Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Sans Aster was many things. Emotional was not one of them.

He could not afford to be emotional when most of the people around him on the daily were disrespectful and would not hesitate to hurt him if he returned the favor; they took what they wanted without a care for others. It took a lot to break the façade he spent centuries cultivating to perfection. Yet the sight before him was doing a fantastic job of breaking said mask.

The world around him was scorched. The remnants of what was clearly a massive war were everywhere, and even the air burned with the stench of death and decay. Sans was reminded of one of those paintings he had seen in a gothic museum, with the world painted in hues of red, yellow, brown, and black, terror on the faces of the characters within the frames.

This world had clearly been just as advanced as his own, and yet he was surrounded by the remains of warriors, both of human and monster origins, if the mingling of Dust and corpses was anything to go by. He could see broken and abandoned tanks in the distance. Many guns littered the ground between human and monster armor. Blood coated and soaked into the ground, staining the grass and dirt maroon. Some patches of grass were still on fire and based on what Sans could detect, a massive magical explosion had gone off shortly before he arrived.

Based on the colors of the empty, Dust-covered armor, the monsters from this world were much more violent. Every piece of monster armor had red, yellow, and black. It was a big difference from the purple and white Sans was used to seeing from his world’s monster monarchy. The demonic hues put a terrible twist on what the monsters from this world were like. It was as though they had been corrupted. He had seen another world with the same colors and remembered how much more violent the pure magical occupants had been.

The skeleton was almost relieved that there seemed to be no one left alive. He didn’t need another fight with anyone, including this world’s version of him.

Not even a minute had passed after he stepped from the Void into this realm and he had to stop breathing due to the unholy stench of death and decay. Sans thanked his lucky stars – few as they were – that breathing was not a necessity for skeleton monsters unless he needed to talk the human way. Thankfully, he doubted he would need to speak while in this world, with no signs of life anywhere.

The skeleton began his trek, trying hard not to look too closely at the bodies of the fallen. He kept his senses open, hoping to hear even the shallowest of breaths or sense the dullest of fluttering from a Soul. Right before he decided to give up, he was rewarded for his efforts.

It was a mile out, where the most gruesome battle had taken place. Based on the kind of sound, Sans almost could not believe it. But there was no mistaking the sound of the wailing infant. Rushing towards it, the skeleton almost joined the rest of the dead when something black attacked him.

Darting out of the way, Sans turned towards the attacker and held up his hands. The creature growled, its angry red eyes glaring in warning. Standing among the darkened landscape, the creature was almost indiscernible with their mostly black fur.

Besides the black back and upper half of their head, the creature had dirty white, with yellow and red patches in between. The white, yellow and red were on the lower half of their legs, on their chest, stomach, and muzzle. Their teeth were white except for one. They had yellow on the tips of their ears and red on the underside of their tail. Finally, Sans recognized the prominent and familiar yellow markings under their eyes, a symbol of the monster’s previous nobility.

Switching his vision, Sans used Check and managed to get full details of the creature and was shocked. He had found this world’s version of him. “a dog monster? but you’re me!”

The dog barked in confusion before zeroing on the skeleton’s chest, where his Soul hid. The normally defensive skeleton sighed, dropping their guard, and allowing the dog to Check him. Feeling the canine’s eyes on his Soul, the skeleton was not surprised when the dog barked demandingly.

“i’m from another world.” The dog barked again. “i travel a lot. the humans from my world have let me leave periodically because i’m useful to them. coming here was just a coincidence.” Another bark. “it is safe. well, i can make it safe for you and whoever that is you’re protecting.” Bark. “i promise. i’m useful, so i more say.”

The dog relaxed his stance and regarded the new arrival calmly. Then his yellow-tipped ears flicked when the wailing started getting louder. He turned to the skeleton and, after a long moment, huffed and gestured toward the sound. Sans followed the dog as he led him to a bundle of cloth. With permission, Sans lifted the baby and gazed down, surprised at his finding.

“this is—but wouldn’t you have—?” The dog barked, gesturing to the death that surrounded them.

“would the source of magic really abandon everyone just like that?” The dog moaned in response. After a few more barks, he regarded Sans and the infant sullenly. “hmm, i understand why you did it. i wonder if this is destiny.” He received a questioning bark in response. “in my world, the delta mage’s lineage was destroyed by a group of mages during the monster-human war a thousand years ago. when that happened, they purposely blamed us for their demise and tensions rose further. but anyway, coming here and finding an unmarked delta mage seems too good to be true.” He turned to the dog. “do you mind if i claim her?”

The dog let out a few huffs. Sans chuckled sadly, “fair enough. but i’m sure you’ll find your mate now that you are free of that role.” The skeleton hummed. “i’d like to bring you both back with me. without the source of magic, you’ll die eventually. so please let me help you.”

The dog tilted his head, barking once hopefully. “obviously, and i want to know why you look like that. i know how alternate realities work. your form is not normal.” He grinned a little wider when the dog huffed in concession. “good, follow me then. we should talk to a friend of mine before i mark her.”

“Good to see you again, Sans.” Cora Heffner, one of the last witches and a powerful seer, greeted. “I see you brought a few guests from the other side with you.”

“your coordinates were a little off,” the skeleton grumbled with a raised brow, “so i had to adjust last second and ended up in a dead world. according to what i learned, only these two survived.”

“Ah yes, so it all went according to my vision.” She nodded.

“you mean you gave me incorrect coordinates on purpose?” Sans demanded huffily. The dog barked warningly, both monsters eyeing the baby who thankfully continued to sleep.

“I see you found your Soul Mate, at least.” Cora pointed out. “And your Soul Mate’s caretaker.”

“caretaker?” Sans glanced at the dog, whose tail was wagging excitedly at the title.

“You can’t raise that child, Sans.” Cora explained. “Humans will think you kidnapped her. She will need to grow up away from you for safety reasons. Give her twenty years and then you can start courting her, or whatever people call it these days.” She grinned at him in amusement. The dog barked. “Dating, then.”

A whine escaped from the skeleton’s rib cage as he stared helplessly between the seer and the baby.

“I know you don’t like it. But based on what will happen, you will thank me for this. If you need, I can take her and drop her off at a hospital. From there, our new doggy friend will watch over her from afar until she is old enough to have him as a ‘pet’.” The seer used her fingers to do air quotes, rolling her eyes mockingly. “Sorry, pooch, but if you want to keep her safe, it needs to be done.”

The dog barked absentmindedly, tail swishing approvingly.

“On that note, you’ll need a new name since Sans is already taken by our blue friend here. Thankfully, I know what our tiny mage will end up calling you. It’s not very creative, but I think you’ll approve, right Red?” Red barked happily. “That’s great. I’m glad you’re so agreeable. Goodness knows your blue skeleton counterpart could learn a thing or two about that from you.”

Sans huffed, grumbling. Cora was the only one who saw beyond his mask only because she knew through her visions what he was actually like: a broken skeleton monster with a lot of secrets. She was one of the few people alive who was older than him and had seen his whole life as it happened.

“Speaking of being broken and needing fixing,” the reminder that she could read Intent, too, caused the skeleton to flinch, “you can take the opportunity now to mark her Soul in a half-bond. As you know, unlike full Soul Bonds, half bonds are not visible on the outside to anyone except the one who placed the mark. So, unless someone else tries to mark her, it’ll be fine. It obviously won’t work and will reveal that she is already marked, but not to whom she belongs nor how long she has been marked. That should protect her from other monsters, at least.

“Most humans don’t know how to mark, and I doubt any who do would try to mark her. I will keep an eye out just in case and let you know if anyone decides to overstep. However, marking doesn’t protect her from any humans who try to claim her the human marriage way. I will keep an eye out for that, too, and will let you know if you need to step in. Thankfully, your mark will make such a thing very uncomfortable for her so she’ll be unlikely to accept any marriage proposal that isn’t yours.”

Sans rolled his eyes. “thanks for the reminder on stuff i already know.”

Cora shrugged. “Who said that was for you?” Sans raised a brow at her. “Don’t worry about it.”

After that, plans were discussed and finalized, and Sans went to mark the baby only for the child to snuggle up to him and begin petting him. Then, the unthinkable happened as his Soul emerged and rotated clockwise until it was on the same axel as a human Soul. After the shift, his Soul returned and Sans felt stronger and more in control than ever before. Intent no longer felt dangerous. This simple act answered a lot of questions as hidden memories were unlocked. Sans realized that he had some research to do at the Monster Mausoleum.

Soon after, Sans begrudgingly respected Cora’s wishes, leaving the now-marked child behind. Upon exiting the seer’s house, the woman called out to him, “By the way, you’ll have some new changes occurring soon. Courtesy of your Soul Mate’s actions on your Soul and your own decisions, I’d wager. A lot is about to happen. Good luck.”

Looking back on it, Sans should have expected everything in his life to spiral out of control. It all started a day after he met his Soul Mate but wouldn’t fully get out of hand until a few years later when the government forced him to attend college to certify his science degrees and he ended up meeting his future long-time friend, Nate Fuller.

Chapter Text

Cora was a semi-regular guest at Gaster Industries. She knew the CEO personally since she would come to share her prophecies often. He was not the only one who got to listen and see her prophecies, but he was currently the only one who got them completely for free. There was the difference between people who wanted to know their future and those who needed to know the future in order to keep the world in balance.

Sans Aster, the CEO of Gaster Industries, was someone whose destiny effected the world far more than anyone else. His scientific expertise had yielded many inventions that humans could not even begin to compete with, and that was only the beginning. From technology to medicine, science to math theory, and even architecture, Sans was the one who gave the term ‘genius’ a new meaning because he truly embodied it having single-handedly raised the IQ threshold to 500.

Cora had met him a year before he came to her with his Soul Mate in his arms. She had sought him out at his shabby home in the first monster neighborhood and had immediately told him about her powers. From there, she set him on the trajectory that would lead him to the decillionaire status he had today. It was only a matter of proving that he could trust her. After evading several deathly situations in just that year alone because of her guidance, he came to respect her. It was her idea to use his shortcuts to travel to other worlds and collect rare minerals or artifacts – and her idea to disrupt any camera footage when the government tried to abuse his powers.

