Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The taps on his front door were so subtle, Papyrus almost missed it.

He had only been accompanied by the sounds of his brother’s typical snoring and the latest episode of Mettaton’s game show. The colorful shine from the television was his only source of light and entertainment. This attempt at knocking only caught his attention since it was so unexpected at this hour.

Papyrus stretched his limbs before sluggishly making his way to the door. He hadn’t fallen asleep, but he had been resting on the couch for the past few hours. Sure, it was a lazy thing to do, but he always had new puzzle ideas brewing in the back of his mind. With that logic, he was essentially always on the job, which was necessary since Sans seemed to be the opposite.

Papyrus’ hand hesitated, gripping the doorknob. Who could possibly be there? Perhaps this is how Undyne felt when he showed up to her house at midnight several weeks ago.

Then again, company would have been nice. A few moments prior, he had been staring at his phone from across the room. It was lying on the kitchen counter for a while. He quietly walked over to grab it, bringing it back to the couch. Papyrus wanted to message someone, but decided against it; there wasn’t anyone in particular he could contact right now. He didn’t want to wake his brother either, so he just left it alone.

Back in the present, he opened the door. Even after adjusting his eyes to the darkness, Papyrus didn’t see anyone, let alone any footprints in the snow. It wasn’t strikingly dark, but the lights outside were all turned off.

“Down here, silly,” Flowey chuckled below him. Papyrus peered down at him, blinking a few times to ensure he was seeing correctly. This is strikingly random, but he was glad to be visited by a friend whenever.

“Oh, Flowey! How nice it is to see you,” Papyrus mustered at a relatively low volume. “What are you doing here?” He didn’t mean for that last part to come out as judgmentally as it did, but Flowey had never come to his house before. Sometimes Papyrus strolled around, and they coincidentally met up, but most monsters preferred to be cooped up in their house by now.

“I think I just spotted a human, but they’re pretty far away,” Flowey explained. “Aren’t you looking for humans? We should hurry and catch up to them.”

Papyrus raised his eyebrows, a flame of excitement growing in his chest. He tried to speak, but the flame choked his throat. It’d be best not to dwell on it much, in case Flowey was wrong, but he couldn’t help but start to consider a string of possibilities. He hadn’t had much luck since he started working as a sentry, and it wasn’t that he lost hope, but he hadn’t expected good news any time soon.

“Wowie! Really?” Papyrus stepped outside, doing little jumps. “Where are they? Are they awaiting my genius-crafted puzzles? I don’t believe it,” he cheered, taken aback by the spike in intensity of his beating heart. “Wait… wouldn’t it be wrong to approach them in the dead of night, though?” Papyrus was under the impression that humans were far more vulnerable during the second half of every day; they loved sleeping almost as much as his brother.

“Please,” Flowey doubted. “You should at least come see them and answer all that for yourself. It’s better to prepare yourself, so you’re ready to face them in the morning, right?”

Papyrus lifted his hand to his chin and stared at the ground thoughtfully. He didn’t want to petrify the human or anything, but he and Sans’ record of human sightings had been remarkably slow lately. It would be so wasteful not to jump at this opportunity. Besides, they could be quiet. Perhaps, the human isn’t even asleep.

“I suppose you make a fair point… alrighty! Let me grab my brother; that lazybones better not miss out on this.”

“Wait,” Flowey exclaimed before Papyrus could make it to the doorway. “Let’s not involve or, uh, bother him right now. It might be too chaotic if more people came. Let’s just investigate on our own for now.”

Papyrus contemplated his options, apparently for too long.

“Think of it as a late night hang out between two good friends, okay?” Flowey encouraged.

Papyrus paused and peeked his head into their living room. He had to wake Sans up at some point every day, but Sans was usually extra slow when woken up from his seven hour long naps. Normally, that wouldn’t stop Papyrus, as nothing could blemish his excitement, but waking his brother seemed like it would aggravate Flowey, so Papyrus reached to grab his shoes and gently closed the door. He felt bad for not leaving a note, but this shouldn’t take very long.

As Papyrus sat on the steps to equip his boots, Flowey swayed from side to side. One of his eyes twitched. He must want to find this human as eagerly as Papyrus. That was strange. It was not as though Flowey wanted to be a royal guardsman.

“Are you ready yet, friend?” Despite his smile, Flowey seemed less cheerful now.

“Yes, let’s go,” Papyrus exclaimed. He stood up with his hands on his hips and perfect posture. “Wait… I feel like I’m forgetting something. Let me go check.”

“There’s no time for that,” Flowey groaned impatiently. Papyrus stopped in his tracks and sighed. He had his boots at least.

Flowey’s body grew longer, stretching to peer at the side of the house.

“I know a trail to get to them that’s better for our situation, just follow my lead.” Flowey pointed one of his leaves towards two trees. There was a small gap between them that led into the forest. “Let’s go through there first. I think I saw them near that sentry station you built.”

“Uhh…” Papyrus stammered and narrowed his eyes at Flowey’s suggestion. “Wouldn’t it be easier to just run straight through the town? Worry not, these limbs were made for traveling at lightning speed.”

“I’ll explain on the way, just trust me,” Flowey insisted, giving a surprisingly effective push towards the woods. In response, Papyrus raised an eyebrow, but he willingly moved along to where Flowey recommended.

The section of the woods where they traveled was certainly secluded. It was pretty cramped with trees, but there was a natural path Papyrus could decipher. No one ever goes through this part of Snowdin since there wasn’t anything to see. Papyrus found it more stimulating to take the scenic route, with buildings and other monsters. Nevertheless, he ventured where Flowey wanted with haste.

“If we are out in the open, the other townspeople might-” Flowey was interrupted by Papyrus’ yelp. Papyrus peered down his body to find that Flowey was hitched onto Papyrus’ side as he ran, now crossing the bridge. He supposed that was more efficient; he moved at a naturally superb speed after all. Frankly, he was more impressed than he was startled that he didn’t notice Flowey there at first.

“Wowie! You are one slippery flower,” Papyrus added. Flowey just stared at him. His mouth had remained open since Papyrus cut off his explanation. When the skeleton recognized this, he apologized sheepishly and went back to running.

“The other townspeople might notice us,” Flowey cleared his throat and continued. “They could speculate that we’re doing something interesting, and well, what if another aspiring royal guardsman jumps at the opportunity to capture a human themselves? Now, I know how hard you work to find one yourself, and I couldn’t bear to see all your effort spoiled.”

“Really?” Papyrus beamed as he jumped across a large gap in the ground, his eye sockets' shining. Now on the other side, he landed and slid across an ice puzzle towards another pocket of the forest. “You’re so considerate! It’s wonderful to have friends that recognize your hard work and talents. I suppose you make a good point as well.”

Sans is pretty appreciative in general, but he doesn’t always push himself to go above and beyond to contribute to their work. Papyrus was glad he had a friend who would break their stem leading him to a human and being there every step of the way.

“Say, are we getting closer to that human?” Papyrus asked as he peeked through the trees, spotting the sentry stand Flowey mentioned.

Flowey chuckled below him and checked, moving his head from side to side.

“We should have spotted them by now,” he hummed. “Let’s keep looking. If they’re here, you’ll be able to find them, won’t you?”

“Of- Of course,” Papyrus boasted, but to no avail. After about a half hour, the two had traveled all the way to one of Sans’ sentry stations. On the way, they noticed a couple of Ice Caps from afar, but no humans.

Papyrus sighed and removed a whoopee cushion before sitting at Sans’ station. He peered beneath the desk. There were copious amounts of various condiments aligning the shelves. They were actually organized rather neatly, compared to how Sans manages his other belongings. Papyrus sighs at the thought of their pet rock and slumps in his chair.

“Gee, I’m sorry, Papyrus,” Flowey expressed. “I really thought I saw a human. It must have been some conveniently shaped lump of wood. Or… a lamp?” He blurted, inspecting the unusual lamp a few feet away. Papyrus hadn’t noticed Flowey jump back onto the ground until then.

Papyrus felt as though the world was toying with him. A human sighting was impeccably rare, yet he had believed he received a miracle just on his doorstep that night. It could have been as he hoped, that this prolonged era of human absence finally gave in, and he fulfilled his goals. Instead, the silence resumed. All of his dreams and aspirations were pushed back another day.

That was the thrill of the chase though. When a human would arrive, the moment would be much grander now. Even so, this was one of the infrequent instances where it hurt to be so passionate. It was much easier to be disappointed by something with expectation and hope drilled into it.

Papyrus studied the rest of Sans’ station. Despite how often he sleeps on the job, there was no pillow or blanket for extra comfort. Sans had a tendency to fall asleep on a whim, anytime and anywhere. He really made putting as little effort as possible look too easy, a concept personally foreign to Papyrus.

Despite knowing more about his brother than anyone else, whatever situation could motivate Sans to care more about his responsibilities was a mystery to Papyrus.

“No worries, friend,” Papyrus sighed. “We should go on another exploration together sometime.”

Flowey’s stem drooped, his leaves fiddling together.

“Gosh, I feel terrible for letting you down.” Flowey frowned. “...but hey, maybe this hangout doesn’t have to be a total failure. You know that purple door way over there?”

Papyrus perked his head higher. He inspected where Flowey was pointing and narrowed his eyes.

