Seeing a lot of Soriel content popping up thanks to the new deltarune chapters. I haven’t gotten to that part yet, but let me tell you, Sans Deltarune:
That you are not Sans Undertale. You are not the Sans that held our hand and our hearts gently in your whoopie-cushioned metacarpals as we ran through the Underground beside Frisk. You are not the Sans who loves his brother enough to make him a costume and foster his dreams of being a royal guard into fruition. You are not the Sans that sits across the table from us, reminding us that peace and contentment are as important as freedom and ambition and determination. You are not the Sans that stands in a room of golden light, teaching the humans that stand before you that consequences to your actions are not only for actions filled with LoVe, but with love. You are not Sans Undertale. You are not the Sans that we fell in love with.
You are just Sans Deltarune.
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As a PSA, this is not to hate on DeltaRune Sans, it is just late at night for me and I am being delusional and poetic at the same time. The new deltarune chapters have been awesome so far.
Anyone do a Mafiafell or Mafiatale story where MC has an arranged marriage with them BUT - all they do is sleep all day and dream of their non-mafia counterparts being good, sweet, innocent (in comparison) partners.
Imagine:
MC, the child of a wealthy, politically powerful family that (MT or MF) Sans marries for the benefits, and MC, condemned to this fate, spends all their time sleeping their leftover days away. They’re mostly a figurehead on a good day anyways. All they really have in responsibility is to attend and organize parties and galas for Sans. The house has servants to clean and cook and grocery shop and organize Sans’ schedule. So with too much free time and too much money and in a depressive state about their unfortunate marriage to a wealthy but notoriously cruel man, they drift off.
In their dream world, Sans isn’t part of the crime world. He might not be perfect - but he’s sweet on them and treats them well. Takes them to dinner, talks to them about his day, spends time with them and showers them in the love and affection and understanding like a good partner does. He’s the model lover, and best of all, their lives are normal. There are no big galas. There are no business dinners. There are no bloodstains on his coat.
There’s just him and them.
They aren’t ignored. They don’t spend their nights alone. They don’t have to stress about perfect parties and outfits and keeping face. They can be as silly as they want, and they actually get to know their husband.
The weird thing is though, is that MC manages to get some things right. Sans does like condiments. He does go to Grillby’s often. He does like puns and jokes and pranks… and he has a third brother.
But he’s never told you that before. How did you know..?
Thinking of Dust and Geno and Fatal. Probably an X Reader, but one where the Reader would never actually be able to “interact” with them in story.
It’s all just offhanded comments, the occasional memory, or wishes that never came true.
Wouldn’t it be lovely? To see them spiral at the loss of you? To see them desperately grasp for strings as they try to reel your lost soul back to them? For the reader to have died or left in the beginning, and to see their attempts at bringing you back.
You want to do something, so badly. To comfort. To reassure. To love, but no, you’re past the veil they’d be able to get to. You’re long gone, and they’re all that’s left.
Watch as they kill god-like characters, outcodes, and creators to try and get you back. Watch as they pass through every stage of grief except for acceptance. Watch as they tear themselves apart looking for a version of you that never truly existed.
Watch as they have to come to terms with it.
Watch as they try again and again, fruitlessly, endlessly, as they scramble for any ghost of you.
Did you die? Did you exist on a seperate timeline? A seperate AU? A seperate plane of existence? Did you ever exist at all?
You’ll never know. It’d just be an endless line of suffering.
Angst.
All.
The.
Way.
Down.
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Ah…
He remembered this little enclosure. A hidden little cave in Snowdin. Warm. Away from the cold, dreadfully quiet snow. He sat in the center, gloved hand spreading out onto the partly luminescent grass…
There was a door. He could walk through it. It should be locked, he knew that, but he also knew that he could walk through it. He could.
… The mushrooms provided light. They were bioluminescent. That was the word for it. He'd watched you explore this place. He could walk through the door...
But would you be waiting for him on the other side of it? There was only one way to find out.
He stood.
Where did you go? Why did you leave him with no trace? No trail or breadcrumbs to find you?
He stepped up to the door.
He would see you again, one way or another. He would bring you back to him.
He opened the door.
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An endless expanse of nothingness. Where did you go? How did he get here again? This... wasn't Snowdin. This wasn't his Underground.
He walked forward, trying to find some sign of something -... something was watching him.
"What a peculiar variant."
He turned around, narrowing his eye sockets at the bone chilling voice. There was a shadow on the ground of a person, but no one was there to cast it. In its standing silhouette on the floor, only a mouth was on the shadow's face.
"You seem lost. How did you get here?"
... He... wasn't sure, if he was honest. He only continued to stare at the shadow.
"Then do you know why you're here?"
Why was he here?
"Why don't you come with me? We can find what you're looking for together."
Find... find what he was looking for. Where did you go? He turned his skull left and right, turning away from the shadow and walking away, wandering aimlessly as it followed him, walking beside him. He cast no shadow in this place.
"Oh, are you going to try and find it by yourself? Why don't I come along? I'm so very curious about what you're looking for."