One such mineral, when extracted properly, became the source for a new energy that could power the world and the government, with its immense corruption, did not deserve it. They had already confiscated other pieces of monster technology, something that would become a threat later.

It was situations like this that led to the founding of Gaster Industries. Having worked briefly with the Warner Company, Sans knew he needed to run his own corporation if he did not want others to reap the rewards of his hard work. So, with the help and funding from his then-boss, Hue Warner, a pro-monster supporter and activist, Sans created his company. Its doors opened half a year after he found his Soul Mate and its success soon skyrocketed past even Sans’ expectations. Within five years, he had a 30% share in companies worldwide, which provided that monster entrepreneur the first failsafe.

Being one of the few monster-run businesses, Sans was almost immediately attacked by anti-monster business owners. However, by then, he already had marketable products in the form of unlimited energy, higher-grade technology in the form of smart phones, and expert programs designed to protect systems from even the worst viruses by eating the virus to grow stronger. This kind of technology had never been seen before and while it increased the ire of those angry business-owner, it drew curiosity and appreciation from government officials (albeit reluctantly), monster supporters, and many neutral parties.

Sans built up his business, employing only the brightest monsters and humans with the purest Souls since they were more likely to be open-minded and would work well together. He established a hierarchy and, at the top, placed five humans and three monsters. Most people thought it was a means to show respect towards humans by having more human leaders, but Sans chose each of them personally because they had earned their place. These seven individuals were known as Admins, and they led the various departments and Houses (like in Harry Potter) based on the Soul Traits.

Sans, the only Senior Admin of the bunch – not that anyone knew such a thing existed since he went by the CEO title – oversaw running the company, dabbling in the various other departments when necessary, and was head of Determination (Red) House because he didn’t trust anyone else with that position. None of his employees knew why, but assumed it was because another admin oversaw Patience House.

Speaking of patience, Ben Elric was one of two admins in charge of the Development Studios and as a brilliant scientist, it should come as no surprise that he was also the head of Patience (Cyan) House. His specialty was in chemistry, working mostly to find cures for various diseases and improving the current medicine. He and Sans had worked for a long time to make healing magic easier to mass-produce.

Doctor Alphys, the other admin in charge of the Development Studios, was the leader of Perseverance (Purple) House. Working at Gaster Industries to further technological advances, the originally meek and anxious monster and former Royal Scientist had grown a lot since they descended the mountain, becoming braver and confident in herself. Her stutter had all but vanished and she had become capable enough to stand up for herself after the first time – one of her employees had tried to convince her that they should be in charge, to which the dinosaur monster replied by demanding they show her how to complete the step-by-step process of hooking up the newest engine. When the employee failed and was forced to resign, the other employees, and Sans who had witnessed the whole thing through the company cameras, congratulated her on her success. The good doctor had come more and more out of her shell ever since.

Mettaton was the last of the monster admins, and one of the heads of the Media Department who lead Bravery (Orange) House after Sans’ brother, Papyrus declined. However, most of his employees do not like him – the only reason he has a job is because his boyfriend was Papyrus and the taller skeleton had begged Sans not to fire him. So, Sans had reluctantly allowed Mettaton’s continued employment if the robot didn’t interfere with anything outside of the Media Department. Somehow, the over-the-top tin can managed to negotiate Sans into a deal where he couldn’t interfere in the Media Department besides his usual comedy routines. With additional rules here and there, the deal was set, and Sans hoped that Mettaton’s ego would lead him to violate his side sooner rather than later.

Kara Greenwood was the other head of the Media Department and in charge of Integrity (Indigo) House. Despite being African American, and therefore the only minority on the human side of Admin Team, Kara was well respected by the whole company. Originally refusing to be an admin because she worried about racism, Sans made a big show of refusing to serve racist customers. Since then, the two were very close friends. Kara was a blunt a sassy woman who Sans considered a true ally, even calling her the younger sister he wished he’d had growing up.

Nate Fuller was in charge of the Manufacturing Department where phones, cars, and other inventions were mass produced. As a bodybuilder, he was also in charge of training guards who had been stationed across the company’s multiple facilities ever since an attempted break-in five years after the founding – he had also acted as Sans’ personal bodyguard during the early days of the company – and watched over Justice (Yellow) House. He was also completely smitten with Kara, despite her constant rejections and Sans’ pleas to give up after he constantly embarrassed himself. However, Nate was determined to win her affection.

Lastly, Naomi Reed mediated and monitored the Community Service Center and Kindness (Green) House. Patience must have been her secondary trait because Naomi was forever thoughtful and considerate when training or dealing with the toughest of customers. Her record of most solved community service cases worldwide led her to being recruited by Sans personally. It was also apparent that she and Ben had feelings for each other.

The Admin Team was almost perfect – Mettaton ironically and unironically being the only flaw. It had been about five years since the complete formation of the team, Kara being the last to join. Since then, Gaster Industries had grown to the be the largest company in the world, with Sans as the richest individual and Nate the second, having been a part of it from the beginning.

However, at the end of the day, that was not what Sans wanted. Due to his choices, the once lazy skeleton had ended up spending most of his time working, be it in his company, with politicians playing mental tug-of-war, or even teaching the next generation at the illustrious Starks University.

His comedic genius also made him a fan favorite, much to Mettaton’s chagrin. With how frustrating the robot became, Sans found himself complaining more and more about the robot’s infuriating behavior. This kind of complaining is exactly what Cora found shortly after walking into Sans’ office.

“met’s becoming way too annoying and i want to rust his bucket more than anything, but the contract forbids it! if i hear one more of his ‘how could you deny my creative genius, darling’ or whatever, i will destroy him. that trash heap doesn’t know what creative genius is!” True, Sans couldn’t go too far into the Media Department, but company guidelines still dictated that Sans made the final decision when his fellow Admins couldn’t and no one besides Kara would touch the robotic monster’s crappy work because of just how much melodrama the flamboyant monster would shower over them.

Cora grinned at how easily Sans could imitate the subject of his ire. It was rare that Sans showed emotions beyond laid-back and various degrees of happy. It just showed how much he trusted her. “Good day to you, too, Sans.”

Sans rolled his eyes. “oh, i didn’t notice you.” He glanced at a switch board, ensuring that the cameras and microphones in his office were set to private. The security team did not need to know what he and Cora talked about.

The seer huffed in amusement. “Right. I only came to give you a warning. Your package will be arriving sooner than expected. But it is damaged. One of your employees will be bringing it shortly.” It just goes to show how thorough they were when even privately recorded content was shared via codes. Both knew exactly what the other meant despite the many thousand clues they shared.

Skeletal sockets narrowed. “do you know who specifically will bring it?”

He received a sad smile. “Unfortunately, I cannot say who specifically.” She gestured around. A leak? No, it was something else. “But it’s someone from Nate’s second department, going off the uniform I saw.” Oh, so it’s an issue of ego. Sans would need to be careful.

The skeleton nodded. “i understand. thank you.”

She turned to leave. Then she hesitated and pursed her lips. “Gaster Industries anniversary is coming up. It should arrive just in time for the usual event. I suggest you get fully dressed to impress. i only see one issue, but it doesn’t have to do with you. the one delivering it doesn’t know what’s inside.”

Sans’ sockets widen as his brow raises. “i see. thanks, cora.” He hid his grimace, even though it was detected in his voice. Both pieces of advice were not great. First, he would have to get dressed up, forgoing his usual comfortable clothes he typically wore. But even worse, it’s clear that whoever found the ‘package’ clearly wanted to keep it. Thankfully, that was unlikely to happen. But that meant he was going to have to deal with a lot of fallout, and during a company party no less. A nap was sounding really good right now.

The seer nodded and left. On her way out, she passed a pair of gossiping men wearing the uniform for the Security Team. Her eyebrows rose slightly as she attempted to walk past them, not that they noticed…

“…coming with me to the anniversary party. Just wait. She’s got gorgeous wavy black hair and the brightest deep blue eyes you’ll ever see. I haven’t kissed her yet – she keeps making excuses, but boy am I gonna do it anyway at the party. Huge boobs, nice waist, full hips, bubble butt, it’s almost like she was sculpted by the gods.”

The other guy laughed. It made Cora grimace. She knew what was going to happen. All she could do was give people warnings so that the future didn’t change too much. Normally, they would have to pay a price, but for these misogynists, she’d give them something on the house.

“Hello gentlemen.” She cut in. “A word of advice from a seer.” She noticed with hidden glee that they straightened. “Treat your partner like they are royalty. After all, they might go for someone who treats them better if you fail to do so yourself. Have a good day.” Her warning wouldn’t change anything. Those types of men had egos far too large.

She walked away from the lost looks, only hearing as the second man told his ‘bro’ not to worry about it.

The seer grinned as she entered the elevator alone. Upon its closing, she murmured near a microphone only Sans had access to, “Oh yes, don’t listen to this ‘broad’. Either way, it will not matter. Sans will be sweeping her off her feet before you can say the words ‘Soul Mate’.”

Chapter Text

If there was one thing Sans was not expecting, it was his stats increasing ten-fold and his body undergoing a massive change, or rather, an upgrade. All of this occurred because he met his Soul Mate and she Reverted – the term he came up with for how his Soul was rotated – him to apparently what monsters were supposed to be. With some digging in the cleverly hidden Monster Mausoleum, Sans found out what really happened two-thousand years ago. It was shocking but made so much sense.

Sans kept this secret hidden from all, including King Asgore, at the insistence of Cora. Apparently, if all the monster Souls were reverted, it could upset the balance of the current era because monsters were actually far stronger. If the humans found out that they weren’t as superior as they claimed to be, another war would begin. And if Red’s sad expression was anything to go by, that was what happened in his world.

So now, after twenty years, Sans was neither the tiny barely-three-feet tall baby-faced skeletal gremlin from his worst times in the underground nor the chubby just-over-four-foot-tall skeletal dork from the first year after the barrier fell. Now, he was six-foot-two-inches tall, slim, with narrow shoulders and wide hips that did very little to lessen his masculinity. No, he was not self-conscious. If anything, it made him sexier. That, and his voice apparently was very silky, and deep and clearly male. And if anyone asked, it was naturally like that and not at all because he was partially practicing for when he met his Soul Mate again. Really, it was only twenty percent because of that, so sue him.