“That strange door in the woods… What about it? What’s the matter with it, anyway?” Papyrus recalled a couple random days where Sans spent a while over there. He seemed to spend a little more time than the last visit whenever he returned. It was unknown to Papyrus what Sans would actually do, but if he enjoyed it that much, it’s probably nothing productive.

On the opposite side of the station, Flowey grew taller to meet Papyrus at eye level.

“I’ve heard some talk about it,” Flowey enticed. “Apparently, that door leads to the Ruins.”

Papyrus hummed and squinted his eyes.

“I feel like I’ve heard people mention that before,” Papyrus explained, tapping his fingers on the table. “Don’t some monsters live there? Ooo, is it fun there?”

“It doesn’t appeal to me,” Flowey chuckled. “It’s all broken down and dusty, but I know the place well. I’ve explored lots of times. Anyway, there’s a particular woman who lives there, you know. She comes across as very sweet and nurturing… motherly, even.”

He trails off, leaving Papyrus dangling on the edge of his words. If Flowey’s tone of voice wasn’t so mysterious, Papyrus wouldn’t have given it much thought. Normally, Flowey was just a friendly and simple monster. He would pop up randomly, so he could be a bit startling, but Papyrus had never seen him this serious about anything before.

Since it was one of the rare instances Papyrus was completely silent, Flowey continued.

“I’ve seen her talk to humans before. She interacts with them a lot, actually, but it’s become a problem. I think she’s been trying to stop them from leaving the Ruins entirely.”

“What? Why would she do that?” Papyrus gaped at him. “Doesn’t she know there are skeletons in need of their dream job?”

“Well… no, and I was worried about that, for you. Humans can’t just stay in the Ruins forever; how are you supposed to capture one?” Flowey bopped his head around as he spoke. “So, I was thinking that you could go in there and talk to her yourself… If there’s anyone who can convince her, it’d be you.”

“Me? You think so?”

“Of course, silly! You’re so… agreeable,” Flowey said, squinting his eyes. “Give her the Papyrus charm! Trust me, when she sees you, there’s no way she’ll ignore you.”

“Well… I suppose I can talk with her for a moment. I’ll make it hasty and efficient, that’s the Papyrus charm! I… suppose.”

Papyrus suddenly stood up triumphantly and started to march over to the door. The two made it about halfway there until Flowey extended a vine in front of Papyrus.

“Hold on a second,” Flowey said.

Papyrus watched carefully as the vine blocking him grew even longer, going through the line of trees. He went to ask what Flowey was doing, but he heard a distant rustling of leaves before he could say anything. Soon after, he faintly heard glass breaking…?

Papyrus just stammered in confusion as Flowey grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the door, his legs moving subconsciously.

When they reached the door, Papyrus noticed a bush to the right of it was torn apart. Was this what Flowey just did, or is this woman really bad at landscaping?

“Heheh, sorry, friend,” Flowey explained. “I noticed something in that bush and I was… I was worried that it was a weapon or something. Just making the path safe for you! The Ruins are pretty dangerous in and of themselves too.”

“Oh! Alright, thank you, and uh, how so?” Papyrus asked, his voice becoming a higher pitch.

“Well, the route you and I are going to explore is very desolate. It also has many dangerous puzzles that are way too convoluted for me, but hey, you’re here to help! There’s no way anything could go wrong for me.”

Papyrus flushed a bit. Flowey’s flattery was entirely justified for such a great guy like Papyrus, but every compliment was still highly appreciated. It was beyond refreshing to have a kind friend like Flowey. It seemed as though Flowey was eager to do this too; Papyrus would feel awful if he declined.

Although Papyrus is competent in many regards, he still wasn’t entirely sure why Flowey needed him to talk to this stranger. A feeling that didn't sit well with Papyrus bubbled up in his gut the more he questioned his friend's motives.

“How come you didn’t ask the woman yourself, Flowey?”

“She, uh,” Flowey smiled at him, his eyes strangely devoid of any emotion, “she doesn’t like me very much. It’s a long story. Anyways, what do you say? Will you try and convince her, or what?”

“Oh, yes, of course,” Papyrus, all ready and willing, smiled at Flowey. He ignored how his smile faltered slightly more with each step towards the Ruins. This could be productive for him though, and it could make up for the time they wasted before.

Although, he figured he should get back home soon since he left his phone there. Not only that, but he left the TV on. It wouldn’t wake Sans, but it was a waste of electricity. He knew he forgot something in his excitement. Nonetheless, it was unlikely that one conversation would take up a lot of time, right?

“Great,” Flowey said. “Remember, we need to be careful. This is a secluded passageway; no one else goes to this part of the Ruins, and those puzzles… They're really dangerous. You never know what could happen. Either way, I believe in you. Everything that happens will be thanks to the great Papyrus!”

Papyrus listened intently to every last word until glancing away from Flowey. He fidgeted with his gloves and his pace slowed a bit. It felt wrong to pester a stranger like this, especially one who has negative feelings towards his friend. Papyrus stared at the door in the distance, contemplating ways he could subtly protest.

Then, for a fleeting second, he registered a hard blow to the back of his head. His body weighed heavily before forcefully hitting the ground.

Chapter Text

Sans’ body twitched when he woke up. His eyes were barely open, but what predominantly filled his vision was a whole bunch of yellow. 

He closed his eyes for a moment, letting his body go limp. Hopefully, he’ll fall back asleep. He did not. He stayed like this for a few minutes before he stretched his arms and sat up. A mostly eaten bag of potato chips fell from his chest onto his lap. He guessed that was the yellow thing he woke up to.

He really did not feel like going to work today. That wasn’t true; he didn’t actually care. He just wanted to sleep all day. Maybe Papyrus wouldn’t notice if he took a few power naps. 

His back ached a bit after sitting up. The carpet was comfortable and soft, but the floor was pretty stiff nonetheless. 

He must have fallen off the couch while sleeping last night. That didn’t make sense though; he barely moves when asleep. Did Papyrus push him off the couch for snoring or something? That seemed like attempted murder, given Sans’ overall health. It didn’t really matter though, obviously Pap didn’t do that.

“Ohh, right,” Sans mumbled to himself, trying to piece together the string of events. His head fell limp, slumping to his chest while he recalled. 

He woke up at some point last night to get a late night snack. His brain wasn’t exactly fully functioning then, but if he remembered correctly, Papyrus had gone upstairs at some point. He probably couldn’t sleep; their couch was pretty lumpy. It was strange that Papyrus left the TV on though. Sans must have shut it off. 

Right now, the remote was next to Sans, partially under the couch. He tried to visualize the memory of him walking from the kitchen, taking note of the TV, spotting the remote on the floor, and falling asleep the second he sat down to turn the TV off. He had planned to check on his brother before going back to sleep but apparently never got the chance. 

Once he finished recalling everything from yesterday, he popped on his slippers and made it upstairs, curious if his brother was still in bed. 

There were countless times Sans fell asleep, and when he woke up, he knew his brother had been there. Telling signs could be a newfound blanket draped over him, his trash from the couch discarded, or being in a new location entirely. Occasionally, Papyrus took him home from Grillby’s or wherever Sans ended up. In those cases, it’s unlikely that Sans has a clear memory of the journey back home, but he knew he had Papyrus to thank for the safe traveling. He’d do the same for his brother anytime, but it was very rare that he would catch Papyrus sleeping. 

Sans peeked his head into Papyrus’ room. Papyrus wasn’t there. 

His bed was perfectly made, his computer was off, and everything was in place as is, nothing out of the ordinary. It was like no one even touched it. Papyrus always kept his environment organized and tidy. Sans knew anything immensely out of place ate away at his brother. 

Sans closed the door and gradually stepped down the stairs. Paps must have left really early for work. It was a bit odd though; he didn’t leave a note or anything. Normally, he wakes Sans up and drags him out of the house. But before that, they like to have something to eat together before they get going too. 

Papyrus had never taken off without warning before. What got him so excited that he ran out the door? Sans chuckled at the thought. Still, Paps could have come back and said something. Sans was sure it was fine though. Feeling like something was wrong was just older brother instinct anyway.

Sans figured he should get going to work soon as well. He and Papyrus planned to start constructing a new puzzle today, or at least, they would go over some ideas. They’ll just meet up later then, no worries.

Although every bone of his was itching to take the shortcut, Sans would probably spot his bro on the way, so he decided to walk. It would be so much more convenient to go to the station in Waterfall too, but they needed to build this puzzle in Snowdin. 

Maybe, if Papyrus doesn’t show up for a bit, Sans could talk to the woman behind the purple door. It was always fun practicing his jokes, especially with her as an audience.

Sans locked their front door and began the journey. He zipped his jacket about two-thirds of the way and sighed, his breath traveling with the breeze. Snow fell around him. It wasn’t heavy or light, and the clouds were likely going to pass soon. The snow softly crunched beneath him with every step. The wind blew. The trees rustled. Sans groaned. He was really in the mood for conversation.

When he passed Grillby’s, he eyed it all the way until he reached the decorated tree. 

There were only a few people around today. The rabbit girl was walking her little brother. Once she noticed him, her eyes scanned around, probably to see if both skeletons were there today. 

Sans waved at her and gave a small wave to her little brother. She reciprocated the wave reluctantly and smiled upon making eye contact with Sans. Sans kept walking, passing the inn and shop.

“It’s so quiet today, huh, Bunbun?” She said casually.

— — — 

Sans woke in dead silence. 

