Chapter Text
You were very, very thankful that you didn’t have Friday classes.
You needed the rest of the day off after spending the night in that hospital, and frankly the thought of even going outside made your blood run cold.
That wasn’t to say being indoors all day didn’t have its benefits. For example, not only did you get to wear pj’s all day, but you’d just enjoyed a really fucking good grilled cheese sandwich made by your doting roommate. Papyrus was right about monster food being extra good for your soul. Now that you were aware of it, you noticed it subtly feeling stronger as you ate, a warm feeling washing over you. Papyrus and Sans both seemed to look at you as you ate, and you realized they were trying to watch your soul for improvements. With your guard let down, you imagined it wouldn’t be too difficult, and Sans especially seemed relieved at what you imagined was its color brightening. You weren't sure how to view it for yourself, so you weren’t quite sure what they could see.
Speaking of Sans, he was functioning as a sort of lean-against pillow for you while the two of you watched anime to your heart’s content. He kept his stomach manifested under his shirt for you, so you didn’t smack your face into steely, rigid ribs. He gave you the room to sit up and eat when Papyrus presented lunch, but his arm was already outstretched by the time you leaned back. Almost on cue, Papyrus spoke up.
“ADDY. IF IT IS ALRIGHT, BEFORE I GO BACK TO WORK I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR RECOVERY YOU WERE GIVEN.”
You craned your head to look over to him as he hovered near the couch, wringing his hands.
“No heavy exercise or lifting, take pain medication two to three times a day depending on pain, deep breathing exercises throughout the day, take medication for my head before bed... Uh...” You thought back to the doctor’s words, scratching your head. “Water... I think? Rest? Six weeks for the ribs, uh--” You waved your hand. “Details are a bit fuzzy, the official papers are up on the counter.”
“AH. YES OF COURSE. THANK YOU.” You watched him as he grabbed the papers and put them into his favorite messenger bag (embroidered with Mettaton’s more boxy form) that he took with him to work.
Your brows furrowed as you remembered that Papyrus had a habit of... er, mothering his brother a bit.
“So uh,” you started, getting his attention before he could say goodbye and head for the door. “Why do you need to know all the details in the first place?”
He put his hands on his hips and puffed his chest out slightly.
“WELL, SINCE YOU HAVE STARTED DATING MY LAZYBONES BROTHER.”
“heh. guilty as charged, bro.”
“YES. YOU ARE VERY GUILTY. THAT BEING SAID, ADELAIDE,” his eyes were back on you. “AS YOU ARE DATING SAID BROTHER, I WORRY THAT YOU MAY TAKE AFTER HIS LAZY HABITS AND FORGET THESE MENIAL TASKS. EITHER THAT, OR YOU WILL STUBBORNLY REFUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR LIMITATIONS AND REFUSE HELP, AS YOU OFTEN DO.”
You crossed your arms over your chest and scowled. “I don't do that...”
“ADDY JUST LAST WEEK YOU ALMOST INJURED YOURSELF TRYING TO REACH THE CUPBOARDS ABOVE THE REFRIGERATOR. I ENDED UP HAVING TO CATCH YOU BEFORE YOUR HEAD HIT THE COUNTER BEHIND YOU.”
Your face got hot as Sans chortled, and you shot him a look. He just continued to chuckle as you pinched the bridge of your nose and sighed.
“Okay okay. You got me, man. Just...” you looked up to Papyrus with pleading eyes. “For the love of god please don't get carried away.”
He struck what you'd learned to be the royal guard salute, which in retrospect wasn’t much different from most salutes.
“YOU HAVE MY WORD.” He announced proudly, before promptly dropping his pose to pick up his work bag to leave. “I’LL SEE YOU LATER.” He gave the two of you a... ugh, much too knowing look, before smiling smugly. “YOU TWO BEHAVE.” He winked then, complete with a spoken ‘wink’ alongside it, that left your face hot again.
He was already gone before you could demand what he was trying to imply.
All you could do was huff and try to put focus back on the TV. It worked for about a minute or two, but Sans just had to speak up.