With the new physique came a new wardrobe. He swapped out his old blue hoodie for a black one, customized with the official Gaster Industries logo – the Gaster Blaster – the white skull inside a centimeter thick oval on the side of both shoulders. The hoodie was fancier because despite almost never being zipped (it’s an aesthetic), it stayed on due to a thick black strap that wrapped around his chest and clipped in a hidden section just out of sight on the other side. This held the hoodie snug, to the shape of his body. It was flattering instead of bulky look his previous hoodies gave him. Underneath, his dull white shirt was replaced with a deep royal blue. He also took to wearing fingerless black gloves to get into the habit in case he ever wore jewelry and wanted to hide it, like to protect someone. Who knows?

For the lower half of his body, his now-too-short basketball shorts had been replaced with two different kinds of pants. The first was a pair of black zip-off trousers (to convert between full-length trousers and shorts with only a zipper) that housed multiple pockets, some hidden, with a strip of royal blue just under his knees on the fabric hiding where the zipper was.

The other pair of pants he liked to wear were the same black and royal blue. However, they were shorts that were baggier at the thighs to his knees. The blue came just below that in the form of tight royal blue fabric that enclosed the bones just under his knees. It was a weird style, with only two pockets, but super fun.

Both sets of pants were held up by a slightly lighter blue belt that was usually either peeking out from his shirt or just out of sight. This belt was special because it captured his magic and used gravity to ensure no one could pull his pants down, accidentally or on purpose. Some had tried, and the first almost succeeded. Sans had learned from that experience.

Last, but not least, were his shoes. After getting rid of his old slippers and blue high tops at Papyrus’ insistence, Sans went out and bought pairs of blue and white slippers, and two pairs blue high tops, all of which he proceeded to customize with additional colors and accessories. For example, he commissioned someone to draw his company logo on the bottoms of the slippers. For the new high tops, he commissioned cute little skulls patches that he sewed into the sides.

The change was pretty well-received, despite the number of monster-haters out there. Despite his new look showing more of his bone due to his shorts not covering his lower legs, Sans ended up obtaining more fans from the change. Some of them were of the adult variety and asked for adult things. He compromised by occasionally wearing a sleeveless version of his hoodie, so his elbows and lower were seen, with the logo on the back of the hoodie instead of sleeves. He rarely wore it due to how noisy politicians became at what they considered semi-nudity. That one was a hell of a head-scratcher.

As for the adult attention he was getting. Oh, did Sans hate that kind of attention! He especially wished all the prostitutes would ignore him like they did before his Soul was Reverted and he got all smexy. But as long as he remained an ‘intelligent and wealthy bachelor’, as people called it, he would probably have no such luck. Not like they actually cared about him.

It was that thought that reminded him of the situation that would occur the next evening. Tomorrow was the anniversary of Gaster Industries founding and if what Cora said – and what he overheard after Cora left – his Soul Mate would be attending. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be a simple situation.

He was still gnashing his fangs over the gossip. He wanted to thank Cora for her words. He would offer her an invite, but he knew she would never attend as she never had before. If this anniversary was any different, then she could come if she wanted. Sans had been clear that no one was to stop her from entering any of his facilities.

Cora was the only non-staff allowed to enter without permission. While everyone knew her as the Seer, not everyone believed she really was one. Even with Sans’ reputation, most seemed to believe that Cora offered other services than simply telling the future. Cora was the current name she went by, as she had lived for over two-thousand years and pretended to come from a long line of mages instead of being the same mage over countless generations. She was also the only real mage, not that the government needed to understand. Sans knew this and was one of the few to know her real name, Cassandra, or Cass for when the two were alone and catching up. Though to some, their relationship was a more intimate one.

Jokes on them if they thought he’d slept with her. If that got more rabid fans off his back, then he was all for it. Sans trusted her to know what to do and if she wasn’t going to deny their claims then it meant it didn’t matter in the long run. Cora was currently the only one who knew just about everything there was to know about Sans and still chose to help him and keep his secrets to herself. If that didn’t prove she was trustworthy, nothing would.

It was that unquestioning trust that led him to this point. If there is one thing Sans is not, it is a proper gentleman – or gentle-monster. He knows how to be polite; that is how he got so far. You do not earn a positive reputation by throwing a rage fit every time someone says something racist or generally demeaning in your presence. Sans had not perfected his grinning mask over the years for nothing. If anything, there were better ways to get a point across.

The skeleton was known to some for using his intelligence to subtly one-up others who disrespected him. Not that they would know, or others would tell them. Humans were an extremely prideful species and the lower classes tended to be more observant yet wouldn’t draw attention to any pettiness since it would mean humiliation for their superiors. This helped Sans and his subtle and undetectable manipulation that earned him high marks from the humans in charge.

Sans was known to be casual yet charming. He did not need to look like he was at the top of society because his successes and charisma were enough. That was why wearing a full suit to the twentieth anniversary of his company’s founding felt so ridiculous. But if the tip Cora gave him years ago was anything to go by, wearing this gaudy outfit was a necessity.

Stepping up to the mirror, he frowned exhaustedly at the thought of prancing around the reserved dining hall looking like a decoration. Though he had to admit that no one would think less of him given that this event was celebrating such a big achievement. Not even Cora would have been able to convince him of this future had she told him so when he left his Soul Mate with her.

He wore an expensive, long crisp-white button-up shirt, a medium-length black vest over it, and a short navy-blue jacket with long coat tails over that. He wore a cyan tie that matched the detailing on the overcoat. His gloves were the same brilliant white as his undershirt, both of which made his blue-tinted bones pop. His trousers were the same shade of navy-blue and the black shoes went with the vest.

The outfit was heavily inspired by the outfit Sora wore upon coming to live with Stephanie Dola at the castle in the “No Game No Life” anime. He had to give props to Alphys’ choice of inspiration and was thankful the company that made the series had been one of the ones bought by Gaster Industries’ Media Department. It meant he could wear it without being called out for copyright infringement as the terms of their agreement meant that his company could make use of any and all creations within the anime the various studios own. It was a collaboration of entertainment and technology and was great for advertising.

Not to mention when he showcased it in front of the media department, no one could say he didn’t wear it well. He almost blushed at all the attention he was receiving from trying it on. He wished that a pair of bright blue eyes were among them. But alas, he would need to use the actual party to sweep that particular damsel off her feet.

Sans knew he should have expected his entrance to yield such a result. One of the perks of being the CEO of such a massive company is that others were charged with ensuring the party was a success so he could arrive a bit later than expected. Based on the way everyone’s Souls clenched with excitement, coming in late was an attractive choice. It was something about the rush that came with anticipation. While Sans was normally not the egotistical sort, unless certain agitating company was present, with a certain individual in the audience, he felt the need to flaunt it just a bit.

Most of the time, he came in silently and without fuss. He would then wait for others to notice him. This time, it was funny to watch the individual Souls immediately brighten and react as their owners took notice of him and his unusual (for him) entrance.

For this party, he decided to make a grand entrance. With a little magic, the double doors leading to the party were flung open, startling the guests, as Sans walked in. The silence created by his sudden and unusual arrival was immediately filled with whispers of awe, quiet gushing, and a chorus of approval.

“i know it’s so unlike me. but for this particular anniversary, i thought i’d be just a bit more dramatic. forgive me.” He winked.

Five seconds after, he was greeted with much louder applause. He bowed and nodded his thanks, using the opportunity to scan the crowd for her. Unfortunately, he found her near the back with the thief and a few of his friends, including the man who was gossiping with him the day Cora visited. Fortunately, and to his immense satisfaction, Red was right beside her. He could feel the dog’s angry protective vibes from the other side of the room.

Sans knew he had to wait to get what he wanted. He had to put on his usual mask and give those in attendance the Sans Aster they were used to.

So, standing tall, the skeleton addressed the crowd, “thank you for coming.” The room went silent as he spoke. Normally, Sans was so soft spoken that it would be a miracle that anyone heard him. However, for this event, he was projecting his voice across the room, much to the surprise of some of his guests who didn’t realize he could be loud.

“as already stated, this is an important day. today marks the twentieth anniversary of my company’s existance. i cannot begin to tell you how amazing that is. this company started off as little more than a single-person online business. it stayed that way for a few years and only changed after i decided to attend college to get my degrees certified and make business easier.

“after all that, i still didn’t have people i could trust. meeting nate changed a lot. together, we grew the business and met so many wonderful friends that truly made this company what it is today. so, whether you are an employee, business partner, or simply a guest, i want to thank all of you for being here today to share in the success of our twenty successful years. i hope we have many more to come.” He bowed.

Smiling brightly and waiting for the applause to fade again, he gestured to the buffet, “please enjoy yourselves. we ordered a variety of foods and drinks for you tonight. we have human, monster, and fusion cuisine so enjoy whatever you like and be sure to let our wonderful fire cook, grillby know what you think since he and his employees prepared them all.” He gestured to the bartender who nodded.

Sans wasn’t the only successful monster entrepreneur. Grillby had been quick to jump into that role and was now known worldwide for his exquisite cuisine. It was only due to their friendship that the busy fire monster allowed the skeleton to cut in line and take priority of his services. It was probably also because Sans’ bank account could handle the expenses and he’d paid off his tab long ago.

The skeleton continued, “we have a full schedule this evening. after dinner, follow naomi.” The woman waved and gestured to where to go. “the communication department has created a slideshow about the history of gaster industries. after, the science division will be hosting games for you to play. after that, the media department will host trivia, to see who paid attention to the slideshow.”

He winked again and gestured off to the side where Nate had pushed a curtain to show a pile of wrapped boxes. “we will be giving various prizes throughout the night. a few examples of what prizes are available are computers, phones, and, for one lucky winner, a new car. they are all new products, designed personally by me and created by the manufacturing department specifically for this event. furthermore, each of these items are one-of-a-kind and not on the market yet. they won’t be until later this year.”

That got a big reaction. Unlike most new products that had better camera, battery life, etc., Gaster Industries products always had massive and completely new features like holographic imagery or 3D storage. Winning one was always customized to the winner’s taste. Every anniversary had this sort of contest, but only the tenth had included a motorcycle as a prize. Now a car, no doubt extremely high-tech, was available. They wouldn’t know what extra features it had until after it was presented to the winner.

