knowledge of monster biology.¡±

    ¡°So, his magic flesh is only sort of real,¡± they said, and he gave them a look like he was enduring their idiocy. ¡°And I can sort of do a thing where I completely break my defences to it, so it overlaps my body.¡±

    ¡°Now that is interesting,¡± Flowey said, looking thoughtful as he spoke his thoughts out loud, almost muttering. ¡°Monsters can¡¯t do that, but humans are physical enough¡­ that would work, wouldn¡¯t it? It wouldn¡¯t be enough to just weaken your defence. His physical presence doesn¡¯t go through objects, it¡¯s blocked by physical things - you can¡¯t just withdraw, you would have to twist yourself to make him be your soul, in a sense. To give yourself up to him, to let your soul be entirely his. Consumed, subsumed, subjugated - none of those words work quite right¡­¡±

    ¡°They all seem right to me,¡± they said.

    ¡°Can you show me?¡± he asked.

    They blinked.

    ¡°I understand if you can¡¯t,¡± he said. ¡°But I can make coherent magic, similar to his physical presence. Do you think you would be able to do that?¡±

    ¡°Not¡­ not easily,¡± they said, taken aback. ¡°I¡­ sort of have to lay my conception of self on an altar in a form of absolute surrender and worship. But I did get a lot of practice at it¡­¡±

    A look of disgust crossed his face. They winced a little.

    ¡°I might be able to try to pretend you¡¯re Sans¡­?¡± they said weakly.

    ¡°It¡¯s something in magic I¡¯ve never seen or even heard of,¡± he said. ¡°I just have pieces of theory I put together. I want to see.¡±

    They nodded. He always used vines to interact with things, but this time, he pulled forth his roots. Frisk moved closer and lightly grabbed onto those roots. They seemed to blur oddly, pressing into their hand in a strange way - not quite like how Sans¡¯ pseudo-flesh or core felt, but fairly similar. It had the same repulsion effect, like something not quite real was resisting them.

    They focused for several minutes. They successfully lay bare their defenses several times, but the instant he started to slide into their hand, the understanding that the sensation wasn¡¯t Sans made them emotionally withdraw a little, enough to eject him. They never felt any of the draining effect - he wasn¡¯t getting into their soul enough for it to work.

    Eventually they shook their head and he looked disappointed.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to own me, to consume me,¡± they said. ¡°And I know that Sans doesn¡¯t want it, either. I think if he ordered me to do this, I¡¯d have no trouble, but doing it of my own will - I¡¯m running up against a wall. I want to share it with you, I do, but¡­¡±

    ¡°It makes sense,¡± he said with a sigh. ¡°The theory is sound, but even knowing how crazy you are, it¡¯s hard to believe you just stumbled into it. It really says something about how deep your obsession with him goes.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve hidden that it is complete and absolute,¡± they said, faintly annoyed.

    No one seemed to take their devotion seriously. Sans seemed to get it now, but it¡¯d been like pulling teeth. Well, no, pulling teeth would have been a lot easier.

    ¡°Lots of people say things are one hundred percent, or absolute, or that they¡¯ll last forever, or all sorts of things,¡± Flowey said. ¡°Sometimes it¡¯s just messing around, or a short way of getting an idea across, but sometimes people actually believe it. It¡¯s always a sign that they don¡¯t know what they¡¯re talking about. Nothing is guaranteed, or absolute, or forever.¡±

    He gave them a sidelong look.

    ¡°But this is unusual,¡± he admitted. ¡°It would take a really odd mindset, or really refined skill with magic, to pull off what you described.¡±

    ¡°You believe me about my devotion more, then?¡± they asked.

    ¡°I guess so,¡± he said begrudgingly and then huffed. ¡°It¡¯s still stupid.¡±

    They smiled at him.

    ¡°Anyway,¡± he said. ¡°This consuming trick - you think that might have been a key component?¡±

    ¡°I think it might be a combination of things,¡± they said. ¡°I¡¯ve been calling that ¡®phasing,¡¯ since he¡¯s able to ¡®phase¡¯ through my body, and vice versa. It, um, has some weird effects, like transferring my life and vitality to him.¡±

    ¡°That makes sense,¡± he said.

    ¡°And, if he kills me while I¡¯m doing that and we have the magic connection thing that monsters can usually do during sex, and possibly some mental effects due to other things, um, it sort of felt like my soul was pouring into him in kind of really intense ways,¡± they said. ¡°I don¡¯t know how much of the soul transference stuff, or mental components, or emotional, or¡­ well, anything, really. I don¡¯t know what all was involved. But none of the individual pieces worked.¡±

    He nodded.

    ¡°He¡¯d killed you last month, plus the regular connection and sex during your loops,¡± he said. ¡°You tried phasing prior to doing those loops?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± they said. ¡°It was only when everything came together - it was really intense.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know,¡± he said speculatively. ¡°Describe it for me.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± they asked.

    ¡°All of it,¡± he said. ¡°I don¡¯t understand it. I can¡¯t experience what you¡¯re talking about, and you agreed to answer all questions. And you¡¯re embarrassed, which means you probably would refuse in the future.¡±

    They stared at him for a moment.

    It had been less embarrassing than they¡¯d expected, telling him these things. Mostly, it seemed, it was because he was completely asexual. He probably wouldn¡¯t have been, had he had a chance to grow up, but as it was, he couldn¡¯t experience any of it - sexuality or romantic interest.

    But with him not really engaging with the sexual side, not feeling it, it was oddly not as awkward as it felt like it should have been. It felt almost academic - not quite, but similar.

    So they spoke. They didn¡¯t make eye contact, but they answered his questions. He wasn¡¯t interested in the parts they would actually object to answering - things about Sans¡¯ body and soul, namely. He wasn¡¯t even asking almost any questions about the sex parts. He was mostly interested in the magical and psychological components, and the sexuality only mattered to the extent that it interfered or interacted. The way it felt to have their soul absolutely consumed by Sans at the peak of pleasure, blinding their mind and ripping away all that they were - that was something he had them describe again and again as he tried to understand it, for example.

    It was over an hour before he was satisfied and they moved on.

    ¡°What¡¯s your goal with Toriel?¡± Flowey asked.

    ¡°For things to be okay?¡± Frisk said awkwardly and he huffed at them.

    ¡°Seriously,¡± he said. ¡°I can¡¯t help you solve something if you don¡¯t know what the solution looks like. Her not being sad or upset at you - I get that, that¡¯s easy. But what¡¯s your end goal here? Does she know about the reset power, or are you keeping that a secret? Does she know about you killing people? Are we limiting things to only the truth? That sort of thing.¡±

    Frisk swallowed and looked down. They¡¯d been so focused on trying to undo the whole thing with Toriel being upset, they hadn¡¯t thought about what they wanted things to look like if they just magically solved everything.

    Their gut instinct was to say that they wanted things the way they were - Toriel happily oblivious to everything, and a simple, joyful relationship. Sure, Toriel would never understand their depths or a lot of why they were the way they were, but it was an easy way to be. It wasn¡¯t a huge timebomb like Papyrus, either - he¡¯d eventually figure things out, no matter what Sans did. With Toriel, though, it wasn¡¯t like the information about the reset power or their genocide was generally accessible. She didn¡¯t talk to anyone who knew except Sans, and it¡¯s not like Sans was the type to go blabbing about things.

    But¡­ but if that¡¯s what they aimed for, that was it. Their relationship with Toriel couldn¡¯t become any deeper, not really. There¡¯d be a wall there forever. Frisk was pretty sure they could avoid this sort of problem again simply by keeping Toriel at arm¡¯s length, and could never push at that wall without facing this exact situation again. Except maybe worse, since it¡¯d have involved a longer stretch without confessing.

    But with the reset, there was a chance for something more.

    Oh, it might go horribly wrong, but now was the time to find out. The only time they could.

    Of course, it all kind of depended on Toriel and her reactions a bit, didn¡¯t it? And on what Sans wanted. And if they even wanted that themself, rather than enjoying the sweet simplicity of the way things had been.

    They were stymied. Flowey went off to go read a book, telling them to yell when they figured it out.

    He probably had time to read a chapter before they called out to him and he returned, looking annoyed.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I actually want to tell her everything,¡± Frisk said. ¡°But I do want to have a relationship with her where I¡¯m not afraid of slipping up. So for this timeline, I want to push as hard as I can, nicely, and get a sense of what¡¯s at stake. Can I have a relationship that risks her finding out, because her reaction is okay, or do I need to back off, that kind of thing.¡±

    ¡°That helps for the next few days,¡± Flowey said. ¡°But not for our plan for after you reset.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Frisk said. ¡°I think¡­ I think what works best is to try to aim for getting her comfortable with the situation with Sans and I, without actually telling her anything about our pasts. That¡¯s already a lot to deal with, and just that issue puts a lot of pressure on things. Ideally, I¡¯d like to set things up to eventually talk about our past and stuff, if we choose to, without everything being set on fire.¡±

    He nodded and grinned, a little maliciously.

    ¡°So we need everything we can get from her in this timeline,¡± he said, a wicked glint in his eye.

    ¡°Nicely,¡± they said nervously.

    ¡°You really want to handicap your efforts here?¡± Flowey asked. ¡°You want this to be handled in a short amount of time, getting as much information from her as you can to use for a long term solution, and you want to be delicate with her feelings?¡±

    ¡°We can try to be gentle, at least at first,¡± Frisk said, mindful of Sans¡¯ instruction to not let Flowey lead them down dangerous paths.

    ¡°This version of her isn¡¯t even going to exist, why do you care?¡± he asked, exasperated.

    ¡°Because I¡¯m an idiot, remember?¡± they said with a small smile.

    He tried not to smile at that, but he couldn¡¯t help it and laughed.

    ¡°True,¡± he finally said. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s see what we can do.¡±

    For the hours remaining until dinner, they worked, and Frisk gained a staggering - and at times, moderately unnerving - amount of insight into Toriel. Plans were made and Frisk settled into their role. It wasn¡¯t comfortable, but it seemed like it would work.

    Frisk just had to remember that this Toriel mattered, too, and it would be okay.

 Ch. 28 - Reveal

    The plans had been made and the time had come to do battle.

    The arena - the dining room, full of the smells of freshly baked snail pie, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, an unreasonably healthy salad, and lemonade made from scratch.

    The opponent - the once-queen of the Underground, Her Majesty Toriel, who was setting out the pie with a cheerful and tender look on her face.

    The weapon - knowledge gained through arts of utmost secrecy and power, by means best unspoken, a blend of truth and artifice cultivated with the aim of cutting to the depths of Toriel¡¯s soul.

    The stakes - the future of their relationship, the respect of Frisk¡¯s god-king and master, any hope for truth and connection beyond superficial shared joys.

    Frisk had made their bargain and was prepared.

    ¡°Would you grab the silverware, please?¡± Toriel asked as she made sure the pie was placed just so.

    ¡°Of course,¡± Frisk said, heading into the kitchen and asking about Toriel¡¯s afternoon.

    They enjoyed some small talk for a few minutes as dinner was served. Frisk hated lying to Toriel, but they did, implying that they¡¯d hung out with friends and had fun instead of planning out angles of attack on her heart.

    During a lull in the conversation, Frisk decided it was time to strike.

    ¡°So, I¡¯ve been thinking a lot, today,¡± they said, Toriel¡¯s gaze taking a more serious cast when they spoke. ¡°There¡¯s a couple of things I think are worth bringing up right away. One, in order to even talk about the heavy stuff, I¡¯ll have to bring you in on some top secret things.¡±

    ¡°Top secret?¡± Toriel said, grabbing another small piece of snail pie.

    ¡°You¡¯ll understand when I tell you,¡± Frisk said. ¡°I mean, I could try to tell you a few things without that, but it wouldn¡¯t make sense. All that ¡®it¡¯s complicated¡¯ stuff that didn¡¯t make sense, it¡¯s because you¡¯re missing some important context.¡±

    Toriel nodded, looking thoughtful.

    ¡°And, well, I¡¯m kind of in charge of deciding who¡¯s brought in on this particular secret,¡± Frisk said. ¡°So, like I¡¯d said before, no one else can decide I¡¯m not allowed to tell you - other than Sans, and he wouldn¡¯t.¡±

    Especially since this timeline was going to be erased.

    ¡°I see,¡± Toriel said, a smile pulling at her cheeks. ¡°So, even during that conversation, the issue was not merely your struggle with trust, but also uncertainty about revealing a significant secret. One relating to your work, I presume?¡±

    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Frisk said. ¡°It relates to why I¡¯m damned good at it, but that¡¯s it. But anyway, so what I think is best is to tell you that secret first, and none of the emotionally heavy things. We¡¯ll save that for another day - like within the week, I¡¯m not trying to dodge telling you. But it¡¯ll give you a chance to chew on something honestly cool and interesting, that¡¯ll give you context for the heavier stuff later.¡±

    ¡°That sounds like a most excellent idea,¡± Toriel said. ¡°But if you are going to be speaking a good deal, perhaps it should be after dinner?¡±

    Frisk nabbed another forkful of the delicious, delicious potatoes.

    ¡°I¡¯m mostly done anyway,¡± they said.

    Toriel glanced down at the almost untouched snail pie. Frisk swallowed, speared some pie, choked it down, and followed it up with some more heavenly mashed potatoes. They¡¯d already eaten their salad, especially since they were trying to be in Toriel¡¯s good books. And all of it was monster food - magically cultivated, either in the growth or cooking process, to lose its physical properties and gain magical ones instead. There were a lot of perplexed scientists studying monster food, and Frisk was honestly curious what they¡¯d discover.

    ¡°I suppose this is fine, then,¡± Toriel said with a small smile.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give a little context for it first,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Sans, Alphys, and I have all been studying this pretty hard - other than my ambassador work, that¡¯s what I¡¯ve mostly been doing these last four months. We don¡¯t know much. Some ideas, lots of speculation, but it¡¯s a slow process.¡±

    ¡°Scientific study generally is,¡± Toriel said.

    With that, Frisk dove in. They explained their timeloop power, making mental note of Toriel¡¯s reactions all the way through. They asked her to hold her questions until they explained the whole idea, and they told her basically everything, including the ability to reset to the beginning. After all, it¡¯d be hard to explain the genocide route without that. They did have to hold back one aspect, however - Flowey didn¡¯t want Toriel to be told pretty much anything about him, so they had to frame things like they were the one and only person who¡¯d ever had this power.

    ¡°That is fascinating,¡± Toriel said, once they¡¯d finished their explanation. ¡°I have many questions. You say that you ¡®reload¡¯ when you die. Did Asgore kill you?¡±

    ¡°Lots of monsters did, actually,¡± Frisk said with a small smile. ¡°I¡¯m really good at combat now - you should see my training with Undyne, we spar a lot - but I was all kinds of pathetic back then.¡±

    Toriel¡¯s face was tight with pain.

    ¡°How¡­ how many times have you died?¡± she asked and Frisk flinched.

    ¡°I, um, didn¡¯t bother to count,¡± Frisk said awkwardly. ¡°But really, it¡¯s not a big deal-¡±

    Their sentence was cut off by their phone ringing. Frisk checked it and saw that Papyrus was calling. They swallowed.

    Shoot. They tried to think things through really quickly. If they refused to take the call or insisted on privacy, Toriel would think they were hiding something. Maybe. Probably. Because they were. If they took it, and it was a normal reason to call, that was best. If it was because Sans was missing¡­ not ideal, but they¡¯d just deflect him like they did Alphys and Undyne. Should be okay?

    They didn¡¯t have time to think more than that.

    ¡°It¡¯s Papyrus,¡± they said to Toriel. ¡°Let me take this really fast.¡±

    They turned it on speaker, since it wasn¡¯t like Toriel wasn¡¯t going to hear him either way.

    ¡°Hello?¡± they said.

    ¡°FRISK!¡± Papyrus said cheerfully, though his voice was strained. ¡°SANS IS NOT ANSWERING HIS PHONE AND HIS MESSAGE SAYS TO SPEAK TO YOU. WHERE IS HE?¡±

    ¡°He, um, had to leave,¡± Frisk said awkwardly. ¡°An emergency situation came up that he has to deal with. He¡¯s fine, but the situation is kind of a secret one, so I can¡¯t tell you details.¡±

    ¡°OKAY,¡± Papyrus said agreeably. ¡°BUT HE WILL COME BACK IN TIME TO READ ME A STORY, RIGHT?¡±

    Frisk swallowed and tried not to glance at Toriel.

    ¡°He had to go far away, and his shortcuts are harder the further away he is,¡± Frisk hedged. ¡°So, um, he might not. But he didn¡¯t talk about his plans in detail - I just know the, er, ambassador mission side of things.¡±

    ¡°SANS IS ON AN IMPORTANT MISSION?¡± Papyrus asked.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°... WHAT COULD HE POSSIBLY BE DOING?¡± he asked.

    Uh. Frisk had to admit, he had a point. The only things that Sans was good at, from Papyrus¡¯s point of view, were bad jokes and maybe some science stuff, neither of which matched with an ¡°emergency ambassador-related mission.¡± They probably should have put at least a smidgeon of thought into what the cover story for Sans would be, but also, in their defense, they had no idea how long he¡¯d be gone for. For all they knew, he¡¯d come back at night for Papyrus¡¯s bedtime routine.

    They suspected he wouldn¡¯t, though.

    ¡°He¡¯s, um, been helping out with some stuff I¡¯ve been working on,¡± they said. ¡°Like I said, the details have to be kept secret. Sorry, I¡¯d tell you more if I could!¡±

    The look Toriel was giving them was not helping. Frisk felt sweat starting to bead on their forehead.

    ¡°HOW LONG WILL HE BE GONE?¡± Papyrus asked, sounding disheartened.

    ¡°A few days, but probably not more than a week,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Just think of it as a vacation from awful puns for a while!¡±

    ¡°I DON¡¯T WANT A VACATION FROM SANS,¡± Papyrus said sadly. ¡°NO MATTER HOW MANY PUNS HE MAKES OR HOW MANY SOCKS HE LEAVES OUT.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I know,¡± Frisk said. ¡°It sucks, and I¡¯m going to miss him, too. A lot. Um¡­ I¡¯m chatting with Toriel about some things right now, but maybe when I¡¯m done, I can come over and read you a story?¡±

    ¡°MAYBE IT CAN BE A SLEEPOVER?¡± Papyrus suggested. ¡°I¡¯VE NEVER SLEPT IN AN EMPTY HOUSE.¡±

    Frisk flinched at that.

    ¡°S-sure,¡± they said. ¡°I¡¯ll pack a bag and bring some popcorn. Maybe we can watch a movie till bedtime.¡±

    ¡°THAT¡¯S A GREAT IDEA!¡± Papyrus said. ¡°IF YOU SPEAK TO SANS, TELL HIM I SAID GOODNIGHT!¡±

    ¡°Will do,¡± Frisk said. ¡°See you in a couple of hours, tops.¡±

    With that, they disconnected the call and tried to smile at Toriel¡¯s stern face.

    ¡°So, yeah, um, back to your questions about-¡± they began, but Toriel cut them off.

    ¡°How much of what you told Papyrus was true?¡± Toriel asked, her voice completely no-nonsense.

    This question was a trap and they didn¡¯t see any realistic way out of it.

    ¡°Er, uh, what do you mean?¡± Frisk tried, but they just didn¡¯t want to pull their work-face on Toriel.

    Sure, they could dissemble and misdirect - they¡¯d had some practice - but it felt so blatantly deceitful that it twisted their stomach to think of speaking like that to Toriel. There was a big difference between that type of double-speak and misdirection with politicians and with family that they loved.

    Besides, they spoke so differently with their ¡°ambassador hat¡± than they did normally, Toriel would instantly know what they were doing.

    Not that this attempt was all that helpful. Toriel¡¯s stern look shifted to being nearly a glare.

    ¡°Are you saying that you were truthful with him, then?¡± she pressed.

    ¡°A lot of it, I mean, I really don¡¯t know when Sans will be back,¡± Frisk hedged.

    ¡°Sans is on an emergency mission, related to your work, with no forewarning, and you have time for a relaxed conversation with me, followed by a movie and sleepover with Papyrus?¡± Toriel asked dryly.

    Frisk blanched.

    ¡°I cannot help but wonder what type of work, exactly, his absence is connected to,¡± Toriel went on. When Frisk didn¡¯t immediately reply, she continued. ¡°When did you last save?¡±

    Frisk had no idea what to do. Their instincts were screaming ¡°ABORT!¡± but it wasn''t like they could reload to get out of this. They couldn¡¯t reload till they had a solution! They didn¡¯t know how else to escape.

    ¡°E-earlier this afternoon,¡± Frisk said, defaulting to the truth, as was their nature.

    ¡°When exactly?¡± Toriel pressed.

    ¡°Right after I got back from the grocery store,¡± Frisk said.

    Toriel adjusted her glasses.

    ¡°Do you intend for me to remember this conversation?¡± Toriel asked in a low tone.

    Frisk¡¯s hands wrung together.

    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hurt you, mum,¡± Frisk said, swallowing. ¡°That¡¯s my biggest motivation here, I swear it to you, I just don¡¯t want to hurt you.¡±

    ¡°So you intend to undo the conversation we had shared before,¡± Toriel said. ¡°All that we had shared today, all that I had learned. Because you do not wish to hurt me. Is that correct?¡±

    Frisk felt backed into a corner. It felt like only three paths lay before them - truth, lies, or pushing Toriel away. But that meant failing in their task, which Sans had set for them, so they couldn¡¯t.

    In the end, lies just weren¡¯t who they were. They bowed their head meekly.

    ¡°It is,¡± they admitted in a soft tone.

    ¡°You believe that it is better to manipulate me like this rather than to simply speak to me truthfully?¡± Toriel asked, bitterness and accusation heavy in her voice.

    ¡°No,¡± Frisk said. ¡°I¡­ I mean, that is¡­¡±

    ¡°Let me guess,¡± Toriel said bitterly. ¡°It is complicated.¡±

    Frisk flinched again and looked down. There was silence for a moment.

    ¡°I would not lose all that I have learned, all that I have gained,¡± she said. ¡°Perhaps I can persuade you to change your course? To let what has happened come to pass, to let honesty guide us?¡±

    Frisk swallowed.

    ¡°It¡¯s the reason Sans left,¡± they said hoarsely. ¡°He doesn¡¯t want to interact with anyone in a dead timeline, knowing it¡¯s all going to be undone. But he¡¯s already failed commitments, his absence upset people, including Papyrus. He¡­ he wouldn¡¯t want me to continue this. I don¡¯t even know if I can contact him. The plan is for him to take some time - he¡¯s kind of emotionally shaken and we figured, if we were going to reset to fix the situation with you, he could take the time away from everyone to recover.¡±

    Toriel gazed at them for a long moment, clearly thinking.

    ¡°Nothing I do is of any import, is it?¡± Toriel asked. ¡°Every thought I have, every word I speak, it is for naught. It will all be undone.¡±

    ¡°S-save for any impacts on me,¡± Frisk said, looking down.

    ¡°That seems to be a very lonely existence,¡± Toriel said. ¡°There is something that does not make sense, however.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Frisk asked.

    ¡°Why is Sans going off to emotionally recover if his memories will be erased, as well?¡± she asked.

    Frisk sighed. In for a penny, in for a pound.

    ¡°We found a way to bind our souls together so his mind is brought with me,¡± Frisk said, looking down. ¡°That happened yesterday. It was¡­ an intimate process.¡±

    ¡°That explains a great deal,¡± Toriel said, then her face tightened. ¡°Much is explained, now that I have had some time to think. For example, how you can feel guilty for killing people, and yet there not be a single person in the world dead by your hand. You have killed, and undone it.¡±

    Frisk looked away.

    ¡°I was planning to mention that in the next conversation,¡± Frisk said softly. ¡°I swear to you, mum, I was going to tell you everything in this timeline.¡±

    ¡°To see what I can forgive,¡± Toriel said. ¡°To find out if I would hate you if I discovered who you are. So that you can decide what to tell me in the true timeline.¡±

    Frisk winced. Everyone knew that Toriel was the brains of the royal family - why had Frisk been acting like she wouldn¡¯t understand things without Frisk explicitly laying them out?

    ¡°Has it occurred to you to wonder - if I would hate you on finding out who you are, that perhaps I should hate you?¡± Toriel asked coldly.

    That was a punch to the gut. No, punches didn¡¯t hurt that much. Frisk choked from the pain of it, their heart twisting at Toriel¡¯s words.

    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t want you to hate me,¡± Frisk whimpered, tears starting to flow. ¡°I would rather us gently fade apart. And I didn¡¯t think you necessarily would. I just¡­ I didn¡¯t know. What I said earlier is the truth, mum. I was afraid, that¡¯s all. And I knew the way I¡¯d handled our conversation hurt you - it hurt you because I¡¯d been a coward who wouldn¡¯t face it, and I wanted to be better than that. I thought it¡¯d be okay to face things and fix it.

    ¡°I just¡­ this timeline, I just wanted to find out if we could be okay, if you knew everything. There¡¯s no benefit to you to know all this, if we¡¯re just going to go our separate ways. It¡¯d be an extra burden on your heart for no reason.¡±

    ¡°If I am not mistaken, you are suggesting that if I tell you that I want nothing to do with you, then in the true timeline, you would just leave?¡± Toriel asked.

    ¡°Not¡­ not just leave,¡± Frisk said. ¡°That¡¯d hurt you, too, for me to just abandon you like that. I¡¯d need to think of a plan.¡±

    They swallowed.

    ¡°Is¡­ is that what you want?¡± Frisk asked in a quiet voice.

    Toriel sighed and closed her eyes.

    ¡°No,¡± she said. ¡°I simply wish to understand the situation that I am in. How long have you lived with this power?¡±

    ¡°Since the day I fell into the Underground, so four months,¡± Frisk said. ¡°But, um, subjectively, it¡¯s been about a year and a half or so. I use it a lot as an ambassador.¡±

    Toriel¡¯s lip quirked in amusement and then her eyes widened.

    ¡°That is the real reason for the alarm app that Asgore mandated, is it not?¡± Toriel asked.

    Frisk nodded.

    ¡°Whenever there¡¯s a major accident or emergency, if it happened since my last save, I go and fix it,¡± they said. ¡°Since I¡¯m revealing everything - Sans has the ability to teleport, and can bring people with him. He couldn¡¯t remember before, but he knew about my power, so I¡¯d go to him and use the foreknowledge to prevent it. The app sends an emergency alert to my phone, and anyone who can contact me quickly. It doesn¡¯t matter if I¡¯m asleep, but it¡¯s important I don¡¯t save after an accident.¡±

    Toriel seemed to relax a little.

    ¡°I believe I understand now,¡± she said. ¡°You are accustomed to using your power to undo accidents that hurt people.¡±

    Frisk nodded.

    ¡°What happened with me, then, is simply the same as your usual efforts, from a certain perspective,¡± Toriel continued. ¡°An accident occurred, so therefore, you intend to use foreknowledge to fix it. I assume this part is normal, too - when you receive the alert, you do not immediately reload, but rather, go and gather more information, do you not?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re completely right, on every count,¡± Frisk said. ¡°We¡­ we generally have rules for how I can interact with people in dead timelines. Um. That is, timelines that I intend to reload. No personal interactions, and never any sort of manipulations.¡±

    ¡°That is clearly not the case in this one,¡± Toriel said.

    Frisk exhaled slowly.

    ¡°You matter to me so much,¡± they said in a soft voice, tears brimming again. ¡°And to Sans. T-the fact is, mum, I don¡¯t know if I could be strong enough to confess to you, if it were in the true timeline. I¡­ I could have just reloaded. I could have just fixed the conversation, by keeping you at arm¡¯s length, letting you think I was refusing to answer for normal reasons. Like, y¡¯know, privacy, embarrassment, that sort of thing. But¡­ but¡­¡±

    Frisk sniffed and wiped away a few tears.

    ¡°But the idea, the hope, that maybe¡­ maybe we could have something real¡­ something deeper¡­ I wanted to try,¡± Frisk said. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to just never tell you anything. And Sans is afraid, too. He¡¯s¡­ he tries so hard to be good, mum. He really does. But he¡¯s got some darkness in his past, too. We both hoped for something more real, and this whole reset thing means we don¡¯t have to be afraid. We can just find out if it¡¯s possible, then try.¡±

    Toriel sighed.

    ¡°Come here, my child,¡± she said, standing up.

    Frisk stood and was swallowed up in a warm and fuzzy hug.

    ¡°I am not pleased at how this has gone,¡± Toriel said, pulling back and looking at them. ¡°I am especially displeased at the knowledge that I will forget everything. Do you have any idea how long Sans will be gone?¡±

    ¡°He said he¡¯d come back when he got his head in order, and then we might delay if I needed a little more time to come up with a plan for fixing the mistake,¡± Frisk said. ¡°I expect it¡¯ll be a few days.¡±

    ¡°You have always been a person of your word, who favours honesty, so far as I could always see,¡± Toriel said, and Frisk nodded. ¡°Even now, looking back, even in your deceptions, you were honest. Such as our conversation earlier - you were unprepared for how to handle the half truths, and did not choose to outright lie. I could see your face with Papyrus, how your lies pained you.¡±

    ¡°Truth is important to me,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°I would ask you to promise me this,¡± Toriel said. ¡°Do not reload until you have spoken to me honestly about your plans for how to move forward in our relationship.¡±

    Frisk winced.

    ¡°I understand why you will not keep this timeline,¡± Toriel said. ¡°I understand why you wished to fix the pains of our previous conversation. But even though I will forget, I would not be forgotten.¡±

    A wave of emotions tore through Frisk at that.

    ¡°If you speak the truth, and wish for a relationship between us that is honest and real, then do not choose a path based entirely upon my ignorance,¡± Toriel said. ¡°Let me, in full knowledge, be a part of that path. Promise me this.¡±

    Frisk flailed inside. Their issue wasn¡¯t with the promise, exactly¡­ it was with Sans. It really wasn¡¯t their nature to break their word. Their commitment to Sans hadn¡¯t come out of nowhere, after all. Making this promise was a big deal¡­ and what if Sans ordered them to break it?

    They took a breath. It didn¡¯t matter. Sans had told them to do their best and to treat this Toriel with respect. Talking to her about the plans was a reasonable ask. Sans would respect that promise.

    ¡°Okay, mum,¡± they said. ¡°I promise. I¡¯ll tell you everything and we can make a plan moving forward.¡±

    Toriel smiled at that, but they saw the pain in her gaze.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said. ¡°Now, I have a great deal to consider and you have a charming friend who wants to watch a movie with you. Go ahead and be on your way. Do not worry about the cleanup. I will speak to you tomorrow?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± they said. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you everything tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Toriel said. ¡°Have fun with Papyrus.¡±

    ¡°Will do,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Goodnight, mum.¡±

    ¡°Goodnight, my child,¡± she said, and began cleaning off the table.

    Frisk darted off to their room and collapsed against the door. That had not gone according to plan.

    ¡°That went well,¡± Flowey said dryly, popping up from the floor by their bed.

    ¡°Wait, you set up your tunnels to my room?¡± Frisk asked him, flabbergasted.

    ¡°Only just now,¡± Flowey said. ¡°It made sense, if I was going to be spying on your conversation with Toriel, to set up some around your house.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I guess so,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°Still, it¡¯s very salvageable,¡± Flowey went on. ¡°Her promise was stupid, though - what difference does it make to talk to her about a plan? She didn¡¯t make you promise to make a plan she¡¯ll agree with.¡±

    Frisk just looked at Flowey with a sad smile. He really had no idea what it meant to have a real relationship with someone, despite his probably centuries of experience at trying. It wasn¡¯t about making a plan that would work to manipulate her - that was never the goal, not really. It was about trying to find a way, despite the weirdness of the timeloops, to use foreknowledge to make something real. The promise, scary as it was, meant that whatever Frisk chose to do, Frisk would act in full knowledge of the true meaning of their choice.

    ¡°We¡¯ll see how things go,¡± Frisk said noncommittally. ¡°I¡¯ve got to pack up for a night at Papyrus¡¯s, and tomorrow I¡¯ll be busy with Toriel.¡±

    ¡°Let me know when you¡¯re going to talk to her, so I can come watch,¡± Flowey said with a grin.

    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know if you should,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°Oh, come on,¡± Flowey said. ¡°You¡¯re not going to tell her anything I don¡¯t know. And this is great stuff! The look on your face when she called you out for lying? That was wonderful! I can¡¯t wait to see how she reacts when you tell her that you killed her!¡±

    Frisk groaned and started packing up clothes for the next day.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got problems, Flowey,¡± they groused.

    He grinned.

    ¡°So you¡¯ll text me, right?¡± he pressed.

    ¡°Ugh,¡± they said.

    If they refused to let him spy on them, and actually tried to stop him, they¡¯d be getting into a conflict right around the same time they were trying to foster a good relationship between the three of them - Flowey, Frisk, and Sans. One in which Flowey had very good reason to worry that Frisk was going to sideline him. Placating him now would probably ease that worry, and if nothing else, would be ammo if he accused them of never letting him have his way.

    ¡°I would really, honestly prefer that you not,¡± they said. ¡°The idea is uncomfortable for me. But, between your help and you being my friend, I will go along with this. I¡¯ll text you.¡±

    If nothing else, the knowledge they were being watched would help make sure Frisk didn¡¯t accidentally slip with anything that Sans wouldn¡¯t want known.

    ¡°Good,¡± Flowey said. ¡°And while I¡¯m at it, how about I join in with you and Papyrus tonight? Not for the sleepover, just for the movie. And I get a say in the movie.¡±

    Frisk glanced down at Flowey.

    ¡°It really makes a big difference, Sans not being here, doesn¡¯t it?¡± they said.

    ¡°Obviously,¡± he said. ¡°It was only eight months from the time I awoke to the time that you fell - all those years, and it was the first time I¡¯d made it to eight months.¡±

    ¡°Oh, come off it,¡± Frisk said. ¡°You mentioned successfully killing Sans before - he couldn¡¯t have stopped you from extending your loops from there. Your short loops were your own choice.¡±

    He grumbled.

    ¡°True,¡± he admitted. ¡°You know the frustration of only having the one save file.¡±

    ¡°I do, indeed,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°So it wasn¡¯t all Smiley Trashbag,¡± he said. ¡°But, especially in the first few months of the loops, he was stupidly hostile towards me. The majority of my life was with that spectre hanging over my head.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s going to be difficult, trying to make you two friendly to each other,¡± Frisk said, and Flowey outright laughed at that.

    ¡°You do dream big, don¡¯t you?¡± he asked in an exaggeratedly admiring tone.

    ¡°Always,¡± they said with a grin. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll finish packing up. You want to text Papyrus about you coming over?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± he said, pulling out his phone.

    Frisk quickly packed some things into their backpack and wrote a note for Sans, leaving it on their pillow. They had no idea if he¡¯d be coming to their room, but if he did go looking for them, it¡¯d be the obvious place.

    After that, Frisk met Flowey outside and gave him a ride to Sans¡¯ and Papyrus¡¯ place. They argued about what movie to watch - Flowey wanted a psychological thriller or horror movie, but Papyrus hated those. He wanted movies that were sweet, sappy, and uplifting - his favourite movie of all time was about cartoon ponies. He did also love things involving puzzles and traps, though, so Frisk managed to eventually, with some desperate internet searches, settle on an older movie about an ¡°archaeologist¡± with a whip, diving into a trap-filled dungeon of sorts.

    They had a good time, and Frisk ended the night by reading a story to Papyrus. He did try to ask about Sans, but Frisk honestly told him that they hadn¡¯t heard anything, but it wasn¡¯t a dangerous situation, so Sans should be fine. Afterwards, they took the extra blankets and pillow and snuggled up on the couch. The very place they¡¯d first propositioned Sans, in fact.

    Those were also some enjoyable memories, now that they were thinking about it. Especially two nights prior, where he¡¯d first touched them sexually, where he¡¯d bound them to being unable to cum by their own hand. Especially when they let the thoughts play out to where that had led to, when he had finally made them cum¡­

    They didn¡¯t want to bother Sans, but¡­ well, they couldn¡¯t resist one last thing.

    Frisk:  Goodnight, Sans. I hope you rest well.

    With that, they fell into the memories as they tried to sleep. They did try to satisfy themself, but it just wasn¡¯t good enough. Instead, they just let themself be tormented by the memories, enjoying the thought of how much Sans would enjoy that torment. With that satisfaction of sorts in their mind, they tried and eventually managed to sleep.

 Ch. 29 - Cold as Ice

    ¡°here¡¯s hoping i don¡¯t regret this,¡± Sans muttered. ¡°good luck, frisk.¡±

    He teleported without waiting for their response. He was at his old sentry spot in Snowdin forest and sighed. The ceiling had been kind of claustrophobic before, but it was even worse now that he¡¯d gotten used to the night sky. This wasn¡¯t really a good place to escape to and think anymore.

    Still, he could at least figure out what he was going to do for the next while. He pulled out his phone and thought about his plans that he was ditching. And the people he was ditching. Alphys and the tabletop roleplaying game group that got together every Saturday¡­ yeah, he wasn¡¯t up for that. He could do it after Frisk reloaded. Tonight¡­ well, Papyrus would want his bedtime routine.

    His gut clenched at the thought. Papyrus. How had he completely failed to think about¡­

    He closed his eyes and groaned, slumping against the station. The idea of facing Papyrus in a dead-end timeline, knowing that their interaction would be erased¡­ of seeing him like he wasn¡¯t completely real, an ¡°echo,¡± as Frisk often put it.

    No, he had no interest in facing that. Not yet. He¡¯d just¡­ he¡¯d think about other things and just not worry about this particular timeline. Leave it all to Frisk, hope it went well, and just never think about it.

    Which meant he needed to make sure none of them forced him to face them. He opened up his voicemail and changed it.

    ¡°it¡¯s sans. something came up. talk to frisk if it''s urgent. i''ll be away for a while, don''t worry, it¡¯s fine,¡± he said into the recording.

