The weather is clear the second time you travel to the town hall, not a single grey cloud present in the sky. You unbuckle your seatbelt, step out of the car, and say goodbye to Undyne, though you pause on that last action when she warns you about your safety. She reminds you that she would be back after an hour to check up on you, saying -- and you quote -- that she would come over and kick butt if you were in any sort of trouble.
You’re escorted into the mayor’s office by the same policewoman as before, her hopeful grin and kind words being the one push you needed to gain courage for facing what remained ahead. Bracing yourself, you pass through the doors and are welcomed by an environment colder than normal, though the sound of the air conditioner is nowhere near. Without that many options in hand, you choose to dismiss the uneasiness the silence and cold brought over you and conform with looking around the room as a distraction. The thick curtains are pulled back this time, revealing the sun and the few buildings and homes found close to the town hall. Regardless, the stuffy, confining feeling of the office doesn’t lessen, the sight of sunrays passing through the windows appearing to be a mere illusion. You couldn’t feel their warmth, no matter how long you exposed your hand to the sun shining over the desk.
“Take a seat, (miss/mister) (L/N),” the mayor’s voice speaks, the finality to that sentence making it a command rather than a simple act of hospitality. You stop looking at the sun shining on your skin and pull your hand away from the desk, eyes looking towards the door the mayor had come out of the first time. It’s barely possible for you to keep a neutral expression when your eyes meet his. The warmth -- however fake -- he radiated at the beginning of your first meeting wasn’t present any longer, blank eyes and straight lips making you feel smaller than him. His clothes are far more polished and his tone is empty of empathy. “I believe you’re here for your partner’s freedom, correct?”
You freeze in place. That feels like a trick question to you, and you’re not certain which way’s best to respond. “. . .Yes, sir. Did I misinterpret what you wrote in your letter?”
“Of course not,” he replies, a grin forming on his face. You have to hold back a shiver with how uneasy that change makes you feel. “Do you really think that lowly of me, (L/N)?” That I would go as far as to trick you?”
“N- No, sir,” you intervene, fumbling over your words. “I just found it strange you came to that decision. We. . . didn’t really end on the best note back on our first meeting.”
“It would be unfair and biased of me to base a decision on those emotions rather than on the gravity of the situation. Are you insinuating those things of me, too?”
Your chest feels tight, mind unable to cope quickly enough to his seemingly restless string of taunts. You can’t think of any words to say without them being put under the same scrutiny.
“Very well,” he comments, suppressing a laugh. “I can’t change how you think of me, so let us move on, shall we? I have all the documents necessary for Sans’s freedom in my possession, but I will need to have a quick word with you before I hand them over.”
He retreats from the door and walks towards his desk, where he takes a seat. His eyes break away from you to center on the papers in front of him, giving you time to compose yourself before he spoke again. Anxious, you gulp as your eyes then trail down to his shoes while you wait for him to finish, hearing something shuffle underneath his desk. You don’t see anything out of the ordinary when you look down, but the sound returns when you stare up at him again, the same scenario repeating itself a second time, right before you choose to give up and dismiss at as being paranoid.
“Here we are,” he speaks up, bringing you back to Earth. You stare at his desk to see a thin, yellow document under his palms -- similar to the one the judge had given you after you won the trail, but with Sans’s basic information on it. The mayor harrumphs, shifts in his seat, and pushes the document closer to you. “Whether you answer strong or weakly to my question doesn’t matter, but I still require you give a response before I give these papers to you.” He waits for your approval, to which you respond to by nodding, letting him know you awaited his interrogation. “Are you ready for what’s ahead, (L/N)? I’m sure you’re more than aware by now that it won’t be easy. What you’re doing now -- taking the monsters’ side -- it isn’t seen kindly by many. Jessie saw you as a traitor for a reason.”
Deja vu strikes when the chair underneath you shrieks right as you stand up, speediness making it tumble and almost causing it to fall over. Anger and alarm spike at the simple mention of that name, and you can’t contain your expression when you look towards the mayor again. The calm, unperturbed look on his face shows that’s the exact reaction he hoped to get out of you.
“Don’t worry, mayor,” you speak, tone dry with vexation. “I already know what I’m getting myself into.” The sight of him handing you the document is the only thing to bring some sense of calm over you. Your hand reaches out for it with caution, ready for him to pull back at any moment.
“Alright. I await nothing but good news from you, then.”
★
"So how's it going with you and Alphys?” you ask, bringing a spoonful of rice to your mouth. You're sitting across from Undyne, the Cuban restaurant Solana had recommended bustling with all sorts of people and food. You wanted to treat the fish lady to dinner as a way to thank her for her company, and for giving you a ride while your car went to repairs. "You look pretty close."
"Do we?" Undyne asks, chuckling. "I don't really know how to work with our relationship now that we’re dating, but I've been trying to be bolder."
"I'd say you are," you assure her, smiling. “You were the one who kissed her first, after all.”
A tiny blush spreads on her cheeks when you make that remark, eye looking down at her plate of food. Her bashful nature only lasts for so long, returning when she takes another bite off her empanada. Back to her strong character, she takes a swig from her drink and grins at you when she’s done, a hopeful look on her face. "What about you, (Y/N)? Why did you keep your crush a secret?” Her grin widens at the sides when you shrink back, the confidence you found when making her blush dissipating with your courage. “It wasn't till I saw Sans get all goofy and defensive whenever I teased him about you that I realized who it was."
"Well. . .” You're at a loss for words. You didn't think she would still remember the time you helped her with her dating dilemma, nor of the things Solana had said about you being attracted to someone as a way to make up for mentioning you were a recent divorcee. "Uh. . . You know how Jessie's my ex, right?" The woman nods once, allowing you to continue. "It was only a year since our divorce happened when you asked me for some relationship advice. I thought it would look real bad if I said the truth."
"So you lied to me?” she questions, raising her voice. “And here I thought we were pals since the beginning."
Your eyes grow when she asks that, her tone gruff and annoyed. When you look up at her, however, you can see she's smiling at you, unpatched eye and intact smile giving out her mischief. "It was a white lie, alright?" you tease, grinning. "I already liked him by that time."
The conversation falls into comfortable silence as you both continue eating, enjoying each other’s company without having to exchange any more words. You feel calmer now with the documents in your possession and Undyne's presence, the calid atmosphere of the restaurant adding levels to your calm. In between the cheery music playing in the background and the few drops of rain hitting the roof of the building, you can hear your and Undyne's cell phone buzz, most likely notifications asking how things had turned out. You're stirred at the thought of meeting with Sans tomorrow, the reminder you had seen him in person only once since the past two months intensifying that feeling. Not even the approaching rainfall or the eerie words of the mayor were enough to tamper with that joy.
YOU ARE READING
Save Point (Sans x Reader)
Fanfiction(Sans × Gender-Neutral! Parent! Reader || Slow Burn) Moving from a backwater town to a city bustling with human and monsterfolk alike, some things begin to change both for the better and the worse. What was left behind comes back to bite at you in t...