“and later this evening, our wonderful media department will be showing a clip for the upcoming film ‘radiant’. it was directed by our best director, kara greenwood. she also has an announcement, which she will give after the clip concludes.” Kara received a round of applause and one robotic scowl, the latter of which was completely ignored.

“that’s all i have to say. so please enjoy.” With his speech concluded, Sans accepted the applause and bowed out. After spending a few minutes mingling with the guests, he excused himself and immediately headed toward Grillby, in need of his first drink.

The fireman sighed. “Already?” He asked in his native tongue.

The skeleton tilted his head, giving a sardonic grin. “is there something wrong with that?”

The only response he got was a head shake before the elemental got to work. Not long after, Sans walked away with a fizzy drink in tow, taking a seat in the corner. As he sipped, he heard the sound of a familiar bark. Looking down at the mostly black puppy, he grinned.

“hello, red. it’s been a while.” The dog barked a whine. “i’m aware. i bet it was hard what with her current company. you’ve been really helpful. i appreciate it.” He chuckled at the huff.

Both monsters had to halt their discussion as the object of their conversation walked up to them. As much as Sans hated to admit it, his misogynistic employee had a point. By human standards alone, she was magnificent. But her Soul was something else, having only grown more enchanting in the last two decades. He thanked his past self for marking her when he did. It kept the curious monsters at bay.

“Hello, I’m Rachel Telari.” Sans had to hold back a smile at the coincidence. Did she know she was named after the Deity of Judgement? Well, it was a common name. But with her Soul, it just fit. “I’m a guest and the girlfriend of Max Hannity. He’s a security guard. Um, Red – the dog – is with me. I just came to find out why he ran off.”

Red barked happily. “You don’t say. Why didn’t you tell me you were friends?” The dog sniffed, whining lowly. “You goofus. C’mere!” The fluffy beast happily jumped into her arms and snuggled close to her. “Did you lead me to Mr. Sans on purpose then?” The response was a bark that sounded a lot like laughter.

The woman turned back to the host. “Does that mean you already knew who I was?” The question earned her hesitation as the skeleton’s mind worked on overdrive to come up with the best solution.

“at the risk of sounding like a stalker and having you hate me, yes. i make sure to research everyone who comes to these events. but even then, i try to learn about everyone i can. with that said, there are very few in this world i don’t know. the ones i don’t are newborns and people who are so introvert, they don’t enter society at all.” A lie, he knew everyone but telling someone his network included the whole world was dangerous.

Her eyes widened. “How do you remember them all?”

He huffed a laugh. “remembering isn’t something i have to worry about. i don’t forget.”

Rachel hummed. “I thought talking to you would be scary, especially after this implication that you know more than just my name. I’m honestly surprised.”

The skeleton snorted. “yeah, no, i’m not the type of guy who goes for strong and intimidating. makes it hard to work with people. being approachable means i get stuff done and i make connection a lot easier. and the reason i choose to learn about people is so that i can protect myself and my employees. it’s basically a much more extensive background check. as a monster, it’s the only way i can ensure safety.”

She smiled. “Fair enough. I’d like to get to know you. I just hope Max doesn’t get jealous.”

Sans frowned. “why would he?”

The woman released a pained chuckle. “I overheard—” her soul shifted as she lied, meaning she probably used magic but didn’t want to say it, “—that Max was planning to propose tonight. Apparently, he received a threat that he was going to lose me and so he wants to lay claim before that happens.”

All the willpower in the world was used to keep Sans’ rage at bay. But that could not hide all of his fury. “that’s–” For starters, hijacking someone’s party to propose was extremely rude. But proposing to his Soul Mate at his party? The nerve! Sure, the thief didn’t know, but still!

“Don’t worry!” She interrupted quickly. “I’m not going to accept it. As charming as Max can be, he’s not someone I can see myself being with for the rest of my life.” There was something she was hiding and while Sans wanted to pry, it wasn’t the right time.

Sans turned away and sighed. “sorry, i just…hate it when people act…” What word could he use to mean ‘like an asshole’ without being offensive? This conversation had already exhausted him, and he was at a loss for words.

She giggled. “I get it. You’re protective, especially of innocent people, even if you don’t know them well. Your reputation precedes you. If someone is in danger, you immediately jump into action.”

He narrowed his sockets at her, brow raising. “did you tell me this because you need help?”

Her cheeks flushed. “I…um…” She turned away. “It’s not that I can’t handle myself. I just…oh geez, this looks bad.” She continued to fumble with her words. “I’m sorry. I know how it looks. I wasn’t trying to manipulate you or get anything from you. I’ve just been frustrated lately, and I know the gist of what Max tells his friends. It just…” She flapped her arms, searching for something she couldn’t find.

Red, having found a perch on her shoulder as the girl began to emote with her hands, rolled his eyes as he lost his patience. He started barking away softly, explaining everything much to Rachel’s dismay. He jumped into Sans’ arms and completely ignored his partner trying to coax him back to her as he explained, only jumping back when he was finished.

Bark. “No stop! It’s not a crush! I am allowed to appreciate other people.”

Whine. “Hey! That’s not fair. I told you not to read that.”

Huff. “I know. That’s why I said I would handle it. You’re so pushy.”

Grumble. “It’s fine. Max won’t hurt me.” Another grumble. “Yes, I do. I’ve known Max for years.” Bark. “No, you!”

Sans snorted. “so, not to interrupt your…amusing argument, but does this mean you plan to break things off and might need help in case things get out of hand?” Because it certainly sounded like things would get out of hand. What Red described was abuse, whether the girl realized it or not.

The woman shook her head. “No, no, I’ve got it. I’m strong enough to take care of myself.” That was at least a partial lie. And based on what the dog had said, Max was at least making it harder for Rachel to leave by taking away her options and making her rely on him.

Sans stared at her for a long moment before sighing. “well, i can’t force you to accept my help. but just in case, i will keep an eye on you.”

She was about to argue but he gave her a look that made it clear it was not up for debate. Sighing, she accepted it just in time as Max strolled up, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

“I was wondering where you went.” He cooed in her ear. Once again, Sans was thankful for all the years he spent perfecting his mask. It was also thanks to Rachel’s admittance and Red’s explanation that Max was not a pile of ashes right now and Sans looked as collected as he did. The only tell was the quirk of his brow and the stiff contour of his mouth, but even that only meant he looked uncomfortable by the possessive affection.

“Red ran off. It turns out he knows Sans. Most monsters know each other, I guess.” She explained. “So, I decided to take the opportunity to introduce myself.”

Max turned to his boss who shrugged and shared a knowing look with Red. The dog proceeded to jump onto his partner’s shoulders and forcefully remove the man’s arm so he could curl around her neck like a bulky necklace. The look of smug satisfaction was enough to earn chuckles from the skeleton. The thief didn’t look pleased, but begrudgingly accepted it. Though from what Sans could see, he was plotting how to get rid of the dog entirely.

Rachel ignored the irate man and snorted. “Silly puppy.” She raised her hand and cupping the dog’s face, pressed his snout against her cheek affectionately. The furball whined in appreciation.

Max glowered at all of them. But then a spark ignited within his eye and he grinned. “I have a question I want to ask you. Later, after I win one of the games.” The skeleton would be worried if he didn’t know it was impossible to rig the games. It helped that he knew the answer to the question the boy was planning to ask.

His girlfriend nodded. “Okay. But if you don’t win, will you still ask?”

“I’ll win.” He promised. “I’ll go for the car, too. Consider it a present for answering my question.”

She rolled her eyes. “Alright, suit yourself.”

Not long after, Naomi announced that the slideshow was about to begin. Max and Rachel separated from Sans and Red, the latter deciding to stay with Sans a bit longer.

The dog barked a question. “No, it’s not that obvious. That’s why I doubt he’ll get it, even if he does win a game. He’ll probably expect a key; that’s why it’ll be so funny when he realizes he was wrong.”

Chapter Text

If Sans had not spent centuries perfecting the art of manipulation, deception, lying, and, obviously, not feeling guilty for lying, he probably would have looked suspicious as the slideshow went on and showed every conceivably good image of him possible over the years. Despite his aversion to being photographed, after ten years of fame, he got used to seeing his face everywhere, so it didn’t phase him anymore. That didn’t mean he had to like it.

That also did not stop him from rolling his pupils and sometimes cringing at each and every squeal the audience gave when a particularly sexy picture of him came up. No one was watching him, so it was fine. Though he honestly wondered where Naomi found some of these images. He did not remember seeing them when he went to approve the slideshow. The winky text he got from Cora before arriving at the venue made a lot more sense now. This was going to be a long night and he really hoped he didn’t have to reveal too much.

Turning to the editor, he was annoyed to find her giggling at him. That is, until she saw his terror-filled gaze and promptly went quiet and turned away. Never underestimate Sans’ ability to shape his pupils in a way that made the rest of his expression truly frightening. This particular look promised consequences later.

After all, Cora may have provided the content, but she didn’t have to use it. He had learned the hard way that it was nearly impossible to reprimand the sage. But someone needed to take the fall, especially for that rather flattering ‘butt’ image. For the last time, it was not his fault that his hips were so wide that the only way any set of trousers would fit him right was only if he filled them in to an obnoxious degree. That unfortunately led to a lot of photos showcasing what many had dubbed “the magical bubble butt”. Only once did he demonstrate why not filling that out was a bad decision. And never again. He was not re-living that embarrassment.

“meg, we need to have a talk on monday.” His muttering got some giggles from the audience as the woman in question paled. He was not going to fire her but letting her think that was half the punishment. He smirked sharply, satisfied when her Soul quaked and darkened in dread. He did not like to intimidate people, but he could if it was necessary. His sharpened canines meant that he had a perfected ‘evil smirk’ that promised pain for occasions like this.

When the slideshow ended, he followed the judges to the next room and waited for the next event, which involved playing an assortment of games to earn points, which would be used to get prizes. While most of the players would end up with small prizes when they inevitably failed to stay in the game, the top three got to pick from the top prizes, which were complete mysteries and could be misleading.

