[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

❝You don't know the hell I've been through. You don't know the price I've paid. You can't see the walls I'm bracing, time I'm facing all my days. Every bit of man I once was. Every bit of love that I could have. Living in a moment, setting into motion. All the other fears I had. I'm not cold, I'm empty.❞ Error's Song - Empty.

By now, it was customary to see me with Ink, Blue and Deception, both during and after school. Each time we ate together in recess and, when Deception could, he'd sneak out with us downtown. For the first time in my life, I could finally say that I had friends. Friends who seemed to be real. Error was slowly getting used to my presence, although still very skeptical about it. I still didn't understand why, though. Dance and Outer, on the other hand, were very rarely hanging out with our group, since, apparently, they hung out with Sans's one. A group that, until that moment, I didn't even know existed and of which I had no idea who the members were, by the way. I'd have really liked to be part of it..., I thought, looking at one of the many windows on the sidewalk. It was rare that Sans didn't want to be with me, and honestly, lately it almost seemed like he was... Avoiding me, for some strange reason. I shook my head slowly, trying to chase away the ridiculous thought. I'll be just imagining it, I finally added. However, not even a positive thought about it came to my mind. I was suddenly awakened from my trance by the call of little Blue.

«𝖠𝗉𝗉𝖺𝗋𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗅𝗒, 𝖣𝖾𝖼𝖾𝗉𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝖼𝖺𝗇𝗇𝗈𝗍 𝖼𝗈𝗆𝖾 𝗍𝗈𝖽𝖺𝗒.»

He said sadly, putting his phone back in the pocket of his jeans.
A small sigh escaped my lips. That they caught him again with our group?, I thought, finally approaching Ink, now intent on studying a window with paintings.

«ℍ𝕖𝕪, 𝕕𝕠𝕟'𝕥 𝕤𝕨𝕖𝕒𝕥 𝕚𝕥, 𝔹𝕝𝕦𝕖. ℍ𝕖'𝕝𝕝 𝕓𝕖 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕦𝕤 𝕟𝕖𝕩𝕥 𝕥𝕚𝕞𝕖, 𝕪𝕒' 𝕜𝕟𝕠𝕨?»

He said finally, moving away from the window.
That he wanted to take one, but didn't want to do it in front of someone?, I thought, not understanding why he hadn't entered. Especially, if it's a drawing fanatic like him.
A few moments later, my thoughts returned to Deception. Apparently, his friends really hated Sans and the others so much. For who knows what strange reason, then. At that very moment, Deception's words came back to me.

❝They can't stand the Sanses of the Original Multiverse, ya' know? Just so ya' know, we're like an alternative version, alright? Or at least, that's what our Ink says, ya' know? think you'll bump into him real soon, kid. But I ain't spillin' his name, 'cause he wants it kept on the down-low. So, like... He's the only one, 'cept for three other folks, who ain't bustin' on the originals. I really hope you guys hit it off, for real.❞

I still seriously didn't understand what he meant by "originals" and "multiverse", but I didn't ask myself too many questions. I'd understand in time. I looked up from the floor a little, noticing that Blue and Ink were now far ahead. How long did I linger in my thoughts?, I asked myself, increasing my pace. Immediately, I was literally catapulted to the ground, without even understanding what had happened.

???: «Aw, geez! My bad, I ain't mean to do that! You good or what?!»
???: «Creation, chill out, ain't nothin' happened. Hey, kid, you good or what?»

I raised my head a little, just to understand who those voices belonged to. My eyes widened when I noticed the two skeletons in front of me. The one I had come up against, which I understood to be called Creation, was practically identical to Ink. However, on his body there were beautiful flowers of a beautiful bright brown. His eyes were two red exclamation marks. Mine, on the other hand, immediately darted at the skeleton at his side. He was practically identical to Sans, with, precisely, the exception of the flowers. His, compared to those of "Creation", were a beautiful blue. They looked like Buttercups. The two, however, stopped as soon as they noticed Ink and Blue, now close to me.