    After that, he set up his phone to block literally everyone except for Frisk. No calls, no texts, nothing. The only people who existed in this timeline were Frisk and Flowey, after all, and he didn¡¯t want to talk to Flowey. Not that he had his contact information, but that was beside the point.

    He somehow felt the thousands of tons of rock pressing in on him from above, weighing down on him. He needed to leave. But where?

    The idea of seeing the stars from a snowy place like this made him smile, and that was good enough for him. It was late summer now, though, so he¡¯d have to go to the southern hemisphere. And if he was going that far, he might as well go all the way to Antarctica.

    He laughed at himself as he began to teleport. When he ran away, he didn¡¯t go by half measures.

    Distance mattered a lot for his teleports, so jumping to South America was a bit much. Plus, he needed to have some way of targeting his destination. Being able to see it worked best, but only for shorter range jumps. Familiarity also worked, though it was slower - it took several seconds to ¡°lock on,¡± as it were, rather than practically instant. That was pretty much the only reasonable way to do long range teleports, though.

    He¡¯d travelled the world these last months. He would always go to any location monsters moved to, for emergency response reasons, but also various other places just to have ¡°anchor points¡± all over the world. Really, they were just convenient teleport spots he¡¯d memorized, nothing special. He¡¯d never been to Antarctica, though, so he¡¯d have to figure that out.

    He teleported to his room and changed his clothes for the journey. A benefit of always, always wearing the same eye-catching blue jacket is it made it incredibly easy to be less recognizable. Long pants and some sensible utility boots he already had, plus a mask that didn¡¯t look convincingly human up close, but was passable at a distance. His eyes were the biggest issue, even from a distance, so he had sunglasses to wear on top of the mask. He did have some other jackets, but for where he was going, he¡¯d stick out less with something more wintery.

    He wore another random jacket and teleported to a nearby city to go find something suitable. Since it was summer, the winter pickings were slim, but he managed to find everything he needed. A thick, black winter jacket with an unreasonable amount of fur lining around the hood, which would be good to obscure his face. A dark blue scarf to wrap everything below his eyes, making his mask far more convincing. Some black winter gloves finished off the look - as long as he didn¡¯t get too close to anyone, he should blend in with any crowd in winter.

    He found that teleportation was a lot easier when he was in the heart of the spacetime rift, but it wasn¡¯t too bad outside of it. Even when he¡¯d visited the other side of the world. He¡¯d gotten in the habit of eating heavily and packing his phone completely full to bursting with snacks before any international trips, and it was fine.

    A few dozen jumps over the course of a couple hours brought him to South America. Santiago, Chile, to be specific. Could¡¯ve gone faster, but he didn¡¯t want to wear himself out. He had to hop on a plane to make it the rest of the way south.

    On his way down, since it was quite a distance, he needed to periodically make note of teleport points for the return journey. He reached out his spatial awareness to the ground every half hour, finding a spot and memorizing the feel of it. It wasn¡¯t really familiar, though, so he added it to his ridiculously enormous list on his phone. It was full of anchor points he¡¯d memorized but didn¡¯t regularly visit, with descriptions of locations and how they felt to his spatial senses, to jog his memory. Getting roughly four hundred kilometers in a single jump was fantastic, he really couldn¡¯t complain, but on a global scale, it just wasn¡¯t that much.

    He found himself in a city called Punta Arenas, in southern Chile. An internet search had called it, among other things, a base for excursions to Antarctica, which was why he''d chosen it.

    It seemed like a nice town. Pretty much everything was closed by now, but it was still striking. It was vastly more colorful than he was used to, which was neat, and the ocean in the distance looked nice from the plane. He¡¯d teleported to the ground instead of staying around for the landing process, naturally. Disembarking was a pain, and he was glad he could skip it. Probably no one noticed, but he didn¡¯t need to worry about that.

    He didn¡¯t speak Spanish, which wasn¡¯t great. There were tourism places which presumably had people who spoke English, but unfortunately, considering it was winter, no one was going to Antarctica right now, even beyond the issues with the time of day. While the cold never bothered Sans, that was less true for his more water-based fellows.

    Besides, it was risky actually talking to anyone. Monsters were exceedingly rare in other parts of the world and a lot of places were less than welcoming. Being a living skeleton wouldn¡¯t do him any favours, either. His mask would help, but not under close inspection, and people got touchy when you tried to talk to them without letting them see your face.

    He had passingly hoped he could just hitch a ride - teleportation made it a lot easier to get places he wasn¡¯t supposed to go, like on a boat. With that option out¡­

    An old memory pulled at him. There was a rather fun option he happened to know of, and it¡¯d been a long time. There were some concerns, though. It¡¯d take two human souls to gain flight, and three if he wanted it to be nice and stable. He wasn¡¯t at war with anyone, though, so killing people just to get their souls for a joyride seemed ethically problematic.

    And while it would all be undone, he was wary of crossing that line.

    Buuuut¡­ maybe he could go hunting for particular humans to kill? Not just random civilians, but people who had it coming? That could be fun.

    He considered it as he walked the main commercial district of the town, his gaze flicking from person to person.

    He didn¡¯t happen to have any soul containers, and with absorbing souls, there were some pretty harsh time limits. No more than a few hours, tops, and he was out of practice. He¡¯d need three souls in short order. If he¡¯d thought about it ahead of time, he could have brought the containers, maybe snagged a soul or two on the way down. It wasn¡¯t easy, which is why it¡¯d taken him a week last time to get six - he had to actually be physically present and able to touch the soul at the moment of death. People rarely died alone - at least, not in places like hospitals, and commonly enough that he could expect to stumble into them.

    Mind, this time, he didn¡¯t have to worry about being all that discreet.

    He did have to worry about the timing, though. Killing people was easy; knocking them unconscious, not so much. And he couldn¡¯t teleport people against their will. Plus, finding people to target might be a pain.

    He smiled as he thought of a solution. Not the most ethically defensible, but with the fact it¡¯d all be undone anyway¡­ eh, it was good enough. He made his way to a jewelry shop and decked himself out with a rather ridiculously ostentatious set of golden chains and the like. It was surprisingly heavy, and even with Frisk¡¯s timeloop-based generosity, it would have made a notable dent in his finances, had he actually paid for any of it. But it was fine. He was planning on giving the shop their crap back anyway.

    He was idly curious what alarm systems they used, but the ability to teleport items directly to his hand sidestepped a lot of security measures.

    Now shining like the most blatantly obvious bait imaginable, such that only idiots would go after him - really, he was wearing gold chains on the outside of a winter jacket - he started wandering the worst parts of town.

    He grinned to himself as he sauntered through the dimly lit alleys of the city. His chains clinked loudly in the night and he wondered how long he¡¯d have to wait.

    Not long, as it happened.

    A young man in rough clothes came up to him and yelled something in Spanish, waving a knife in Sans¡¯ face and pointing at the gold chains. Sans raised his hands, trying to adopt a meek body language and stretched out his spatial awareness, backing up. The thief pressured him and he stepped back into a dark alley, where no one could see anything. He grinned. Exactly where he¡¯d aimed to go.

    He knew almost no Spanish, but he did happen to know that the word ¡°no¡± was the same in both languages.

    ¡°no,¡± he said simply, giving the mugger a chance. Seemed fair.

    Without hesitation, the mugger lunged forward with his knife and Sans flickered to the side. He laughed at the dropped jaw of his would-be assailant and reached up, taking off the mask and pulling down the scarf, letting his eye light up just for the dramatic effect.

    ¡°?Dios m¨ªo!¡± the mugger said, halfway between a whimper and a strangled scream as Sans casually put his hands into his jacket pockets again.

    ¡°i¡¯m not really into this whole ¡®getting mugged¡¯ thing,¡± Sans said, summoning a pair of blasters to block off any escape from the alley. ¡°more of a ¡®mug of hot cocoa¡¯ kinda guy. that would¡¯ve made this go a lot better for ya.¡±

    His words may have been lost on the thief, but his taunting tone was clearly affecting him. The mugger desperately attacked him a few more times and was pathetically easy to dodge, but was clearly beside himself in terror.

    ¡°hey, watch where you''re swinging that thing,¡± he said casually, dodging another strike. ¡°you almost hit me... oh right, you can¡¯t. bad luck going after me, huh? maybe you¡¯ll have better luck in the afterlife. man, i''m killing it tonight.¡±

    He chuckled.

    ¡°a shame you don¡¯t speak english - you don¡¯t find this ¡®humerus¡¯ at all, do ya?¡± he said. ¡°oh, well. i gave you a chance¡­ time to end this.¡±

    The blasters could be a little loud, so Sans just launched a swarm of bones. With another choked scream, the mugger fell to the ground, his life burned out. Sans knelt down and snagged the soul as it appeared.

    The power rushed into him, rich and intoxicating, and old habits kicked in. The soothing, numbing grip of death-affiliated magic settled the soul and held it back from the will to resist. The surge of power tried to change his form into something larger and stronger, but Sans suppressed it. It¡¯d have been fine if he were wearing monster-forged clothing, which could adjust with his change in size, but he had too much human stuff on. Another thing he could have addressed ahead of time, if he¡¯d thought about it.

    It¡¯d been a long time since he felt this. Apparently absorbing souls worked well with his damaged core - it felt incredible, his aches, pains, fatigue, and hunger disappearing as the power flooded his entire being. He luxuriated in the sensation for a moment.

    It wasn¡¯t just physically that it was affecting him. The sensation powerfully pulled him back to old memories and he smiled. He felt like he could almost believe she was standing next to him. But it didn¡¯t feel the same as before, to remember her like this. It didn¡¯t hurt the same way. It felt like a happy memory to think of her standing beside him, rather than a painful one of longing, of wishing for her back.

    Was it a betrayal to her memory to just be happy to remember her, and not long to have her back? To acknowledge how much he cared about Toriel and Frisk and that he was happy, in a strange and twisted way, with his life now? Not completely, not really; there was too much heartache and uncertainty to say he was happy with his life. Still, it was good.

    Well, he didn¡¯t have a lot of time to think. This soul didn¡¯t have too much kick, so he could probably squeeze a solid two hours out of it, maybe close to three. That wasn¡¯t a lot of time to get all the way to Antarctica, especially since he had to get two more. He teleported the cooling corpse to a nearby forest with a few hops and then went hunting again. Though maybe ¡°fishing¡± was a better analogy, since he was playing the part of bait.

    An hour later, he sighed. He wasn¡¯t having any luck. Punta Arenas was a pretty small city, with only about a hundred thousand people. Movies made this seem like it¡¯d be easy.

    He teleported around town until he found a spot with free wifi and pulled out his phone. He had a goodnight text from Frisk from a few hours ago and he smiled. He thought of some things he might say, but ended up settling on a basic goodnight. He swapped back to a browser and did some searching.

    Aha. Santiago, the city he¡¯d flown from on the way down here, had a major gang problem. Apparently entire neighborhoods were practically run by drug gangs. And the soul he¡¯d taken would provide all the juice he¡¯d need to push some high speed teleports. It was nearly two in the morning now, but the soul kept him from feeling tired at all, and surely some gangs would still be active.

    He screenshotted some maps and highlighted the worst neighborhoods, then started to rapid fire teleport.

    Man, he could get some serious speed when he could abuse teleports like this. It was about three thousand kilometers, but he had the memorised teleport points on the way down. He was able to make the whole journey in barely two minutes. It was putting major strain on the soul, though. He¡¯d need to grab at least three souls and let this one go - it wouldn¡¯t last long under this sort of pressure.

    Once he arrived, he checked his phone map and started teleporting off to the most dangerous places he¡¯d found. It took several minutes of hopping around before he saw a likely looking group in a parking lot. They looked nasty. Rough clothes, tattoos, and muscle didn¡¯t necessarily mean much, but the array of knives and actual machetes were a little more telling.

    He went ahead and turned off his phone. Wouldn¡¯t need it where he was going, but keeping some battery life would be good.

    It was a dangerous game Sans was playing, on a few levels, but he couldn¡¯t help but grin in anticipation. With six of them, that¡¯d be plenty. He reluctantly let go of the soul he¡¯d absorbed - it was already starting to fray a little from how hard he¡¯d pushed it, and he didn¡¯t want it to eat into the duration he could get from the new ones.

    The aching hollowness and fatigue from the soul leaving didn¡¯t last long, fortunately, and he hadn¡¯t caught the gang¡¯s attention yet.

    He considered his plan of attack. Going for all six souls¡­ that was iffy. The more souls he held, the harder it was to hold onto them. He¡¯d gotten cleared for using seven souls, the maximum amount, back in the day, but it¡¯d been a hell of a long time.

    Eh, it¡¯d be fine. He had an idea of how it might work out, but it wasn¡¯t a big deal if it didn¡¯t. Worst case, he¡¯d have to let go of them and try again. Santiago did have a gang problem. Why, he could almost consider himself a hero with this plan. Almost.

    He casually made his way over to them. It didn¡¯t take long at all to catch their attention and they fanned out around him. The looks of confusion on their faces was fantastic - he was ridiculously shiny right now and they were clearly suspicious. But also greedy. After all, he was horribly outnumbered and there was a shitload of gold on him.

    What could he possibly do against six magically-ignorant humans with melee weapons?

    He chuckled beneath his mask. He wondered how many he¡¯d get before they started fleeing in terror - unlike with the mugger, he couldn¡¯t block off exits.

    He bet he¡¯d get them all. Best to let them get close, first.

    They tried speaking to him, but the whole language thing was a problem again.

    ¡°don¡¯t mind me,¡± he said with a grin that they couldn''t see. ¡°look how shiny and helpless i am. you wouldn¡¯t be thinking of doing anything violent, would you?¡±

    Clearly none of them spoke English, but it was downright hilarious how uncertain they were. Unlike with the mugger, he wasn¡¯t pretending to be meek to lure them into attacking. The suspicion was pouring off of them. Didn¡¯t stop them from surrounding him, and he kept looking at their leader. He wondered what his face looked like to them, hidden as it was in the shadows of his hood.

    Stolen story; please report.

    After maybe ten seconds of tentative comments back and forth, they exchanged glances and lunged to attack him in sync.

    Self defense was a great excuse. A quick timefreeze and he casually walked to one side. They were lined up pretty nicely. Should he toy with them or try to end this quickly?

    He chuckled within his bubble of time. It would be fun to screw around with them, but he was pretty sure they''d break and run as soon as he showed obvious magic. He did take off the mask and scarf again, though. Those that survived his first attack would have a great reaction to seeing him, he was sure of it.

    As soon as the timefreeze ended, he summoned the biggest blaster he could manage. The roar of its strike probably woke everyone in the neighborhood, and it might have been bright enough to see from space.

    No point in holding back when he was about to get topped up, after all. A wave of exhaustion flooded him, but he pushed it aside - it wouldn''t matter for long.

    Four gang members were caught in the blast, and four corpses dropped to the ground. He didn''t have a lot of time to grab their souls, but there was a little - he could still play around.

    He grinned at the two gang members who''d been just a little too far to the side to be caught in the blast. They stared at him and started screaming.

    Heh heh heh. The looks on their faces were fantastic.

    The bigger one dropped his machete and broke into a full sprint. The smaller one fell to his knees, his hands clasped in prayer, babbling something. Probably begging for mercy? That was hilarious.

    Nice of him to stay in one place. Sans teleported in front of the runner and launched a swarm of bones at him. He tried to dodge, without much success. His scream of pain as he died made Sans feel a little guilty, but he pushed it aside. They''d chosen violence first, and it was all going to be undone anyway.

    He started absorbing their souls as quickly as he could, starting with the guy he¡¯d just killed and then teleporting back to the others. He sighed with relief at the sensation of their strength filling him. As he did so, he glanced at the final gang member, who was staring at Sans in horror.

    Sans wasn''t sure if he should kill him. He didn''t actually need that many souls anyway. Witnesses would normally be a problem, but what were the odds the testimony of a single gang member would cause any real trouble in the next week or so?

    After all five souls were absorbed, Sans sauntered over to the last guy. He''d stayed frozen in place - he''d seen what happened to the guy who ran, after all, and he''d been left alone after begging for mercy.

    But there was no sense in worrying about what he should do, not in this timeline. Fact was, he didn''t need to kill the guy and didn''t feel like killing him anymore, so he wouldn''t, and that''s all there was to it.

    Still, he could have a little fun. He walked up to the guy, who was frozen solid in terror, and slowly reached his hand towards the guy''s face.

    His babbling pleas took on a new level of desperation as Sans moved and he was shaking. He glanced to the side, clearly thinking of running, but his face made it obvious that he still was thinking about what happened to the last guy who ran. He didn''t know what to do and just stayed frozen, begging.

    Sans flicked him on the forehead and laughed at the confusion on the guy''s face.

    Enough toying around. He dove into the well of power he was holding and used it to jump the full three thousand or so kilometers in a single teleport.

    Damn that was cool. He''d arrived at the jewelry shop that had graciously, if unknowingly, provided him with some bait and he teleported it back into the store.

    Having this many souls would strain at him - he was already feeling a little pressure, and it''d barely been two minutes. He felt them out and released the two most willful ones, immediately feeling the pressure fade.

    His next trick had taken a lot of training to master. He allowed the soul-transformation to partially take him, skeletal wings bursting from his back, wreathed in faintly glowing blue magic. Almost looked like flames. He thought it looked pretty damned cool, not that anyone could see it to appreciate it. He flared a bit of magic for his own amusement, seeing the pseudo-flesh between the ¡°fingers¡± of the wing glow blue before fading back into invisibility.

    But the clock was ticking, so he had to move.

    He launched himself into the air, focusing the magic to keep his body stable and keep control of his position. Wings weren¡¯t actually hugely effective with a humanoid body - a lot was needed for flight, and wings were just one part of the package. This technique, especially with three or more souls, was less like being a bird and more like being a wing-guided magical rocket. He was a bit unsteady for the first few minutes, but got the hang of it. It was kinda like riding a bike.

    He put on the speed, the vibrating sensation of breaking the sound barrier rippling over his body. He hadn¡¯t had a chance to measure how fast he could go, but it was probably three or four times faster than he was going when he broke mach speed. He hoped so - at mach four, it¡¯d take him about an hour to get to the south pole and while that wasn¡¯t really necessary, it seemed a waste to go all the way to Antactica and not check it out.

    Not really a subtle form of travel, but eh. As long as no one figured out things in the next few days, it didn¡¯t matter. And hell, it didn¡¯t matter even if they did. Who cared if he left a few corpses and a sonic boom trail in his wake?

    It turned out, even if he could go staggeringly fast, he didn¡¯t actually have a way to pinpoint where he was going. When the souls started losing their buffer, the emotions growing raw as they lashed at him, he decided he was close enough. He pushed it a little longer, finding an area without cloud cover, and then ¡°crashed¡± at high speed into the snow, laughing at the nearly kilometer long arc of snow behind him. The defensive layer of magic from the souls was a nice treat and he sighed a little wistfully as he let them go.

    His fancy new jacket was wrecked from the summoned wings, but eh. He flopped onto the snow and stared up at the stars.

    They were beautiful.

    It¡¯d been kinda silly, his goal in coming here, but it¡¯d been nice to have a goal and then to just do it. No second guessing, no tangling himself up in knots, even if it did involve killing a few people. Just making a decision and doing what it took to get it done¡­ it was good.

    And really, it was a treat to be here. He¡¯d appreciated the stars at night near the city, on the handful of times he¡¯d gone out stargazing with Papyrus. This, though? This was something else. The nearest city was staggeringly far - there was no light pollution at all. The stars shone with such brilliant, shining intensity, filling the sky with so much light that the snow seemed to glow. The air was so crisp out here.

    It should be crisp, as it was probably around seventy below zero or something. Good thing he didn¡¯t have any water in him at the moment. He smiled at the thought and pulled out some ice cream from his phone¡¯s storage. It was full of different snacks - ice cream was often a good one for jokes, too. Something about eating ice cream at the south pole in winter really entertained him.

    He ate it languidly as he gazed at the stars.

    He¡¯d come a long way. Figuratively and literally both. He¡¯d changed - in some ways good, in some ways bad, in others¡­ he had no idea.

    At the thought of that sort of change, the memories of yesterday whipped at him again. But this time he just smiled. He was actually too far away for temptations right now. It¡¯d take hours, minimum, to get home. And even when he did, he¡¯d be pretty damned exhausted. He was actually safe to explore the thoughts without any temptation to act on them.

    And he just realized this place was kinda perfect in another sense. It was night here - not for a day, but for half the year. A night of reflection, stretched out longer than it could ever normally be. A night that would last as long as he wished it to. It seemed fitting to be in this unending moment and gaze at the stars, to wonder, to hope.

    The bit of extra LOVE he¡¯d gotten, courtesy of the mugger and gang, was nice under the circumstances, too. Now that he was thinking about it, he¡¯d dropped to a measure of four, after the events of the previous day, and the fellas from today had bumped it up to five. Five distinct layers of soul-stuff, like rings of a tree, on the surface of his soul - which had taken a lot of training to learn to evaluate. It¡¯d go away when the reset happened, presumably, but in the meantime, it let him engage with his thoughts without as much pain. He could just relax here in this endless night, letting himself think and not hiding from his own thoughts.

    He had a shit ton to think about.

    Toriel¡¯s and Papyrus¡¯s words came to him. Did he love Frisk? It was an important question, but a hard one. A part of his heart still belonged to her. Another part was still fantasising about¡­ something with Toriel. He couldn¡¯t quite bring himself to want¡­ to want¡­

    He swallowed. Even with an extra layer of LOVE added on, it hurt. He smiled at a thought. It wasn¡¯t the first time he¡¯d struggled with reminders of¡­ of wanting those things.

    <hr>

    ¡°Your jokes are so bad,¡± Alphys said with a little laugh. ¡°They''re such dad jokes!¡±

    ¡°dad jokes?¡± Sans asked.

    ¡°Yeah, it''s a human thing,¡± Alphys said with an awkward smile. ¡°They, uh, that''s what they call jokes like that. Silly, bad jokes and puns and things. Dad jokes. The idea is that all human dads start telling jokes like that when they have kids.¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°Have you ever thought about having kids one day?¡± Lucida asked him as they lay out on the lake shore.

    They''d wrapped up a mission and were sitting with a nice load of souls, but they needed a break. So they''d grabbed a few extra souls for the wings, flying to a lovely little spot to see the sunset first.

    ¡°yeah,¡± Sans said. ¡°not for a while. papyrus is already a handful, and i''m not even in charge of him.¡±

    ¡°Yeah he is,¡± Lucida agreed with a laugh. ¡°He''s so cute, though.¡±

    ¡°heh, yeah. he''s turning out to be pretty cool. kid is driven, i tell ya what,¡± Sans said.

    ¡°He is,¡± Lucida agreed. ¡°But if we have kids, you couldn''t coddle them that much. It''s kind of ridiculous.¡±

    ¡°i know,¡± Sans said. ¡°he''s so happy, though. i never want to take that away from him.¡±

    Lucida cuddled into his side.

    ¡°Think our kids could be happy?¡± she asked softly.

    ¡°i know it,¡± he said. ¡°we''ll be great parents. you can be the hard ass, and i''ll sneak them out of the house to go on adventures. it''ll be great.¡±

    She punched him in the ribs. He complained, but broke into laughter halfway through.

    ¡°You moron,¡± she said affectionately. ¡°I''d expect you to step it up, you know.¡±

    He hugged her close.

    ¡°you know me, lucida,¡± he said. ¡°i never fail to pull through.¡±

    ¡°It''s what I love most about you,¡± she said warmly. ¡°The most dependable person I''ve ever met.¡±

    He pressed his cheek against hers, feeling her presence, her power mingling with his.

    ¡°i always do my best,¡± he said.

    ¡°You''re going to make a great dad one day,¡± she said softly.

    ¡°maybe even better than you as a mom,¡± he teased.

    ¡°Wouldn''t go that far,¡± she said, her eyes glinting with amusement.

    <hr>

    ¡°a dad? me?¡± Sans asked, with a well practiced laugh. ¡°that''s hilarious.¡±

    ¡°I know!¡± Alphys said, joining in his laughter. ¡°I can''t even imagine!¡±

    <hr>

    It was a different Sans who¡¯d laid by that lake, on that day. In some ways healthier, but in others, colder. He¡¯d killed a lot more freely, had a lot less empathy for¡­ almost anyone, really. He¡¯d been kind of an ass to people who¡¯d wanted to teach Papyrus more conventionally, lashing out at anyone who wanted to ¡°steal his childhood.¡± He and Pap had already lost so much and he¡¯d taken it out on a lot of people.

    In other ways, he¡¯d been better than he was now. Warmer to those close to him. He¡¯d been better to Papyrus and her than he¡¯d ever been to Frisk or Toriel. Or Alphys. Or¡­ anyone, really. He¡¯d been real with his feelings and wasn¡¯t afraid of them. What he was able to feel despite the amount of LOVE he had, anyway.

    But then, it was also a different Sans who had played off the dad jokes thing with Alphys. Those six years had been incredibly isolated, in a number of ways. He¡¯d closed off from Papyrus, practically pinning him in place, discouraging any emotional development. Supporting him in play, but not in actual change, not in growth. Six years, and the only person who at all thought of him as a friend was Alphys, whom he mostly treated like a useful tool that was fun to hang out with. Her and Toriel, really, but he¡¯d never even learned Toriel¡¯s name, or shared his. He could have helped them both with their issues, on a deep level rather than superficial things like buying dog food. But, well, that¡¯s what friends were for and frankly, he hadn¡¯t been one. For either of them. He ¡°knew¡± everyone and yet was alone.

    All by his own choice, of course. Funny how much clearer that was now, as he gazed up at the stars halfway across the world.

    He¡¯d gotten depressed because of the timeloops he¡¯d seen in the rift a year ago, because they¡¯d made everything he did pointless. But he¡¯d missed the fact that everything he did was pointless even before then. He¡¯d been caught in a loop long before time powers got involved.

    Weird to think that getting in on the time loops might pull him out from an endless loop where nothing he did mattered.

    His thoughts spiraled around back to the question he had to answer. Did he love Frisk?

    In a sense, it was a stupid question, because it was a stupid word. How had Frisk put it? There¡¯s a million kinds of love, and they¡¯d be happy with a bunch of different kinds? If the key parts of ¡°love¡± were ¡°matters to Sans more than he matters to himself, someone to whom he is deeply attached, who holds a measure of his soul, whose loss would tear him to pieces, someone he wants to spend time with,¡± then he loved a number of people. Frisk, Toriel, Papyrus. Her, still. Sort of - it¡¯s not like he could lose her, so not all of the criteria exactly fit.

    His family, though he didn¡¯t even have a picture of them. Just a drawing and the words ¡°don¡¯t forget¡± scrawled onto it, useless as that was. It¡¯d been a long time. Papyrus was too young when they¡¯d died to remember them at all. But that¡¯s what happened in war. At least those deaths weren¡¯t in any way his fault.

    Of course, when talking about being in love, it was usually meant in a way that included sexual stuff. At least being interested in going there. That¡¯d limit it to Frisk, Toriel, and her. And it felt like just thinking that wasn¡¯t okay.

    Maybe his problem wasn¡¯t in admitting he loved Frisk. Maybe his problem was believing that he was only ¡°allowed¡± to love one person at a time. Couldn¡¯t he love her, and Toriel, and Frisk, all at the same time, in different ways?

    He exhaled.

    But also, maybe it was time to let her go. He made himself think her name. Lucida. She was gone and even if he could somehow see her again¡­ he¡¯d changed. He wouldn¡¯t want to give Frisk up, either.

    He wrestled with his thoughts of her. He really did need to sort out how he felt about Frisk, and probably about Toriel, but it was all tangled up with her. If she could be summoned here, right now, what would he say? What would he do? What would he want?

    He¡¯d only regained maybe a single measure of LOVE from those damned muggers - it wasn¡¯t nearly enough to make this easy. But he couldn¡¯t refuse to face this anymore. He forced himself to think it through.

    Almost everything he thought of hurt. Turning her away, being with her and Frisk both, abandoning Frisk to be with her again. But more than just hurting, it all seemed¡­ wrong. So he decided to chase that feeling. What¡¯s a way things could go that would feel right, if he could see her again?

    Time passed as he gazed up at the endless expanse above him. Finally an answer came to him, a swell of emotions carried with it.

    He would want to speak to her. And he would want to find out that she¡¯d moved on. He¡¯d want to know that she¡¯d hurt when she¡¯d lost him, that she¡¯d missed him as much as he¡¯d missed her¡­ but only for a few months at most.

    A shaky breath escaped him as the thought ground inexorably on.

    That she¡¯d gone on to find someone else who¡¯d made her happy, these last six years. That¡­ that they¡¯d gone on to have kids, and he¡¯d been as good a dad as Sans might have been. That she¡¯d tell him about the life Sans should have had, and he¡¯d be honestly glad that at least she hadn¡¯t lost that.

    That she wouldn¡¯t even want to get back with him, so that there would be no additional drama in his life. Because as much as he¡¯d loved her¡­ things had changed. He had changed.

    It turned out he could still cry, after all. Good thing his tears weren¡¯t actually water, under the circumstances.

    The night sky was still beautiful, even when blurry. Though it seemed brighter than it should be. He blinked away the tears and watched as glowing waves of light began to fan across the sky. Heh. A lucky day, that he happened to see the southern lights.

    He gave his wish to those stars, to that glowing light. He didn¡¯t want to go back. He just wished for her to be happy. To have been happy, and to remain so, for a long and wonderful life.

    ¡°goodbye, lucida,¡± he whispered.

    He hoped that she¡¯d been smarter than him, and had let him go long ago.

    He needed to let go of the past and focus on the future. That was obvious, even if he¡¯d refused to face it. It wasn¡¯t easy but¡­ well, at least the decision was made.

    Lucida was his past - she was gone and he had finally decided to accept that, even if it wasn¡¯t exactly that simple. Toriel had never been possible in the first place - now that he let himself think of things, face things¡­ it was more that he cared for her deeply and she reminded him of the things he¡¯d once hoped for. But he honestly didn¡¯t believe she could love the person he really was. Not like Frisk.

    And¡­ Frisk.

    The lights of the aurora waved above him, almost beckoning in their silent dance.

    Why did he flinch so much at the idea of saying he loved Frisk? More than the love of a friend, or a best friend, or a best-friend-with-benefits. Those things he could admit to, easily. But more than that? He just¡­ couldn¡¯t.

    Probably because, on several levels, he felt ashamed of how he felt. They were so much younger than he was. A huge part of him still thought the ownership thing was fucked up. And, even worse than just accepting that dynamic, he was ashamed that a part of him really enjoyed it.

    A part of him thought it¡¯d be best for Frisk to get over their attachment to him, to find joy in life in ways that were good and right. And not deranged.

    His breathing stuttered at the thought. Yeah, that was the key, wasn¡¯t it? The rest contributed, but that was the big one. If he loved someone, really loved someone, then he should want what was best for them, even at the expense of himself. To love Frisk, then, was to be a hypocrite, because what was best for them was not to be loved by him. To love them was to hurt them and hold them back, and so the more he loved them, the more he had to fight that very love.

    Silence, save for the wind whipping up the snow into glowing swirls as the aurora was reflected. Stillness, save for that wind and the waves of color above him. Emptiness, save for the richness of the beauty in this stark and desolate land.

    He didn¡¯t think that just leaving Frisk was even remotely the best thing, for anyone. But¡­ but if it were? If he did decide, absolutely for sure, that leaving Frisk was the right thing to do, was best for them¡­ would he?

    A surge of pain ripped through him as he realized he wouldn¡¯t. He couldn¡¯t. He wanted them too badly. What they¡¯d shared¡­ it¡¯d been too much, too profound, too incredible to imagine letting go. Yesterday, he¡¯d let them all the way in, and that was it for him. In the end, he was too damned selfish.

    So how could be possibly say he loved them?

    He sighed. He¡¯d had fun with the trip down here and unleashing a tiny bit of hell, but this had wrung him out again. And there was a lot more he had to chew on.

    Maybe he didn¡¯t need to right now. Maybe he could just drift in memories, bathed in the otherworldly green glow of the sky, for tonight. Fall asleep half buried in the snow, unable to be reached by literally anyone.

    Man, the aurora was beautiful.

    A core of love within a shield of LOVE, a core of warmth within a shield of snow. Time passed in that eternal night, never truly moving forward.

 Ch. 30 - Love

    Frisk woke up the next morning feeling stiff and sore, but not in the fun ways. The couch was not the most comfortable place to sleep. At least they were short - even shorter than Sans, though not by much - and could easily fit on the couch.

    Yawning, they checked their phone. At two in the morning, Sans had responded with a simple ¡°goodnight.¡± Hopefully he was fine, wherever he was. They wanted to text him, to ask about how he was doing, to hear about his day¡­ but he probably wanted his solitude, so they¡¯d leave him be.

    They had a lot to do today.

    A sinking feeling filled them and they flopped back onto the couch. What a mess they¡¯d gotten into. Were they really going to tell Toriel everything¡­? Not about Asriel / Flowey, of course, that wasn¡¯t theirs to share, and he¡¯d made his opinion on that clear. They could talk about him with their timeloop conspiracy, but not with Asgore or Toriel.

    But the rest of it? Chara, murdering everyone, destroying the universe? And with Chara, if they mentioned them, how much detail should they go into? The whole ¡°I think they were aware the entire time they possessed their corpse in the flowerbed¡± thing might not be great for Toriel¡¯s mental health. She might blame herself for Chara¡¯s current insanity.

    Frisk covered their eyes and groaned.

    The point of this timeline - now, anyway - was to give it to Toriel to decide. Not that Frisk would necessarily do as Toriel bid, but at the very least, they could know Toriel¡¯s choice. They just had to keep Flowey¡¯s advice in mind the whole time, to make sure Toriel thought positively of them as they did it.

    Frisk got up and awkwardly went to the kitchen to dig around for breakfast. They wondered if they should-

    ¡°FRISK! YOU ARE AWAKE! GOOD MORNING!¡± Papyrus said happily, coming in from his room as they gave up on finding anything both edible and suitable for someone older than a five year old.

    ¡°Morning,¡± they said wanly, smiling at him.

    ¡°IS IT NOT A GOOD MORNING?¡± he asked, his face falling a little.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± they said with a small laugh. ¡°Just kinda¡­ lost in my head. Lots to think about.¡±

    ¡°SANS HAD THAT PROBLEM, TOO,¡± Papyrus noted.

    ¡°Oh?¡± they said, sitting down at their small kitchen table.

    ¡°YES. HE WAS VERY CONCERNED ABOUT SOME FRIENDS OF HIS THAT I HAVEN¡¯T MET YET,¡± Papyrus said, sitting down next to them.

    ¡°Some friends of his?¡± Frisk asked.

    Papyrus nodded seriously.

    ¡°HE NEEDED MY HELP WITH A MORAL DILEMMA!¡± he said proudly.

    Frisk had already been curious, but now their eyes were practically glittering.

    ¡°Well, of course he did,¡± they said with a grin. ¡°Who else would he go to for something like that, other than the great Papyrus?¡±

    Papyrus¡¯s eyes were as bright as Frisk had ever seen and they giggled as he did his whole self-aggrandizing thing for a minute.

    ¡°So I¡¯m curious about these friends of his,¡± Frisk prompted after he settled down. ¡°I might know them?¡±

    ¡°ONE IS KIND OF LIKE YOU!¡± Papyrus said. ¡°HE IS VERY LOYAL, BUT SANS THINKS HE IS TOO LOYAL, BECAUSE HE THINKS OF HIMSELF AS KIND OF A SLAVE TO THIS GIRL. SANS WANTS THEM BOTH TO BE HAPPY AND WANTED TO HELP THEM.¡±

    Even expecting it, that twisted oddly in Frisk¡¯s heart. It was sweet and endearing in a way that they hadn¡¯t quite anticipated. It would have been Friday night, after they¡¯d first had sex. Sans had said he¡¯d spoken to Papyrus, just before coming over and accepting them.

    They wondered if they had Papyrus to thank for that acceptance.

    ¡°That is very sweet of him,¡± they said, trying to keep their face steady. ¡°I do know the couple, as it happens.¡±

    ¡°DO YOU THINK I CAN MEET THEM?¡± Papyrus asked.

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Frisk said, smiling. ¡°Might be hard to make it work out, but we¡¯ll see. I¡¯m curious what your advice was? The, uh, girl was having a lot of trouble with the situation.¡±

    ¡°IT WASN¡¯T REALLY A MORAL DILEMMA,¡± Papyrus said. ¡°SANS WAS HAVING TROUBLE AND IT DIDN¡¯T MAKE SENSE. HE IS HAPPY THE WAY HE IS AND SHE WANTS TO BE WITH HIM, SO HE SHOULDN¡¯T CHANGE, AND THEY SHOULD BE TOGETHER.¡±

    The simple, no-nonsense tone, sounding as though the conclusion was blatantly obvious, made tears spring up into Frisk¡¯s eyes. Papyrus looked confused and Frisk just grinned, getting up and giving him a hug.

    ¡°WHAT¡¯S WRONG?¡± he asked, sounding perplexed.

    ¡°Absolutely nothing is wrong,¡± Frisk said, wiping at their eyes. ¡°Just, sometimes I manage to forget how amazing you are.¡±

    ¡°THAT IS NOT SOMETHING YOU SHOULD FORGET! BUT WORRY NOT, FOR THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL REMIND YOU!¡± he declared and they giggled again.

    Frisk was hit by a sudden, intense desire to tell Papyrus everything. Well, not everything, not about the murders or things like that, but about their relationship with Sans. But it made sense for Sans to be the one to talk to Papyrus about it.

    But also¡­ their joy ebbed as they abruptly remembered that this was a dead timeline. Right. They shouldn¡¯t be interacting with Papyrus at all. Movies and other superficial things weren¡¯t too bad, but personal conversations like this¡­

    They wanted it to be real. They wanted to repeat this conversation, even, if they could manage it. He should remember this.

