*You wait in the corridor, right on the edge of the CORE room.

When you start to hear the clacking of what could be nails on the tiles, you feel your muscles tighten. It takes a moment before you relax and slowly she appears at the end of the hall.

Chara's child-like body hangs limp against a huddled mass of black, tangled tendrils and ropes, straightening out into what looks like spider legs to propel her forward. When she gets close enough to see you, she backs away, looking surprised, then her smile fades.

*"It doesn't matter who fights with you, Sans. I know all of your tricks."

*You can't help but smile.

*"let's just get this over with."

Chara lunges, her strange form absorbing her little child body and charging forward.

*You quickly move out of the way, using platforms summoned by your hands to stay in the air while her attacks continued. Blades made of a strange, dark matter spun at an incredible rate towards your body, but you were able to jump, dodge, and even burn away the onslaught of shadowy death.

*You send a shower of fiery bones down upon her, and she uses the dark matter to block it. They drive into the strange, soft-looking flesh.

*You hear something in the distance like an animal in pain.

I can feel him, but it's faint.

we just need to get right under it.

*You fall from a platform that Chara knocks out from under you, and her small body emerges from the black, charging at you with a blade clenched tight in her fist.

*You move out of the way just quick enough for only your shirt to tear from the knife.

*"You shouldn't even BE in that body."

*You narrowly miss the blade as she swipes again.

*"I waited YEARS for the perfect moment."

*You see a long, black rope sticking out of her back and reaching to the dark mass, and it lifts her up and sends her flying back at you.

*"Ever since you took Frisk away from me, I've been stuck taking weak, disgusting humans in order to survive."

*You're fighting to keep up with her frantic movements, jumping left and right and blocking with your arms.

*"I was nearly strong enough, building enough LOVE to take a perfect body, and then you r u i n e d  i t  a g a i n. I should have shoved those pills down her miserable throat."

*You try striking her again, this time with a handful of small bone-shivs. She blocks the attack with a black tendril, and you hear that same wail again. 

*You stir with something that struggles inside of you.

I want to hurt her.

we're only hurting the doc with our attacks.

We can't keep dodging forever.

we won't need to.

*Chara pulls her body back into the dark mass and the sharp, tentacle-like limbs reappear, striking hard against the ground you're standing on. Right, left, left, back, back, right. Each strike leaves a sizeable hole in the metal flooring, devastating the tiles around it from the impact. The only reason you can see the attacks in time is from the light of the CORE and the energy below it.

*One of the tendrils sweeps at your feet and knocks you to the ground, allowing a larger one to take hold of your legs and throw you against the far wall. The metal closes in on you as you make hard contact with it, and you're nearly too late to dodge a large black pike driving further into the crevice your body had made.

*You see Chara emerge again, and her smile has returned.

*"You are getting sloppy. Are you already tired?"

*You seize the opportunity of her gloating and take a bone-shiv into your hand, charging at her and flanking the left side at the last minute. She uses more of the dark matter to block your attacks, but you can tell you're getting closer to hitting her. 

*Strike, you barely miss her neck.

*Strike, you catch the leg of her pants as she jumps away.

*Finally, you see an opening near her shoulder and let your weapon fly, making contact with the flesh. A black liquid escapes from the wound and she lets out a horrible shriek, quickly pulling her body back into the dark chimera.

*You make your way to the other end of the room, and you're slowly losing the light of the CORE.

*You ignite yourself, and the hallway you're in is immediately lit with a bright violet color that emits from your body's flame. Chara closes the gap between the corridor walls and the room behind her, removing any other light from it.

*You dodge another swing from her.

*You smile at the mangled mess.

*"c'mon, you freak. that the best you got?"

*Chara unleashes a storm of attacks, most of which you burn away, and finally her body emerges again.

*You see her eyes, and they look hollow and empty, seeping the same ooze that is still staining her green shirt where you had hit her. Her grin has a similar, horrifying theme of black emptiness. She still has the knife.

