Lights Like Stars (Sans x Reader)

28 - A Kind I've Never Seen

In which there is less morning and more coffee than usual.

You

It's light out when you wake up, and for a moment, you struggle to understand what's happening. The whole pre-dawn drama feels like a dream, hazy around the edges and bookended by sleep, but something deeper inside you insists that this is the second time you've woken today, and then adds that you should have been out of bed hours ago. As you move your head, a slow ache threatens to rise behind your eyeballs. You squeeze your eyes shut and take a moment to ease further into consciousness, becoming gradually aware of your body. It feels a bit... odd. As if you've had a fever and are still a little achy from it. You stretch carefully, so as not to manifest the threatened headache, and try to remember if you've been drinking.

The murmur of soft voices draws you from your bed, and you ease your way out of the ex-study and into the living room, each step bringing back another memory from your strange, anxious morning. That's right... I passed out. For no reason...? Or...

The voices are coming from the kitchen, Sans's low rumble the counterpoint to a gentle, melodic voice, a voice you know. Not well, but you do know it. No, that can't be right, she's a hundred miles away, there's no way she'd be here... And then Papyrus's voice blasts out with its characteristic volume, "BUT YOUR MAJESTY, SHE DID NOT DO ANY HUMAN MAGIC AND I KNOW BECAUSE I WAS THERE AND I SAW HER NOT DOING IT!"

You poke your head curiously around the door and, yes, against all common sense, Toriel, queen of the monsters, is sitting at your kitchen table, the largest coffee mug in the house almost swallowed up in her great white paws.

"YOU DID NOT DO ANY HUMAN MAGIC!" Papyrus shouts at you matter-of-factly as you take the last chair. You rub your temple absently: that headache is still prodding at the edge of your awareness, looking for a way into your life.

"Human magic?" you ask, and turn to Toriel. "Your majesty?" You look at Sans. "Explain?"

Sans snickers briefly, and then his expression softens. His hand twitches from its place on the table and then settles again, as if it wanted to reach for you but changed its mind almost at once. "how're you feeling, checkers? you doin' okay?" He's in a t-shirt and pajama pants, and looks somehow incomplete without his hoodie. It takes you a moment to remember the soft blue jacket's been ruined. You feel a sharp and completely ridiculous pang of loss.

"I guess?" You're really not sure how to answer his question. "I almost have a headache. Why's Toriel here?" You turn again to the queen. "I thought you were at the Embassy."

"I was, my child," Toriel responds with a small smile. "Sans picked me up. I will return to my duties once we've unraveled this..." She hesitates, and then finishes, "occurrence." She was going to say "mystery." You're sure of it.

"tori's a scholar of magic," Sans explains. His customary smile is a little tense, and you can feel the worry radiating off him. You can't help but be a little afraid yourself, anxiety creeping gradually in, a response to the strange circumstances. Your friend continues, "she's also one of the few monsters alive who've seen human magic in action. whatever happened this morning, she's our best bet if we wanna figure it out."

"Oh. Okay." You scrutinize Sans, and then ask, "Are you okay? You look okay. Are you okay? Is there coffee?"

Sans chuckles, and his smile relaxes somewhat. "i'm fine. there's coffee. stay there, i'll get you some." He pushes himself away from the table and ambles to the counter. You catch Toriel watching him with an expression of surprise that transforms into one of thoughtfulness.