Undertale-related Stuff

San's Promise - a short story

A/N: So, I saw the picture above here on DeviantArt by FighterAmy. This got my on a weird train of thought, and it, combined with another story I read (but can't remember the name to), became the inspiration for a very sad - but also kinda cute and fluffy - story. It may be a bit on the dramatic side, to be honest, but I hope you guys like it nonetheless.

Frisk woke in the middle of the night to the sound of her phone ringing. She sat up and pressed the answer button without even looking at the screen.

"Hello? Is this Frisk? My name is Officer Walker," the voice on the other end spoke.

"Y-yes," Frisk replied hesitantly.

"Thank goodness!" The officer exclaimed.

"H-how did you get this number?" Frisk asked uncertainly.

"Hmm? That doesn't matter. Are you alright? Where are you?" The officer questioned.

"Where did you get this number?" Frisk asked again through gritted teeth, her voice suddenly cold.

"Oh? I got an anonymous tip," the officer revealed. "Now, where are you? Are you hurt?" Frisk fell silent. "Look, kid... I can't help you if you don't help me." She stayed silent. "I-I have some news. Your parents... well, they were killed last night during a fatal car crash. Kid, I'm sorry, but we're worried about you and - " She hung up.

Frisk's phone rang again, but she ignored it. Instead, she stared at the wall across the room sadly. Her door creaked open, and she looked over to see Papyrus.

"HUMAN," Papyrus greeted her. "IT'S THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. WHAT'S WRONG?" Frisk looked down into her lap, avoiding his eyes and his question. "NO ONE CAN RESIST THE GREAT PAPYRUS'S HUG!" He pulled her into a tight embrace. "TELL ME WHAT IS WRONG, HUMAN." She buried her face in his soft scarf.

"ugh, papyrus, why are being so lou-?" Sans looked in from the hallway and his voice trailed off. The phone rang once again. Frisk picked it up and threw it against the wall in a sudden fit of anger as the tears began to stream down her face. The ringing stopped, and she didn't care what condition it was in. Papyrus's scarf muffled her scream of grief. Sans sat down on the bed behind her and joined the hug. Eventually, she cried herself to sleep.

~

When Frisk woke in the morning, she was huddled under her blankets and her face was streaked with dried tears. She could hear muffled conversation downstairs. She wiped her face quickly, even as last night's events flashed through her mind. She pushed herself out of bed, despite how much she simply wanted to sleep forever. She waked downstairs quietly and found the source of sound in the kitchen. Alphys and Sans were talking softly. Alphys was tinkering with Frisk's broken phone.

"Child!" Toriel greeted her, instantly wrapping her furry arms around the small child. Frisk hugged her back, but she refused to cry again and pulled away. "Take this, child," Toriel urged, holding out a piece of butterscotch-cinnamon pie. She took the pie with a small, thankful smile. Even the smell of the pie was comforting.

"I f-fixed it!" Alphys announced. She looked towards Frisk. "O-oh... uh, h-here," she stammered as she handed Frisk her phone. She nodded in acknowledgement.

"BREAKFAST IS SPAGHETTI!" Papyrus announced. "I HOPE YOU'RE READY, HUMAN." Frisk smiled slightly at him, appreciating the effort to alleviate her dark mood.

"kiddo... can i talk to for a minute?" Sans asked seriously. She followed him into the next room for some privacy. "what happened?" He asked with worry clear in his voice. She didn't answer. She stared at the ground. "i-i'll cheer you up, then," Sans said nervously. "you could call my jokes... sans-tastic!" She smiled to herself but didn't look at him. "um... hey, did you know that i got a ton of work done today? a skele-ton!"

"Heh..." Frisk sighed. "You're... punny..." She made a halfhearted effort.

Sans forced a grin and joked, "i know, my jokes are pretty humerus, right?"

"Yeah," Frisk answered. Her voice cracked with her barriers. She turned away, silent tears dripping from her chin to the ground.

"h-hey," Sans put a hand on her shoulder. "kiddo..." He sighed. Once again, he wrapped Frisk in a hug from behind. She leaned against him. "if you want to talk, i'm here. i may not have ears, but i can still listen." He turned her around and allowed her to bury her face in his jacket to simply cry. He soothingly stroked her hair.

"It-It's my fault..." Frisk sniffed. "My parents..." Sans stiffened at the mention of her parents. He wondered if she missed them.

"it'll be okay. i'm sure you didn't do anything wrong-" Sans tried to comfort her. Frisk's body stiffened, and she pushed him away.

"It is my fault!" Frisk sobbed. Sans reached for her, but she stumbled away and sprinted out of the front door. He stared after her in shock, one hand still outstretched.

"SANS? WHAT DID YOU DO?" Papyrus questioned. Sans shook his head. Without answering, he followed her at a rare speed.

Frisk wandered into a snowstorm. She struggled through the wind, but she refused to turn back. She didn't care that she was almost instantly lost. She need to get away; she needed to run, just like she had always done. She was a fighter; She couldn't fight the feelings threatening to overwhelm her. Eventually, she collapsed in the snow. The tears continued to flow, even as the cold made her cheeks sting.

"kiddo!" Sans called. The wind whipped away his words. He stumbled, close to collapsing, but he wasn't ready to give up. Frisk needed him. He tripped. For a minute, he laid in the snow, unable to move. "frisk... where are you?" He whispered as he pushed himself to his feet.

Frisk looked up as a shadow emerged from the storm. Sans panted heavily. He sat down next to her. Without letting her protest, he pulled her into his lap and wrapped her in his jacket. She stiffened in surprise. He didn't speak for many moments. She tried to relax slightly. He leaned back, closing his eyes.

"geez, kiddo, you're chilled to the bone..." Sans joked. He laughed halfheartedly. "heh..." His eyes opened. His kind gaze met Frisk's confusion and sadness. "are you okay?" She whimpered, snuggling closer to his warmth and shaking her head. He held her closer. He waited, watching the snowflakes swirl around them.

"M-my parents..." Frisk stammered. "They're gone... forever. I'll never see them again."

"oh, frisk," Sans sighed, stroking her hair once again. "i'm so sorry." He held her closer, clutching the material of her sweater in one tight fist.

"It's my fault," Frisk repeated, sniffing.

"wha-what do you mean?" Sans asked.

Frisk hesitated before answering, "I-I wasn't there. They... they were looking for me. If it hadn't been for me, then they would have been safe. If-" The sobs resumed. Sans looked at the child in his arms in shock.

"it's not your fault. i'll protect you," Sans declared. "i hate making promises, but i promise." Frisk looked up at Sans, her eyes filled with tears.

"Everyone get's hurt because of me," Frisk protested. "Please..."

"a-are you w-worried about m-me?" Sans asked carefully, stuttering almost as badly as Alphys.

"Yes," Frisk answered. "I don't want you to get hurt. I can deal with other monsters attacking me, but..."

"if anyone attacks you, they're going to have a bad time," Sans growled. His left eye began to glow blue. Frisk looked up at him and made a small sound of surprise in response to the fury on his face. He shook his head to calm himself. "Come on, kiddo. Let's get you home." He got to his feet, without releasing her, and started walking. She curled into a ball and soon fell asleep in his arms.

A/N: There may or may not be a sequel to this. I have some ideas brewing...