Sans's bones itched with magic as he watched Dings hoist Papyrus into his arms and continue observing the other scientists at work as they all toiled on The Procedure. The Procedure always took a lot of preparation and it always hurt. Sans would know, seeing as he himself have gone through The Procedure dozens of times, always modified, always with varying amounts of Determination.

His eye burned under its newly applied bandage at the very thought of it. Were they really thinking of putting Sans through it again? So soon after his eye?

He shook the thought aside and tugged on his green hospital gown and watched Papyrus warily. Papyrus was smiling at Dings, The Doctor, and Sans breathed in sharply as he watched Dings return that smile. Sans's back crawled with disgust; The Doctor did not deserve something as precious as little Papyrus's smile. He clenched his fist but waited patiently.

"Dr. Gaster," Dr. June interrupted the silence, looking up from her notes and turning to him to show him her notes. "I think I found the perfect dosage for both procedures."

Both? Sans definitely did not like the sound of that. Especially when Gaster's cracked face spread into that satisfied, smug, bastard of expressions. The one that was followed closely by pain and terror.

Gaster turned away from the woman and looked almost fondly down at Papyrus, bouncing the four year old child against his chest. Sans hated when he did that, when he looked so happy to have Papyrus, like Papyrus wasn't made for spare parts. "Hey, there, Papyrus. How would you like to do something to help me today?"

The little skeleton's eyes lit up with excitement, once again easily tricked. "What do you need help with?"

"Dings," Sans growled, stepping forward as his fingers again sizzled with magic.

The Doctor turned on him instantly, eyes flaring with blood red magic and Sans jolted backwards at the sight, his body cowering instinctively. The three other scientists continued their work impassively. "Yes, Sans?" his voice taking on a threatening tenor.

"You…" Sans started to say but he didn't know how much he could say without making it worse for Papyrus. "The surgeries. They're for me, right?"

"No, Sans," Dings said, as if talking to small child. "These procedures are for Papyrus. He's going to be my little helper today, aren't you?" He said, tilting his head down at the toddler in his hands.

In all of Sans's eight years of life, he had never been more afraid than this moment. Papyrus had never been touched with pure Determination before, only the diluted versions to allow Papyrus to slowly get used to the sensation. But Sans could see the full vials in Dr. June's hands and he knew that it wasn't going to be that way anymore.

"He's only four," Sans growled out, standing his ground. As much as his body shook, he would do anything for his brother, including taking on another surgery right after the one to his eye. "Use me."

"You started when you were two," Dings reminded, lifting Papyrus onto the operating table that Sans usually laid. "And no, you are still recovering. Besides we need to test out this procedure before we do anything on you. We don't know if it's safe."

"What?" Sans cried out, coming closer to the operating table, tempted to pull his brother away.

"I'm going to help!" Papyrus told Sans, sitting up on silver table to look down at Sans. God, he looked so small sitting there.

Tears sprung to Sans's eyes. "You can't do this!"

Dings pushed Papyrus back down on the table and Dr. June began strapping the little squirming body down. Sans shook. "Dr. Himby," Dings commanded, waving a hand at Sans.

Dr. Himby was by Sans in an instant, clamping an anti-magic device to Sans's wrist and dragging Sans away the arm. Sans pulled against his restrainer, panicking as he watched Dr. June dip a syringe into the vial of Determination and filled the rest with some blue liquid. "Papyrus!" Sans called.

The realization of what was happening must have finally dawned on the smaller child and his eyes went wide at the sight of the size of the syringe. "S-Sans?" he called, utterly terrified.

"You can't!" Sans pleaded at Dings again. But it was too late, he was already being yanked through the door, which slammed shut behind him and the scientist with a loud, echoing bang. Moments later, Sans heard Papyrus's scream for the first time, muffled by the several walls between them.


Sans was going crazy. He rocked backwards in a rhythm in the center of the bed, letting his head thump against the concrete wall. He clutched the threadbare blanket to him like a lifeline.

After what seemed like hours, and probably was, the sounds of The Procedure stifled and Sans didn't know whether to be relieved or terrified. He continued to rock back and forth, but a little faster, a little impatiently.

Suddenly the door opened with a clang. Sans was off the bed in an instant, eagerly waiting for Papyrus to walk through. But instead, what they released into the room was a very small skeleton puppy. The puppy staggered on its feet and collapsed instantly a few feet from the door. There was bandage over its left eye, mirroring Sans's right.