    ¡°Hey, uh, I wanted to let you know that I was able to make last night work out, but I have a lot of things I need to get done over the next while,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Until I resolve the situation that Sans is dealing with, we¡¯re both going to be hugely busy. But I really want to talk to you about some stuff in my life - happy things, just to share with a friend, you know? So as soon as everything¡¯s taken care of, we totally need to hang out.¡±

    ¡°I UNDERSTAND,¡± Papyrus said with a solemn looking nod, which was adorably over-acted. ¡°YOU ARE A VERY IMPORTANT PERSON, FRISK! I HOPE YOUR AMBASSADOR WORK GOES WELL AND THAT SANS DOESN¡¯T MESS ANYTHING UP.¡±

    Frisk giggled.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure he wouldn¡¯t do anything that would cause problems,¡± Frisk said. ¡°And¡­ well, thank you, Papyrus. You¡¯re a wonderful friend and a great brother to Sans.¡±

    ¡°OF COURSE I AM! YOU ARE BOTH LUCKY TO HAVE ME, FOR I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS!¡± he said, puffing out his chest so much it looked like he might hurt something.

    Frisk¡¯s cheeks hurt, they were smiling so much. With a few more pleasantries exchanged, Frisk went on their way back to their house, feeling much lighter. Papyrus¡¯s ability to uplift people was practically magic.

    It wasn¡¯t quite enough to keep their spirits lifted as they approached the house. Still, they clung to that feeling of hope as they reached the door, the sensation small and trembling as they braced themself to go inside. The joy he¡¯d shared with them seemed painful, mixed with the rest of the emotions roiling in their chest. Why?

    They paused, one hand on the door.

    Fear. They were afraid. Why were they so frightened?

    They stared at the door, trembling, as they tried to place it. This fear ran deep, probing into cracks in their soul that were maybe still a little too tender, too raw. Places they didn¡¯t want to look. Touching on things they didn¡¯t want to remember.

    But they needed to know. What was this fear? Why were they trembling so?

    Their breath caught as it came to them.

    Because deep down, they didn¡¯t actually feel worthy of Toriel¡¯s love. Tears brimmed at the realization. She was too gentle, too kind, too pure, for someone with hands as filthy as theirs. Stealing her love¡­ and Papyrus¡¯s, while Frisk was thinking about it¡­ it didn¡¯t feel so bad. They could love the Frisk they knew, and if it wasn¡¯t the full truth, if it was a little shallow, it was still wonderful.

    In the end, though, it was a sweet illusion, and nothing more. And today, Frisk was going to break that illusion.

    Frisk didn¡¯t deserve Toriel¡¯s love, or Papyrus¡¯s, not really. They deserved to be rejected by them both, and if they knew¡­ if either of them knew, they should reject Frisk.

    Except¡­

    Tears fell as a wretched memory came to them. Too close, too relevant to this moment, too powerful¡­ it swept them away.

    Papyrus¡­ even when he knew, he¡­

    Papyrus, standing on their path to Waterfall. His normal smile is gone as he condemns them. He speaks of them shambling about, their hands always covered in dusty powder. That he feels their life is going down a dangerous path.

    He was right, completely right, to call them a ¡°freaking weirdo,¡± to gaze at them with frustration and flickers of genuine anger.

    But then, he¡¯d closed his eyes, smiled, and¡­

    ¡°I, PAPYRUS, SEE GREAT POTENTIAL IN YOU! EVERYONE CAN BE A GREAT PERSON IF THEY TRY! AND ME, I HARDLY HAVE TO TRY AT ALL!¡± he says, laughing in his silly way.

    Charming, towards an entity entirely immune to his charms. Eyes that only see darkness, and so are blind to his golden light.

    A flicker of pain and fear are still in his eyes, but resolute compassion burns brightest. How can compassion and gentleness look so fierce?

    Chara pushes them to step closer and he calls them out in frustration again.

    ¡°HUMAN! I THINK YOU ARE IN NEED OF GUIDANCE! SOMEONE NEEDS TO KEEP YOU ON THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW!¡± he says boldly. ¡°BUT WORRY NOT! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL GLADLY BE YOUR FRIEND AND TUTOR!¡±

    No, Papyrus, no, run, you don¡¯t understand¡­ but the memory can¡¯t be stopped, it can¡¯t be changed. They couldn¡¯t tell him then, they couldn¡¯t tell him now, they could only watch helplessly as¡­

    ¡°I SEE YOU ARE APPROACHING!¡± he says, his face lighting up. ¡°ARE YOU OFFERING A HUG OF ACCEPTANCE? WOWIE! MY LESSONS ARE ALREADY WORKING! I, PAPYRUS, WELCOME YOU WITH OPEN ARMS!¡±

    He opens his arms wide, grinning at them brightly, and doesn¡¯t flinch as they grow closer still.

    Another sob tore from them. No, Papyrus, no, no¡­

    ¡°How pathetic,¡± Chara says in Frisk¡¯s mind, dismissive and utterly uncaring as Frisk writhes in pain.

    ¡°No, not Papyrus, I can¡¯t, I¡­ he¡¯s¡­ god, no,¡± Frisk sobs, as their face stared emotionlessly at one of the gentlest people they¡¯d ever met.

    Not enough pain. They had hurt, in that moment, but they hadn¡¯t hurt enough. Their LOVE had numbed them. If it had hurt this much, they would have stopped. They wouldn¡¯t have been able to breathe, let alone step forward, if it had hurt this much. Papyrus¡­

    His arms have been held open for a hug and he simply waits with a hopeful expression on his face.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t going to give up, are you?¡± Chara asks coldly. ¡°He needs to die.¡±

    ¡°But¡­ he¡¯s¡­¡± Frisk whimpers.

    ¡°He¡¯s forgettable,¡± Chara says, accompanied by the impression of rolling their eyes.

    Frisk screams a denial, raging at them, cursing them.

    ¡°Make up your damned mind,¡± Chara says with a mental sneer. ¡°Give up or move forward.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t give up¡­¡± Frisk says.

    ¡°Good.¡±

    The memory of the toy knife in their hand as Chara pressured them, dragging forth a ripping desire to kill that blended with the shield around them. Frisk didn¡¯t want to, they didn¡¯t, they couldn¡¯t, but they¡­

    The knife is suffused with an intent to kill, Frisk¡¯s intent to kill. Bolstered by Chara, but still Frisk¡¯s choice. Always their choice.

    There was no one else to blame. Not Chara, or their situation. They made this choice.

    They needed to know. For that, this is their choice. They choose that Papyrus should die.

    The strike lands.

    His head falls, his body fading quickly. But still, he hangs on, he speaks. Only his skull remains, but still he tries to smile.

    ¡°W-WELL, THAT¡¯S NOT WHAT I EXPECTED,¡± Papyrus says, and Chara scoffs.

    ¡°Because you¡¯re an idiot,¡± they say, amused, but Frisk refuses, and so no sound escapes their lips.

    Frisk clings onto every word of their friend, twisting in pain as they listen.

    ¡°BUT¡­ ST¡­ STILL! I BELIEVE IN YOU! YOU CAN DO A LITTLE BETTER! EVEN IF YOU DON¡¯T THINK SO! I¡­ I PROMISE¡­¡± he says.

    ¡°Pathetic,¡± Chara says again.

    Frisk feels pressure from them. Chara is trying to get them to move forward, to crush Papyrus¡¯s skull under their heel. They scream again and their body holds still, for no decision has been made. His skull scatters to dust after a moment.

    It is done. Papyrus¡­ he is gone, and nothing remains but a pile of dust in the snow.

    The walls of LOVE thicken.

    Silence, as Frisk could not breathe.

    They didn¡¯t deserve Papyrus¡¯s love, his mercy, his acceptance. That generous, gracious, sweet, heartfelt, earnest love that he shared freely. His, or Toriel¡¯s.

    Another sob tore from them as they fell to their knees, one hand still on the door handle. Facing this, facing Toriel, facing the idea of confessing to someone who wasn¡¯t Sans, or Alphys, or Flowey, who didn¡¯t have a stained soul herself¡­

    With Alphys, it was different. She wasn¡¯t pure the same way, and they weren¡¯t quite as close. It had hurt, it¡¯d been hard to tell her, but this was¡­ it was¡­

    Another choked sob pulled from them.

    The door opened and they startled, looking up at Toriel.

    ¡°Frisk?¡± she asked, looking gravely concerned. ¡°I heard your car¡­ what happened? Come, come inside.¡±

    She helped Frisk stand and guided them inside. They almost resisted, feeling that Toriel shouldn¡¯t touch them, but that was stupid. It would worry Toriel to reject her, even if they felt so painfully unworthy of her love in this moment that her touch burned.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Toriel asked, guiding them to the table. ¡°Would you like something to drink?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Frisk started to say, but choked and shook their head.

    ¡°Did something happen?¡± Toriel asked.

    Frisk shook their head again.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry,¡± they whispered. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to be like this¡­¡±

    ¡°It is alright, my child,¡± Toriel said. ¡°Can you tell me what is troubling you?¡±

    Frisk took a careful breath and wiped away their tears.

    ¡°I refuse to keep things from you,¡± they said, looking up at her. ¡°I made up my mind to tell you, so I will. I¡­ I just¡­¡±

    Their voice went from forceful determination to wavering and they swallowed.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid,¡± they said, looking away. ¡°I¡­ I let myself think too closely about¡­ about s-some of the things I need to say.¡±

    ¡°These are painful memories,¡± Toriel said, apparently deciding it was obvious enough not to make it a question. ¡°You can take your time.¡±

    ¡°No, I can¡¯t,¡± Frisk said. ¡°You have school tomorrow, and I don¡¯t know when Sans will be back, but when he returns, I expect he¡¯ll want to reload. The less time that passes before reloading, the better. We need to make our plan soon. Today, ideally.¡±

    If they could keep going forward with the choice to kill, despite¡­ despite Papyrus¡­ and Toriel, and Undyne, and everyone¡­ because it was their plan, then there was no fucking way they were giving up with this. They could face pain. They would walk forward, eyes wide open, and would receive the judgment, rejection, and hatred that was their due.

    They trembled, but they never fucking gave up.

    They could do this.

    ¡°Very well,¡± Toriel said. ¡°But I believe we should have breakfast first. And I suspect this conversation will require pie, hot chocolate, and blankets.¡±

    ¡°Blankets?¡± Frisk asked, confused.

    Toriel¡¯s eyes were soft.

    ¡°Whenever my children needed to talk to me about something painful, Asg- ah, that is, we made a little sitting area of pillows and blankets on the floor. We would all sit together, on the same level, as a family,¡± she explained.

    Frisk felt a flicker of recognition from the faint impression that was all that remained of Chara.

    ¡°That sounds nice,¡± Frisk said softly.

    ¡°So, Frisk, go on to your room,¡± Toriel said. ¡°Rest, try to relax, and be ready to come out for breakfast. If you need more time, merely tell me. Do not fret on my account.¡±

    Frisk nodded and shakily stood. They were almost to their room when they paused.

    ¡°Mum?¡± they asked weakly.

    ¡°Yes, my child?¡± Toriel said.

    ¡°If¡­ if after this¡­ if you hate me¡­¡± Frisk said, tears starting to fall again. ¡°Just¡­ just remember that I¡¯m sorry, okay?¡±

    Toriel came over and swept them into a hug.

    ¡°Frisk, I am not going to ask you what it is you did, not yet,¡± Toriel said. ¡°But let me ask you this. Do you care about doing what is right?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°Do you regret the mistakes you have made?¡± she pressed.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°Have you made precautions, or some measure of decision, to prevent you from repeating those mistakes?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Y-yes,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°I do not need to ask if you care for others, for I have seen that on your face, and in your tears, and in your words and actions, for all the time that I have known you,¡± Toriel said. ¡°I do not know everything, but I know enough. I love you, my child, and I will always love you. Go, and rest. Do not be afraid.¡±

    With that, Frisk was gently herded into their room. Toriel¡¯s smile was downright angelic.

    Frisk collapsed face-first onto their bed. They had to do something that they really didn¡¯t want to do. They¡¯d told Flowey they¡¯d let him know when they were going to tell Toriel things¡­

    But they¡¯d missed a work message. They blinked and rubbed away the last of their tears. They must have missed it while they were¡­ taking their time at the door.

    They¡¯d get to that in a second. They quickly shot Flowey a few texts.

    Frisk: Okay, so the plan is to eat breakfast - she¡¯s making it now - and then talk.

    Frisk: About things.

    Frisk: Look, I really don¡¯t¡­

    Frisk: I mean

    Flowey: I¡¯ll be there!

    Frisk: I¡¯m not going to tell you not to be there.

    Frisk: But this conversation is going to be hard.

    Flowey: Those are the best ones to watch.

    Flowey: Are you going to cry? :D

    Frisk: You¡¯re being an asshole again.

    Flowey: I guess it doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯ll see when I¡¯m there.

    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    Frisk: Fine. But I¡¯m going to pretend you¡¯re not there, and if you¡¯re too much of an asshole about it, I¡¯ll do what I can to make sure you can¡¯t spy on my next interesting conversations.

    Flowey: Don¡¯t worry! You¡¯re so good at warning me if I¡¯m about to push things too far. As long as you keep doing that, there won¡¯t be a problem.

    Frisk: You could always try actually respecting my feelings for once.

    Flowey: Maybe when you get around to getting me a soul. Until then, we¡¯ll just use clear communication.

    Frisk: I guess it¡¯s stupid of me to expect anything else.

    Flowey: You¡¯re learning!

    Frisk cursed Flowey out a little under their breath, but didn¡¯t respond. It was kind of stupid to expect anything else. He could have his moments, such as when they¡¯d gone to his house a month ago to talk about their fears in regards to approaching Sans. But never over text.

    Anyway, on to their work email.

    They had a full staff to help them with their job. Basically, it amounted to a public relations team. Frisk would cheat with timeloop powers for big things, like meetings with politicians or whatever, but there were a number of human workers who knew a hell of a lot more than Frisk did and were critical for the regular stuff.

    One of them had sent Frisk an email. She used an AI to scour posts, news articles, and so forth, all around the world, searching them for anything that might cause diplomatic issues that Frisk should be aware of. Normally, Frisk just got a daily summary of current events that they needed to be kept aware of, though it was somewhat common to get a more immediate notification.

    Apparently, something weird had happened in Santiago, Chile early this morning. Frisk sighed and started reading the attached link. It¡¯d probably help calm them down a little, and besides, it was important for them to keep up with this stuff. Hell, since they were reloading, they might even be able to get Sans to¡­ prevent¡­ it¡­

    ¡°Death came for us all, with a glowing blue eye and the light of judgement,¡± says the sole survivor of the gang named, ¡°The Crazy Dudes.¡± ¡°Death himself, he came, and he spared me only as I prayed for mercy and forgiveness.¡±

    Uh. That sounded suspiciously like¡­

    Frisk had forgotten about their turmoil as they scoured the translated article. The sound of a massive explosion, along with a glaringly bright light waking up half the neighborhood, was reported by dozens of people and confirmed by reporters, without any actual sign of an explosion. The article also helpfully included a clip of a brief flash of light¡­ as seen from space, taken by satellite. Probably why it was getting some international attention.

    Five corpses, four with no sign of injury, and the last with bleeding wounds that didn¡¯t conform to any known weapon.

    There was a picture of the corpse¡¯s arm included, to show off the strange injury.

    That was way past merely supiciously familiar and fully into outright recognition. Frisk had seen that injury before. Many, many, many times. It was interesting to see it like this, when it wasn¡¯t fresh - it wasn¡¯t quite a cut or a stab, it looked more like a bruise than that, but it sort of ripped and tore all the way along the length of the strike. Almost all the physical damage was on the skin. Lightly, partially shredded might be a way to put it. Thoroughly unpleasant, especially the first few hundred times they¡¯d been hit by it.

    Well. If Sans needed to blow off steam, random members of a drug gang were a reasonable option, they supposed. Why he felt the need to go to Santiago, they weren¡¯t sure, but he certainly had more travel options than most.

    Their smile grew warmer as they read over the article again. They missed him. Hopefully he was having fun.

    They replied to the email, their gut twinging a little as they lied and said that they were sure this had nothing to do with the monsters. They said it should blow over soon. And really, considering the targets and witness, it probably would just be disregarded as a weird fluke.

    Already the commentary over the event was the standard crap, with some people using it to say monsters were all evil, and others saying that clearly the monster in question had been defending themself.

    But people bickered about all sorts of things online. Odds were, it wouldn¡¯t cause any trouble before they reloaded, and even if it did, they could just delay anyway.

    Their mind drew back to Sans and they relaxed, thinking of him. In context to what they¡¯d just been struggling with, it was interesting. They didn¡¯t feel unworthy of Sans¡¯ love, but it was¡­ different. Being someone¡¯s most valuable possession, being something precious, was different than the - Frisk felt a surge of twisting pain at the thought - the gentle love from Papyrus and Toriel. They weren¡¯t entirely sure why it was so different, but it was.

    They chewed on their lip.

    Sans loved them¡­ because they were of value to him, not because they were worthy of it. They didn¡¯t need to be a great person, and they didn¡¯t have to hide anything from him. He decided he wanted what they were offering, and that was that. At least, that¡¯s what they thought.

    So it was okay, as long as they were good, valuable, helpful. A good tool, his favourite tool, even. That was what they should aspire to be.

    These thoughts hurt. They wanted him here. For multiple reasons. Their body twisted with desire at the thought of his return, of course, but even beyond that¡­ they just wanted him here.

    Regardless, it was a distracting thought and they unknowingly found themself drifting into pleasant daydreams until they heard Toriel call out to them that breakfast was ready.

    They blinked their way back to reality and made their way out to the dining room.

    ¡°You are looking much improved,¡± Toriel said, beaming at them.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Frisk said, smiling. ¡°A work email managed to get my mind off of unpleasant memories, and then I just drifted in happy ones afterwards. I figure I¡¯ll be depressed enough soon; no sense in speeding it up.¡±

    ¡°Anything interesting with work?¡± Toriel asked.

    ¡°Just news reports and things,¡± Frisk said with a shrug, helping to set the table. ¡°Nothing that¡¯ll end up being relevant before, um.¡±

    ¡°Before you return back in time,¡± Toriel said.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Man, this smells great.¡±

    ¡°You always love the smell of bacon,¡± Toriel said, smiling. ¡°Come, let us not speak of anything heavy while we eat. But I am curious. Surely you have some fun stories, with this power?¡±

    Frisk grinned and leaned forward.

    ¡°Do I ever,¡± they said. ¡°You remember that huge gala, with that asshole, Mr. Soren?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± she said, nodding and chuckling. ¡°He was humiliated at that event, was he not?¡±

    ¡°Which, of course, I had nothing to do with,¡± Frisk said with a smirk.

    ¡°Naturally,¡± Toriel said, amused.

    Frisk regaled her with a tale of eavesdropping, excessive reloading, and poisoning attendees against Mr. Soren¡¯s machinations. About thirty attempts on that one, since Frisk was so fed up with his unending efforts against monsterkind and wanted him to make an absolute fool of himself. Flowey had helped enormously - Toriel knew about him distantly, but only as one of Frisk¡¯s staff members, and Frisk painted him as someone clever and insightful, but not aware of the loops.

    This led into stories of Mr. Soren¡¯s sabotage efforts against the monsters, which had never actually happened in the real timeline, but were occasionally hilarious. The one where an aid spilled red wine on Asgore and stained his fur made Toriel crack up.

    Frisk moved from that to telling stories of the disasters prevented through the alert app. Hate crimes against monsters accounted for only a small portion, fortunately. Car accidents were the most common, but there were also a few accidental instances of destruction, such as by Undyne. She¡¯d destroyed an entire concrete walkway once, at a beach, just from slamming it in excessive enthusiasm from Alphys¡¯ reaction to her affections.

    In fact, there had been quite a few reports from Undyne that Frisk had had to undo. At least Alphys was really fast to report them, and now that Undyne was in on the loops, she was, too. Though maybe not as careful anymore as she should be¡­ lately, she took out a building or the like every couple of weeks.

    Toriel kept Frisk talking about happy uses of their power for nearly two hours. By the late morning, Frisk was relaxed and comfortable. Toriel took over speaking for a while, telling some stories about the children she¡¯d dealt with over the week. Teachers always had stories.

    ¡°I have enjoyed this discussion with you,¡± Toriel said, after wrapping up a tale of terrifying a bully with nothing but stern words and a piece of chocolate.

    ¡°Same,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°Your heart seems much lighter than this morning,¡± Toriel said, her voice still gentle. ¡°Do you think you might be up for heavier topics?¡±

    Frisk¡¯s face fell and their heart clenched. They looked down at their hands.

    ¡°Right,¡± they said. ¡°I¡­ did it again. I managed to forget that this was a dead timeline and just got caught up with it all. Normally I just avoid everyone aggressively - this whole halfway thing is really throwing me off. You¡¯re going to forget all of that¡­¡±

    ¡°You seemed to enjoy the telling of your stories,¡± Toriel said with a smile. ¡°You can tell me them again.¡±

    Frisk smiled wanly.

    ¡°I hope so,¡± they said, wringing their hands.

    ¡°You are still afraid,¡± Toriel noted.

    ¡°Damn right I¡¯m afraid,¡± Frisk said with a rough laugh. ¡°I¡¯m downright terrified. I¡­¡±

    They swallowed, their eyes immediately brimming.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to lose you,¡± they confessed. ¡°And if that¡¯s your choice, if that¡¯s the plan we make, then¡­ then¡­¡±

    ¡°Come, we have to grab those blankets,¡± Toriel said, standing up.

    Frisk blinked, wiped away their tears, and followed along after. Toriel got some hot chocolate heating in the kitchen, and then went and grabbed some blankets and pillows. Together, they set up a sloppy sitting area on the floor in front of her fireplace. She poured them both a mug of chocolate and then they sat down together.

    Side by side, they watched the fire, listening to it crackling softly. Toriel pulled Frisk into her side with a little hug before letting them go.

    ¡°We have time, my child,¡± Toriel said, gazing into the fire and not at Frisk, putting no pressure on them at all. ¡°Take your time in silence, if you wish. When you are ready, tell me what I need to know in order to understand.¡±

    True to her word, Toriel remained silent for a long moment while Frisk trembled.

    Eventually, they spoke.

    ¡°The¡­ the first thing I have to tell you, for things to make sense, is¡­ it¡¯s not about me, it¡¯s¡­¡± Frisk said, swallowing. ¡°I¡­ god, I don¡¯t want to do this to you. But I don¡¯t know how to explain anything without it. I need to tell you about Chara.¡±

    Toriel¡¯s eyes widened and she looked over in shock.

    ¡°Chara?¡± she repeated, her voice wavering.

    ¡°Y-yeah,¡± Frisk said.

    So they told her. They spoke of how Chara had pressured Asriel into killing them with the poisonous flowers, in hopes of getting him to take their soul, cross the barrier, and free all of monsterkind. About how the rest of the story went as Toriel already knew, where Asriel couldn¡¯t go through with their plan and ended up killing no one, instead dying himself upon his return.

    Frisk shared their speculation that something about the process of absorbing the soul, and then Asriel dying with Chara¡¯s body, somehow impressed something into the corpse. They spoke of how Chara had memories of their time in the coffin.

    ¡°And the reason I know all this is because, when I fell, whatever remains of Chara went into my head,¡± Frisk said, staring at the fire. ¡°I think either their mind wasn¡¯t fully¡­ uh¡­ retained after their death, or maybe they just went insane during the century of being dead. Or both. But, um. That ghost is in my mind. I have flashes of their memories. I hear commentary on stuff. I¡¯ll recognize things that I have no business recognizing.¡±

    ¡°Are¡­ are they able to speak?¡± Toriel asked, her voice tight.

    ¡°N-not exactly,¡± Frisk said. ¡°You can¡¯t talk to them, and even if you could, you¡­ they¡­ they¡¯re not sane. Or good. Their plan, with Asriel? They were okay with, uh, awful stuff, even back then, but they wanted to do it for good reasons.¡±

    Frisk looked down at their feet.

    ¡°That¡¯s the part they lost,¡± they said. ¡°The, um, good reasons part.¡±

    More than that, really - Chara was missing quite a few aspects of self. But the gentleness of a soul¡­ that was a critical missing piece.

    ¡°This is very difficult to hear,¡± Toriel said. ¡°I understand why you were hesitant to tell me. But I think it is good for me to know this. I knew that they had difficulties in their life. I had hoped¡­¡±

    She trailed off.

    ¡°I think they wanted a good life with you,¡± Frisk murmured. ¡°But they wanted to have purpose more than anything.¡±

    Frisk smiled more gently.

    ¡°I¡¯ve spent a lot of time thinking about them, and that, I think, has been a driving motivation,¡± they said in a low tone. ¡°They want a reason. A focus, a point, a purpose for their determination to latch onto. Our determination, now. They''d lost it while dead, and that is what they¡­ er¡­ obsessed over when they merged into me. What they always commented on, what they strengthened in me at every chance, what they remembered each time we died.

    ¡°And that obsession with the idea of purpose, that goes way back. They had a chance to give up their life to save you. They could make their life matter, make their death matter, and they could save you all. Your family, all the people who had taught them to love. They went about it in a horrible way, but¡­¡±

    Toriel nodded, smiling weakly.

    Frisk ran a hand through their hair.

    ¡°But¡­ but they lost what was good,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Only the drive to move forward remained, and none of the soul behind it. And all this, so much of this insight, it took, um, a lot of work to gain. Because¡­ um¡­¡±

    Toriel took Frisk¡¯s hand as they struggled, and their trembling eased.

    Frisk told her of the first timeline. Of how this unknown and confusing ghost had made them unsure even of who they were, confusing their identity a few times. How a few moments and implications were deeply concerning. How Frisk had been terrified of them and what they represented. How their mind slowly cracked under pressures of fear and uncertainty. How they were terrified of the implications of dealing with possession, with as much power as Frisk wielded. How they¡¯d tried to get Sans and Alphys¡¯s help, but they just didn¡¯t know enough.

    ¡°And that was the key issue,¡± Frisk said, still staring at the fire. ¡°I just didn¡¯t know enough. But one thing I did know was how to pull Chara forward. They stirred most in situations of violence, of horror. They¡­ seemed to like those things, were drawn towards them.¡±

    Frisk swallowed.

    ¡°And when I do things, I don¡¯t do them by half,¡± they said with a rueful laugh. ¡°So I committed to going back to the very beginning. Undoing everything, because I knew I could fix it. I would go back and no one would know me. And I would kill everyone, find out as much as I could about Chara, and then fix it all.¡±

    Toriel was silent for a moment.

    ¡°Did you kill me?¡± she asked.

    Having Toriel herself ask them this, gentle and calm and solemn and so very alive¡­

    The memories raged.

    They felt the cool weight of the toy knife in their hand, the sensation of Chara¡¯s hate rushing through them, as the blade cut through Toriel¡¯s magic, her body, her self. The look on her face as pain and realization hit.

    The dust on the floor, and the aching, cold, wretched emptiness of that dark corridor.

    Frisk was shaking and, after a moment, was surprised to discover Toriel¡¯s arm around them, pulling them into her side. She wasn¡¯t turning them away¡­

    ¡°N-no, Toriel, I d-don¡¯t deserve to¡­ I don¡¯t deserve your kindness, not after I¡­ I¡­¡± Frisk choked out, a sob tearing from them.

    ¡°Shh,¡± Toriel said, squeezing them again. ¡°You are still my child, Frisk.¡±

    Frisk whimpered at that.

    ¡°But I killed you,¡± they confessed brokenly. ¡°I betrayed you, I watched you die by my hand. I killed them all. The Froggits and Whimsuns that played near your house. Papyrus, and the teenagers that lived in Snowdin forest. The sweet dogs of the royal guards. Civilians who didn¡¯t evacuate quickly enough. I don¡¯t deserve¡­¡±

    They cut off, barely able to breathe through the tide of awakened memories.

    ¡°What you have done is terrible,¡± Toriel said, but her arm was still wrapped around Frisk¡¯s shoulders. ¡°But it would seem to me that it is not so simple to judge. You did not do this because you wished to hurt anyone. You did this because you believed none would be hurt in the end, and you did it for knowledge. Did it work?¡±

    Frisk nodded shakily, leaning up against Toriel as they watched the fire.

    ¡°With every kill, Chara grew clearer, stronger. Do¡­ do you know about Levels of Violence and Execution Points?¡± Frisk asked.

    Toriel glanced over at them.

    ¡°It has been a long time since I have heard those terms,¡± Toriel said. ¡°They have not been spoken of since the war, so very long ago. I remember them well enough.¡±

    ¡°Chara is somehow empowered by them,¡± Frisk said. ¡°As I grew in LOVE and grew more detached from my own self, increasingly locked behind numbing barriers in my mind, Chara grew more expressive. But LOVE doesn¡¯t come with when I reset, so in the end, it was safe again.

    ¡°But¡­ yeah, I learned a great deal. And it¡¯s why I was committed to keep going all the way to the end. I decided to kill literally everyone, until it was no longer having an effect on Chara. Until I¡¯d learned all I could. Then I¡¯d undo it.¡±

    They were both silent for a time, Toriel chewing on this.

    ¡°I find it interesting that you were able to kill them at all, as gentle as you have been,¡± she said. ¡°But I suppose I can see the reason for the contrast. I recall how strange you were, in those first moments we met. How much pain you seemed to be in, which was not touched by my healing magic. The way you threw yourself into my arms when I reached out to you.¡±

    Frisk nodded.

    ¡°When I saw you, I was kind of overwhelmed. As for how I did it¡­ well. I did kill in my first timeline. Undyne,¡± Frisk said softly. ¡°And some Froggits in a state of panic. I didn¡¯t realize they were intelligent. And with Undyne, she was¡­ difficult.¡±

    Toriel smirked a little at that.

    ¡°I can see that,¡± she said.

    ¡°But I undid it all,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Because I really don¡¯t want to hurt anyone. Still. I¡­ knew how. And once I started¡­¡±

    ¡°It grew easier,¡± Toriel finished, after Frisk struggled to continue.

    Frisk nodded at that. They were silent for a time, and still, Toriel did not push them away.

    ¡°Then Sans stopped you,¡± Toriel said eventually, her tone thoughtful. ¡°He saved you from yourself, you had said.¡±

    Frisk nodded and sighed.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± they said. ¡°He, um. He was really trying to avoid breaking his promise. It wasn¡¯t until pretty much the entire underground was either dust or evacuated into Alphys¡¯ lab that he confronted me. He tried to discourage me early on, in Snowdin. He, uh, he wasn¡¯t the only one to try to talk me out of it.¡±

    ¡°I would imagine,¡± Toriel said.

    ¡°Killing people was bad enough, b-but,¡± Frisk said, swallowing. ¡°I¡­ was given a lot of opportunity to stop, um. To stop what I was doing. And¡­ as bad as killing was, that¡­ those things were¡­¡±

    ¡°You should speak of it,¡± Toriel said. ¡°If nothing else, so that you are no longer afraid that I will hate you for it.¡±

    Frisk trembled at that and nodded.

    Shaking and uncertain, they told Toriel of Papyrus¡¯s stand of mercy and kindness against them. She hugged them tight as they broke down sobbing.

    ¡°I am glad you told me,¡± Toriel said, smiling, her own eyes wet with sympathetic tears. ¡°I am very proud of Papyrus, in hearing that story.¡±

    ¡°Y-yeah,¡± Frisk said, wiping their eyes. ¡°He¡­ he is incredible.¡±

    ¡°He is a proper friend, good and true,¡± she said approvingly. ¡°Unwise, in some ways, I will admit.¡±

    Frisk couldn¡¯t help but laugh at that.

    Next, they told her of Undyne. About her transformation, her brilliance, her power. About how they had murdered the truest hero they had ever seen or heard tell of in any legend.

    ¡°Have you told Undyne herself of this?¡± Toriel asked and Frisk shook their head. ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I couldn¡¯t¡­ I¡­¡± Frisk stammered.

    ¡°It may be worth using the resets to see if she can endure the knowledge,¡± Toriel said. ¡°It is a grand story, and you are right that it is a shame that only you truly know what she is capable of being. Even the lesser story, from just your words, is of value. She may wish to know this about herself. She deserves to, I would think.¡±

    Frisk nodded weakly.

    ¡°Those two were the worst, I think,¡± Frisk said, looking down. ¡°You¡­ you don¡¯t hate me?¡±

    ¡°I do not hate you,¡± Toriel said. ¡°But I would hear the rest of your story first. You had begun to speak of how Sans saved you?¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Um. He waited until the very end, basically. He, uh, he and Alphys had some analysis stuff that suggested that, with my connection to time, I might destroy reality itself. It¡¯s complicated, but the point is, he waited until he felt like there was no other option. Talking to me wasn¡¯t good enough. He had to stop me.¡±

    Toriel gave Frisk a curious look.

    ¡°He does not strike me as much of a fighter,¡± Toriel said.

    ¡°He, um, he is,¡± Frisk said awkwardly. ¡°But, um, I don¡¯t want to really go into his past stuff, because that¡¯s not mine to share. But I¡¯ll just say he¡¯s skilled enough that he was¡­ difficult to get past.¡±

    Again they spoke of memories, but this time, their voice and face changed. Rather than quailing in fear, guilt, and pain, they spoke with admiration and appreciation. They spoke of Chara¡¯s presence and Sans¡¯ endless attacks on mind, body, and soul. His brilliance and insightfulness as he cut to the core of who they were, as he pressured them.

    They spoke of how, instead of giving up or turning back from that pressure, they broke and were destroyed.

    More hugs were had when they spoke of how they gave up control to Chara, to let them take over in the fight to murder the one they loved.

    They answered her questions and let her see the madness that had consumed them. Their embrace of death in an endless dance of pointless opposition, the erosion of every aspect of their self, save the love that remained and grew within the shell of LOVE, and the determination that drove them and fueled their power. All else had been lost and destroyed.

    They spoke, at last, of Sans¡¯ final effort, his desperate entreaties, his loss as he collapsed from having given them absolutely all he had to give. They spoke, too, of Chara¡¯s pressure to give more over to them, how it felt like a tipping point that would allow Chara true control. How they realized that their love for Sans mattered more than their existence, their determination, the purpose that they had thrown themself at. How they were reborn, all of the strength of their determination forged by their soul and Chara alike, blended with their love and commitment to Sans, and how that formed the new core of all that they were.

    How they thanked him and reset, and neither LOVE nor Chara¡¯s full presence came with. How, a short time later, they spoke to Sans and tried to give themself over to him to whatever extent he would accept.

    ¡°And that was the beginning of this timeline, the last timeline,¡± Frisk said, staring at the fire. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t accept me in the beginning, of course, not my service and such. He was willing to be my friend, to help me, to support me, and he forgave me for what I did really quickly. But he¡¯s always been pragmatic that way.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Toriel said. ¡°He is rather pragmatic, when he is not making jokes.¡±

    Frisk chuckled at that.

    ¡°Since then¡­¡± she went on, looking thoughtful. ¡°You have sought to bring him into the loops so that he may have influence, so that you would not be alone with your burden.¡±

    ¡°I promised him I would make that a priority,¡± Frisk said. ¡°He was really motivated to remember. Like I said, he already had some hints from his analyses with Alphys. I wanted to bring in Alphys, too, actually, but¡­¡±

    Toriel smirked.

    ¡°But if it requires the level of intimacy that you alluded to, then perhaps Undyne might have some objections,¡± Toriel said teasingly.

    Frisk blushed.

    ¡°... yeah,¡± they said.

    ¡°But then, she might not,¡± she went on, her voice thick with mirth.

    ¡°Oh my god,¡± Frisk said, blushing deeply and covering their face while Toriel laughed.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you would say something like that,¡± Frisk muttered into their hands, their voice muffled.

    ¡°This should not be surprising to you,¡± Toriel said, her eyes glinting mischievously. ¡°It is the privilege of parents everywhere to embarrass their children.¡±

    Frisk pulled away their hands and gave her an uncertain smile.

    ¡°So you¡¯re¡­ okay with all this?¡± they asked tentatively.

    Toriel¡¯s face grew solemn.

    ¡°I do not believe you did what was right,¡± Toriel said. ¡°But it is unreasonable to expect someone to never make mistakes. You did not choose to do wrong. You were in a difficult situation and strove to do the best that you could think of. You chose a path that would, in the end, result in no one other than yourself being harmed. Knowing right from wrong is difficult in many ways, and your unique power makes that already challenging problem far more nuanced.¡±

    Toriel smiled softly at them.

    ¡°But I have heard it in your voice and seen it on your face,¡± Toriel said. ¡°You did not shy away from this challenge. You did not make excuses or justifications. It is clear that you regret what you have done.¡±

    She took Frisk¡¯s hand and squeezed it tightly.

    ¡°I, myself, do not know what is right or wrong in regards to this power,¡± she admitted. ¡°It is a matter that will require much thought. Even if I decide that your choice was a truly evil one, it is clear that it was not done capriciously or for evil reasons. It, too, is clear that you have learned and grown from this, as you have focused on that aspect greatly, in your retelling.¡±

    Frisk managed to avoid flinching at that.

    ¡°In the end, I see that my child has struggled to do what is right. To learn, to grow, to become all that you can be. You have been hurt greatly in this struggle, and it is my place as your mother to help you to heal, not to judge you for your wounds,¡± she said, hugging them.

    Flowey had been completely correct. Their gut twisted oddly at that realization.

    Still, warmth filled them from Toriel¡¯s acceptance.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± they whispered.

    ¡°Always, my child,¡± she whispered back.

    She pulled away and looked at them with an expression of loving pride.

    ¡°So long as you strive to be good, you never need to fear my rejection,¡± Toriel said. ¡°Now, it would seem that the next order of business is to make our plans for my other self.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Frisk said. ¡°I¡¯m, um, kind of exhausted from all that.¡±

    ¡°I must admit, I am, as well,¡± Toriel said with a little laugh. ¡°I have much to consider. Perhaps I should attempt to come up with a plan myself, rather than leaving it to you.¡±

    ¡°I would appreciate that so much, you have no idea,¡± Frisk said, and Toriel laughed.