It followed him until he began to become irritated, his skull pounding as he stopped suddenly, his hand going up to clutch the side of his head before he glared at the shadow on the floor.
"leave me alone." He hissed.
"Alone?" It asked, tilting its head, its grin growing wider. "You wish to be alone?"
"no." The plea left his teeth before he could realize it did. He was shocked by his own mind's desperation. How long had he been wandering...?
"Then why don't I stay with you?" Viscous tar began to leak out of the edges of the shadow, wispy tendrils slowly flickering out. "Why don't you stay with me?"
His eye sockets widened, and he took a step back as something emerged from the floor. Like climbing out from a cliff's edge, a pile of black tar pulled itself into a material body. It dripped. Dripped. Drip.
"My name is Nightmare." It was another skeleton, covered head to toe in black tar, a single turquoise eye light burning in its void-like eye socket. "Who might you be?"
Thank you so much, @theskeletongames for making him, I absolutely love him and he already has a spot on my bed. Having him arrive after a chaotic week is exactly what I needed. He is perfect and absolutely HUGE and I have cuddled him so much in the few minutes I have pulled him out of his bag.
Definitely one of my best purchases ever. Thank you so much!!!
Lookin' Like That - Mafiafell!Sans X Reader Oneshot
Here's a little something that came as a gift for the exciting dream I had this morning over a mafiafell Sans. This is what I get for reading fanfics before bed. This is, sadly, not apart of the sweetheart underfell Sans anthology, nor is Sans a himbo in this one. He's actually a pretty wolfish guy. Especially considering the song for this drabble is Fiesty by Jhameel.
This was supposed to be a part of a new idea I had, but I'm still trying to flesh out the idea, so hopefully, I'll be able to come up with something better than this half-baked oneshot.
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You had been really good so far, avoiding the shadiest characters in the best suits in this part of the outskirts of Ebbot City. You were almost sure that the way you slid right past everyone who smelled of power was almost part of the package deal of magic from the version of you that died at your feet when you were first thrown into this world. And if you ever got back to your world, you would personally kill your Sans for this mishap. You know he hadn't meant to explode his machine in front of you, but your relationship with him was already sour, so this definitely wasn't helping his case, and you kind of doubted that he'd want to come after you without some convincing. So, you weren't counting on an extraction from this world anytime soon.
The good thing, you supposed, is that you did have a version of yourself here - but they... uh... died. Right at your feet when you first got here. You couldn't remember it all very well, but you knew for a fact that there were a lot of angry voices that were coming after them as well, so that wasn't too reassuring. Some digging revealed that they may have been involved in some unsavory businesses.
You at least got their pocket cash and weapons. Not that you really knew how to fire a gun too well, but the money and hidden knife were useful. Sure, you probably shouldn't have looted a body for their wallet, but you were in a new environment, what else were you supposed to do?
The only logistical error was if you used their credit card or their ID after they were to be proclaimed 'dead'. That would be a really bad idea, but it was enough to get you on your feet at least. A decent motel room for a few weeks, a few odd jobs here and there to gather up some money, and you might be able to skip this town for one where you didn't feel the hairs on your back stand.
It was quite odd though, that every now and again, you'd just be able to tell when someone was part of the underground network that the other version of yourself was part of. If you weren't literally wearing the enchanted bracelet that they had on before they died, then you would almost think that it was a sixth sense you inherited from them. Now you knew it was. There would be no other way you would have expected an old man with a walker would have been concealing a gun otherwise. And that guy really put some holes in people across the street.
The list of oddities that you got when you arrived here just kept going, but you just kept trying not to think about it. You fixed the facemask over your mouth, trying to catch your breath after quickly walking past a group of gangsters who set off the alarm bells in your head - and then the alarm bells in a bank about three blocks from where you had begun briskly walking away from.
And you really should have watched where you were going as you were taking a moment to collect yourself. You nearly bumped into someone- taking a quick sidestep before grazing his shoulder and muttering a "sorry" - but as soon as you were done fixing your mask back into place, a hand caught your arm.
"what." Uh oh.
Oh no. No, no, no. The alarms in your head were going off twice as loud, and it nearly gave you a splitting headache. It seemed as though the version of yourself in this world also had a sour reaction to that raspy, baritone voice just as much as you did. You almost wanted to just bolt, but if you knew your own Sans, then this one would absolutely chase after you if you did, and there was no way you would be able to escape.
"Ahem-" You cleared your throat, pretending you had a scratchy sore throat. "S-sorry, man." You awkwardly stuttered out, glancing back to take a look at this world's Sans purely out of curiosity.
Mistake.
Mistakes were made- as soon as he caught sight of your eyes, his burning red eye lights shrunk in size and his grip on your arm tightened. Fuck, fuck, fuck!
You didn't bother to tug it free; it would just make him all the more eager to keep his hold on you. Time to reverse psychology your way out of this one. You leaned into his touch a little more, pressing your shoulder against his chest and ignoring the way his eye sockets widened when he caught sight of your eyes, the outline of your other variant's irises crawling along the edges of yours. A sign that the world was trying to fit you in somewhere to make up for your anomalous presence.