One thing about him sleeping whenever and wherever, is that he is used to the feeling of waking up in an unfamiliar place at any point in a day. For all he knew, it could be three in the morning, and he was currently in his bedroom. That wasn’t the case. 

He checked the time. In actuality, it was three in the afternoon, and he was at his sentry station. He didn’t end up visiting the woman behind that strange door, even though he hoped to make some jokes today. Not only that, but Papyrus still wasn’t here. Hopefully, no humans showed up either. When he did see Paps, he wouldn’t want to be responsible for not spotting one. Sans also gave the best first impressions to humans, and he wouldn’t want to miss that. It didn’t really matter though; he had a feeling no humans were around yet.

While remaining seated, Sans studied the area, even checking for footprints. He had fully expected his brother to come strolling in and start hammering him a bit, saying how Sans cannot keep falling asleep on the job and that Papyrus needs to keep him on the straight and narrow. It happens all the time. But this time, it was different. Papyrus wasn’t nearby; he wasn’t building parts for his puzzle or trying to make conversation with other monsters. This time, no one came. Only a whistling breeze passed by, it seemed. 

Where could Papyrus possibly be? Probably with Undyne, but still, he could have warned Sans that there was a change of plans. 

When Sans first sat down at the station a few hours ago, he noticed that the whoopee cushion he planted was tossed on the ground. He figured that was Papyrus’ doing, and that meant Papyrus was nearby, so Sans searched around for a bit. He took several shortcuts and even saw one of the royal guards, but no brother. Even still, he thought Papyrus would turn up soon, so he waited at the station and eventually fell asleep, he guessed. 

It could have literally been the wind; a strong breeze knocked the cushion right off the seat while it was snowing. That seemed lame though. He’ll have to invest in heavier whoopee cushions. Or tape.

Being left alone with his thoughts without warning was exhausting though. Papyrus was always one hundred percent energy, and Sans was always at a decreasing one percent. As nice as it was to take a step back from everything, it was just that one percent keeping him going. He enjoyed doing nothing, but he knew it wouldn’t help him at all. 

Sans looked around. Not hearing his brother’s voice all day or being in his presence wasn’t for the better or worse. He likes having Paps around, obviously, and there’s also no indication that something sinister happened. No human had fallen down as far as he knew. 

It was as though his brother was never anywhere to begin with, and that feeling deeply unsettled Sans. He tried to brush it off and slowly stood up to make his way home, placing the cushion on one of the shelves in the station. 

As he walked through the forest, he reached his phone out of his pocket and dialed Papyrus’ number. It rang for a moment. 

No one picked up. 

He tried again, but only to meet the same result. He tossed his phone in the air and caught it a few times before putting it back in his pocket. If this nothingness got even more boring, maybe he could pay a visit to Alphys… 

He knew Paps would appear eventually. Right, he was probably with Undyne now, and Sans got today’s plans confused with another day. 

In the meantime, Sans planned to double check the house and then visit Grillby’s, just in case his brother went home. Moreover, any unreasonable weird feelings he had could always be subsided by a visit to Grillby’s.

After a minute passed, there was little faith that Sans would run into his bro on the way home, so he took a shortcut.

As he stepped up to his front door, his limbs ached a bit due to all that walking from before. He was glad to have regained some energy after sleeping; at least he moved with a little more ease now. Even though he’s technically not supposed to sleep on the job, it was totally worth it.

The fairy lights shone a faint red and green haze on the doorknob as Sans unlocked the house. He quickly scanned the living room while he stepped in, shut the door, and sighed. The house was still empty. He tossed the key on their table and trudged over to the fridge. 

He wasn’t sure if there was anything else to do today. He had done so much nothing; it felt like he forgot about something he planned to do. 

He leaned against the fridge after grabbing a snack, fiddling with it in his hands for a moment, even as his stomach growled. 

The floor had gotten all wet just now; he tracked in a lot of snow. At least his shoes were pretty small, Papyrus’ boots were a lot bigger. Although, the boots were made for colder climates, so they wouldn’t track in as much snow anyway. Besides, Papyrus always remembered to wipe off any snow before going inside, and he usually left his shoes by the door if they were home alone. 

Sans stared attentively at the floor on the left side of the front door, where they put shoes. Just as Sans thought, the spot was empty, and he and Papyrus were home alone yesterday. Papyrus left his boots by the front and then put them on when he left for work today, wherever he went. So he definitely left, and maybe he got distracted and went on some side quest, maybe with Undyne. There truly was no need to worry, which Sans had known. 

He walked over and sank into the couch. It was objectively uncomfortable, yet Sans preferred it to his room or anywhere else in the house. It felt familiar, and there was a comfort in that alone. 

He reached to grab the remote from the floor and switched on the TV. It would be better if he didn't watch MTT’s gameshow without Papyrus, so he looked for something else to watch. He scrolled through the options, searching for physics programs. This technically counted as doing something productive after all.  

He finally found an interesting study and sighed to himself as he leaned further into his seat, munching on his snack. His eye sockets began to droop a bit.

He was completely entranced for about ten minutes, until he heard a part of the couch… vibrating? Or was the floor collapsing? He moved his hand from his pocket and patted the cushion next to him. It was definitely the couch. 

He lifted the cushion up, looking underneath to find… Papyrus’ phone buzzing. 

With his eyes fully open now, Sans didn’t take his gaze away from the device. Noises from the television became incoherent and went unnoticed as he watched the phone ring for what felt like a minute, until it eventually stopped.

He just sat there, staring. He didn’t move a bone. 

The phone buzzed again, this time only for a second, and he blinked at it before finally stretching to grab it. 

It was Undyne. She had called Papyrus a few times in the afternoon, messaged him once, and stopped trying up until now. 

Hey, where have you been, man?!! Let me know if we’re still on for training tomorrow!! , she said.

Recently, Papyrus and Undyne had been meeting up a lot more. Sans didn’t know Undyne well, but given what Papyrus says about her, she seemed like a good friend. Papyrus was always eager to train with her too, even if they mostly just cooked. Papyrus wouldn’t want to miss a day of training. If he did, he would have alerted Undyne on time. Unless he was coming up with some elaborate scheme. If that was the case though, Sans would likely have a decent idea as to what his brother wanted to do. 

In reality, Sans was stumped. 

He looked at the phone again, tapping it after the screen went dim. Undyne’s missed calls were right under Sans’ calls. All were completely untouched. 

Sans considered calling and talking to Undyne himself, but the whole situation still seemed like nothing. It had to be nothing. Calling Undyne now would feel like admitting something was wrong, which was not an answer, so Sans left it alone. Papyrus can talk to her and fill them in when he gets back. Moreover, Papyrus should prepare himself for when he sees Undyne again, she might be mad that he blew off their training session. 

Sans half-focused on the TV again, gripping the phone in his hand. He practically stared through the screen. The video covered a subject Sans was pretty knowledgeable in already, and it comforted him, until it ended. There were other suggested videos similar to that one, but he turned the TV off instead of watching them.

He let himself sit in silence for a moment. Nothing moved in the house as he laid completely still. He inhaled deeply before sighing and prying himself away from the couch. 

Without locking it, he closed the front door behind him and walked over to Grillby’s, unsure of where else to go.

Chapter Text

Despite his head being slumped to his chest, Papyrus could barely focus on his body when he opened his eyes. At first, his limbs were blurry blobs of color; he could barely make sense of how his body was arranged. 

He attempted to clearly visualize his surroundings, but blinking was a… daunting task. It felt as though every fiber of his being was working at full force to move even his eyes.

The sound of his uneven deep breathing seemed to grow louder the more he focused on it. He attempted to control it, eventually resulting in quieter, prolonged inhales and exhales. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed in his efforts to manage his breathing, but by the time he had, he felt physically more in tune with his senses. 

His torso was leaned up against a rough hard wall, and his arms and legs had fallen limp at his side.

His head strained, with his skull having hung from his neck intensely for who knows how long. Assuming it would weigh as heavy as his eyelids, he put in much effort to lift his head with haste, so he could lean it up against the wall too. However, his skull was insanely light and moved with ease; it felt as though a breeze passing by could rip it off entirely. It shot up too quickly, leaning back without having intended to, as Papyrus’ vision was enveloped by darkness in a static haze. Small flickers of color scattered around hectically before the static faded away.

Papyrus squeezed his eyes shut. He hadn’t felt like this in… He had never felt like this. Was he dying? How can he make these feelings go away? A piercing pain hammered in the back of his skull.

It felt as though someone had stabbed Papyrus in his cranium and left the weapon there for him to lug around as he moved. Not only that, but various other bones thoroughly stung in certain spots. Was that blood on his wrist?

He tried to check, but his left wrist just barely escaped his gaze.

Papyrus lifted his right arm to try inspecting the injury again. He sucked in a sharp breath as his arm trembled while he gradually brought it to his wrist. The bruise on his wrist felt sore to his other hand’s gentle grasp. He applied some more pressure and flinched; the pain wasn’t unbearable, but it was definitely there. He sighed shakily, taking note of the several other similar bruises and drops of sweat scattered across his anatomy.

His eyes darted around, surveilling the room for other monsters; only now he remembered to do that. 

The walls were a mix between magenta and purple. There were two cobwebs on the ground a few feet away and an opening, outlooking what laid beyond this room. Papyrus hesitantly peeked into the distance, scanning for movement. There were no other monsters, but more similar walls and shadows in the distance and a pile of… red. On the ground, it seemed. It looked too bright to be blood. 

