#I’m just finishing up some line art for Alphys week and then I’ll be doing day

[iced-souls]

Oh mah gawd I forgor to show ya’ll these lil guys I made a “lil” while ago—

They were gifts for me friends, woulda shown sooner but 1 of them has an account here so I had to keep the surprise lol—

Oh and another test doodle that I liked from this famly portrait I did for the mother:

I liked the face but didn’t end up keepin it

[yastaghr]

Rounded Going Round

@kirinsaga commissioned me (During @sansy-fresh Art Drive) to do a little one-shot with some pregnant #sanster angst! You can find the finished work on Ao3 here:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21411682

Enjoy!

Sans tried hard not to wince when yet another door slammed behind him. It was hard not to take it personally after the first five times. He'd totally given up by the 11th. He'd stopped counting at 23. This was somewhere in the depressing realm beyond that.

It took him some time to gather himself enough to walk through the lobby of the hotel. He knew there were tears streaming down his face. He could feel them as they impacted with his gravid belly. His shirt was probably more like a lantern than a cover up now, but he had to walk through this lobby with all the confidence and ease he could. This hotel was deep in human territory, and a monster showing signs of weakness (heh. He was a living sign of weakness and he knew it) was in serious danger of being jumped. He did not want to become another hate crime statistic today. He couldn't bear to do that to Gaster, not on top of everything else.

Once he was not in that lobby Sans almost ran to the nearest alleyway. He needed to be safe somewhere where he could cry and cry and cry and not have to worry about people staring at him or judging him. Heh. He, the former Judge of the Underground, was afraid of being judged. How the tables turned.

He ducked behind the overflowing dumpster of the Thai-Spanish fusion restaurant, skidded on a smear of Thai iced tea flan, and crashed into the brick wall of the alley. He picked himself up out of mess of cultures and foods, shivered at the feeling of something leaking down the back of his neck, and teleported straight into the bathroom of the flat Gaster and he shared. Blue magic filled the room. It turned on the shower all the way to warm, untied his soiled dress shoes, stripped off his stinking khaki pants and blue button-up shirt, and locked the door. He did not want Gaster to see him like this. He needed to be clean first. He just did.

As he climbed in the shower, Sans reflected on the face of the human as he was told, for whatever numbered time it was this week, that the position he was applying for had already been filled and, while appreciated, his resume was surplus to requirements. Not every human had phrased it the same way, of course. Some were much more open about their speciesism. It was, after all, still legal. But one thing they all had in common was a certain amount of glee as they watched him fall apart.

Even now Sans couldn't stop the tears from coming. And why would he? It was healthy to express your emotions, and, moreover, he was pregnant and a monster. They both got a pass. Or at least…they did among those who actually cared about monsters. And pregnant people. To bad he hasn't been dealing with either of those.

Sans grabbed the bottle of body wash and poured a generous dollop of the stuff onto his body poof. The smell of cinnamon filled the air. Like always, it soothed him. The smell of cinnamon always brought him back to the first time he and Gaster had walked into the Snowdin Shop. The shopkeeper had just finished baking a fresh load of cinnabunnies. They’d tasted like absolute perfection, warm and sweet on his to- damn it. Now he wanted cinnabunnies. He’d have to text his lover once he got out of the shower. Denying his cravings only made him miserable.

At least he could relieve some of that misery right now. He scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed at the stains of mixed-culture food that covered his body. He stopped just short of rubbing his bones raw. Gaster always got so worried when Sans did that, and it always took so long to heal. He really couldn’t afford the wound right now. Heh. Figuratively and literally.

Finally Sans could look at his own bones and not see the multicolored stains. He was back to being clean, which was good because the hot water had just run out. He rinsed off the soap, turned off the water, and went to grab his towel.

A familiar hole-y hand passed him one of the biggest ones. Sans jumped back, slipped, and ended up sitting on the wet floor of the tub with a thud. A cracked skull instantly peeked through the curtains, worry evident in every line of his expression. Gaster apologized profusely. “I am so sorry for scaring you, Sans. I thought I’d made enough noise to alert you, but the sound of the shower is highly likely to have drowned it out. Do you need any assistance?”

Sans chuckled. Yeah, that was his Gaster. Always quick to apologize over the slightest reason. “it’s okay, g. you didn’t scare this old bag of bones too bad. but, i, ah...might need a little bit of a hand up? this belly really gets in the way.”

Gaster quickly set aside the towel and helped him up. “Of course, Sans. Come here, let me dry you off while you tell me about your day. I wasn’t expecting you home for another hour or two. Did something happen?”

Sans tells him about his day in detail, leaving out not one rejection, tear, or alleyway. Gaster nodded along, but Sans could tell he wasn’t as worried as he had been the last few weeks. His large, round eye sockets narrowed. “gaster. aren’t you paying attention? i still haven’t found a job, and the baby will be due in a few weeks, and-”

Gaster smiled up at him excitedly. “-It will be fine, Sans! I just finished setting up the party in the living room. The others will be arriving in a few hours, but I really wanted you to be the first to know. Come get dressed so I can show you!”

Sans sighed, but slipped into a clean t-shirt he had stolen from Gaster’s pile and some old gym shorts. He shuffled his feet into his signature pink slippers and shlepped after Gaster. He was lead into the living room. When they got there, his jaw dropped. There were balloons and streamers, cheerful music was playing from the speakers, the smell of baking treats wafted from the oven, and a custom cake sat proudly on the counter. Sans gravitated towards it. The cake was blue on the sides and had a night sky of sparklers scattered across the flat top. It also had, in white lettering against the dark background, a message. It read, “Home Loan Acquired!”

Sans felt tears roll down his zygomatic process. He wiped them away and turned to Gaster. The other took a step back from the upset fury radiating off of Sans.