“good luck.”
“Hm?” You twisted your shoulders slightly to look to him. One eye was closed as if he’d been napping through Papyrus’ spiel, but you knew better.
“papyrus not getting carried away? remember all the puzzles i told you about from when we first met frisk?”
You thought about that, recalling a few particular stories. Slowly, your stomach plummeted, and you crossed your arms, shifting back onto Sans.
“Let’s finish this episode...”
He rubbed your shoulder and chuckled, leaning his cheek on your head as you both settled back down for the rest of the show.
~———————~
By some miracle, the two of you got through the entire season in a single sitting, working on the last two episodes by the time Papyrus was home from work.
There was something really satisfying about seeing Sans stay awake the whole time. Normally he'd fall asleep halfway through the first episode, but with this his eyes were glued to the screen. You teased him about it, given his reluctance before. But, to be fair, all he’d known before was ‘Mew Mew Kissy Cutie', so his initial reaction didn't really surprise you. Was that really all he'd been exposed to? Even with his months on the surface had he really not seen anything?
“I'm making a list.”
“huh?”
He looked down at you, peeling away from the ending credits to give you his attention. You had a big grin on your face.
“If this is the only anime besides Kissy Cutie that you've seen, then we have some enlightenment to do.”
He groaned. “oh no...”
“Oh yes .” You confirmed. “Gurren Lagann, Fullmetal Alchemist, Fairy Tail. We are watching all of it .”
You could see him thinking of it, none of them sounded like cutesy cat themed magical girl stuff and he could get behind that.
“so... nothing like kissy cutie?”
“Well,” you admitted, “There’s Sailor Moon, but that’s a classic and worth giving a chance.” Your smile grew almost wicked. “And hey, if you really hate magical girl anime, we can watch Madoka Magica.”
“ma-what now?”
“Just trust me on that one. It gets intense.”
He hummed thoughtfully, closing his eyes and scratching his chest through his shirt. He opened an eye after a while and looked to you, a hint of a smile forming on his face.
“alright sweetheart. i trust you.”
You clapped with excitement, wincing a bit at how the sudden movement hurt your ribs. Before you knew it, two plates of spaghetti were on the coffee table before the two of you.
“IF YOU ARE DONE TALKING ABOUT YOUR ANIME, I HAVE REHEATED SOME SPAGHETTI FOR YOU TWO.” Papyrus announced. You both looked to him and he rubbed his neck apologetically.
“I APOLOGIZE. I WAS INTENDING TO MAKE LASAGNA, BUT THE STORE CLOSED EARLY TODAY, SO I COULD NOT BUY THE RIGHT NOODLES.”
“Aww, no it’s okay Papyrus.” you leaned forward to grab the plate and fork. “Leftovers is perfect.”
“yeah it’s no problem bro.” Sans added, “s’been a long day for everybody. we’re all pretty worked--”
“DOWN TO THE BONE YES. YOU HAVE USED THAT PUN MANY TIMES.”
Sans shrugged with a big grin, reaching to get his plate as Papyrus plopped himself down on the nearby recliner with his own food. You had begun to stuff your face in a manner that would definitely not be considered lady-like.
At first you weren’t sure why you were so hungry, but as you slurped up a few noodles some old lessons from your dad passed through your head.
“Adrenaline takes a huge toll on the body, Addy.” Your father’s words echoed in your mind. “Animals and humans both use a lot of energy when they go into their fight or flight mode. It’s a survival tactic. You use all that adrenaline to avert the danger of a predator or natural disaster so that you can reach safety. Using up all that energy makes you hungry, thirsty, and tired for a while afterwards, but since you’ve reached safety, you can have the luxury of recovering to survive another day.”
Your spaghetti was nearly gone by the time the memory faded, and the brothers were chatting idly to each other about work, clearly noticing that you were a bit... well, focused. You grabbed a napkin and wiped your mouth of sauce, sitting back and twirling your fork afterwards to indicate that you were back to the present.
Papyrus fixed you a look and you froze. He looked serious and you weren’t sure what he was going to say.
