I'm not one of you <Frans>

CHAPTER 55: The Partial Truth

Time: Unknown
Location: Waterfall
Different thoughts crowded my mind as I turned to the water with mixed feelings. Did I actually enjoy his company? I was afraid to get attached. His words constantly echoed in my head. 'Did you like my pretending?'

"I was just surprised." I said, turning around. "I never expected that your entire body was a skeleton that matched so closely with the human skeletal form. Just more... proportionate. As if your bones were the skin needed to make you look normal." I said, getting on my knees and placing Sans' T-shirt in the water.

I scrubbed at it for a while, and the coldness of the water made it quite difficult to get the dried blood off of the fabric, but I eventually got it back to It's regular gray tone. With only mild stains that would only be removed with bleach, which I did not carry around in the back of my pocket. "There!" I said, huffing in satisfaction.

"You finally finished?" Sans called from his sitting position. "Took you long enough!" He chuckled as I brought the wet T-Shirt over to him and threatened to throw it in his face at that comment.

"Says the one who didn't do anything!" I said, sitting down at the ground next to him, huffing in frustration. It seemed like that was the only thing I ever did anymore, was growl and huff. Though it was nice to joke around with someone like I did with Chara after everything. It was nice to have a friend to just mess around with. But could I really call him a friend? "Talk about lazy!" I said, crossing my arms and held up the T-Shirt as a threat.

"Throw that. See what happens." He growled, which made me turn around swiftly and kindly hand him the shirt in fear. Though it was more of a playful kind of thing, I wasn't necessarily NOT afraid of him, but in the moment, I don't think that he would threaten my life over something like throwing a wet T-Shirt at him. Or maybe he would. He was very unpredictable and I hated it. "Thanks." He said cheekily, as if he were gloating by the fact that I didn't have any means of 'threatening' him.

I was almost relieved by the fact that he was starting to get a lot better. After the fight, I thought that he would stay insane due to all of that magic and insanity flooding his thoughts and his brain. I was surprised it didn't damage him further. If anything, he's been so much better after the Camp ordeal, and I didn't understand why. "I have a question.." I said, getting slightly serious. Thankfully, Sans took my tone of voice into measure and looked at me with curiosity, rather than making a joke about it. "Why did you Save me back there?" I asked. "I don't understand.. Just a few moments before that you were trying to kill me.." I said, twiddling my thumbs, hoping that I wouldn't regret my question.

Sans sighed, sitting up fully to face me. He set the wet T-Shirt over to the side to let it dry and faced me. He took out his hands, as if he were trying to explain, but couldn't. He couldn't make out the words needed to describe it. "I... don't know, honestly." He said, sighing. "If I were to be honest, I wish I could describe it, so I could crush it." He said, flexing his fingers into a fist, as if we were crushing something imaginary.

"What do you mean?" I asked, sheer curiosity covered me, and I tilted my head to show the thought more.

"I mean, I don't understand!" He said, talking with his hands. It was the most expressive I've ever seen Sans, emotionally, of course. "I don't understand why I feel this way!" He said. "I have this WANT to keep you alive! It's like my head wouldn't allow me to let you disappear because something bad will happen to my emotions." He said, surprising me slightly. "I haven't had these emotions in an incredibly long time. I just..." He chuckled, "I want them to go away." He chuckled, looking at me for it it seemed like the first time since that small rant. "I keep trying to tell myself that I don't feel these things, but nothing is working and I can't understand!"

I huffed in astonishment, and held a look of curiosity again as thoughts and questions swarmed around my head like a beehive. "What's that look for?" Sans said, huffing and looking away.

"You..." I trailed off, letting out a small huff of laughter in amusement of the situation. "You enjoy being around me?" I grinned, asking him as if he needed to confirm it for me. "Am I correct?" I grinned even more.

"What?!" He said, "No!" He turned away, rubbing his cheek bones with the knuckle of his skeletal finger. "I mean.." He said, propping his knee up to place his arm on it. He continued to look away from me. "Screw it. Just forget it." He said, shaking his head.

I only smiled, laughing slightly, nudging him with my shoulder, "It's okay. I won't deny enjoying these moments together. They're rather fun and entertaining." I said, smiling widely, and causing him to look at me in surprise. It was then I noticed a faint dusting of purple around his cheeks, it was so faint, I almost didn't detect it. What was it? Had it always been there?

He huffed, and the purple died out, as he closed his eyes, as if making it go away on command. "There's a ring around your eye, by the way." He said, pointing to his right eye, referencing my own. I quickly brought my fingertips to my cheek where my eye had gotten slightly cold, and I gasped loudly, noticing the pink ink on my fingertips.

"Sans!" I yelled, gasping aloud as he chuckled in amusement. "Oh my god!" I exclaimed. "Was this the reason why the telescope was PINK?!" I yelled, my jaw hanging low in surprise and frustration, playful, again, of course. "I'm too tired for this!" I complained

Sans chuckled again, "You sound like me on a daily basis." He chuckled, letting out more laughter. "Lazy." He said.

"I think I'm going to lay down for a while." I said, shaking my head and grinning. "Wake me up when you're ready to leave, okay?" I frowned. "And don't..." I yawned, "Don't leave me here." I said. The fatigue from the hunger quickly drained my energy and I wasn't sure when the next time I would successfully wake up was. And it almost scared me.