*Chara runs toward you, knife gripped tight in her hands, and you match her speed and weapon with another bone-shiv of your own, which is set ablaze by your fire.

*She raises the knife high in the air and swipes down hard at you.

*You move to the right, bringing your own blade up to block hers between the jagged pieces of the shiv. It stops her knife, and you reach a stalemate for a second before she pulls away, using the tentacle beast to fly backwards before leaping at you again.

*"You are so selfish. Poor Kalia only wanted Daniel back, and I would have helped her. Are you the only one who is allowed to do the unthinkable for your brother, Sans?"

*You feel something stir inside you again.

*"How can you justify what you have done?"

Don't let her get to you, Sans. I wouldn't have taken that deal.

*"Are you really any better than me? Your lifetimes seem to say something different."

Be strong. We're almost close enough.

*You continue making your way down the hall, dodging her blade and feigning attacks of your own to keep distance.

*You feel the fire surrounding you start to dim.

*You stumble back when an attack landed less than a foot in front of you, and roll to dodge another onslaught of razors crashing down.

*You quickly push yourself up and create platforms, leaping higher and higher while Chara followed close behind.

*You leap forward as two more platforms generate under your feet, and as soon as she's far enough from the black matter, you dissolve the platform she jumps to, causing her to fall with a yell and expose the large, black artery that connected her to the shadowy mass.

*You take your aim and fire a barrage of fiery bone-knives, slicing the large vein as Chara hung there, her face unrecognizable and distorted as she screams. Finally, the final cut was made and she falls, no longer attached to the dark thing that lumbers forward.

*"NOW!"

*You summon all of your magic and aim it upward, and three large skulls form around you, shaped like that of dragons. Their jaws open wide, and blast the ceiling with incredible force.

*You shield yourself as the roof collapses, exposing the laboratory halls to a brilliant, golden light.

*You look up, and you see numbers and words floating around you, Chara, and the dark monstrosity behind her.

LV. EXP. HP. 

*You burn the cord at its end, and Chara's numbers separate from the blackness, the sudden sensation making her stumble.

Chara's expression is one of panic, and she scrambles back toward the beast.

*You run and catch the black artery still attached to her back and yank it upward. She follows suit, crashing into the rubble where you directed your throw above. You see her HP deplete, and you climb the piles of rock and metal as she tries to stand. The HP of the blackness also depletes, and she snickers.

*"This... Can't be over... This... Isn't fair." Chara pants, her voice ragged. "We... We could have been... So powerful."

*"Even after I protected her from that fool, Richard... You will still fight against me."

*"Now... You will kill your own father... Just to kill me."

*"you're the only one dying today, kid."

*You reach down and rip the locket off of her neck, and she stares, incredulous.

*"Frisk told me all of your dirty tricks."

*You open the locket.

*"she told me everything i needed to know... so that i could do this some day."

*You set the locket on fire.

*Chara starts to scream.

*"because you can't seem to get the hint that you're  n o t  w a n t e d."

*You see her HP rapidly depleting. She's wailing and black tears are streaking her face as she kneels before you, set ablaze like the heart-shaped necklace in your burning hand. The locket starts to melt away, and her screams quiet down.

*Chara looks up at you with a mournful, human face.

*"Asriel... Why did you leave me?"

*Chara holds herself tight for a moment to weep, then with a deep breath, she whips her head back up to you, her expression filled with hate.

*"I  W A S  T H E  O N L Y  O N E  W H O  W A S  T R U E  T O  W H O  I  A M !"

*Her voice trails off as the fire took over her body, then dissolves in the air, showing no trace of the child, nor the locket.

*You turn to the huddled mass of shadows, and it slowly starts to crumble away.

*"Gaster!"

*You hear a low groan come from the center of it, and as you get closer it looks like something is crouching.

*"I didn't think you would come."

*"didn't have much of a choice, doc."

*"Is... Is (Y/n)..?"