“ADELAIDE WHEN YOU ARE DONE, PLEASE BE SURE TO TAKE YOUR MEDICINE AND DO BREATHING EXERCISES.”
You sighed quietly and nodded, gaining a smile from him as he bounced back to his normal self.
“GOOD! WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE YOUR RECOVERY IS EASY.”
“Right,” you quickly nodded again, fidgeting with your fork, “right yeah.”
He tilted his head, smile fading yet again. “ADELAIDE ARE YOU OKAY?”
“Huh?” You looked up, realizing that both monsters were staring. You looked down at yourself, dabbed at the corner of your mouth to be sure there wasn’t more sauce, then back to them. Sans leaned forward a bit.
“you seem a bit out of it, addy.”
“Oh! Sorry.” You smiled apologetically, as if to reassure them. “I was just thinking about why I was so hungry and realizing it’s because of, er, last night.”
Sans looked at his brother, then back to you. “well yeah. monsters are like that too when we fight.”
“Yeah?”
He nodded. “yeah. ‘course for us because we’re made of magic and use magic for fighting, it takes a bit of a toll on our souls. so we get really hungry after.”
That explained a lot, at least with their insistence of feeding you when you were highly stressed. Sans paused, visibly contemplating something.
“dunno why it's the same for humans, at least non magical ones?”
“Humans have magic?” You asked.
“well I mean not anymore.” He responded. “the last time any monster saw a human mage was...” His brows furrowed for a moment, and suddenly his face turned glum. “was when they were forcing us underground.”
You could see him thinking back to life under Ebott, white pupils dimming as even his smile started to falter. You set down your now empty plate and looked to him as he hunched into a tired position. Papyrus looked like he wasn't sure what to say, merely tilting his head with a worried frown.
You scooted back to Sans until you were shoulder to shoulder with him, then you spoke.
“Adrenaline.”
He blinked, gloom replaced with confusion. “huh?”
You shrugged, folding your arms over your aching chest. Papyrus looked between you two and stood up.
“I WILL GO GET YOUR MEDICINE WHILE YOU MAKE MY BROTHER FEEL BETTER.”
Okay... you winced a bit at that last bit. He wasn’t wrong but, er, the directness of it was a bit startling. You just smiled thankfully at him and he grinned back, darting away with all your empty plates for good measure.
You waited for a moment, then turned back to your boyfriend, ready to dazzle him with sciencey things.
“It’s a chemical.” You started. “Most animals have it. We have these specialized things attached to our kidneys called adrenal glands. Usually they just work to produce normal old hormones and stuff the human (or animal) body needs to survive, like regulating blood pressure and stuff.”
He was quiet, intrigued, and starting to be pulled out of the low he’d sunk himself into. You continued without fail.
“When we get stressed, like, really fucking stressed, the adrenal glands release adrenaline into our body, giving us a temporary boost to our energy and strength. It’s a survival tactic.”
You paused, studying his expression. He was contemplative for a second, brows furrowed in thought.
“so... it’s a chemical response to perceived danger?”
“Yeah!” You said excitedly. “So, for instance, if a rabbit sees a fox coming at it, the adrenal glands pump adrenaline into its body so that it can make a hasty retreat. Its body works overtime to ensure it outruns the predator.” You pointed to yourself. “In my case, I was under attack from three adults of my species who were being aggressive and putting stress on me. My brain perceived the danger and sent signals to the adrenal gland to get the adrenaline into my system.”
He tilted his head, your eyes gleamed.
“So, what do you remember about me, aside from injuries, from last night?”
He grimaced, clearly not thrilled at the prospect of remembering it so soon. His scientific curiosity proved too strong, however, and he sat back with a hum.
“dilated pupils, chapped lips, quick and shallow breathing... uh, you kept whipping your head around at the slightest noise until the cops showed up.”
You nodded in affirmation. “Right. All of that was thanks to the adrenaline in my body. Heightened awareness, dry mouth, all the stuff you noticed were effects of the fight or flight response.”