    ¡°Then I will consider it,¡± she said. ¡°Perhaps we can both do our best and compare plans tomorrow?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Do you think you¡¯ll go to work tomorrow?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Toriel said, looking a little confused. ¡°Why would I not?¡±

    ¡°I mean, you could call in sick,¡± Frisk said. ¡°It¡¯s not like¡­ I mean¡­¡±

    ¡°It does not matter what I do tomorrow?¡± Toriel said and Frisk nodded.

    She smiled and ruffled their hair.

    ¡°Of course it matters, Frisk,¡± she said.

    ¡°But¡­ but nothing you teach will be remembered,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Nothing you do will remain. It¡¯s all going to be undone.¡±

    ¡°I, too, am going to be undone,¡± Toriel said. ¡°Does that mean I do not matter?¡±

    Frisk flinched hard at that. Toriel laughed softly.

    ¡°Of course I matter, Frisk,¡± she said, her voice gentle. ¡°You know this as well. Those deaths hurt you because they mattered.¡±

    Frisk winced even harder.

    ¡°But¡­¡± they tried to protest.

    Toriel waited a moment, but they couldn''t find words.

    ¡°I do understand your uncertainty,¡± she said. ¡°The simple truth is, what matters is who we are.¡±

    Frisk looked up at her softly smiling face and the faint sorrow in her eyes.

    ¡°Even if all that I teach is forgotten, I will still have taught them, and they would once have learned,¡± Toriel said. ¡°Those that are dead can be said to not matter anymore, either, but I do not think the lives of those lost to history are meaningless. Whether we speak of someone¡¯s life ¡®once upon a time,¡¯ or ¡®once upon a timeline,¡¯ it does not seem to me that it makes a difference.¡±

    Frisk just stared, pained.

    ¡°The Papyrus who stood with open arms to embrace a buried hope within darkness - what he did mattered, did it not?¡± Toriel pressed.

    Frisk nodded shakily.

    ¡°So, too, did the Undyne who raised her spear and stood unbreaking against a great and terrible evil,¡± Toriel said.

    Another trembling nod.

    ¡°They mattered, even if their time no longer exists,¡± Toriel said. ¡°Whether another timeline, or simply a distant point in time, who they were matters.¡±

    She stood up and reached down to help Frisk stand, as well.

    ¡°The Toriel who teaches the children in a world that is about to end,¡± she said, her smile more sorrowful. ¡°I believe that matters, too.¡±

    ¡°It does,¡± Frisk said, tears brimming.

    ¡°Then, naturally, I will be who I am,¡± she said. ¡°I look forward to hearing your ideas tomorrow, my child.¡±

    ¡°I look forwards to yours, too,¡± Frisk said. ¡°I have a lot to think about.¡±

    ¡°Off with you, then,¡± Toriel said with a little laugh. ¡°I will be in my room if you need anything.¡±

    ¡°Same, though I might end up going out,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°Let me know if you¡¯ll be home for dinner,¡± Toriel said.

    ¡°I¡¯ll text you,¡± Frisk said lightly. ¡°See you.¡±

    Toriel smiled in an odd way, memories dancing in her warm eyes.

    ¡°Be good, alright?¡± Toriel said.

    Memories lashed at them, with these words.

    Her parting words in the Ruins as Frisk was left to their own devices. In one timeline, to creep forward with fear and curiosity. In another, with the intent to slaughter. In this last, with the desire to fix all that they had destroyed.

    Her final words as she died in the first timeline, when they had accidentally killed her, innocent of the nature of the unique defences of monsters.

    ¡°I will,¡± they said¡­ but no. That was not enough.

    Sans would not object in the least to this.

    ¡°I swear it,¡± Frisk said, smiling, determination blazing in their eyes and in their soul.

 Ch. 31 - LOVE

    Sans wasn¡¯t sure what time it was when he woke up since it was still night, naturally. His clothes were frozen solid and practically cracked when he tried to move. Not much reason to bother moving, though.

    He reached out to teleport and realized a bit of a problem. It was, uh, a bit long range. Roundabouts 4,500 kilometers to the nearest memorized teleport spot was kind of an insane distance. Like the complete length of Canada, kind of distance.

    Whoops.

    Damn it. He normally took the time to think things through, but with the whole dead-end timeline thing, it didn¡¯t seem like it mattered.

    This was gonna suck. Welp, nothing for it. He reached out, trying to snag onto the Punta Arenas teleport point that was strongest in his mind. He could have tried to force it and teleport despite the distance, but he¡¯d never tried a teleport anywhere near that long range before. The important thing, though, was that it pointed him in the right direction. He faced that way and took a breath.

    He focused on a spot just above the horizon and reached out, teleporting as far as he reasonably could. He found himself a huge distance above the ground, maybe a dozen kilometers, but not all that much closer to his destination. Not great for breathing, but he¡¯d fall enough to get some decent air soon. He was probably only getting about two hundred kilometers per jump - which sounded great, if he weren¡¯t four and a half thousand kilometers away from his destination.

    With memorized teleport points, he could manage about four hundred kilometers in a single jump, but like this¡­ especially since he was falling in between jumps¡­ ugh. And then he¡¯d have to stick the landing when he stopped doing this. It¡¯d be fine, normally - gravity magic was handy that way - but he¡¯d be pretty damned tired by the time he arrived.

    Wind was whistling through his bones as he quickly reached terminal velocity, his arms spread wide to keep his fall as slow as he could. He needed to pace his jumps, and as long as he teleported before hitting the ground, he¡¯d be fine.

    Another surge of power, another couple hundred kilometers, and that mountain range he¡¯d passed came into view. Nice, a landmark. Hard to see at night, and if the ground was closer, he might have to aim higher. Still needed to breathe, though, so he couldn¡¯t aim too high.

    He grumbled to himself as he lined up another teleport. This was way less fun than flying. Especially since, without any soul-powered defences, he couldn¡¯t afford to botch a landing. He was going to push it harder than he normally would, since it wasn¡¯t that big a deal if he died, but he¡¯d really rather not. He¡¯d never take that risk normally¡­ but then, he¡¯d also never strand himself at the south pole without a plan normally, either.

    By his fifth teleport, he¡¯d decided that, no matter how ¡°consequence-free¡± the timeloops were, he was never doing something like this without a plan again.

    By his fifteenth, he was getting pretty toast and second guessing his decision to hold out till he hit the ocean. It¡¯d make his landing easier, but exhaustion would make it harder. Fifteen long-range, sight-based teleports in five or so minutes was kind of ridiculous. Especially since he was so far from the rift, draining him further. Plus he was light headed from a lack of oxygen. The higher he teleported, the longer a break he had between teleports, but the less air he had. At least he didn¡¯t have to worry about depressurization issues.

    Two more teleports later, and he just had to call it. He let himself fall and watched the ground as best he could. Another surge of magic grabbed him and slowed his fall, but gravity magic on himself was always a touchy prospect.

    He accidentally launched himself upwards a few times as he tried to break his fall, but he eventually touched down. It was a harder hit than he preferred, with more horizontal movement than he¡¯d aimed for, but he managed to survive the landing. He collapsed onto the ground and groaned, pulling out some food. He ate it all in short order, but fatigue still tore at him. He was probably less than halfway to Punta Arenas, and that was only about a quarter the way back home.

    He didn¡¯t think his phone would do well in these temperatures - and honestly, he wasn¡¯t sure if he¡¯d completely killed the battery - so he had to do something else to amuse himself. Mental math would do. If he was managing 200km per teleport, and he was right about it being only about five minutes for fifteen jumps, then that would be¡­ let¡¯s see, 200 times fifteen, so he went about 3,000 kilometers. Five minutes was a twelfth of an hour, so times that by twelve would be 36,000 kilometers per hour. Not bad. Technically faster than his flight by a long shot, if vastly less sustainable. And vastly less fun. Falling was fun, but flight was just better.

    He recovered as best he could over an hour or so before dragging himself to his feet and trying again. He needed to take another two breaks on the way there and by the time he¡¯d arrived in Punta Arenas, he was desperately ravenous.

    It was probably around early afternoon or so, and businesses were open, so he could theoretically get some food¡­ except for the fact that he didn¡¯t pass muster as a human from up close. Restaurants weren¡¯t going to work, and he doubted he¡¯d get things from a grocery store without trouble, either. He could steal from either, of course. But that also had the problem of being human food ¨C while often delicious, it was a little bit slow to digest. Not a problem normally, but he¡¯d like to get back home today.

    Partially because, while his excursion was fun, he really missed Frisk. Especially certain things he could do with Frisk. He might be exhausted enough that desire didn¡¯t press on him directly, but he also happened to know how trivial that problem was in light of what they could do. Pleasure, restoration, strength, companionship; it was all his as soon as he made it back.

    So then the question was¡­ did he kill someone else to get the power to make it back quickly?

    He really felt like he was pushing things already. Maybe crossed a line, even though he¡¯d been careful about his targets.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    Ugh. He was too tired and hungry to think. He went to the main commercial area he¡¯d wandered through last time and saw a food truck. Perfect. It was kind of a dick move, but he stood next to an alley and teleported someone¡¯s order to his hand. It was a hotdog, loaded absolutely to bear. He teleported some cash to the stand and slipped into the alley to avoid any drama. He was sure they were deeply confused. It shouldn¡¯t take long to make a second hotdog and while he had no idea how much it cost, he was confident he¡¯d overpaid by a huge amount, so it wasn¡¯t that bad.

    He devoured it greedily and then leaned up against the wall, trying to think. He felt like taking a nap, honestly. But no, he wanted to make it back.

    He sighed as he stood there. It was annoying how hypocritical he was feeling. It just didn¡¯t feel important to kill anyone right now. That sense of nihilism that had dominated his mind for those last eight months he¡¯d lived in the underground was pushing at him again. Different now, of course; he himself wasn¡¯t going to lose anything, and damn was that an improvement.

    Even then, he¡¯d known everything that happened didn¡¯t matter. He bet he¡¯d felt the same in Frisk¡¯s evil timeline, too - pissed off and hurt, no question, but also with a measure of apathy, since he expected it to all be undone. He¡¯d only have seriously cared about permanent things, like the actual destruction of time itself, or the worry that Frisk would never stop, or making sure Papyrus would have a real future somehow.

    Now he was the permanent thing. He hated to admit it, but Frisk was right - it felt a hell of a lot different on this side of things. He could step out into the street, kill the first person he saw, steal their soul and teleport off, getting home within an hour. And, in the scheme of things, the only impact it would actually have would be on him. Not even in the normal sense, of layering LOVE on him, since that¡¯d just be undone with the reset, too. If he decided it didn¡¯t matter and didn¡¯t let it affect him, then¡­ then it meant nothing.

    Yet, if he thought that way and acted accordingly, he was no better than Flowey. He didn¡¯t want to become that. Flowey had shared some details of his activities with Frisk over the year and a half they¡¯d been friends, and Frisk had occasionally shared tidbits with Sans, when prodded to do so. He hadn¡¯t pushed Frisk to tell him the worst things they knew - though he might want to rethink that now - but even the glimpses he¡¯d gotten were moderately terrifying.

    On one hand, there seemed to be a huge difference between temporarily killing strangers for practical purposes and tormenting friends for knowledge, but in the scheme of things, they were identical - either he considered them real people or he didn¡¯t. If the people in a dead-end timeline were real, then he shouldn¡¯t murder them. If they weren¡¯t, then it didn¡¯t matter if someone killed Papyrus. That made him feel like he needed to treat them as real, and yet¡­

    At the same time, sheer practicality was saying there was no difference between hunting down a random stranger versus putting in the effort to kill someone who kinda deserved it, since in the end, neither of them would die or even be aware of anything. So putting in the effort seemed even more pointless, and he¡¯d never been one to put in effort where it wasn¡¯t needed.

    Yesterday hadn¡¯t felt like extra effort - it¡¯d been a fun diversion. He enjoyed giving assholes a bad time.

    The reason it mattered in this exact moment, however, was because he was too tired for that effort. If he was going to hunt a mugger or gang member or something, he¡¯d need to take a nap and make a whole thing of it.

    Or¡­ he could just get what he needed and go now.

    He stepped to the edge of the alley and watched the people walk by.

    It would be so easy.

    And Sans had never been all that great at resisting temptations.

    He felt frustrated with himself, mainly, as he made a few small teleports to alleys, looking for a target unlikely to make his life complicated in the short term. He found one, alone, in the third alley he checked. An old man passed out under a blanket, surrounded by bottles. A sense of guilt prodded him to check and Sans¡¯ eye flashed - no LOVE on the guy at all.

    Not like that was the only measure of moral worth or anything, and most people never killed anyone. Still, part of Sans had hoped he¡¯d stumble into someone who happened to deserve it. Most likely, this old fart was just down on his luck and didn¡¯t deserve to be in this situation at all.

    Not an enemy in war. No promises, orders, or other compulsions. No excuse of self-defence, crafted or otherwise. No reason or justification whatsoever, other than to save Sans a few hours of inconvenience.

    Was that the value of a life in dead-end timelines?

    Papyrus would take the time, sparing the guy¡¯s life. Flowey would kill him without hesitation. Frisk¡­

    Sans chuckled to himself dryly. Frisk had offloaded the moral weight of their actions onto Sans. Frisk had run so far away from the moral questions that they refused to accept being their own person, didn¡¯t want to be in charge of their own life. Hell, he actually kinda understood that now - this was morally nuanced in a way that was way more complicated than it¡¯d seemed before. Well, maybe not more complicated¡­ more that the ¡°evil¡± side of things was a hell of a lot more tempting, and the ¡°good¡± felt a hell of a lot more pointless.

    Compassion, pragmatism, avoidance. What was his choice going to be?

    He stared at the old guy, torn for a time.

    In the end, he was who he was. There was a reason he tried to hang onto moral lines¡­ it was too easy to step over them. And he just couldn¡¯t bring himself to care enough about this one, not really. Even if it made him a hypocrite to some extent¡­ in dead-end timelines, he cared about the people he cared about, and that was all.

    And fact was, Frisk would understand. He didn¡¯t have to hide a thing.

    He summoned a few bones. He was too tired to make a decent showing, and so this would hurt more than necessary. But if it didn¡¯t matter, then¡­ so be it.

    Two bones launched into the guy¡¯s throat. He startled awake, trying to scream, but they¡¯d partially torn his flesh, making him bleed into his lungs. A gurgling sort of screech was all he was able to manage, and Sans doubted it could be heard outside of the alley. The man tried to get up, clawing at his throat and coughing, looking at Sans in horror. Desperation and terror covered his face. Sans simply watched him dispassionately as he struggled. After a few seconds to let the corrosion sap his life, Sans launched the last bone.

    Terror and despair were frozen on the man¡¯s face as it drove into his heart and he died.

    The soul felt damned good as its power flooded him. Sans sighed in relief as the fatigue eased and strength filled him. With added clarity of mind, he pulled out his phone, turned it on and fired off a quick text to Frisk.

    He left the corpse where it lay as he began to make his way back home.

 Ch. 32 - Acceptance

    ¡°I told you so,¡± Flowey said with a laugh as soon as Frisk came into their room. ¡°And wow, that was so cheesy at the end.¡±

    Frisk grinned hugely at him.

    ¡°Sure, and I¡¯m in a cheesy mood myself,¡± they said. ¡°Warning! People near me might be subject to random hugs.¡±

    He moved further away and their grin grew toothier.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that,¡± he said.

    ¡°There absolutely is,¡± they said.

    ¡°You¡¯re being ridiculous,¡± Flowey said. ¡°Nothing really changed. All that happened is exactly what I said would happen - that she¡¯d forgive you if you framed it right.¡±

    Frisk laughed lightly.

    ¡°More happened than that,¡± they said, sitting on the bed and beaming at him. ¡°I made a promise, didn¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°A really stupid promise,¡± he said. ¡°You promised to ¡®be good?¡¯ Seriously?¡±

    Their smile softened.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± they said.

    ¡°You can¡¯t even keep it,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯ll be breaking it every time you make a mistake.¡±

    ¡°What I don¡¯t see is how you misunderstood the promise that badly,¡± Frisk said.

    They smiled warmly at his annoyed expression, full of the desire to hug him. It would annoy him so much if they tried, and they started to laugh.

    Toriel had understood what she was saying. They¡¯d seen it in her face. Frisk hadn¡¯t mentioned that she¡¯d said that phrase to them in the other timelines, but she¡¯d clearly remembered from this one. It wasn¡¯t ¡°make no mistakes,¡± or anything like that.

    It was a call to be good in the way that a child is good. To live a life of stumbling mistakes from which they learn. To face challenges without fear, that even if they screw up and cause harm, that they can learn, grow, and do better. To love without holding back, to face all the consequences of that, good and bad, because that is what it means to live.

    It was a call for them to strive to be the best they could be, in all ways, morally and otherwise. To keep trying, even when they fail, because that¡¯s okay.

    Their heart twinged a little at another realization.

    It was to be the opposite of what Sans had done - he¡¯d given up. A few days prior, when he first accepted their proposition, he¡¯d said he only tried just hard enough to not be a monster, and felt he¡¯d failed even at that.

    And Flowey had lost even the capacity to truly try - he¡¯d lost the driving force that would give him reason to care. He¡¯d been doing what he could anyway, mostly out of loyalty to Frisk, but he just couldn¡¯t care.

    But that was alright. They had determination enough for several people - they could keep striving to be good, for all three of them.

    ¡°Why are you staring at me like that?¡± Flowey asked, annoyed.

    ¡°Because you¡¯re my best friend and I love you to bits, even if you drive me insane,¡± Frisk said with a huge grin.

    Now that Sans took up a different category, the role of ¡°Best Friend¡± was available to Flowey again!

    ¡°What in the world has gotten into you?¡± he asked, dumbfounded, and they laughed again.

    ¡°Joy,¡± they said simply, then made grabby motions for him. ¡°Can I hug you?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± he said flatly.

    They giggled.

    ¡°I think I¡¯ll just leave until you stop being so¡­ whatever this is,¡± Flowey said.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t calling me an idiot?¡± they asked.

    ¡°This goes way past just being stupid,¡± he said, and they laughed again. ¡°You¡¯re being manic and really weird.¡±

    They shook their head and grinned at him.

    ¡°Do you know how long this has been weighing on me?¡± they asked.

    His eyes widened briefly in realization and then he chuckled, understanding.

    ¡°Maybe next time you should ask me for help, instead of letting something like this hang over you for years,¡± he said.

    It hadn¡¯t quite been years, but they knew what he meant. They moved closer and knelt down beside him. He gave them a suspicious look.

    ¡°You¡¯re right, Flowey,¡± they said. ¡°This whole situation with Toriel has made me realize that¡­ well, I didn¡¯t trust you enough. Yeah, you can be an asshole. A huge asshole. And I¡¯ve mostly leaned on you for your skills in more pragmatic ways, like with work stuff, but¡­ you¡¯ve always been there for me, even when it¡¯s hard for you.¡±

    He huffed at them. They reached out a hand towards him in a gentle motion.

    ¡°Alright, fine,¡± he grumbled and they swept him up into a hug.

    ¡°Thank you so much,¡± they said.

    ¡°For the hug?¡± he asked dryly, as he was lightly crushed against their chest.

    ¡°No, you idiot,¡± they said affectionately, laughing again. ¡°For Toriel. For always being my best friend, even when I was being too stupid to see it.¡±

    He made an annoyed noise and they put him down.

    ¡°I won¡¯t forget this, Flowey,¡± they said seriously. ¡°I will strive to be fair to you, in the balance with timeloops, with Sans.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not why I¡­¡± he started to say, and they laughed again, reaching out to touch one of his petals.

    They were so soft.

    ¡°I know,¡± they said. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    He tried to do his usual huff of annoyance, but he was clearly feeling awkward.

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave you to it,¡± he said. ¡°Let me know if you have any more questions about Toriel.¡±

    With that, he dove his roots through the floor and grew semi-transparent as he pulled himself down, burrowing through the ground.

    They smiled and laughed again, exulting in the lightness in their chest, as they stretched out onto the bed.

    There was a lot to do! They grabbed their laptop and got to work. First, they would transcribe the rough outline of their conversation with Toriel as best as they could remember, to use as a reference, and then start laying out ideas on how to proceed in the reset.

    Their heart sank a little. They¡­ they really didn¡¯t want to. The whole thing in Santiago¡­ killing a few gang members wasn¡¯t that bad. There probably wasn¡¯t enough evidence to actually wreck relations between monsterkind and humans, was there?

    Maybe if he came back soon¡­ maybe they could find a way to make this timeline stay? It was kind of awful to think the lives of five strangers might be a price worth paying for the precious connection they¡¯d made with Toriel, but¡­ that¡¯s just how Frisk felt. Those people weren¡¯t innocents, after all. The article had made it quite clear that that gang had engaged in a lot of extreme violence, which was why it had been framed as a thing of bizarre justice. Even the last gang member had seen it that way.

    They smiled softly and let themself hope a little. Maybe what they¡¯d gained could stay.

    A few hours of planning later, and they received an extremely welcome text.

    Sans: heading back now. ill probly b under an hour. if u have time to get pulled away for a bit then be in ur room.

    Mmm. They grinned at their phone.

    Frisk: I¡¯ll be here. I can¡¯t wait to see you.

    <hr>

    The soul was downright painful to hold by the time Sans made it to Frisk¡¯s room. He wasn¡¯t pushing for speed as hard as he could, but the hate and hostility it felt towards him was practically giving him heartburn.

    He ignored that as he saw Frisk again, typing away at their laptop. They startled at the sound of his arrival, and had only just begun to smile as he grabbed them, teleporting one last time.

    Only place that was absolutely guaranteed to be free of hassle was his old room in Snowdin, and that¡¯s where they appeared.

    ¡°Sans!¡± Frisk said, sounding overjoyed.

    The look on their face¡­ damn it, he couldn¡¯t face that, not when holding onto this soul. He turned away and let out a breath, freeing the soul as he did so. The hollowness and fatigue of its departure pulled at him, but he knew how to fix that.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± they asked.

    ¡°later,¡± he said, tossing aside his bulky, ruined jacket, then looked at them.

    What had happened? The look on their face¡­ they were practically glowing. He almost staggered as he took it in.

    They loved him. They loved him so goddamned much. The fierceness of the love and joy in their gaze, burning with determination, ripped straight through him. Somehow more fervent, more alive, more intense than he¡¯d ever seen¡­ as though they¡¯d been weak before, somehow; wounded maybe, and had healed.

    So much more than he deserved¡­ All his walls shattered under the weight of that gaze.

    He couldn¡¯t move to them fast enough and found himself teleporting, crushing them with the tightness of his embrace, but matched in full by the strength of theirs.

    He needed to be closer.

    Another teleport positioned them both on the bed. He reached down and tore off their pants and underwear. They helped, tearing off their top at the same time. As soon as their clothes were out of the way, he pulled down his pants enough to free himself and slammed into them, groaning at the sensation. They were soaking wet and responsive - they¡¯d clearly been thinking about his arrival.

    ¡°i needed this,¡± he said as Frisk moaned out his name, holding still for a moment to savor the feeling of being within them, their textured heat, how tight they were on him, their vitality flowing into him. ¡°i needed you.¡±

    Frisk let out a joyful sound as they kissed all over his face. He began to thrust within them, groaning again at how damned good they felt. He didn¡¯t even try, and he found the soul connection forming - he wanted to feel them powerfully enough that it just happened. He wanted to feel them, to see them, more than he was afraid to be seen.

    He felt himself fall even more at the sensation of their soul. It had already felt good before - rich, satisfying, with a depth of stability and certainty that was reassuring. But it was glowing in this moment, shining with something beautiful and golden that seemed almost alien, as though it were a long distant memory that he hadn¡¯t quite forgotten.

    It didn¡¯t take long before they were cumming on him, crying out his name and he nearly let himself go with them. They¡¯d clearly been thinking about his upcoming visit rather thoroughly, but he didn¡¯t want this to end yet.

    In fact, that might be a small problem. He couldn¡¯t use their timeloop power, and he was tangled up enough that he wanted to be pulled out of his head.

    Heh. Actually¡­

    ¡°something i¡¯d like ya to do for me,¡± Sans said, rolling over and pulling them on top of him.

    ¡°Anything,¡± they said, gazing down at him with a smile that tore at his heart.

    ¡°i¡¯m kinda in my head too much,¡± he said. ¡°i seem to recall you learning how to do something about that.¡±

    Their grin widened and took on a mischievous glint. He groaned as they changed how they were moving on him, their motions more forceful and intense.

    ¡°It will be my pleasure,¡± they purred.

    ¡°push me hard and take your time,¡± he said, gripping their hips as they moved. Fuck, they felt incredible. ¡°when you cum, take me with you.¡±

    ¡°If we¡¯re going to push things, then give me a moment,¡± they said and moved off of him.

    He was tempted to complain, but instead he waited while they grabbed their phone and pulled out some pie and other bits of monster food. Eh, that made sense. It wasn¡¯t much of a delay, anyway.

    They climbed back onto him and took him within, moaning beautifully as he filled them. He¡¯d already been a little oversized, as had become his standard, but with the food there, he let himself go even more, feeling more of their soul pour into him each time he was buried to the hilt.

    With that, he relaxed. He didn¡¯t have to worry about holding back anymore. Sure enough, it was scarcely ten seconds before they brought him to the edge and then did that whole numbing-and-ejecting trick to prevent him from having release.

    The pleasure was mind-breaking - enough to drive out any thoughts or feelings of guilt. Awareness remained, and he soaked in the pleasure of it all. The sight of their sexy body, toned and tight, as they smoothly moved on him. Their soft breasts bouncing and jiggling as they rode him. The intense expression on their face - of love, and pleasure, and joy. The sensation of their body under his hands, smooth and firm, as he roamed and just took it all in, in every way he could. And of course, the sensation of his dick being masterfully ridden and squeezed in agonizingly pleasureful ways.

    God, it was good.

    He knew he was making things worse for himself. He¡¯d tried to deny being addicted to them, addicted to this, but fuck it. In this moment, he felt like he was a lost cause. He was too selfish to love them the way he should and probably would never let them go, so what did it matter if he was addicted to them?

    He resisted nothing, save the temptation to kill them. He embraced every lick of pleasure, touched them when and how he felt like it, let himself try to cum and be stopped by their will, soaked in the feeling of their soul¡­ it was incredibly satisfying. Maddening, too, but still so damned good.

    It didn¡¯t take long before his desire for release grew to be too much. He needed to cum, and last time, it was pretty damned clear that his willingness to endure was way less than their willingness to do this to him. But it¡¯d be a lot more fun to ¡°fight¡± them over this than to just give an order.

    After all, all he had to do was push them over the edge. And they were clearly struggling with that problem already.

    It was extremely hard to focus, but he managed to wrangle his mind around as he started deliberately pushing their buttons.

    For all their masochism and their fetish for intense experiences, nothing actually got them off quite as much as him letting them know how much he was enjoying himself, enjoying being with them.

    They were pretty close to their limits anyway, so he just summoned a small swarm of bone shards, told them how much he was looking forward to them cumming on his dick followed by his own release, then then launching the swarm.

    Frisk let out a torn scream of pleasure as the pain combined with his words to push them far over the edge. Scarcely two more thrusts into that deliciously tight pussy clenching down on him and he joined them, releasing inside with a satisfied groan. The wave of vitality enriched orgasmic pleasure flooded his entire being once more and he collapsed, losing himself to the sensation. Frisk flopped on top of him as well, panting happily.

    ¡°God that was good,¡± Frisk moaned out before settling against him, seeming utterly content.

    ¡°yeah,¡± he said simply, holding them tight to his chest.

    It had happened again, now that he thought to look at it. Something about fucking them¡­ though doubtlessly it had more to do with the weird soul stuff they were doing during sex¡­ but it¡¯d chipped away at his LOVE again. Not much, but a little, tearing away at his EXP.

    Back in his heyday, it was known that focusing on strengthening emotional connections was the best way to grind LOVE away, and was a mandatory exercise for reapers. Getting to a LOVE of twenty was beyond dangerous for one¡¯s sanity, and reapers would be pulled from the field if it got too high. He¡¯d never gotten higher than seventeen himself.

    But reducing LOVE was a slow process. It wasn¡¯t like he could just spend a day with Lucida and his LOVE would drop. It took days, sometimes weeks, to reduce it at all. The fact that he could just fall into Frisk, in a few senses of the word, and immediately have it chipped away was weird. But then, he¡¯d never heard of anyone doing that weird soul magic that they''d dubbed ¡°phasing.¡± Probably because he was pretty sure it wasn¡¯t possible for two monsters - only a human and a monster even could. And only monsters with the right type of pseudo-real bodies had a chance, too. Or maybe coherent magic of some kind, now that he thought about it.

    They were both silent for a little while, simply laying in each other¡¯s embrace, with nothing but the sound of contented breathing. After a minute or so, Frisk grabbed the blankets and snuggled into his side, arranging the pillows just so. They stayed like that for a long moment.

    ¡°I hope you¡¯ve had fun while you¡¯ve been away,¡± Frisk said eventually, then smirked up at him. ¡°How was Santiago?¡±

    He laughed.

    ¡°that was sent to you, was it?¡± he asked.

    ¡°You should see what the survivor said about you,¡± Frisk said. ¡°You left one hell of an impression.¡±

    He looked over at the loving expression on their face.

    ¡°it doesn¡¯t bother you at all, that i killed them?¡± he asked in a low tone.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know your reasons, but I trust your judgement,¡± they said, smiling. ¡°Plus, it sounds like you picked some nasty people to kill.¡±

    He sighed and squeezed them tight again.

    ¡°Speaking of¡­¡± they said, sounding a little uncertain.

    ¡°yeah?¡± he prompted.

    ¡°So, um, you were a little flamboyant, but it doesn¡¯t look like there¡¯s any concrete evidence, nothing that can¡¯t be swept under the rug, and again, they were particularly violent,¡± Frisk said a trifle awkwardly. ¡°Ah, so, it turns out that Flowey¡¯s advice was really quite profoundly helpful and things went amazingly well with Toriel and if it¡¯s at all possible, do you think we can keep this timeline?¡±

    He flinched hard at that.

    ¡°seriously¡­?¡± he asked. ¡°i thought it was bad, that you¡¯d really hurt her.¡±

    ¡°I did,¡± they said solemnly. ¡°And there were some really rough moments. But, um. I mean, undoing would mean not having hurt her in the first place, but where we are now is kind of amazingly awesome and¡­ and¡­ it¡¯s real, you know? No artifice, no second tries, just cutting loose and being honest with her, and letting her judge me. I mean, yeah, I aimed to phrase things according to Flowey¡¯s coaching, but¡­ but I didn¡¯t lie or anything.

    ¡°I lied to Papyrus, Alphys, and Undyne, saying you were on an emergency ambassador mission that I couldn¡¯t share details about, but that¡¯s it. But things with Toriel turned out¡­ it was¡­ it was honestly kind of beautiful? And, everything else can be fixed, I mean, it might be hard, but¡­¡±

    Frisk trailed off and looked at him hopefully. He closed his eyes.

    He couldn¡¯t quite manage to speak.

    ¡°A-also, I, um, I did something, I think you¡¯ll be okay with it, but I made Toriel two promises,¡± they said.

    He looked back over at them.

    ¡°One, I promised to discuss the plan with her before reloading, so she can have a say in it and stuff,¡± they said, fidgeting nervously with their hands. ¡°And two, um, it¡¯s sort of a whole thing, but basically, I made a promise to ¡®be good.¡¯ To strive to do the right thing, to not give up trying.¡±

    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    While he was murdering an innocent stranger to save some time and effort, Frisk was making an oath to someone equally real as that stranger. While he let himself be swayed into dark temptations, they were swearing to strive to be a good person.

    He squeezed them tightly to his chest again.

    ¡°A-are you okay, Sans?¡± they asked uneasily. ¡°You¡¯re trembling¡­¡±

    Part of him wanted to refuse to talk about it, but he remembered everything. The depth and stability of their devotion and their love. The little smile on their face as they admitted that they didn¡¯t even know if it was possible to lose respect for him.

    ¡°long range travel takes a lot out of me,¡± he said quietly. ¡°last night, i decided to do something fun which needed some souls. figured i¡¯d get ¡®em in a fun way while i was at it, and not too ethically questionable.¡±

    He sighed.

    ¡°this morning was a drag, though. and about an hour ago¡­ i just wanted to get back to you,¡± he admitted roughly.

    He found it hard to say anything further.

    ¡°... ah,¡± they said after a short silence. ¡°So you got another soul, but not as morally defensible.¡±

    ¡°yeah,¡± he said and sighed. ¡°i let the soul go right as we got here.¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s what that was,¡± Frisk said. ¡°It was weird.¡±

    ¡°heh,¡± he said.

    That was all their reaction was? ¡°Weird?¡±

    ¡°it was seven people i¡¯ve killed in the last day,¡± he said. ¡°and one of ¡®em was completely innocent, so far as i know. just, uh, convenient.¡±

    ¡°I guess that makes it easy,¡± Frisk said with a sad smile. ¡°Toriel would be furious if we kept it from her and she ever found out. And, if she had a say, she¡¯d prefer to reload. What¡¯s one great outcome to a relationship compared to an innocent person¡¯s life?¡±

    ¡°i guess,¡± he sighed. ¡°it¡¯s kinda messed up how chill you are about all this. about me murdering an innocent because i didn¡¯t feel like looking for more deserving targets. and how the idea of deceiving or upsetting toriel sounds like your biggest concern.¡±

    ¡°You almost sound like you want me to be upset with you?¡± Frisk asked.

    He sighed again, the sound almost a groan. It took him a moment to respond.

    ¡°i don¡¯t know what i want,¡± he said with a small laugh. ¡°tell me your thoughts on all this.¡±

    It suddenly occurred to him that it was a bit of a reversal of roles. Here he was, in a sense, asking them to judge him. Were they right? Did he want them to be upset with him? Weird that he didn¡¯t know.

    They paused for a moment, looking thoughtful.

    ¡°It¡¯s a mess,¡± Frisk said. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s right, I don¡¯t even know how to look at things the right way. Is reloading ¡®ending¡¯ everyone - is there something morally wrong with it? It feels like there is sometimes, but if so, what is wrong with it, and how major of a problem is it? It sure as hell feels like a reload after a few seconds is meaningless and a reload after six months is monstrous. But just because it feels that way, does it mean that¡¯s the case?¡±

    They laughed a little and it was an oddly mournful sound.

    ¡°Fuck if I know,¡± they said. ¡°I murdered everyone because I decided that it didn¡¯t matter, that I wasn¡¯t really doing anything wrong. In the process, I felt like the most evil person to ever exist, even though the whole time, I knew it would all be undone, that it would have never happened, that none of it mattered.¡±

    They paused for a moment and took a steadying breath.

    ¡°It did matter, though,¡± Frisk said in a low voice. ¡°I felt it at the time, though it wasn¡¯t until later that I accepted it. I blamed myself for what I¡¯d done - even as I did it, even as I was screaming in my mind that it was temporary. Continued to blame myself after it was undone and no one was hurt. And Toriel¡­¡±

    Their smile turned tender, a dance of gentle appreciation in their eyes.

    ¡°In our conversation, she brought that to greater clarity for me,¡± they said. ¡°She helped me to understand the way in which it mattered. Why they mattered, even though it was undone.¡±

    They chuckled softly.

    ¡°But I couldn¡¯t possibly understand any of that without living it,¡± they said. ¡°And it¡¯s not like I necessarily agree with everything Toriel thinks about things, either. But I sure as hell don¡¯t blame you for using the opportunity of the loops to learn things - about morality, about yourself, about whatever.¡±

    They reached up and stroked at his cheekbone softly, that gentle smile still on their lips.

    ¡°So of course I don¡¯t judge you for that,¡± they said. ¡°This is not an easy thing to figure out. And well¡­ you called me on my crap before you left. I took the coward¡¯s way out, didn¡¯t I? I decided not to face it, not to decide for myself, not to try to figure it out. To just trust your judgement and let that be the end of it. To be honest, that¡¯s probably a big chunk of the reason I¡¯m like this.¡±

    ¡°you can¡¯t,¡± he said, sighing. ¡°trust my judgement, that is.¡±

    ¡°Too bad,¡± they said teasingly.

    ¡°heh,¡± he said, smiling a little at their joke, but a strange sort of sorrow had filled him.

    It was sweet, but¡­ they were wrong. They trusted him, loved him, believed in him, they would do anything for him, and yet, he couldn¡¯t¡­

    He hugged them close again and sighed.

    ¡°You¡¯re upset,¡± they murmured after a long moment. ¡°Did I¡­?¡±

    ¡°no,¡± he said with a rueful chuckle. ¡°no, you didn¡¯t say or do anything wrong. i¡¯m just upset at myself for how unfair i am to you.¡±

    ¡°Unfair?¡± they asked, sounding surprised. ¡°Sans¡­ you¡¯ve given me so much. So much joy, so much satisfaction¡­¡±

    Their eyes glinted with some mischief and their voice was husky as they added, ¡°So much¡­ mmm¡­ pleasure.¡±

    They chuckled at that and he joined them. That was an understatement.

    ¡°In the last three days, I¡¯ve gotten everything I want, it feels like,¡± they said. ¡°Not literally everything important, like, I still need to figure out what to do with Chara, and I want Flowey to get a soul again. But you saying that, I feel like you don¡¯t get how happy you¡¯ve made me. How grateful I am to you.¡±

    He closed his eyes and stroked their hair, enjoying the soft sensation. He could probably confess it all to them and it¡¯d be fine. He could just tell them - a stabbing twist of pain tore at him at the thought - that he didn¡¯t love them because he was too goddamned selfish to do it right. That he wanted to use his influence over them to keep them content in his service, to keep them his and never let them go.

    He could. But how could he say the words, commit them to being spoken, when he didn¡¯t want them to be true?

    ¡°i¡¯m not as good a person as you think i am,¡± he murmured.