He exhaled sharply and made an effort to lift his knees closer to his chest. Prior to now, his legs had been laid out in front of him. 

Although it appeared subtle, his bones persistently rattled too. He wasn’t confined anywhere, he could surely leave the room and search his surroundings, but that much movement would take lifetimes of effort. Instead, he fully leaned against the wall, allowing his shoulders to droop as he remained completely still. 

Upon somewhat processing the state of his body and current whereabouts, Papyrus could begin to form coherent thoughts. 

As much as he wanted to get away from… wherever he was and feel safe, he wasn’t sure that it would be a beneficial thing to see another monster right now. There’s no telling how his body got into this severe condition, but it looked like someone else’s doing. Even still, there wasn’t anyone he could think of that would want this. Had the pain felt less intense, he would have thought this was a dream. 

If he did come across someone, they could help get him to safety, unless it was a trick or something. Perhaps, he should just trust his gut. Either way, he didn’t know what to expect. He knew he could more assuredly make it out alive if someone came and helped him. 

The best case scenario would be for him to see Sans. 

Sans. 

Where was his brother now? The thought of him brought a wave of emotional pain, a sense of longing. He felt so far away, for some reason. 

Seeing Sans would be the best case scenario. His brother wasn’t a danger to him in the slightest, and Papyrus could rely on him to ensure he wouldn’t die prematurely in this barren place. If his brother were here, he would be in safe hands. Nothing at all would be wrong, not really.

Where was Sans? A spike of fear shot in Papyrus’ heart for a second. An immediate demand to understand what was happening pounded in his mind. Was Sans here too? Was he in as bad of shape as Papyrus, or worse? Knowing Sans’ condition, it was unlikely that anyone who could inflict that much damage upon Papyrus would feel threatened by Sans… If thrown into a fight, Sans would know what to do, right?

Papyrus tried to call out his brother’s name, but the word was caught in his mouth, only letting out a hoarse and short-lived hissing sound. He cleared his throat a few times and spoke again. Those times his voice sounded loud, but much quieter than usual, and it sounded weak. It came off as bewildered and as though he was on the verge of tears, which could very well be the case, so he blinked a few times to wash them away. 

He swallowed away the sorrow building up in his throat and squeezed his eyes shut. What was the last memory he had? He thought of the town, puzzles, and flashing colors. What? Flashing colors from the television, the one in their living room. He had been watching a show with Sans in the house and… it was quiet. 

It was quiet until… It was quiet until someone showed up at their house. Papyrus had to peer down to speak to them, but that was not uncommon since he was rather tall. They ran around on an exciting hunt for something. He had to go through all of these trees, far away from people, but on the way, they still had to cross a bridge, so they exited the forest. Why would they go in the forest? Papyrus stretched to step over the Snowdin town sign, trying not to damage any of the flowers; he didn’t want to offend his friend.

Papyrus felt a slight surge of relief wash over him; he was successfully recalling what happened. 

It was possible he had been in this room for a while longer after he saw Flowey. What were they even looking for that Flowey managed to pry him out of the house so suddenly? Perhaps it was related to the royal guard since he was always itching to get work done.

He pictured sliding across an ice puzzle and spotting Ice Caps through gaps between the trees, but when he tried to remember anything afterwards, the same memories repeated in his mind as a dead end. It was frustrating beyond belief, being on such a roll only to stop abruptly, but it was valuable to know what he did now. 

So the last person he was with was likely Flowey, and it’s not as though a best friend would hurt him. With this considered, they had to have come across some other monster, which Papyrus had a hard time believing, or they got into an accident. He scanned the room again, confirming he was still alone. 

The best outcome would be that Papyrus was alone in his suffering too, and Flowey was spared of any disasters.

Papyrus silently prayed for that to be the case and that he could see Flowey soon, so he could fully understand everything. 

For now, he let his mind rest. All of his thoughts had manifested into clusters; words and concepts flowed until these strange gaps intervened and obstructed his understanding before he reached an impenetrable gap. He gave up trying to pry through that void. 

He motioned his bones around a bit. It still took great amounts of willpower to push through the discomfort of using his body, but he could at least bring himself to move, maybe walk around if he didn’t mind all that pain. 

Instead, he allowed his body to wind down, adjusting himself to a more comfortable position, and attempted to rest before he ventured any further. With his head sharply pounding in itself at all times, it would be foolish to do something that could over exhaust his body anyways. 

Sans usually got more energy after napping. Papyrus supposed he would follow in his brother's footsteps this once. 

Sorrow lingered in his chest as he laid willingly limp on the ground.

Closing his eyes, he wondered what Sans was doing now. 

— — —

Toriel stared back and forth at each end of the hallway, clutching a paper in her hands.

Someone shouted in the distance just now, and while there were a number of monsters living in the Ruins, they never made much of a commotion. More importantly, this sounded like a cry for help… not that she registered exactly what they said.

She glanced down at the paper she held, wide-eyed, fidgeting with it at its sides. For the past twenty minutes, she searched for the contents on the paper’s list. There was a new recipe she wanted to try. Only two out of the six check boxes in the list were checked off, and she figured Vegetoid could give her some carrots for it, which is why she bothered to leave her home at all today.

It would be nice to have some friendly interaction too. However, the ominous yell was a much more pressing matter than the recipe. It was especially worrisome since she could be hearing a human, and she didn’t know if it was too late to help.

Toriel stuffed the list in her pocket and headed for the left end of the hallway. The paper was likely crumpled up now, but it didn’t really matter since no one was around to try the recipe with her anyway. Maybe this person in need could eat it with her soon… unless they didn’t make it.  

She glanced out, searching between pillars and secret passageways in puzzles. She shouted a concerned call in every corner, but no one was there. 

She stared down at the floor, taking a breath before going back to the original hallway and making her way to the other exit. It is possible she heard incorrectly, but she won’t believe that until she’s searched as much as she can. 

Toriel hurried through the other hallway, taking a sharp turn to find an empty pile of leaves. She was relieved Napstablook wasn’t in their regular spot because it signified that they weren’t around today, but that still left the mystery as to who had yelled. 

A drop of sweat fell down her face; it felt as though about five or ten minutes had already passed.

She quickly glanced behind her; there was a brief sighting of an abnormal patch of grey. She had to stop herself from continuing to descend down the hallway after she spotted it in the corner of her eye. 

Having fully turned her body now, Toriel leaned to the left to better view the person in the distance. 

They laid limp on the ground. Toriel cautiously made her way to them, treading lightly so as to not alarm them. After getting a closer look, she saw that they were not in fact a human, but a skeleton. 

The skeleton was awfully torn up, there were several bruises across his body, and his expression was unpleasant. His eyes were closed, he had a deep frown, and his eyebrows were scrunched in discomfort. Toriel hurried to him now, still attempting to be quiet, but she needed to ensure he was alive. 

Fortunately, his chest subtly raised and lowered, and she could faintly hear breaths through his teeth. Toriel sighed in relief, also frowning now, as she gently shook the skeleton. 

He partially peeped open an eye before he flinched and maneuvered away from Toriel, his eyes fully open now. Despite moving so slowly, he seemed eager to put distance between the two of them. His hand, covered by a dirty glove, went to shield himself as he narrowed and darted his eyes around the room. 

“O-oh! No, don’t worry,” she said as softly as she could. “I’m just trying to see if you are okay?”

The skeleton’s shoulders dropped a bit, his hand doing the same a moment after. He finally turned to get a look at Toriel and studied her for a moment. She was kneeling down in front of him several feet away. 

“How are you feeling?” She asked, not attempting a smile. This poor guy. How could he possibly have ended up in this condition? And why in this random room?

His arms rattled quietly as she awaited a response.

“I-,” he paused. His voice trembled a bit and remained quiet, but it became slightly more stern when he asked, “who are you? Why—how do I… know you?”

“I’m afraid we don’t know each other,” Toriel stammered, “but I heard someone—well, you—call for help, and I’m very glad I found you.” She paused, pondering what could possibly be the right thing to ask next; she didn’t want to overwhelm him too much. 

The skeleton stared down at the floor again. His expression was softer now, but he still seemed on edge and as though his mind wasn’t fully present. 

“Uh, what is your name?” Toriel asked reluctantly.

“I’m Papyrus.” He seemed to have attempted a whimsical tone to his response, but she couldn't tell for certain. 

“Papyrus, I’m Toriel,” she said with a nervous smile. “I live not far from here. I’m sorry we had to meet this way.”

Although the tension suddenly left his body, his expression embraced sorrow and defeat right after. This was as heart wrenching as it was anxiety inducing; he could be slowly decaying away as they spoke.

“Are you alone, Papyrus?”

“I guess so… I should be.” He hesitated, almost as though he was afraid to know the answers to his questions. “Where are we exactly?”

“We’re in the Ruins,” she answered quickly, anxious to bring the skeleton to safety. “How do you feel? What happened to you?” His expression tensed slightly. She had never seen him around here until today, so he must have traveled from some other part of the Underground. How did he even get in here? Toriel tried to refrain from imagining who would hurt him like this.

