Living... with your stalker.

You never thought you'd get here. If your future self had gone back in time and told your past self that you were not only living with your anonymous, crazed stalker, but getting used to it , future self would've got a slap in the face and a makeshift sit-down therapy lesson.

Yes. You were getting used to him.

He was everywhere- privacy was a long-lost item you'd probably never get back. Like a cat that tried to follow you into the bathroom, he'd silently stalk around the house, tailing behind you, just-so-happening to be in the same room as you, or napping on the end of the couch when you sat down (he definitely hadn't been there before, you'd checked) to watch a movie on your own. The only times you ever got privacy was when you were on the toilet or using the bath. He seemed physically unable to get himself away from you.

The bath was probably your best friend at the moment. You just wanted a moment to yourself- why did he have to be everywhere in this massive house!?

... Yeah. That was another thing.

You may have gotten used to Sans and his endless following, but you'd never get used to how big the house was. The endless corridors, heated floors, how anything you left on the side would be instantly cleaned in the morning by the mysterious cleaners that you never seemed to actually lay eyes on. 'Small' rooms the size of the entire downstairs of your parent's house, a fucking indoor cinema (who has that!?), pools ... your old house didn't even have a working microwave most of the time. And here Sans was, with pool tables and a house that was so large you were afraid to get up in the night because the corridors just seemed to go on forever into the darkness, so wide, so empty...

But hey. Sans's bathroom was ensuite, so... you never had to worry about that. And his room was still messy so there was some element of homeliness to it that the rest of the house didn't have.

It seemed like cleaning people were never actually allowed in Sans's room for some reason, but... you never brought it up with him. You were afraid to. You were pretty sure you wouldn't like the answer anyways, and decided it was best to avoid the headache it would cause if he tried to dodge the question.

Your biggest annoyance was always whenever you were trying to just watch TV. Sans would be there of course, right next to you, sometimes waytoo close for comfort, so that the hairs on your arms stood up.

He would often comment on the show, the most annoying thing in the world in your opinion, and interrupt the movie to put in his stupid two-cents. Usually it would be something as stupid as telling you that the actor had a nice shirt on, or that they had stuttered slightly. You never gave a fuck. You just wanted to watch the show in peace, so why was that so much to ask for?

...But one day, it changed. Something different happened.

You were watching your program like usual, but... he didn't interrupt at all. Didn't say a single word, or make any noises, until the commercial break, where he then asked you a question that caught you off guard.

"...do you wanna go somewhere nice together?"

You blinked in surprise and looked over at him, tearing your gaze away from the television to make eye contact. You weren't exactly sure what he meant... a date? A family outing?

"...What?"

He looked almost hopeful, like he was expecting rejection, but wished for the best anyways. He was picking at his fingertips, (phalange tips?), nervously, clearly an anxious habit, and he had a sweat drop running down the side of his face. How a skeleton was sweating was beside you... but you learned a while ago not to question monster biology. It never made much sense to you. Confusing.

"like... an aquarium, or something," He offered, still not exactly answering what you really wanted to know.

"The hell? Why?" You asked, finally asking what you actually wanted to know.

"a date," He confirmed, choking on his words, slightly, forcing them out. It still bewildered you how he could so shamelessly steal your clothing, and stalk you, but when it came to asking you normal questions, or doing normal things that couples should do, he got choked up and nervous. It all seemed backwards to you... but you didn't know how to confront him on it, or how to even go about bringing it up in the first place.

"...The aquarium sounds boring," You admitted softly, wanting him to know you weren't exactly saying no, just... not an aquarium.

"then we can go somewhere fun," He offered, perking up slightly at the fact you hadn't flat out rejected him like he had been prepared for. It even made you feel happy for a moment, seeing him be that excited just to spend some time with you.

You know, consensually.

"...Fine," You agreed softly, wondering if this was one of those things you were going to regret later. You didn't doubt it... but you decided being optimistic was better than being pessimistic. You knew he deserved the benefit of the doubt... he was working on getting better, anyways, it just... took a bit of time.

At least he stopped asking for sexual favors, recently.

His entire face seemed to light up with pure happiness and excitement. For a moment, you saw the boy you had a crush on your entire life... you didn't see your stalker. Just a boy who was madly in love with you. A boy all the freshman looked up to, and all the parents were proud of. The star pupil... the best person in the entire school.

You saw who you thought Sans was, and it made your heart both ache and throb, because you loved that boy... but he didn't actually exist.

"great! where do you wanna go?" He asked, making you roll your eyes a bit.

"Isn't it your job to decide that since you're asking me out?" You reminded him, finding it kind of adorable that he asked you.

At least he was being considerate?

"i want your opinion, since you're gonna be coming too."

"I don't have an opinion. Just not the aquarium, or anything equally as mind numbingly boring," You told him, jokingly. You didn't want to go to the aquarium, but almost anything else would work. Hell, even just sitting in bed and eating chips would work.

"hm... well, what're you in the mood for today? calming or fun?" He asked, still asking for opinion even though you said you didn't have one. But fuck it, you would bite.