Some of the games were childish, like musical chairs or freeze tag and in the beginning, many would get out. By the time they got to the last game, Trivia, an assortment of prizes like a remote-control toy car, remote-controlled plane, an all-in-one musical instrument set, a high-tech computer, and a literal hoverboard (magnetic shoes and failsafe clip included) had already been won.

All of these were updated models of previously invented machines or ones that would be available soon. Sans had just perfected the failsafe for the hoverboard so that no matter how high up the person went, the board would always save the rider by tracking the shoes and failsafe clip that must always be attached to the person. The key to using the board was having the clip attached and the shoes on the user. The shoes were the type to fit the user and could not be removed unless the user was on the ground.

Everything else was trial and error – leaning one way or another to change directions, like a typical skateboard. Sans had also set the maximum height to five stories and a backup failsafe in case the board was destroyed; the shoes would immediately activate an anti-gravity field that slowly lessened until they were back on the ground. One of the testers had been comically hanging upside down as they were lowered to the ground. All in all, though, it was a success and an assurance that if anything happened to the board (however unlikely due to its extremely durable design), that the user was safe from falling to their death. Sans was also the only one who had a board that could go however high he pleased.

The other prizes were way better. Therefore, when trivia began, Sans watched carefully. Unlike the other games, the trivia had multiple winners because it was the last one and would choose first, second, and third place. The last items to win included the newest phone, the newest car, and one more prize that had not been revealed. That was why there would be three winners for the trivia game.

The trivia was the only game where Sans had to worry because they could reveal some information, he wanted to keep secret. Furthermore, in the final round, a series of questions would be asked with answers that, until now, no one knew. Some hints were given in the slideshow but not outright said. When Sans proofread the slideshow, he made sure to leave hints. At least two of them had been removed without his approval, which meant that this trivia game might not end up as expected.

As the game went on, he was more and more amused by how little people paid attention. Granted, the $500 questions were supposed to be hard.

“What is Sans’ favorite animal?” The host, Cammie, asked.

“A dog.” Max replied. He was currently in fourth place.

“Let’s see.” When she input ‘dog’, it responded with a red X. Max grumbled.

“Too bad. Do your friends want to try?” Unlike in typical trivia, this game could be won by a team. Each member of the team could try before they moved on.

Red barked. Rachel interpreted, confusedly asking, “A chicken?” Sans’ eyes widened fractionally. The only explanation for how Red knew was if Cora had told him, because he certainly hadn’t. That or Red was more similar to him than he anticipated. That was a question to ask later, though, as they watched Cammie input the answer.

Everyone was surprised when it came up right. “Why a chicken?” Someone asked.

Sans smirked. “they’re really funny creatures. they’re the butt of so many jokes. if anyone can empathize, it’s me.” It was amazing how much it made sense when you think about it.

“Well, you got it right. So a point to Team Max.” Cammie asked.

Rachel cheered, not seeing Max’s scowl. But he was in second place now, so his scowl turned back into a smirk.

“Next. Hue Warner, which question will you pick?”

The older man grinned sheepishly. “Well, I have to pick between two. I’ll go with Personal for $200.”

“Alright, what was Sans’ legal name before and after he created Gaster Industries?”

Hue grinned. “I believe it was Comic Sans Aster before and then he switched Comic to be his middle name after, being Sans Comic Aster.” Well, he wasn’t wrong.

“Correct!” Hue was still in first place. Now if Undyne and Alphys could answer the last question correctly, they would be in second.

“So, this is our last question. It is Secrets for $500. Oh, this will be tough. How old is Sans?” The skeleton cringed. He was forced to give this one because the team would not stop pestering him about it. However, there were multiple answers, and he went with the one that was least damning.

The scaled duo looked at each other. Alphys knew to think about the monster aging process, but would that ultimately be her downfall was the question. She had also known him for at least a century and knew how most monsters aged based on her access to the monster system as the Royal Scientist. That would give her the best chance to get it right if she remembered the information and didn’t overthink it. However, Undyne could reveal things he didn’t want her to if she remembered too much from her childhood and connected the dots. Thankfully, she still hadn’t realized some things so he didn’t see that being an issue.

“You have thirty more seconds before you must give an answer.” Oh, right. The time limit. Yay, another factor that can screw them up. So he likes to mess with them, sue him.

At the ten second mark, Undyne and Alphys both shouted, “Thirty!”

That answer broke Sans’ façade, “rude!” He clapped his hands over his mouth, turning away and hoping no one paid him any mind. The giggles made that fruitless, though.

Due to their double-wrong-guess, it was too late for them to make another guess. So it went back to Max’s team.

Red barked. “Twenty-five!” Rachel called before Max could answer.

With a resounding ding, Max got first place. Hue Warner got second, and the scale duo got third.

“Wait! Only twenty-five?” Nate interjected. “But the company is twenty years old.”

Sans sighed. “you forgot to consider the monster aging process. one human year does not equal one monster year. while some monsters do age at the same rate as humans, skeleton monsters are one of the species that age very slowly. so in monster years, i’m twenty-five. but in human years, i’m much older than all of you.” Glancing around the room, he grinned. “in fact, i’m the oldest one here.”

Ignoring everyone’s shock, Sans nonchalantly shuffled over to the prize table. “i set up that question so it could be answered a few ways depending if the answer were based on human years or skeleton monster years. both answers were included in the game. fortunately for me, as soon as the game ended, all the answers were erased so you can’t try to get the answers for the questions nobody got. and i can avoid being called old when i’m not since for my species, being a hundred human isn’t old. in fact, we’re still considered a minor at that age.”

As the audience let out various noises of confusions and, in some cases, frustration, Sans grinned and stood beside the remaining prizes. Gesturing to the three small prizes remaining – all about the same width but the biggest height being the size of a small gaming device while the smallest was little more than a piece of paper – he looked to the winners.

“since we now have our final winners, it’s time to pick your prizes, starting with first place.” Sans grinned jovially as Max walked up and snagged the middle, probably thinking it held two car keys, which was why it was relatively big. Hue Warner ended up taking the smallest, leaving the monster lesbians with the biggest.

Tearing off the wrapping paper, Max was appalled to see it was a package containing a smaller blue and silver robot.

“What is this?” he demanded. “I thought it would have car keys.”

Sans snorted. “no, you missed out. looks can be deceiving. mister warner ended up with the car.”

Hue laughed as he read the laminated paper, of which the letters printed on it had begun to glow with magic. “I see. I’m guessing this location is where the car is.”

“correct. as the first to read the paper, you’re the only one who can access it. congrats, hue.” The skeleton gave him a thumbs up.

Turning back to first place winner, Sans explained, “that is an a.i. i created. his programming took me until half a year ago to finally complete. his name is blue, and he can access everything from basic lighting to computer data. the only catch is he will not hack, and he only responds to polite commands. lots of please’s and thank you’s. tone of voice must be pleasant, too. he’s a very smart robot. he even makes our resident pink monstrosity look dumb.” The skeleton blatantly ignored the angry robot not too far away. That was a relationship that had gotten more and more sour over the years and no one could figure out why Mettaton hadn’t just been fired.

Max’s eye twitched as he grimaced. “Is this a joke?”

Sans raised a brow. “no…”

The man sighed and turned to his girlfriend, gesturing for her to take it. Sans smiled; the circumstances could not be more perfect.

“You can have it. Looks like I got tricked.” He sneered.

Sans scoffed. “don’t take it personally. everyone who wanted the car, except hue, was tricked. same thing happened with the motorcycle on the tenth anniversary. it was just the keys and people thought the biggest prize was the physical motorcycle. sound familiar? thing is, i’m not one for a repeat scenario, which is why this year, i simply had a paper with the location of the car and the key. each year, it’s changed up to keep everyone on their toes.” The skeleton winked. “same thing with pranks, which get old quickly after the first execution. but seriously, no need to get so bent out of shape. you have a one-of-a-kind a.i. – or i guess two-of-a-kind since i have the original and first version of all these prizes, being the one who designed and made each of them. but still, there’s only two in the entire world and you have one of them. isn’t that cool?”

“Are they going to be on the market in the future?” He asked.

Sans frowned. “yeah, eventually. but you get to claim you got an original for free by winning a game at our twentieth anniversary.” To be fair, Red did most of the work with Rachel filling in as his voice. However, Sans needed to make Max feel better so that the man didn’t make things harder for him going forward. Unfortunately, Sans had a feeling that this wouldn’t be enough.

“Sure, whatever.” Max drawled grumpily. Sans decided that he had done enough to try to make the situation better. The man was clearly not going to change his attitude. His pride was too important, and it was hurt right now. Maybe this situation would convince him not to propose to Rachel.

But as the woman went to comfort him, he realized he could not change the course of the evening. So as he watched the two join the rest to watch the clip being shown by Kara, he took a seat near the window and watched the stars. Not long after he was joined by one of his oldest confidantes.

“Something wrong, bud?” Nate asked.

Sans shrugged. “dealing with hormonal people can be exhausting.”

His friend frowned. “Okay. I’m not sure I understand, but...”

“don’t worry about it. it’s just been a long night.” The skeleton closed his sockets and breathed in deeply. “i’m ready for a long weekend. thank goodness this anniversary landed on a friday.”

Nate snorted. “Now that I get. I know you’ve been working hard to prepare for this event. You did good, dude.” Sans smiled and nodded, too tired to say anything. He only had a few minutes before the rest would return. Nate seemed to pick up on his introversion. “I guess I’ll leave you be.” The skeleton nodded, grateful for the alone time.

Sans opened his eyes and stood back up as everyone filtered back in. Based on the excited murmurs, Kara had announced she would be hosting a casting call next week. From the expression on Rachel’s face, it would seem she planned to audition. The thought raised his spirits even further…

…Only to tank as Max brought her to the center of the room for his own announcement. Ignoring Rachel’s pleas to keep whatever he had to say private, Max asked everyone to bear witness.

Ignoring her pained expression, Max got down on one knee and held both of her hands. The room was a mixture of gasps, squeals, and unease – the latter of which by people who could clearly see Rachel’s discomfort.