"I said sorry." You didn't bother to pretend to have a sore throat, and you could see the spark of recognition he had for your voice, but you decidedly ignored that too.
Instead, you shoved the barrel of your stolen gun up under his ribcage, and you could see him freeze...
And the very noticeable flush of his cheekbones with red magic.
You uh... would try not to think about that either.
"Thanks." You muttered, now yanking your arm away from his loosened grip, his eye lights flickering from your face to the gun you had shoved just under his sternum through the fabric of his suit.
You were close enough to smell the distinct scent of magic cherry cigars and see the way his gold tooth glinted in the sunlight that peaked over his black fedora, but you had to find a way to escape without causing a scene or him following you now. You didn't think he'd take lightly a human who'd so 'casually' pull a gun on him. Your Sans sure as hell wouldn't, why would this one?
"you survived." He whispered to you, his permagrin tight and his eye sockets narrowing at you as he finally collected himself. "... no..." The longer he stared at you, the more he realized something was out of place.
You lowered your head, trying to hide more of your face from him.
Mistake.
"you're not them." His fingers twitched, ready to grab you again, and the senses you gained from your variant kicked in - you disengaged the safety.
"I suggest you keep your non-existent nose out of it." You muttered back to him. This time you couldn't ignore the way his nasal ridge twitched when you hissed your words at him.
Looks like you weren't the only version of 'you' to have history with Sans. Maybe it was just how the timeline was always meant to be.
"...and what if i don't?" He couldn't help but push. this wasn't them.
"Then you're gonna find out what really happened that night." You had a feeling he had been there... The night that the other version of you died. He had been there, scraping through the ashes of a burnt down building to find their bones cracked and turned to soot. "Sit down, Sans. Before you open a can of worms you aren't ready to clean up after."
He watched you as you pulled away, clicking the safety back on as you tucked your weapon back into your stolen coat, glaring at him as you made your escape.
He let you run.
After all, he was still trying to figure out what happened to the other you. The one he had captured himself.
💔 Angst Beginning of a Harem Fic - Undertale Sans X Reader and Underswap Sans X Reader
I've been meaning to finish this oneshot since April. It is 4,300 words long. It has nearly made me cry three separate times. I have written it in 4 sittings, and I pray that the feelings that inspired and drove this oneshot forward to be so heart wrenching from my chest will be forever gone in the new year.
Anyways, here's the oneshot I wrote to this poll I made back in April, with the winner of the poll being the song "Traitor" by Olivia Rodrigo.
I liked playing with the dynamics of the Undertale and Underswap bros a lot in this oneshot. I like to think that while it seems like Blue and Stretch are switched versions of Sans and Papyrus on the outside, at their cores, they are quite alike their alternates, and because of that, both sets of brothers unconsciously care about each other's brothers, even if they can't really find it in themselves to connect with their alternate.
Anyways, have fun with this absolute SHITLOAD of angst! I'm very happy with how much writing I've been able to publish this winter break, despite the chaos.
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You know, he considered himself a very lucky monster, all things considered. Deep down he knew that just before Frisk had showed up in the Underground, he was really at his worst. Papyrus was the last thing he was holding on for. He might have fallen down if it wasn't for his brother being able to make him smile with their daily sibling banter. And after they were released from the Underground, he was having a great time. Things went smoothly after the first couple years on the surface. He even had several part time jobs doing all sorts of things. For fun, mostly, because of how much their G in the underground covered their living expenses since assimilating into human society.
Monsters fit right in, honestly, and then he met you - and he was completely smitten. It took him so off guard. He'd never felt so strongly about someone before. Sure, he'd dated people before - but no one got his soul racing from one smile like you did. Your laughter rang inside his skull hours after he told some lame joke, and felt like he was tripping over himself - even if it didn't seem like it on the outside, perhaps only Frisk or Papyrus could deduce that he had a heavy crush on you.
It wasn't much after all - he just… actively sought out to talk to you more than others. Made more lame jokes. Hell, he even made better jokes around you. Ones with effort put into them! Imagine Papyrus' surprise when he actually found his bonehead brother actually making good quips!! He was ecstatic about Sans' infatuation with you. He made it his job that the two of you would end up together - and of course he told Frisk about it - and soon enough, all of their friends knew.
It was quite the ride - like something out of a sitcom. First it was Papyrus loudly talking about how sad it was that such a wonderful human like you was single!! And then Frisk mentioning that Sans was sooo single and lonely too and how they wished their Dunkle Sans had a partner. And then Toriel invited you over to tell you all about how to find the 'right one'. And then Alphys and Undyne completely leaked that Sans totally had a crush on you… And Asgore treated you to some tea, telling you to be stern if you truly weren't interested.
But you were. By some miracle, you were! And Sans kissed you under the fireworks during a festival and the two of you were official.
Six months later, and you were moving in with him and Papyrus. Your relationship with him was filled with all sorts of silly things, and despite all the ups and downs, relapses or nightmares that Sans would have or any issues you'd have - things were still going well. If only it had stayed that way.