*"we're both here. uh, separating might be tricky."

*Gaster lifts himself from the rubble. His eyes seem more sunken in, and cracks line the top of his right eye socket, and connects his left to his humanoid grin. He looks pained, possibly from the battle he had just endured under Chara's control, but his smile is genuine.

*"I know someone who can help."

*"lead the way, then."

*You take Gaster's hand and help him stand, and he leads you past the newly-made skylight and toward the hall to the elevator.

**

*The doors to the abandoned laboratory open to reveal a landscape of red gravel and boiling lava. Standing a few feet from you and the doctor was a figure clad in a dark dress and bright red cowl.

*"I suppose she saw that we would be here."

*"this explains a lot, actually."

*The hooded figure chuckles and removes the cowl from their head. Her bright eyes study your new form with awe.

* "So, you two are together. Literally."

*"Kalya. enough games."

*"I can hear her frustration in your voice. I am sorry, (y/n)."

*"if you knew my name, my real name, this entire time... why not just tell me? what else did you know?"

*"I knew enough, moy doch."

*Kalya gestures toward a stone bridge leading toward an elevator.

*"I will explain, when we reach the surface."

*You travel with the doctor, helping him along the way, while Kalya led the three (or four) of you through the old castle and around the gaping hole in what Gaster called "JUDGEMENT HALL"

*"Remembering where this was over the LAB was incredible. I suppose I should give both of you credit."

*"we needed to be sure that Chara wasn't completely hooked to your HP. (y/n) had a little more 'hope' in the idea actually working than I did."

*Kalya stops you at the entrance of the mountain's cavern, and looks at you.

*"I will create a new barrier here, for a moment." She explains. "One that will give you the strength to separate your SOULs and bodies. Are you ready?"

the magic we have might not split along with us. if we separate, you might not have your powers anymore. is that okay?

fuck yes. let this be over, please.

*You turn to Kalya and nod.

*"i'm ready."

*Kalya nods back and turns to the opening with her arms outstretched.

*You hear a low hum echo through the tunnel.

*On her mark, you begin your journey to the surface.

*As you move, something pulls on you and you take a deep, startled breath.

*You continue walking, and the sensation grows stronger.

*

*

*

**

The sunlight poured into sight as you opened you eyes. The entrance of the mountain opened to a cliff, with a vista of the landscapes still barely touched by man or monster. The sky was awash in shades of burnt orange and goldenrod as the ball of fire crept further out of sight behind a dark horizon of mountains.

You breathed in deeply through your nose and crisp, fresh air filled your lungs. You heard someone else take in the same relief and you turned to see a little skeleton in a beat-up, blue hoodie.

"Glad we're out of there." He said, his little light-irises looking up to return your gaze. "I was starting to feel a little on edge."

You feel a tightness in your chest and you sigh. "Sans."

"What? I'm just saying it's good we didn't leave the Lab on a cliffhanger."

"Sans, please."

"Yeah, you're right. Let's call for a ride home. You think horizon has service up-"

Before he could say anything else, you embrace him in a tight hug.

"Heh. Even in your own body, you can't stay apart from me."

"Shut up."

He hugged you back, just as tight.

"Sorry, (y/n)- wow.. It really is you, isn't it? You had me fooled this whole time in that human body."

You laughed a little, then saw Kalya, and holding her hand was Doctor Gaster. They both smiled warmly at you both.

"Doch, how do you feel? Can you teleport, or move objects?" Kalya asked.

You looked at your hands, no longer covered, and saw familiar-yet-faded scars wrapped like pink vines along your arms and fingers. With a breath, you focused your energy like before, trying to push yourself through the atmosphere. Your body stayed in place, and you let out the breath you were holding in. "No teleporting." You said, then tried to move a small rock in front of Sans. You held out both of your hands and focused again, putting all of your mind into moving it forward. You see it stir for a moment before rolling a couple inches.