“how could you. we can’t afford all this, not and still make the payments. and we don’t have a home loan! that human bank said they wouldn’t lend to us unless we both had a job, and i keep getting turned away! this is all...all…” Sans broke down into tears. Why did this hurt so much?

Gaster wrapped his arms around him and rubbed his back gently. “It’s okay, Sans. I should have told you sooner. I was talking with King Asgore today over lunch, and I happened to mention our difficulties with the loan. He was sad that the human banks were being so prejudiced, but not overly surprised. I, on the other hand, was struck dumb when he offered to give us a loan from the Royal Bank. I tried to protest, but he insisted. He said that’s why they set up the Royal Bank in the first place: to help out monsters in positions like ours. So we do have a home loan, and at a much better rate than the humans were offering us. And there is no requirement for you to find work. He was very upset that they would force something like that on us, especially with you so pregnant. Queen Toriel could barely function while she was carrying Prince Azriel. So we don’t have to worry! We can get the house of our dreams and be moved in before the baby comes.”

Now Sans’ tears were ones of happiness. “i can’t believe this. it’s a dream, right? there’s no way we could be this lucky.”

Gaster nuzzled his forehead. There was a huge smile on his face. “It is real, love. We’re really going to do it. In a few days we’ll be adding books to the shelves in our new living room. We can pick out the perfect dining room set. You can read me the instructions while I build our new crib. Are you happy about it?”

The pregnant Sans nodded, the tears still flowing as hormones got behind the emotion and shoved. “i am. i’m so happy i just…” He breathed in a huge sigh of relief. No more rejections from speciesist humans. “i’m just so happy.”

Gaster smiled, squeezed him carefully, then released him from the hug. “That’s good. Now, do you want to help me set up the extra bean-bags in the living room for all our guests? I...may have gone critical in my excitement. There will be 14 people joining us to celebrate. The Royal family, of course, and your brother and his fiancee. Dr. Alphys and Undyne, obviously, and my followers. They’d feel so sad if they were left out.”

Sans chuckled. “good thing we’re going to be moving into a big house. we’ve got too many friends to fit in a small one.”

His husband laughed his clarion laugh. “Good indeed. Now, do you want to...actually, why don’t you work on the food while I move furniture? We can never be too careful. Our little one’s life hangs on the balance.”

“sure thing, drama queen,” Sans said fondly. “i’ll get started on some more snacks.”

[topazshadowwolf]

The Door (Chapter 11)

An Undertale Fanfiction by: Topaz Shadowwolf Undertale is owned by: Toby Fox Setting: Post neutral run when Papyrus dies with chapter intros being before the child fell. Relationships: Sans and Toriel is the main focus, with a little bit of Undyne and Alphys Rating: I’m thinking Teen? Heads up: There is some depressed thoughts, feelings of worthlessness/wanting to die, mention of major character death, and the occasional bad word. Oh, and flowey being flowey, so you know, psychological/physical trauma. I really don’t want to say much more since I really don’t want to spoil anything further down the road…

You can read it on AO3! Here is Ch 10 Ch 9 Ch 8 Ch 7 Ch 6 Ch 5 Ch 4 Ch 3, Ch 2, and Ch 1 on Tumbler.

Random thoughts from the writer about this chapter: I am so happy I was able to get this done on time for the last day of Soriel Week. I’m sure many of you will be too busy reading all the fics that have been submitted for the week, and if you haven’t yet, I encourage you to. But, for this fic and me as a writer, Soriel Week means a lot. It gave me the courage to post the first chapter of The Door when I saw the reactions people had to my one shots last year. I thank all of you for sticking with me, and I hope you had a wonderful week, and year, filled with beautiful Soriel!

I also want to thank the artists who have drawn something for this fic, be sure to check them out: JDylah_da_Kylah from A03 posted this beautiful piece on chapter six of the comment section: With permission I posed it here on Tumblr.

For chapter 8, @blaiddsumu​ made this beautiful piece of art: Found here.

Just this week, @poisondilu​ drew a comic of one of the scenes in chapter 5, which I am still marveling at: Found here. 

Also recently, @skeleplatypus drew these, one from chapter 8 and the other from 9: Found here. 

The Door

Chapter 11: No longer Under a-rested

"hey, uh, lady?"

"Yes?" Toriel responded. The two had been sitting in silence for a while. Each reading their own thing, only occasionally interrupting the silence with a fact or a random joke that came to mind. It may seem odd, sitting near someone and not talking, but both were tired, and just wanted the company. Well, company without the added stress of needing to be funny or interesting for the night. It felt nice, familiar, just knowing he was there.

"you hear me talk about my bro, but i never hear you mention any of your family, except for the occasional hint that you have, or, well, had one," her friend said. He then quickly added, "sorry if that was a little... uh... nose-y," he laughed, she wasn't sure why. It's not like he could see her long snout. Perhaps he had one himself?

"No, it is alright," she then sighed, quietly, "My family is gone, and I guess I don't like talking about them because of that. Not that they aren't on my mind, much like your brother." She closed her eyes, feeling her heartache at the memories of children’s’ laughter, and even the booming laugh of the man she once called husband. "But those memories are now a painful reminder of what was. Perhaps, one day I will wish to speak to you about them."

"but not now, huh?"

"Sadly, no," she then closed her book and looked at the door, "I hope you don't mind that."

"naw, lady, it's fine," he was quiet, either returned to reading or he was thinking on what she said. From what she has learned about him, though, she is inclined to believe he was thinking. Her suspicions where proven correct as he spoke up again, "hope you don't mind that i keep talking about my bro."

"Nonsense, I love hearing about Papyrus," she smiled, trying to imagine the large smile that has been described to her countless times.

"good, 'cause, uh, honestly nothing much happens in my life that doesn't involve him," he confessed.