“Rachel, I have wanted to ask you this for a year. We met three years ago and have been dating for two years. I want to make us official. Will you marry me?” He pulled out a loose ring from his pocket. Sans held back a groan. The ring was gold with a ruby, contrasting well with his complexion and reddish-brown hair but absolutely horrible next to her black hair and blue eyes.

Additionally, based on the skeleton’s professional estimate (because, yes, he could calculate ring sizes from a distance – it’s math, his best subject), it wasn’t even the right size. Max had gotten a ring that was a size and a half too small. Sans proceeded to compare it to the man’s dick size, just to make the situation at least somewhat funny where it would otherwise be purely frustrating.

Rachel did not take being put on the spot kindly. Withdrawing her hands and curling them against her chest, she looked down at Max sadly. “I was trying to stop you because I didn’t want to do this with so many people watching. But you didn’t listen. Honestly, I’ve wanted to break up for a while now, but you kept talking over me and I didn’t know how to get through to you without hurting your feelings. I’m sorry but I can’t see myself spending the rest of my life with you. I’m going home and getting my things. Don’t try to stop me.”

She didn’t acknowledge anyone as she grabbed her things, including the AI, and left with Red on her shoulder. It did not take as long as expected for Max to go after her. His actions worried Sans who caught Nate’s eye and gestured to follow them in case something bad happened. His friend nodded and followed suit.

Sans walked to the center. “well, that happened. i’m sorry if that made anyone uncomfortable. i can’t say i didn’t know that was coming, having overheard some gossip. so let me make it up to you by using the last ten minutes to do a short comedy routine that is sure to liven the mood back up again. i’m told i’m quite good at impromptu comedy skits.” He winked, already getting the gleeful reactions he wanted.
“let me know if you’ve heard this one…”

Sans was good at many things. But if there was one thing he truly excelled at, it was affecting the room with his natural charm and charisma. When you’re the most powerful person in the world (whether the government agreed or not, both on the “powerful” part and the “person” part), charm and charisma are necessary – thankfully, Sans had multiple centuries worth of experience in both.

As it turned out, there was a lot more trouble to Max and Rachel’s relationship than Sans realized. There was so much going on that the skeleton questioned why Red had decided not to fill him in and only implied things. But given the occasion and small amount of time they had alone, he could guess why the dog was hesitant. That did not mean Sans was not immensely angry when he learned about the abuse.

The only good news was that Max had not violated his Soul Mate’s body. But based on the reports he received from Nate about what transpired later that night, her now-ex nearly had after they both stormed out. It had taken three members of the security team to rip the man away from his ex and restrain him. The team, which included Nate, had found Max pinning Rachel against a wall two blocks over. The bastard was in the process of ripping off her bra, having already done so to her top. This was while he was cursing and calling her slurs. The only reason they were found so fast was because Red was also barking and attacking the man. However, due to the size difference, all the dog could do was provide distractions until the team arrived.

The abuser spent the rest of the night in jail. The following morning, he was sitting across from his now-former boss as Sans contemplated why he had not seen it coming. The skeleton hired based on the purity of people’s Soul first, talent second. So he had to wonder how he missed this young man’s Soul becoming so dark and corrupted. Did Rachel have anything to do with it or was it something else? He didn’t think she would purposefully use that power. But she might not know her own capabilities and Sans hadn’t had a chance to ask Red about it.

“What are you waiting for?” Max spat, breaking the skeleton out of his musings. “You gonna do something? I’d like to know what my punishment is for trying to have a chat with my girlfriend.”

Sans exhaled loudly. “do you really think grabbing a woman – any woman – and trying to rip her clothes off while shouting profanities and slurs constitutes ‘having a chat’?” The man scowled at his air quotes. “according to the reports from friends and rachel herself, this was the first time you had been physically violent with her or tried to rape her. but according to witness testimony from miss telari and other people who have witnessed your interactions with her in the past, you have been disrespectful on several occasions within the last year. then there are reports on what you’ve said about her when she isn’t present. apparently, you objectify her frequently. so yes, you are indeed in a lot of trouble.”

The man slammed his fist on the table, the cuffs on his wrists jangling noisily. “I did nothing wrong! I don’t know who your witnesses are, but I demand you tell me who they are so that I can personally tell them to quit lying.” More like so he can have his way with them, too.

If there was a way to describe the expression of the skeleton’s face, it would probably be a very tired and very done version of ‘are you shitting me with this bullshit’, which was more or less what Sans wanted to convey. “they were her friends, most of whom haven’t seen her in a while because you have interfered and won’t let her go out. however, the best source is actually from someone much closer to her. they’ve been with rachel for her whole life and witnessed your treatment of her firsthand since you started dating.”

The man hesitated. As time passed, he looked more and more lost. It was clear to the skeleton that this man didn’t see monsters as real people, so of course he wouldn’t reach the appropriate conclusion. But even without that consideration, Sans wondered if he was so naïve that he forgot about the black, red, yellow, and white canine who followed Rachel everywhere and was definitely not a normal animal.

“since you look like you don’t understand, i’ll just say it. rachel’s dog friend, red, a monster, is the one who told me everything.” The look on the man’s face indicated he didn’t realize that Red was anything other than a normal dog, which seemed so ridiculous after the dog clearly won them first place the night before. “i’m fluent in dogenese and he had a lot to say about how badly you treated her. the rest of the testimony is from rachel, a few of her old neighbors from before she was all but forced to move in with you, some old friends from before she got involved with you, and some people who know you personally but aren’t in your friend-group. i won’t say who specifically but let’s just say we have a lot of proof and it’s not looking good for you, bud.”

Max growled. “How can anyone believe what the dog says? It’s a dog. How can you take ‘his word’ seriously?” He sputtered. “And he’s a monster? What?”

Sans tilted his head. “that dog won you the event last night. he literally said all the answers.”

Max’s face screwed up. “No, Rachel did.”

Rubbing the bridge of his nasal cavity, Sans retorted as calmly as he could. “no. rachel was translating the answers that red was giving. she can obviously understand dogenese, too.”

Looking around frantically, as if the answers were somewhere in the room, Max sputtered, “Well…well, just because he claims something doesn’t make it true. How easy is it to understand a dog?”

Sans withdrew a glasses case from a bag sitting beside him. “i’m glad you brought that up. surely you recognize these.” He opened the case and pulled out the Soul Reader glasses. “as you know, these glasses monitor the wavelengths and signals of a soul. they can reveal when someone is lying, too. when i got red’s testimony, translated through a third-party to avoid bias, three guards, each wearing these glasses, recorded the entire interaction using these glasses. the recordings then went to an independent firm where it went through additional scanners and came up positive. it’s the law when dealing with multi-language situations, you know, so we were very thorough with this investigation.

“but even without red’s testimony, there’s damning evidence from the other sources. some of them had recordings they took in secret. some were videos while others were only audio, but in every case, the audio was good enough that we could easily tell that you were the perpetrator, and she was the victim.” Sans did not flinch as the man before grew more and more angry.

“so with all the evidence, you have two options. the first option is you confess your guilt in court and likely walk away with a simple restrainer order against you and no job as i have already finished the paperwork to fire you. i will not do anything further against you as long as you don’t do anything to any of my employees or her, so this matter will be kept private based on her wishes, and you are free to find a new job with any references that you have that aren’t connected to my company.

“the second option is you can try to fight it, have all the evidence of your guilt be shown in court, you receive more consequences on top of the ones from option one, and then the court submits this situation to the government, which will make the prospects of finding a new job much harder as you will have probably been convicted of sexual assault and no one will want to hire you. either way, with the restraining order, you are not allowed to contact or be near miss telari. oh, and i have already suggested anger management and a full evaluation after everything based on your aggressive behavior witnessed last night. i only have a minor degree in psychology but i and three other psychologists have diagnosed you with narcissistic personality disorder based on all the information we have. you are free to get that evaluated on your own time if you want.”

By minor degree, that was a single master’s in general psychology instead of the usual specifications in type of psychology. It was the fruition of boredom during a year when Sans had had a bit more time on his hands. He didn’t expect it to be such an easy study. The best part was seeing the looks on the proctors’ faces when he had aced every test after only a year of studying instead of the typical four or more was priceless. He’d put it up there with the time he had gotten a perfect bullseye with a gun while his eye sockets were closed. Humans really do underestimate monsterkind’s capabilities. He didn’t need to have his socket open to see those targets and it was a funny mystery that left the people in attendance confused to this day. He still laughs about it when the memory is triggered.

Max tried to jump at Sans, but the cuffs kept him back. “Bastard! It’s you, isn’t it?”

Sans, unflinching, frowned. “you’re going to have to be more specific.” Genuinely, what the actual f—

“That seer lady!” Sans eyes widened slightly, suddenly remembering when she had come to his office. Oh no, she didn’t. “She warned me that someone was gonna steal my girl! It’s you, isn’t it?” Of course, she did.

Sans mask stayed secured. “what exactly was happening when she said that?”

“I was telling my friend about Rachel and she just came up and said someone was gonna steal her. This was after she talked to you.” He pointed at his ex-boss. “It’s you, isn’t it?” There was some context missing there based on the way his ex-employee’s Soul quivered.

“look, the only way she would have said something like that is if there was a reason to. cora doesn’t say stuff for no reason. what specifically did you say before cora said that?”

Max flinched. Sans narrowed his eyes. “were you saying something disrespectful? i can get a clip now if you don’t feel like telling me yourself.” He already had the clip playing at a volume too low for the human to hear. It was exactly as the skeleton expected. Absolutely no respect for his partner.

The man glared. “No, mind your own business. Besides, I was just telling Mark about her.”

Sans tilted his head. “i know you’re lying. word for word, what did you say?”

“I said none of your business. Can’t you hear?” The man-child retorted, turning away. Oh, okay, so we need to do this the hard way. Better to just get the seer involved directly.

“y’know, i can just ask cora.” The text was already sent. Not two seconds later, as he spoke, there was a soft ding. Sans was silent for a moment before sighing and looking up, showing him the text. “so you were being misogynistic. well then of course cora would say something. if someone is dating a person who treats them like an object, chances are they are going to want to leave and find someone who treats them better. and…as we’ve found, you have let your treatment towards her drop so far that rachel finding a decent man would not be hard. i’m saying ‘decent’, not even the best. you are that bad according to what was found.”