"So you've still got something in there." Sans said with a shrug. "That's good. I don't see any new scars, either."

"That is because (y/n) was never using her own magic to begin with." Kalya spoke simply, approaching the two of you while the Doctor stared in awe at the emblazoned vista. "The Doctor can explain to you both the science behind it, but it is clear that the extreme power you once had was not meant for your body to contain."

"The formula your father discovered was not one that could concentrate a SOUL from a body." Gaster said, not taking his eyes off of the horizon. "Rather, it sapped all of the magical energy of a SOUL, destroying any identifying qualities of the original donor. This was how I discovered Sans was not the skeletal form of your brother, Daniel, but instead a monster formed from my own physical bone marrow and the magic essence taken from the SOUL itself." He finally turned and looked at Sans with a smile. "I thought I needed a larger portion to bring the boy to life, but that test only resulted in the creation of Papyrus; Sans' younger brother."

"So when my father injected it into my body..."

Gaster nodded. "It wasn't your brother's SOUL, but his human magic that had changed you."

"Wow." You looked at Sans. "So I'm guessing all that magic is in your SOUL, then. You're probably one of the strongest living monsters right now."

Sans shrugged. "I don't feel any different, and I don't feel like testing it out."

"Even if this all made sense to me," you turned your gaze to Kalya, "that still doesn't explain why you didn't just tell me all of this before. Can't you see the future? Why didn't you just tell me to read the damn book when you found me? Why didn't you tell me about Chara, or about Sans, or Gaster?"

"There are many possibilities that come with a choice, (y/n)." She responded while walking past you and Sans to lookout over the cliff side. "I can see them, and I can see and travel through the many paths that lie within those choices and the lives that are involved. When I saw Chara in your future, I realized there was no escaping that fate; she was going to find you, and with your brother's magic she would have finished what she had attempted in another lifetime. I chose the timeline that would give you a fighting chance. I gave you the choice that gave you friends. The choice that gave you Sans.

"I did not realize Chara's spirit had grown strong enough to take over mages so easily, let alone influence a near-army of people. Mages.... Mages left unattended can make as much good in this world as they can make bad. This includes you and myself, doch."

The wind picked up and her long, dark coat shifted wildly around her legs. The trees whispered loudly in the valleys far below, and you felt the crisp air blow through the fabric of the blouse you had on.

"I saw a future that was filled with danger, and solitude, and sorrow. You've lived a long life for a human, doch, as all mages do. We are wiser from this, yes, but some of us have lived harder lifetimes than others. I cannot begin to describe the life Chara had endured that would drive her to leap from the top of this mountain years ago."

Sans scoffed. "You talk like you feel sorry for her."

Kalya's gaze shifted for a split second before returning to yours. "Mages have lived in this world for as long as humans and monsters alike, and we were responsible for the barrier that was created. Still, we faced ignorance and fear just like those we had sealed away. We were sent away, or hunted. We hid.

"This is a new age for monsters, and so I believe it should be a new age for mages, as well."

"So, what's your plan, then?"

"I will not make riddles anymore, (y/n). Live your life as you should see fit. Chara is no longer a threat to you or this world, and your magic is stable. You need nothing from me, now."

There was a moment of quiet.

"So, that's it?" You asked.

"Da." She replied.

"No more popping up out of no where to send me somewhere? I can just go home and eat a pizza, or something?"

Kalya laughed, and the genuine sound of it surprised you. "Did you want more conflict, moy doch? Nyet, I think you have had enough excitement for a lifetime. Go home, (y/n). Enjoy this moment of peace. You both have earned it." She turned away, then paused. "By the way, (y/n), it is a lovely shirt that you wear."

"Wow. A little anti-climactic," Sans murmured, "don't you think?"

"Some of the best endings are the peaceful ones, skelet."

Before you could say anything else, she vanished from your immediate sight and memory.