"I hardly believe that, you sound like a rather interesting person," Toriel replied brightly.

"being honest here, lady, anything i have done... well, it doesn't matter," he chuckled, and she heard him turning the page of the magazine he was reading.

"On the contrary, I think it does matter," she informed him, trying to sound insistent while remaining friendly. "You're being here to keep me company matters to me," she said cheerfully, "So, I'm sure there is plenty of other things you do that matter."

"thanks, but, uh...," he fell silent, not finishing his thought.

"But, what? There is nothing an individual does that is not important," Toriel insisted. It was clear he was in one of his moods, and it bothers her that they seem to be more often than before.

"it's," he paused then sighed, "it's different than..." He sounded oddly frustrated, like the words he wanted to say just weren't there. Again, he sighed, louder this time, before trying again, "it's not like the normal kind of 'not mattering.'"

"How so?"

"like, uh, how best to describe this...," she heard rustling of paper, and figured he was fidgeting with the magazine while he thought. "okay, have you ever had a dream, like a really vivid dream, where you do something only to wake up and realize it never happened?"

"I have had such dreams a few times. More in the past when I was with my family," Toriel replied.

"it's like that."

With a tilted head, she thought about what he just said, but she wanted to make sure she fully understood what he meant. To verify, she asked "Are you trying to say, everything you've done was in your sleep? I know you say you sleep a lot, but I hardly think that is the case."

"heh, naw. but, might as well have," he said in that tone she hates so much. He brightened up, before saying, "anyway, when, or if, you're ever ready to talk about your family, i'll listen."

Of his tones of voice, she much preferred that one. It sounded relaxed, almost happy. She rested her head against the door and smiled, "I know, and thank you. But can you please not speak so ill of yourself again? You're my friend, and I don't like anyone talking about you like that, even yourself."

"no promises, but i'll try, sound fair?"

"For now, Dishes, yes," she then smiled, "speaking of families, what do you call a female monster with children?"

There was a definite chuckle, and she wonders if he knows the answer, but will feign ignorance to hear her give the punch line, "don't know lady, what do you call 'em?"

"A momster!" she said brightly. That was always one of her favorite type of puns and jokes. Even the "your momma" jokes, to an extent, could make her laugh even though she was sure she was supposed to take offense to them. Still, you can't be hurt by something you accept as your own, right? Well, they aren't meant for civilized joke telling, and she wasn't sure how her friend would react to them. So, she’ll stick the with the milder mother jokes for now. What mattered to her was how much he had laughed at her pun, and that was a lot. And she did love that sound, which set her mind at ease. What would she do without her pun buddy?

 ---

 Shortly after picking him up, Sans was practically asleep in Toriel’s arms. He was trying to stay awake, and she felt him start to lean back to avoid drifting off. It was partly out of selfishness she hung onto him, preventing him from doing so. It had been so long since she had seen him, she wasn’t ready to let up on her hug, even if it meant he would soon be asleep.

As much as she would love to talk to him, the way he looked disturbed her, and she would rather he take this chance to rest. Which resulted in her glaring at Undyne when ordered to put him down. The notion of being ordered to release him caused her lips to curl, exposing more of her fangs. From within she could feel a growl starting to form from the protective nature taking over.

Oh, she wanted to fight. She wanted to make Undyne sorry for all of this. But right now, Sans needed her more. To properly fight Undyne, she could not be holding Sans. Yet, Sans needed to be somewhere safe, to rest, and he would worry if Toriel did get into a fight. These thoughts were conflicting, and causing her to worry about what the best course of action should be.

Then the quiet words he said, “please don't,” tore at her feelings. She heard in his voice the same desire to never be separated again. His magic felt disoriented and weak, most likely because of the vile thing on him. She doubted he was even aware his magic was trying to reach out for her own, but she could feel it. Looking at Undyne, she felt her rage, for now, put at ease. First comes the care of Sans, then, when she knows he is well, she will show this other monster her wrath. She will hold her tongue for now, and try to keep the peace.

“We should let him sleep, then try getting more answers when he wakes. In the meantime, please get this thing off him,” Toriel said, indicating the inhibitor.

She didn’t know if she was expecting a fight or argument over the removal of the inhibitor. The fact Undyne just complied, and without a word, came as a surprise. When Undyne moved closer to remove it, Toriel watched her carefully, making sure of no foul play. It didn't sound like something this proud warrior would be inclined to do, but at this point Toriel didn't know what to expect. She didn’t have any past experiences of her own to give confidence in Undyne’s honor; only word of mouth testimonials, and those she is starting to question.

“Fine, we’ll let him rest. But I don't want to wait forever. If this ‘thing’ Alphys talked about is a threat, I want to hear about it as soon as possible,” Undyne said. The inhibitor was tossed to the side far gentler than Toriel would have thrown it, even if it did hit the wall, before falling to the ground.

“I am curious myself,” Toriel forced a sigh, giving herself more time to relax before she continued speaking. With the barbaric contraption off, Sans’s magic felt stronger, which let her relax. This calmer mood allowed her to look at Undyne differently. If she were to describe the ruler she would say she looked like a wilting flower. “Since I have traveled a long way, same with Alphys, I think I will take this opportunity to rest while we wait. And perhaps, you should too,” Toriel said, offering the younger monster a friendly smile, an action far harder than it appears. “Believe me when I say, I am aware how hard it is to get sleep as a rule. But, if you don’t rest, when you can, your ability to make wise decisions decreases.”

“I don't have time, or need the lectures,” Undyne glared at Toriel. In her eyes was a clear desire to fight, her magic sparking around her hands. It seemed to be her glances to Alphys that kept her from attacking.

“U-Undyne,” Alphys said with a slight squeak, “I-I can help you after you wake. B-besides, there w-was that one series we were watching. And you h-have to see the end! I know you'll like it.”