He finally chuckled, a breakthrough at last! “guess you picked fight.”
“Damn right! I fucked them up pretty good until, uh...” Now you were the uncomfortable one. You touched your throat, remembering the pressure, that horrible burn in your lungs.... you shook your head and smiled at Sans. “Until you stepped in and finished them off.”
You clenched and unclenched your fists, remembering the feeling of your knuckles hitting something other than a punching bag. Had you not been in such a bad situation, it could have even been exhilarating. After a quick breath, you relaxed yourself, shrugging and leaning back against Sans.
“But yeah. It's chemicals. Actually a lot of me is chemicals”
“how much is a lot?” He asked.
“Well about sixty percent of me is water, and technically water is a chemical... I mean hell. The blood is chemicals, the acid in my stomach is chemicals, pretty much every electrical impulse in my brain is fired through a chemical in some way. Humans have lots of weird shit in them.”
He nodded in agreement. “yeah, humans sound, uh, pretty complicated.”
“We and every other multi-celled organism out there. Even single cells have a lot going on.”
“makes me glad we monsters are just made of magic.” He stated. “no cells or chemicals involved.”
“What about blood?” You retorted. “And dude I’ve seen you sweat.”
He chuckled and shrugged. “magic. seriously. most monsters bleed and sweat and cry n stuff, but it’s like condensed magic given physical form... and even then it’s not that much magic anyways.”
“Do you n’ Papyrus bleed?”
Papyrus returned with a tall glass of water and three different pills. You took them with a gracious smile as he took the remote from the table. It was his turn to have the TV now, that was fair. He flicked it to Food Network and scooted his chair closer as Sans shook his head, responding to your question.
“nah. something sharp might leave a nick in the bone, but nothing really comes out.” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully while you downed all the medicine with water. “well, i suppose if you cut deep enough... i’m big boned, remember?” He winked at you playfully. “takes a lot to wound me, trust me.”
“THAT’S PHOOEY.” Papyrus almost snorted. “IF YOU WERE SO TOUGH YOU WOULDN’T SLEEP ALL THE TIME.” He raised a finger, but did not peel his eyes from the screen. “AND YOU’D ACTUALLY PICK UP YOUR STUFF, AND YOU WOULD GO ON MORNING JOGS WITH ME AND UNDYNE.”
“aw come on bro.” Sans laughed. “you know me. i dont have the guts for that sorta stuff.”
Papyrus’ jaw locked, his eyes narrowing as he seethed. He chose to turn up the volume on the TV instead of saying something. And here he’d almost had a pun free day... almost. While he was having his silent fit, you and Sans had burst into laughter, the skeleton putting his hand on your shoulder so as to not double over and fall off the couch. Your chest ached slightly as you settled down from the high, sighing and slumping back in unison with your boyfriend. He continued to giggle a bit longer, wrapping an arm around your shoulders. Once he'd settled, he leaned towards you, lowering his voice so only you could hear.
“thanks... for, uh, getting my mind off certain stuff.”
“You gonna be okay?” You asked, a bit of that worry coming back. He just chuckled.
“i’ll be fine.”
He yawned and slowly sat up, moving his hand from your shoulder to the middle of you back. He coughed, clearing his throat and speaking up.
“well uh, puns aside we should get you doing that breathing stuff.”
You deflated. “Do I have to?”
“THE EXERCISES ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO YOUR HEALING.” Papyrus said, not looking away from the tv for even a second. “MY BROTHER WILL HELP. HE’S GOOD AT THAT SOMETIMES YOU KNOW.”
“it’s true.” Sans replied with a grin, eyes lidded in their usual manner. “when i’m awake i’m super helpful. like right now. helping the human friend. wide awake.”
He patted your back gently, shifting to face you more.
“you good to go?”
“Do you know what to do?” You asked.
“alphys has the occasional anxiety attack. deep breathin’ exercises can’t be too different.”
You shrugged. “Fair point... so... like, in seven and out eight right?”
“yeah. but i guess for you, you should also try to fill up those lungs as much as you can.”