Gaster sighed and looked at Sans. "Sans, if you don't mind, I'd like to see how Papyrus is doing. I don't know if my current state is permanent just yet, and I've enjoyed the outside air long enough."

"Oh, uh, sure Doc." He took your hand gently and reached over to Gaster. "As nice as it is, this view is old news for me, too."

You felt yourself being pulled somewhere far away.

*

You sat on the couch, on the far left, while Gaster sat on the right. Sans was in the kitchen, talking on the phone with who you imagined was Toriel. You stared blankly at the TV without turning it on, trying to listen to Sans' half of the conversation.

"... For a while, yeah... Well, some of the Judgement Hall is in the Lab, but- no, we're fine, Tori. Yeah, she's in the living room with a, uh, guest..."

"I am sorry, (y/n)."

The sound of Gaster's voice made you jump and you looked at him. His face wore a deep apology.

"Gaster," you replied softly, "it wasn't your fault. My father really thought Daniel was in that vial. The idea of combing SOULs or dividing them... I think it just made him crazy."

"No, it was the idea of that breakthrough science- the recognition that we both desired- that changed him. If I hadn't encouraged him, perhaps your life would have been better."

"I wouldn't have the family that I have now if you hadn't. Hell, I wouldn't be alive, either. I should thank you, Gaster."

Gaster smiled.

"So, do you really think you're gonna vanish or something?" You asked.

"Magic and science are only so relative to each other. I'm not sure if the will of Chara's magic was enough to bring my full state into this timeline, or if I'm simply existing on borrowed time alone, through the shift in the CORE's energy."

"How will we know?"

"I have no way of knowing without doing extensive research. The only way of knowing right now is, one day, I'll simply cease to exist, and you will start to forget me again."

"I could remember you, sometimes. When you appeared, anyways."

"This would be different. With Chara gone, there would be nothing pulling me here. The void would claim me indefinitely." Gaster he glanced away as the word 'void' left his lips andwent quiet near the end of the sentence. 

You took advantage of his distraction and studied his face for the first time. His face resembled that of a human, save the hollow eyes and what looked like a black scar that linked his eye to the fine line that was his mouth-  which had no lips but did hide perfect teeth behind it. His other eye wore a similar scar, and looking closely you realized that both scars were actually cracks, and one crept up and over his skull from the top of his eye socket. He was a little worse for wear, but it was the doctor you remembered.

Sans was still on the phone, and considering you could hear the person on the other line from the next room over,  you could tell he was speaking with Papyrus. Gaster could hear it too, clearly, and you saw an emotion in his eyes that you couldn't quite place as he looked into the kitchen.

"Papyrus is gonna flip when he sees you." You said.

"I would be surprised if he even remembers me. While we both shared this timeline, I was only in his life for a short while before falling into the CORE."

"I think Papyrus will know when he sees you."

Gaster smiled in response, but said nothing. 

Sans returned from the kitchen and put his phone in his pocket. "Well, everyone was worried, but they all seem glad that you're okay." He said, looking at you with his relaxed smile. "Undyne ended up eating all your birthday cake, though."

"Let them eat cake." You replied, shrugging.

Sans chuckled and looked over to Gaster. "I let Toriel know about you, Doc. She's pretty happy that you're alive, but I left some... Details out of how you got here. Do you get what I'm saying?"

"Telling her about her late adopted daughter would change nothing."

"Great. Really, this should blow over real smooth." You noticed his expression start to shift. "Everything's okay, no one is hurt, maybe I'll even get..."

You sensed what was happening before he could hit the floor, catching him as he fell forward. Sans started snoring, and you let out a sigh of relief.

"This week must be the longest he's been awake since I met him. I didn't think he'd stay awake for as long as he did." You said to Gaster quietly, alleviating his concern.

"While he's asleep, I must tell you something."

You looked at Gaster. "What's up?"

"Even though your magic- being a human- is more powerful than most monsters, Sans' magical abilities come from a human SOUL. If anything should happen where he will need all of his magical strength, the results could be catastrophic. He could level the city with the power he now wields."