She could see Undyne weighing her choices only to give in, “Fine, but the moment he wakes, or you wake him, I want to hear about this ‘anomaly.’”

“Of course,” Toriel replied. She then noticed Alphys shifting back, as if trying to be part of the background, “And I would like to hear more about what you know too. It never came up before, that you might have made this ‘anomaly,’ during our travels. Needless to say, I am a bit surprised by that bit of information.”

“Well, y-you see,” Alphys started, looking away.

“That is something else we can discuss later,” Undyne came to Alphys’s defense, “after we rest.”

Opening the door to the dungeon to calling for a guard, Undyne found them still there. Some were looking a little nervous, and several had char marks on their armor. Undyne shot Toriel a glare, but the boss monster didn’t care. When she arrived at the dungeon, she had asked the guards to move, and a few needed convincing before obliging. Still, Undyne ordered a guard to take Toriel to a guest room.

Knowing the guards were just following orders earlier, Toriel did apologize to them. It pleased her that most of them accepted it, though they did so while avoiding Undyne’s glares. The one that was leading her to the guest rooms, was one of those guards, and he seemed more than happy to get away from there.

It felt weird for her to be escorted to the rooms she had previously walked visitors to, while giving them a tour of the castle. Other than those few occasions, she rarely went down these halls herself. When she lived here, both with and after Asgore, she mostly was in the house, within the castle grounds, or in the throne room. Both, were not places she enjoyed being within the second time around, but she accepted that her presence there as part of her duty. Besides, there wasn't a need to go anywhere else, most of the time. Nevertheless, she had been this way enough to see Undyne had done some redecorating. That was no surprise to her, it is not uncommon for new rulers to adjust their surroundings to fit their needs or desires. And Toriel found it interesting that there were more images of past members of the guard, most of which were around during the wars on the surface.

The guard opened a door and let her into one of the rooms, which she remembered as being nicer than some of the rest. She thanked him for his service and entered before breathing a sigh of relief. Deep down, she wanted this, to be alone with her poor, tired Sans. He hadn’t stirred at all or reacted to anything since falling asleep.

She moved over to the bed in the room and tried to set Sans down, but he was still clinging to her. This made her chuckle softly and figured she was stuck like this for now. Getting into bed, she continued to hug him, resting her head against his skull, and closed her eyes.  Hoping for just one last thing, she ran her fingers along his spine, gently massaging the vertebrae as she had done in the past. Sans was deep asleep and she didn’t know if it would work; so, when he started to rattle softly she couldn’t help but smile. This was a sound she could easily fall asleep to. Feeling greedy, she continued massaging his spine until she drifted off.

Not to her surprise, she was the first to wake between the two of them. At least his grip had loosened and she could finally free herself from him. Not that she was ready to let him go, but there was something that needed to be done. Staying cuddled in bed won’t help in that regard, and she was set on putting her wants behind the need. She stood and walked into the bathroom to clean up first. It felt good to wash the grit and dirt of her travel to New Home out of her fur. She just wished she had something new to change into. Having left in such a hurry, she didn’t bother grabbing anything.

Exiting the bathroom, she found Sans half curled around a pillow he started hugging in her place. She hated to leave him, but this was something she'd rather do without him there. The bedside stand didn’t have anything on it, other than a lamp, let alone something to use to write a note. She checked the draw finding a note pad and pencil and started to reach for them. Before she could, she considered how she would feel waking up to find him gone. They had been separated for too long, note or no note, it would hurt her soul to wake up to find him nowhere near.

Still, she needed to get this done before he arrived to talk to Undyne. After some thought, she knelt by the bed and started to use her right hand to pet the back of his skull. Something caught her eye that she missed the night before. There was a mark on one of his cervical vertebrae, where that “thing” had been.

She knew all too well about inhibitor burns, and that clearly was one. Biting her bottom lip to hold back the boiling feeling building inside, she first reached out and healed the damage. As her magic healed the wound she saw him start to relax, the burn must have been a constant discomfort. On his face, she saw the start of his genuine smile in his sleep. Amused by this she ran her thumb softly along the healed bone, taking care in case it was still tender.

“Sans, dear,” she says softly, and he started to curl tighter around the pillow, as if it would save him from waking. This made her giggle before she leaned forward, nuzzling the back of his skull before kissing him.

In response, Sans started to uncurl and she kept kissing, moving slowly around his skull to his mouth while sliding a paw under it to turn his head. It took a few more kisses on his mouth before she started to feel his magic tingle on her lips in a pleasurable manner. To her annoyance, his magic felt hesitant, fearful, as if expecting repercussions. Before now, and once he accepted she loved him, he very forth coming with his magic when it came to expressing love. This cautiousness was aggravating to feel from any monster in this situation. But from the one she loved?

What helped soothe her from a building anger was his boney hand, as it moves to her cheek, slipping through her fur gently. It wasn't him she was mad at, and he didn't need that feeling around him right now. Leaning back slightly, she could see his eye sockets were only half open, and his eye lights are fuzzy around the edges, but there was still a look of love in them.

“My sweet,” she said while touching his cheek, and he turned his face into her hand. The soft sound he made, to indicate he was listening, accented how tired he still was. “I am sorry to wake you, and I want you to continue resting a little while longer, but I need to go take care of something.”

That made his eye lights focus to smooth edges, and he started to sit up, “I can come with.”

“Nonsense, my love. I know you're exhausted, and this is something I can do myself,” she said as she placed a hand on his chest to hold him still. Before he could object she added, “Just rest a while longer, I’ll see to it that you are woken, and I’ll get your clothes brought to you. Then you can clean up and get out of those.”