It was his fault. Like most things were. His mistake. He shouldn't have been messing with the machine in his basement. Things were going so well for him and his brother and his friends and you… but he supposed that he just wasn't satisfied with all the good things that had happened to him. It wasn't enough - he just had to bring his older brother back. He wanted Wingdings to have a happy ending too…
But he couldn't even do that right. One explosion was all it took -
Thrown back against a wall, his skull throbbing, soul shaking and stretching and screaming as he tried to see past all the smoke-… only to see a very familiar white skull looking back at him.
"shit."
He nicknamed this one Blue. It was a lazy nickname, you were right, but it fit and it stuck. He brought his brother with him, Stretch. They both seemed alright, if he was honest. He didn't expect all that excitement from his mirror image, but Blue kept Papyrus good company, and Stretch seemed quite mellow. You didn't mind the sudden change nearly as much as he thought you would though… And despite his relief, he couldn't help the sinking feeling beginning to surface in his ribcage, as if his soul was floating down to sit at the bottom.
These two were so normal, and so alright with being here on the surface - so then… why was he worried?
He shook it off. Maybe he was just being paranoid. He'd been having more nightmares lately, this time about the core and the throne room in the Underground. Perhaps it was just a side effect. A few more cuddle sessions with you and he would surely be fine…
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"GOOD MORNING, SWEET HUMAN!" Blue piped up, suddenly behind you as you were looking through your fridge to see what could be made for breakfast today.
You let out a squeak and then fell into some breathless laughs when you realized it was just Blue playing another quick prank on you. "Pftt, hello Blue!" He'd been calling you the 'sweet human' ever since he arrived. Apparently he'd had a human back in his timeline already - so he 'NEEDED A WAY TO DIFFERENTIATE HUMANS!' You were pretty sure you could have just been called 'older human' or something if his human back home was someone around Frisk's age. That's what Papyrus had used to call you after all. Now he called you 'FUTURE IN-LAW!'
"I SEE WE HAVE AN ABUNDANCE OF EGGS - PERHAPS WE SHOULD MAKE OMELETS FOR BREAKFAST TODAY?" He suggested, circling around you to peer into the fridge beside you, bracing his radius on the top freezer part as he lingered beside you, your cheeks flushing at the way he unintentionally cornered you.
"A-ah-" You cleared your throat. "Yeah, omelets sound like a great idea!" You agreed, watching as his thick humerus flexed when he leaned down to grab the eggs from the fridge shelf and bring them over to the counter for the two of you to start making breakfast. You had to stick your head into the fridge to ensure that your face cooled down by the time you pulled it out.
Sans stood by the entrance of the kitchen, silently watching your interaction with Blue as his soul twisted up with every second that passed. Maybe you didn't even know yet - but he did… and he had a feeling that Blue did too. His phalanges clenched into a fist as he stared, frozen and holding his nonexistent breath; eye sockets unblinking and his semi-permanent grin fastened firmly in place as he shoved down his emotions quicker than he could think to name them.
"Oh!" You had seen him when you pulled your head out of the fridge. "Sans! Good morning, you're up early. Did you sleep alright?" Your warm attention on him immediately melted his freezing joints, his grin drooping ever-so-slightly to be more relaxed. You were so sweet. You had no idea.
"mornin', sweetheart." He muttered back in the sleepiest voice he could muster. "slept fine, don't ya worry. i was tryin' to wake up early enough to send paps off to his trip with frisk, but i think i woke up a lil late." He lied easily. Maybe too easily…
"Oh! Yeah, you just missed him. I think if you shortcutted to the airport, you might be able to catch him." Definitely too easily. You still couldn't see past his white lies even after all these years of knowing him.
Blue glanced at him from the corner of his eye socket though. His blue eyelights flickering along Sans' face and recognizing his micro-expressions. One of the few annoying things about having a copy of himself in the house was that now someone he didn't completely trust knew him too well. At least Sans knew a few things about Blue too. A double edged sword, considering the way that the alternate averted his gaze as soon as you looked back at him.
"nah, that's too much work." Sans grinned easily. "i'll video call him when he lands later." You giggled, kissing the side of his skull before going back to making breakfast with Blue.
It made his fingers itch - watching you cook with this version of him. He would help - some terrified part of him screamed to 'DO SOMETHING!' - but it would be out of character. Paps would usually make breakfast, you would make lunch, and he would make dinner - and when Paps left, you and Sans would alternate who made breakfast… today it was your turn…
he wanted to help - he wanted to help so badly… to keep you just slightly out of Blue's reach… but he couldn't do it without catching your attention.
He could only watch, eyelights vibrant and following your every movement as the pit in his nonexistent stomach grew with every smile you threw at Blue. It didn't seem to matter that you smiled at him twice as much, he couldn't shake this dreadful feeling.
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He kissed the palm of your hand with fuzzy eyelights as you two returned home from your date. He loved it - he loved you and the way you melted into him… except this time… your eyes were holding something back.
He searched desperately for that familiar warmth that you'd show him. The reminder to him that you wanted to remain by his side… and his soul dropped when he realized that it was misplaced. Not quite gone, but… skewed. Somewhere else. He couldn't hold back the way his hands shook, and he dropped yours to your side, keeping his smile firmly in place, not daring to falter.