"Sans... Sans isn't ever going to need that type of strength. Chara and her brainwashed idiots are gone. I burned that whole place to the ground." You made your way up the stairs toward you and Sans' room. "Even if there was a chance we were in danger, Sans has total control of his magic. I've seen it."

Once you were halfway up, Gaster began to follow. "I am aware of his skill, (y/n), but he has never held anything this extreme, magically. Not only that, but now he has you."

You were laying Sans gently on the bed when he said that, and you looked at him.

"During my time in between this existence and the void, I watched the two of you interact. I know that he cares for you, enough to cause a lot of damage to be with you.

"With this being said, I ask that you take care of him just as much as he would you. Should I cease from this timeline, I would have some peace in that."

"You want me to promise what, exactly? That I'm not gonna let him blow up the city if some idiot tries to mug me?"

"That's one way of putting it."

"I'll keep the world's destruction to a minimum. Promise."

"Thank you."

You both carefully exited the room, pulling the door shut until you heard a soft click, and you breathed in deep.

"So," you said through an exhale of breath, "I feel a little hungry, and I'm sure everyone else could eat when they get here. I could make you tea while I whip something up."

Gaster grinned a little and nodded, and you both made you way down the stairs. The kitchen was strangely empty without the mischief of Papyrus and Undyne or the din from the living room. Your heart beat hard and happily with the thought of seeing them all again. You opened the fridge and took out some chicken, pimientos, and plum tomatoes from the shelf, then opening the drawer on the bottom for broccoli. Gaster sat quietly at the table while you set the produce on the counter, and you moved to the tea kettle, checked for water, and set it on the stove to boil.

"Earl grey, or Asgore's blossom blend?" You asked, peeking at the jars in the cabinet above the sink. "I'm a coffee drinker, but they restock those the most so they must be popular."

"Earl grey, thank you." He responded.

You placed the herbs into the metal diffusing ball and grabbed a pearl-blue mug from the same cabinet, putting the little tea orb inside it. You quickly washed your hands before working on the food, cutting and chopping at the vegetables while the chicken, after trimming, began simmering in the pan.

"I've been thinking about this recipe for a while." You said, mixing red onion with the tomatoes and then tearing up fresh basil leaves. The herb's aroma blended with the spice of the pimientos and you smiled contently. "I wasn't much of a cook when I lived on my own, but this was simple enough when take-out got boring." You bit your lip, wanting to ask the question without sounding crazy, or at least without crying. "I, um, speaking of..."

"Yes?"

"You said Daniel's magic was in that vial, right? Just his magic?"

"That is correct."

"Sometimes... I thought that I'd see him. His spirit."

"Oh?"

"So, was that Chara?"

"Possibly. Chara used a lot of her power to take a form of innocence. Whether it was a child, a priest, or a memory."

"So she was just waiting for me..." Something sick hit the pit of your stomach and you braced your weight on the counter. "She had me kill all of those monsters and her own fucking followers down there. That's fucked up."

"I theorize that she wanted your LOVE to match what she had already accumulated, to make the transition easier. That method was... Successful... In other timelines."

"LOVE?"

"It's an acronym. It is the measure of violence in someone's SOUL. The capability to hurt others without remorse. It typically rises with the EXP of a SOUL, which measures the quantity of people one was hurt or killed."

The sick feeling worsened, and you pictured yourself holding the hands of the vile monster you fought with Sans underground, instead of the soft, fragile hands of the brother you remembered fondly. Her sinister grin creeping further up either side of her face as you burned humans and monster alike, the ashes of cremated flesh mixing with the dust of dead magic.

You felt tears well in your eyes. "So I'm at Chara-levels of violence, then?"

"No."

You looked at him, and saw the serious expression on his face start to soften. "Your EXP rose significantly, and that cannot be changed, but your LOVE is still at its original number."

"Okay. Which is?"