Max roared, “Bastard! You’re gonna steal her from me!”

Sans rolled his pupils. “dude, she’s not even your girlfriend anymore.”

“Shut up!” Max interrupted. “Who do you think you are?!”

“—and even if she was, that’s not how i am.” Sans continued as though he had not been interrupted. “i have already indicated that i am ace and aro. unless she turned out to be my soul mate, that’s not gonna change.” No one could ever accuse Sans of lying. “so calm your quivering manhood and stop acting like a child. with the way you’ve acted, i wouldn’t be surprised if cora was foreseeing the future and trying to get you to change before your own actions drove rachel away. that is no one’s fault but yours. it means you need to re-evaluate how you conduct yourself. so in the future, when you meet someone else – because it's clearly too late with this ex – you want to date, you will know to treat them with respect.”

The skeleton stood up. “with that said, my time here is done. you be good and try not to dig yourself a deeper hole. i have to go deal with another problem so i must excuse myself.” He turned to leave and once he was at the door, turned back. “for what it’s worth, you were a good employee. i don’t know what happened to change you in this way, but i hope you can get back on track. good luck out there.”

Chapter Text

The other problem Sans had to tackle happened to be finding a better place for Rachel to live. After she was rescued from Max, they had asked her if she had a safe place to go.

It turned out that she was relying heavily on her now-ex boyfriend. She lived with him, relied on him to work, and did not have a sustainable income. This all happened at his insistence. She was an artist of multiple genres who had done commissions here and there under the radar but was otherwise unemployed. It was clear that Max’s manipulation ran deep and while Rachel was no pushover, Max had help from his toxic friend group who worked together to pressure her into this situation.

“I realize now that it was stupid, and I should have tried to run away sooner.” She admitted, taking a sip of hot cocoa. Sans had met up with her at a coffee shop near the hotel they had gotten her the night before, which was where Red was happily slumbering away after a whole night of staying awake to guard her. “I just went along with it because I was afraid they might hurt me for refusing. I don’t do well with pain. Thankfully, neither Max nor his friends ever assaulted me.”

All of her personal belongings had been transported to a storage facility until she relocated to a more permanent residence. Gaster Industries was paying for the whole thing because it was not the first time this kind of situation had happened.

“sure, but that’s manipulation for you.” Sans huffed. “people tend to choose the more convenient and painless route. i’ll bet at the time, max was a decent enough guy, so it was easy to accept his offer. he didn’t rape you, so you felt safe enough to accept.” Although, it was probably only a matter of time before that happened. That’s probably why Cora got involved.

She sagged. “Yeah, but I feel like I’ve been completely naïve.”

The skeleton chuckled. “no, if you had been, you wouldn’t have tried to tell me about your situation before it happened. you definitely could have stopped red from spewing it.” She bit her lip. “it’s okay to ask for help. and you waited for the best moment and guy to ask.”

She grimaced. “But you shouldn’t have to pay for a hotel or storage or anything. I should be able to cover it.”

He rolled his eye lights at her. “this isn’t the first time i’ve helped someone in trouble and it won’t be the last. i’m also the richest guy in the world. therefore, this is not a hard thing for me to do. sometimes all people need is a little support when they are starting over. believe it or not, kara greenwood was in a similar situation when i met her. she had escaped racism-based abuse and some of the fear stuck with her when she joined the company. but gradually, she grew stronger and now she’s one of the most headstrong and confident people i know. and my admin in charge of the media department who also heads the integrity branch. i rely on her constantly, too. it'll become a two-way street eventually.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Is that your way of revealing that you plan to hire me just like that?”

He snorted. “no. that’s not how i work. while i do automatically ask all those i assist to apply, not everyone can make the cut. however, those who don’t are given options to get assistance via non-profit organizations. and gaster industries will often donate money to said organizations to assist in their growth. all the non-profit organizations we work with directly answer to me, so that i can ensure they are giving the right kind of treatment.” He smiled kindly. “that’s not to say i wouldn’t hire you. just that it’s not a guarantee. either way, the end result is stable income and independence.”

The woman sniffed, causing her host to straighten and reach over in worry. “That’s so nice. I know you and your company have a lot of money, but I didn’t think you would regularly use it to assist in the wellbeing of people who need help.”

Sans snorted. “it was that or leave it up to the government. but they tend to either exploit people fail to follow up if they deep someone useful. there are some people who are high up in society who are not good people. they don’t care about others, only about how they can exploit others.

“one of the laws put in place was that i could regularly submit, vote on, and veto laws and i only need ten representatives to vote alongside me for it to pass.” That law was put into place after passing during an election. Sans had intervened in the typical rigging process to have a true vote (for the first time in fifty years or so) and Congress was livid because they couldn’t do anything about it. They never expected it to pass because their leader, Senator Balasaros, always manipulated the results to whoever paid him the most or whatever benefited him the most. They were blindsided when Sans hacked the voting database and cut off the senator’s access to that section. They also couldn’t do anything because the skeleton monster threatened to reveal that the country’s voting system was entirely rigged. “it’s one of the few uncontestable laws in existence. and as long as i don’t abuse it, it is set to expire only when i die.” Jokes on those losers, he’ll probably never die.

The girl’s shock was plain as day. “That’s…crazy.”

“it’s not something i like to brag about. i only reveal it to calm others’ nerves. the only reason it was created was because i proved i knew better and the people of this country agreed. a lot of the laws i’ve made have made the economy and employment flourish, decreased global warming, pollution, and the number of homeless people, and have brought things back into balance. i regularly council politicians, including the president.” Not that he was actually in charge.

She groaned. “Lucky.”

He pouted. “no, i worked for it. luck has nothing to do with it.” If anything, Sans had bad luck but his skills and talents made up for it.

She stuck her tongue out at him. “put that away, young lady. you know i’m right.” She obeyed but slumped back. He chuckled. “don’t look so down. you’ll be okay. just like the others, i’ll see to it. can you trust me to do that?”

She looked him in the eyes. But then her gaze drifted up and down his form. “y’know, if you keep staring at me like that, i’ll start to think you have a crush.” Her complexion reddened considerably.

“Stop. Teasing. Me.” Ah, so she had that sort of kink. Sans would remember that. His smug grin did not go unnoticed by the woman. “You’re so mean.” However, under her breath, she muttered in a tone she thought he wouldn’t hear, “Besides, maybe I do.”

Ignoring her secret confession, Sans shook his head amusedly. “no, i just enjoy giving people a hard time. most would call me a troll to offend me. but i fully accept the term. i don’t do it to be cruel. i just want people to loosen up.”

She wrinkled her nose as her blush started to fade. “I’m guessing you offend people a lot.”

He hummed, taking a sip of his drink. “it happens less often than you think. being able to see and read souls has its perks. i never go too far because i can see when enough is enough.” He gestured vaguely at her. “that’s how i know you’re not actually offended.”

Rachel turned away, still blushing lightly as she looked out the window for a distraction. She was honestly surprised that more people weren’t hounding them given the skeleton was a celebrity. It would make sense for him to be constantly dogged by fans and press.

“you’ve got a question.” The skeleton stated clearly, despite sipping his drink. The illogical behavior had the woman rolling her eyes as he murmured, “ask it.”

“You mean you don’t know it already?” She replied sardonically instead.

He grinned proudly. “it’s smart of you to ask. based on the person’s body language and their soul’s reaction, i can make an educated guess. but even then, it’s not always clear.” He paused to take another sip, earning pursed lips from his guest. “for example, you are looking out the window. your expression is confused and suspicious. your soul seems to be asking ‘why’. so by my calculations, you’re wondering why something is or is not happening. There’s a tint of ‘respect’, which is something this country has a lot of for some people and i see it often enough to understand it. since they aren’t here, i have to assume it has to do with me. with those pieces alone, i can guess you’re wondering why we’re not surrounded by fans and paparazzi. am i wrong?”

She groaned. “No. You got it right.”

“the answer is that i set up times for people to hound me and if they want an answer to questions, they can ask it then. if they don’t respect my wishes, they don’t get their answers and i will cancel the times i set up for them. then i’ll disappear any time they come after me. when you have shortcuts like i do, you can do it easily. so, after a while, press and fans have learned to respect that.” He raised a brow. “this is all common knowledge. i’m not sure why you didn’t know about it.”

She did not reply. She did not want to admit that she just wanted to hear him talk. Her Soul gave it away, though. She hated the smug grin that formed.

He chuckled but said nothing about it. He didn’t want her to hate him after all. She appreciated that he didn’t call her out.

“So what happens now?” She asked after a few minutes when both of them had finished draining their cups.

“well, you have a couple options.” Sans replied, leaning forward on the table with his elbows, leaning his skull on his knuckles. “since you are currently staying in a hotel, you will soon need to find a temporary place of residence. there are a few places you can go that will take you voluntarily upon my recommendation.”

He had a feeling that wouldn’t help her guilt, though. “however, if you’re really so against going to another place paid for by my company, i can set you up to be a temporary roommate with one of my employees.”

She whipped around to look at him. “But—”

He held up his hand. “let me explain. i have a few employees whose job is to house and mentor potential new employees who have been in tough situations. they are paid to do that and so you’d be giving them work. if you chose this option, you would live with them. they would monitor you and grade your potential. they were trained by me and know what to look for.”

She slumped again. Her guilt had lessened, but the thought of being a burden was clearly stressing her out. Additionally, her Soul indicated she didn’t like the grading process.

“the last option requires little to no money at all, but it does require you to have an open mind.” And it was the option he hoped she would choose. “you could live with me and i will personally monitor you and your progress.”

She froze, but he ignored it as he continued. “my house has a few guest rooms specifically designed for people in trouble. you will have a lock on your door, access to a system so you can get in and out of the house. additionally, there will be cameras in common areas so that no funny business happens between you and me. you will have privacy in the bedroom you choose and a phone that will be provided to you by me.

“you will have full access to everything except my room and my basement lab, which means the kitchen, dining hall, living room, upstairs lounge, office, bathroom, laundry room, exercise room, and the balcony on the roof are yours to explore. my house has three floors including the basement, with the roof as a pseudo-fourth floor, so there’s a lot of room. what do you think?”