“Do you really need to?” he asked while placing a hand on hers. She saw the worry on his face and felt worse for needing to leave. If there was something to take away from this, she was happy she didn’t let him just wake up alone.

Leaning over again, she nuzzled his nasal bone and smiled bigger as she heard the wonderful song of his deep, rumbling chuckle. How much she would love to stay here, and get him to fully understand how much she has truly missed him. She sighed, sitting back, “Yes, Sansy, this is something I need to do.”

“heh, alright, t,” Sans said, but he didn’t look any more convinced. Right now, she wouldn't be surprised if he tried following her, and she knew how sneaky he can be when he really wants to. If she could get him to fall asleep again, that would be best.

His brow ridge was creased with concern, so she gently placed her hand over his sockets, forcing him to close them. In response, he raised his hands to lift it off, but she kept it there. Perhaps this was a bullying move, as between the two she was easily the strongest, but right now she wanted to get him to relax. To ease the tension on his face, she ran her thumb over his brow as if trying to smooth it out; which caused his attempts to uncover his eye sockets to become lethargic.

Pleased with this, she reached up with her other paw and started to pet the top of his skull softly, knowing well that doing so could help him get back to sleep. “I’ll have someone come to wake you. Be nice to them,” she said and giggled at his grumbled reply. It didn't take long before he was out again, his mysterious "Z's" being proof of that.

Standing up she walked to the door and looked out. There was a guard nearby, and she called softly to him as she exited the room, not fully closing the door behind herself, “Excuse me, but do you know where his things are? When he finally wakes up, I’m sure he will be wanting to change out of what he is currently wearing.”

“I can have them brought up,” The guard, a canine, replied, “will you need anything else? Breakfast, perhaps?”

“Oh, yes please, if you don’t mind,” Toriel smiled, “but for him. I have business to attend to with the Queen.”

“Empress, actually,” the guard corrected.

“Ah, right, I’ll try to remember that, thank you,” Toriel nodded, “Do you know if she is awake?”

“Empress Undyne is meeting with Gerson in the throne room.”

“Wonderful, thank you. Anyway, can you see that he gets those things in an hour and a half to two hours, and that he is up? He also has business with the Empress.”

“I will let the room service know to bring the food then. And his things should have arrived around that time, as well,” he bowed slightly and started to walk off.

“Oh, and before you go, can you make sure they bring ketchup with the breakfast? A bottle would be best.”

“I can do that,” He bowed again.

“Thank you very much,” Toriel said. She watched the guard go before looking back in at Sans. He was still completely out, and she sorely long to climb back into the bed, hug him, and feel him start to cling to her again.

Closing her eyes, she sighed. No, she can't indulge in those thoughts, not right now and with what business she had to attend to. Looking in at Sans one last time, she rekindled her resolve as she remembered the burn. Her lip twitched slightly as she remembered seeing him in that cell, weak and barely standing. Within, her magic turned like a cyclone of fire as she recalled the hesitation of his magic. Quietly, she closed the door and turned, walking down the hall with a single-minded goal.

When she arrived at the throne room there were two guard standing outside. One of the guards took notice of her, and turned to face her, “Toriel, Undyne has been waiting you and Sans.”

“Yes, well, he is not quite ready, and I have some unfinished business to discusses with her Majesty, that he is not required for,” Toriel replied before moving to the door to open it.

The other guard moved quickly to block her way, “We’ll announce you're here.” The one closest to the door started to open it, but she was not about to wait for such… procedures.

She didn’t really push her way past, as she didn’t really push anyone out of the way. She just continued walking forward and both guards decided not to test her, letting her enter the room with worried looks. Undyne and Gerson were sitting together in the bed of flowers that Asgore had grown. Both looked up at Toriel, Undyne looking annoyed and Gerson with an intrigued smile.

“Ah, hello there, Toriel!” Gerson greeted her.

“Toriel, I was expecting you and Sans. Why are you alone?” Undyne demanded.

“He will be arriving later. For now, I believe you and I have unfinished business to take care of,” Toriel replied, walking further into the room until she was standing beside them.

The fish monster looked at her a moment then looked back to Gerson. “It can wait,” she said while casually waving Toriel away.

“No. It can’t,” Toriel said flatly.

The old turtle was grinning, watching this. Rubbing his chin in a thoughtful manner, he said to Undyne, “I think you have more pressing matters to "discuss." Perhaps I'll rest while you two sort things out.”

“You will not!” Undyne snapped before turning back to Toriel, “And you will, now out!”

“You think you can just order me out like that?" Toriel gave a short scoff of a laugh. "After you kidnapped my love, placed a torturous device on him, and then neglected him?! I saw the untreated burn mark on the back of his neck,” upon mentioning the burn Undyne turned her head to look at Toriel. It was clear she knew nothing about that, which made Toriel all the madder. “I held back when I first arrived. I saw a greater need than releasing my rage out on you. But now that need had been met, it is time for us to settle this,” it was a struggle to keep her tone even through all of that, but years upon years of practice permitted her to maintain an authoritative tone.

“Is that so?” Undyne snarled.

“Get up, ‘Empress Undyne,’” Toriel growled with no respect for the title. “I’d hate to burn the flowers my ex-husband painstakingly cared for all these years.”

“I’m surprised you even care,” Undyne replied, mockingly. But she stood, a determined look to win this fight crossing her face.

“While my love for Asgore never returned, I do not harbor hate for him. He was part of my life, and someone I, at one time, loved dearly," she said, then looked around at all the flowers. They were like the yellow flowers that now grow where Chara's remains rest. Closing her eyes, she looked back at Undyne, "Thus, destroying a memento of him is not my intent. I’m sad he died, but it was a consequence of his choice to declare an unnecessary war.”

“UNNECESSARY WAR?!” Undyne yelled back, “He was fighting for our freedom!”