"Zero."

"Zero?"

"You may have been tricked into killing people, (y/n), but you have no desire to hurt others. When we crossed through what was left of the judgement hall, I could see both yours and Sans' SOULs in their entirety. You have no LOVE in your SOUL." He glanced at the stove. "If you're not careful, you'll burn the food."

You spun around and quickly flipped the poultry, reducing the heat to a simmer before turning back around to face Gaster. "I'm glad that's the case. I'm just... I don't know. As happy as I am that you're okay, and that Sans is safe, and that Chara is gone... Something just doesn't feel right. I feel like I have to keep my guard up."

"Considering everything that you've been through in such a short time, I am not surprised."

"I just want to relax." You sighed, bringing your attention back to cooking. "Do you take milk in your tea? Sugar?"

"Sugar, yes, please."

As it started to scream you pulled the kettle from the heat and poured the hot water onto the metal ball. The leaves inside slowly turned the clear drink a dark, reddish-brown. You handed Gaster the mug, along with a little sugar bowl and spoon.

Cooking alleviated you of the strange, anxious feeling for a time, and as you prepared the last dish you heard a door click open. The soft sound of someone shaking off a coat came from the living room, and you set the bowl of freshly-cooked broccoli mixed with toasted almonds down onto the table before walking through the arch. 

Toriel had her back turned to you, quietly humming as she hung up her long, plum-colored coat and gray scarf on the rack to the left of the front door. Your heart fluttered at the sweet sound of her voice that sang what sounded like a lullaby under her breath. You leaned toward the wall and lightly knocked to get her attention, and her humming stopped as she turned around.

"I made some dinner." You said softly, with a nervous smile. "Well, if it's anywhere near that time, anyway. I didn't even check the clock-"

Toriel rushed to you while you were talking and held you tightly in her embrace,  your face- and most of your body- buried in her soft dress and the warm fur underneath.

"You scared me so much, disappearing like that."  Toriel said, her voice muffled in your hair. "You must promise to never do it again."

"I promise." Your voice was barely coherent under her arms, but the sound caused her to slowly release you. With a breath of air, you looked up at her. "I'm sorry for scaring you, Toriel."

"I forgive you- oh! Sans mentioned that your name has changed since you left."

"(Y/n)."

"(Y/n)," her warm, sweet smile could've melted stone, "your name suits you wonderfully. I like it very much."

"Thanks, Tori."

"Um," Toriel's expression changed drastically, the smile fading and her eyes growing wary, "I understand that there's another... Another guest in the house?"

"I am in here, my Queen." Gaster's voice made her jump, and she leaned toward the doorway to the kitchen. "(Y/n) has made tea. If you'd give me the privilege, I would like to enjoy a cup with you."

"Of- of course, Gaster." Toriel paused and took a breath, as though to steady herself, before entering the kitchen. You followed her in, and saw she had frozen in place upon seeing the ghost of a monster sitting with a mug in his hands. "M-my word, Doctor..."

"I look much worse than I feel, your majesty." He said, his smile sympathetic to her worry. "Please, sit down."

Toriel and Gaster talked, enjoying tea while you cleaned the dishes and put them away. You didn't listen in- you didn't want to, and be involved in whatever memories and emotions they were sharing at the moment. You kept to yourself, instead, and after a few minutes you made your way back upstairs and opened the second door down the hall. Sans was still laying on his back on the bed, but you could tell he was awake.

"Toriel is home." You said quietly.

He nodded, his eyes still shut, and smirked. "I could hear her come in." He said, his voice sounding tired and passive.

"I made food."

His smile grew a little wider. "I can smell it. You made something pretty great down there, huh?"

You returned the smile, though he couldn't see it. "I always like it, so hopefully you guys will too."

You were both quiet, then you cleared your throat, feeling something turn in your stomach as the silence in the room swelled.

