You Are My Sunshine (Undertale)

Waterfalls and Echoflowers

Snowdinn was behind them and the kaleidoscope of fog was so thick Frisk was having trouble seeing. Sans squeezed their hand comfortingly, and it filled them with a rush of determination. Frisk stopped, fumbling with the zipper on Sans's jacket as they attempted to get warm. It was incredibly cold and the fact they were wearing shorts wasn't helpful. They pulled the hood up over their head as a gust of wind suddenly past, and Sans's hand was jerked violently from their own in the confusion. 

The wind was whipping wildly, tossing Frisk back and forth as they stumbled in the gray haze. They were going to yell out, but every time they tried the wind swallowed up their voice, so nothing but a squeak was heard. They did their best to stand still, though it was nearly impossible with the violent winds. The only consolation they had was that Sans would find them. Sans would find them, right? A low, traitorous sob broke past their throat before they could stop it. They continued to tumble through the kaleidoscopic fog, unable to hold their ground or keep from being tossed around like a rag doll. Every bone in their body hurt from being slammed into the snow and carried back into the air, only to repeat the process.

Though, it wasn't all bad. For one glorious moment the wind caught them, taking them over the fog and giving them the loveliest view of the underground, all the way to the home of the king. For one seemingly endless moment, there was only beauty and grace and the feeling as though they were flying.

And then, they came crashing down.

The scream was impossible to hold back, ripping from their chest and echoing as they went hurdling violently back towards Earth. Frisk knew, in some small portion of their mind, that they'd simply reset back to the Inn, but a larger part was screaming how badly this reset would hurt. Frisk pinwheeled, kicking their legs wildly in an attempt to slow their fall. Realizing it was fruitless, they closed their eyes, bracing for an incredible amount of pain.

"Hey sunshine, looks like you're falling all over me." Sans's voice was suddenly there, warm in Frisk's ear.

All at once they weren't falling but gliding gently back down to the ground. Opening their eyes, Frisk noticed only that they were surrounded in a blue halo of magic. It swirled over their skin and tangled their hair, wrapping around their body like a cocoon. Looking up, they met Sans's eyes with a sheepish smile. His good eye was electric blue, the other hauntingly empty and swirling with magic. He too was wrapped in the cocoon of magic, though it swirled over his bones and wrapped around his arms and legs. It seemed to be emanating from his chest, where it glowed the brightest and pulsed like a heartbeat.

They touched down, softly, and Sans righted Frisk before setting them down. The swirling mess of fog was behind them now and Sans slipped his hand into Frisk's, holding tightly.

"Don't let go of my hand, okay sunshine? I don't like the idea of you getting lost." He smiled, the magic fading from his skin like sand.

Frisk nodded, pulling him along the path in their excitement to get home.

'Thank you.'

"Anytime, sunshine."

For a while, Frisk felt fine.

The ache started in their temples, just a soft, dull throb. It was easy to ignore, really, just a small thump, thump, thump that, if Frisk tried hard enough, they could ignore. And they did, they simply ignored it, holding tightly to Sans's hand and dreading their next fight. Sure, Sans was strong and obviously powerful, but he couldn't fight all of their battles for them.

"Let's rest here, okay?" Sans finally said, about an hour after they left Snowdinn.

Frisk dropped immediately, trying to catch their breath as they rested. They were in a cavernous hallway,  intermittently lit with the glow from large, blue flowers that seemed to sprout in small clusters every few hundred yards. Frisk touched the stem of the nearest one, jumping slightly when the flower pulsed under her fingertips.

'What are they?'

"Echo flowers. They remember the last thing they hear and repeat it back to you." Sans laughed, softly.

'That's beautiful.' 

Sans looked at Frisk out of the corner of his eye and smirked. The flowers weren't the only beautiful thing in this tunnel.