By the time Sans had awoke it was still dark, and surprisingly warm. Around him, the sound of rushing water reached his ears and the gentle sway of the wind brushed against the plants and ferns around them.

Moving his head slightly, he waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness around him before finally taking note of a warm body snuggled atop his own, a mop of dark brown hair tickling his nose as he leaned forward.

Frisk it seems had fallen asleep on him sometime throughout the night, but despite the blush lighting his cheeks, he looked around warily, wondering just what the heck had happened.

He cursed as Frisk moved slightly, the action causing pain to shoot up his arm. He hissed as she moved more, trying to seperate herself from him as soon as she realized he had regained consciousness.

"Sans! Oh my god! I thought- you were-" She fumbled, her eyes filling with tears as she gazed down at his pale face.

He gave the barest hint of a smile, his face contorted in an awkward grimace,"I'm fine, just.. could you please move?"

Her eyes widened and she scrambled away as fast as she could, her cheeks tinted from what he could see, but he had no time to dwell on it as shooting pains erupted up his arm once more, every second felt like an eternity of agony.

All the adrenaline from earlier had long gone, only to be replaced by an all consuming pain that drove him to lie back on the cold earth, arm cradled against his chest.

He heard Frisk's panicked cries as he groaned in pain, but a new voice filtering in beside him had his eyes snapping open, and his good arm moving to push Frisk behind him.

A warm, velvety voice met his ears as a hooded figure knelt a few meters away from the two kids, "Ah, what a brave child you are. With such wounds, it is a miracle you made it out alive. Come now, let us tend to your injuries."

Sans merely scowled, shifting his body closer to the stunned girl, "Don't come any closer. If you do, I swear I'll-"

"Sans!" An all too familiar voice called out, his high pitched voice filling the night as a small figure emerged from underneath the figure's cloak, a radiant smile on his face as he clambored out from the person's grasp to run to a shaky skeleton, "I'm so glad you're safe!"

Bony arm crushed the tiny monster to a warm chest as Sans held his baby brother close with all the strength of pent up fear and relief, "Pappy. Thank goodness you're safe.."

A light giggle escaped the younger monster as he wriggled free from his grasp, a large goofy grin plastered to his skull, "I'm fine, Sans. The nice lady helped me. Helped us!"

Another figure emerged from the brush, cloaked just as the person next to them, but long tendrils of chestnut hair peeked out from either side of the hood. The woman in question hovered close to her companion before cocking her hip and glancing down dismissively at the kids.

"See, Az. They're perfectly fine. Brats probably wandered straight into the wolves den without a care in the world," cold crimson eyes stared haughtily at both him and the girl before she snorted and looked back at the person beside them, "far too much trouble for my tastes personally."

Sans' expression hardened, a flicker of anger flashing in his eyes before he scowled wholeheartedly at the pair a few meters away, his magic pulsing weakly in response. An attempt at what would normally be an outright threat turned completely harmless as he ground his teeth in pain.

"Come now, no need for such hostility, runt. After all, it is I to whom you owe your life. Or perhaps you had forgotten?"

Sans' scowl furrowed, his eyes flashing between blue and gold rapidly as he eyed the hooded woman despite his limbs quaking, "I owe you nothing!"

Tinkling laughter met his ears as the woman hunched forward, clutching her stomach gently, "Oh, but in fact you do, runt. Although, I must say, your defiance is rather cute to say the least. Go on, pretend you would have made it out alive without my help."

Just as he was about to retort, the person beside her shifted, the warm voice from before now changed to a deep baritone laced with unquestionable authority.

"Enough. Let them be," the man spoke, eyes unmoving from the trio before him, but it seems the woman got the message as she merely scoffed but fell quiet after a moment, her eyes downcast as she kicked at the grass beneath their feet.

The man moved forward, far too close for Sans' liking, but before he could push the others back, the figure stopped and left a neatly wrapped package a few feet before them.

Sans eyed them warily as the figure moved back to the brush, his large frame not unnoticed against the woman's small stature.

"Medicine. Bandages to patch you up."

Frisk moved closer, reached out to tear into the package before Sans had any time to react. Harsh words left him as he scolded her for her gullibility, but she carried on anyway despite his warnings.

