Years and years off...

Utter bullshit.

Sans had long since lost the strength to even sit straight within his chair, posture crumbling much like his will was. The thought that his parents could have simply forged this were lost when he saw some of the copies were from their original newspapers.

They were stupidly at an advantage above him. Again.

His phone thudded against the table, research only backing up the information he had just learned.

Asgore was bad enough. Sans understood the seven human children, it made sense. Monsters had to escape the barrier one way or another, no?

This was...

Sans couldn't put it into words. He found himself short of a reaction, instead returning to mull over the fine print once more.

Asgore had been responsible for so many more deaths then he had claimed.

So many laws for monsters that were punishable by death. A monster wasn't paying taxes? Executed. Beheaded on the spot. A woman ended up getting an abortion? Hung in the towns center.

Sans couldn't believe what he had saw, and continued on, only witnessing it continuously go downhill. More taxes were being used on castle maintenance, instead of when people were getting low paying jobs. The Royal Advisory had to push just to properly get more money to find and rescue lost children after the war, just so they wouldn't starve to death.

Sure, most of this happened years ago... but some of this was recent. Asgore had made an active choice to not provide housing for the escaped monsters, and instead pushed funds towards the Royal Guard. The Royal Guard that was already overfunded.

His head hurt.

By far, the worst part was seeing Toriel's part. The very woman he had called a best friend, the one who listened to him when no one else one. The woman behind the door.

The woman who had a man killed for kissing another man.

Just two years before being sent Underground.

Toriel was homophobic. Sure, some of the actions of the rulers could be excused a few hundred years before being sent Underground. It was the past, they were surrounded by bad beliefs. Sans could understand that.

But... it was so personal, and so close. It wasn't that long ago, by monster standards, and to think that she'd willingly run away just to save some children, but would purposefully send a man to death just for liking the same gender. If she were to find out Sans was gay, what would she say? Would she try to send him to his own death? What about Papyrus? She didn't know about him, either!

It was a burning desire, the flames of curiosity slowly rising within his soul. Asgore was bad enough, but Tori? Just how hypocritical was she?

No, she was his friend. Best friend, arguably. The Motherly figure in his life he never had. A pinch of fear returned, trailing up his spine as the sins of her previous ruling continued to build. There had to be an excuse, an explanation.

At least his parents gave him more answers than he had expected. Not for Toriel and Asgore, but for his parents as well. Their cult activities had long since expanded past what Sans expected, going for a few good hundred years. A large portion of time to perfect their craft. Sans didn't know when they had their first kill, but he knew the general time frame. Not perfect, but it was something.

No doubt to spark more of his curiosity, something his parents were stupidly good at. It was frustrating, how easily they were able to maneuver around Sans just by knowing the basics of his soul. They used his own sense of wonder against him, ensuring the trap of his own desires onto the underprepared skeleton.

How much of himself would Sans be willing to exchange for his answers? Was he willing to give up his own weaknesses just for a taste of satisfaction?

Then again...

Sans turned, slowly catching sight of his brother, who was taking notes of the previous nights success.

Maybe just one, singular weakness.

It always came back to Papyrus, didn't it? In a heartbeat Sans would drop his curiosity for his brother, much like he would give up any other form of happiness just to see the younger smile. Papyrus always was his world. And, in turn, his greatest weakness. In more ways than one.

The truth was so painfully obvious, presenting itself to Sans every waking moment. Before they met their parents, he could avoid his hazardous crush. Papyrus would find the right monster for him, and Sans could support him from the sidelines. It was avoidable, Sans could pretend it never existed. But now... if Papyrus left, Sans would be on his trail.