“I do not feel great,” he replied with a weak smile, “but worry not; the Great Papyrus will be fine! In due time at least… I’m not sure how this happened. It seems my memory is—it’s a bit fuzzy. My head is…” he trailed off, waving hand around his head and quickly putting it down. The hand balled into a tense fist.  

Papyrus seemed to be struggling with finding the right words. She presumed that he wasn’t trying to deceive her or anything, and he was truly lost. 

“Oh dear, alright,” she began, “Where is your house? Do you live far from here…?”

“Uh,” he stammered, squeezing his eyes as though he were deep in thought. “Sans—Sans would be at the house, but he’s not around right now. I’m not—I don’t know where it is to here. He’s probably slacking off,” Papyrus trailed off, suddenly worried by this new train of thought. 

Toriel would question him further about whoever he was talking about, but she probably wouldn’t get a coherent answer. Hopefully, she could ask him later. It was clear he needed help from someone.

“It seems awfully dangerous for you to try and get back on your own,” she explained. She couldn’t leave him here either; eventually, his body would turn against him. “I can heal you. Could I help you, Papyrus? I’ll bring you back to my house and get you fixed up. Is that alright?” She prayed silently for him to agree. If he didn’t, she would at least come back here and give him food or something. 

She awaited his answer for a few moments. Papyrus’ hands clutched at his sides, seemingly as a way of comforting himself. 

“Please, I would appreciate it, really.” He suddenly nodded profusely. “Only if it’s not much trouble; I can hardly move. It’s very… difficult.” He tilted his head while looking at her, frowning. 

Toriel thought back to when he mentioned something about his head. She could not heal anything in his mind, but if there was damage to his bones, she could help with that. 

Even if he had trouble mentally, he didn’t seem like a bad person. These first impressions were beyond unorthodox, and the skeleton seemed only hurt and afraid, too much to be an act. 

“Of course.” Toriel smiled softly. “Come, let’s walk over there now.”

Chapter Text

Sans leaned back as far as he could into his stool, his thoughts having slipped away. Like the presence of another monster, his mind was not around. 

He was over an hour late to work again. However, this time, it wasn’t because he slept in. In fact, he had trouble falling asleep, oddly enough. He wouldn’t pay any mind if he lost a limb or started being stalked—who knows—but this genuinely puzzled him. 

Typically, the second he closed his eyes, he started dreaming. That race car bed was comfortable too, just not enough to put his mind to rest last night. 

Today was simply a hard day to leave the house, he guessed. Either way, being lazy was nothing new. It was nice to have something familiar, even something as useless as that. 

Sans wasn’t fully sure why he was at work though; there wasn’t any good reason to be here. He considered going over to his telescope, do something fun, but he chose against it. Even that distraction wouldn’t be enough. 

A waterfall flowed in the next room, rocks splashing into the water repeatedly. That noise to the right of him was his only proof he hadn’t lost all of his senses after tuning out the world. 

What looked like Greater Dog passed him in a flash earlier; Sans gave him a friendly wave that also conveyed that he would not lend Greater Dog a bone today. Neither could the other skeleton. 

“The other skeleton” hadn’t shown up for two days as of now. 

There was no indication he was dead, and there was also no indication he was safe; he was just gone. Life went on without Papyrus, even if people would grow curious as to where he went, but for Sans, it felt as though the world tilted. 

Sans could play along with the idea that Papyrus would return from a spontaneous, wacky adventure within a couple days, completely unscathed. Leaning on that was the routine for the past two mornings. But there was an eager ache in his soul that urged him more and more each day, and one reason to look further would be enough to make him crack.

Papyrus was the type to leave a note or something after all. He provoked Sans to work in the morning or got him from Grillby’s later in the day, always making his presence known. Sans imagined his brother’s figure in the room with him, as though it were real, but everything was just quiet now, including the repeated sounds of water dripping and splashing of the rocks.

Finally back in the present, Sans noticed the increasingly prominent noise of fierce footsteps emerging too. He sat up a bit, leaning his body forward to get a better view of the doorway. A spark of excitement leaped in his chest for a brief moment, picturing the fast footsteps of his brother. Sans’ soul silently begged for a conversation with him.

The spark plummeted as Undyne walked through the doorway. 

On the dim bright side, he could finally question her about the whole situation now. It would be a lot more helpful to talk to the person who actually left though. 

Undyne skidded in her tracks, her feet squeaking below her when she spotted Sans. It’s a miracle she didn’t slip from the puddle of water beneath her feet. Or it was a perk of being a fish. 

“Sans!” She looked down at him with her eye wide and eyebrows raised, studying him and his surroundings. He leaned back defeatedly.

“‘Sup,” he replied.

“You’re… actually at work. I figured you were at home. Oh yeah, sorry, I guess I broke into your house just now,” she apologized, staring blankly at him.

“It’s cool,” Sans shrugged off after a moment of hesitation.

“Uh, yeah?” she laughed unsurely, her voice higher pitched. “Greater Dog found out about some of the… gifts Papyrus gave me, and next thing I know he’s running to my house. I thought maybe he stopped by your guy’s place, but no one was there.”

An awkward silence sat between them, but Undyne seemed too preoccupied to care; she subtly huffed and puffed as her shoulders slumped, probably grateful for the break from catching Greater Dog. Sans didn't care either; Undyne’s sudden presence was a bit overwhelming.

“Speaking of, where has your brother been, anyway?” She stood straighter now, glaring at Sans as though Papyrus’ absence was his fault. He hadn’t considered that, and he didn’t want to. 

“I dunno,” he responded. “He just left the other day.” 

Instead of getting up in Sans’ face and raising her voice, Undyne stayed where she was and blinked, raising her eyebrow in response. 

“What are you being so vague for?” She barked. “Seriously, if this is for a surprise or something I appreciate it, but my birthday’s months from now.” 

A pang of anxiety began to choke Sans; he swallowed it, burying it deep into his chest. He felt his eye socket twitch for a split second, yet his stiff expression remained the same. It seemed Undyne was still just as clueless as him. 

“It’s true. I dunno where he is,” Sans replied, glancing down at the floor. 

Undyne paused before she spoke, almost as though she didn't want to ask. Her energy seemed to have fully depleted. 

“Do you think something happened?” She said, furrowing her eyebrows. There’s that question he tried to avoid this entire time, although it often hammered in his skull. 

“Heh. My bet is that he’s out adventuring, found some opportunity to capture a human,” Sans replied, looking back at her lifelessly. “He’ll come back soon enough.”

“Wouldn’t he rather go on vacation or something?” Undyne asked unsuspectingly. 

“No,” Sans chuckled. “He refuses to take one.” Every time Sans insisted that his brother should take at least one day off, even if things became stressful or upsetting, Papyrus declined. Being a sentry wasn’t that difficult after all. Well, maybe for Sans since he slept through the days, but still, Papyrus really loved the job, and he wouldn’t rest for a minute. It… doesn’t make sense that he would walk away from it without warning. 

“What, he didn’t leave you a note? Did he call you?” Undyne asked, flinging her arms around as she spoke. 

“No.” Sans hesitantly reached into his pocket, pulling out Papyrus’ phone. “He left his phone at home… I found it under the couch cushion.” 

At that, Undyne’s arms collapsed abruptly to her side. Her shaking fists clenched tightly, and her gloves prevented her nails from digging into her skin. Should Sans brace himself for her to attack? It would probably be pointless; she could finish him in a second, and that wouldn’t be unwelcome. 

Sans had never interacted with Undyne to this extent before. It was abnormal to see this side of her before getting to know her, but he looked up expectantly at her, needing new information, or at least, someone he could talk to about this. 

“You’re only telling me this now?” She said through a closed jaw. 

Sans blinked at her. If he tried to speak, his words would project weaker than they always do and break apart through his clenched teeth. He should make a joke; that might help.

“You idiot,” she exclaimed exasperatedly, and for once, Sans was grateful he technically lacked ears. “Clearly something is wrong!” 

He shrugged. “Maybe Papyrus was just at the wrong place at the wrong time. He could turn up.” Sans felt a pang of guilt. He knew he couldn’t believe that anymore, which his tone of voice showed. 

Undyne glared at him, gripping the sleeves of her jacket. She huffed irritably, her eye anxiously darting around the floor. Her breathing eventually transcended into a rough sigh. She stood up straighter, looking Sans hard in the eye. 

“Did you see Greater Dog earlier?” She finally spoke. It was a bit disappointing that she went off topic. 

“Uh, yeah I guess,” he replied. Undyne went to bash his uncertain response, but Sans spoke before she got the chance. “He went there.” He pointed to the doorway opposite to the one she came through, causing Undyne to just groan at him. 

She stared at the doorway, grimacing. 

Sans had been hanging onto her every word. Besides his brother being dead, this was the worst case scenario, but it was slightly refreshing to know that his worrying hadn’t been nonsensical. However, it weighed on him fully now that his brother was likely in trouble, and Sans had no idea how to help. 

“I’ll look into it,” she said, much quieter than how she usually spoke. 

“…Greater Dog?” Sans tilted his head. 

“No! Papyrus!” Undyne grunted. She left, returning to her fast pace and waving him off. The fears bubbling in his chest subsided a bit, his body finally allowing him to relax. Her promise to help somehow gifted him a twinge of comfort, knowing he had someone else to talk to.

But, at least in this moment, Sans was left completely alone.