“No, he was fighting for your hope, and had everyone clinging to a false ideal. We had already lost the war to humans, why would we return to the surface at war again? I knew eventually the bottom to this lie would dropped, and everyone would fall hard!” Toriel stepped towards the back, where she was sure her ex-husband fought many times before. Him, and the children she once mothered.

“And look what has happened? He is dead, and your focus is to continue what he knew could never happen. As great as Asgore was, he knew, deep down, the humans would just kill us if we returned to the surface by means of murder. And yet, instead of choosing another option, a peaceful option, he forsook my council and stayed with the plan that suited his anger,” Toriel finished as they entered the room. Turning, she faced Undyne, feeling the anticipation building within for the fight about to occur.

Undyne summoned a spear into her hands while snarling, “And then you ran away. Like a coward, you turned your back on us, your people!” Several more spear bullets formed and she sent them at Toriel.

Toriel was not expecting an attack just yet, still she ducked and weaved her way through the attacks, stepping carefully, eloquently, and ignoring the biting pain as one she did not see hit her shoulder from behind. Toriel reminded herself that this was no time to be under estimating her enemy. Undyne was, after all, Head of the Royal Guard. That is not a position given to just anyone. Also, Sans had said in the past, that Undyne trained Papyrus, whom Sans said was the greatest fighter he knew. Granted, it seemed Sans was inclined to talk up his brother anytime, but it was still a detail she should keep in mind.

“For the longest time, I too believed that," Toriel closed her eyes, remembering her own self-hatred, and the day she first heard Sans through the door. Composing herself for combat, she looked at Undyne, "Then I was reminded, by one I hold most dear, of the real reason I left. I didn’t run away, as you so callously accuse. I left what I perceived as insanity. My morals would not hold to the notion of killing those who could be no different than my child, Chara, just because they were human. I went to where I hoped to prevent Asgore’s wrath." Magical fire writhed her hands, the colorful flames dancing with her anger. All the hues that made up her soul in view, with Integrity blue being the most predominate on display.

Taking the opportunity presented, she returned with an attack of her own. She started with a simple wave of dancing flames, wanting to gage the skill of her opponent. To her surprise, Undyne didn't dodge away from the flames like most try to. Using the spear in her hands, she blocked the balls of flame that came close enough to be a threat.

“You should have been here for us, your people. Besides, you had more than one child! Asriel, remember him? Murdered by humans, like the very ones you want to protect. But I guess the only one that mattered was the human, right?” Undyne then used the spear to seek out Toriel’s soul and turned it green.

Toriel didn't enjoy the feeling of being unable to move, but so be it. Like a lioness, she roared, "How could you insinuate such! I am, was, a mother. There is not one of my children that I favor over the other!" Toriel gathered her magic in preparation, "Asriel, my dear, sweet child... his death was tragic, but he did not blame the humans who killed him. He would not have wanted such bloodshed in his name."

Undyne summoned up a multitude of spears which came at Toriel from different directions. Using a fire barrier to block the attacks, Toriel turned and watched for the incoming spears. There were a few that were trickier than she expected, switching directions on her at the last second. But all of which she successfully blocked. Wasting no time, Toriel sent another wave of flames at Undyne the moment she could.

“No, I'm sure he would have rather been alive! Besides, it is not like you had a plan.” Undyne yelled back. She was fighting admirably, but it was clear her anger was getting the better of her. A common mistake, especially for the young who have not seen, or experienced, real combat. One can train and practice all they want to avoid it, but only a real battle could test one's abilities. Toriel saw a hint of carelessness as a fire ball scorched the proud warrior’s shoulder. “If you so strongly believed all you say you did, why didn’t you help him!” Another mass of spears was summoned up and they encircled Toriel.

“By trying to save the humans, I was also trying to protect my people,” Toriel replied. This time, she was ready for the trickier spears and expertly blocking the attacks as if dancing in place. The fire she used as a shield then gathered together her paws. Sweeping her arms wide, she sent a wave of flames toward Undyne. “What good would come from us returning to the surface in a state of war we could never win? What you did to Sans was no different than Asgore's blind war declaration. Making snap decisions, made from anger without any real consideration, is not a way to lead.”

"It is better than doing nothing!" Undyne snapped, blocking the attack. Her magic was becoming more erratic.

"Just like Asgore, you let your emotions lead," Toriel frowned. She straightened herself, eyeing the ruler as if judging her, "What have you done with your rule? Well, other than falsely imprison a monster and--"

"HE LET'S US ALL DOWN!" Undyne yelled. She sent more spears at Toriel, who again, turned in place to block the attacks with her magic. "Just like a coward, he chose you and that human over his own family, over the king!"

"And if Sans had died, would you really be that much happier?" Toriel asked. Again, she caused flames to rain down onto Undyne, but she watched more carefully, and she noticed that Undyne was losing her resolve.

Still, the fish monster blocked every attack as if they were nothing. Her stance was solid, unmoving, and there was an eccentric aspect to her fighting style. While she has seen monsters and humans fight in this manner for audiences, she doubted it was for fans that Undyne acted so much. It was likely Undyne was showing what she can do to intimidate Toriel. Unfortunately for her, this is not Toriel's first fight, and that is a technique that will not work.

"Never, but that doesn't mean he couldn't have done something!" Undyne refuted.

"Fair enough," Toriel said, "but only if you ignore the fact he is already aware he could never win against the human." As more spears traveled towards her, Toriel prepared to defend. "You forgot he was hurt by his brother's death as well. We were mending each other’s emotional wounds in peace, before you interrupted."

Again, same attack, just different rhythm and faster speed. There were also more spears, making the attack longer and more challenging, but over all, she was starting to feel ready for something new. Though, being trapped by the green magic, there was little she could do against some attacks. At least this is easier to deal with when immobilized.