    ¡°That¡¯s possible,¡± they allowed. ¡°But I wonder where the mismatch is. Maybe I think too highly of you. Or, maybe I¡¯m right about you and you don¡¯t realize that I understand, and just love you anyway.¡±

    He had to hold his breath at the stab of pain those words elicited.

    ¡°I mean¡­ I¡¯d predicted, way back when, that you¡¯ve killed a lot of people,¡± they said, their tone low. ¡°Flowey and I joked about putting bets on your kill count one time, but we figured we¡¯d never actually find out so there was no point. We both figured your kill count was higher than mine. I knew, from the first day I met you, that you¡­ well. I mean, you¡¯d said that if it weren¡¯t for your promise, you¡¯d have killed me - that was literally in one of our first ever conversations, when I¡¯d been actually innocent and trying to do good.¡±

    They smiled at him tenderly as their words continued to lash at him.

    ¡°You spoke to me about giving up, when you were lost in Asriel¡¯s haze,¡± they said. ¡°Again, that was literally the first day we¡¯d met. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s been any misunderstandings on my part that¡­¡±

    They trailed off, eyebrows furrowing as they tried to find words.

    ¡°That you struggle, I guess,¡± they said after a moment, but then grinned at him. ¡°And yet, you try. Battered and broken, giving up sometimes, but still. When I murdered everyone, you were honestly amazing.¡±

    They were giving him more credit than he was owed. He¡¯d been trained as a reaper, as someone whose job it was to kill. Not to win battles, but to take souls. That had given him an edge against Frisk, combined with the benefits from the accident six years ago, as well as his studies of timespace stuff, no question. But that was training and circumstance, not who he was as a person.

    ¡°i¡¯m skilled at combat, and i made a bunch of plans based on studying you and the time stuff, sure,¡± he said. ¡°but honestly, frisk, it¡¯s not exactly brave to fight against something if that¡¯s the only way to save your own life. i didn¡¯t do anything special, i just had extra skills and tools.¡±

    Frisk leaned up and kissed his cheek lovingly.

    ¡°So, then, the truth is I know better than you do, on that front,¡± Frisk said teasingly. ¡°Also, don¡¯t be ridiculous. You didn¡¯t talk about him, but there¡¯s no way you were just fighting for yourself.¡±

    ¡°heh,¡± he said, smiling a little. ¡°yeah, fine, i¡¯d have been fighting for papyrus. but still, fighting for your own loved ones isn¡¯t special.¡±

    They kissed him again.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t just fight, you bonehead,¡± they said affectionately. ¡°I have seen far too many monsters in their final extremes, in their last moments, when the end comes for them and they face it. You didn¡¯t refuse to accept the situation - you weren¡¯t like Undyne, coming at me with the expectation of victory. You didn¡¯t run away and hide and hope someone else would fix things. You weren¡¯t in denial, you didn¡¯t put forth any pointless bluffs, you didn¡¯t put in just enough effort to make yourself feel like your death wasn¡¯t meaningless.¡±

    Their eyes burned with fierce admiration as they gazed at him and it scorched his soul.

    ¡°You knew from the moment I walked into that hall that victory was mine, if I chose,¡± they said. ¡°The odds weren¡¯t just stacked against you, you knew it might be the case that it was literally impossible for you to succeed. A single error, a single missed dodge in a single timeline, and you¡¯d lose everything. You felt hopeless - you outright admitted that. But you didn¡¯t just try, you gave me everything. You believed you couldn¡¯t win, and yet never accepted defeat.¡±

    Their smile managed to grow brighter, their gaze yet more fierce.

    ¡°Because as much as you won¡¯t admit it to yourself, you do care,¡± they said. ¡°So much. You struggle, but deep down, it all matters to you. You just don¡¯t want to face it until you have to, that¡¯s all. That doesn¡¯t mean it doesn¡¯t matter, it just means that you¡¯re looking away.¡±

    He was silent as he stared at the ceiling.

    The pain in his chest was proof he cared, even if he didn¡¯t want to think about it. So they were at least a little right.

    ¡°maybe you have a point,¡± he admitted.

    ¡°Damn right I do,¡± they said, and for some reason, they sounded incredibly proud.

    Proud of him, presumably.

    They shouldn¡¯t be proud of him, they needed to understand¡­

    ¡°i¡¯m too selfish to love you,¡± he said, surprised to hear the words emerging from his mouth.

    He had been thinking they needed to understand, and apparently that¡¯s now what was happening.

    Whatever.

    He couldn¡¯t look at them as he said this.

    ¡°i know what love is, i know what¡¯s right, and this isn¡¯t,¡± he said bitterly. ¡°fact is, frisk, how i feel about you¡­ after everything that¡¯s happened, i just want to do whatever it takes to keep you for myself, even if it hurts you, holds you back. i feel like i don¡¯t want you to heal, if it means you¡¯d¡­¡±

    He cut off, his throat tight. He felt warmth on his cheek again, the soft press of lips against his pseudo-flesh, and pain lashed at him. They shouldn¡¯t¡­

    ¡°People can simultaneously want cookies and also to lose weight,¡± Frisk said, their tone light, teasing, happy, and amused, as though he hadn¡¯t just admitted to doing wrong by them. ¡°Contradictory desires are normal. I think a part of you wants to hold on no matter what - and that¡¯s bringing me no small amount of joy, might I add - but if I wanted to change in a way that would make this end, hard as that is to imagine? I have no doubts, Sans. You would encourage me and you would let me go, even if it was hard.¡±

    ¡°i don¡¯t know if that¡¯s true,¡± he said.

    ¡°I do,¡± they said with a laugh, the sound rich with joy and love, the sound echoing in his chest in ways both healing and hurting. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t matter anyway. I don¡¯t want to change. So don¡¯t worry about it. Hold on as tight as you like.¡±

    He smiled a little and squeezed them close.

    ¡°i know you¡¯ve got reason to see things the way you do,¡± he said. ¡°at the same time, i know my own mind. i want to be better than i am, but the fact is¡­¡±

    He couldn¡¯t find the words.

    ¡°Fact is, you want to use me for selfish purposes, even though you think it¡¯s wrong,¡± they said, amusement thick in their voice. ¡°You killed some people for fun, and killed someone else for convenience, in a dead timeline, despite the intense hostility you hold towards Flowey for similar crap, showing some hypocrisy. You¡¯ve hurt people, manipulated them, including your own brother, and isolated yourself to extreme degrees, shoving away everyone who ever cared about you.¡±

    That wasn¡¯t quite the issue he had with Flowey, but it wasn¡¯t worth correcting.

    ¡°you¡¯re not exactly making me feel better here,¡± he muttered.

    They chuckled.

    ¡°And I love you anyway,¡± they said firmly. ¡°I know all that, I get that, and I still love you. And it¡¯s not just craziness, I fell in love with you before the whole genocide timeline. I didn¡¯t know everything, but I knew enough. You¡¯ve got room to grow, to heal, just like me. Stop hating yourself for not being healed and let yourself be loved so you can.¡±

    He started laughing at that. It was strange since it wasn¡¯t exactly funny, and he wasn¡¯t laughing hard, but the laughter just kept coming. It left a soft, warm feeling in its wake that he didn¡¯t want to face, didn¡¯t want to name, and yet soaked in the sensation of it anyway. The laughter faded, but the warmth remained.

    ¡°i¡¯m going to ask something of you that you don¡¯t want to do,¡± he said.

    ¡°Anything,¡± they said, looking at him intensely.

    He smiled.

    ¡°i figured,¡± he said. ¡°but what i want breaks against the whole reason you¡¯re devoted to me in the first place, so it¡¯s kind of an asshole thing to do to you.¡±

    They blinked and looked uncertain.

    ¡°figuring out what¡¯s right, knowing what to do¡­¡± he sighed. ¡°i can¡¯t do it on my own. i need your help.¡±

    Their gaze softened and they smiled.

    ¡°I can¡¯t promise to be any good at it,¡± they said with a little laugh. ¡°But I will try. I think we¡¯ll both need help, really. There¡¯s Toriel, Papyrus¡­¡±

    ¡°not flowey,¡± Sans said and Frisk laughed.

    ¡°Nah, he¡¯d actually be great for some things,¡± they said. ¡°He¡¯s got some interesting perspectives. Like, he doesn¡¯t care about murder, but he¡¯s seriously annoyed by hypocrisy.¡±

    ¡°figures,¡± Sans said with a laugh. ¡°so he¡¯d probably judge me for today.¡±

    Frisk grinned, looking deeply amused.

    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t care about you killing those people,¡± they said. ¡°You could kill as many as you like. He¡¯d be all over the idea of you being a hypocrite, though - he wants to convince me of how awful you are. He really resents you for how much you¡¯ve killed him, how brutal and hostile you were, especially back in the beginning when he tried to be nice.¡±

    Sans chuckled a little.

    ¡°gotta admit, my plan wasn¡¯t exactly peaceful, when i first saw the timeline reports a year ago,¡± he said. ¡°i figured whatever caused it could just be killed and that¡¯d fix the problem. and if no one knew¡­¡±

    Frisk giggled at that.

    ¡°Apparently, you¡¯d also kill him for being Alphys¡¯ experimental flower,¡± they said.

    ¡°makes sense,¡± he said. ¡°i mean, a soulless creature like that is dangerous, and i wouldn¡¯t have wanted anything to upset alphys. she wasn¡¯t exactly having a great time, with the amalgamates and everything.¡±

    ¡°It sounds like he has a point, that you were being unfair to him,¡± Frisk said, a little caution in their voice. ¡°I totally get why, of course - I¡¯ve wanted to kill Flowey myself on a number of occasions.¡±

    He laughed.

    ¡°yeah, i was being unfair,¡± he said. ¡°i realized it before, too. i changed my plans months before you fell.¡±

    Frisk nodded.

    ¡°I know,¡± they said. ¡°Flowey had a timeline figured out, of when he could make friends where you might spot him, and stuff like that.¡±

    He winced. He hadn¡¯t quite thought about it like that¡­

    ¡°i guess i can see how that would be the case,¡± he admitted.

    ¡°Um¡­¡± Frisk said, fidgeting a little. ¡°I know he, uh, sometimes totally deserves to die, especially in his last decade or so - we¡¯re guessing, he hasn¡¯t kept track of time - but in his early years, he really kind of didn¡¯t. Um, it would actually really mean a lot to him and surprise him if you, uh, apologized? For, um, that part?¡±

    ¡°he doesn¡¯t even feel emotions, hardly,¡± Sans said.

    ¡°He does,¡± Frisk said. ¡°They¡¯re just¡­ weird? Echoes of emotion. Nervousness, but until my genocide run, he¡¯d forgotten what fear felt like.¡±

    Sans snickered at that.

    ¡°Amusement, but not joy,¡± Frisk continued. ¡°Disappointment and loss, but not sorrow. Fondness and appreciation, but not love, compassion, or true caring. That sort of thing. Does that make sense?¡±

    Sans nodded and sighed. He supposed that he was going to be dealing with Flowey more, now that they were all connected through the timeloops. So he probably would need to figure out a way to work with him.

    ¡°you worked with him a lot with these loops, haven¡¯t you?¡± Sans asked.

    Frisk smiled a little.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± they said. ¡°Usually straightforward, pragmatic things, but in the last month, I¡¯ve talked to him more. You¡¯d said you didn¡¯t want to know how we handled ambassador business in the dead-end timelines, and Flowey really enjoyed helping with that sort of thing.¡±

    ¡°i bet,¡± Sans said with a smile.

    As much as he didn¡¯t like the little weed, he had to admit, he did get a twisted sort of amusement at the idea of siccing him on some of the more annoying politicians. On the people trying to oppose things like monsters being allowed to visit places or have other rights.

    Hell, he might even have Flowey to blame for how smoothly things had gone, come to think of it. Frisk was the official ambassador, but they were also practically compulsively honest, kind, and could be naive at times. He could see real politicians eating them alive. Flowey, though¡­ especially with the sort of shit they could get up to with the resets¡­

    ¡°now that i¡¯m in the loops, i probably should know,¡± he said. ¡°how bad is flowey with that stuff?¡±

    Frisk flinched.

    ¡°Uh,¡± they said awkwardly. ¡°That reminds me of a thing I should have mentioned ages ago.¡±

    ¡°oh?¡± he asked, a little concerned.

    ¡°We, um, made a set of rules for dead-end timelines,¡± they said. ¡°In shorter ones, I¡¯d just text you a quick note of whatever relevant thing you agreed to - you¡¯re always great about believing me with stuff like that, I really appreciate it.¡±

    He smiled. Yeah, if he got a text from them saying that his alternate self agreed to something, he¡¯d just go along with it, as long as he didn¡¯t have to do anything himself. Even from the day they¡¯d met, once he realized how their power worked.

    ¡°lemme guess,¡± he said. ¡°the rules we agreed on let him be a piece of work.¡±

    ¡°Uh, yeah,¡± they said. ¡°He¡¯s not allowed to take over the time power with souls, and uh, you never were okay with him getting souls at all, actually. He¡¯ll be kind of pissed about you getting the souls you did.¡±

    He had to admit, that made sense.

    ¡°He probably has played around with souls, to be honest,¡± they said. ¡°The power is mental enough that I bet he could sort of mentally ¡®step back,¡¯ if you will, and not interfere in my use of the power. He could just not mention it to me, and I¡¯d never know.¡±

    Sans would be surprised if Flowey hadn¡¯t done so. He figured Frisk had just not asked, and neither had his other selves. Easiest to just not think about it.

    ¡°Basically, a lot of limits were removed from you both,¡± they said. ¡°Unless he was helping me in the context of my work, in which case you left him alone, you were allowed to kill him if he did anything that he could predict would piss you off. If you did, he wasn¡¯t allowed to retaliate at all. He also was generally not allowed to start crap with you - not that he wanted to.

    ¡°But you agreed to not look into his stuff, into his activities. That you¡¯d know full well that he was probably doing, uh, morally questionable things, and you¡¯d just agree to look the other way, unless whatever he did wasn¡¯t really ignorable. He kills some random people, sure; he kills Papyrus, and you wreck him.¡±

    He nodded.

    ¡°have i killed him since coming to the surface?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Not that I know of,¡± they said. ¡°He¡¯d gotten good at avoiding your attention, so while I haven¡¯t asked, I doubt it.¡±

    He nodded in agreement. He hadn¡¯t even seen Flowey at all until Frisk had pushed the loops far too hard in that one trial a few months ago, and other than him occasionally appearing in pictures with Frisk in the news, hadn¡¯t seen him once, outside of the context of those trials.

    ¡°So, um,¡± they said, scratching at their head awkwardly. ¡°Sometimes, he¡¯d suggest that he handle information gathering, and I¡¯d be better off not knowing, so, um, I would agree? And then we¡¯d reload and he¡¯d tell me what he learned and we¡¯d use that for whatever purpose? So I actually don¡¯t really know how bad it was, and I probably don¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°and you never told me any of that, because i said i didn¡¯t want to know how you handled the work stuff,¡± Sans mused.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± they said.

    ¡°you¡¯ve used the loops more than i¡¯d realized, haven¡¯t you?¡± he asked.

    They nodded.

    ¡°I¡¯d talk to you about it once I realized I needed to loop,¡± they said. ¡°Which meant we were already in the dead timeline, so you don¡¯t remember. We¡¯ve had that conversation a bunch, maybe once every couple of weeks. But I¡¯d only need to talk to you about it once per situation, and then I¡¯d either just keep reloading without mentioning it, or text you quickly what you¡¯d agreed to, if necessary.¡±

    ¡°and then never mentioned it in the true timeline,¡± he said.

    ¡°It just never came up?¡± they said. ¡°You didn¡¯t want to talk about work stuff, so I didn¡¯t want to bother you. And I was usually tired and fed up with it by the time we were satisfied that we didn¡¯t need to change things again.¡±

    ¡°and the alarm app - how often do you deal with that?¡± Sans asked.

    ¡°More ever since Undyne found out about the loops,¡± Frisk said with a dry laugh. ¡°But maybe a couple dozen times since we put it in place, tops?¡±

    He drummed his fingers over their arm, thinking.

    ¡°and now i¡¯ll be aware of all of that,¡± he muttered. ¡°weird to think that before, it didn¡¯t mean anything to me. i wouldn¡¯t even notice.¡±

    ¡°And now it¡¯s going to be this huge thing,¡± Frisk said with a laugh. ¡°I already generally tell you when I¡¯m going to save, but now, it¡¯ll be extra important to keep track of what you¡¯re doing, and to make sure I always mention it.¡±

    He nodded distantly. Before, if they¡¯d saved before his game with Alphys and Undyne and the group, he¡¯d have just unknowingly replayed it however many times - everyone having fun and no idea it was repeating. Now, there was no way. He¡¯d want to ditch them, because repeating would take all the fun out of it.

    And hell, if it were an emergency with the alarm app, he wouldn¡¯t even have forewarning. He might have to repeat conversations, games, comedy routines, all sorts of things, trying to imitate or improve on what he¡¯d done the first time around.

    In other words, he had managed to completely fail to consider the downsides of remembering the resets.

    Whatever. He¡¯d figure it out, it¡¯d be fine. He had a great memory and most of his interactions were artifice of some kind or another anyway. Dealing with annoyances was nothing compared to the existential dread of knowing his existence, his very self, was just going to be erased and lost over and over and over again.

    ¡°we¡¯ll figure it out,¡± he said. ¡°worst case, it takes a few tries, right?¡±

    They laughed and beamed at him.

    ¡°i think i¡¯d like more time before resetting,¡± he said. ¡°but do you have a plan with toriel?¡±

    ¡°Not yet,¡± they said, frowning. ¡°We¡¯re planning to discuss tomorrow. She wants to try to come up with her own plan, too, and we¡¯ll compare ideas.¡±

    ¡°huh,¡± he said. ¡°hadn¡¯t thought you¡¯d get her to do it.¡±

    ¡°It was her idea!¡± they protested and he laughed. ¡°Also, uh, if you¡¯re wanting extra time anyway, Flowey was kinda hoping to extend it to a week from Thursday?¡±

    ¡°why?¡± he asked.

    ¡°... to be honest, I¡¯m often afraid to ask Flowey that question,¡± they admitted sheepishly. ¡°It might be just money-related, though. We¡¯re still mostly using the information from the long reset - we memorized a list of useful tidbits till December - but it¡¯s not like we could bring notes with us. It¡¯s good to take advantage when the opportunity comes up.¡±

    He nodded. Another four months of foreknowledge to go.

    ¡°if you think it¡¯s a good idea to wait till then, i don¡¯t care,¡± he said.

    That wasn¡¯t really true. The thought of Papyrus twisted in his stomach. If he hadn¡¯t remembered, this version of Papyrus would have still had a brother. And now¡­

    ¡°but i don¡¯t want to think about anything right now,¡± he said.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s relax and not think for a while,¡± Frisk said, smiling and snuggling up against his side.

    He laughed at that. What the hell, why not. Nothing really mattered in this timeline, Frisk wasn¡¯t even slightly upset with him for what he¡¯d done, and things with Toriel were going to work out great.

    He had nothing to worry about. With Frisk¡¯s warmth pressing in his side, his body and soul brimming with strength, and his mind in a pleasant haze of satisfaction, he could almost even believe that.

 Ch. 33 - Plans

    After a pleasant little nap, Sans headed off again, though he said he wasn¡¯t going to go as far this time. He said he''d wanted to think, and maybe snatch Frisk away on occasion, which was going to make Frisk¡¯s attempt to stay focused extremely challenging, but they were up for trying.

    The night passed, and the next day was a rather strange one.

    They¡¯d had dead timelines dozens of times before, and the majority of them were even planned. It wasn¡¯t too uncommon to need multi-day long stretches for political things - nothing government related ever seemed to go quickly.

    They practically had a routine. They would cut themself off aggressively from everyone other than Flowey, for starters. With him, prior to their conversation a month ago, they¡¯d tried to keep things straightforward and focused. That conversation the previous month had shifted their relationship into something more real and personal, and so since then, they¡¯d interact more freely.

    Still, with everyone else, it was emotional lockdown, unless they had to work together. A simple lie about some sort of secret political issue that they were extremely busy with, and that was all it took. Frisk¡¯s friends weren¡¯t exactly happy about it, but they were understanding. And what was a few days or weeks, really? It was a bigger problem in the six month long reset, but shorter ones, it was no trouble.

    For anything involving more than a few days, they just stayed in a hotel, cutting off things with Toriel. Any personal commitments, all put aside. Only Sans understood, and he¡¯d occasionally run interference for them - keeping Toriel off their back, for example.

    Simple, straightforward. Lonely, of course. They would try not to think about the others, since missing them too much would hurt. They¡¯d just throw themself into work and if they grew desperate, they could try talking to Flowey or maybe play some random online games with strangers or something, just to keep sane.

    That was what they usually would do, and while it wasn¡¯t always easy, it was fine.

    This time, though¡­ this time their work was the personal stuff.

    How could they avoid thinking about the effects of this dead timeline on Toriel, while they were actively making plans for revealing things to her?

    Or Papyrus? They knew that he¡¯d been lonely the previous night, and would be again during this week. Alone, abandoned, with no idea why. Before, he¡¯d have had Sans. But now the only interaction anyone had with Sans was him texting Frisk, showing up to whisk them away, and then disappearing again afterwards. Not that they objected to his company, but it made it impossible to forget that he¡¯d disappeared for everyone else.

    Frisk struggled with it all. It was strange, really. Other than random bits of great sex, it was a day where nothing meaningful happened at all. Why was it so emotionally draining?

    Still, they got work done, at least. They came up with a plan for Toriel and called Flowey to have him give it a look over. He thought it was risky - they were revealing too much and being too sentimental about it, but he begrudgingly agreed that it should work. He did give some suggestions on how to tweak things, and they took notes. He could be creepy as hell, but he knew his stuff.

    The afternoon passed in peace, and they were stolen away again.

    <hr>

    ¡°Sans!¡± Frisk said happily as they appeared in his Snowdin living room. They looked around. ¡°Not the bedroom?¡±

    He laughed and pulled them down with him to the couch.

    ¡°i do like your company for more than just sex,¡± he said.

    They nestled in closer to his side.

    ¡°Sure, other things are nice, too, I suppose,¡± they said, their tone teasing.

    ¡°you¡¯re insatiable,¡± he said with a grin.

    ¡°It¡¯s all your fault, making me horribly addicted to cumming on your cock,¡± they said, grinning back at him. ¡°You feel too good to resist¡­¡±

    He probably shouldn¡¯t be pleased at the idea of them being as addicted to this as he was. Oh, well. His touch grew more deliberate as he ran his hand down their side.

    ¡°i¡¯m beginning to wonder if we¡¯ll be able to have a conversation without taking you first,¡± he said.

    ¡°Mmm, that doesn¡¯t seem like the worst problem to have,¡± they said and then relaxed against him. ¡°Really, though, this is nice, too.¡±

    ¡°it is,¡± he said. ¡°i figured it was a good time for the ¡®timeline basics¡¯ conversation you said we needed to have.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s way less sexy,¡± they said and he laughed. ¡°We mostly covered it yesterday, actually. There''s only a few more things.¡±

    ¡°hmm,¡± he said. ¡°i wonder if i¡¯ll get distracted while you¡¯re talking. at least one of us should stay focused.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to be the death of me,¡± Frisk said, giggling.

    Pleasant memories danced in his mind, intense and compelling.

    ¡°y¡¯know, it¡¯s really weird to admit this, but even though it¡¯s only been a couple of days, i really miss that,¡± he said.

    ¡°Killing me, you mean?¡± Frisk asked.

    ¡°yeah,¡± he said.

    He smiled. He¡¯d never told them how it felt to kill them, with all their little tricks. That would hit them hard, wouldn¡¯t it?

    ¡°the way it feels to have the full power of your soul, carrying your pleasure into my whole body,¡± he said and felt them tremble at his words. ¡°and all of it rushing through my dick, enhancing my own orgasm even as i¡¯m flooded with yours¡­¡±

    Their whimpers were fantastic, even if saying it that way felt a little awkward to him personally.

    ¡°Oh my god, Sans, that is so¡­¡± Frisk said, gazing up at him with naked hunger.

    He loved that look.

    ¡°and you got me to agree to keep this timeline for over a week, for flowey¡¯s sake,¡± he said with a grin.

    The look of horrified realization on their face was hilarious.

    ¡°Maybe we should just kill Flowey,¡± Frisk said, squirming against him.

    He couldn¡¯t help it and burst out laughing at that.

    ¡°somehow i think he¡¯d be pissed at that idea,¡± Sans said dryly. ¡°i¡¯m guessing you told him that i agreed?¡±

    ¡°That was a terrible mistake,¡± Frisk whimpered. ¡°I just wanted him to be less afraid that he was going to be sidelined!¡±

    ¡°oh?¡± Sans asked, stroking along their neck.

    ¡°A-ah, Sans, I¡­ it¡¯s hard to focus on this topic when¡­¡± they said and he grinned.

    ¡°it¡¯s fun to watch you try,¡± he said. ¡°you talk shop, and we¡¯ll see how long you squirm before i feel like doing something about it.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re evil,¡± Frisk groaned. ¡°Pure evil. Did anyone ever tell you that?¡±

    ¡°muhahaha!¡± he laughed, in a ridiculously overdone villain way.

    ¡°I¡¯m doomed,¡± they said, trying and failing not to giggle at his antics.

    Frisk was just so much fun to mess with.

    ¡°yep,¡± he said. ¡°anyway, you were saying about flowey?¡±

    He started tracing patterns on their thigh and they trembled again.

    ¡°I have no idea! What was I saying?¡± they asked.

    ¡°he was worried about being sidelined?¡± he prompted.

    ¡°Right,¡± they said, and shivered as he started to remove their shirt. ¡°Oh my god, Sans. Okay, okay. He¡¯d hoped that if there were lots of people who remembered, you¡¯d take their thoughts and¡­ that feels nice¡­ um, take their opinions into consideration. Dilute the impact of you owning me, and me having the power.¡±

    Their shirt and bra were off and he turned them to face away, pulling them onto his chest as he leaned back. He started lightly playing with their breasts and they moaned. This was definitely the best way to get briefed on things, he¡¯d decided.

    ¡°i see,¡± he said. ¡°but without that, he¡¯s just subject to whatever the hell i want.¡±

    What would be a fun way to mess with them¡­ ah, he had it. He thickened up one hand with his ¡°pseudo-flesh,¡± making it soft and smooth, which he used to gently caress one breast. The other, he left as bare bone, and roughly clawed at the other breast. They writhed against him, making the cutest noises of confused need, and he chuckled.

    ¡°H-he knows I care about him,¡± they said, gasping. ¡°And that you care about me, so he¡¯s not worried that he¡¯ll be¡­ god¡­ that he¡¯ll be completely disregarded. But nearly so.¡±

    ¡°hmm,¡± Sans said, pinching their nipples far too gently for their tastes. ¡°what do you want?¡±

    ¡°God, Sans, I want you to take me hard, make me cum, kill me, and do it again,¡± they said, and he laughed.

    ¡°and about flowey?¡± he prodded and they sighed in an overexaggerated way, making him laugh again.

    ¡°Thoughts are hard for some unknown reason,¡± they said in a biting tone, and he pinched their nipple hard, making them squeak.

    ¡°i¡¯m sure you can manage,¡± he said.

    They groaned at that.

    ¡°I¡­ would normally try to choose my words carefully, Sans, you¡¯re making this difficult,¡± they said.

    ¡°ah, so you¡¯re saying i should do this any time i want to know what you¡¯re really thinking, without filters,¡± he said as he undid the button of their jeans.

    ¡°You can always ask! This isn¡¯t necessary!¡± they squeaked.

    ¡°but it¡¯s more fun this way,¡± he said, thoroughly amused. ¡°so, flowey?¡±

    ¡°Oh my god,¡± they said and he grinned. ¡°Okay! Things are complicated with him, but I care about him a lot, he¡¯s precious to me in ways that are hard to describe. I want him to be happy and to have a good future, and also to become Asriel again, because he¡¯s just this broken echo of a wonderful soul right now. And he can be a manipulative bastard and a complete asshole, but I still think he deserves a happy ending, too.¡±

    His hands had slowed as they spoke.

    He¡¯d known that they were connected to Flowey, that it ran deep. He¡¯d commented on it the day they¡¯d first had sex, even. Still, hearing it like this¡­ he was going to have to change his approach to Flowey, for Frisk¡¯s sake. Try to be less hostile.

    ¡°makes sense,¡± he said, resuming his efforts at removing their pants. ¡°alright, what¡¯s the rest of it? the timeline basics stuff?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t guarantee I¡¯m going to remember everything,¡± they squeaked as their underwear was pulled off.

    ¡°that¡¯s fine,¡± he said. ¡°we can always do this again. so?¡±

    ¡°You and me and Flowey are - eep! - we¡¯re it for the loopers,¡± they said, breathing heavily as his hands roamed. ¡°S-so, um, we should be respectful of each other and stuff. A lot¡¯s on me because I control the power, but um, things like informing everyone when we need to do loops a-and stuff.¡±

    ¡°you haven¡¯t always done that for flowey, though,¡± Sans said, his hand wandering further down. ¡°he was pretty pissed about that a few months ago.¡±

    ¡°T-this has b-been a work in pr- god, Sans - progress,¡± they managed as he toyed with their clit.

    They seemed to be having a great deal of trouble concentrating. Man, this was fun. He could do this to them all day¡­ other than the issue of mounting temptations.

    ¡°I admit I haven¡¯t, um, paid as much attention to him with the saves thing as he would like,¡± they managed. ¡°B-but with the way things have changed, um.¡±

    He moved away from their clit and started brushing his fingers up and down their whole body - all that he could reach, from their head to their knees.

    ¡°you think we should be more mindful of him,¡± Sans said.

    ¡°Y-yeah,¡± they said. ¡°Before, um, before you didn¡¯t really get how annoying some things could be, but now you will, so maybe it¡¯ll be easier to think about that sort of thing.¡±

    ¡°annoying?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Like if I saved while you were in the middle of a conversation,¡± they said.

    ¡°huh,¡± he said. ¡°yeah, that would be annoying.¡±

    ¡°So we¡¯re kind of a trio, the three of us,¡± they said, then let out a breathy moan as he rubbed soothingly at their shoulders. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting¡­ that feels nice¡­¡±

    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°doesn¡¯t have to be just sexual pleasure,¡± he said with a chuckle. ¡°go on.¡±

    ¡°He wants a meeting, all three of us,¡± they said, their words flowing more easily now that he was rubbing their shoulders instead of their clit. ¡°Clear the air, sort of thing.¡±

    ¡°what would we need to talk about?¡± Sans grumbled, halfway between resigned and frustrated. ¡°mostly we¡¯d just want to not be in each other¡¯s way, i figure.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know for sure,¡± they said, then moaned more sensually as he returned to playing with their breasts. ¡°But we are all bound together, the three of us. We probably should be on speaking terms, and Flowey doesn¡¯t want to be alone with you.¡±

    That was a treat to hear.

    ¡°scared of being killed still, after all this time?¡± Sans asked with a chuckle.

    He reached down and spread their legs, letting his fingers roam around their exposed pussy.

    ¡°U-u-uh, no, I d-don¡¯t think so,¡± they gasped. ¡°I don¡¯t know for sure, I just have g-guesses¡­ god, Sans¡­¡±

    ¡°and what are your guesses?¡± he prodded.

    ¡°I¡¯m the one w-with power,¡± they said, squirming as he brought them closer to the edge. He¡¯d have to be careful. ¡°He¡¯s interested in m-me, not you. For l-lots of reasons. Mmm¡­ But he has no hold on you at all, and he hates feeling powerless.¡±

    ¡°gotcha,¡± he said. ¡°he wants all three of us together because you care about him, and i care about you, so that he can use that to manipulate me.¡±

    ¡°I t-think there¡¯s more to it than that, but I can¡¯t think,¡± they said.

    Regardless of what varied motivations Flowey might have, Sans really did not want to deal with that crap. On multiple levels and for multiple reasons.

    ¡°well, i¡¯m not interested in meeting up,¡± he grumbled, hugging them tight for a moment. ¡°but i can see why it¡¯s probably necessary. i don¡¯t intend to let him control me, through you or otherwise.¡±

    ¡°No, but we should try to be fair,¡± they said.

    ¡°i guess, if we¡¯re stuck together, we¡¯ll have to be,¡± he grumbled. ¡°was that all?¡±

    They pressed into him and he began to touch them again.

    ¡°Um, almost, and I think that means you agree? Do you know when you want to meet?¡± they asked.

    ¡°sometime before you reset, i guess,¡± he said. ¡°and not right away. i really don¡¯t feel like it.¡±

    ¡°A-anything else you maybe do feel like?¡± they asked hopefully and he chuckled.

    ¡°possibly,¡± he said, grinning. ¡°so that¡¯s all, then?¡±

    They groaned.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know anything,¡± they said, their tone overdramatic.

    ¡°so that means i should try to make you more desperate,¡± he said, playfully solemn. ¡°and only reward you when you¡¯ve succeeded and you¡¯re sure you¡¯ve told me everything.¡±

    His hand returned to their clit and his tongue darted down to their nipples. They moaned.

    ¡°God, Sans¡­¡± they said.

    ¡°if you don¡¯t finish telling me everything before i decide i¡¯ve had enough, maybe i¡¯ll just take your mouth and make sure you don¡¯t cum from it. order you not to cum, even. leave you whimpering and wanting,¡± he said.

    ¡°No, no, you wouldn¡¯t!¡± they said, jerking against him.

    ¡°yeah, i¡¯ve definitely never enjoyed the thought of you writhing in need, unable to do anything about it,¡± he said, a cruel laugh in his voice.

    They whimpered at that. He shifted the way they lay against him so they could feel his erection against their ass.

    ¡°but there¡¯s a way out for you,¡± he murmured into their ear. ¡°and not much time.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay, I can do this,¡± they said, and he started laughing as he toyed with their nipples again. ¡°Oh my god. Okay. I can¡¯t remember! God! No, wait, Sans, I remember a thing.¡±

    ¡°a thing?¡± he asked, amused.

    ¡°The timeline rules I told you about,¡± they said. ¡°You remember them?¡±

    ¡°yep,¡± he said. ¡°pretty straightforward.¡±

    ¡°We made them before,¡± they said. ¡°They might need revising, and also, you should agree to them on your own, and not just because a previous version of you agreed to them.¡±

    ¡°you¡¯re doing a really good job at this,¡± Sans said. ¡°maybe it was too easy.¡±

    He pulled down his shorts and pushed them onto the couch, onto their hands and knees. They moaned as he slowly slid into them from behind.

    ¡°God, Sans! That¡­ that feels¡­¡± they gasped.

    ¡°don¡¯t cum until i say you can,¡± he said and they whimpered again. ¡°now, where were we?¡±

    An inarticulate noise of exasperation, frustration, lust, and pleasure escaped them, and Sans just laughed.

    ¡°not sure you¡¯ve told me everything,¡± he said. ¡°are you going to cum today, frisk?¡±

    ¡°Please¡­¡± they whimpered.

    ¡°that won¡¯t work this time,¡± he said with another laugh. ¡°the idea of you writhing, aching, wishing for me while you just claw at yourself uselessly¡­ it¡¯s hot.¡±

    They whimpered again as he thrust a little faster.

    ¡°so are you going to cum on my dick, or am i going to enjoy the thought of your suffering for the rest of the day?¡± he asked.

    ¡°I want to cum,¡± they said. ¡°I can¡¯t think¡­ Sans, I can¡¯t, I can¡¯t¡­¡±

    ¡°i¡¯m going to love taking your mouth later, seeing that look on your face,¡± he said with a dark grin. ¡°you¡¯re enjoying the thought, too. i can feel your pussy clenching on me. getting pretty close, frisk. not a lot of time.¡±

    He felt the shift in their soul and laughed again at the feel of it. They had given themself over to their determination. If he could see their face, he¡¯d be seeing the immortal horror and not the Frisk he adored. This was so much fun.

    ¡°The meeting with Flowey,¡± they said, gasping and focused. ¡°Clarifying that you know the rules, and that you should commit to them yourself, instead of just agreeing with a past self. Establishing the timeline relationship as a trio, and the need to treat Flowey as a part of all this in fair ways. That was all, I really think that was all.¡±

    ¡°you¡¯re saying you already told me everything?¡± he asked. ¡°what might happen to you if it turns out you forgot something?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯d have given more details,¡± they gasped. ¡°But those were the main points. Please, Sans, please let me cum¡­¡±

    ¡°seems a shame to let you ¡®get off¡¯ that easy,¡± he said with a chuckle, having to slow down a little to keep things under control.

    ¡°I remembered, I did it, please, please, please¡­¡± they moaned and he had to slow down even more.

    God, he loved it when they begged.

    ¡°you¡¯re lucky you feel so good,¡± he said with a groan. ¡°i want to cum like this, and i want you to cum with me. it¡¯s a shame to lose out on that fantasy, though.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t want you to lose out, but¡­ I¡­¡±

    ¡°i know just what to do,¡± he said with a laugh, shifting his angle on their pussy to drive them a little harder. ¡°i¡¯ll just swing by later and torment you then. let you go to bed desperate, aching for my next visit.¡±

    ¡°Sans¡­ I¡­¡± they whimpered.

    ¡°say it,¡± he said. ¡°say you want to suffer for me, and then you will have permission to cum.¡±

    They cried out in twisted pleasure.

    ¡°I¡­ want to¡­ I want to suffer for you,¡± they gasped.

    ¡°good,¡± he said and cut loose, pounding into them hard.

    He strained to hold back just long enough for them to clench around his dick, and he burst within them. They screamed out his name and he groaned as their orgasm ripped through him. He sagged against their back and panted as he soaked in the waves of pleasure.

    ¡°that was good,¡± he said after his mind started working again. ¡°you did an impressive job, frisk. good thing you like to suffer, else i¡¯d be a little disappointed in losing out on that fun little idea.¡±

    ¡°God, Sans,¡± they said.

    ¡°you looking forward to it?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Y-yes,¡± they admitted.