Her Soul screamed take me now, but her mind screamed ‘WAIT’. That was fine. Sans wouldn’t have lasted so long aboveground if he didn’t have immensely patience that he cultivated for eons while underground. That, and having to wait twenty years to meet his Soul Mate again made waiting for her decision super easy.

“But…” She started.

“but?” He pressed. “or are you just calling me an ass?” He grinned at her glower.

“No. I just worry I’m inconveniencing you.” She explained.

He huffed, murmuring, “i dunno, chat, what can i say to make this goober understand?”

She shot up. “You’re a gamer?”

He gasped. “oh snap, chat, she caught me. that's a massive l for me. f’s in the chat.”

“You are throwing gamer memes as me! Why are you like this?” She demanded. The playful quiver gave away her teasing, though.

“moi? No, I would never.” He teased back. He could see the smile she was trying to fight. “to get back on track, you would not be the first person i’ve housed. I’ve had about ten others, most of which became employees later and all but two were women, five having been around your age if my estimation is correct. It’s your choice, but one thing I will say is that i’m not going to let you wonder off without help.”

He stood up and threw his empty plastic cup behind him without looking. Rachel watched it and scoffed as it landed in the trash can after ricocheting off multiple surfaces.

“I’m guessing you do that whenever you want to impress people.” She drawled.

He shrugged. “maybe. if i were to say yes, it works every time.” He looked and nodded at her chest knowingly. “nate gave you a way to contact me, so think over the choices and let me know by next friday.”

She pouted. “That’s less than a week.”

He rolled his pupils as he headed towards the door. “only by a day. that’s more than enough time to think it over. take care.” As he left, Rachel had to admire the way he carried himself. He could probably feel her staring, but she couldn’t help it. Her Soul thudded in appreciation until he was out of sight, causing her chest to ache.

It was the same feeling that happened ever since the moment she first saw him on the television many years ago. She didn’t understand it, but there was something about him that called her. And based on how strong it was, she didn’t think it was only because she was a fan.

[seer: She will choose the third option.]

[skull: good.]

Sans smiled at the text and then relocked that particular contact behind several passwords so no one else could read it even if they managed to unlock his phone. As soon as he got home from his meeting with his future partner, Cora had texted him the good news. It had been five days since then and he kept looking back at the text, grinning like a fool.

He would need to school his expression when he saw her again. No way was he going to give her the opportunity to tease him back. He had a reputation to maintain. Although, the idea that she was the only one to get under his metaphorical skin wasn’t too bad. Considering what the future had in store for them, it might help to solidify her as worthy to stand beside him. Stars, was society finally corrupting him?

Today was his day off, so the skeleton was bored out of his mind. He had already navigated the forums and his personal network for newsworthy content, checked social media for anything interesting, and finished all important and emergency paperwork. Now he was playing a video game in hard mode while upside down just to have some type of challenge. If he had a roommate to entertain or who could entertain him, it would help his boredom, he mused.

His phone buzzed and he looked down before shooting up.

[future-bae: Hey, it’s Rachel. I’ve decided to go with the third option, if that’s still okay with you. If so, when can I move in?]

[puns: oh thank the stars, i was so bored. i’ll be right over.]

[future-bae: Were you just sitting around waiting for something to happen? :/]

[puns: yeah, it’s my day off and even though i still had stuff to do, i got it done way too fast. i would normally take a nap or something but i didn’t know when you were gonna reply and i didn’t want to keep you waiting if you did text me earlier than friday. so i have been playing a video game upside down on hard mode just to have something fun and time consuming to do. but even that is easy.]

[future-bae: I’m so sorry. I can wait. Take your nap.]

[future-bae: Wait! Video game? Hardmode? Upside down? Wtf!]

[future-bae: Oh shoot, that was rude. Sorry! Um, you nap and then I’ll meet you. Just tell me where?]

[puns: lol too late. i’m in the hotel lobby on my way to your room. better be dressed appropriately. ;p]

[future-bae: Fine. I am! See you soon.]

[puns: ;D]

Sans could see the groan of his new roommate’s Soul from inside the elevator. The thought of teasing her mercilessly was making him super giddy. Oh, he would hold back. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to have a lot of fun. Maybe it would help her confidence. She was already fairly determined. But he’d love to see how feisty she would become.

Knocking on her door, he waited momentarily as he heard footsteps dash closer. He almost made the joke that she was excited to see him, but her outfit halted him in his tracks.

“Thank you for this.” She said, opening the door wider to let him in. “I’m really grateful.”

Aww, she was too cute. He smiled softly, hoping it did not look romantic. “it’s no trouble. i told you it’s not the first time. and if i didn’t think you would make a good fit, i wouldn’t have offered. i may be able to work with just about anyone, but that doesn’t mean they can work with me. since you aren’t screaming for the hills just yet, i think you’ll be fine.”

She snorted softly and walked over to her two overnight bags and unique pillow sitting on the bed. On the couch was her purse, which Red popped his head out of when Sans walked in.

“how about i carry one of the bags and the pillow.” Sans offered.

She turned to him. “I don’t think…”

He sighed, grabbing the biggest bag and the pillow from the bed, much to her annoyance. He gestured to the rest of her things and tilted his head to the door. Conceding, she obeyed, grabbing the remaining things and following him out.

“now for the next couple seconds, all i ask is you focus on me. okay?”

Rachel nodded, brow curving in confusion. She listened as he told her about his company and briefly explained what she should expect from him daily. In the beginning, it was just sorting like any intern did. Her supervisor would show her the ropes. She had a few days to get accustomed to her living situation and then she would start.

She was so enraptured that she did not notice that they were not in the hotel anymore. Instead, they were on a walkway with a railing where she could see, to her left, a large space and realized she was on an indoor balcony overlooking a dining and living room with high ceilings above her and multiple doors to her right and at the other end of the walkway. Directly ahead was an open archway that led to a lounge. Directly to her right was an open door that led to a bedroom.

Looking behind her, she saw one more door straight ahead with a bone plaque hanging – the name ‘sans’ written in lower case. Across from the door closest to his were the stairs that led down to the dining and living areas.

Lowering her belongings to the ground, Sans gestured around, “so, we’re here. pick one of the four doors that doesn’t have a bone.” He winked. “each door leads to a bedroom with a bathroom attached. the open door leads to the biggest guest room, which is what i thought you’d like so i left it open. the door to the left of the lounge leads to the laundry room. feel free to use that whenever. the lounge is through that archway and another door will lead to the balcony. There is a hot tub and privacy so no one on the street will see you but you will have a great view of the woodsy backyard. I thought i’d mention it in case you want to do art stuff. i’m told your good at that.” He winked and ignored her blush.

“then, downstairs is the dining room, living room which includes a tv, and kitchen. the entrance to the lab, exercise room, and safe house is in the basement. do not enter it without permission, even to exercise. there is a com system, and if the light is on, i’m down there. so press the big gray button and wait for me to respond. if i don’t after a minute, it means i’m in the middle of something important. there is a public gym a block away if mine is unavailable.

“if i don’t answer the coms, do not spam it. instead, just leave me alone because i could be handling something dangerous and need to concentrate. also, some of my projects could affect you if you are using the gym next door. it’s bad design on my part, i know.” She pursed her lips. “that being said, if the com system light is off, it means it is perfectly safe to go down without calling me. in those cases, the door will be unlocked by default.”

His tone shifted more seriously, “now, if there is an emergency, like a break in or the house is literally on fire, press the small red button below the gray one even if the light is on and you will be able to enter while the police are contacted. if you can’t get to it, there will be an app on the phone i’m giving you that will get you to the safe house instantly through a shortcut. however, if any issue in the safe house is detected, it will shortcut you to the next safest place, which may be next to me.

“if i’m down there during an emergency, i will stop what i’m doing to ensure you’re safe. in the case i am not there, go down the steps and take the door to the left. straight will lead you to the gym and right is the lab, so make sure you remember. never go into the lab under any circumstances unless i give you permission. that should not happen often, if at all. stay there and wait for me and the police to arrive, not just the police. got it?” She nodded vigorously.

He grinned. “good. i think you’ll do just fine.” He handed her a phone and then checked his phone. “well, this was perfectly timed. insert your sim card into that and you’ll be good to go. i have something i need to get to so i’m going to head to my room. there’s plenty to eat in the kitchen, though if you want something specific that isn’t there, please make a list and i’ll get to that later today. tomorrow, we will pick up your things from storage. with that, i’ll see you later.”

He saluted his goodbye and turned to walk to his room. He only stopped when she made a noise. He looked to her “need something?”

She bowed low as Red walked into the biggest bedroom. “I want to thank you for helping me. Please let me know if there’s anything I can do to assist you, as thanks for doing this.”

“you don’t have to do anything.”

“Please.” She insisted. “So that it doesn’t feel like I’m trading one sugar daddy for another.”

“oof.” Sans cringed. “i understand. well, if you ever feel like tidying up, you can.”

She stood up. “Okay, I can do that. But also, how about dinner? I can cook.”

Sans hummed. “okay, but not every night. we’ll trade off if you want. don’t feel like you need to do it either.”

She grinned. “Okay.”

“did max do the cooking, too?” He asked.

She froze. “No, I did.”

Clapping his hands together, Sans suggested, “then how about this? you take care of setting and cleaning the table and i’ll take care of cooking and washing the dishes. and,” he continued before she could interrupt, “you can take care of emptying the dishwasher.”

“What about doing the laundry?” She asked.

He grimaced. “yeah, no, you’re not touching my clothes. they usually reek of oil and various chemicals in addition to magic. they require a specific way to clean them and i don’t think your nose can handle the stench.”

She pouted. “I can handle it.”

He sighed. “we can talk about it more another time. for now, i’m going to be late for a video meeting. so now, i must bid you adieu.”

“Right. Have a good meeting.” Stars, she sounded like a wife wishing her husband a good day at work. Sans had to turn away to keep her from seeing his lovesick expression, hoping he wasn’t blushing too hard. He waved behind him as he entered his room. This might be harder than he thought.

The skeleton was too busy trying not to panic that he didn’t notice his new roommate giving off happy vibes from her Soul as she followed the puppy into the room next door to his.