"you go clean up first, sweetheart." He circled around you, nuzzling your shoulder from behind before he headed to your shared room. "i got a text from stretch earlier sayin' that he needed a little bit of help with the machine downstairs."
"Alright, but don't stay up too late, ok?"
"mhm, don't worry," He winked, teleporting out of existence - and collapsing onto his hands and knees in the middle of a grassy clearing on the side of Mt. Ebbot.
He was hyperventilating. Despite being a skeleton, his chest felt like it was going to implode, his bones rattling loudly as he curled into a ball in the middle of the moonlit field. He held himself close, eye sockets dripping rivers of translucent blue tears from his skull as he tried to catch his breath. All the bottled-up emotions that he'd been trying to hold back for the past three months since Blue and Stretch appeared were flooding his senses all at once.
He did everything he could. He did his best. Everything he could think of - even asking you what you wanted and watching carefully to be as accommodating as possible. He was so scared to lose you - how ironic it was that he was losing you to a better version of himself.
No matter what he did - Blue always seemed to just effortlessly do so much more for you. If Sans picked a wildflower to tuck behind your ear in a moment of sappy silliness, then Blue would show up with an extravagant bouquet of roses on the dining room table the next week. If Sans listened to you vent and cuddle with you after, then Blue would piggyback you up to the top of Mt. Ebbot to cheer you up. If Sans took you out on a date - Blue finally asked you on one.
You didn't think Sans knew - but he did.
"THE NEW FANCY RESTRAUNT OPENED UP ON THE OTHER SIDE OF TOWN!!" Blue exclaimed excitedly as he showed you his phone. "IT'S GOT A GRAND OPENING ON SATURDAY!"
"Ohh, and the food looks so good too."
"WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO WITH ME?" Blue asked, leaning down a little more to enter your field of view with a bright smile and even brighter, hope-filled eyelights. "SINCE WE BOTH ARE INTERESTED IN THE FOOD, WE CAN GO TOGETHER!"
"Yeah, that's a good idea! We can ask Sans and Stretch if they wanna go too-"
"STRETCH DOESN'T TYPICALLY LIKE FANCY FOODS." Blue spoke with a little bit of brotherly contempt. "DOES SANS?"
"Oh." You forgot about that - it just seemed like fun for all of you to go since Papyrus was out for a concert tour with Mettaton that same weekend and the two lazy brothers would be alone if it was just you and Blue. "No, not usually…" You muttered with a slight purse of your lips.
"THEN WE CAN GO FOR OURSELVES. IT OPENS BEFORE THEY USUALLY WAKE UP ON THE WEEKENDS ANYWAS." Blue made a good point. "WE COULD ALWAYS BRING THEM THE MACAROONS THAT THEY HAVE BACK THOUGH! I'M SURE THEY'D LIKE THOSE!"
"Mhm!"
"PERFECT!" Blue exclaimed. "I'LL LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU DRESSED BEAUTIFULLY, SWEET HUMAN!" He said with his eyelights shifting into stars and a string of 'MWEH HEH's, running off from where you had been sitting outside in the backyard.
Your cheeks flushed a pink color as you giggled at his excitable demeanor, fondness that Sans feared dripping from your eyes.
Technically it wasn't - Blue didn't state it as one… but it didn't stop you from going with him. Even if it made your soul squirm with uncertainty.
He almost brought it up to you - that he was becoming increasingly jealous of the obvious (to him) moves that Blue was making on you, but there was a look in his eyelights that he shared with Sans - one that Sans understood all too well. It had only been a single glance he had shared with the other round skeleton, but it was all Sans needed to be reminded that Blue was more alike him than the alternate seemed.
The reminder caused his soul to ache - to feel as if someone's nails dug into his soul with their nails scraping across old wounds - the reminder that his soul threatened to break under the strain of being forced to watch your uncontrollable fall out of love with him.
Not that he would blame you. Blue just seemed like the perfect balance between himself and his cool younger brother. Outgoing. Extroverted. A soul of gold. Altruistic. Strong. Courageous. The list seemed endless…
He couldn't breathe!
A hand touched his shoulder, and he jolted up violently, scrambling back with stuttering gasps, until he was flat on his back.
"w-whoa! whoa, chill - you're ok, you're fine… it's gonna be fine." It… was Stretch..?
He gave a 'nyeh' of distress as he knelt down beside him with knit bone brows and sweat beading down his skull, approaching Sans like he was a panicked animal.
"erm… i know we don't know each other that well." Stretch's voice, even when a bit raspier and a lot quieter, was always eerily similar to Papyrus', and it worked like a charm to calm him down too. "but you're still a sans, so…" He looked unsure as he glanced back at Sans. "i'm guessing you have panic attacks too?"
Blue had panic attacks?
"i dunno what's wrong, and i dunno how bad your panic attack might be right now, but just breathe." He sat on he grass beside Sans when he realized that he wasn't scrambling away anymore. "when you can talk, you can talk… or you don't have to. i'll just… be here."