    ¡°what a treat you are,¡± he said, settling back onto the couch and pulling them to his chest again.

    They laughed, an odd sound of joy, relief, and amused exasperation.

    <hr>

    Beyond intense and thoroughly enjoyable distractions, the day wasn¡¯t particularly eventful, until Toriel came home. Oh, they stressed a bit over the guilt of abandoning Papyrus, as well as forcing Toriel to face her end in this timeline, that sort of thing. Still, they¡¯d gained some practice at strategically not thinking of problems since they¡¯d gained their power.

    When Toriel got home, she was clearly a bit stressed, but they still had a lovely conversation. She hadn¡¯t had as much time as Frisk to work on plans, so mostly Toriel put forth her ideas and gave feedback on Frisk¡¯s plan. She was fine, too, with letting the timeline extend as Flowey requested, as well as with Frisk pulling back from her in this timeline, so that the relationship memories wouldn¡¯t be quite so uneven.

    Everything seemed fine until she made a simple, completely reasonable request.

    ¡°I was hoping to speak with Sans before you reload,¡± Toriel said. ¡°Now that he can remember the resets, especially - I feel he should be a part of this. My friendship with him matters, as well.¡±

    ¡°Uhhhhh,¡± Frisk said, dragging out the sound as their brain stuttered. ¡°I, um, will totally ask him, but I think he probably won¡¯t want to? He¡¯s, um, kinda having trouble with everything.¡±

    ¡°In what way?¡± Toriel asked.

    ¡°Er, so, I¡¯m going to struggle with answering this, because Sans did ask me not to talk about his issues, his personal struggles, his past, stuff like that,¡± Frisk said, and Toriel nodded. ¡°But, um, basically, being in on the loops feels a lot different from being outside of the loops. And he¡¯d already kind of struggled with figuring out moral rules when it comes to timeline stuff, but now that he¡¯s in on it, he¡¯s finding¡­ difficulties.¡±

    Toriel looked thoughtful.

    ¡°Can you think of an example that you could share?¡± Toriel asked.

    ¡°Sure,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Let¡¯s take Papyrus. This whole time, we¡¯ve had rules of not having personal interactions with people in dead timelines, so things aren¡¯t unbalanced between us. Like, chatting with you, but erasing that means the relationship changed for me but not for you, and that kind of screws things up.¡±

    Toriel nodded.

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to do that, though, and now Sans is seeing why,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Like with Papyrus - saying ¡®don¡¯t interact so the relationship is true to the true timeline¡¯ sounds great, but it also means that, in this timeline, Papyrus is being abandoned by both me and Sans, and has no idea why.¡±

    Toriel frowned sharply at that.

    ¡°I see,¡± she said. ¡°That is a concern. If he knew about the timeline power, he would be more understanding, of course. Though I also see why you would be worried about his ability to keep secrets, and from an international politics perspective, this is an extremely dangerous secret.¡±

    ¡°You know what they say,¡± Frisk said dryly. ¡°Two can keep a secret if one of them is dead. We¡¯re already pushing this secret hard - it¡¯s risky telling you, but at least I have faith in your ability to keep it secret.¡±

    Toriel nodded and tapped at her knee, her gaze distant.

    ¡°I suspect I understand the problem,¡± she said after a moment. ¡°It is about balancing the value of things, such as relationships and emotions, in the true timeline, compared to in these timelines that you will be ending.¡±

    ¡°Basically, I think,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Like, to use an exaggerated example, if I could get a major benefit for the version of you in the true timeline by hurting or killing this you, would that be morally acceptable, kind of thing. What is morally acceptable, with people in dead timelines. It¡¯s a hard question to answer.¡±

    ¡°It is,¡± Toriel agreed, looking thoughtful. ¡°So he would hesitate to speak with me because he would not wish to harm this version of me. He would also be concerned about such a discussion making for an imbalance in our friendship.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but also, he doesn¡¯t want to be hurt himself,¡± Frisk said. ¡°He cares about you a lot and you could rip his heart out pretty badly. I couldn¡¯t tell you that in the real timeline, but for now, I figure it¡¯s okay, since you probably knew that already.¡±

    Toriel nodded, emotions flickering in her deep brown eyes.

    ¡°He told you this?¡± she asked softly.

    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Frisk said. ¡°But, um, when it comes to Sans, I pay attention. He, uh, he can be kind of cold sometimes? People getting hurt, being upset, as long as it¡¯s not his responsibility, he tends to take a hard line with it. Like, you know, the timeline rule stuff I¡¯d mentioned. But with you, the fact that he was on board with dedicating an entire timeline loop just to the goal of making you not be hurt, even though he was really against that sort of thing¡­ you matter a lot to him.¡±

    She nodded again.

    ¡°Very well, then,¡± she said. ¡°Please let him know this. Tell him that I wish to speak to him and that whatever pain comes of it for me, I fully accept. That it is my hope for this conversation to not hurt him. That the purpose of it is not for the sake of this timeline¡¯s version of me, but for the true timeline¡¯s Toriel, and for his relationship with her.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s going to feel trapped, like he has no choice but to go along with that,¡± Frisk warned.

    ¡°I am aware,¡± Toriel said with a small smile.

    ¡°He might be a little mad at you,¡± they said. ¡°He might be harsh. He can be that way, at times.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± she said. ¡°I would prefer to speak to him without his pretenses, even if it is all to be undone.¡±

    Frisk exhaled heavily.

    ¡°Should I be there for that?¡± they asked.

    Toriel looked thoughtful.

    ¡°For what I wish to say, I have no objection,¡± Toriel said. ¡°But I suspect that Sans will prefer you to not be there. With his habit of hiding things, I would expect that he would struggle with choosing his words, with you there to remember them.¡±

    ¡°This is going to suck for him, isn¡¯t it?¡± Frisk asked dryly.

    ¡°I do not intend for that,¡± Toriel said and looked down.

    ¡°Bet it¡¯s going to anyway,¡± Frisk said with a sigh. ¡°Really, any conversation in a dead timeline, with someone I care about, sucks. But that aside. With another week and a bit before we reload, do you think you¡¯d rather have this conversation sooner or later?¡±

    ¡°Sooner, I should think,¡± Toriel said. ¡°It would give him time to consider matters before you reload. I expect it would also be simpler, as we intend to avoid interactions once all is said and done.¡±

    ¡°Makes sense,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Alright, so I think that means we¡¯re settled, you and me? I¡¯ll pass along your message to Sans, but barring any plan changes from that, we¡¯re good?¡±

    Toriel¡¯s smile looked more strained.

    ¡°I suppose so,¡± she said. ¡°Perhaps¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡± Frisk asked.

    ¡°I am being silly,¡± Toriel said with a little laugh.

    ¡°No, seriously, tell me,¡± Frisk said. ¡°You matter to me, mum.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Toriel said, her smile warm. ¡°It is heartening to know how much effort you are putting in for my sake. I love you, too, my child.¡±

    Frisk grinned at that, though the smile was a bit pained. A sweet moment of connection and affirmation between them¡­ that would be lost.

    ¡°I was thinking of what I ought to do with my time, until then,¡± Toriel said. ¡°I thought, perhaps, I might try out a number of new things that might turn out poorly, and give you a list of the ones that I enjoyed the most?¡±

    Frisk laughed at that, a surge of joy that made them tear up.

    ¡°God yes,¡± they said, still laughing as they wiped at their eyes. ¡°Absolutely, mum, no question, I¡¯ve got you covered. You have fun. And no worries about finances - another bonus of all this is I don¡¯t have to hide how rich I¡¯ve gotten from abusing my power.¡±

    ¡°That does explain a few things,¡± Toriel said, smiling. ¡°Very well, I shall be unreasonably frivolous for the next while.¡±

    Frisk laughed again and they said their farewells.

    Sans was, as predicted, quite grumpy about Toriel¡¯s request, and, also as predicted, felt like he had to agree. They passed on the warning they gave Toriel, and her response, so he could at least know he wasn¡¯t expected to put up his usual front if he didn¡¯t want to.

    He agreed to speak to her the next day, and otherwise resumed his activities. As far as Frisk could tell, all he was doing with his time was randomly screwing around for fun, randomly screwing Frisk for fun, thinking, getting frustrated, and amusing himself to avoid thinking.

    Since Frisk¡¯s main task was done, they settled into their usual dead timeline role. While they still felt guilty for abandoning Papyrus, they mostly managed to not think about him and focused on other things. They worked with their staff to learn and memorize details that they could exploit for the benefit of monsterkind - the political landscape had changed, so what they¡¯d learned in their prior extended reset didn¡¯t entirely apply anymore. Study and mental exercise games were mostly all they did, beyond serving as Sans¡¯ sex toy to use and discard throughout the day.

    That would never get old.

    When it finally came time for Sans¡¯ meeting with Toriel, Frisk left the house. The lab they used with Alphys seemed like it would be the best spot to be certain to be away from everyone. They hoped it would go well. Sans was more shaken by all this than they¡¯d hoped.

    But well¡­ Toriel was kind of magic. Maybe it would be good.

 Ch. 34 - Forever

    The appointed time arrived and Sans very begrudgingly teleported to Toriel¡¯s living room. She startled at his teleport - he¡¯d still been having fun with her, not teleporting directly where she could see, over these last months. But this time, he hid nothing.

    ¡°you wanna talk, so let¡¯s talk,¡± he said gruffly.

    She blinked in surprise and nodded.

    ¡°It is good to see you, Sans,¡± she said from where she sat at the table.

    ¡°gotta say, under the circumstances, feeling¡¯s not mutual,¡± he said and then sighed at her expression. ¡°you¡¯re not gonna remember, so i¡­ you¡¯re not¡­ it¡¯s kinda like you¡¯re going to die, tori, and i don¡¯t want to think about that. so i don¡¯t want to talk to you, think about you. not this version, anyway.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± she said, smiling a little. ¡°Thank you for speaking to me without pretense.¡±

    ¡°sure, fine,¡± he said. ¡°so what is it you wanna say?¡±

    He hated how he was being with her, but well, like she¡¯d said - no pretenses. This wasn¡¯t like before he¡¯d met Frisk, in those last months underground. Back then, he¡¯d felt like everything was going to end and everyone would be reset, sure. But it¡¯d been like being on a sinking ship with others - he could laugh with them and joke as they went down, since they were all going down together. Now¡­ now he was looking at someone who mattered to him, and he wasn¡¯t sinking with her. He was just¡­ just standing here, watching her as she faced the end.

    She gazed at him for a moment.

    ¡°There are things that are important,¡± she said, her voice solemn. ¡°Not my feelings, of course, but yours. You and Frisk, alone in all the world. If my child and my dear friend are to have a good future¡­¡±

    She trailed off and then took a breath.

    ¡°I would give everything for Frisk, and not much less for you,¡± she said. ¡°Do not spare my feelings in this conversation, Sans.¡±

    He nodded and forced himself not to look away.

    ¡°I would ask that you use this opportunity,¡± she said, her voice firm and commanding. ¡°Frisk is young, yet, and my relationship with them is that of a parent, which I do not wish to risk altering. With you, however¡­ you are my friend, and should the nature of that friendship change, I am amenable. It is for this reason that I would speak to you, and not them. From what you said before Frisk saved, your feelings in regards to me are unresolved. From what Frisk has said, your thoughts on the morality of these timeloops are uncertain.¡±

    She took a breath, and he saw the Queen in her gaze.

    ¡°Ask of me what you will, and I shall answer,¡± she said. ¡°Do not ask what you do not wish to know.¡±

    ¡°you brought me here for me to ask you questions?¡± Sans asked incredulously.

    ¡°I brought you here to ask, as strongly as I am able, that you ease your burdens,¡± Toriel said. ¡°Frisk spoke of a saying yesterday, that two may keep a secret if one of them is dead. I am soon to not exist.¡±

    Sans started laughing, a bitter sound.

    ¡°you want me to drop all of my pretenses,¡± he said after a minute. ¡°just speak freely, bounce things off of you. use you and just toss you aside when i¡¯m done.¡±

    ¡°It is fortunate that I know you care about those in dead timelines, else your choice of words might make me wonder,¡± Toriel said and Sans looked down at the table. ¡°It is my will that you and Frisk both come through this power and this time in ways that are stable. For the sake of my child, of my friend, and of our people. Even the world is at stake, should Frisk grow unstable. This is no idle matter, Sans.¡±

    He looked back to her, his own mirth gone.

    ¡°you¡¯re right, it¡¯s not,¡± he said and sighed, taking a seat. ¡°alright, fine. couple things need to happen before that¡¯s an option, though. one, i need a promise from you.¡±

    Her face tightened and she nodded.

    ¡°don¡¯t tell frisk anything about this conversation,¡± he said. ¡°anything i reveal, anyway.¡±

    ¡°I give you my word,¡± Toriel said.

    ¡°that easy, huh?¡± he asked. ¡°not worried about what i¡¯m keeping from frisk?¡±

    She smiled.

    ¡°There is much that concerns me, but refusing to make that promise would not help with those concerns,¡± she said and he laughed.

    ¡°true,¡± he said, pulling out his phone and calling up Frisk.

    If he could swing staying here at Toriel''s place, that seemed better than taking her away. More respectful to her and easier to just up and leave if he needed.

    Frisk answered immediately. ¡°hey frisk. where¡¯s flowey?¡±

    ¡°Offhand, I don¡¯t know,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Want me to contact him?¡±

    ¡°yeah,¡± he said. ¡°sit with him if you can manage it. if he spies on this conversation, he¡¯s gonna have a bad time.¡±

    Frisk laughed at that, an odd sound of glee and malice. They said they¡¯d call him back and then hung up.

    ¡°Flowey?¡± Toriel asked.

    ¡°long story,¡± Sans said. ¡°he asked frisk not to tell you about him, and i¡¯m not rocking that boat, either.¡±

    He sighed. Toriel looked at him contemplatively.

    ¡°i don¡¯t know if this is a good idea,¡± he said after a moment.

    ¡°Nor I,¡± Toriel admitted roughly, looking down. ¡°I fear that it may backfire, but I do not think I can be brought into these loops.¡±

    Sans almost choked and started laughing.

    ¡°yeah, that¡¯d be awkward,¡± he said, grinning at her.

    ¡°A bit,¡± she agreed.

    ¡°more than you realize,¡± he said. ¡°more was involved than just sex. frisk¡¯s happy to fuck around, but it¡¯s the rest of it that¡¯s never gonna happen. probably with anyone else. ever.¡±

    ¡°What did you do to them?¡± she asked, frowning.

    ¡°nothing they didn¡¯t want me to do,¡± he said.

    She gazed at him consideringly.

    ¡°So it will be you alone, then,¡± Toriel said and he nodded.

    His phone rang and he answered.

    ¡°Hey Sans,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Flowey¡¯s unhappy, but I have him here. Um, he¡¯s asking for a favor in exchange for agreeing to be babysat?¡±

    Sans considered. With what Frisk had said about Flowey, he should try to play nice - at least a little. Wouldn¡¯t hurt to hear him out.

    ¡°something specific, or an IOU?¡± he asked.

    ¡°An IOU, if you¡¯re willing,¡± Frisk said after a second.

    ¡°nope,¡± Sans said. ¡°i already did him a favor anyway, agreeing to keep this timeline till next thursday.¡±

    ¡°I hate being a go-between,¡± Frisk muttered. ¡°He says, um, that you¡¯d agreed to the other thing for your own reasons, and he¡¯s not convinced that you¡¯re actually willing to do him any favors.¡±

    There was a reason for that. Sans was tempted as hell to make things hostile - he could use threats, promise Flowey a hell of a time if he caused Sans any trouble. Except it¡¯d upset Frisk. And worse, if he killed Flowey for good it would seriously screw with their head. Might even pull out Chara in unexpected ways.

    He could also handle things himself. He could teleport Toriel away - to either house, both of which he¡¯d warded against intrusions.

    Thing is, if he backed off from the idea of doing Flowey a favor now, the damned weed might pretend it was ¡°proof¡± that Sans wasn¡¯t willing to play ball. Might cause a headache if Flowey had that as leverage.

    He could live with a headache.

    ¡°put me on speakerphone,¡± Sans said.

    ¡°He can hear you now,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°i don¡¯t buy that you actually think there was any reason to agree to your timetable other than trying to be fair to you,¡± Sans said. ¡°you wanna dismiss that, fine. we¡¯ll be meeting up soon and clearing the air anyway, so i¡¯m not going to waste time negotiating anything now. i am willing to work with you and haggle things out, but let¡¯s save it till then.

    ¡°here¡¯s how it¡¯s gonna be today. i¡¯m taking toriel somewhere else and if you show up, you¡¯ll find out how nice i¡¯ve been. i wouldn¡¯t recommend it. capiche?¡±

    ¡°Always so fast with the threats,¡± Flowey said in a saccharine voice.

    ¡°this is me playing nice,¡± Sans said. ¡°play along and we¡¯ll keep it that way.¡±

    ¡°Very well,¡± Flowey said. ¡°We¡¯ll speak soon.¡±

    He closed the phone without saying goodbye and sighed, leaning back.

    ¡°So there is another who remembers the timelines,¡± Toriel said.

    ¡°yep,¡± Sans said. ¡°long story. doesn¡¯t change much, far as you¡¯re concerned - frisk¡¯s in charge of the power.¡±

    ¡°And you are in charge of Frisk, from what they have said,¡± Toriel said.

    ¡°like i said the other day, i gave up fighting them,¡± he said. ¡°they want to be mine. not my lover, not a romance thing, but my sex slave, my tool, my prized possession.¡±

    Toriel¡¯s face was tight.

    ¡°I see,¡± she said.

    ¡°also worth noting that if this conversation gets too much for me, i¡¯m out,¡± he said. ¡°and you won¡¯t see me again.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± she said tightly.

    ¡°last thing,¡± he said. ¡°like i mentioned to flowey, we¡¯re taking this conversation somewhere private. i¡¯ll teleport us both, so don¡¯t resist the magic.¡±

    She nodded and he went over to her. With a flicker of power, they were in his Snowdin living room. Papyrus was probably home, so his Overground house wasn¡¯t a good choice. It wasn¡¯t nearly as well kept as Toriel¡¯s place, but it was good enough for this.

    ¡°Where are we?¡± Toriel asked, looking around.

    ¡°snowdin,¡± he said. ¡°that means i gotta take you back, so i won¡¯t quite just up and disappear on you, but whatever.¡±

    He sighed and flopped onto the old couch. There wasn¡¯t any other seating in the room, so Toriel awkwardly sat next to him.

    ¡°i have no idea what to say, what to ask,¡± he said after a moment, staring at the blank TV. ¡°you¡¯re right that it¡¯s important, that frisk and i are¡­ not insane. so i agreed, but now that i¡¯m here¡­ what the hell do i say?¡±

    ¡°What weighs on you?¡± she asked.

    ¡°what weighs on me,¡± he said, laughing bitterly. ¡°that question, asked by a woman that i halfway fell in love with, but who would hate me if she knew who i really am, what i¡¯ve done. so yeah, that was doomed to failure.¡±

    He sighed and closed his eyes.

    ¡°maybe more than halfway,¡± he admitted.

    Sad, how easy it was to talk to a ghost of Toriel. To an image that wasn''t fully real, that would never remember. How simple it was for words to come, that he couldn''t have managed to speak if there was any chance they could be heard.

    There was silence for a moment.

    ¡°Frisk wished to use this timeline to see if I could, among other things, forgive them for what they have done,¡± Toriel said. ¡°Did they speak to you of how things went?¡±

    ¡°yeah,¡± Sans said. ¡°i didn¡¯t ask for details, but they asked me to keep this timeline because apparently it went swimmingly. i hadn¡¯t expected that when i decided to have some fun with human souls, so whoops. too late for that to work out.¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡± she said, startled, then her voice went tight. ¡°I suspect you are phrasing things in such harsh ways deliberately in order to push me. Am I correct?¡±

    He sighed again.

    ¡°yep,¡± he said.

    ¡°Why?¡± she asked.

    ¡°because¡­ i dunno,¡± he said. ¡°it¡¯s all kind of bullshit, isn¡¯t it? you want the blunt truth so you can help me figure things out, but there¡¯s way more than you bargained for. sure, i could give you a huge load of context, help you understand, but that¡¯s not why we¡¯re here, is it?¡±

    ¡°No it is not,¡± she said quietly. ¡°Tell me this, then. Are you a good person?¡±

    He laughed.

    ¡°hell if i know,¡± he said. ¡°frisk thinks i am. they don¡¯t know everything, but they figured out quite a bit. sharp mind, that one.¡±

    ¡°Do they know enough to make such a judgement?¡± she asked.

    ¡°i don¡¯t think they judge me the same way you would,¡± Sans said. ¡°they¡¯re bigger on motives and intentions than actions. for that¡­ they have reason to think what they do, though i don¡¯t know if i agree.¡±

    ¡°You feel that I care more about actions than a person¡¯s heart?¡± Toriel asked.

    ¡°yeah,¡± Sans said. ¡°asgore¡¯s a sweetheart and a bit of an idiot. killed some people out of grief and a questionably sane plan, and never stopped caring about people. but you turned on him for it. me, i don¡¯t even know how many humans i¡¯ve killed, but it¡¯s well into the hundreds at least.¡±

    He sighed. She was keeping her expression controlled, but he saw the pain in her eyes.

    ¡°not that it matters, with you forgetting, but rarely innocent civilians,¡± he added lightly.

    He couldn¡¯t quite bring himself to paint his actions in that bad a light.

    ¡°It does matter,¡± Toriel said. ¡°If you wonder if I could forgive your actions and care for you despite what you¡¯ve done, then you could find out.¡±

    He scoffed.

    ¡°no point,¡± he said. ¡°you¡¯d judge me for it and rightly so. the question here isn¡¯t who i used to be and why. or how it¡¯s possible. the question is how the hell do i¡­¡±

    He trailed off for a moment and put his arm over his eyes.

    ¡°harsh phrasing aside, tori, i do actually care about doing what¡¯s right,¡± he said, his voice subdued.

    ¡°I wonder,¡± Toriel said after a moment. ¡°I wonder if the reason you are pushing me in this way, with this harsh phrasing, is because of the same struggle as before, with your difficulties speaking. You cover your pain with feigned harshness instead of feigned apathy. It also gives you an escape, that if I react too badly, you can flee the pain of it all while letting you tell yourself that you tried.¡±

    His breath caught a little at that.

    ¡°you¡¯re probably right,¡± he said. ¡°trying to address problems seems sensible. ripping out my heart again, not so much.¡±

    There was silence for another moment.

    ¡°You had begun to ask a question,¡± she prodded. ¡°What you felt is the most important question. How the hell do you what?¡±

    He moved his arm from his face and stared at the ceiling for a bit.

    ¡°let¡¯s say for the sake of argument that frisk was right about chara¡¯s risk, in that first timeline,¡± he said. ¡°let¡¯s also pretend that things didn¡¯t almost go horribly wrong in their murdery timeline. killing a ton of innocent people in a dead timeline to improve knowledge of a major risk in the true timeline. is that morally okay?¡±

    ¡°I have not had nearly enough time to come to a true answer,¡± Toriel said. ¡°The question has haunted me, I must confess.¡±

    Sans laughed.

    ¡°that actually makes me feel better,¡± he admitted. ¡°i figured you¡¯d immediately call it evil.¡±

    ¡°It is evil,¡± she said. ¡°But it is an evil that was undone. Only Frisk¡¯s soul bears the mark of their choice, and they bear deep scars for it. Still, it is only because they are good that they suffer so.¡±

    Sans nodded.

    ¡°seems fine to me,¡± he said. ¡°it bothers me that they killed papyrus, and obviously i¡¯m not okay with ending the universe. i¡¯d hate to be the sans who lived in that timeline - that would have sucked. i¡¯d have been pissed off and hurt, no question. but if i¡¯d known the reason¡­¡±

    He sighed.

    ¡°point is,¡± he said. ¡°i had issues with the resets happening and not letting time pass, trapping us all in an endless loop. that was from flowey, though, before frisk took over the power.¡±

    He wondered if Toriel was able to keep up with that, but it¡¯s not like it mattered.

    ¡°trapping us in time, all that resetting, that was a real issue,¡± he said. ¡°killing people and undoing it¡­ i don¡¯t see any reason to hold that against them, not really. i expect i had a hell of a time with the whole ending the universe thing, but if it weren¡¯t for that? if they¡¯d just killed however many and it didn¡¯t look like the universe itself was at risk? i¡¯d have just let them be. i¡¯d probably mess with them, maybe insult them a bit, whatever, but what difference does it make? hell, even if they only spared papyrus, i¡¯d probably have still tried to be their friend. partly to try to convince them to change things, but even so.¡±

    He closed his eyes and took a slow breath. Toriel didn¡¯t speak. He passingly wondered if she was waiting for him to finish his thought, or reeling. But again, it didn¡¯t matter.

    ¡°which brings me to my current situation,¡± he said. ¡°on one hand, i don¡¯t want anything to happen to you, or papyrus. on the other¡­ killing some random person for their soul so i can teleport faster just seems practical.¡±

    ¡°That is what you spoke of earlier, as to why this timeline could not be kept?¡± Toriel asked.

    ¡°yeah,¡± he said.

    ¡°I see,¡± she said. ¡°But you have seen that Frisk¡¯s actions were not without consequence. Surely you have seen how wretched their guilt is.¡±

    ¡°kinda hard to miss,¡± he said and she nodded. ¡°thing is, it¡¯s like you said. frisk only suffers because they were a good person. are a good person. if they¡¯d disconnected emotionally and killed everyone without feeling guilty about it, there¡¯d be less total suffering in the end, wouldn¡¯t there? but that sounds like a worse thing to me. thing is, i don¡¯t¡­¡±

    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    He tried to figure out how to phrase it.

    ¡°i hate seeing frisk suffer,¡± he said.

    ¡°As do I,¡± Toriel said. ¡°I would not want them to disconnect and stop caring, however.¡±

    ¡°but we want them to heal,¡± Sans said.

    ¡°Which emotional disengagement would not help with,¡± Toriel said, and gave him a pointed look. ¡°Which I suspect you are entirely aware of, are you not?¡±

    He laughed at that.

    ¡°you got me,¡± he said, then glanced over at her. ¡°tori, i get that i¡¯m being a dick. i don¡¯t want to hurt this version of you, but¡­¡±

    ¡°I do understand,¡± she said with a small smile. ¡°You are trying to protect yourself at my expense. Do not feel guilty about that, however, Sans. This honesty is what I requested of you, after all.¡±

    ¡°you can be real with me in turn, if you want,¡± he said quietly.

    ¡°What I want is to support you in the hopes that you and Frisk can, together, heal and become strong, despite the burdens you bear and the challenges you face,¡± she said. ¡°What I feel does not matter compared to that.¡±

    ¡°you feel like you don¡¯t matter?¡± Sans asked.

    ¡°The opposite, rather,¡± she said. ¡°Of course I matter, and so does my choice to sacrifice my heart for my child, my friend, and my people.¡±

    ¡°so you feel that i did the wrong thing by killing that guy for his soul,¡± Sans said.

    ¡°Yes, but I suspect for different reasons than you are thinking,¡± she said. ¡°I was Queen, once, and I do understand pragmatic considerations. The biggest mistake you made, I believe, was in killing him prior to deciding where you stood on the matter, morally. You are clearly uncertain, and yet you made the choice.¡±

    ¡°i have been trying to figure it out, you know,¡± he said. ¡°i¡¯ve been chewing on different parts of the problem for a year now.¡±

    ¡°A year?¡± she asked.

    ¡°the first eight months were when flowey had the power, and apparently i murdered the shit out of him so much that he started avoiding me. so from my perspective, i didn¡¯t know he existed till frisk mentioned him,¡± Sans said. ¡°point is, i was using crown funds to analyze spacetime with alphys and knew about the loops, though not much in the way of details. i¡¯d put a lot of thought into what those loops meant during that time. then, with frisk, a lot of thought into what it would mean to have that power.¡±

    He glanced over at her. She had a good poker face, well controlled, but he could still pick up glimmers of frustration in her eyes. She had a great deal of questions she wanted to ask.

    ¡°Perhaps that might be an easier angle to address,¡± Toriel said. ¡°Assume for a moment that you had the power entirely on your own. What would you do with it?¡±

    ¡°see, i¡¯m actually kind of split,¡± he said. ¡°it feels different being in on the power, and i know what it feels like to be on the outside of it. if i hadn¡¯t had that, though? if i were the first one to have gotten it? i¡¯d have abused the living hell out of it.¡±

    He chuckled and it wasn¡¯t a particularly happy sound.

    ¡°i¡¯d have exploited it for all it was worth, and probably wouldn¡¯t have tangled myself up in moral questions at all,¡± he said. ¡°helping people, killing them, having fun, learning stuff¡­ i¡¯d¡¯ve gone nuts with the freedom and done all kinds of things. everything.¡±

    He¡¯d have been just like Flowey, in other words. Except for the fact that he would still feel, would still be capable of caring. And didn¡¯t that make him worse than Flowey, in some ways? He probably wouldn¡¯t have stooped to quite the same depth of evil as Flowey, but he didn¡¯t have the excuse of being soulless.

    ¡°The difference being that now you cannot disregard the perspective of those outside of the loop,¡± Toriel said, sounding thoughtful.

    ¡°yep,¡± he said. ¡°it¡¯s why this conversation with you is so¡­ i dunno. hard, i guess. i don¡¯t have memories of being in a confirmed dead timeline, of course, but¡­ well. i get what it¡¯s like to sit there, anyway.¡±

    She nodded and laughed a little.

    ¡°I admit that it is difficult,¡± she said. ¡°You lived with this feeling, that everything would be undone, for eight months?¡±

    ¡°yep,¡± he said. ¡°it was a lot better with frisk, since they¡¯d keep me aware of their intentions and all that. there¡¯d have been some surprises, like with emergencies and whatever, but for the most part, they took away that gut wrenching dread.¡±

    She reached over and took his hand.

    ¡°I am sorry you had to endure that,¡± she said.

    ¡°and i¡¯m sorry you¡¯re having to endure this,¡± he said. ¡°and by telling you about the loops, you¡¯ll be dealing with existential crap from now on, too.¡±

    ¡°It may be difficult, but I would have it no other way,¡± she said. ¡°I would rather be in the loops, naturally, but the choice of knowledge or ignorance? For a matter like this, it is better to know.¡±

    He glanced over at her again. Frisk had told him about what Toriel had said as they¡¯d left the ruins. She¡¯d told them not to come back, how she hadn¡¯t wanted to know if they¡¯d been killed by Asgore. This sentiment wasn¡¯t universally true, then - she didn¡¯t always want to know.

    ¡°¡®cause it lets you support us,¡± he said.

    ¡°Yes,¡± she said.

    ¡°but if it weren¡¯t for that, you probably would rather not know,¡± he said.

    She hesitated.

    ¡°I do not much like the idea of being manipulated or exploited,¡± she said. ¡°But if I ignore that concern, as well¡­¡±

    She thought for a moment, then smiled.

    ¡°It is still better to know,¡± she said. ¡°Even beyond supporting you and Frisk, it enables me to have influence on Frisk¡¯s use of that power.¡±

    ¡°look at that,¡± he said with a laugh. ¡°frisk¡¯s power is so compelling even you¡¯re sucked in by it.¡±

    ¡°I would not put it quite like that,¡± she said.

    ¡°i would,¡± he said with a cheeky grin and she scowled at him, though her eyes were laughing.

    ¡°I simply would wish to help the world be a better place, in the ways that I can,¡± she said.

    ¡°same,¡± he said. ¡°frisk, too. sure, if i had the power with no eyes on me, i¡¯d have maybe too much fun, but i would still try to make the world better in the true timeline.¡±

    Toriel blinked - his best guess was in reaction to an unexpected thought.

    ¡°Did Frisk ever simply play with this power?¡± she asked.

    ¡°not that i know of,¡± he said. ¡°they became friends with me before they grew to trust in their power, and i get the impression that my other self warned them off from casual use of it. even in this timeline, on the day we met, i ended up lecturing them a little on being too cavalier about the use of their power.¡±

    ¡°A bit hypocritical, in light of what you think you would have done,¡± she said.

    He sighed.

    ¡°i know,¡± he said. ¡°but it¡¯s weird, this power. in those eight months, with those reports, it felt¡­ not personal, exactly, but like i was being attacked. like i was being destroyed, along with everyone else i knew. like everything was pointless, because of what they were doing. and even though frisk wasn¡¯t as casual about it as flowey was, or i¡¯d have been, still, it felt wrong.¡±

    ¡°And now you find yourself torn between those perspectives,¡± she said.

    ¡°yep,¡± he said. ¡°does it matter what happens in dead timelines, or doesn¡¯t it? if i killed you right now, would that matter?¡±

    She gave him a sidelong look.

    ¡°not going to, obviously,¡± he said.

    ¡°I am as yet unsure as to the moral value of a life within a dead timeline,¡± she said. ¡°It is a surprisingly difficult question. However, I am certain of a few things.¡±

    ¡°hit me,¡± he said.

    ¡°Frisk tells me that is a difficult thing to manage,¡± she said teasingly and he grinned.

    ¡°guess the real you is going to learn a little about that, huh?¡± he asked.

    ¡°I will respect your secrets,¡± she said. ¡°But yes, your fight with them is a critical part of their story. I do not know much, however, and I will not pry.¡±

    ¡°you want to know, though,¡± he said.

    ¡°Of course I do,¡± she said and sighed. ¡°This is difficult, Sans. It will be even more difficult for that version of me, as Frisk and I have discussed ways of avoiding sharing your secrets, but we cannot hide the fact that there are secrets.¡±

    ¡°makes sense,¡± he said.

    ¡°If you wish, you could speak of them to me, now,¡± she said softly. ¡°Will there ever be another time that you could speak of it without fear or guilt?¡±

    ¡°without guilt?¡± he asked. ¡°i¡¯m feeling guilty for this conversation as is.¡±

    ¡°Do not,¡± she said firmly. ¡°I am glad of it.¡±

    He squeezed her hand.

    ¡°you were saying about your insights?¡± he said, and she smiled a little.

    ¡°While I have much to consider on the relative value of lives and feelings of those who are to be undone,¡± she said, ¡°there is something that is unquestionably of value. The minds and hearts of those that remember. You, Frisk, and apparently this Flowey character. The world quite literally depends upon your continued goodness and sanity.¡±

    He swallowed uncomfortably at that.

    ¡°To kill someone for convenience will have an effect upon your mind,¡± she said. ¡°Whether or not you ultimately decide that their life is of true importance, the choice to do so will reinforce the feeling that their life does not matter. How many lives might you take in dead timelines before they begin to seem like perhaps they do not matter in the true one, either?¡±

    ¡°so the issue is the effect it has on our minds, not just whether it matters on its own,¡± he said.

    She nodded.

    ¡°Frisk spoke of their concerns about Papyrus,¡± she said and he flinched at that. ¡°Even should you decide that leaving him to his own devices is morally fine, the question is, what is the impact on you?¡±

    He looked over at her again.

    ¡°you¡¯re thinking i need to interact with him in dead timelines?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Actually, I feel the opposite,¡± she said with a sad smile. ¡°As terrible as it is to say, cutting yourself off from him in dead timelines is probably the most wise, as it would mean that your interactions with him remain the most real.¡±

    ¡°it¡¯ll hurt him like hell, though,¡± he said.

    ¡°Not necessarily,¡± she said. ¡°The surprise is unwelcome, but if he is made aware ahead of time of the possibility that you might be pulled away for unknown durations?¡±

    He looked down and nodded.

    ¡°He is stronger than you perhaps give him credit for,¡± she said warmly. ¡°Why, Frisk even told me of how he valiantly stood against them, striving against a terrible evil in hopes of doing what was right.¡±

    He laughed a little at that. Papyrus was something else, alright.

    ¡°you thinking we should tell him about the timelines thing?¡± he asked.

    ¡°I have been thinking about it,¡± she said. ¡°I believe it will prove necessary. You will have him by your side for life, and I do not believe you can expect to hide this power from him for life. Not without destroying your relationship with him.¡±

    Right. He took a shaky breath. He hadn¡¯t thought about that either.

    ¡°And if you must tell him one day anyway, it might be best sooner, rather than later,¡± she said. ¡°I do understand concerns about keeping it secret, but as potent as this power is, it would seem to me that risks to your mental health - for any of you - is of greater concern than risks of revealed secrets.¡±

    He rubbed at his chest. That struck a little too close to home. He''d been thinking of Frisk as the threat to the world, but Toriel was right, it really was all three of them now¡­

    ¡°it¡¯s an incredibly dangerous power and it¡¯s one that hurts to even be aware of,¡± he said. ¡°telling papyrus¡­ it¡¯d just burden him.¡±

    She frowned.

    ¡°May I speak bluntly, without fear of sending you fleeing?¡± she asked.

    He groaned.

    ¡°fine, sure,¡± he said.

    ¡°You are doing wrong by Papyrus, in your thoughts,¡± she said. ¡°You love him and care for him, but do not respect him.¡±

    ¡°but-¡± he started to say and she raised her hand to interrupt him.

    ¡°Let me finish,¡± she said. ¡°You always seek to protect him, to support him, to bolster him. You rely upon him only in ways that do not truly matter. You trust him in some ways, but I do not believe that you let yourself see how strong he truly is. I had not realized the extent of it myself, until Frisk¡¯s story, but I suspect I still saw it more than you.¡±

    She smiled at him.

    ¡°Tell me the truth, Sans,¡± she said. ¡°Or rather, face it yourself. Do you trust Papyrus?¡±

    He leaned back on the couch.

    ¡°i thought we weren¡¯t wanting to rip my heart out,¡± he grumbled.

    ¡°Can you heal and grow stronger if you do not face yourself?¡± she asked. ¡°You do not have to answer, if it is too much.¡±

    He was silent for a moment, letting thoughts pull him away.

    ¡°he¡¯s still a kid to me,¡± he said quietly. ¡°in my head, he¡¯s still the cute kid he was when our family died.¡±

    She inhaled sharply.