«(𝖸/𝗇), 𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗋𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍?!»
I nodded slowly, hesitantly taking Creation's hand - who had been holding out to me just before.
«I'm so sorry. I didn't look where I was going.»

I said finally, getting up completely.
The "Sans," identical to the Sans I knew, grimaced, slowly moving away from the group. I noticed, out of the corner of my eye, Creation's reproachful look at his friend. Apparently, Deception wasn't entirely wrong about it, I thought, noticing the way the second Sans wanted to sneak away.

Creation: «I gotta be the one who says "I'm sorry".»
He said finally, after a few minutes of silence.
«𝔻𝕠𝕟'𝕥 𝕤𝕨𝕖𝕒𝕥 𝕚𝕥, 𝕓𝕦𝕕𝕕𝕪, 𝕟𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟' 𝕨𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕕𝕠𝕨𝕟. 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕓𝕚𝕘 𝕕𝕖𝕒𝕝 𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖 𝕚𝕤, 𝕟𝕠𝕓𝕠𝕕𝕪 𝕘𝕠𝕥 𝕙𝕦𝕣𝕥, 𝕪𝕒' 𝕗𝕖𝕖𝕝 𝕞𝕖?»

I nodded softly at Ink's words, now by my side.
The two stared at each other for a few moments, before smiling at each other.

Creation: «Heck... It's like a freakin' dream, alright? You got no clue how bad I wanted to dig into the original Ink! Oh, whatddaya know! Name's Flowerverse!Ink, but ya' can just call me Creation. This fella next to me? That's Flowerverse!Sans, but ya can call him Depression.»

In response, Depression's flowers took on a brighter complexion. I shifted my gaze to his face: he seemed annoyed. Deception and Creation didn't seem to despise the boys, however. Why should they hate them so much?, I thought a little later, noticing the way he grabbed Creation by the sleeve, pulling him slightly towards him.

Depression: «We gotta bounce. It was a... Blast. See ya' 'round.»
He said finally, literally tugging his friend away.
Creation: «Lemme go! I got a ton o' stuff to yak about with Ink!»

I laughed slightly at that scene. It seemed as if Creation had become a sack of potatoes being dragged wearily and unwillingly across the sidewalk.

«𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕒 𝕓𝕦𝕟𝕔𝕙 𝕠𝕗 𝕨𝕖𝕚𝕣𝕕𝕠𝕤.»

I smiled slightly at that statement. However, I hoped with all my heart that this wouldn't be the only time I'd meet them. Knowing more about the world Deception came from was what I wanted, after all. Almost as much as I wish Error..., I thought, blushing slightly, a little later. I shook my head softly, pushing it away immediately. I wasn't ready for such a thing yet and he certainly wouldn't have accepted me so easily. Heck, if he still had doubts about me. However, I wanted to hope a little about that probability of ending up together. We still have many years in front us, I don't have to think about it now, after all, I thought at the end, smiling to myself. I couldn't wait to know what the future would hold for me. Blue called me softly, bringing me back to reality. I was falling behind again... I sighed heavily, before running to meeting them. I seriously had to change my way of continuous pacing out from reality or it'd have become a real problem.

✧✦✧✦

The week of class assignments came faster than I expected. By now it had literally been about a month and a half since my arrival in this city.
I took a deep breath, taking one of the books from my folder. I'd have seriously had to study hard if I wanted to feel accepted. Probably, in this way, they'd finally recognize me for who I was and not for how I was - or at least, I hoped it'd be so. Yet another deep breath, before deciding to open the math book. I wasn't one of the best, but I wasn't that bad either. I got away with it, in short.
After several hours of math, I banged my head against the desk. I couldn't take it anymore. I got up very slowly, literally throwing everything back into my backpack. I need a break, I thought, preparing the necessary for English. I got up very slowly from my chair, heading downstairs. I eat something, c'mon, I added a little later, lingering my gaze on the refrigerator to my right. My parents weren't at home, unfortunately, so I had to limit myself to making a sandwich. Alone again..., I thought, starting to nibble on it. I'm used to it..., I added immediately after, intent on staring at the nothingness.
Once finished, I headed back to my room, now determined to study till the end. I literally had less than a week to properly get ready. However, it was entirely doable. Only... Difficult to choose which subject to dwell on more. I slapped my cheeks softly, giving myself the boost I needed. Later, I started studying English, trying to write down on a piece of paper everything I didn't remember. I'd study them again later.
I turned my head to the window, noticing the hour that had now come. I stretched slowly, getting up from my chair. In response, my stomach made a small hungry gurgling. I headed, without further delay, towards the floor below.