"Good balance?" Fun sounded like too much, and calming sounded too mellow.

"...fun and calming. well... would the arcade work?" He asked after a moment of thinking it over.

You had never actually been to an arcade before... well, that wasn't exactly true. You had gone to a bowling alley for your cousin's birthday before, you were just never able to actually play any of the arcade games, because your parents refused to give you any money.

You just remembered being sad, and watching all of your cousins play the games, while you sat alone at a table.

...But you wouldn't mind actually playing the games, now.

"...Okay," You agreed, deciding it couldn't be that bad, as long as you at least tried to have fun.

After that he just... looked so happy. The show resumed, and you were unable to stop yourself from looking over at him every now and then, his smile just beaming pure joy. It was as if his mouth was a billboard, covered in lights, screaming an advertisement for pure joy.

But as soon as the commercials were over, he spoke up again.

"we should go today," He told you, as a car commercial started going off, loudly on the TV, telling you about deals you couldn't have cared less about.

"...Oh. Okay," You agreed, caught a bit off guard. It seemed a bit last minute... but hell, you had nothing else going on, so might as well. It was better than being followed around the house all day while you tried to find something to occupy your mind.

"i'll take care of the money," He said, as if that wasn't already obvious. You didn't have any money. No job, and no parents.

"I don't have any, so that's good."

He let out a small chuckle, and turned his attention back to the commercials, your day apparently now set in stone. You didn't exactly feel excited for the date... but you didn't feel dread for it, either.

Walking into the arcade, the first word you could think of to describe it, was loud.

There were kids running around everywhere, some supervised, and some not, all with greasy hands, and some with candy in their mouths. Most screaming, and some crying over losing games, or not having anymore money left. It wasn't really anything like you remembered it being... it was a lot less happy and fun, and a lot more annoying, now. You would have probably prefered the aquarium to this, honestly.

But Sans on the other hand, seemed completely happy with this.

He was looking around excitedly, just as excitedly as some of the small children, eager to start playing games with you. You had to admit, the look on his face made a small amount of excitement grow inside of you, as well.

"what do you wanna try first?" He asked you, apparently knowing that this was your first time here, as well. He might have just guessed... or maybe you told him. Hell, you didn't even know how long he had been really stalking you, so he might have known from experience.

You tried not to think about that.

"...No idea." You didn't even know what any of the games were called, besides air hockey.

"here. we'll go through and see what you like the most," He offered, as he grabbed your hand gently, and started to lead you to the games.

"O-okay." You stammered, a little bit taken aback at his confident hand grab... but you let him lead. You could tell he was having fun just watching you- I mean... of course, he'd always had fun 'watching' you. But this time it was different.

You tried many different games, the whole arcade seeming more and more fun when you stared at each individual game and realised suddenly that... yes, you were allowed to try it. You were allowed to try anything here. Sans was paying, and you could do anything, as many times as you wanted, without repercussions or being yelled at.

It was like shackles coming off, piece by piece.

You did a racing game where you sat on an actual large plastic motorbike and steered it by leaning the bike. You did a piano game where you had to hit four large plastic pieces in time with the music on the screen, you played a classic racing game against some random kid and actually beat him at the last minute when his break button malfunctioned and made him stop a few inches from the finish line. You wasted some money on a rigged claw and nearly beat a high score on a pac-man machine, you spent so much time on the ddr.

In fact, the ddr machine was your favourite. You kicked ass at it. You apparently had a natural flare for seeing a command and moving your body very quickly in response- a small, dark part of you knew that this was from being around your parents and constantly having to react to the slightest of details to run in different directions.

But hey. You were having fun right now, and that small, dark part of yourself seemed... quieter than usual.

"... wow." Sans said, leaning on the machine. It was the first time he'd spoken since he offered to take you to look around. "... you're pretty good at this."

"I know!" Even you were surprised at how happy you sounded (and how you accepted the compliment so openly). "... Go against me."

"... pft." He chuckled, and based on the resigned way he approached the player 2 stand, he wasn't all too keen. "okay."

"... You're trash at ddr." You said, jokingly, as you both finally left the machines, much to the relief of the many people around the room who you assumed had wanted to go and try but were put off by Sans being there.

He sat down at a bench by the wall between a bongo game and a zombie shooter, and you joined him... leaning on him, tired and sweaty.

"... haven't done ddr in ages." He said, soft but just as jokingly, after taking a little while to respond.

"My first time." You admitted, proudly.

"jesus." He chuckled.

...

You turned your face upward... and pressed a little kiss to his cheekbone, purely out of a mixture of gratitude and instinct.

"Thanks. For bringing me here."

...

He seemed to take a moment to register what just happened, staring straight ahead. One... two... three seconds passed...

And then finally, his face lit up with a vibrant blue that you could only describe as like the shallow sea on a sunny day, or the colour under the surface of a bright sapphire- so light and blue and crisp.

"... n... no problem." He stammered, tone tight.