The door closed behind the puppy and the puppy yelped in fright at the loud sound and it bounded up onto its unsteady legs and launched itself underneath the narrow space underneath the bed, barely fitting.

Sans stood in shock. That creature couldn't be…?

Sans turned to the observation window, anger flaring through him, his bandaged eye heating and stinging. "What did you do to him?" he hissed, glaring at Dings who he knew would be there, watching them like always. The grin was decorated on his face again.

The puppy under the bed yelped with a flare of orange magic and the yelps turned into a very Papyrus moan. Sans threw himself down next to the bed, unable to reach his tiny brother underneath the small expanse, but was forced to watch as the puppy's bones morphed and popped into the shape of the little skeleton. When the transformation finished, Papyrus was laying there, completely silent with eyes squeezed shut.

"Paps?" Sans whispered, trying his best to reach under the bed to him. His arm was just too damn short. "Paps, you okay?"

Papyrus finally opened his eyes, the other still hidden by the bandage. "I don't want to be a helper anymore," Papyrus whined.

Sans's heart broke. He was on his feet in an instant. He tore the bandage of his face, feeling his eye bursting with dangerous heat. Turning on Dings, he winced as his clamped bracelet attempted to smother the magic building inside of him. But it didn't stop him. Somehow, the magic coursed through him, overcoming the anti-magic device and suddenly he had teleported the few feet to the observatory window to glare up at The Doctor.

Sans could see the strange image of himself in the reflection from the window- grinning wildly, surrounded by blue magic, pupils gone but in its place was a flare of blue magic in the center of his right eye. He was not afraid.

Dings looked absolutely pleased by Sans's reaction. He only leaned on the windowsill and said, "Looks like we'll have to increase the power on those bracelets." He left a moment after, leaving Sans to be drained of his magic by the mentioned wristlet until he fell to his knees in exhaustion.


"Sans?" Hot breath wisped across Sans's face and he awoke with a start to find the room was dark.

"Papyrus?" Sans countered, reaching out to get a hold of the smaller skeleton. He grabbed onto Papyrus's wrist but Papyrus flinched and moved out of Sans's grasp.

There was a pause and then, "I tried to get you on the bed, but you're… you're too heavy."

Sans snorted out a humorless laugh, overcome with disbelief. Papyrus was trying to help him? After all he had just been through? Sans couldn't move for days after those procedures.

"Are you okay, Paps?" Sans whispered back into the darkness. He could see the outline of his brother in the soft glow of the machines beyond the observation window.

Another pause. "I'm okay," he replied, his voice small, shaky. Papyrus sniffed.

"You are not okay," Sans said, attempting to move forward to hug his brother, but once again Papyrus jumped backwards. The action stung. He was not used to his brother being afraid of much of anything, especially him. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"I'm fine!" Papyrus said, a little more forceful and overly cheery. "I'm smiling, see?"

"I can't see you in the dark, you dork," Sans reminded.

Papyrus sniffed again. "Good because you would just be jealous of how happy I look."

"I'm sure I would, bro," Sans said, reaching out one last time and finally coming in contact with the top of the younger skeleton's skull. He pressed the little guy to his chest and smiled sadly when Papyrus finally allowed himself to collapse into Sans. His tiny bones shook.

"Someday I'll get us outta here," Sans said quietly, squeezing his brother a little closer.

Papyrus stiffened, as if he had not considered that to be an option. "Out where?"

"Ya know, outside. Beyond the lab."

"What's out there?"

Sans frowned, considering. "Hmm, stars I guess? Nature? I'll show you the book tomorrow." Sans didn't really know what was out there either. He just knew the things he read about in one of the story books they had.

Eventually, Papyrus's breathing evened out and Sans was left with his brother, half his size, sleeping against him in utter and total exhaustion. Sans picked Papyrus up delicately and moved them both into the bed that Papyrus had somehow dragged him next to. He settled down in the familiar sheets, pulling his brother closer when he moaned in pain through his sleep.

Hurting Papyrus was the last straw. He was going to find a way out of here, even if it killed him.


Welcome to my attempt at writing Baby Bones. I feel like I am hardly doing these characters justice in my writing style but I just had to try my hand at it! I love to hurt my sweet little Sans and Papyrus.