Right into their parents bloody embrace.

~~~~~~

"Ah, welcome back Toriel!"

Papyrus offered a curt smile as the teacher returned. She was slow in her movements, lacking any motivation to rush. The bag of paperwork was settled neatly on the side of the couch, folded out of view as she sat down. Sans didn't offer any greetings, caught within his own mind as he thought away. Ever since they met their parents, Sans had been doing that more than normal. Papyrus was getting worried. Sans always shut himself inside of his mind, and never let anyone in. Not even Papyrus.

Papyrus wished he could crack down his walls, finally be let in... but that would never happen.

Because in order to do that, Papyrus would have to equally lower down his own walls around his own soul. Admit to something he's been terrified to admit to for years. It wasn't fair if he forced himself to see what Sans was hiding without showing his own tainted truth.

"How was work?" Papyrus asked.

"Ah, interesting to say the least." Toriel craned her neck, rubbing her sore muscles. "Sans, are you alright? You look a bit off."

"No, I'm... I'm fine," Sans said, closing his folder. "What happened at work today?"

"Well, let's see," Toriel tapped her chin, "I'd say what really threw me for a loop was these two girls at recess. They were awfully close. Teenagers, from the middle school. I never taught them, but they were holding hands. It was..."

"Disgusting?"

As if the weight that had been hanging over Sans the entire time had finally crashed down before he could stop it. Sans' eye sockets sparkled with confusion and his inner turmoil, each word precise and firm.

"What?" Toriel asked.

"Are you homophobic?" Sans choked out, his fingers digging into the file as the broken walls of his soul flooded out more truths.

Where was this coming from? It was sudden, making Papyrus fall silent as he jerked his skull back and forth, just as lost as the former ruler of the monster population.

"He was an owl monster, Johnson, you had him killed. Like Asgore killed those children. Because he kissed another man."

Sans shakingly tore open the folder, a few stray papers scattering across the floor with his rough handling. Toriel's face paled at the mention of the name, and it only further resembled the few papers now on the floor as she witnessed what Sans had just been reading.

"Sans - How did you -"

Toriel went to grab the evidence, but Sans was quicker, flicking his wrist so it was out of reach. "So it's true?" He stuttered, "Isn't it?"

Papyrus found himself having gone mute, words silent. Why couldn't he react? What was going on?

"Sans, I don't... He was breaking the law, he was kissing another man, I... why are you acting out?" Toriel seemed confused herself.

"Toriel, I'm gay."

Only then did the house finally fall into utter silence.

"Sans -"

"What are you going to do? Execute me next?" Sans demanded, grabbing the folder and snapping it off the table. "I-I can't do this anymore"

"Wait -"

Sans didn't heed her words, running out of the front door without looking back. Leaving the two in utter silence.

~~~~~~

Sans didn't know where he was driving to.

Yesterday, he thought everything had finally been spilled out. Oh, how far off he was. It was such a small sliver of his anxieties, and he had faced another today.

Growing up without parents, finding acceptance for himself was... difficult. He never managed to confide within Papyrus, as his desired pinpointed onto him the first chance they got. Instead, Sans tried to bury them, admitting to so few that he found men more desirable than woman. No one ever knew.

Until now. Because Sans told them.

Oh, what would they think? What would Toriel say? Would she even be willing to live with someone like Sans? She was a concealed homophobic, wasn't she? Or was that in the past?

Toriel didn't let things go. Sans knew that. Only recently did she forgive Asgore, and that was with Frisk's input.

What was Papyrus going to say? He never knew either!

Sans couldn't stop his thoughts, nor did he try to. Slowly, he pulled onto the side of the road. Hanging low in the sky, the sun dimly sparkled across the surface of the lake, almost inviting Sans in to put an end to his cursed fate.

Instead, he ignored the whispers of the water and sat down on the slope, hugging his knees close to his chest as his phone buzzed with more and more messages. From Papyrus, no doubt. An urge to throw his phone into the lake happened across Sans, and he almost followed through, cocking his arm back with the ringing device in hand. However, he lowered it, the cost of the object rivaling his bank account.

What came over him? Sans usually always had his cool, but somehow he just... broke down. Everything just crashed into one accusation, had twisted itself into a coming out conversation. Sans didn't intend that. He never meant to ask about her past, about the things he found in the folder. Yet, he did, because -

Because Gaster and Jandle got into his head. They gave him the folder, the evidence. They wanted to stain Asgore and Toriel's names.

