Where's the Punchline? (Underfell AU | Sans x Reader)

Chapter Two | Bubbly

          "Are you sure you're okay to go out?" Sans asks, glancing at the woman. "You don't need to do this."

          "It's okay. I'm…" She's been avoiding his irises since passing the gates, and now that she's standing in front of her car, it takes her longer than it would be normal and expected for someone to search for their keys and unlock the door. Not only does she have a difficult time retrieving them from her purse, but she also drops them right after finding them. Everything she's done so far confirms her comment about her being scared of him as true, as she doesn't bother asking him for help, and when he picks up the keys from the ground, she has just as much of a hard moment taking them from his hand without hesitating, and thanking him without her voice turning quiet. The glossiness of her eyes fades as she blinks a few times, her rigid posture disappears with a huff, and her voice returns when she clears her throat. "I'm... conditioned to feel like this," she says, eyebrows furrowing despite her smile. "But my offer still goes. I want to go out for lunch with you." She inserts the key and turns it around, though she doesn't open the car yet. "Ever since we were told monster children would study in our school, I've been given these… sessions of sorts, where I'm reminded not to be too, um, familiar with them." The door opens and reveals an interior as neat as her office. A strong whiff of vanilla and cinnamon hits his nose cavity, and he traces that scent to the small aroma diffuser clinging to one of the air conditioner vents.

          "What kinda sessions?"

          "Like therapy, but the opposite, I guess?" Her gaze finally meets his own, although it doesn't seem to help her that she's barely as tall as Frisk. "I just... know I can't look at you without feeling on edge, as if I can't rest if I'm near you."

          Sans offers to drive in her place and shows her his license at the first sign of doubt he catches from her. He receives approval after a few seconds of scrutiny and steps into the driver's seat only when she's settled herself down by the front passenger side. Succeeding with that is only the initial step towards reaching whatever level of familiarity he needs to get her to warm up, and maybe from then on he could suck up to her to make her forget his attitude from earlier and reconsider the idea of sending him off to a social worker. That's what he tells himself, though he can't deny he also doesn't want to see her sad. He's bad at dealing with sad people, and he'd do better to prevent her from being one of them. Whatever she'd been conditioned to feel, it was best not to pry any further. This was, frankly, none of his business, and he could risk her actually opening up for real and getting too emotional with him.

          "I know I have to fix that, if I want to be a good teacher, but those sessions were made legal shortly after it was revealed that Frisk had a... difficult journey, going through the Underground." Her chest falls as she sighs. "They are supposed to make us more aware of monsters. More cautious and suspicious of them, overall. Yet, in truth…" She makes full eye contact with him now, causing him to tense his hand over the wheel. "They have only made me afraid. I can't look at you without feeling as if you'll…"

          The teacher glances elsewhere and clutches her seatbelt.

          The skeleton laughs it out and preps the car.

          "What?" he asks, grinning. "Think I'm gonna eat ya? Sneak into your place and pull off your sheets at night?" She faces towards him again, her lips a straight line. "Crawl under your bed and spook ya when you least expect it? Hide in your closet and pop out when you're not looking? Chase you upstairs when ya turn off the-"