#mersans

As Red slowly managed to stay awake for more than a few minutes at a time, he noticed something odd. Sans would come and visit him periodically, but he never stayed for long. He would make sure Red had eaten and drank—and how he got drinkable salt-free water to Red was a mystery all on its own—and then dive down and leave. His light would disappear, and Red would be alone with the crystals.

He had never thought that being in an underwater cave would get boring, yet here he was, bored out of his mind. He wasn’t being held hostage and he couldn’t think of leaving until he was healed, so he couldn’t really strategize. Red spent some of his—day, night, whatever, time didn’t seem to pass here—wondering if his brother was alright, but thinking about Edge was too painful to do for long periods of time. All he could really do was sit here and pick at the rocks as he waited for Sans to get back.

He straightened up as the water began to bubble, scooting back to give Sans some room as he surfaced. His magic seemed to glow a bit dimmer today, but he still smiled brightly as he presented Red with his food. Today it was some kind of tiny pink moss balls, and Red immediately shoved two of them into his mouth. It was nice of Sans to bring him something to eat, but he was missing a good burger and fries.

“How’re you doing?” Red asked in between bites, trying to take some of Sans’ attention off of himself. He was the one who watched others while they ate, not the other way around.

Sans gave him a thumbs up, and his smile stretched even wider. Red had worked on his own permanent grin, working over the years until it was a perfect mix of smugness and threatening. Sans’ smile seemed natural, and even the sight of his fangs didn’t raise Red’s defences. He was adorable, like a little puppy.

Red knew he was strong enough to break thick chains effortlessly and drag an unconscious skeleton across the sea floor, but Sans looked so inoffensive. He would make the perfect spy; acting like a friend while he was secretly gathering intel. If he ever got out of here, Red would be sure to offer him a job.

Sans cocked his head, breaking Red’s gaze. Red tilted his own head as he watched Sans’ brow furrow, wondering what was wrong. Sans scooted back so he was almost fully in the water again, everything below his neck submerged. Red could fairly hear the sound of Sans’ tail thumping against the rock, beating out some kind of rhythm. Whatever he heard back in response made him sigh, and he held his hands out expectantly.

Red clutched the dish in his hands closer to his chest, watching Sans with what he hoped was a neutral mask. “Where you goin’?” Red asked, hoping he didn't sound too desperate.

It wasn’t easy for Sans to speak, so they mostly communicated through sign language. He could also sing, but Red couldn't get more than a vague sense of emotion from that. Sans did have a beautiful voice, but it was still unsettling to feel foreign magic creeping into his soul when he wasn’t even being touched.

“Brother calling.” Sans pointed down into the water, as if Red couldn’t understand that a mermaid’s brother would also be a mermaid.

Red decided to brush the childlike treatment off, and focus on the important bit. “You got a bro?”

Sans nodded eagerly, a soft trilling sound escaping his throat. “Papyrus.”

It seemed like naming babies after fonts really was a skeleton thing. Red smiled a bit, remembering when his own brother had still gone by ‘Papyrus’. His bro had never gotten over his emo phase, and the nickname he’d chosen for himself. He wanted to find out more, and see if Sans’ brother was anything like his.

Still, Red couldn't just give up information like that right away. He didn’t have many cards in his hand, but showing off all of them would get him in trouble. “My bro’s named Edge.”

Sans smiled, letting out a happy sound. “Good. Going now. I will come later.” He held out his hands again, but Red still didn't let go.

“Exactly how many other mer-monsters are out there?” Red asked, a bit of suspicion creeping back in. Did others know he was here, or was Sans keeping him a secret? Was Sans just using him for information? If some humans had been able to find and kidnap him, then Sans might be another spy who’d had his eye on Red.

Sans looked at Red, the blue magic in his eye sockets suddenly seeming much deeper. It was like he was seeing right through Red, an eerie echo of the Judgement ability that Red hadn’t used since the day he’d left the underground. Red didn’t feel the usual pinch of a check, but he still instinctively curled in on himself to further hide his soul from Sans’ view.

“A deal.” Sans spoke almost completely clearly; it seemed like hard consonants and sibilants gave him the most trouble.

Red dug his phalanges into the dish hard enough that the pottery began to crack, then forced himself to relax. He should have known this was coming. No one did things out of the good of their hearts, not even sweet, ethereal mermaids.

“Yeah, what’re yer terms?” Red asked grudgingly. He didn’t know what he could really bargain for, but he could at least try and put up a fair fight.

“I speak here, you tell—” Sans paused, his face scrunching up as he tried to pronounce the word. “sur-face.” At Red’s blank look, Sans tried to explain better. “Land. Dirt-land? Your home.”

Red nodded, feeling oddly relieved. Sans wan’t going to hold food or water from him, and he wasn’t going to hurt Red. He just wanted to learn, and if he was a liar he was a damn good one.

“Sounds like a fair trade. I’ll tell you about how I was livin’ before ya found me, and ya tell me all about this underwater stuff.” Red carefully stuck his hand out, wondering if Sans even knew how to shake hands. Would mermaids shake hands, or tail fins?

Red’s doubts were tossed out as Sans immediately grabbed his hand. His grip was a bit loose, but the enthusiasm he shook Red’s hand with made up for it. He seemed to glow brighter as they touched, a wide smile on his face.

“I will bring writing.” Sans said, squeezing Red’s fingers one more time before letting go. “See you soon.”

Sans waved at Red, then quickly dove into the water. Red leaned back as much as he could, but his legs were still in the splash zone. He looked around him, still a bit dazed. Sans was warm for a skeleton, and Red could still remember the tingling feeling of Sans’ magic meeting his own.