———

After what seemed like twenty minutes or so, Sans stood from his chair. There was no more point to sitting and rotting in his thoughts at this station; he had an idea of what he could do. He tried to assure himself fully, but to no avail. Any further efforts would probably make his head burst anyways. That’s kind of a gruesome thing to picture. Good thing he hasn’t experienced that. 

His slippers got soaked as he headed to his shortcut to Grillby’s, stepping in a few puddles. He flinged them around a bit, so they’re only damp, and made his way inside. He wouldn’t want to get Grillby’s floor too wet, Grillby wouldn’t be able to clean up the mess. 

Bunny mumbled his name as he walked in, her ears perking up a bit. Most of the Royal Guard was there, except for Doggo and Greater Dog, and so were the others, in their usual spots. Sans waved to them in a haze, barely looking at them. He didn’t bring himself to care if he made a good presentation of himself or not. More so than usual, at least. 

Sans sluggishly lifted himself to a chair by the bar, leaning into the counter as his only support. Grillby set down a glass he was cleaning in front of Sans.

“How’s it been, Grillby?” Sans looked up at him, winking. Sans picked up the glass, inspecting it just to have something in his hands. 

Grillby hesitated before nodding slightly: he’s been well. He always managed to be timid and stoic no matter the day, and his regulars were sometimes able to tell how he might have been feeling through small cracks in the flame. Oftentimes, it seemed he was exceptionally observant of his customers too. Today, it felt as though he was staring right through Sans. 

The sparks dancing around in Grillby’s head seemed to slow as he picked up another glass to clean without taking his gaze away from Sans. 

Sans simply rested his head in his hand, propping his arm on the table, trying to appear as though he zoned out on Grillby’s face. 

Grillby calmly asked, how has your brother been? Sans’ hand instinctively clawed into his chin for a split second before he rested it on the table.

Although Papyrus disliked visiting Grillby’s, he always went quite often to retrieve Sans. Or scold him. Occasionally, he would actually sit down and have a drink with Sans, even if it was just milk. Papyrus wasn’t necessarily a regular customer, but a regular face and name. Sans, sometimes when prompted, would also tell stories about the two of them and whatever they got into the day prior. 

The townspeople were all quite observant of one another since Snowdin was so small. Despite how some of the monsters weren’t close with Papyrus, they were bound to notice his absence soon, especially since he and Sans were almost always seen together. 

Since acknowledging the worrying implications of the situation too, Sans thought back to anyone who might have something against his brother. He didn’t want to consider people he knew personally; too much consideration started to ruin his opinion of them. 

Thankfully, there were barely any monsters that seemed bad enough to harm his brother. There wasn’t an acceptable reason to dislike Papyrus after all. 

Unfortunately, there were barely any monsters that seemed bad enough to harm his brother. Sans already had little ideas on how to go about looking for him. Undyne did seem like the type to stay true to her word though; at least he had that. 

The few monsters that Sans did suspect were some random monsters that gave Papyrus a dirty look when he wasn’t looking. Sans already made sure they wouldn’t be a problem a while ago. 

Undyne was aggressive, but she came off as sincere. Sans guessed he couldn’t rule anyone completely out, but he was confident that neither Undyne or any of his own friends would be involved. 

That only left the mysterious friend Papyrus claimed to have, the one pranking him through the echo flowers. They could be a real flower monster that Sans hadn’t heard of, but either way, Sans didn’t remember their name and didn’t know what they looked like. There wasn’t anyone he didn’t know in Papyrus’ contacts either. 

Sans felt around for his phone in his pocket, wondering if Undyne might contact him soon. 

He sighed subtly.

“I’m sure he’s having a good time wherever he is, you know Papyrus,” Sans chuckled, but he didn’t sound as authentic as he wanted. 

Grillby looked down at the second glass he placed on the counter before walking into the kitchen. The door closed behind him, making a prominent sound despite Grillby’s silent movements. 

Sans slumped further into the table, closing his eyes. It was refreshing to have a home away from home, especially since his other house was disturbingly quiet. He was grateful to the distinct chatter among the other monsters and clattering of plates as they ate. 

He peeked an eye socket open and it grew larger after he felt two objects placed in front of him. Grillby had shuffled over to him and given him a burger and bottle of ketchup. 

For your struggles, Grillby told Sans. Sans chuckled, his smile curving up sincerely. 

“Thanks a million, Grillby,” his voice became more muffled as he bit into the food in front of him. It tasted just like it always did. 

As Sans downed his food, he felt a few eyes on him; it was unusual for him to remain silent for this long here. Sans made eye contact with them and struck up a small conversation, cracking jokes in between. He brushed off any mention of his brother quickly. The Grillby’s gang definitely noticed something was off, but fortunately, they didn’t pry too much. Sans wasn’t sure if that was out of respect or if they had other things going on, but he was grateful nonetheless. 

Sans put down the empty ketchup bottle dancing in his hands as he stared into space. Not literally, he wished that was literal. This meal was out of this world though. 

His phone buzzed in his pocket. His eyes fully opened. He tried to take it out of his pocket casually, but the instant he saw it was Undyne calling, he swiftly picked up. It was off putting at first since Undyne called Papyrus’ phone, but that was smart since Sans never actually gave her his number, and it wasn’t like Papyrus was here to do that either. 

“Hey! Sans?” Undyne spoke eagerly through the phone. 

“Hey, yeah,” he responded. “You, uh, got anything?” Papyrus’ old phone repeated his voice and the chatter throughout Grillby’s faintly. 

“Yeah, wait, where are you?” She interrogated, her voice becoming a higher pitch at the end. 

“Only the finest bar in Snowdin.” He winked, although Undyne couldn’t see through the phone, it felt right. He heard her groan and mutter something. 

“Anyways, you know Alphys right?” Undyne continued before Sans could answer. “She has some cameras set up around… well, everywhere. The footage on it saves for a week before it erases I think.”

“Wow, everywhere? She wouldn’t watch a skeleton practice his jokes when no one else is around, would she?” Sans teased. His voice might have quivered if he said anything else. He already knew about the cameras though; it was surprising that he hadn’t thought of that before. Must have been Alphys’ idea. 

“Oh my god, shut up,” Undyne shouted. Sans would have laughed again if his mind wasn’t preoccupied. 

“It could show something. You want to come check it out or what?” She threatened. “How fast can you get over here? I’m walking over now.”

“I’ll be there before you know it,” Sans responded as he grabbed the ketchup bottle. He wouldn’t want it to go to waste. 

“Great,” she mocked with a hint of sarcasm. Despite her words, her tone of voice was strangely calm now. “Oh, and bring me Grillby’s killer cheese fries. That’s your price for getting off of work early.”

“Nothing like murderous food,” he replied, pushing the button to hang up. That joke felt unoriginal for some reason. 

Well, he had bigger things to focus on now. Although it took a lot out of him, Sans got up from his spot. 

“Hey, Grill,” he beckoned. “I’ll get some cheese fries to go, put it on my tab, would ya?” 

Chapter Text

Perhaps, it would be better not to mention that this skeleton was hours away from death. The crack on the back of his skull should have killed him. Fortunately, Toriel presumed that he had enough health to survive. With his HP having been dangerously low before she healed him, he must have been unconscious for over a day at least. She regretted not finding him sooner.

Toriel glanced down at Papyrus’ unsteady legs as he stood up. She instinctively went to his side, offering an arm for stability. The skeleton latched onto her left side without getting too close, extending his other arm for balance. Toriel was immediately guilty of the pit in her stomach; it felt like he would turn into dust at any second. 

He swayed subtly back and forth, staring into space for a minute before he started walking towards the doorway. Toriel followed his pace, but he seemed to be going faster than what his body had the capacity for. She tried to pace slower in hopes that he would mimic her movements too. 

“Oh dear, be careful,” she worried, a drop of sweat trickling her forehead. “I could only heal you so much. When we get to my house, I’ll be able to patch you up much better, but for now, it’s better to take it easy. I’m in no rush.” She smiled reassuringly despite the fact that he couldn’t seem to make eye contact with her. His head hung close to his chest. 

She wasn’t running out of time, yet it certainly felt as though she were. She only had enough magic to heal his body so he could walk and feel a little lighter at the moment. When they arrive at her house, Toriel will have him eat well, and by that time, she can use healing magic again without wearing herself out. Sleeping will help too.

As they traveled through the halls, Papyrus’ movements were incredibly agile for his body’s condition; it's a wonder his bones hadn't given out yet. If he keeps this up, Toriel’s heart might give out from stress. They already made it past the room where she heard him for the first time. 

“Worry not, Ms. Toriel, I’ll be alright. I feel much better already,” he attempted to say cheerfully. “My limbs are quite resilient. We should just… get a move on.” 

Toriel eyed him, frowning. Although he was much better than the state she found him in, she couldn’t help but worry he was overexerting himself. Perhaps a distraction could get him to slow down a bit?

“Alright,” she muttered reluctantly. “Does it hurt to talk at all?”

He shook his head as though in a haze.

“Mmm, no, my jaw is fine,” Papyrus replied, moving his jaw around. “I… yeah.”

Toriel’s shoulders relaxed a bit. She was beyond relieved to have found him, rather than an unnoticeable pile of dust in the corner. After a few minutes, his bones had stopped rattling, his head moved slowly as he scanned each new room, and he even turned to study Toriel better for a moment. His speech was more composed too. Now might be good for a conversation.