«Mom? Dad?»

I asked softly, trying to figure out if they had returned or not. However, no response came.
I went down the stairs all the way down, heading into the living room. No one was present in the room. Apparently, they're still outside..., I thought, sighing heavily. In response, my stomach gurgled again. I was literally starving. However, I didn't feel like bothering Sans and his family in the slightest, so I decided to try to prepare something. Just before I could open the fridge, however, the phone suddenly rang. I approached hesitantly, taking it.

«Hello?»
I asked shyly, not knowing how to behave.
???: «You must be the daughter. (Y/n), right? I am sorry to inform you that your parents were injured in a car accident. They may not make it, I'm sorry.»

My legs immediately gave up to that news. Are my parents in danger of dying...?, was the only thing that came to mind. It was true that I hardly ever saw them and that we moved often for the work of both of them, but they were still my family. I heard the male voice beyond the cornet softly calling my name, but by now tears clouded my vision and every noise seemed to be just a muffled hum in the background. The line stopped shortly after, but I didn't give it too much thought. I crawled to the nearest corner, putting my back against the wall and holding my head in my hands. I remained in that position for an indefinite time, now completely in pieces. I didn't even notice the lights that came on or two pairs of skeletal arms that gently held me in a loving embrace. I simply stuck my head in the crook of his neck, still in tears.

«It's gonna be fine, kid. Don't sweat it, you'll be all good.»

He said softly, gently stroking my hair.
A female voice said something to the boy, but I didn't pay much attention to it. Sans had pretty much become my only point of reference at that time. I cried so much - at that moment - , to fall asleep without even realizing it.
I woke up in Sans's room, a few hours later. I got up slowly, checking around. My eyes then slowly settled on the figure resting with his head on his arms, resting, in turn, on the mattress on which I was. Sans seemed to be sleeping soundly. A small sigh escaped from my slightly cold lips. I must have fallen asleep, I thought, lying down again.

«Ah. You're finally up.»

The skeleton said suddenly, causing my eyes to dart back at him.
I nodded simply, staring back at the roof. I literally felt broken. I didn't even know how to take this whole story or even how to behave.

«I'm real sorry, kid. For real.»
I sighed softly in response, finally moving my head toward him.
«How did you know?»

I asked, in a hoarse voice.
He seemed to hesitate slightly in answering me. However, after taking a deep breath, he finally decided to open his mouth.

«My ma knows when somethin's off, ya' know? Yer rents ride' been gone way too long. We're familiar with their routines, c'mon. Been livin' next door for ages, already.»

I sighed again, reluctantly getting out of bed. Sans simply stood still staring at me, pain palpable in his little white dots. We stared at each other for a few minutes, before I slowly leaned on him. At first, the skeleton stiffened. However, shortly after, he held me in a small and tender embrace.

«My bad for totally blowin' you off, lately. I ain't proud of it.»

He said finally, breaking the silence that had now been created.
I didn't answer. It was a small thing, compared to what I had discovered during the evening. I wasn't even mad at him, so there was no point in him apologizing. I silently buried my head in his shoulder, leaning completely on him. Sans would definitely become my support from now on. My anchor. The mere thought of it made me... Happy. Having him as moral support was the best thing I could have. Things would never be the same again, though. Because, by now, a part of me was gone forever. The child part of me that I wanted to keep forever. Life... It could be really horrible and mean, if it wanted to.