"Sans, I just wanted to thank you for today." You said, fidgeting with the hem of your blouse which, by some miracle, was clean even after cooking. "Fuck, I should be thanking you for everything. Thank you for bugging me on your first day, and for going to the bar with me and then taking me in when my home burned down. Thanks for letting me meet your family, and for saving me from Chara," you were rambling and you knew it, which only made your gut feel tighter, "you've done so much for me this past year and there's not a whole lot to show for it. So, I just want you to know that I'm really thankful to have someone like you. I want to repay you all somehow, but I have no idea where to start."

The fabric under your fingers started to wrinkle as you waited for a response.

"Well," Sans' voice was strained as he pushed himself upright on the bed, "what if you marry me?"

Silence. 

You slowly turned to him, mouth agape. His face was unreadable.

Then, slowly, a cheek-to-cheek grin spread across his face before he burst into laughter.

"Sans!" You struggled to hold back as you whacked him on the leg. "That is not funny! I thought you were serious!"

"Maybe I am serious."

"Fuck. Off."

"Well, I won't do the 'off' part, but-" Sans' lewd comment was cut off by a pillow striking his face, knocking him down onto his back. "Ow. What'd I do?"

You answered with another whack to his face. "You're unbelievable."

"I can't help it. When was the last time we got to be like this?"

You thought about it for a moment, and recalled the day on the ice, months behind where you and him were sitting right then. You thought back to lunch at work, and taking care of Frisk at the house, and cooking dishes only to watch them be brutalized by a mountain of ketchup. The memories made you smile.

"It has been a while, huh?" You said, leaning back to lay down beside him, your feet dangling off the side of the mattress. You felt his arm shift, and something smooth like hardened clay touched your hand. You took his hand in yours, feeling the carpal bones magically held together in what would have been his palm. You could feel your heart beating a little faster.

Sans traced the tip of his thumb along your wrist thoughtfully. "I never used to care about anything, you know. After a long time, you sort of stop feeling the same about stuff that used to make you happy. Sure, there were times that I couldn't afford not to care, but they came and went just like the rest. It started to feel like I was just watching the rest of the world act out a play, over and over again, y'know?" 

You let him continue without a response. "I remember seeing you, and something just clicked back on. I don't know why, and I don't wanna say I fell in love right there- I don't think it was love, anyway. I think I could just feel that you were in the same boat. That same, creaky boat on the same vast, gray ocean of life. No oars or motors, no direction, just a white fog of 'who gives a damn'." His head turned and you could hear from his voice that he was looking at you then. "I never thought I would meet someone like you, let alone a human, and end up having the outlook on life that I'd lost for what feels like lifetimes ago. So, when I say that I'd spent a thousand more lifetimes with you, (Y/n), I really mean it. I'd relive this last year- every good and bad time- for an eternity if it was the only way I could be with you."

"Are you saying you love me, Sans the Skeleton?" You asked.

"I'm sayin' the only life I want has you in it." Sans replied.

His words sank in and you exhaled deeply. Your eyes stung and you rolled them to spread the tears that had started to build in the outer corners. 

You thought of your mother, then of your brother, and how much you missed them. Sans wasn't wrong; without your family around, and after Kalya left you to fend for yourself in the city, you hadn't thought about where your life would take you. The menial tasks of every day were just enough to distract you from the isolation that you had brought on yourself. No matter how much money you stowed away, or where you would go, who would have been there with you? Who would have been there for you?

Who would have understood the hell your father put you through better than the very person created from it?

"I get it now." You let out a little laugh and stared up at the ceiling, no longer fighting the tears that streamed your face. You weren't really sure why you were crying, but it didn't matter to you anymore. "I was pretty pissed at Kalya for keeping me in the dark this whole time, but if it was the only way to end up here," you lightly squeezed San's hand, "then I should thank her."

"Heh. You really are smitten with me, aren't ya?"

"Shut up, bonehead."

So, you lay there, both bare in your love expressed, drifting in and out of your well-earned, peaceful sleep.