“Asgore needed you more, and more than those humans,” Undyne snapped. She summoned up another multitude of spears and sent them toward Toriel, "You weren't the only one hurt by the loss of your children. Even the humans he killed weighed on him. I could see it."

Toriel varied her attack by having the flames come at Undyne from the side instead of above. At this point they weren't getting far, and Toriel knew she would have to fight harder. It has been a long time since she fought anything that stood a chance against her. She had fought the child, but she wasn't going full strength against them, after all, her goal wasn't to kill them. Now, though, she intended on winning.

“I always gave him my counsel, and was there behind him, guiding him with my knowledge and experience,” Toriel responded once Undyne was done defending.

Again, same attack but slightly different. The spears were moving in at different speeds, nearly tricking Toriel. Some were traveling slower than others, but appearing first, acting as a distraction for the fast ones. Keeping on guard though, she didn't intend on taking any more damage from Undyne. But this was becoming more difficult than Toriel thought it would be.  She wouldn't be surprised if Undyne had been practicing with Asgore, which gave Undyne the advantage of knowing some of her attacks. Still, she doubted Asgore had fought Undyne with the fierceness she was about to unleash.

Calling up more of her own magic, she sent fire raining down on Undyne. “Do you honestly think,” Toriel exclaimed while Undyne tried to block the flames, “that I would just leave him without a word? Did he not tell you of the days we argued, debated, and fought over this? I didn’t just leave him to deal with all of that alone without trying. Do not forget, I had loved him. But he made his choice, and it was one I could not stand by.”

Keeping her attack up, while Undyne was distracted, Toriel summoned up more fire to surround the fish monster and move at her from all sides. Undyne noticed them as Toriel sent the mass of fire in at her. The warrior barely had the time to build a defense, but she managed to block most of flames. As the smoke cleared, Toriel could see the char marks of a few successful hits.

“You keep saying you loved him! BUT YOU LEFT HIM ALONE!” Undyne’s spears were becoming unstable, and wild in formation. Magic may be a way for a monster to express their emotions, but when emotions become out of control, so does a monster's magic. Toriel could feel the danger of each bullet, but they were barely holding together, “Do you have ANY IDEA HOW MANY TEARS HE CRIED WAITING FOR YOU?!”

Toriel was free from the green magic on her soul, which was a welcomed feeling. But now the attack has changed, as a group of spears come at her head on, she dances to the side when needed. The attacks now coming at Toriel, lacked the aim of before. Composing herself, she didn’t make a counter attack, allowing Undyne to summon a mass of spears that required Toriel to dodge more as they followed her. Keeping her fire around her paws, she avoided most of the spears, save one that cut a small slit in her left ear. Toriel couldn't help but wonder how much more threatening a composed Undyne would be.

Once ready she turned to the Empress, a large fire ball summoned in her paws. With ease, Toriel sent it towards Undyne, and it collided with its target. It caused no harm, but did knock Undyne down. “I loved him, Undyne. Do not think I didn’t spend days, weeks, months, and years in the Ruins crying. DO NOT tell me for one moment that I did not love him!” Toriel felt a tear moving through her fur and instinctively reached to wipe it, only to feel her fur was soaked. She didn’t know how long she had been crying with her focus on the encounter, perhaps the whole fight.

Undyne hadn’t stood up yet, and Toriel walked closer, “Yes, I did not return to him, but he did not seek me out too.”

“You were hidden away!” Undyne yelled back.

“To most monsters, yes,” Toriel said, calming her tone, but more tears slid down her face, “he knew me enough to know where I was. Just as much as I could have returned to him, he could have come to me. I left to the old home we once shared, near where the humans fall. He knew, I know he knew.

“The forgiveness we needed to restore what we had is a two-way street. It can't all be him, or all me. We both must reconcile with the pain we felt and still feel. We both felt betrayed, and the trust we once had, broken,” Toriel sighed, turning away, “I thought for sure, he would see he was wrong and come for me. Then as the years dragged on, I understood he was no longer the monster I once knew.”

Undyne sat up, “Yeah? And what about you?”

Looking back at Undyne, Toriel shook her head, “I changed too. I was far more… open and happy before. I can still act that way, but inside I am closed off, and cold. As much as I thought I wanted him to come and get me, I also didn't want his apology. I wouldn't accept it unless he told me he would give up on his futile war. This torn perspective left me feeling as a failure, and that my people would be destroyed by my incompetence.

"I am no longer who I once was. I do not know if I have it in me to fully forgive him, and now I never will because I don't have that chance. It tears at me, day in and day out, that the last words we shared where so angry. But, not enough to surrender my own morals for his wellbeing. I am too stubborn for that, and he is too passive. That is what our argument revealed about both of us."

With a sigh, Toriel calmed her flames, she looked at the, slightly burnt, Empress of Monsters. Extending a paw, she offered to help the younger monster up, but was refused. "I just don't understand how you could have left him like that, alone," Undyne said, calmer, but still anger was in her tone.

"I do not know if what I did was right, but I couldn't stomach his war declaration. Not if it meant potentially killing children that would have been no different than our Chara. It was hard enough watch that dear one...," her body trembled, "that dear one wither. Seeing, and knowing more like them died by my husband's hands, that is what I struggle to forgive him for.

"I understand you and Asgore became family to each other," Toriel smiled, "Well, those humans were my family." Looking down and away, her smile fading, "Family that I ultimately failed."

"And were they?" Undyne asked, looking at Toriel. There was still frustration of the fish monster's face, but some had waned, "were they like your Chara?"

"A few, though several were, admittedly sweeter. Chara had their... issues, but overall, they were a good child. I honestly believed they wanted the best for us, all of us."

"Well, now," Gerson said, walking into the room, "got that little tiff with each other out of your systems?"