The woman sauntered closer, her dark black fabric rustling softly in the lush grass with every step, the move graceful yet cautious. Hunching down, she leveled a withering glare in his direction before pulling out the bandages and peroxide and showed the little girl how to use them.

Sans made to snatch Frisk away, but a warm hand on his shoulder made him pause. Papyrus had seen enough it seemed since he commanded Sans to be still and reassured him that these people were no threat. If they had been, why would they have saved them in the first place?

It seemed to have the desired effect, because soon Sans had calmed enough to where he didn't feel like throttling their saviours where they stood. Minutes passed as he watched the girls bandage one another until finally, the woman announced she had done a good job and reinforced her statement with a gentle pat on the head.

Sans bristled, but Frisk turned to him with such an overjoyed expression that he just couldn't find it in him to be angry. He sat still as Frisk rushed back over and the two cloaked people stood and made their way back towards the brush.

With a backward glance, crimson met white as the man turned back to the little trio, "Follow the river downstream and you will find what you are looking for. Fear not, this place is protected and you may use this clearing for as long as you need. Be safe young ones."

The man gave a kind wave before turning and brushing through the bushes and past the densely populated trees. Sans did not turn away until long minutes had passed and the sounds of footsteps through the underbrush had long since fell silent.

It was only as a gentle hand grazed his radius that he snapped back to himself. Glancing over, he noted the silent worry in the human girl's eyes as she looked down at the crack in his bone, the ugly jagged break scabbed over with dried blood. A frown etched itself on his face as he winced when the pain came rushing back.

Sensing his discomfort, Frisk gently grasped his arm and took some gauze from the med care kit and poured peroxide onto the little square.

"Don't worry, Sans. We'll get you patched up in no time.."

He nodded, his face scrunched up in pain, but he kept watch all around, especially since Papyrus had chosen to wander about and collect all sorts of wildflowers growing around them. No matter what they said, he would not let his guard down after all that had happened.

Gentle hands touched his bone and with a hissed curse, he wrenched his eyes back to Frisk who began apologizing profusely as she eased her grip even more.

Wiping away the caked on dirt and blood was far more painful than he ever thought imaginable. Each swipe set his bones aflame and sent sharp, immobilizing pain up his spine. Uncharacteristically, he whimpered, grunting with every passing second as he fought back the urge to cry. He barely registered her gentle encouragement, her whispered praise and heartfelt apologies as she finished her task. The moment she stopped, he opened his eyes to find hers glassy with tears, though she let none fall.

"Okay, it's all clean. We have to set and wrap it. This might hurt a bit, but I'll be as gentle as possible. Just relax as best you can.."

He tensed reflexively as she gently forced his bone back to its normal position, but this time he merely balled his fists. He wouldn't risk upsetting her anymore than he already had.

Soon enough his hand replaced hers as she fumbled with the bandages, her nerves apparently as shot as his. Despite her unease, she managed to wrap his arm, making sure to make the bandages tight. He had to admit her process was rather slow, but where she lacked speed, she made up for in meticulous care.

Soon the wound was fully patched up, and he fell back to the forest floor, his head dizzy from exhaustion, both mentally and physically. He didn't have the strength to call for Papyrus, instead finding relief that Frisk had managed to corral the little monster back to safety, where he immediately began dispersing his finds amongst them. Apparently Papyrus had found something funny as his little giggles sounded over the gentle rushing of water and the soft chirping of the forest.

Cracking an eye open, he found Papyrus placing a bright blue flower beside his skull. Giving his brother a gentle smile, he glanced to the side to note more flowers around his head.

"Paps, what are you doing?"

Papyrus giggled and placed a small orange flower somewhere high above his skull and smiled triumphantly.

"Decorating!"

Sans chuckled softly before closing his eyes again. If his brother found comfort with this so called decorating, then so be it.

His mind soon began to drift, much to his displeasure, and he found himself unable to crack an eye or maintain a coherent thought.

The last thing he registered was Papyrus' happy giggles and Frisk's pleased hum as she suggested they make flower crowns.

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A/N: I'm not dead. Just worn out in life.