    ¡°I am sorry, Sans,¡± she said softly.

    ¡°i was just a teen myself,¡± he said. ¡°going through my reaper training, a few kills already under my belt.¡±

    She was staring at him in wide-eyed confusion.

    ¡°it was all kinds of messed up,¡± he said. ¡°i wasn¡¯t his dad. i couldn¡¯t replace our dad, but we had no one else. i mean, we had gaster, i guess, but that wasn¡¯t the same.¡±

    ¡°Do you mean Doctor Gaster, the previous Royal Scientist?¡± she asked.

    ¡°you know of him?¡± Sans asked, glancing over. ¡°you were in the ruins then, weren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but part of what I have done in these last months is to catch up on all of the history I have missed,¡± she said.

    ¡°makes sense,¡± he said. ¡°look, there¡¯s no point in going into all that, and it won¡¯t make any sense anyway. point is, you¡¯re right. he¡¯s sort of a mix of my baby brother, my kid, and a reminder of everything i¡¯ve lost. a reminder of the way i¡­ the way i wanted things to be, i guess. he¡¯s so happy. i never wanted to take that away from him.¡±

    Her gaze was intent on him and he could practically feel the curiosity blazing.

    ¡°That is why you are so overprotective of him,¡± she said.

    ¡°i wouldn¡¯t call it that,¡± he said.

    ¡°I would,¡± she said with a cheeky grin and he grinned back.

    ¡°seriously, though, i let him do his own thing. i¡¯m no helicopter mom,¡± he said.

    ¡°This is true,¡± she said with an amused smile. ¡°You do not swoop in for every little issue, but at the same time, you do not have faith in him to handle his issues on his own. Or to handle greater burdens. Unless I am mistaken?¡±

    He sighed.

    ¡°fine,¡± he said. ¡°i don¡¯t. he¡¯s still that goofy little kid with a smile that could light up the surface of the sun.¡±

    ¡°On some level, perhaps he always will be,¡± she said warmly. ¡°But set aside that image and ask yourself - do you honestly believe he could not handle the knowledge? Do you believe he would wish to turn away from a chance to support you and Frisk both?¡±

    His breath caught at that and he turned it into a cough, but it didn¡¯t fool Toriel.

    ¡°maybe he could handle it, but i¡­¡± he started to say and trailed off.

    ¡°But you do not wish to inflict it on him,¡± she said and he nodded. ¡°You could ask him, but there is no point in the question, is there? You know what his answer would be.¡±

    She was right, there was no question. He couldn¡¯t imagine any universe in which Papyrus didn¡¯t puff out his chest in pride at being asked for help, at being trusted. In¡­ in joy at the ability to share in something meaningful with the people who mattered most to him.

    Sans swallowed against the tide of emotion.

    ¡°y-yeah,¡± he said roughly.

    ¡°He has grown up into a brave man with love enough for all the world,¡± she said warmly.

    He remembered Papyrus crying in fear at shadows. He remembered making a big show of checking all around his room and promising Papyrus that he was safe. Giving up and sleeping with the little rascal tucked into his side. So peaceful, despite the war having ripped away everything, and the hate in Sans¡¯ heart towards those that had done it.

    The hate had faded in time - it just wasn¡¯t him to hate forever. Papyrus, though, had never hated in the first place. Though maybe that was because Sans had never told him what happened to their family. Just¡­ just encouraged him to forget, to be happy with what he had. He¡¯d been so young he probably had forgotten them completely.

    It¡­ it was better like this, wasn¡¯t it? He still had that same smile.

    A feeling of warmth startled him from his thoughts and he found himself being hugged. The surprise passed and he chuckled a little, hugging her back.

    ¡°er, thanks,¡± he said awkwardly.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± she asked.

    He laughed.

    ¡°obviously not,¡± he said and sighed, wiping at his eyes. ¡°i guess i wasn¡¯t ready for papyrus to actually grow up.¡±

    She nodded, looking serious.

    ¡°We are often not ready for what we must face,¡± she said gently.

    She gave him a considering look for a moment, as he settled. She seemed ready to say something, waiting for him, and after a moment, he met her gaze.

    ¡°I believe you will need to reveal this timeline power to anyone that you wish to be close to, for all of your life,¡± she said. ¡°It is too potent, too impactful, to both hide it and have a true connection. Further, you have bound yourself to Frisk in a way more serious and enduring than marriage. Especially if no others can join you in these memories, as you have said. Your relationship with them and their power is now bound into who you are. You must accept that and its consequences.¡±

    ¡°it¡¯s really not like marriage,¡± he protested.

    ¡°You will be with them for the rest of your lives,¡± she said. ¡°Possibly exceptionally long lives, no less.¡±

    ¡°i mean, okay,¡± he said. ¡°but it¡¯s not like that. they don¡¯t think they¡¯re even capable of romance anymore. they said if i wanted something like that, they¡¯d hold out hope that i¡¯d still want to use them in, uh, various ways, but i should try to find normal kind of love stuff with someone else.¡±

    Toriel blinked at that.

    ¡°This situation is very strange,¡± she said.

    ¡°tell me about it,¡± he grumbled.

    ¡°It is different from marriage in a number of ways,¡± she said. ¡°But it is still a binding more extreme and long lasting than any marriage. And, for now as well as hopefully into the future, you are bound by mutual love.¡±

    He winced at that.

    ¡°Perhaps not a complete and healthy love, but from what I have seen and heard, I believe you do love them,¡± Toriel said. ¡°If you are bound together eternally, then perhaps it would be wise to embrace that.¡±

    ¡°uh,¡± he said, taken aback.

    ¡°Commit to them and to your future,¡± Toriel said. ¡°Can you see any other means by which your strange eternity can be a good one?¡±

    ¡°uh,¡± he said again.

    She chuckled.

    ¡°You had not thought of that, had you?¡± she asked.

    ¡°no, i can definitely say that i did not think of things that way at all,¡± he said.

    ¡°Do you feel that perspective is an incorrect one?¡± she asked.

    He sighed.

    ¡°probably not,¡± he admitted.

    ¡°So perhaps the next question is the more important one,¡± she said. ¡°How do you feel about the idea of being bound to Frisk, hopefully in love, for the rest of your life?¡±

    Another surge of emotion hit him at that.

    ¡°mixed,¡± he said after a minute. ¡°selfishly¡­ i¡¯m glad of it. i never want to lose them, ever. but the part of my heart that does actually love them the right way, that¡¯s a little more torn. they deserve better than to be shackled to me, with all my crap.¡±

    She beamed at him.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± she said. ¡°Then it would seem to me you know the answer to that question.¡±

    ¡°huh?¡± he asked.

    ¡°About how to do what is right,¡± she said. ¡°They are bound to you, but you wish that binding were a healthier one, yes?¡±

    He nodded.

    ¡°It seems likely to me that you are bound together for all time,¡± she said. ¡°You cannot lose them, ever.¡±

    A trembling flutter of emotion passed through him at that, hearing his thoughts echoed back like this.

    ¡°Then you should strive to be the sort of person that they deserve to be eternally bound to,¡± she said. She leaned a little closer. ¡°And that ideal person is not one who stands alone, is he? He has a brother, and others dear to his heart, who stand with him in the ways they can, does he not?¡±

    ¡°i don¡¯t know if i can ever be that person,¡± he admitted. ¡°be the kind of person frisk deserves.¡±

    ¡°That is something that we know for sure does not matter,¡± she said. ¡°Frisk is bound to you, and to our knowledge, this is one of the few things that can never be undone. Whether you can succeed in reaching that goal is meaningless, because the choice of binding to you has passed. The only choice, now, is whether you will try.¡±

    He swallowed.

    ¡°nothing against you, tori, but i might need to tap out,¡± he said, a tremor in his voice.

    ¡°I understand,¡± she said. ¡°Is there anything else that you would know of me, Sans?¡±

    Her gaze pierced into him.

    ¡°i¡­ guess,¡± he said, looking down. ¡°you don¡¯t know nearly enough, but you know more than you used to. do you think i was wrong about you? about us?¡±

    ¡°I confess I am a little afraid to answer that question,¡± she said. ¡°Considering the situation with Frisk. Even if you did find yourself in a complicated, multi-person relationship - I do not see that working well with me, considering my relationship with Frisk.¡±

    ¡°yeah, that could be awkward,¡± he said. ¡°i¡­ could ask them.¡±

    Her eyes locked onto his. Her expression was a complicated one, but he couldn''t¡­ he looked away.

    ¡°that was stupid, sorry,¡± he said.

    ¡°More than halfway, I believe you said,¡± she murmured.

    More than halfway in love with her.

    ¡°... yeah,¡± he said.

    ¡°I will tell you if you truly wish to know,¡± she said. ¡°Are you certain, Sans?¡±

    ¡°no,¡± he said. ¡°you tell me, toriel. do you think it¡¯d be good for me to know?¡±

    She held his gaze for a long moment and then sighed.

    ¡°I do not know,¡± she said. ¡°I wish that I knew, that I could be certain of any path before me. Still, only a few short steps remain on my path, and I find¡­¡±

    She hesitated and Sans held his breath for a moment, riding out the pain of that. He knew what that felt like, too goddamned well.

    ¡°I think I would prefer for my thoughts to remain, to be remembered in some fashion,¡± she said.

    He nodded at that.

    ¡°i won¡¯t forget,¡± he murmured.

    ¡°I know,¡± she said and took a steadying breath. ¡°For the man that you were, and the man that you are, I believe you are correct that we never could have been. But I have seen and heard, within you, signs that you have not finished becoming who you will be. And that man¡­¡±

    She touched his cheek lightly.

    ¡°I do not know if ever he will exist,¡± she said. ¡°But what I have seen¡­ I could love him.¡±

    She smiled sadly.

    ¡°A goodly part of my heart already does,¡± she said, her tone gentle.

    ¡°god that hurts to hear,¡± he said with a bitter laugh.

    ¡°I know,¡± she said, looking down. ¡°I hope you continue to become who you are meant to be, Sans.¡±

    ¡°i¡¯ll try,¡± he said. ¡°like you said, a lot of people have my back. you, frisk, papyrus.¡±

    ¡°Please do not be afraid,¡± she said. ¡°You can trust in those who love you, Sans.¡±

    He stood up at that.

    ¡°i have to go,¡± he said. ¡°lemme take you home, tori.¡±

    She nodded and stood, letting his magic sweep her off her feet. They stood in her living room once more.

    ¡°i won¡¯t forget,¡± he said. ¡°ever. thank you.¡±

    ¡°And thank you,¡± she said. ¡°For giving this fleeting life more meaning. I wish you the best in your journey. You and Frisk both.¡±

    He nodded.

    ¡°uh, same,¡± he said. ¡°... goodbye.¡±

    ¡°Goodbye,¡± she said, her voice cracking.

    With that, he disappeared.

 Ch. 35 - Past

    It felt good to crush Frisk in his arms. They were confused for a moment, but hugged him back tightly. They stood together like that for a long moment.

    ¡°You okay?¡± Frisk asked, but Sans didn¡¯t answer.

    He just couldn¡¯t. Funny how hard it was to speak, when the words seemed important, and would be remembered.

    They relaxed in his grip and let him take his time. After a minute, he teleported them both to his Snowdin living room.

    ¡°as much as we¡¯ve been coming here, i¡¯m beginning to think i might need to do more with the place,¡± he said wryly as he sat on the couch. ¡°i was just here with toriel, but i don¡¯t know anywhere else to go if i want privacy, y¡¯know?¡±

    Funny how much easier words were when they weren¡¯t important.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t really need it before?¡± Frisk asked, snuggling up next to him.

    ¡°when we were living underground, i didn¡¯t talk to anyone,¡± he said. ¡°not for real, anyway. like, i¡¯d go to alphys¡¯ lab if we wanted to talk about timeline or amalgamate stuff or whatever, but for me, if i wanted to be alone with my thoughts, the snowdin sentry station was the best place for it.¡±

    Frisk shivered.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re not taking me there for chats,¡± they said. ¡°This is much nicer.¡±

    ¡°yeah, it is,¡± he said. ¡°since coming to the surface, haven¡¯t spoken to anyone for real, either, other than the last few days.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re doing so now, I think,¡± they said. ¡°I take it the conversation with mum was kind of hard?¡±

    ¡°she was being extremely nice and supportive and i was being an ass,¡± he said with a sigh.

    He looked down at them appraisingly then leaned back and closed his eyes. Saying that reminded him¡­ there was something he felt like he should say.

    ¡°hope i¡¯ve judged things with you right. that you¡¯re right about how you feel about things,¡± he said. ¡°¡®cause it occurs to me to mention something and normally i¡¯d, uh, not want to.¡±

    ¡°Because you¡¯re afraid it would hurt me?¡± they asked.

    ¡°yeah,¡± he said.

    They smiled and hugged him.

    ¡°I always want to know,¡± they said.

    ¡°you say that,¡± he muttered.

    Still, he wasn¡¯t a cheater. And as such, he felt like hiding this from them wasn¡¯t right. They¡¯d said they¡¯d be happy with him loving someone else, so it should be okay to be open about what he¡¯d said to Toriel. And if it wasn¡¯t okay, then it was important to find out. Confessing to a Toriel that would soon not exist wouldn¡¯t have any impact on his relationship with the real Toriel, so he hadn¡¯t done anything yet - but hiding things might be too much.

    Even if that wasn¡¯t really the sort of relationship they had. He didn''t think? He didn¡¯t understand what they were, not really, but at least if he were honest, it took away the uncertainty.

    ¡°but, uh, i sorta confessed to her,¡± he said. ¡°about being a little in love with her, and that¡¯s, uh, kinda complicated feeling, considering, uh, things with you and stuff.¡±

    They leaned up and kissed his cheek, smiling warmly. He studied their face and didn¡¯t see a flicker of pain or upset. Only joy, love, affection. It really was actually okay. Somehow.

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t hurt me at all,¡± they said. ¡°What did she say?¡±

    ¡°a few things,¡± he said, swallowing. ¡°i asked her to tell me the truth about where she stood, and she said that who i was, and who i am, she couldn¡¯t love, but who i¡¯m becoming, maybe.¡±

    ¡°Ouch,¡± Frisk said and Sans laughed in agreement. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you told her some stuff about your past, for her to say that?¡±

    ¡°not much,¡± he said. ¡°and i was being a dick about it.¡±

    ¡°Hard to imagine that,¡± they teased and he grinned at them. ¡°Still, it tells me one thing for sure.¡±

    ¡°what¡¯s that?¡± he asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got better taste in partners than she does,¡± they said with a giggle.

    He could have fake laughed to join them, but after his conversation with Toriel¡­ he wasn¡¯t feeling like that sort of artifice.

    ¡°i dunno,¡± he said, as lightly as he could manage. ¡°she¡¯s got a point.¡±

    ¡°Then clearly my judgment is superior to both of yours,¡± they said, leaning up to kiss his cheek again.

    ¡°yeah, yeah,¡± he said. ¡°you¡¯re really not bothered by all that?¡±

    ¡°I want you to be true to yourself,¡± they said, their voice rich with warmth. ¡°I¡¯m glad you could tell her how you felt. I know you have a hard time with that.¡±

    ¡°i only could ¡®cause she¡¯s not¡­¡± he said, and then cut off with an awkward swallow.

    Frisk smiled sadly, in understanding.

    ¡°Because she doesn¡¯t feel fully real,¡± they said.

    ¡°i don¡¯t want to think of it that way,¡± he muttered.

    ¡°I understand, Sans,¡± they said, laughing. ¡°Trust me, I really, really understand.¡±

    ¡°i know,¡± he said with a sigh. ¡°what about the fact that she¡¯s your adopted mom, though? i mean, that¡¯s, uh, awkward.¡±

    ¡°It definitely is,¡± they said with a giggle. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing sexual between me and her, just between you and her, I wouldn¡¯t find it a problem at all. I would totally want to tease her about it, though, because I bet she¡¯d find it horribly awkward. Still, I could behave myself.¡±

    He grinned at that.

    ¡°And also¡­ if you wanted me to join in, you¡¯d just have to say the word,¡± they said. ¡°As you know.¡±

    ¡°i get that you¡¯d obey me if i told you to have sex with her,¡± he said. ¡°or anyone. or anything. heh, now that i think about it, it might be fun to give you some interesting orders in public sometime¡­¡±

    Frisk squeaked at that, their eyes wide in horror.

    And intrigue.

    He grinned. Yeah, that was going on the list.

    ¡°but that aside,¡± he said. ¡°i can¡¯t believe we¡¯re actually talking about this. we¡¯re not¡­ it¡¯s nothing like that.¡±

    ¡°And if that changes, know I¡¯m cheering you on,¡± they said with a grin.

    Still, he¡¯d seen their face when they offered to join in - it would be legitimately awkward for them. And yet, they weren¡¯t completely repulsed by the thought¡­

    He was going to think about something else now.

    ¡°it¡¯s not likely to change,¡± he said. ¡°it wouldn¡¯t be fair to her to even approach the idea if i¡¯m not willing to tell her some things, and i don¡¯t see that happening.¡±

    Frisk gave him a speculative look.

    ¡°Does anyone know those things? Anyone at all?¡± they asked.

    ¡°no,¡± Sans said.

    ¡°It¡¯s possible that it¡¯s not as bad as you think,¡± Frisk said. ¡°I mean, I¡¯ve definitely hated myself for what I¡¯ve done more than anyone else has hated me for it. I keep thinking you all just¡­ don¡¯t get how awful it was, but¡­¡±

    ¡°the fact that you care so much and hurt so much from what you did takes a lot of the edge off,¡± Sans said.

    ¡°You care, too,¡± Frisk said. ¡°I bet you cared when you did your own dark things, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°less than i care now,¡± he said. ¡°but well¡­ you know how LOVE is.¡±

    They nodded.

    ¡°But there was still something inside it all, inside you, that cared, right?¡± they asked.

    ¡°sort of,¡± he said. ¡°again, you know how it is. you can hang on to some things, but that¡¯s it. i cared about papyrus, and¡­ a few others. and while i knew i should care beyond that, i just didn¡¯t feel it.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± they said.

    ¡°anyway. toriel said a few things,¡± Sans said. ¡°about, uh. lots of stuff. including how i should think about you, and how with the timeline thing, we¡¯re together forever now. and no matter what happens between us personally, we should think long term, kind of thing.¡±

    They hugged him and smirked.

    ¡°That sounds remarkably distant and practical, coming from mum,¡± they said teasingly.

    ¡°it¡¯s not how she put it,¡± Sans said.

    ¡°Uh huh,¡± Frisk said. ¡°How did she put it?¡±

    It is a binding more extreme and long lasting than any marriage. And, for now as well as hopefully into the future, you are bound by mutual love.

    If you are bound together eternally, then perhaps it would be wise to embrace that.

    ¡°differently,¡± he said dryly and they chuckled, giving him a knowing look that he chose to ignore. ¡°also about papyrus. same deal - long term thinking. like how we should tell him about the timelines, because we can¡¯t keep it a secret from him forever without wrecking stuff between us.¡±

    ¡°That¡­ makes a lot of sense,¡± Frisk said, looking a little sheepish.

    ¡°tori¡¯s good at that,¡± Sans said and Frisk laughed in agreement. ¡°so, uh, in light of both of those things¡­ and also, what you¡¯d said before, about me maybe needing some help to tell papyrus things. uh¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re thinking you should tell me something?¡± Frisk prompted when he hesitated.

    ¡°my past and stuff, yeah,¡± he said awkwardly. ¡°i should probably try to make a habit of it, ¡®cause there¡¯s a lot to tell, and i don¡¯t wanna say it all at once. but piecemeal, we¡¯d get there eventually, and i think i¡¯ll need you to know stuff to help with papyrus.¡±

    Frisk smiled brightly at him.

    ¡°I am extremely on board with this plan,¡± they said. ¡°Just, so much, I can¡¯t even tell you.¡±

    ¡°i figured,¡± he said dryly.

    He looked up at the ceiling.

    ¡°it¡­ won¡¯t surprise you that there¡¯s a lot of dark crap in my past,¡± he said and they laughed lightly in agreement. ¡°it¡¯d surprise anyone else. anyway, the thing about it is¡­ i kinda like the idea of you knowing some things.¡±

    They shifted on him, stroking at his chest soothingly.

    ¡°¡®cause i think you might actually understand,¡± he said quietly. ¡°no one else would, but with the stuff you¡¯ve done¡­ maybe you¡¯ll get why i didn¡¯t find it hard to forgive you for it.¡±

    ¡°Are you worried that I¡¯m going to judge you?¡± Frisk asked, their tone as soft as his.

    ¡°... yeah,¡± he said with a little laugh. ¡°part of me¡¯s certain you won¡¯t, for lots of good reasons, like your devotion maybe not letting you see things that way or something.¡±

    ¡°But part of you is afraid anyway,¡± they said with a sad little smile.

    ¡°can¡¯t help it,¡± he said. ¡°this world¡¯s so peaceful compared to the one i knew. and, uh, i contributed to that.¡±

    ¡°No matter what you¡¯ve done, I promise I¡¯ll love you anyway,¡± they said solemnly and he hugged them. ¡°So what¡¯s the first story going to be? And maybe right now?¡±

    He couldn¡¯t help but laugh at the barely restrained eagerness in their voice.

    ¡°nothing too heavy right now,¡± he said.

    ¡°Maybe the story of how you came to this world?¡± they suggested.

    ¡°that¡¯s one of the heaviest, actually,¡± he said and they nodded. ¡°something relatively light¡­ maybe the first time i killed someone.¡±

    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s light?¡± they said.

    ¡°your first kill was, too,¡± he said and they sheepishly acknowledged the point. ¡°it¡¯s not like there¡¯s anything important to tell you about, i dunno, trying to teach papyrus to read.¡±

    ¡°That sounds adorable, though,¡± they said and he laughed.

    ¡°it was, but it¡¯s not like that kind of story is weighing on me,¡± he said.

    ¡°True!¡± they said. ¡°Alright, tell me, tell me, all about your first kill!¡±

    ¡°you¡¯re so excited for such a morbid topic,¡± he said with a chuckle and they just beamed at him. ¡°anyway, it was when i was in reaper training¡­¡±

    ¡°Hold on, am I allowed to ask questions as we go along?¡± Frisk asked.

    ¡°uh,¡± he said. ¡°i guess, yeah.¡±

    ¡°Okay, because I have no idea what a reaper is,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°which i was gonna mention as i was telling the story,¡± he said.

    ¡°Right, so maybe I¡¯ll save questions till after,¡± they said sheepishly.

    He smiled at them.

    ¡°sure,¡± he said. ¡°let¡¯s see¡­ i¡¯d been in reaper training a few months, covering some basics, like theory on how to handle human souls¡­¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°First up, Sans,¡± Instructor Moreth said.

    Sans nervously moved forward.

    ¡°As a reminder, if you don¡¯t think you can kill him yourself, I will do so and you can simply practice soul absorption and wrangling,¡± Instructor Moreth said, then smiled at him. It wasn¡¯t the kindest smile. ¡°But you¡¯ve been hand-picked, haven¡¯t you? I wonder if you¡¯ve got the stomach for it.¡±

    ¡°i can handle it,¡± Sans said, trying to sound tough.

    ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± Instructor Moreth said. ¡°Not many can kill a prisoner if they¡¯ve never gained LOVE.¡±

    ¡°doctor gaster wants the best, and that¡¯s me,¡± Sans said with all of the trembling arrogance that only teenagers can manage.

    ¡°Of course it is,¡± Instructor Moreth said with a laugh. ¡°Alright, then. Prisoner number 72B. Captured during a raid on the village of Riverbend. His LOVE is seven, which suggests that he¡¯s killed in the range of a few dozen people. Considering they¡¯re not at war with anyone else, that''d be our people.¡±

    Sans stared at the man. A bag was over his head and he was propped up in a chair, probably drugged out of his mind. He raised a hand to summon his bones and he hesitated.

    ¡°shouldn¡¯t i, uh, see his face or something? or know his name?¡± Sans asked.

    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    ¡°Knowing personal details makes it harder to kill,¡± Instructor Moreth said.

    ¡°i can do it,¡± Sans insisted. ¡°i just, i dunno, i wanna do it right. killing him like this, it seems wrong.¡±

    ¡°Should we bring you to a battlefield, where they can fight back?¡± Instructor Moreth asked blandly.

    The rest of the class was dead silent, even though they¡¯d normally be murmuring at an exchange like that. He knew what the instructor was saying. Monsters couldn¡¯t fight against humans, not in a straight contest. Human intentions could rip through magical defenses, and they could resist magic, to boot. Monsters needed human souls to have any chance at a fight at all, and it was the reapers¡¯ job to get those souls. And use them.

    There were plenty of monsters who were trained in using souls in combat, sure. But only reapers who were trained in acquiring them.

    ¡°no, i get that,¡± Sans said. ¡°but i mean, if it¡¯s not a fair fight, i should at least know his face and name.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re sentimental enough to want to know, then you¡¯re too sentimental to kill him, and we shouldn¡¯t be wasting our time,¡± Instructor Moreth said.

    ¡°i said i can do it,¡± Sans said. ¡°i will.¡±

    ¡°Fine,¡± Instructor Moreth said. ¡°Prove to me you have what it takes to be Doctor Gaster¡¯s pet project.¡±

    ¡°hey, i¡¯m training to be his personal reaper and bodyguard,¡± Sans said.

    ¡°Like I said, his pet,¡± Instructor Moreth said and Sans glowered at him. ¡°We didn¡¯t learn this human¡¯s name, and we aren¡¯t going to let him wake up enough to ask. But go ahead and take off his hood if you think it¡¯s necessary.¡±

    Sans¡¯ hand was trembling despite himself as he reached for the hood. He pulled it off and met the glazed eyes of the man. He was a lot older than Sans - probably in his twenties. He had a beard that looked lovingly maintained, and long black hair. His face was slack and he blearily met Sans¡¯ gaze.

    ¡°he¡¯s conscious?¡± Sans asked.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Instructor Moreth said. ¡°It¡¯s difficult to knock a human unconscious but keep them alive. He¡¯s harmless, for now, but he¡¯ll be waking up more as time passes. So you might want to be quick about it.¡±

    Sans heard a choked sob and some sniffling behind him. One or two of his classmates were really having a hard time with this.

    So was he.

    He swallowed and raised his hand again. He had to do this. His parents were reapers, and they were good people, so it couldn¡¯t be evil to do this. He¡¯d done so well on his tests that Doctor Gaster himself, the Doctor W.D. Gaster, had taken a personal interest in him and put in resources for Sans¡¯ training. He¡¯d be trained both in the spacetime sciences that Doctor Gaster specialized in, and reaper training, so he could be a direct source of souls for Doctor Gaster¡¯s research.

    Everyone was counting on him to live up to all these expectations. And who knew, maybe he could make a real difference in the war.

    And this human murderer was in his way. He¡¯d have to kill lots of humans as a reaper. This was only different because it wasn¡¯t on a battlefield.

    He could do this.

    He summoned a swarm of bones. He could manage a full five at once, which was really good for a fifteen year old. All he had to do was launch them and he¡¯d prove Instructor Moreth wrong about him. Prove his parents right, and Doctor Gaster right. They¡¯d all be proud.

    It felt wrong, but it wasn¡¯t. It was a good thing to kill this human.

    This is the right thing to do, Sans thought to himself, over and over as he tried to draw on his magic.

    ¡°Just going to stand there all day?¡± drawled Instructor Moreth.

    ¡°i¡¯m going to do it,¡± Sans said. ¡°i said i will, so i will.¡±

    His heart ached. It hurt more than he thought it would. Why would it hurt so much just to kill some human soldier?

    The man groaned a little and his eyes seemed to grow more focused.

    ¡°There¡¯s not a lot of time left,¡± Instructor Moreth said. ¡°If you can¡¯t, it¡¯s fine, Sans. I¡¯ll kill him and you can just practice with his soul.¡±

    ¡°no,¡± Sans said and took a breath. ¡°it¡¯s time.¡±

    He¡¯d made a decision, he¡¯d said he would do it, and Sans always followed through.

    The bones launched forward, driving into the man. He jerked at the impacts, sounds of pain escaping him.

    ¡°It¡¯ll take more than that,¡± Instructor Moreth said. ¡°A lot more.¡±

    ¡°then i¡¯ll give him a lot more,¡± Sans said, gritting his teeth and refusing to tear up.

    He could do this, it was the right thing, and he wasn¡¯t going to cry.

    Another swarm of bones was summoned and he managed to launch it without much delay this time. The man had awakened a little more and had started to cry out and blubber something.

    The human still wasn¡¯t dead.

    A third swarm was summoned and this time, Sans couldn¡¯t stop the tears. He didn¡¯t want to do this, he hated the sounds the man was making, he hated this¡­

    But it was the right thing to do. He could trust in that. His parents, Doctor Gaster, everyone, it was definitely the right thing, no matter how it felt.

    Tears fell from his face as the third swarm impacted the human. A scream came from him this time, and Sans recoiled from the sound of it, the pain of it.

    ¡°Well done,¡± Instructor Moreth said, sounding pleased. ¡°Get into position, his soul is appearing.¡±

    Sans stumbled those few steps forward and reached out. A purple light that wasn¡¯t quite visible appeared at the human¡¯s chest. He touched it, willing it to become his, and it seemed to jump out of the man¡¯s chest, rushing him. He staggered back, but the soul rushed through his hand and flooded him with power.

    His body surged and the sensation was incredible. The magic of it, the intensity, it felt good, amazing, in ways he couldn''t have hoped to describe. Everything shrunk around him - he was even taller than Instructor Moreth, now! His clothes had changed, too, as he looked down at his changed form.

    It was also pretty intense in his head. He¡¯d been trained on what to do, though. His type of magic was the best for reapers - death affiliated magic numbed and relaxed a soul more than any other kind. He tried to mentally bathe it in his magic and it settled, the ripping terror and hostility fading into a painful ache in the back of his head that he could reasonably ignore.

    ¡°You¡¯re wearing a reaper uniform?¡± one of his classmates asked, and Instructor Moreth laughed.

    ¡°You¡¯ll need to control the transformation better in the future,¡± he said. ¡°But you really do want it, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°told you so,¡± Sans said, trying to put on a fake grin.

    ¡°That you did,¡± Instructor Moreth said proudly. ¡°Excellent work, Sans. You¡¯ve got five minutes to practice moving around with the soul, and then hand it off to one of your classmates. Next time, we¡¯ll see if someone else can manage the kill.¡±

    ¡°sir,¡± Sans said. ¡°if no one else can, i¡¯d like permission to handle it myself, instead of you.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Instructor Moreth said.

    ¡°i¡¯m not one for doing the bare minimum,¡± Sans said smugly. ¡°i¡¯ll have the highest LOVE that any reaper graduates have ever had.¡±

    ¡°You just might,¡± Instructor Moreth said. ¡°Well then. Let¡¯s get to it.¡±

    <hr>

    Frisk was staring at him.

    ¡°i did it, too,¡± he said. ¡°highest LOVE at graduation in history - though, admittedly, i¡¯ve never heard of anyone else who tried. it was rare enough to graduate as a reaper in the first place. my academy only had about an eight percent graduation rate, and almost all of the failures were from monsters finding they didn¡¯t have it in them to kill. kill that much, anyway.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m really having trouble with this,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°uh¡­ really?¡± he said. ¡°i didn¡¯t think it¡¯d be too much¡­ i mean, i know he was a prisoner of war, but¡­¡±

    ¡°No, not that,¡± Frisk said dismissively. ¡°Sans¡­ you¡¯re a skeleton.¡±

    ¡°you only just noticed?¡± he asked playfully. ¡°and here i thought you were observant.¡±

    ¡°Oh my god, Sans,¡± they said in an exasperated tone, covering their face with their hands. ¡°No! I mean, you¡¯re a skeleton and it was your job to reap souls.¡±

    ¡°actually, that¡¯s a regular reaper¡¯s job, but my actual job was a litt-¡±

    ¡°Oh my GOD, Sans,¡± Frisk said, and he grinned, holding back laughter. ¡°That was part of it, though, right?¡±

    ¡°yep,¡± he said.

    ¡°You¡¯re telling me you were the grim reaper,¡± they said.

    ¡°it was pretty grim,¡± he said.

    ¡°SANS!¡± they yelled and he started to crack, barely restraining his laughter.

    ¡°but saying i was the grim reaper just doesn¡¯t work,¡± he said. ¡°i was more funny than grim. ¡®humerus,¡¯ even.¡±

    ¡°OH MY GOD,¡± Frisk said.

    He couldn¡¯t help it and just laughed as they yelled.

    ¡°on that note, remember a few months ago when i got those souls?¡± Sans asked.

    ¡°Ye-¡± they started to say and then abruptly cut themself off, staring at him. ¡°No. No, Sans, you didn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°i felt like the whole costume might be too much, but i did bring a plastic scythe with me,¡± he said.

    ¡°Oh my god that is amazing,¡± Frisk said, and just fell back laughing.

    ¡°i do kinda want to know your thoughts for real, though,¡± he said.

    ¡°Nope, sorry, you¡¯ll have to wait,¡± Frisk said. ¡°You¡¯ve killed my brain and now my brain has to reload. That¡¯s how this works.¡±

    He snorted at that.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Just¡­ wow, Sans. I can¡¯t even.¡±

    ¡°but can you odd?¡± he asked and they lightly slapped at his arm.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to be the death of me,¡± they said.

    ¡°good thing i¡¯ve got so much experience at that,¡± he said and they giggled.

    ¡°Damn right you do,¡± they said admiringly. ¡°And speaking of, your instructor was cold. I find it surprising - he was a teacher, not a reaper, wasn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°there were minimum LOVE amounts for anyone instructing reapers,¡± he said and they boggled.

    ¡°Minimum LOVE? Seriously?¡± they repeated. ¡°And it was measurable?¡±

    ¡°i don¡¯t want to get into all that right now, but yeah,¡± he said. ¡°it can form up to twenty distinct layers on the soul, so twenty¡¯s the max. once you hit that point, there¡¯s no going back - it¡¯s complete dissociation of the mind from the soul, and regaining yourself is impossible. though maybe not with reloading, i dunno.¡±

    Frisk stared at him in horror.

    ¡°the mechanics of LOVE are more complicated than you might think, but again, trying to keep it brief for now,¡± he said.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to keep it brief. I am curious,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°i wasn¡¯t wanting to keep it brief for your sake,¡± he said dryly and they grinned.

    ¡°Worth a shot,¡± they said and he laughed.

    ¡°the point is, if i remember correctly, the minimum LOVE for an instructor at reaper academies was eight,¡± he said. ¡°moreth was eleven, i think.¡±

    Frisk nodded, looking thoughtful.

    ¡°The idea being that they needed the emotional disconnect to coerce students, children, into murdering people?¡± they asked.

    ¡°heh,¡± he said. ¡°harshly put, but fair, yeah. though i was unusually young - that¡¯s a whole story in itself. most monsters didn¡¯t go into reaper training till they were older. usually going into it from other military roles.¡±

    ¡°So a lot of them already had LOVE built up?¡± Frisk asked.

    ¡°not usually,¡± he said. ¡°pretty much the only monsters who actually killed anyone were those with soul training. and most monsters who went for soul training tried to be reapers first - it was generally reaper dropouts who took those roles.¡±

    ¡°That makes a lot of sense,¡± Frisk said. ¡°So pretty much all of the kills in your war were from a small number of soldiers?¡±

    ¡°yep,¡± he said. ¡°the rest of the military was built as support for reapers and soul-wielders of other kinds. defensive actions, evacuations, trap setting, healing, that sort of thing.¡±

    ¡°That is really cool,¡± Frisk said. ¡°But, as far as my thoughts on what you did - you were doing what you thought was right. Really, that¡¯s the key thing, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°killing prisoners of war is considered a war crime in this world,¡± he said. ¡°i¡¯d make jokes about it, but i¡¯d joke about anything - it¡¯s kinda serious.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s not like you guys were killing them because you were dismissive of the value of life or whatever,¡± they said. ¡°It¡¯s because their deaths provided a necessary resource. I just realized, though - I¡¯m curious why you¡¯d have needed large numbers of souls. Couldn¡¯t you just reuse them?¡±

    ¡°probably should have mentioned that,¡± he said. ¡°you can hold a soul without fully absorbing it, and transfer it safely, like into a container or whatever. but, once a soul is properly absorbed, and it loses this¡­ uh, sort of buffer thing, it¡¯s basically on a countdown. it becomes unusable after a while. depends on a lot of factors, but anywhere from five minutes to maybe five hours.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Frisk said. ¡°So, it¡¯s like using consumables in games. Yuck.¡±

    He laughed at the scrunched look of disgust on their face.

    ¡°yeah,¡± he said. ¡°reapers were critical to the war effort. very few monsters could handle being reapers, and we weren¡¯t able to put up a fight without souls.¡±

    Frisk nodded seriously.

    ¡°I dropped in without a lick of combat training or LOVE, and had I been a little more violently inclined¡­ and maybe a trifle less panicky about magic¡­ I probably wouldn¡¯t have died even once, outside of Flowey¡¯s soul absorption stuff,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Monsters without extra souls¡­ I can see that being really one-sided.¡±

    ¡°that sums it up pretty well,¡± Sans said. ¡°it¡¯s what happened in this universe - they never managed to get a single human soul. i¡¯d guess someone killed a human at least once, but you have to get to the corpse within about thirty seconds or it¡¯s too late.¡±

    ¡°So is your universe otherwise like ours, except for that one difference?¡± Frisk asked.

    ¡°i think so,¡± he said. ¡°we had king asgore, too, but no queen. i didn¡¯t pay huge attention to history class, so i don¡¯t know if it was toriel, but i do remember that the queen died during the early days of the war, and in his anger, asgore got the first human souls.¡±

    ¡°I can see that,¡± Frisk said quietly. ¡°We know he can be¡­ violently driven by grief.¡±

    ¡°yeah,¡± Sans said. ¡°but also, the year doesn¡¯t match. war had only been going on for about eighty years, in my universe.¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s not only a different universe, but also your future,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°that¡¯s what we figured, yeah,¡± Sans said.