Which hurt more because they weren't using lies, they had given Sans the truth. Did that mean him and Toriel's friendship was never meant to last? They didn't plant anything, they didn't weave any tales, Toriel admitted to it. So everything else in the file was true.

Sans barely looked up when he heard the car park behind his, nor did he bother to turn when he heard the door shut.

"You shouldn't be driving recklessly, Starlight."

For the first time in their meetings, Sans didn't flinch away when his Father approached, and he didn't react surprised. The world hated him this much, didn't it? Instead, Sans lazily drew his knees against his chest tighter, staring across the lake with lidded eye sockets.

"Just... go away, please," Sans mumbled, "I wanna be alone."

Gaster didn't reply, sitting down next to Sans while watching the lake shimmer under the warm sun.

"I said I wanted to be alone."

"Do you really want to?"

This time, Sans was the one who fell short in his response. Gaster chuckled, finally glancing over at his eldest child.

"How'd you find me?" Sans asked.

"I was on my way home from the store when I saw your car driving. I saw you looked upset so I decided to follow you," Gaster explained, "It wasn't the tracker. You noticed, didn't you? I saw you deleted it. I would have removed it from my phone if you had asked."

Sans tilted his head forward. The conversation fell flat yet again.

"What happened?"

What happened was that he was about to lose the closest thing he's ever had to a Mother. And...

Oh no. His house. Was Toriel even going to be willing to share a house with him? He and Papyrus were going to be kicked out onto the street, he'd lose a close friend, they'd have to -

As if Sans hadn't broken down enough that week, the weight of the stress he's been carrying broke. A hiccup erupted from his mouth, then another.

His crying wasn't pretty, Breathes were ragged, cut, short bursts of air followed by fat globs of his tears rolling down his cheeks. Regret burned through his bones as he wrapped his skull with his arms, trying to quench the tears before they could depart.

Gaster was upon Sans in a moment, engulfing his son into a tight hug. He pulled Sans flush against his chest, quietly rocking himself back and forth to sooth Sans.

They remained like that for awhile, as Sans cried out everything he had within his soul. Years of confining his true self, his true fears, true desires, finally broke him down into a pitiful mess of tears and sobs. Gaster continued to hold him throughout the episode, running a hand down his skull like he was the most innocent thing in the world.

~~~~~~

The moon, standing strong in the sky otherwise filled with stars and a black void, lightly filled the bare lake with a soft hue, spreading across like a blanket of night to drape across the water. Soft, almost silent breaths that shared similar uptakes of a whimper flowed out of Sans without any restraint. He was relaxed, finally, his arms tucked against his chest and his legs propped up. He had long since fallen asleep, another victim taken by the natural need for rest.

'Sans won't be coming back tonight. He's going to be staying at our home, we'll make sure he returns tomorrow morning safe and sound - Gaster'

'I hope you have sweet dreams Papyrus. I love you, goodnight Sundrop - Gaster'

An unexpected turn of events, Gaster would admit, but events were always unexpected. Monsters were naturally surprising creatures, it was only when you controlled them that they could become predictable. When you have a say over someone's actions, you could very easily know what they would do next.

He wrapped one arm carefully under Sans' torso, his other following under Sans' knees before he lifted gently. Sans had almost no weight due to his short height, causing his light skull to tilt against Gaster's chest. The man chuckled. Adorable. His boys were so precious and innocent, they needed to be protected.

Gaster set down Sans into the passenger seat of his own car, fishing through his pocket before he happened upon his keys. When he found what he was looking for, Gaster lifted them up as a warning before tossing them to one of his dear brothers, the man stepping inside of Sans' own car to trail behind Gaster.

Leaning down, the old scientist took one last look at Sans, swiping a finger across his face to collect the leftover moisture of his fallen tears. He'd find them, Gaster swore. He'd find who made his Starlight cry like this.

And they wouldn't have mercy.