You nodded, tried to dull your senses, and took in your first breath.
One...
~———————~
Neither Sans or Papyrus were satisfied until you’d convinced them that the medicine had taken full effect, watching and listening with ernest to your controlled breaths as Sans noted your face relaxing more and more. The pain was ebbing away, that was good.
Papyrus had deemed it time for him to go to bed a little before you were done, and a quick glance to the clock noted that it was indeed already nine. Your shoulders slumped, and you pouted, giving Sans a hangdog look until he relented, allowing you to relax and breathe normal.
And so they sat for a while in silence, both unsure of what to say. Sans grabbed the remote and looked it over, rubbing a thumb along your shoulder as he pondered what to say. You were spent, so to speak. He cleared his throat eventually though.
“so uh, movie?”
You blinked, tilting your head to look at him. Your arms were folded across your stomach and your brows furrowed as you pondered it.
“Hm... Song of The Sea?”
“sure.”
That was the one with the faerie stuff wasn't it? He remembered the seals on the cover image well enough. He went through their fancy digital library, eyes going over numerous other titles the three of the had accumulated over the months. Once he had the movie playing he settled back. Pulling you closer to do only the best of things; nothing whatsoever.
You were quiet, humming to the the occasional song but not talking too much. He picked up the tune about halfway through the film, and hummed with you. He didn't mind the lack of conversation. In fact, he loved the quiet moments the most. It gave him time to think, to look back, and be more himself for a while... perhaps it was why he'd taken up so many sentry jobs in the underground. Until the kid had come along, things had been quiet, almost peaceful.
It was fascinating, he noted while the movie went on, how much humans adored the concept of magic. He'd always wondered why they clung to it for so long. They thought it was fantasy, they'd thought monsters like him weren't real. And yet... they loved magic. It almost gave him hope.
It was just a bit past 11 by the time the credits rolled, the quiet still dominating the room as they stared at the names go by. To Sans’ mild surprise, you were yawning while he messed with the remote again. You really were exhausted if you were sleepy before midnight. He rubbed your shoulder and tried not to yawn himself.
“ready for bed?” He asked you. You just shrugged tiredly.
“I dunno. It's not even midnight yet.”
“yeah but you're already yawning like crazy.”
“Ugh I hate it.” You pouted, crossing your arms... before yawning again.
Sans chuckled quietly. “it's been a long day.”
You sighed, letting your head drop. “Fine. True. I could sleep.”
Sans sat up, bring you along so that you didn't try to sleep on the couch. Moving you was always a hassle, and he didn't care to put in the effort once you were out.
You and him stood and walked towards the two halls, pausing for what felt like an eternity, the two of you looking off towards your rooms over each other's’ shoulders. Sans stuffed his hands into his pockets and rolled back and forth on his heels, thinking of how to end the night. You still looked down, so he opted for something... cheerful.
He tilted his head, as if trying to get a better look at your downturned face.
“so did you grow up with horses as a kid or something?”
Your eyes met his and you tilted in the opposite direction.
“Huh?”
He winked. “‘cuz you got a pretty long face.”
You snorted and cracked a smile, and Sans stood up straight, a pleased grin on his face.
“there’s my addy. laughing at even my bad jokes.”
“All your jokes are bad Sans. It's why I like them.”
“ouch.” He laughed, clutching his chest as if in pain. “if that hadn't been a compliment i’d be heartbroken.”
Your smile grew, and Sans, satisfied, began to walk past you. He patted your shoulder gently.
“see ya in the morning. k?”
He continued walking, not thinking much else until you tugged on his sleeve with a sharp “Wait!”
He halted immediately, turning slightly to look back at you. For a moment he saw desperation, but you quickly covered it with a lowered head and furrowed brows. You let go of his sleeve and looked away, rubbing your arm in an all too familiar gesture of worry.
“what's wrong?” He asked quietly, and you stood there silently in visible contemplation. He tried to check your soul for dullness, but found that you'd managed to, somehow, subconsciously hide it, or obscure it enough to make it hard to focus on. He almost spoke again until your voice broke the silence.
