By Any Other Name (Flowerfell Sans x Frisk)

Chapter 10 - A Promise Is A Promise

"Doubt thou the stars are fire. Doubt that the sun doth move. Doubt truth to be a liar, but never doubt I love."

- William Shakespeare

Frisk's POV: (First time for everything!)

I had never lived in a place that brought so much and so many emotions bubbling up from the depths of my soul, encompassing my body and surging me head first into the future. The emotion that overwhelmed me the most was that of affection, and as I watched the focus of that affection, I felt the warmth of it sink into the depths of my bones and spread across each and every flower that covered my skin. His smile was toothy and sharp, one golden tooth gleaming in the sunlight when he looked at me, but something was wrong that day. He was irritated and hostile, but when I went to him that morning to comfort him and cheer him up by tugging at his jacket, pretending like I was going to take it, he snapped at me, telling me not to touch it. I flinched and backed away from him with an apologetic smile as I gave a soft, "Sorry, Cherry..."

I then turned and left him alone to wallow in whatever was wrong, but my doubts were starting to sink back in. Maybe it had only been an obligation...all because of a single promise...that he made to Toriel. He seemed to be sinking back into old habits, old antics. MK had told me a bit about him while we were in class, after apologizing for what he did to me first. Before I came along, Sans was quiet but hostile whenever he spoke, silently scowling off to the side, especially after what happened between him and his ex-girlfriend, but he hadn't elaborated on what exactly happened, saying something about it being rude to talk to the present about the past. Whatever that meant...

I sighed and decided that it would probably be best if I got a head start on entertaining myself since I was probably going to be walking alone for the rest of my time here as I went in search of a book to read. I had been hopeful that Sans and I could have at least been friends...I liked him...a lot, but the feelings didn't seem to be mutual. My heart hurt as I came to terms with that, blinking away whatever tears welled up in my eyes as I grabbed a book and made my way to the back porch. I took a spot on the porch swing, a small smile curling the ends of my lips at the warmth of the sun peeking through the branches of the barren trees. It was still very cold, but I had always loved the crispness of the air in fall and winter. It felt so clean and weightless, unburdened by the heat and humidity of summer. Satisfied that I had found my spot for a while, I tucked myself into the corner of the swing with my back against a cold but soft pillow and my legs pulled up to be my book rest, settling in as I opened it up to begin a new unknown adventure.

I lost track of time, and for that, I was grateful, my mind freed to enjoy the book, but my stomach soon reminded me of how long I had been sitting there as it rumbled in need. I sat up with a stretch, marking my page in the book with a dead leaf as I gently placed it on the swing next to me and went in search of something to temporarily satisfy my hunger until dinner. As I entered the house, my heart ached as a familiar voice drifted to my ears, tempting me to stay and listen as I passed the playroom and caught a glimpse of him talking to Undyne and Alphys. Based on the tone of his voice, he didn't sound very happy in the least, but I wasn't one to eavesdrop, and he had made it very clear earlier that he didn't want to be bothered, or he didn't want me to bother him, at least. So I just continued on to the cafeteria with my head down, grabbing an apple from the basket sitting on the counter by the door (making her look even more like an asshole X3) before heading back to my own little world separated from my lonely reality, but I stopped the moment I stepped outside.

My book was gone.

"Lookin' for this?"

I turned to see Undyne standing on the other side of the porch with exactly what I was looking for in her hands. My lips turned down slightly as I stepped towards her and held my hand out, asking gently, "May I have my book back, please?" She grinned and tutted me as she replied, "Ah ah ah. You didn't say the magic words."