"... I'm tired." You sighed, leaning against him more, letting out a little breath. Your legs hurt from moving so much, your fingers and thumb ached from the rapid-fire minigames and you were pretty sure there was something off with your knee.

"... wanna order a pizza?"

...

You stiffened.

... Pizza? That... that greasy, fatty... unhealthy...

"it's okay." He butted in, realising his mistake. "i'll eat it."

...

Phew.

"... Go ahead."

You thought he'd order, like... maybe two slices at most. If he was really hungry.

No.

He ordered two whole pizzas.

The smell immediately made your body start to fight itself- the larger (correct) part of you that immediately turned it's nose up at the sick, salty, doughy, oily food that would undoubtedly pack on pounds and make you die of diabetes or have a heart attack from too much fat. Was there a single diet plan on Earth that didn't cut out pizza in some way?

... But a tiny little part of you that still wanted food was hitting the bars of it's cage right now, desperate for something to eat. You knew, of course, that it was just you being greedy... you had total control over your diet, but not yourself yet.

...

He probably got so much to tempt you into eating.

The two of you sat down, silent, as Sans ate his pizza. All you could do was stare, shamelessly, at the way the cheese clung to separate pieces, or the bright red sauce, or the fluffy toasted dough...

"... wanna have a little bit?" He asked, turning his eyelights to you, and you realised you'd just been watching him eat at least half a pizza.

"No thanks. I'm alright."

"sure? you burned a lot of calories on that ddr."

...

...

"That a fat joke?"

He blinked.

"... what?"

"You think I have to burn calories to eat?"

...

"oh my god." He chuckled, "no, no, that's not what i think. you might get tired or dizzy after all that dancing."

...You felt a bit guilty for assuming instantly that he meant it as a fat joke. You were just... so used to people making fun of you and your weight from when you were a bit younger, that it was always instantly in your head that everyone was going to call you fat. Hell, it was usually the case... so you had a good reason to assume the worst.

You had always tried to avoid food, for that exact reason... you were just...

...

You were fine.

You just didn't like food, that wasn't a bad thing.

You ate when you needed to.

You were fine.

"...hey. look at me."

...You blinked and looked up at Sans, when you realized he was trying to get your attention, forcing yourself to stop thinking. You needed to pay attention, anyways... he spent all of this money to take you somewhere nice, so... you owed him at least that much.

You were a bit surprised by the look on his face, however... his expression held nothing but complete seriousness, and sternness.

He looked almost angry.

"you're beautiful, okay? completely," He assured you, his voice holding just as much seriousness as his face. You could tell he was almost angry at the fact you were being so insecure... since he was always able to tell before, you... assumed he knew.

...But you snorted softly, not believing a word he was saying.

Even if he felt that way, it didn't matter, because you didn't agree. You still found yourself repulsive, and you weren't going to be persuaded to think otherwise.You were never going to think of yourself in a positive light... you didn't know how.

Every time you looked into the mirror and saw the girl looking back at you, she made you feel disgusted. That was you, and you were gross.

Disgusting.

Fat.

Ugly.

Pig.

...You almost flinched when he suddenly brushed some hair out of your face, and tucked it behind your ear. His gaze was still piercing, practically stabbing you in the soul... and you could feel your face heat up as he stared you down, and touched your face.

There was also love in his eyes... so much that it felt intimidating.

You felt pretty for a second.

But only for a second.

"you don't have to force yourself to do anything. you're beautiful, and that'll never change, no matter what you decide," He told you, the love only growing stronger in his gaze.

You felt intimidated.

Cornered.

Confronted.

...Loved.

...Important.

...

...If he... if the person you were already with, loved you that much... then why did it matter how fat you got?

...

...Maybe just one day wouldn't hurt anybody. Or maybe even just one meal.

...You couldn't remember the last time you actually ate a slice of pizza... and a while slice seemed horrifying to you, even though it used to be one of your absolute favorites.

But... calories.

Grease.

Fat.

...

You ripped off a piece of the crust, from the slice that seemed the smallest, and the least greasy... and popped it into your mouth.

You chewed for a long while, and eventually swallowed, feeling like the bread had been concrete in your throat. It tasted good... better than you remembered, but... it felt kind of wrong. Until you looked up anyways, and saw that big smile on Sans's face. You had almost been expecting somebody to scold you, but... it seemed as if it was the opposite, really. He wanted you to eat... wasn't going to give you any shit for it.

...You felt almost proud of yourself.

"...is it nice?" He asked you, as his smile only grew. He even looked proud of you... you felt happy.

You nodded, finally admitting to yourself that you didn't hate food.

You never hated food... no, you just... hated yourself. It was unhealthy, and you had never been given proper help to beat this hatred. You were broken, and nobody was helping you fix it. You had been stuck in an endless loop of starving yourself, and literally nobody had ever helped you, because nobody had ever cared about you or your well being... before Sans, of course. Now that he was here, you... didn't feel as ugly.

In moments, of course, you still felt disgusting... but it wasn't as bad as it used to be.

"...you're amazing."