“They... know where we live. Probably which room is mine...” you frowned, shoulders getting stiff. “I thought.. maybe...” you sighed. “It's stupid I just--”
“what's stupid?”
Your face scrunched up and relaxed, and you fiddled with your sleeve nervously. “I... don't want to sleep, uh, on my own. Or be by myself...”
Your head dropped more, and your voice got almost quiet enough to be a whisper.
“It's stupid. I'm stronger than this.”
Oh... oh he understood now.
“woah woah woah, hold on come here.”
He turned fully and put both hands on your shoulders, lowering himself the whole three inches’ height difference to be eye level with you. You didn't look up straight away, clearly frustrated at yourself. Sans’ brows furrowed slightly.
“it's not stupid. you don't feel safe alone because of some creeps? that’s okay. i don't blame you.” You looked up, he smiled slightly. “i mean shit happened less than a day ago, right? and you've been acting super tough about it.”
You grimaced.
“Well sure, but shouldn't I keep being tough about it? I mean just look at Undyne. Never breaks the big bad exterior for a second.”
“undyne has ten years on the both of us, addy. she's had time to perfect the craft.”
You fell silent, crossing your arms with a scowl. Sans’ smile fell and he gestured his head backwards, hands still on your shoulders.
“come on. don’t want to be on your own while you sleep? i don’t mind sharing my room if it makes you feel safer.”
You paused. He waited patiently. You finally looked back at him, rubbing your arm.
“You sure?”
He nodded. “sure. that’s a boyfriend is supposed to do right? make their partner feel better and all that.”
You smiled, just a little, at that. “Yeah. That sounds right.” Your shoulders slumped and you let out a long sigh. “Thank you.”
“any time.” he said with a wink that he was sure you almost missed.
He turned around, trusting you to follow, and he could hear it was true. While the walk itself was just about a dozen steps on a low energy day like today, it seemed to drag on with the silence. You never liked going in his room because he never cleaned it, and even if your standards weren’t hotel-level high he noticed the way your face scrunched at the idea of stepping foot inside. Now... well, looking back as you and him reached the door, you just looked tired.
He opened the door and stepped aside, allowing you entrance. You didn’t seem to look around or care about the socks on the floor or the old schematic papers strewn about. You just held your arms at the elbows and looked at the floor. Sans sighed quietly, leaving the door open a crack for the cat’s inevitable entry later into the night. He looked to the bed, noting a few odd items which he levitated away before motioning to you.
“you can take the wall side if you want. further away from the window and stuff.”
You looked over to him, then the bed, muttering an “ok” as you made your way to it. He watched you sit down, then slide your legs over the side. You moved towards the walls until there was nowhere left to go, then looked back to Sans. He just kicked off his slippers and followed you, which earned him a funny look.
“Aren't you gonna wear pjs or something?” You asked.
“nah.”
“... Are those your pjs then?”
“nope.”
Your face crinkled with growing disgust and he couldn't help but laugh. “i sneak this outfit and its twin into the laundry all the time. it annoys the hell out of paps.”
He sat down at the edge of the bed and also brought his feet up, nudging them under the pile of covers at the end. You just stared on, more confused than before.
“I don't think I've ever seen your clothes in the wash.”
“i also sneak them out.”
You paused, looking at him in disbelief as he gave you that lazy toothy smile. After a moment you just shook your head, leaning forward to grab the sheets proper.
“You're obsessed with your image of laziness, you know that right?”
He chortled and leaned back, shifting to put his skull down on his favorite pillow, waiting for you to nudge into that usual spot under his chin, right where he could wiggle his jaw to mess with your hair.
“keeps my bro on his toes. can you imagine what it'd be like in this house with both of us being lazy.”
He shook his head as if horrified by the idea.
“total upheaval of the natural order.”
“Whatever helps you sleep at night, lazybones. ” You sighed, gently falling back until you two were shoulder to shoulder.