    ¡°We?¡± Frisk asked. ¡°Do you mean this Doctor Gaster person?¡±

    He smiled.

    ¡°i do,¡± he said. ¡°but let¡¯s save him for another day.¡±

    ¡°Can I ask other questions, though?¡± Frisk asked.

    ¡°sure,¡± he said.

    ¡°I¡¯m not really clear on why you didn¡¯t just completely kick ass, when you had the souls,¡± Frisk said. ¡°I know they¡¯re temporary, but even so, you should have been able to slaughter people, get souls, and just wreck your enemies.¡±

    Sans gave them a bemused look.

    ¡°you really think we¡¯d have been able to do that?¡± he asked. ¡°that we could make ourselves do that?¡±

    ¡°With a high enough LOVE, yeah,¡± Frisk said.

    He laughed bitterly.

    ¡°fair point,¡± he said. ¡°like i said, the mechanics of LOVE are more complicated than you might think. but, as to your question, there¡¯s a few major things you¡¯re missing.¡±

    Frisk nodded.

    ¡°one, even if our reapers could manage to do something like that, our population wouldn¡¯t be able to handle it,¡± he said. ¡°some would, but if they really wrapped their minds around it¡­ that would have destroyed us as a people. here, people would say stupid stuff like being hyped for the destruction of humanity, but i¡¯ve seen how upset the population got whenever reapers got souls from civilians.¡±

    ¡°Did you ever do that?¡± Frisk asked.

    He sighed.

    ¡°we weren¡¯t supposed to,¡± he said. ¡°but, there was a time or two when gaster insisted that he needed a few souls right away and wasn¡¯t willing to wait for the next military engagement that i could poach from. sometimes i was successful at sneaking into human lands and just getting bandits¡­ and sometimes i wasn¡¯t.¡±

    They squeezed his hand.

    ¡°anyway,¡± he said. ¡°the next major issue you¡¯re missing is with human magicians.¡±

    ¡°Oh right,¡± Frisk said. ¡°I forgot about that.¡±

    ¡°as a rule, magicians leveled the playing field with reapers,¡± he said. ¡°they could collaboratively cast, combining their magic. two magicians working together was the equal of a reaper with two souls, five magicians to a reaper with five souls, and so on, roughly speaking. individual skill level counted for a huge amount, naturally. and their power was more consistent - they didn¡¯t need ¡®consumables,¡¯ as you put it, which was a major advantage against us.¡±

    ¡°That makes sense,¡± Frisk said. ¡°So you fought a lot of magicians?¡±

    ¡°we were the mutual high priority targets,¡± Sans said. ¡°our whole war effort was completely contigent on reapers continuing to gather souls - to use the souls ourselves, as well as to hand them off to other soul-trained monsters. every reaper that died was a massive blow to monsterkind. or retired, i guess.¡±

    ¡°Makes sense,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Magicians were the same way?¡±

    ¡°yeah,¡± he said. ¡°they took ages to train and not many humans had the knack for it. any magicians we killed, it¡¯d be crippling to humanity. well, not humanity, really - just the enemy nations. we weren¡¯t enemies with all humans.¡±

    ¡°Did you ever kill any magicians?¡± Frisk asked.

    ¡°a handful, but mostly they¡¯d retreat when the going got tough,¡± Sans said. ¡°we would, too. general rule of thumb, we weren¡¯t supposed to engage with magicians unless we were bringing more souls to the table than they were. like, i could fight two magicians at once if i had three souls, but if i were only cleared for two souls, i was supposed to do a defensive holding action, or back off.¡±

    ¡°Wait, you needed clearance for using more souls?¡± Frisk asked.

    ¡°yep,¡± he said. ¡°it¡¯s¡­ a whole thing. they¡¯re dangerous to use. straining. i ended up getting clearance for all seven, eventually.¡±

    ¡°Is seven special somehow?¡± Frisk said. ¡°I thought it was seven souls because that¡¯s how many magicians happened to be involved in putting up the barrier, not because there was something inherent about that number.¡±

    ¡°for some reason - and soul interactions wasn¡¯t my area of expertise, though i did study it some - seven is the maximum number of collaborative souls in magic,¡± Sans said. ¡°doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s a monster absorbing souls, or if it¡¯s human magicians combining their magic, seven¡¯s a hard limit.¡±

    ¡°What happens if you try to go past it?¡± Frisk asked.

    ¡°you can tell while you¡¯re holding them,¡± Sans said. ¡°you just can¡¯t absorb any more, it feels sorta¡­ complete. i¡¯m guessing there was leeway with flowey¡¯s absorbing of the monster souls, since they sort of didn¡¯t take up space in quite the same way, but that¡¯s just a guess. i¡¯d be able to swap souls easily, or grab an extra one to put into a container or whatever, but not fully integrate one. not truly absorb it.¡±

    ¡°Huh,¡± Frisk said. ¡°And magicians?¡±

    ¡°never saw them try to combine more than seven in a collab cast, but it¡¯s not like they¡¯d try new things mid combat. they probably tried it at home and found that it wasn¡¯t possible.¡±

    ¡°Cool,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Flowey was incredibly powerful when he had all of the souls. It seems like it¡¯d be fun. What was it like for you, absorbing seven souls?¡±

    ¡°maybe that¡¯ll be a story for next time,¡± he said. ¡°i¡¯ve only absorbed seven souls twice before, and the first time was a pretty epic story.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t wait,¡± Frisk said.

    ¡°i bet,¡± Sans said. ¡°but let¡¯s do something else for now. when¡¯s the last time you¡¯ve said screw it and ran off to just do something fun?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ kind of don¡¯t do that?¡± Frisk said. ¡°I mean, I¡¯ve taken some small vacations before, but never just¡­ ditched things, or went wild. I can¡¯t screw around much in the true timeline, what with my job and stuff. And I never felt like it was¡­ uh¡­ okay to take advantage of dead timelines for personal pleasures?¡±

    ¡°then i have to apologize for being a dick,¡± he said. ¡°again. i recently realized that i kept you from having fun with this power, and it¡¯s not like you¡¯re reloading just to screw people over or anything. let¡¯s make up for lost time.¡±

    Their eyes were shining.

    ¡°Really?¡± they asked, their voice small and hopeful.

    ¡°absolutely,¡± he said. ¡°let¡¯s go waste some money and be weird tourists somewhere. what do you think?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ god yes,¡± Frisk said. ¡°Where do you want to go?¡±

    ¡°wrong question,¡± Sans said. ¡°where do we wanna go first?¡±

 Ch. 36 - Reload (Final chapter of book 1)

    Sans and Frisk had a fun week. He hadn¡¯t felt like talking about his past, or doing anything questionable. Just plain, fun, extravagance. Fancy restaurants, theme parks, cool views. His speed with teleporting was severely limited with a passenger, and Frisk couldn¡¯t draw from time to restore themself without saving, sadly. So they had to pace themselves, but it was still a more widespread vacation than most people would ever experience.

    At first, there was one thing that was bugging him. He really wasn¡¯t feeling like having the meeting with Flowey yet. He didn¡¯t want it hanging over his head, either, and by the second day of their little vacation, he decided to just put it off. Just let this dead timeline be a thing of fun and joy, putting off all the responsibilities and crap till after. Frisk discussed it with Flowey through texts, and he was fine with it as long as they finally settled on a time. The last save was on a Saturday, so they made their plan for Sunday afternoon, at the lab.

    That settled, he proceeded to just forget about everything else, other than having fun with Frisk. No past and no future, no traumas and no dreams of what might be, no guilt and no second guessing - just laughter and play.

    It was a good time.

    One thing was twigging at him and it took some mental chewing before he figured out what it was. Sans had basically done the same thing, on returning to the country - screwing around to try to relax. And yet, despite the fact that the only difference now was that he was doing it with Frisk, it was actually working.

    By the third day of screwing around, he gradually came to the conclusion it wasn¡¯t just because he wasn¡¯t alone, though that was part of it. He didn¡¯t think visiting around with Papyrus would be relaxing in the same way. It was because he¡¯d mentally shifted to completely trusting Frisk. Frisk didn¡¯t know everything yet, but they were going to, and he didn¡¯t have to worry about things like secrets and ticking time bombs. If he slipped and mentioned something, it didn¡¯t matter. He could just relax with them.

    A thought crossed his mind that brought his thoughts to a stuttering halt: this little vacation was kinda like a honeymoon. Ha, no, he was not thinking that thought, nope, he¡¯d never even thought it in the first place.

    Though he did hug Frisk tightly as he tried to shove away a feeling of guilt, and didn¡¯t tell them why. Frisk didn¡¯t pry, and just loved him, as they always did.

    Even with Frisk¡¯s power, all things come to an end eventually. And as much as Sans was enjoying himself, he did miss Papyrus. He was having an increasingly hard time avoiding thoughts of how much Papyrus would be struggling with both Frisk and Sans missing on a ¡°secret mission¡± for so long. So, as much as he¡¯d miss the absolutely fantastic, carefree romp they¡¯d had, he wasn¡¯t tempted to extend things.

    The last day of the timeline came and Flowey confirmed he¡¯d finished what he¡¯d been up to. Sans had asked, and Frisk reported that it was apparently a couple of things ¨C a test that Flowey wanted to cheat on, and also giving him enough time for financial exploitations. A week and a half into the future wasn¡¯t much, but it wasn¡¯t nothing.

    They returned to Overground, and Frisk tentatively asked if Sans would be willing to help make sure they¡¯d memorized everything successfully. He laughed and agreed, and they spent a couple of hours snuggling together with some snacks and drinks, going over everything. It was enjoyable on a number of levels. An easy task, with his good memory, and it was nice to work on something together.

    Frisk had gotten a small list of things from Toriel, of things she¡¯d tried that she liked, over text. They went over their plan for Toriel, as well as the reports Frisk had gotten collated from their office on the events since saving. Sans asked about the finance side of things and Frisk grumbled, saying they¡¯d ask Flowey for some advice, but otherwise didn¡¯t feel like dealing with it. That seemed reasonable to him.

    Once they felt confident in their memorization, there was one last thing they wanted to do. They didn¡¯t have to. It technically was absolutely meaningless. But it mattered anyway.

    ¡°It is good to see you both,¡± Toriel said from where she sat by the fire.

    Frisk¡¯s lips were tight at the things gathered there. A photo of their family - Toriel, Asgore, Asriel, and Chara. A child¡¯s toy - presumably one of Asriel¡¯s. An old, child¡¯s drawing of a golden flower - which would be one of Chara¡¯s, then. Toriel cast her gaze back to the fire.

    ¡°It is time, I take it,¡± she murmured.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Frisk said softly, going to stand beside her chair. ¡°We wanted to say goodbye.¡±

    Toriel smiled lightly. She got out of her chair and sat on the rug in front of the fire, patting beside her. Frisk obligingly sat down next to her, side by side. Sans remained standing, silent.

    ¡°It is all right, you know,¡± she said, gazing into the fire. ¡°I know that I will be fine. The only thing that is happening is forgetting a week¡¯s worth of memories.¡±

    ¡°Alphys tends to see it that way,¡± Frisk said, joining Toriel¡¯s light tone. ¡°She chatted my ear off about how various animes have handled all sorts of time powers, and how she thought my power was kind of like one of those characters. Or like the ones that have memory powers. So she interpreted her life as being an anime in dead timelines, I think? It¡¯s weird, but she seemed to honestly be okay with things.¡±

    Toriel chuckled.

    ¡°How many ways there are to perceive things, in the world,¡± she mused idly.

    ¡°some are less comforting than others,¡± Sans remarked. ¡°you alright, tori?¡±

    She sighed.

    ¡°I dislike the situation,¡± she said. ¡°But I am not distraught over it. Especially since¡­¡±

    She paused and looked over at Frisk and Sans, smiling at each of them.

    ¡°I feel that what I have done will be remembered, and for that, I am content,¡± she said.

    ¡°I will always remember you,¡± Frisk said, reaching over and hugging Toriel tightly. ¡°The first Toriel I trusted with everything. The Toriel who accepted me, despite all I¡¯ve done. Loved me, despite¡­¡±

    Frisk trailed off, swallowing.

    ¡°Of course I love you, my child,¡± Toriel said, patting Frisk¡¯s back soothingly. ¡°The hard choices you have made have not destroyed the goodness in your heart, nor the will to do what is right.¡±

    ¡°no worries about me forgetting, either,¡± Sans said. ¡°you¡¯re stuck in my mind like glue. or like pie crumbs in my jacket.¡±

    Frisk snorted at that, and Toriel laughed.

    ¡°I suppose that would mean you will remember for quite a long time,¡± Toriel said with a smirk. ¡°Considering your laundry habits.¡±

    Frisk squeaked out a laugh, covering their mouth to muffle it.

    ¡°hey,¡± Sans said, mock offended. ¡°i resemble that remark.¡±

    ¡°Of that there was never any doubt,¡± Toriel said and Sans laughed.

    ¡°Thank you for everything,¡± Frisk said, smiling at Toriel. ¡°I wish you could keep your memories, but at least I¡¯ll always remember how much you¡¯ve helped.¡±

    Sans was secretly glad Toriel would be forgetting. It was awkward to admit, even in his own mind, but the idea of her remembering the things he¡¯d said¡­ he suppressed a shudder.

    ¡°You are quite welcome, Frisk,¡± Toriel said, then looked up at Sans, her expression contemplative and vaguely mournful.

    He grinned at her.

    ¡°knock knock,¡± he said and her face lit up.

    ¡°Who is there?¡± she asked with a bright smile.

    ¡°what, you forgot me already?¡± he asked with a wink.

    ¡°Sans!¡± Frisk yelled, as Toriel started laughing.

    Frisk joined in after a second, and Sans chuckled along.

    ¡°good note to leave it on,¡± Sans said and Toriel nodded, smiling. ¡°thanks, tori.¡±

    ¡°Always, Sans,¡± she said warmly. ¡°I hope you can speak more freely with my other self, in time.¡±

    ¡°eh, we¡¯ll see,¡± he said lightly. ¡°alright, frisk, do the thing.¡±

    Frisk nodded and gave Toriel one last hug. Toriel hugged them back tightly.

    ¡°Goodbye, mum,¡± they whispered, and then the world went black.

    Sans found himself laying on his back, in bed, where he¡¯d been trying to recover from his conversation with Toriel.

    Frisk would be just getting home from the grocery store. The plan was for Frisk to go in and cheerfully tell Toriel that they were hoping to chat with her about some things over dinner. Keep things simple, light-hearted, and upbeat for now, since Toriel was coming off of a hard conversation. Plus, Frisk had just said goodbye to the other version of Toriel. They both could use a little time to process things before diving into anything heavy.

    Sans, though, wanted to talk to Papyrus. Nothing important, nothing serious, nothing that mattered in any significant way.

    Just¡­ just seeing that Papyrus was okay. Never abandoned, never left alone, never having had to wonder why Sans had just¡­

    He swallowed and shot off a text message. Papyrus responded immediately about how he was in a bookstore, thinking of adding to his collection. Sans smiled at that and asked if he could come along, which Paps was delighted at.

    He did have his game in a couple of hours, but until then, he just tagged along with his brother. Light hearted jokes and play, a few puns to make Paps start yelling¡­ all normal stuff.

    Papyrus was completely fine and there was no reason at all to feel guilty for having abandoned him in that dead timeline. Right?

    By the time they parted ways, Sans begrudgingly had to admit that Toriel had a point. He hadn¡¯t said goodbye to the last Papyrus, because he hadn¡¯t wanted to face what he¡¯d done. The only thing he needed to do in order to prevent Papyrus from being that hurt and confused again was simple. Trust. That was it - he just had to trust his baby brother.

    He wished it was easy.

    On the bright side, there was an easy distraction coming up. Four o¡¯clock arrived on schedule, and he arrived a trifle early. He was on drinks duty today, so he brought a case of assorted sodas. The smell of hot dogs filled the room as he opened the door and he laughed.

    ¡°good choice of grub,¡± he said as he made his way inside.

    Undyne was already there, and he guessed she¡¯d been there for a while. He made his way to the game table and squeezed his way into the conversation. Alphys was easily prodded into prattling about her work. She¡¯d finally finished designing the website for the organization that she, Sans, and Frisk officially worked for. M.O.N.S.T.E.R. - Multifunctional Organization for Networked Security, Tactics, and Emergency Response. Asgore had been so proud of that name.

    Technically, most of the funding for MONSTER came from Frisk¡¯s foreknowledge, but it was officially all through the crown, so whatever. It made it feel like he worked for Asgore and not Frisk, which was especially good considering recent plot twists in his life.

    He loaded up the website on his phone and glanced over it. It was pretty solidly put together - Alphys was better at the technology side of things than the aesthetics, so she¡¯d probably hired some web designers to help with it, because it looked sharp. Overview, mission statement, key staff - it had it all.

    ¡°sweet motto,¡± Sans said. ¡°¡®protecting the present, shaping the future.¡¯ who came up with it?¡±

    ¡°It was a team effort,¡± Alphys said.

    ¡°I did the protecting the present part!¡± Undyne said with a huge grin.

    ¡°we actually look like an official government org, instead of just a hodge-podge cover for frisk¡¯s job and timeline power,¡± Sans said with a chuckle.

    ¡°We are an official government organization, though?¡± Alphys said. ¡°Just because we¡¯re kinda small¡­¡±

    ¡°Not that small!¡± Undyne said. ¡°You have like five people working for you! That¡¯s so awesome!¡±

    ¡°frisk has about a dozen working for them, i think,¡± Sans said. One of which was Flowey, officially. ¡°i don¡¯t actually go into the office ever.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re on the site, though!¡± Undyne said. ¡°Look, you¡¯re listed as the official Head of Emergency Response.¡±

    Sans chuckled at that. He did know that was his official job title, though it was weird to see it listed like that. Most of his actual ¡°work¡± had been in dead timelines, teleporting Frisk around as, together, they figured out how to prevent disasters from happening in the first place. Which meant that, as far as he was concerned in the true timeline, he did practically nothing and got a solid paycheck out of it.

    Of course, he¡¯d now actually have to both do the job and remember doing it. That was fine. Might even be fun.

    ¡°with it being all official looking now, i wonder. if i¡¯m head of the department, maybe i ought to have people working under me, too,¡± Sans said.

    ¡°We¡¯ve still got quite a lot of money coming in from Frisk¡¯s investments,¡± Alphys said. ¡°We can pro-¡±

    ¡°Sorry I¡¯m late!¡± Tom¡¯s voice said from the front door. ¡°Traffic was worse than usual.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s two minutes past four, you¡¯re not really late,¡± Alphys said.

    ¡°You¡¯re so late! You should do some pushups!¡± Undyne said, as Tom came into the room.

    He gave her a bemused look and Sans grinned up at him.

    Tom was a strange addition to their group. He was one of Undyne¡¯s coworkers at Toriel¡¯s blended school for monsters and humans. Undyne had decided that, since he was into human history, as well as being awkward and nerdy, he therefore needed to become Alphys¡¯s friend. Naturally, that also somehow meant that he was joining their tabletop roleplaying group.

    Sans wasn¡¯t entirely certain that Tom had ever actually agreed to anything throughout this process. But that was fine - he had fun with the group. He could be a little on the plain side, comparatively, but his nervous delight at their antics, as well as his delight about working with monsters in general, were clear to see.

    Tom did not do any pushups, despite Undyne¡¯s playful badgering, and they set everything out for the game. Character sheets, dice, snacks - all the usual things.

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    Alphys nervously adjusted her glasses as she set the scene. They¡¯d all been invited to a ball, hosted by the Duchess of Elencort, because of their group¡¯s infamy with wild adventures. Sans¡¯ bard, Bones Malone, had put in a lot of time into making sure everyone knew how awesome their group was, so he personally took all of the credit for getting them in.

    After all, the good Lady had a dungeon with a prisoner that needed rescuing. Sans was more concerned with good times than the overarching plot - especially since he derailed the plot so much anyway - so the prisoner¡¯s identity as the son of some noble, who was important in setting up some sort of rebellion against the false king¡­ eh. Undyne¡¯s paladin was all over it, though. Especially since her backstory was that she was secretly a princess, raised as a warrior of light. She¡¯d declared that they would storm the castle, kill the king - and he¡¯d play a victory fanfare. Everyone wins!

    Except the false king, naturally.

    ¡°Okay, so you have all arrived at the ball, which is located here,¡± Alphys said, pointing out a large room on the map of the Duchess¡¯ manor. ¡°It¡¯s filled with nobles and celebrities, all in extravagant attire. The air is buzzing with conversation and music, and full of the smells of fancy finger foods and wines. What do you all do?¡±

    ¡°I go inside!¡± Undyne said.

    ¡°we all do, all together,¡± Sans said, flashing Undyne a grin. ¡°bones will start playing his lute and charming the people around, to try to keep anyone else from noticing them so they can head downstairs.¡±

    Tom nodded seriously.

    ¡°Okay, Sans, go ahead and roll a performance check. Undyne and Tom, roll stealth,¡± Alphys said, and they all did so.

    His roll was mediocre, but Bones was built for performance, and so it was a pretty good result anyway.

    ¡°who knew being a bard could be so instrumental?¡± Sans asked, winking at the group, and got a solid dose of excellent groans in response.

    Tom¡¯s results were also good - better than Sans¡¯ - but Undyne¡¯s paladin was just not built for stealth.

    ¡°Almost all of the nobles have been distracted, and none of them notice Tom - I mean, Shadowfoot, as he makes his way out of the room,¡± Alphys said. ¡°One of the nobles, a handsome young man, approaches Tempest.¡±

    She coughed and adjusted her glasses nervously, turning to face Undyne.

    ¡°Why, my lady Stormblade, you are even more beautiful than the stories say,¡± ¡®he¡¯ said, as Alphys dropped her voice low and tried to sound suave. ¡°May I have this dance?¡±

    Sans grinned at the faint blush on her cheeks.

    ¡°A¡­ dance?¡± Undyne asked, glancing at the group nervously.

    Sans and Tom exchanged amused looks, as Sans held himself back from snickering.

    ¡°careful, undyne,¡± Sans said with a grin. ¡°this dance could turn into a real knight to remember.¡±

    ¡°S-she¡¯s a paladin, not a knight,¡± Alphys protested weakly.

    ¡°but she¡¯ll always be your knight in shining armor,¡± he said with a wink and she hid her face, squeaking.

    ¡°Uhhhh,¡± Undyne said, an adorably cute smile pulling at her cheeks. ¡°I, uh, will try to get out of it. Uh, can I try persuasion?¡±

    ¡°Y-yes, but it¡¯ll be against his charisma, since he¡¯s going to try to insist,¡± Alphys said and Undyne nodded.

    They both rolled, and Alphys¡¯ roll was much higher. Undyne sighed.

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna be stuck up here?¡± she asked.

    Sans laughed.

    ¡°you could just reject him and run, though that¡¯d draw attention,¡± Sans said teasingly. ¡°but no worries, undyne - i¡¯m up here, too. guaranteed not to be boring.¡±

    She grinned at him.

    ¡°That¡¯s true! Okay, Mr. Noble-man! I accept your dance!¡± Undyne said, shifting into the more grandiose voice she¡¯d made for her paladin, Tempest Stormblade.

    ¡°bones would notice that, right?¡± Sans asked and Alphys nodded. ¡°he¡¯ll make his way close to tempest and her new buddy, just in case.¡±

    ¡°The noble is an excellent dancer and guides you into a smooth dance,¡± Alphys said, her eyes sparkling. ¡°After a minute, he asks you, ¡®What brings you to the Duchess¡¯ ball?¡¯¡±

    ¡°Uh, I heard¡­ that there was something interesting in the dungeons,¡± Undyne said with a bright grin.

    Sans snickered at that.

    ¡°oh, my dear companion, to think you¡¯re not only interested in the infamously depraved dungeons of our delightful duchess, but would openly admit it to someone you just met?¡± he asked, in an affected voice of exaggerated charm. ¡°how bold, how daring!¡±

    Undyne glared at him, Alphys turned bright red, and Tom burst out laughing. Sans just grinned.

    ¡°H-h-he has no idea what you¡¯re talking about, and asks what you mean?¡± Alphys stammered, so flustered that she didn¡¯t ask in character.

    ¡°everyone knows that anyone who goes into the duchess¡¯ dungeons gets¡­ boned,¡± Sans said with a wink. ¡°or perhaps the rumors are wrong? we wouldn¡¯t want to cause any sort of disruption¡­ tempest, let¡¯s go speak with the fair lady herself and ask as to the truth of this matter.¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ what?¡± Undyne asked. ¡°You think we should ask about kinky dungeons?¡±

    ¡°you gotta admit, this is definitely a way to cause a distraction,¡± Sans said, out of character. ¡°as soon as shadowfoot gets back with the prisoner, we¡¯re outta here.¡±

    ¡°Oh my god,¡± Alphys said, putting her face in her hands.

    ¡°He¡¯s got a point,¡± Tom said with a grin. ¡°How is that going anyway?¡±

    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s do that, instead of¡­ instead of¡­ right,¡± Alphys said, flustered, turning her attention to Tom as Sans snickered again.

    Sans leaned back, happy to watch and relax as Alphys focused on running Tom through his little heist.

    This was nice. Just some good times and good food with friends, laughing and playing and messing around. He loved the cute little glances that Undyne and Alphys shared - especially when he¡¯d teased them earlier. Tom was clearly getting a kick out of things, too, still wearing a goofy grin even as he was dealing with the extremely serious business of breaking into the dungeons.

    Sans sighed contentedly as he munched on a hotdog. A week and a half vacation full of uncertainty, murder, accidental stranding at the south pole, confessions and connections, morally questionable abandonment of all friends and responsibilities, plus some legitimately fantastic times with Frisk, in multiple ways¡­ and here he was, making his friends all laugh again. Like nothing had ever happened.

    It was¡­ liberating was a good word for it. A feeling of freedom. It almost felt like the power sort of belonged to him, considering Frisk¡¯s devotion. Being in the real timeline again, seeing things play out, being reminded of the permanence of things, while knowing that freedom was within his grasp¡­ it felt good.

    Tom very seriously snuck past the Duchess¡¯ guards, playing things by the book. No complications, no foolish hijinks, no questionable decisions - just a straightforward, well thought out, cautious break in by a skilled rogue. Sans joined in with the group, cheering and encouraging as he went along.

    Tom made it to the locked door at the dungeon, and Alphys decided to switch back to Sans and Undyne, to see if they kept attention on themselves. Really, Sans wondered how that was even in question, but it¡¯d be fun to play it out.

    ¡°so bones gets to the duchess, and he says,¡± Sans said, before shifting into the exaggerated voice he used for Bones Malone again, ¡°hey duchess, you ever hear the one about the knight that walked into a bar¡­ and said ¡®ouch?¡¯ guess they weren¡¯t as sharp as their sword!¡±

    Tom chortled and Undyne burst out into raucous laughter, as Alphys groaned. He grinned at their reactions.

    ¡°S-she is, uh, amused at your silly joke?¡± Alphys said awkwardly.

    ¡°that¡¯s great, ¡®cause i¡¯ve got lots more,¡± Sans said and Alphys put up her hands as though to ward him off.

    ¡°Wait, but we were gonna talk about the kinky dungeons!¡± Undyne said.

    ¡°that was the plan, but i was thinking it doesn¡¯t really showcase tempest¡¯s skills enough,¡± Sans said and Undyne¡¯s eyes lit up with glee.

    Alphys looked excited, too, and Tom looked interested. Sans mentally nodded to himself - definitely the better approach.

    ¡°alright, so here¡¯s the plan¡­¡± Sans said, leaning forward.

    A minute later, they put their plan into action. Sans - or rather, Bones Malone - got the attention of the attendees and told them that they¡¯d be sharing some stories of their most recent adventure. Bones cast an illusion, pulling forth scenes and circumstance, as he played his lute. His music and illusions served as a background for Undyne, as Tempest, to proudly share their victories.

    Undyne started getting really into it, and Sans suppressed a grin as another idea occurred to him. He described how Bones shifted the illusion over the table, and then into the form of the monster they¡¯d slain.

    As predicted, Undyne declared that Tempest pulled out her sword and struck the illusion, showcasing her might.

    ¡°whoops,¡± Sans said. ¡°the illusion¡¯s on the table with all the food! guess you should roll to see if you hit it, huh?¡±

    ¡°Uh, yes, that would be right,¡± Alphys said.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine! Nothing can go wrong from this!¡± Undyne said, throwing her dice a little enthusiastically.

    Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t quite hard enough to shatter the die. Yet. She went through an average of two dice sets per game, so they were due to break at any point now.

    As the die bounced in the air, Sans very carefully exerted a little bit of magic. A quick timefreeze just as the die was close to settling, and a spot of gravity magic to make sure it landed on the number he wanted¡­ perfect.

    When time unfroze, Alphys blinked a little, and gave Sans an uncertain look. She clearly caught the fact that the dice moved oddly, and he winked at her.

    ¡°Natural twenty!¡± Undyne yelled, standing up. ¡°Critical hit!¡±

    ¡°O-on the table?¡± Alphys asked weakly, giving Sans a bemused smile.

    ¡°Oh no,¡± Tom said with a laugh. ¡°What¡¯s that going to do this time?¡±

    ¡°well, that seems obvious enough to me,¡± Sans said. ¡°we¡¯re trying to distract people, so¡­¡±

    ¡°Uh, yeah, so, um, I g-guess what happens is that, uh, the table is hit really hard-¡± Alphys said.

    ¡°THE HARDEST!¡± Undyne yelled.

    ¡°Y-yes, the hardest any table has ever been hit,¡± Alphys said, and Undyne raised her fists. ¡°No, wait! Please don¡¯t hit my table!¡±

    ¡°Oh, right,¡± Undyne said with a sheepish grin as she sat back down.

    ¡°we¡¯re aiming for a zero furniture casualty session,¡± Sans said.

    ¡°We aim for that every week,¡± Tom said.

    ¡°one day, we¡¯ll get there,¡± Sans said. ¡°gotta keep hope for the future.¡±

    ¡°Seems optimistic,¡± Tom said, an amused smile on his face.

    ¡°Hey!¡± Undyne said. ¡°We will totally get through a session without destroying furniture!¡±

    ¡°Well, that would be nice,¡± Alphys said. ¡°But it¡¯s okay, really, I don¡¯t mind.¡±

    ¡°so, the duchess¡¯ table is in worse shape than this one?¡± Sans prompted.

    ¡°U-uh, yes,¡± Alphys said, adjusting her glasses again. ¡°A-actually, I¡¯ll just let Undyne decide. S-since it¡¯s a critical hit and all. Just how hard did Tempest hit the table, and what happened?¡±

    ¡°All right!¡± Undyne said, standing up again. ¡°So listen up! Tempest Stormblade pulled out her sword, the mighty Blade of Heroism, and struck at the giant illusionary monster with all of her might! ALL OF IT! The table was a huge wimp and just blew up from the attack, sending food and table pieces absolutely everywhere!¡±

    ¡°i catch a piece of flying food and eat it,¡± Sans said.

    ¡°Uh, sure,¡± Alphys said. ¡°Um, so there¡¯s a lot of important nobility at the ball right now, and uh, that would mean that they¡¯re all covered in food, wine, and wooden shrapnel.¡±

    ¡°can i catch a flying, intact wine bottle, too?¡± Sans asked.

    Alphys put her face in her hands.

    ¡°Why not,¡± she said, her voice muffled.

    ¡°sweet,¡± Sans said, popping open another can of soda, and taking a sip. ¡°the delicious taste of chaos.¡±

    ¡°Okay, well, I think we should find out if Tom has been successful or not,¡± Alphys said, looking flustered.

    ¡°Heh, yeah,¡± Tom said. ¡°It¡¯s kind of a shame, really. Everything¡¯s been going so well for me, and I¡¯ve missed out on all the craziness.¡±

    Sans grinned at that. He could help with that problem.

    ¡°W-well, I¡¯m sure things will be fine,¡± Alphys said. ¡°Nice and straightforward dungeon break-in. So, you¡¯re going to pick the lock?¡±

    ¡°Yep,¡± Tom said. ¡°Rolling time?¡±

    ¡°Rolling time!¡± Undyne cheered.

    Tom laughed and tossed his die. Sans pulled the same stunt again, locking down time at the last moment and changing the number it landed on. He didn¡¯t ever cheat to make things go better for his own character, or even for the group, really - only to make things more interesting. And since the group was there to have fun, that meant, as far as he was concerned, it was a good thing all around.

    ¡°Natural one,¡± Tom said, looking nervous. ¡°Um, so I fail at picking the lock, I guess¡­?¡±

    ¡°Uh, well, with our houserules, it just means something goes horribly wrong in the attempt,¡± Alphys said. ¡°Uh, so, um¡­¡±

    ¡°you pick the lock, but whoops, it¡¯s the wrong dungeon - you found the sex dungeon that tempest and bones had talked about upstairs,¡± Sans said with a grin.

    ¡°Oh my god YES!¡± Undyne yelled, as Tom burst out laughing.

    ¡°No, but, it¡¯s not supposed to¡­ but¡­¡± Alphys spluttered.

    Alphys was bright red. Sans took in her expression carefully - she was embarrassed, but also definitely having fun. He didn¡¯t need to back off with his teasing.

    ¡°you can¡¯t tell me you have a better idea for a failure than that,¡± Sans teased.

    ¡°O-o-okay,¡± Alphys said. ¡°Sure, I guess, if Tom¡¯s okay with that.¡±

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be okay with finding a kinky dungeon in the middle of a high stakes heist?¡± Tom asked wryly. ¡°Shadowfoot stares in astonishment for a tiny bit longer than is wise before slowly and carefully closing the door and trying to find the correct dungeon.¡±

    ¡°What if our guy¡¯s in there?¡± Undyne asked. ¡°Maybe you need to go check every person.¡±

    ¡°Oh my god, no, no, no,¡± Alphys said, raising her hands in protest as Sans laughed. ¡°No, he¡¯s not in there, he¡¯s definitely not in there.¡±

    ¡°But Shadowfoot doesn¡¯t know that,¡± Undyne said.

    ¡°You definitely saw that he wasn¡¯t in there,¡± Alphys said before Tom could speak.

    ¡°because shadowfoot did such a good job at looking at people¡¯s faces, instead of anywhere else?¡± Sans asked.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Alphys said emphatically.

    ¡°Or maybe Shadowfoot knows what our friend looks like in compromising positions,¡± Tom said.

    Alphys squeaked into her hands and Tom laughed again.

    ¡°Alright, no more of that,¡± Tom said. ¡°Shadowfoot goes and tries to find the right dungeon.¡±

    ¡°maybe he can ask for directions,¡± Sans said. ¡°obviously this place gets a decent amount of traffic.¡±

    ¡°Yes, he asks a guard and he gets directions to the right dungeon,¡± Alphys said, shaking her head.

    ¡°But he didn¡¯t even say that he was gonna do that,¡± Undyne said.

    ¡°or roll for anything,¡± Sans pointed out.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Tom said, smiling. ¡°So I get to the right dungeon and get in?¡±

    Sans chuckled to himself as Alphys used the opportunity to pull herself put back together. Things went unnaturally smoothly for their slinky rogue, as Alphys embraced the straightforward sanity of his straightforward heist. Sans didn¡¯t offer any more ideas - he was saving them for when Tom made it upstairs.

    There was still a ball of worry in Sans¡¯ gut - what to do about Papyrus, his upcoming meeting with Flowey, what exactly he should do about the idea of embracing a long term future with Frisk - but in this moment? This was good. Part of the true timeline, the last timeline, never to be forgotten.

    He didn¡¯t even have to worry about a random emergency making them abandon this timeline, because they had foreknowledge showing no issues. And hell, even if there were¡­ he smiled as Undyne cheered on Tom successfully breaking out the prisoner dude. Even if there were some disaster, his memory was good enough to handle redoing things. And he had to admit, it wouldn¡¯t be bad to do all this again, either. Making Alphys blush and Undyne cheer at his inappropriate jokes; setting Tom up for a bit of chaos and twisted success¡­ it was fun.

    ¡°You make it back to the ballroom,¡± Alphys said. ¡°You see a bunch of shocked and upset nobles, covered in food, wine, and bits of table, with Bones and Tempest standing in the middle. What do you all do next?¡±

    ¡°i see him and our guest, right?¡± Sans asked.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Alphys said.

    ¡°excellent,¡± Sans said with a grin. ¡°i¡¯ve got just the thing. first, bones casts one more illusion, but just out of sight - a perfect image of mettaton.¡±

    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Alphys asked. ¡°Mettaton? But¡­ why? What?¡±

    ¡°trust me,¡± he said.

    He cleared his throat and threw out his hand with theatrical flair.

    ¡°noble visitors of the duchess¡¯ ball, i pose thee a question,¡± he said, in Bones¡¯ voice. ¡°was this a distraction?¡±

    He grinned.

    ¡°the illusion of mettaton appears and from him, loudly, everyone hears,¡± he said, and then shifted into his best impersonation of Mettaton¡¯s voice, ¡°ooooooh yesssss!¡±

    Laughter and chaos followed, both in that moment, and in the hours following. Good times were had by all, and the weight in his heart lightened. Toriel maybe had a point, even if he wasn¡¯t quite up for asking for help. There were people and things that mattered. Him and Frisk? They¡¯d find a way. They¡¯d be alright.

 Book 2 is now being posted on AO3

    Hello everyone!

    Unless I''m persuaded otherwise, I will only be posting the Book 2 chapters on Archive of Our Own, mostly due to the lack of comments, etc, here.

    Chapter 1 of book 2 is already there! Here''s the link!</a>

    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    It is currently October 1, 2024, and I intend to do a twice monthly posting schedule, with extra chapters when I get a high buffer.

    If you would like me to continue posting here, I really don''t mind, I''d just like to know anyone''s even reading it here. It''s been crickets so far! But if you are reading this - thank you, and I hope you continue to enjoy the story!