And he did. Stretch sat in silence next to Sans, either looking up at the clear sky or down at the rustling grass. Occasionally he would look back at Sans to check on him, but like Papyrus, Stretch's presence was an anchor. Sans found his breathing steady, even if Stretch wasn't his brother, he was still a Papyrus. He was still accepting and comforting when you needed it.
Sans didn't say anything the entire time he was lying on the floor. He almost fell asleep actually, but he sat up instead. If you went looking for him and he wasn't in the basement working on the machine with Stretch, you might get worried.
"it's… about your datemate, ain't it?" Stretch began, picking at the grass. He said Sans didn't have to talk, but… he couldn't help it. He knew his brother - he could figure Sans out at least partially. "i'm sorry."
"what are you apologizing for?" The words came out of his mouth before Sans could think on Stretch's words a little longer. Sans knew why he was apologizing - he just didn't entirely know if Stretch did.
"i know my bro." He muttered. "i ain't apologizing for him… just that it was you." Just that it was Sans who was the collateral damage in this situation.
"just cuz i'm a sans?"
"yeah, honestly."
Sans couldn't say he respected the fact - nor could he be alright with the moral grey area of Stretch's actions or lack thereof - but he could understand it. If it was his brother, he'd do the same.
"if it doesn't work out, then it just doesn't work out." Sans laid back down on the floor, flipping over to lay on his side and keeping his back turned to Stretch. it is what it is…
"two more months." Stretch interrupted another long silence with three words that made Sans' soul shake in his ribcage. "blue says-"
"it'll happen when it happens." Sans interrupted him too. "and they'll do what they need to do." He spoke in whispers of his resignation. "no need to make a show of it." He sat back up. He couldn't take more of this. "and stretch?"
"… yeah?"
"i'm not your brother..." It was a true statement. Sans wasn't trying to be mean - he spoke in soft, low tones as he stared at the floor with knitted bone brows and a limp frown.
He stood and shortcut away, only catching a glimpse of the regretful expression crossing Stretch's skull as Sans ran from the uncomfortable situation.
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Two months. Sans had two months to get a grip on himself. Either Blue was going to ask you out in two months and you would be breaking up with him sometime in the middle - or Stretch was predicting that Sans had two months left with you before you broke it off. Both options were anxiety inducing. He hoped for the latter. It gave him more time to adjust… but both options weren't ideal for him.
He loved you a lot, he really did, so seeing you slowly drift from him within the span of two months after his conversation with Stretch was heart wrenching. It felt like tearing a piece of his soul right off of him.
Two weeks from the two month mark, and you gently placed your hand on his shoulder.
"Hey, Sans?" You began, standing in your shared bedroom as Sans worked at his desk with a scattered mess of blueprints on them.
"what's up, sweetheart?" Every time you gave him that look like you wanted to talk about something serious, he would feel panic well up, and he would have to fight it down with all the energy he had in his soul.
"You're very, very sweet." You smiled down at him, kind and accepting of him like you always were. "And you have made the last year of my life very special, and I do adore you…"
There was a pause. He almost asked for the 'but' part of the sentence just to get this over with.
"But I do think, you know," He sure did. "That I might want to… end things here."
He couldn't BREATHE! "oh." HE COULDN'T BREATHE. "can you… tell me why?" He wasn't demanding explanation, he was simply questioning his worth to you.
"You're amazing, Sans." Despite how warm and soft your voice was, you couldn't see the way his entire frame froze. "But I think there's just some stuff that I'm looking for and I think I need to find it somewhere else." You didn't see the way his void-like eye sockets built up tears in the dark spots as you tried to let him down easy. "I'm sorry, Sans…" You were as gentle with your breakup as you could be. Months of contemplation and weeks of thinking of what to say, and you decided to simply be straightforward and honest, as Sans had preferred for serious topics in your romantic relationship.
"oh." More emotions flashed through his unmoving, constricted eyelights in that moment than you think you had ever seen in your entire relationship. "i… i get it." He was speaking as loudly as his soul would let him, and it was just barely under his usual tone of voice. "yeah, that's alright." what else was he supposed to say? "thanks for giving me your time, swe-… kiddo." He smiled. It was hallow, but it was there for your comfort. "it was… the best time of my life with you." He could say it with confidence, and just barely without falling to his feet. Luckily, he was sitting down.
You wouldn't know it, but this his simple question of why was as close as he would ever get to dropping to his knees, clinging to your pant leg, and begging in tears for you to stay, because how could he ever ask you to unwillingly stay with someone like him when someone like Blue was right there? How could he ask you to stay when you put in the effort to do your best to let him down gently?
"Thank you, Sans." You felt a weight lift off your shoulders at his acceptance of your breakup… but some part of you was almost a little sad at how easily it was for him to let you go. You didn't want him to break apart sobbing for you - but was he really that unaffected by your want to leave..?
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Two weeks.
Two months.
On the dot.
He should have been furious. He should have thrown some sort of tantrum or confronted you or Blue or someone about it, but he saw it coming. He was quite literally given a timeline by Stretch, so how could he be mad at them for him not having his shit together in the timeline he was given?