✧✦✧✦

The following week, after finally finishing all the class assignments given to us due to the proximity of the end of the trimester, I decided to finally go and visit my parents at the hospital. No one could tell me for sure, if they'd do it or not and, honestly, with each passing day, a part of me - the one who hoped with all her heart not to be orphaned - died slowly.
Sans had offered to accompany me, not wanting to leave me alone. At first I was slightly hesitant. However, after finding that I couldn't even set foot in the room, I chose his support. I didn't believe in the least that I'd be able to overcome this thing without him, honestly. I sighed softly, taking a deep breath, immediately after. I glanced at the skeleton at my side, staring at me to understand my mood and mindset. I gave him a slight smile before entering the room. I could do it. I could... Tears streamed down my face at the sight of my parents lying on separate beds. My hand instinctively clung to Sans's sleeve, looking for some support. Any one. His right hand gently caressed mine, giving me a slight comfort. I'm not alone..., I repeated to myself, giving myself courage again. We sat between the two beds, intent on understanding the state of their situation. It didn't seem to be very serious, honestly. However, something inside me told me that this was just the beginning. I shook my head softly, then my gaze linger on my mother's face. One of her horns - very sensitive part of our body in addition to our tail - was fractured. The right lip was slightly swollen and reddened, in addition to the crack on the top clearly visible - certainly because of the blow suffered. She had bruises on several parts of her body and plaster on one of her two legs. Finally, I slowly shifted my gaze to her tail, unarmed. Fortunately, it seemed to be fine, compared to the rest of her body.

«You'll see, they'll gonna bounce back, no doubt.»

He said, after a while, in a soft tone, putting his hand on my shoulder.
I just nodded, not knowing what to say to him. Would they really recover?, asked a small voice inside of me. And after that? Would everything go back to the way it was before?, added a little later, unable to fully believe in Sans's words. It was a truly unbearable pain. A pain that gripped your heart. With each of its beat, the pain in my chest increased. With each of its beat, the anguish inside me rose. With each of its beats, I prayed that I had been in their place. I shook my head vigorously. It's only the pain that makes me think certain things, I reassured myself, wiping away a lonely tear. This pain's too great to bear, I added a little later, sighing loudly. It almost seemed as if they wanted to split my chest in two. The more my tears asked me to come out, the more the pain in my chest increased, almost giving me the feeling of being stabbed repeatedly. Without even realizing it, the tears had, by now, begun to flow copiously. Sans's skeletal arms positioned themselves silently around me, in a tender protective embrace. From the way he squeezed me, it almost seemed to me that he was saying "I'll protect you". However, it seemed a bit silly as a thought. What was he supposed to protect me from, exactly? From the pain?, I thought, brooding over it. I didn't think it was possible, honestly. But, somehow, I felt... Protected. A part of me didn't want to part away from that hug, honestly. However, the hour of visits was almost over and we had to go home. I slowly moved away from that heat, getting up from my chair and slowly wiping away my tears. I just stared at the skeleton, hoping he'd understand. He nodded in response, offering me his hand. I accepted it without much fuss, turning towards the door. This would be one of my many visits, I thought, sighing softly and heading for the exit.

✧✦✧✦

The umpteenth week passed in a nothing. Honestly, I hadn't told anyone in my group about my family situation, not wanting them to worry any further about me. Or even just that they thought I was doing it for the attentions. My eyes slowly moved from my packed lunch to the guys sitting across from me, talking about something I wasn't even listening to. I noticed, out of the corner of my eye, the constant glances of Error and Deception in my direction. However, I just smiled, trying to look normal. I didn't want them to know, especially Error. He'd surely have thought I was doing it for the attentions. He still didn't like me being part of the group, honestly. I sighed slightly, as I saw that their eyes returned to Blue. Ink, on the other hand, had distanced himself slightly, intent on drawing something in his notebook. Soon the results of the assignments would also arrive, I thought, hoping to have made it at least in the top ten and taking a bite of my tempura ebi. Sans's mother had gladly offered to prepare my lunch for me, although she wasn't forced at all.
The bell rang a few minutes later, bringing me back to reality. I quickly finished eating, putting everything in place. I jumped up, noticing that the others were slowly leaving. However, Error's hand suddenly grabbed me by the shoulder, stopping me in my tracks. I slowly turned my face towards him, not understanding the reason for that gesture. However, he remained silent. I waited for a few seconds before deciding to speak for him.

