Now where in the hell did she go?
Prev - Next - First
(more pictures and writing under the cut)
God damn it. Sans had one job—keep an eye on the human, make sure she rested, keep her out of trouble. Now, as he stared dumbfoundedly down at the obviously empty couch on the first floor, he only had one real thought come floating through his fatigued skull.
"i'm gonna kill that girl."
He threw his soiled jacket somewhere in the corner of his room and snatched his hoodie from where it was hung next to his door, slipping it on as he shoved socked feet into slippers, descending the stairs so quickly he may as well have teleported. Far be it from him to ever move that fast on purpose—apparently, that was another thing she was able to do to him without him knowing, damn it all. Frustration simmered at the back of his throat, but even he knew that the feeling was covering a darker, more icy fear that clutched at the inside of his ribcage and froze into a heavy thing somewhere next to his SOUL. She needed to rest. She needed to stay out of sight for now until they figured things out with her magic. She needed to stay safe, fuck, and even just thinking that sent an uncomfortable rattle up along his spine. He didn't bother opening the front door, he jolted through space and found himself outside a few feet away.
"think, sans, think. where would she—"
His pupils settled on the ground. Blue grass and sand mixed together to create an uneven path leading through the village proper. The isles were on the night cycle now—which, didn't look different, but having something of a curfew helped with the constant feeling of nighttime—so nobody was around save for some real night owl types. Sans had excellent night vision, picking out the disturbed sand leading through the village and far to the left, back towards the entrance. He took a step and jittered to the far end, focused on the footprints leading up, until the grass and sand gave away to stone, ascending on a gentle incline that only grew steeper until it led to a cliff overlooking a majority of the Starlight Isles and surrounding territories.
His steps slowed as a silhouette came into view near the edge, an ambient warm breeze tugging the cape pulled around their shoulders. Briefly, he thought he'd stumbled across Count Koffin K doing something...but when they raised their head to gaze upward, he realized he'd found his target.
He shoved his hands in his pockets and resisted the urge to stomp his way up the cliff to her side.
"and what the hell do you think you're doing?"
Angel startled a little, jerking around halfway and flinching. Burning purple eyes met his own, wide and alarmed.
For a second, he felt like they fit right in with the "stars" in their sky.
"Oh! Oh. Sans. Hey."
"answer the question, human."
"Right. Um." Her gaze trailed away, back over the edge of the cliff. "Well don't worry, I didn't fuck off to, uh...y'know. Yeah. Ye—yeah. I'm just, just..."
He didn't speak, recognizing by the tone of her voice that she was struggling to get her thoughts out. She got scrambled like that sometimes—it reminded him of Alphys...when she wasn't putting on a whole fake persona, anyways.
"...Processing. Mhm."
"your near death experience or your magic?"
"Can it be both?"
He inclined his head and slowly stepped forward, moving to stand beside her. There was a very long pause before he spoke.
"well, uh, anyways. asgore said you gotta rest. my brother'll have a conniption if he finds out you're out here."
"Right. Sorry. I just...really needed to get some air. Please."
Frustration boiled behind his teeth, but he sucked back the smoke and smiled anyways. When she glanced at him, whatever she saw in his expression made her grimace and look away again.
"Don't look at me like that. I'm not dying."
"you nearly did." The lights in his eyesockets extinguished, smile thinning until it was nearly a frown. "like, 6 hours ago. unless you forgot. i mean...wouldn't really be surprised, ya did hit your head pretty hard during your little stunt."
"God, Sans, can you just—not? For once?"
"i dunno what you mean."
She whirled on him, a desperate sort of anger flashing onto her features.
"You know exactly what I mean! Don't kick me while I'm down. I—"
"i'm trying to get you back in bed before anyone sees you, but hey, if you wanna keep acting like a babybones, be my guest."
"I'm NOT—" Angel cut herself off and shut her eyes, drawing Sans's cape around her shoulders tighter and covering her face with a hand. "Not...fuck. Fuck. Sans. I–I don't need you to act like my parent. Be all weird and protective over your brother, but don't...let's not pretend. Don't do the same with me cuz you think you have to. It hurts."
He didn't know what to say, for once. There was a quiet swallowing sound while he searched for something, anything to respond to that. Seconds dragged into minutes before she spoke again.
"...I'm gonna die down here."
"hey, you just said you're not—"
"No, Sans." She interrupted, insistent, voice pitching high and broken. "I'm gonna die down here. This place, it's driving me fucking mental. I don't. I don't know what to do."
Her hand slipped away again, a frightened, tight little grin stretching across her face as she looked at him. It looked like it hurt.
"The sun. I miss the sun. I feel like I've been stuck in a damn time loop where it's always night time and I do the same damn shit every day! Yesterday was the first time in weeks that I felt like something new happened and I completely fucked it. I've been having so much fun here that I forgot that—I forgot. I forgot!" She began to laugh, gesturing to her body frantically, trying to get a point across. "I forgot!"
Sans listened to her speak with an increasing feeling of worry, frustration melting into concern the longer she went on.
"kid—" He started, but she cut him off again, her laughter ceasing as quickly as it had come, turning her body away.
"Don't. Please don't. I don't think I could stand if it you started with the pity train."
"wasn't the pity train, was more like the empathy express."
His weak attempt at humor did bring a smaller, more genuine twitch of her mouth than whatever fake grin she'd been trying to keep up. How had she ever managed to fool him before? In hindsight, it was obvious now, all the times she'd been pretending at joy.
Ah, but then, she was the perseverant kind of person. Maybe she was just...used to that.
He didn't want to know why.
"i was just gonna say...you're not alone."
He reached out and set a hand on her shoulder, struggling to find the words. Sun sickness had been a lot more prevalent back during the aftermath of the war—he had no experience dealing with it directly.
"it ain't so bad. you're still here. people down here like you."
"...Do you even like me?"
"huh?"
Angel turned her head just a little, enough to catch his gaze with her own. She looked exhausted, the warm breeze threatening to spill the tears welling up in her eyes.
"I pay attention, you know. You—god, Sans, you only tolerate me cuz I'm friends with Papyrus, right? Sometimes I feel like we get along great, and then something happens and you just...act off. Am I that much of a burden to you? Should I just leave?"
His thoughts flashed back to the day before. The panic that had thrummed through his body at the mere thought of losing her, that same panic that had brought him out here looking for her in the first place.
"i..." He hesitated. "...think it's been a long day, angel. you're tired and homesick and still coming down from the adrenaline high from earlier. you'll feel better in the morning."
Angel just gazed at him for a long, long moment. Those purple eyes searching for something in his expression before they went lax, her face flattening.
"...You're right. You're right. I'm just..." A lump in her throat. The tears began streaking down her face, dripping off her chin. "...so tired."
"hey." His voice was soft now, softer than she'd heard it before. "...i get the feeling, bud."
Her shoulders shaking, she raised a hand and slipped it over the one he had on her shoulder just for some measure of comfort, head ducking and turning away as she quietly hiccuped. He let her hold him there, warm fingers on chilled bones as she anchored herself again in the present.
It was a good long while before she let him take her home.
...
"Hey, Sans...?"
"mhm?"
"I forgot my glasses. You're gonna have to lead me back."
76 notes
·
View notes