It was almost laughable, honestly, how easily you got along with Blue after you moved out and then started dating Blue after you broke up with him. hah, at least you broke up with him first before you started kissing blue. But it was so predictable to everyone. Papyrus didn't even have to ask about it, he could see it all over Sans' face when he came home the day you broke up with him and were already packing your things.
There was only so much Papyrus could do to comfort Sans. There was only so much he could muster the will to do against his brother's wishes. He wouldn't confront you for both Sans and Blue's sakes. If Sans didn't wish for him to make a big deal of it, then he wouldn't - and Blue didn't seem smug about stealing you away at all. In fact, Papyrus considered it simply a trend that Sanses seemed to just like you. Stretch thought the same.
There was nothing the brothers could do without upsetting each other… and there was really no point in fighting with your roommates who were going to be around for who knows how long. Besides, Blue was kind enough to not bring you around Sans to actively make either of you uncomfortable.
That didn't make it that much easier though. Sans might have tried his best to leave behind the memory of you, but his empty bed was something he couldn't really shake. He and Blue were always tense around each other since Blue started dating you. No one would blame him, but there was no point in him hiding it either. Papyrus was his brother and knew him better than anyone. Stretch was also a Papyrus and could made enough guesses to his mood that there was no point in really trying to hide it - and Blue was quite literally just another better version of him.
No point in being needlessly polite… so he just hid. There was a time at the beginning of his heartbreak that he lied in bed for days, unmoving and refusing to wake up. Papyrus and Stretch were both concerned that he might fall down. Blue's reassurance that Sans wouldn't was the only thing that kept Papyrus from worrying so much that he would skip work, and he was right.
Now, Sans holed up in the basement with the excuse that he was still trying to bring his brother Wingdings back to avoid having to see Blue or any reminders of you. You two were technically still friends. You could come to him if you ever needed help. Blue was his roommate after all, and you were dating him. If you ever needed a place to stay, then Sans' door was always open… but things would never be the same.
The days he'd spend alone, crumbling in the basement beside the machine, asking himself again and again as to why he couldn't keep up with the likes of Blue. The days he'd wondered if you even thought about why he let you go so easily - like he was barely holding onto you in the first place - only to be reminded that you never asked him about it after leaving him. The days he'd see Blue come home late from a date covered in the remnants of your cologne.
You would never see that vulnerability from Sans again. You would never see just how much damage you did, and you never asked about it again. It was like it never even happened.
But sometimes when you've done everything you can and it's still not enough… Sometimes, you just have to learn to let go.
Me, clawing at my computer screen playing Darkpetal16's IF-Mafiafell on the Sans Route: What I would not give to have a slow-burn. I crave a slow-burn.
Also me, picking all the fast romance options because he'll KILL YOU if you don't: BUT INSTEAD, THE GODS (Darkpetal16) HAVE GIVEN ME THE MOST AGONIZING FATE (having to actually progress the romance through my own choices in-game).
Alas, I have finally published the Forest Gods AU fic I had planned for this lovely AU made by @/llamagoddessofficial. I was inspired by it years ago, but never thought anyone would read it! Thanks to a lot of good friends who encouraged me and were very interested, namely @jezziconvair, @lizzie-tempest, @wendelin-utt, and @erineas, I was able to finally start putting the ideas into words!
I hope you all enjoy the fic! I also have a youtube playlist for it that I'll update periodically!
Summary:
"Please, god of the forest, allow me safe passage through your domain."
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You were raised as a traveling mage. Your grandfather molding you to fill his gigantic shoes after who knows how long he had been helping those in need with his magic. Now it was your turn, and as much as your family wished for you to settle down one day, you were so unaccustomed to sitting still, that it seemed impossible. But between training your youngest sister to be the next mage in the family and the rising tensions between the magic of the forests and the politics of the nearby kingdom, it might be time to find somewhere safe to stay. Luckily for you, three different forest gods would be more than happy to have a powerful mage, and their apprentice stay with them.
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"They're gifted, my gem."
You don't remember much, if you were honest. You were only six, after all.
"But they should be here, with us! They're our child."
But you remember your grandfather's words well, even at this age. You knew what they meant for your life, because you had seen what they were for his.
"And they will be your child for the rest of your life, but what of theirs? Would you risk taking away a longer, healthier life for them in exchange for a simple, boring one?"
Your mother was very stubborn with her father, and had it not been about magic specifically, he likely would have let her have her way. She was his favorite, after all.
"Simple isn’t bad. It’s given us a family. It’s given us them. It’s safe here.”
But it wouldn’t be forever, even if the war was over. Even if you were born after the war, Monsters were still on the surface. Fighting for their survival. For their freedom. They might have lost the war, but the fight was never really over.
“Why restrict them to just this? If they have the ability to do more, you should let them. I was able to help support all of you because I began traveling after your mother died.”
But you remember those days. The healing calluses on your parents hands as they worked hard to pick up the work that your grandmother had left after she died. You had been born after she had died, but your eldest sister remembered it the most. You remembered being confused, when you were very, very young, about who she was - less than your mother, but more than just a sister.
“I want to watch my child grow up, father.”
Your mother was teary-eyed and in distress. She wanted to ensure your survival, but how could she block you from success as well?