«Anything wrong?»

He chuckled slightly at my question. Almost as if I was making fun of him. I was slightly offended by that gesture. However, I waited for him to answer, not understanding what he wanted from me, all of a sudden.

«𝒲𝒽𝓎 𝒹ℴ𝓃'𝓉 𝓎𝒶' 𝓈𝓅𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓉𝒽ℯ 𝒷ℯ𝒶𝓃𝓈, 𝒽𝓊𝒽?»

Finally, he asked, in a defiant tone.
What is he talking about?, I wondered, not understanding where he wanted to go. The skeleton, noticing my confusion, sighed heavily, taking his hand off my shoulder.

«ℳ𝓎 ℴ𝓁𝒹 𝓂𝒶𝓃'𝓈 ℴ𝓊𝓉 𝓉𝒽ℯ𝓇ℯ 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽ℯ 𝒩𝒴𝒫𝒟. ℐ 𝑔ℴ𝓉 𝓉𝒽ℯ 𝓈𝒸ℴℴ𝓅 ℴ𝓃 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓌ℯ𝓃𝓉 𝒹ℴ𝓌𝓃 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝓎ℴ𝓊𝓇𝓈. 𝒮ℴ, 𝓌𝒽𝓎 𝓉𝒽ℯ 𝒽ℯ𝓁𝓁 𝒹𝒾𝒹𝓃'𝓉 𝓎𝒶' 𝓈𝓅𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓉𝒽ℯ 𝒷ℯ𝒶𝓃𝓈 𝓉ℴ 𝒶𝓃𝓎ℴ𝓃ℯ?»

His question immediately surprised me. However, what left me most puzzled was the fact that his father was a policeman. I wouldn't have expected this in the slightest, honestly. I noisily swallowed a lump in my throat, forcing a smile. I could see a slight note of annoyance on his face, but I didn't give it too much thought.

«I didn't think you'd care.»

I finally answered, deciding that lying to him was the best choice. He'd have made fun of me, otherwise.
The skeleton was stunned for a few seconds, before sighing again. However, now that I noticed, Error had never touched me before. He usually kept his distance constantly, even from others. I blushed softly at that thought. Let's, go (Y/n)! That doesn't mean anything, I said to myself, shaking my head vigorously. It only showed how serious he was at that moment.

«ℐ𝓉 𝒻ℯℯ𝓁𝓈 𝓅𝓇ℯ𝓉𝓉𝓎 𝓃ℴ𝓇𝓂𝒶𝓁, 𝓎𝒶' 𝓀𝓃ℴ𝓌? ℒ𝒾𝓀ℯ, 𝓌ℯ 𝒶𝒸𝓉𝓊𝒶𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝒸𝒶𝓇ℯ '𝓃 𝓈𝓉𝓎𝒻𝒻.»
He answered, after a few minutes of silence. I simply hinted at a small smile.
«Thanks.»

I said suddenly, in a faint voice.
He blushed slightly in response, giving me the feeling that he could also be adorable, if he wanted to. Silence suddenly fell between us, now simply intent on staring at an indefinite point on the ground. A cheerful voice called us softly from the entrance. I turned abruptly, noticing Blue on the doorway, intent on pouting. I smiled softly at the sight. He's really adorable, I thought, turning to Error.

«Shall we go? We risk being late.»

He just nodded, starting to walk towards the entrance. I smiled slightly. He's worried about me, I thought, feeling my cheeks slowly turn pink. The more time passed, the more I felt that my feelings for him were slowly increasing. Would I have told him about it? I still wasn't sure. However, for the time being, I'd leave things as they were. I finally began to really be a part of his life. Even if only scholastic, for the moment. I started walking quickly towards them, still smiling. I was definitely looking forward to Christmas.