“What’s your favorite food, Papyrus?” This question encouraged considerably important information, and it was simple enough so his head wouldn’t hurt.

“Hm? My favorite food?” Papyrus stammered, his eye sockets having grown longer. “I don’t really have a favorite, you know? I like spaghetti though. I like to cook spaghetti, I mean. I have no idea what it tastes like, but everyone adores my cooking, surely, so it must be good. Perhaps I can make some for you, Ms. Toriel…” he trailed off, suddenly drawn to the pillars scattered about and the little oval switches on the ground. Toriel laughed politely. It was comforting that his personality was more apparent now—and a friendly one too.

“Oh, I do enjoy eggs.” He smiled sincerely, lifting his body up more stably and tearing his gaze from his surroundings. Toriel scanned her repertoire of recipes, wondering if she had any recipes with egg as a primary ingredient. 

“Would quiches interest you?” She asked curiously. 

Most nostalgia from her past was laced with agonizing reminders of everywhere she went wrong. Even the slightest reminder left her painfully reminiscing for hours when she was left alone. Quiches brought a strange sort of comfort, though. She used to eat them more often, before she had her first child. 

She loved that meal in her youth; it felt like something new, no matter how many times she had the same thing. It was definitely her favorite dish to make with a great deal of eggs. Maybe Papyrus would enjoy it too.

Papyrus’ eyes narrowed to the side. “Only if you’re a good cook… wait, cooker—no—baker,” he replied simply, correcting himself. Toriel thought he might have been joking, but he continued. “My brother makes an atrociously sugary and non-egg-like quiche… He’s so good at failing to make one it could be its own art form.” 

Oh, he has a brother. That’s good, he’ll have someone to return to when he gets back home. His brother must be worried. Unfortunately, Toriel didn’t know how long it would take before Papyrus was okay to leave since he’d likely have to go on his journey alone; it’s not like she could go with him. Nonetheless, she was skilled when it comes to baking, so at the very least, she’ll be able to fix up that quiche in the meantime. 

“How old is your brother, Papyrus?” Although she was concerned that all these questions might overwhelm him, it helped her keep tabs on his mental state since the sickening crack on his head clearly alluded to a concussion. Considering his behavior too, that was the only logical explanation.

“Oh, uh,” he paused, “he’s a few years older than me,” he responded in a quieter voice, facing away from her.

“All these switches,” he paused, looking attentively, “what are they all for? We’re getting past these rooms and puzzles quite fine, no?” His voice had been pretty articulate this entire time until now; Toriel had to listen more intently to decipher what he said. It was strange, his voice projected well, yet it still sounded broken. 

“Ah, yes, the puzzles,” she replied. “I believe all of them are only switched on when a human falls down. I know how to navigate them if need be, but I already took care of them earlier today, so we can continue right past them.”

Papyrus nodded hazily. His eyes unfocused, as though he were staring into space, but there was no telling if his mind was empty or if thoughts were beginning to race in his consciousness more elaborately. If the latter were the case, he may be feeling more actively distressed.

“If you would like to talk, Papyrus,” Toriel began, “I would be happy to listen… I imagine this must be difficult for you.” The skeleton turned to her hesitantly before looking ahead, dispirited.

“I hope I can converse with you soon, as well,” he replied defeatedly. “It seems I understand the general sense of everything, of my life… I’m just figuring out how it possibly led to this moment. I’m fortunate to have come across you though.” He sighed exasperatedly. “My brother… he barely has the will power to do much of anything. It is unlikely that, even if it upset him, he could have helped the way you did today,” he paused; Toriel had grown used to that in the short time they were together.

Another pang of guilt stabbed her throat; it was not best for him to be talking so much right now, but she was eager to hear more. Whatever Papyrus could bring himself to say aloud instantly caught her attention. 

“I also worry about how he’ll act,” he continued slowly, “without me there to get him up. I wish I could check in on him, make sure he’s okay, let him know I’m fine…” he trailed off, staring at the floor as his steps lost some energy. The curves of his mouth sank into a deep frown. If by “fine” Papyrus meant “alive,” then Toriel would agree.

Toriel’s body tensed, keeping closer attention on the skeleton, as he slumped forward, supporting his body less. Falling to the floor was extra damage that he certainly didn’t need. 

Papyrus’ eyes were small and glued to the floor. They grew more narrow after he stepped in a pile of red leaves, prompting him to lift his head. They walked into the next room, passing a barren tree.

“Oh,” he said, intrigued. He wasn’t smiling, but his shoulders relaxed. “What a cute home.”

“Yes,” Toriel remarked with ease, relief flooding over her. “We’re finally here.”

— — —

Papyrus collapsed into the bed the second Toriel shut the door. She said something about him staying in this guest room and showed him to the bed. He had sat down, thanked her, and she patted his shoulder, telling him to rest. 

The mattress was certainly small, so he had to curl up to lay comfortably. His mind flashed through vague memories of the day and what he planned to do in the future before fading into incoherent pictures and words that blended together. 

The next thing Papyrus knew, his eyes broke open. His body was completely sunken into the bed, and his arm grew heavy as he lifted it to rub his eye sockets. He groggily looked around at the room… Right, he fell asleep after meeting that nice woman and coming over to her house. 

Papyrus sat up in bed. 

Despite his aching body, his head oddly felt more alert, it stayed up without dropping down again. Even still, he had no sense of time in the slightest. He had vague memories of the colorful walls, cute home, and chats with Toriel up to this present moment. How long had he slept? It was likely an hour or two, so perhaps he should eat something to regain more health. He dreaded the thought of consuming anything, but he knew it would help after time. Hopefully, Toriel wouldn’t mind. 

Moreover, it must have been quite embarrassing if Ms. Toriel helped him the whole way here—he was a mess! His clothes had dirt on them, and he was completely beat up. After gaping at them, he took off his gloves and covered his face in his hands; the discomfort of being covered in filth suffocated him. How did it even get to this point? He should be making puzzles or… or making sure Sans wasn’t slacking off again. 

This nice lady must have thought little of him, and they only met today. She’s been so kind too. Was he not burdening her? He needed to be able to return the favor to her somehow, but it’s likely impossible. His favorite outfit is practically ruined, so he probably won’t be able to show her his cool fashion taste in all of its glory either. Then again, it was comforting to have his favorite clothes with him. This was preferable over a change of clean clothes for now.

Papyrus instinctively let out a strained grunt. Wasn’t he on the brink of death an hour ago—or whenever he met Toriel? He flinched at the thought as his hand moved up to cover his eye sockets. His head ached the more he tried to recall what he last remembered. He was hanging out with Flowey, and they were looking for something. That was definitely true, and Flowey was probably okay, thankfully… but Papyrus was not.

Papyrus lifted his head from his hand as it fell to his side. His heart sank. 

Flowey couldn’t possibly have… Papyrus has to be missing something. There’s no way Flowey was involved in such a negative way, the skeleton thought, despite his gut shouting the truth to him. 

Papyrus felt his expression tense. He sat in silence for a few minutes, staring down at the small blanket with a heavy throat. Or, where his throat would be.

Even if Flowey did something to him somehow, it was better to ignore it. However Flowey was involved, they should still be friends, and it would be easier to pretend as though nothing had happened at all. Then, Papyrus could go back to his regular routine without losing any friends and making things worse. Just focusing on becoming a royal guardsman, making puzzles, finding humans…

They were looking for humans. He and Flowey were looking for humans! In that recent memory, they went through puzzles, right? At least, that’s what Flowey said. That’s what he said.

Papyrus must have gone through the worst of it; Flowey swore they were going someplace dangerous, and Papyrus got hit with the most dangerous of puzzles and barely made it out. Still, he’s alive, and thankfully, things were running smoothly because of Ms. Toriel. He must have been unconscious in the Ruins for a while; it explained his extreme hunger. 

What a relief though; Papyrus' head was starting to function the same it always had. Of course he would be okay. He could pull through anything, and Flowey was surely home safe, wherever he lived, and Papyrus and him were still great friends. 

…Perhaps, Papyrus should get to know Flowey better. Then, he’d be able to understand Flowey better. His friend wasn’t a bad person after all, and anyone can change with a good influence. They could truly be best friends; Papyrus could show Flowey how much he cared about him. There was no good reason not to.

Papyrus rubbed at his tired eyesockets again and wiped his wet hand on his shirt. His shirt was a bit damp now, but he supposed it was dreadfully dirty anyway. 

The instant he tried to stand up, he fell back onto the bed. Papyrus sat there for a moment, waiting for his vision to properly return; he hadn’t ever been this dizzy after a poor night of sleep, and he barely ever sleeps. Perhaps this is another side effect to sitting and doing nothing, more reasons he shouldn’t have spent all that time napping. 

He attempted to stand up more slowly this time and walked a few steps over to his boots by the door. The room seemed to be built for smaller skeletons, like his brother, he supposed. He crouched down to inspect his boots, cleaning away any dirt before putting them back on. 

When he went to toss his other glove on the bed, his eyes grew wider at the sight of the messy area. He groaned in discomfort, going as quickly as possible to tidy up the area. He needed to go get some food, quit bothering Toriel, and go back home. There was so much happening all at once; it hurt to process everything. Frankly, it was unthinkable that this would happen at all. Papyrus roughly sighed; he could think about this later.

