Daddy's a Serial Killer

Chapter 35 - Jack's Here

For the third time that night, Sans heard a door slam wide open. It startled him awake, causing Sans to jolt underneath the blankets as he heard the footsteps. Deep, pounding, footsteps. In a frantic hurry. For a moment, he thought he had spotted the overgrown vines of that damned greenhouse creeping across the ceiling. And he had thought, briefly, being rescued and going back home were all a dream. Then his thoughts settled, and he felt Jane shifting next to him as she sat up, flicking on a nearby lamp.

Sans was starting to understand what the others had meant about footsteps. Apparently, that was something CreepyPasta identified fast. Became used to. They had to judge people off on footsteps. Hiding around corners, out of sight, depending on the noise the person made alone to base their entire personality. Sans was starting to understand that, starting to memorize his friend's and lover's footsteps like the back of his hand.

And those were Laughing Jacks.

Sure enough, without any moment for thought, Laughing Jack was practically kicking down Sans' bedroom door. His claws left a long dragged scratch across the wood as he slammed it into the wall. As the doorknob cracked into the wall, Sans could hear the noise complaints from his neighbors in the back of his mind.

Then Laughing Jack was looking at him. And to Bean's crib, where she was crawling about in small circles. Then back to Sans.

Jane, next to him, cracked an eye open towards the duo before she rolled over and scooted.

"Jack -" Sans said, moving to crawl out of bed.

Laughing Jack teleported next to Sans in a flash. The skeleton barely had time to cough on the sudden smoke as his boyfriend embraced him. Out of the corner of his eye, Sans could see Bean getting picked up by Laughing Jack's free hand as the other held him close.

"I'll leave you guys alone," Jane mumbled sleepily, patting Sans' shoulder before she rolled out of bed entirely. She was gone in a flash, giving them room Laughing Jack seemed to need.

"Hey babe, it's okay, I'm here," Sans said. He ran a hand down the grey fabric his boyfriend was wearing to try and comfort him.

A sharp fist tugged at the back of his shirt. It was only when Sans realized how hunched Laughing Jack's shoulders were, and the slight hiccup that echoed through his body did it hit Sans.

He was crying.

"Oh shit, babe," Sans mumbled.

He let himself get dragged further into the bed, Laughing Jack holding onto Sans and Bean with everything he had. And that was likely true. In a way, Sans and Bean were all he had. So Sans let him stifle his cries into his shirt, tucking himself close to his lover while running a hand through his hair.

Laughing Jack didn't cry loudly or freely. He hunched himself against Sans as if trying to disappear into the skeleton entirely. His voice was quiet, and if Sans didn't feel the tears melting into his shirt, or didn't notice the slight jump of his shoulders every time Laughing Jack hiccuped with a breath, he wouldn't have known at all. But Sans knew Jack. So he let himself detail every little movement of his body, trailing across the back of his head with too more love and care than he could ever express out loud.

Sans really did love this man. It was still sometimes weird to think about. To know that he fell in love with the tall, angsty clown that saved his life once. But those thoughts of doubt couldn't hold a flame to the raw emotion he felt at that particular moment, holding Laughing Jack. It was weird. Probably wrong. Definitely wrong.

But he didn't care.

Bean gurgled happy syllables, glad her other Father was now present as she nuzzled up into him. After noticing that, Laughing Jack gave a long and soft chuckle, though it was strained and desperate.