What's Determination?

Chapter 10 - More Bonding~

Gaster began to stare at you with intense interest. Azzy harbored stars instead of pupils. On the other hand, Sans shifted with a slight tension that never seemed to dissipate. Papyrus proudly strolled in, gave you a plate of spaghetti, and sat down next to his brother on the couch. You felt as if you were misplaced in the room. You were leaning against the sofa on the floor with Gaster staring at you with a look you couldn't decipher. Not in a bad way, just uncomfortably to say the least. His pinpricks then shifted to the boys. 

"Now since I told you what happened to me, would you mind telling me what happened in my absence? Starting with Princess Vex..." The tension in the air was noticeable. It began to eat at you. You didn't know Vex, so why did you feel like curling up in a corner?

"She Gave Up Her Soul For The Rest Of The Underground. Everyone Left While We Stayed Here." His words trickled out slowly as he glanced at the floor, then at Gaster with discomfort. He shifted and continued his explanation. "We Stayed To Help Others Move, But After A Few Weeks The Barrier Came Back." 

"And (Y/N) here fell down shortly after. But the barrier isn't why I brought ya back. The Core finally failed." Gaster, once again, had a look you couldn't decipher. He blinked and you looked to the side to avoid eye contact. However, the entire time you were around Gaster, he was formal, polite, and courteous. Odd considering Azzy, but you didn't mind. 

After talking, everyone agreed to break the barrier. It made your feet hurt just thinking about the trip back to the True Lab, so it was decided that a break was an order. You wanted to sit in the snow. As you walked through the snow, it crunched under the old pair of boots Paps gave you. A bright red pair of knee boots that felt comfortably warm. Sans gave you an old cyan coat with grey fur trim on the hood, around the bottom, and the wrists along with a pair of white mittins. You stopped and looked up at the cavern ceiling with deep fondness. The snow lightly fell onto your face. It felt nice despite the freezing temperature. You heard footsteps behind you and you turned to see Sans with his usual green coat and lazy grin. Something added to it that you couldn't put your finger on. Maybe it was brighter? 

He chuckled lightheartedly as he glanced your way. "Ya like the snow, don'tch ya?" You nod with a smile as you take a deep breath of the frigid air. He chuckled with a dark twist laced in. "I really hope so (N/N)." You glanced at him only to be yanked back with coldness going down your back, freezing you in place with nothing to do but shiver aggressively. You began to shake the snow out of the hood and flap the bottom to get the remainder out. The snow dropped out, but it left the coat wet. Sans was hunched over laughing, then he stood whipping a non-existing tear. "Come on. Anyone would see that from a mile away." He laughed a bit more, but you took this opportunity to throw a handful of snow back at the mocking skeleton. He whined harshly as the snow went through his sockets. He shivered and tried to get the snow out of his head. You tried to stifle your giggle and failed. 

Eventually, you two had a snowball fight. Papyrus and Asriel came out to join. You and Azzy were winning, but Sans had made a quick and smart choice. You saw a snowball flying towards you but didn't have enough time to dodge. Azzy jumped into its path and blocked it. He went limp and looked dead with his eyes wide open. To play along, you crouched down and shook the goat lightly only to get no response. As Sans and Papyrus got closer, you secretly made two snowballs. You threw them both, but Sans teleported and Paps blocked it with a bone attack. Sans threw another ball. Once again, you couldn't dodge in time when it hit your arm. You faked the injury but did a good job. 

Papyrus threw snow at your leg. You immediately fell to the ground and went stiff when a snowball hit your back. The skeleton brothers laughed and cheered about their victory. Azzy and you picked yourselves up and dusted the snow off, laughing along with them. Despite being a bit cold, you felt warm. You never wanted this to end. It felt so nice to be doing this and having fun. Now it was time to go back inside. 

"It's chilly out there," Azzy had said when everyone was back in the warm house. Sans chuckled and smiled bigger than normal. "Ya, chill to the 'bone'." He held up his hands and shrugged with half-open sockets. You giggled under your breath as Papyrus glared daggers at his brother. Sans liked the reaction from you and smiled. "But 'tabia' honest, I didn't think it wouldn't snow. I thought it was going to snow a 'femur' inches." You giggled out loud as Papyris groanedin annoyance. 

Azzy rolled his eyes playfully. "When did you become a pun master again?" Sans sat on the worn-down sofa by the window. "What do ya mean? I like bein 'pun'ny." You giggled again as you sat next to him. Papyrus stomped his foot like a child having a fit. "(Y/N) You Better Not Make Puns Like My Lazy Brother!" You held back a giggle as you told your pun. "Well 'tibia' hinest, puns are quite 'humerus'." Sans snorted as he tried to hold his laughter. Papyrus stomped to his room in disbelief. Sans had already turned you into a punster. 

"I think I liked you better when you didn't make terrible puns." He said in a stressed manner when he threw his head back. Sans had recovered from his laughing fit. "You're no 'pun'." Azzy gave Sans a death glare as the short skeleton and you started wheezing with laughter. You couldn't breathe. You feel and land on Sans's side as you try to regain your breath. Once you did, you realized Azzy was gone as well. You figured he might have joined Papyris upstairs. You wipe your face of tears while Sans learns more about you. "I didn't think anybody liked cheap puns anymore." You nodded enthusiastically.  "I love any joke." You answer in a whisper. He hummed and looked down at the carpet. A long pause made the air around you awkward. You didn't know how to start and keep a conversation going. Thankfully, Sans broke the feeling. "It's been a while since I've told a pun. Vex loved them, but when she gave her soul I stopped. It felt weird to not hear her laugh..." You frowned and looked down at your hands. You wanted to know what the plan was, but you didn't want to come off as uncaring to the subject. In your favor, Sans began to explain the next step. 

"So on another note, Gaster has a machine that might be able ta help. He's gonna get it running and see if it'll work." You nod and look around. 

"So in the meantime, we wait?"

"Yep!"

. . .

"What do we do then?" This is sufocating.

The front door opened to Gaster covered in snow. "We might want to get going now. The snow is getting worse." Thank goodness! Something that allowed you to breathe again. You got up to find Papyrus and Azzy playing a board game. You told them what was happening and they followed you. You had to accept it. You were starting the long trip much earlier than what you wanted.