A couple of corpses ready for the coffin is what he felt like this was, for a moment. A bit stiff and awkward from energy all spent. This wouldn't do, it'd just be weird. He shifted to his side to face you, stuffing an arm under his head to support it.
“you know...” he started, eyes flicking up to the ceiling before falling to you. “my dad was really interested in behavior stuff outside of his work.”
You paused, and he saw your brows knitting as you figured out why he'd brought this up. You turned to face him as well, mirroring him almost perfectly.
“Yeah?”
“mhmm. he was always giving me fun facts over dinner or while I was reading or something. ‘s probably what helped get me into being a scientist like him. the way he lit up when talking about his work is what did it though.”
He nodded to himself, recalling the fonder memories he still had, even if time was making them fuzzy. You waited patiently, and he appreciated it as he continued.
“one day he's doing a routine check on my magic to make sure it's still stable, and he suddenly says ‘You know, bravery is a funny thing outside of the business of souls.’” He'd changed his way of speaking as he recalled it. Less casual, more, well, aged and refined. “‘People think it's all about acting tough and rushing in against impossible odds, but it's not.’ i was kinda confused at that, but he just kept going on about it.” Sans closed his eyes, visualizing the memory more clearly. “‘Bravery isn't just confronting fears, my boy, it's knowing when to admit you're scared or need help.’ it stuck with me, so I passed it on to my lil bro, and now i guess i’m passing it on to you.
He opened one eye slowly to watch you as the meaning dawned on you. Your face seemed to light up in the dark, eyes just a little wider for a moment. Your body relaxed all at once, and you smiled. A nice, big, full smile without forcing it, which is the most he'd seen out of you all day. He adored that smile.
“Your dad sounds like he was a cool person.”
“he was super cool,” he confirmed, “you would have gotten along with him pretty well.”
“I'm sure,” you giggled. You inched your way closer and he gladly raised his arm to drape over you. You nestled in right in that spot under his chin, as he'd hoped. He couldn't really see your face from this position, but he could feel you sighing against his neck.
“Thanks... I mean it.”
“anytime. ‘s what i’m here for.”
For a while, it seemed like that was it. You and him lay there in the dark, moving to get into just the right spot for sleep. He was ready to say goodnight when he could feel you sharply inhaling. He paused, unsure if it was pain or... words.
“Hey... Sans?”
Words, okay that was good. He closed his eyes and smiled. “yeah?”
“This... is like a uh... love thing. Right?”
That took him by surprise, and he opened his eyes again, trying to look down but only managing to see his arm around you back. He could tell you were waiting for a response, breath hitched as if any movement would be the last. He puzzled over it, considering for the first time that, well... maybe it was.
“well... if love is giving up a bit of personal space to make sure you’re happy and safe... then i guess so.”
He paused, furrowing his brows as his lazy grin faded. He shifted slightly, if only to hold onto you better.
“Is, uh, that how you’re feeling? about us?”
Silence... a sigh against his neck. He felt you nodding, ever so slightly.
“I think so.” You confirmed, and his soul skipped a pulsation. “I’m still figuring it out.”
You shrugged. “Maybe I just feel like this because you saved my life last night, and it’s some messed up hero’s admiration gone too far... I don’t want it to be, but I just can’t figure it out yet.”
His soul still pulsated as he listened to your confession, and he idly rubbed your back as he contemplated what to say. You again spoke before he had the chance.
“Is that weird?”
He blinked, then shook his head almost desperately.
“no, no! of course not sweetheart. i understand and it’s okay and stuff.”
“Yeah?”
“of course! take all the time you need. i won’t go anywhere or pressure you or anything okay?”
He felt you let out that bated breath in a long, relieved sigh, and you nuzzled up further against his neck.
“Thank you.” he heard you say quietly, and he couldn’t help but smile and relax again.
He rubbed your back slowly, letting out a slow yawn as his body started falling victim to the lull of sweet sleep. He waited for you first, just to make sure, but you were out quickly. He chuckled, made sure the sheets were all the way up, and slowly wiggled his jaw against the top of your head.
“sleep well, adelaide. see ya in the morning.”