“I’ll bring them back.” He reassured her. “Every season, I promise, we’ll come visit. At least four times a year, I promise. We’ll send letters. We’ll bring back gifts. I’ll keep them safe.” He pulled your mother into a comforting hug, making promises you knew he would do his best to keep.
Your mind was a bit preoccupied though. You had your own goodbyes to say.
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You might have only been six, but you knew you would be leaving for a long time. Your grandfather was gone for months at a time, and you always missed him while he was gone… If he was going to take you with him to learn how to do all of his fancy magic tricks, then you had some goodbyes to say.
"Don't go, please!" Your younger brother begged, tugging at your hand. He was only a year younger than you, but the first one you told. He was your favorite amongst your many, many siblings. "Please, Three, please!" You were the third child. It was easier to remember who was born when, when each of you was assigned a number as a nickname. It was One's idea. She was tired of being mistaken for Two.
He was confused, why did you have to leave? "I'm sorry, Four." You frowned, tugging your hand away from him. "I'll be back with grandpa though, I promise!" You knew better to break promises, but he clung to you for the rest of the afternoon anyways.
You spread the news to your other siblings. One and Two weren't taking it well. They had gone to confront your grandfather, and Five was too young to understand speech, so you moved on to tell your cousins. Many of them thought you were simply going on a trip. A "vacation" one of the older children called it. None of them really kept as much track on just how long your grandfather was gone, but they would miss you anyways.
You didn't bother to tell your aunts or uncles, the adults could handle themselves. Your friends were devastated, though. They didn't want you to move away! Who would play with them then? Four was too small and still annoying. One and Two were too old and didn't want to play their games.
By the time you had said your goodbyes to all the villagers, it was almost sundown. You didn't have much time left. You would likely be closely watched tomorrow and hurried to pack what little things you had to take off on your journey as soon as possible, but you had one more friend to say goodbye to.
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"My grandpa says I'm a mage, so I need to go now." You crouched down in front of the bush on the edge of the edge of your family's farmland, elbows resting on your knees, and your face in your hands as you pouted slightly. "I don't know what kind of magic tricks he's gonna teach me, but I know which ones I want to learn!" At least you would get cool powers like your grandfather. "Do you think he'll teach me how to make it snow in the summer too?"
You looked down at your unresponsive friend, the little jackalope that lived in a den not too far from here. A friend that you had followed once into the forest that had gotten you lost… just for you to follow him back out and be back before dinner! He was a lucky jackalope to you now. He had just been playing with you.
"Don't look at me like that!" It scratched its nose with its paw as you spoke to yourself. "I'm gonna miss you too." You cooed as you threw it a little vegetable you had plucked from the farm for it to gnaw on while you pet its head. Your fingers ran along his horns, humming in as deep of thought as a six year old could get. "But it's ok! You can come eat one or two carrots whenever you want! But only one or two… Mommy and Daddy might get mad if you eat anymore than that." He rubbed his nose against your palm, the affection making you smile despite your eventual departure.
"When I get back, I'll feed you more, so don't die, ok?" You tilted your head to one side as you felt it lean into your gentle pats, a grin spreading across your lips. "I'll see you later, Snowy!" You had named it after its snow white coat, but it hopped after you as you got up and began to walk home.
"No, no, you need to go back home." You put your hand out in front of the little jackalope, his black-tinted muzzle poking out to sniff at your hand for more food. "I don't have any more food for you, and the sun is setting. I need to go home too." But he didn't listen, he just continued to hop after you until you finally picked him up by his black underbelly. You held him up to eye level, using quite a bit of arm strength to hold him up. He was getting kinda fat because you kept feeding him. "Look! I promise I'll be back to feed you, ok?" You pouted and looked at the animal seriously. "So you need to go home! I need to go eat dinner too!"
It squirmed in your hold, legs kicking back and forth for a moment, so you dropped him, and he hopped back in the bush, only to give a squeak. Alarmed, you pried the bush apart to see what had happened to make your furry little friend cry out while he was leaving… only to see that his horn was caught on something shiny. It glinted in the evening star's light, and you reached your whole arm inside of the dense bush to unhook him from his trap.
As you pulled your arm out, your fingers had caught on the piece of metal, and you tugged as hard as you could, a few bush branches snapping as you yanked free a band of gold. "What..?" You turned the expensive looking accessory over in your hand several times before you stood tall once more to look around. It didn't seem as if there were any traces of people having been here recently, and your parents or older siblings' traps never ever included something like gold. Gold was saved for "very important, expensive" things, or so your father told you, so no one in your family would use it to trap animals.
Neither were there footprints you did not recognize. No fancy shoe prints, and no signs of breakage in the bush aside from the ones you just made… And if no one was here to have lost something so important… Well, why shouldn't you just pocket it for now? You grinned to yourself as you shoved it deep into your pockets. Maybe you could do something important with it, or if it was someone else's, then your grandfather could find and return it to them… but that was a problem for tomorrow.
For now, Snowy had hopped away, and you needed to get home for dinner. It would be the last that you would have with your whole family for a while.