Once the area was acceptably clean, his body was practically shouting at him to go eat something. With his hand lightly trembling, he opened the door of the dark room and peeked his head into the hallway. It was empty, and the lighting was dim, but a sweet aroma made its way to him. Papyrus stepped out, shutting the door behind him. 

There was a dim light on the other side of the home, a flickering haze of orange. The house was much wider than his own, and there were plants and a staircase to his right. Perhaps Ms. Toriel lived with someone too. 

Papyrus treaded over to the door frame, grasping it with one hand to help hold himself up. 

Ms. Toriel was sitting alone next to the source of light—a fireplace. Her head drooped as she leaned further into the sofa and read a thin book.

Papyrus tilted his head. She liked to read too! What a nice thing they have in common, he thought. He would love to peruse through her collection, but straining his eyes would do him no good right now, and she has already done enough for him; he couldn’t ask her to read for him. 

Toriel shot her head up, surprised, when Papyrus began to walk over to her. 

“Oh! Papyrus, you’re awake,” she mumbled, her eyes growing wider. She got up, tossing her book on the chair. “I’m glad; I’ve been reading up on concussions.” She walked over and patted the dining table. “Here, come sit; you should eat something.”

Papyrus mumbled an agreement, attempting a smile and moved to the head of the table since it was closest. Toriel hurried into another room to his right.

The table had three chairs. He could swear that the chair at the opposite end was abnormally small, but he couldn’t tell for sure. If Ms. Toriel was right about him being concussed, it was possible he was hallucinating that chair… That could also explain why she looked so similar to King Asgore.

Toriel came back carrying part of a quiche and two slices of pie. She placed the quiche and a slice in front of him, along with a utensil. 

“Please, eat,” she encouraged calmly but eagerly, sitting down in the chair beside him. “The pie is good for restoring health, but I wanted you to have something to enjoy too.” Her voice was so peaceful.

Papyrus stared down at the food in awe. No one had ever made such a quality home cooked meal for him, let alone an edible one. 

“Wow… are you sure?” He asked. She nodded and looked at him expectantly. 

He bit into the pie; it’s sweetness was overwhelmingly tasteful somehow. Thank goodness, it would have been awkward if he disliked it. Ms. Toriel was having a slice as well. 

“Wowie,” he muttered. “I’ve never eaten something so wonderfully sweet!” He was exaggerating either, and that meant a lot coming from him, a fellow chef. He’ll have to try baking and make something for her in return someday.

“I’m glad you like it,” she said cheerfully. “Right, well… unfortunately, I don’t have any books related to skeletal concussions, but I was lucky to have one that gave general advice. How are you feeling now? You are definitely patched up better than when we, uh, met, but situations like this one may take longer to heal.” She frowned.

Papyrus felt his body become less tense, his shoulders relaxing. The orange illumination of the fireplace was bright enough for him to see, but it didn’t engulf him either. It was simply warm. 

“I feel,” he paused. “I feel alright. I don’t want to exhaust you, Ms. Toriel, you’ve already done so much in the past few hours. I need to get home soon too… I’m sure I’ll be able to go just fine.”

“No, you’re no bother at all,” she responded quickly before hesitating, “and I understand, but I won’t be able to leave with you… and I’m unsure that you’ll be okay to go soon. Uh, I was a bit worried too since the book advised not to sleep for too long or too little…”

“Oh, right, sorry,” he apologized. It must have been pretty early after they made it to her house, and he was already trying to get home. His health should improve once he finishes this meal though. “I have trouble sleeping anyways, so I’m sure getting only an hour or two won’t make much of an impact.”

After he spoke, Toriel stopped munching on her pie and stared at him for a moment before she eventually responded.

“What?” She asked nervously, trying to be as gentle as she could. “Oh, dear, you’ve been asleep practically the whole day, I believe.”

Papyrus almost choked on the quiche. His head turned, inspecting the atmosphere again. Upon further processing, the house was quite dark now, and Toriel did seem tired. 

“How long would that be?” Papyrus asked hesitantly. He swallowed and put his fork down, in case he didn’t like her response. 

“Well I left my house sometime early this morning, and I’d be heading to bed in around an hour, so I’m afraid around twelve hours, maybe… and I realized, after I checked your health, that you were unconscious for at least a day before we met.”

Papyrus’ body felt a little more energized after eating, but she was right: it wouldn’t be best for him to go home yet… He was in a much worse condition than he had thought, which was something he hated to admit. It was always easier for him to ignore certain issues and wait for them to go away. They didn’t know exactly how long he had been alone in that uncomfortable room of the Ruins, but an entire day was incredibly alarming. So… how long had been away from home and the rest of the Underground?

Frowning, he looked down at his food, moving it around with his fork without eating. This was becoming more and more worrisome. Sans was likely rotting away at home sleeping all day, not giving a second thought to Papyrus’ absence. Or he was painfully worried, but had no energy to do something about it.

Truthfully, Papyrus didn’t really know; he had never seen how Sans would handle a situation like this. All he knew for sure was that his brother was never great at taking care of himself, and it ate away at Papyrus, knowing he couldn’t be there to ensure that it wouldn’t be a problem. 

Papyrus missed Undyne too. He hoped she wouldn’t be upset that he missed training. Obviously he didn’t do that purposely, but she didn’t know that. How frustrating it was, that he couldn’t tell her right now. Whatever happened to his phone?

Prompted, he thought back to why he came here in the first place. Flowey said humans usually came through the Ruins at first, but he also said that there weren’t any recently fallen humans after all. Flowey wanted to do something else here, or more so, he wanted Papyrus to do something else here. There was someone that Papyrus needed to talk with, right? Yes, and he needed to prevent them from withholding humans. Yes, that’s it! Oh, terrible, how was Papyrus supposed to capture a human if they’re stuck here for the rest of their lives? That situation sounded about right.

Perhaps Flowey was trying to help Papyrus after all, there was no other reason he would care about fallen humans. Moreover, could it be that the monster in question is Ms. Toriel? It’s certainly possible, all Papyrus remembered was that he needed to find and convince this person, and he did find a person. It probably wasn’t the case, but if he saw Flowey again, he could say that he tried to find the monster. After the time Papyrus has had in the Ruins, he wouldn’t want to come back, nor was he very concerned with this little quest, but he might as well ask. It was the reason he was here, after all.

He eyed Toriel. She was finishing her food, lost in thought. 

He hadn’t noticed until now, but his headache had subsided a bit, and he didn’t feel the need to throw up every second. Everything felt more stable at last, despite all the aching in his bones. Sitting down helped with the dizziness too. He was undoubtedly lucky Toriel helped him. Hopefully she was in the mood for conversation.

“Ms. Toriel?”

“O-oh, yes?” She stammered in response, now looking back at him with intrigue. 

“I think my memory is getting better,” he spoke slowly. His speech was unusually weak; he wanted to use his hands as he spoke, but he couldn’t seem to put in the effort. “I can somewhat remember how I got here, I believe.”

“Really? Well that’s great,” she cheered calmly. “May I ask, how did it all happen?”

“My friend… he wanted to go exploring for humans, but we couldn’t find any, so he led me to some doorway and told me there were humans who came through from there. I said, ‘but there are no fallen humans anyway so why does it matter?’ or something, and he told me that there was someone across that door who didn’t want humans to leave at all.”

Toriel’s eyes became more attentive, as though she were staring through his skull, but her face dropped to be expressionless. 

“And I—my brother and I, we work as sentries to capture humans so that I can achieve my life’s goal to join the royal guard,” he continued with enthusiasm. It was always exciting to talk about his work, even though it felt odd to think about now. “So my friend encouraged me to come through here and ask this person on the other side of the door if they could, very kindly,” he paused, “allow humans to leave the Ruins. I can’t remember how we actually got in here though, but I…” He couldn’t think of anything else to say.

She didn’t say anything in response. 

“Would you… know anyone like that?” He tried asking.

Her eyebrows furrowed, almost as though she were upset or afraid. She seemed quite curious as to what happened; it was odd that she had suddenly no comment. He also hadn’t noticed how his hands shuffled the fork back and forth; when he did, he put it down. After a moment, Papyrus spoke again. 

“I don’t know what happened to my friend. I don’t remember even coming into the Ruins. He just told me that there were dangerous puzzles, which I assume is how I got so,” he stammered, “dirty.”

“I see,” she finally replied, her voice wavering. “How do you go about capturing these humans?” She spoke in an almost accusing tone.

Papyrus looked down at his food. Many people expected him to hurt humans, but he always wanted to capture one peacefully. In the best case scenario, the human would simply give themselves up, and there would be no fighting at all, but most monsters expected some action. Ms. Toriel might think that he’s not up for the job, seeing as he appeared rather helpless in the time they’ve known each other. 

“My…” he dragged on the word. “My puzzles, my very dangerous, deadly puzzles, are a sure fire way to put any human out of their misery lickety split. Or slowly… and painfully and what not.” He laughed forcefully, a drop of sweat trickling down his head. 

Toriel studied him so hard it probably hurt. Papyrus awaited her response, curious if she saw through his facade. Her sorrowful expression went cold, a hard imprint in her face. Solemnly yet abruptly, she stood from her chair, practically glaring at him. She looked uncomfortable.

“Perhaps this was a mistake,” she said quietly.

Papyrus, unable to get up and follow her, softly gaped at her, stammering as she walked away and descended down the staircase in the other room. The fireplace seemed to dim, engulfing them both in darkness.