"I believe so," Toriel smiled at the turtle before looking back at Undyne.

"Yeah, I'm good," Undyne smiled a large toothy grin at the turtle. There were still going to be arguments between them, that was sure. But based on what she knew from the stories Sans told and what Gerson said, Undyne becomes more reasonable once she has released her anger.

If that is so, then the meeting they will soon have should run smoother with that out of the way.

 ---

  “Sir.”

A strange voice interrupted his dreamless sleep, and it took a moment for him to work things out in his mind. He remembered which timeline he was in, and the current situation. He was alone, though only currently. Toriel was alive, but had left to… do something. There was still a heavy fog clouding his thoughts. He struggled to remember what it was she said she had to go do, or anything really that was said.

As his thoughts cleared, he remembered Tori wanted him to continue sleeping while she went off to take care of… she never said. He remembered wanting to go with her, but she insisted on going alone. If his memory serves him right, she even held him down and did what she could to cause him to fall asleep. She used his tiredness to her advantage. Had he been more awake, he would have asked more questions, but instead, he just let her lull him to sleep without much fight.

Was he really that easy to manipulate? For Tori, he is. Papyrus possibly could have, but it was not in his bro’s nature. Normally, he would be upset by this revelation, but thinking about it, he really didn’t mind. If it is just Tori, having her knowing his weaknesses shouldn’t be a problem, she wasn’t the type to make them public. Some of his weaknesses already were well known, but they were basic. At MTT's resort, he has joked about how he sleeps too much, is lazy, and, over all, unhealthy. But none of that was like what she knows. If he was honest with himself, he preferred it this way. There was still so much he kept hidden, but it was nice to have someone he didn't have to feel so reserved with.

“Sir, Lady Toriel requested I wake you when your food arrived," the stranger said, reminding him that there was someone other than himself in the room.

Sans sat up, rubbing his eye sockets. If he was remembering right, Tori did ask him to “be nice." Well, he’ll try, for her.

... Grillby was right...

“thanks,” that’s a good start, right? He figured so, even if his tone of voice didn't really sound thankful.

“She had also asked that your things be brought to you. I placed them here on the nightstand.”

Looking beside him, he saw the small bundle of clothing and his slippers. Relief eased the ‘on edge’ feeling he was having with the guard being around. Go figure Undyne wouldn't have any actual 'room serves,' and has the guard doing everything. “sure, thanks again,” pockets, soon he’ll finally have pockets.

“Welcome, anything else?” The guard asked.

“no, i'm good,” Sans replied with a shrug.

“I'll be just outside,” the guard said, and finally left Sans alone in the room.

Collecting his things, double checking to making sure he had everything, Sans got up. He made his way to the bathroom, but stopped to look at the food. Perhaps he should eat something? He wasn’t hungry, but the food looks better than what mess he was offered before. It would be wrong to let it go to waste. Not that magic food spoils or anything like that, but it does taste better fresh.

Giving in, he sat down, setting is clothes to the side, and started to eat. Once he started, he found himself eating more than he thought he would, but not up to his normal standard. A few days of normal food should fix that. His only regret eating that much was it left him feeling sick and weighed down. The magic the food was made of was far richer than what he’s had recently, and his body wasn’t quite ready for that much so soon.

He should be fine in the end. His body needed food with more magic in it; and, as soon the new magic can be properly distributed, he would feel better. It would just take time for his body to readjust.

Once done, he finally entered the bathroom and took the time for a quick wash before getting dressed. Once his hoodie was on, he savored the sensation of his hands sliding into his pockets. It invoked a feeling of safety, like being hidden away from anything that may try to harm him. Between Tori’s hugs and his pockets, the hugs win in the overall protected feeling. But still, this was a close runner up, plus, it’s just what he is used to for most of his life.

Looking in the mirror, he could see how exhausted he was. Well, he felt that way, so this was no new discovery; but, now he can see it was more than just a feeling. At least he can stand straight, so that’s something. He chuckled, noticing that was a "Papyrus" thought, and wished his brother was here to say that to him.

Rubbing his eye sockets, he yawned, trying to force out the want to sleep now that he feels more like himself. Opening the door, he looked out into the main room but froze. Something shiny and rectangular was there, on the nightstand. It was something he really didn’t want to see right now, or think about. Closing the door, putting it between himself and that thing, he felt himself shaking. Pressing his forehead against the door, the thought back to when he grabbed his clothes. Was the present there?

No. He would have seen it. All his things came with him. He even double checked. There was nothing other than his clothes and slippers. Did someone sneak in while he was distracted in the bathroom? That was the only thing that made sense, but why would someone do that? But then, why would anyone be doing this at all other than to get at him in some sort of psychological way?

Maybe he was just seeing things? He was still tired and feeling very stressed. Closing his eye sockets, he tried to calm down before reopening the door a crack and looking out.

No, that was definitely the gift he has yet to open. It was just sitting there on the night stand, as if waiting for him. Again, he closed the door before sitting down and using it to lean.  His hands couldn’t go any deeper into his pockets, yet they still tried to seek refuge.

He wanted so badly to know what was in the gift, but he had a sickening feeling he already knew. Who it's from is something else he wanted to know. Was it Undyne? This really didn't feel like her, and after some sleep, he felt almost certain she wasn't the culprit. But, that doesn't answer who else would have the knowledge to do this. After all, how many people could Papyrus talk to about the special wrapping paper with?

Well, it was Papyrus, it was likely he talked to a few people about it.

This was no time for a meltdown. Toriel needed him, but he felt trapped in his own fears. It was just a gift, a cruel one, but it couldn’t hurt him… physically. Taking a deep breath, he stood and opened the door again, this time avoiding looking at the stand before quickly exiting the room. He’ll deal with it later… he should know what is in there, but not before this meeting.