AN: Requested by: StarryDewDrops- who wanted an angsty Papyrus centered story where he is the younger brother. Hopefully this will meet their standards ;)
I hope you all enjoy this prologue of 'Doubtful Belief!' This is a side project and will probably be shorter than my other Undertale fics but who knows... it may have other plans for me. Thanks for all the support you've been showing me and please let me know what you think of this new story.
Disclaimer: Toby Fox will always own Undertale, there is no chance of that changing.
Papyrus stood in the fog, waiting for the small human to make her appearance. He had known something wasn't right as soon as the child had bypassed his puzzles, the evacuation had just furthered that thought. His brother had even tried to convince him not to come. As he stood there his thoughts drifted back to the conversation they'd had before he'd left the house... making his earlier worries resurface.
The would be royal guard wrapped his signature scarf around his neck, making sure it was perfectly situated before heading toward their front door... planning on waiting near the entrance to Waterfall until the human arrived.
"Hey bro? Ya got a minute?" Sans asked, hand rubbing the back of his skull in a nervous gesture.
"OF COURSE!" Pap exclaimed enthusiastically, pausing what he was doing in order to face his big brother. "WHAT IS IT THAT YOU NEED?"
He watched as the jokester shuffled his feet, clearly trying to come up with a way to say what he was thinking.
"I, uh, I think you should stay away from that human... she's bad news." The shorter monster spoke at last, eyes locked pleadingly with his own.
He could tell that his brother felt very strongly on this matter but even so... he couldn't let Sans' overprotective nature get in the way of what he felt was right. And at that moment he felt he needed to at least try and reason with the human child. Perhaps he could talk some sense into her!
"I'm afraid I can't do that." He spoke quietly, voice resolute. "It is my job to capture the human and protect the citizens of Snowdin. I will not fail in my duty."
With that, he turned and headed out the door into the frigid air, hesitating as he heard his brothers barely audible voice speak once more.
"I knew you wouldn't listen..." The elder had said moments before the door closed, dividing the brothers like an impassible barricade.
Sans had sounded so devastated in that moment that Papyrus wished he could scoop the shorter monster into a tight hug and never let go, instead, he slowly began walking to his destination... eyes filled with concern as he tried to figure out why the other skeleton had sounded so resigned.
Even after that confrontation with his brother, Pap had refused to believe the human was as bad as she seemed. Maybe the girl was just misunderstood? He had to believe that, after all, there was good in everybody... wasn't there? But then... why had Sans been so against him coming here? The older monster had clearly been hiding something and he wished he knew what it was. If he did, maybe he could help relieve some of the sadness that had been lingering around him as of late. The sound of footsteps in the snow drew his attention, alerting him to the girls presence and he smiled brightly as she stopped before him, even as he felt his legs beginning to tremble in apprehension.
"HALT, HUMAN!" He called as bravely as he could, glad that his older brother was safe helping the other residents of Snowdin evacuate.
The skeletons eye sockets widened as the girl moved forward slightly and he involuntarily took a step back.
"HEY, QUIT MOVING WHILE I'M TALKING TO YOU!" The spaghetti lover shouted, hoping to get a response from the small human. "I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAVE SOME THINGS TO SAY."
Pap let out a sigh of relief as she halted her progress. Instead the kid decided to stare at him, a small, twisted smile showing on her otherwise emotionless face. That look alone was enough to send shivers coursing down his spine.
"FIRST, YOU'RE A FREAKING WEIRDO! NOT ONLY DO YOU NOT LIKE PUZZLES, BUT THE WAY YOU SHAMBLE ABOUT FROM PLACE TO PLACE..." He paused, gaze trailing toward the humans hands which she kept clenched into fists at her side. "THE WAY YOUR HANDS ARE ALWAYS COVERED IN DUSTY POWDER. "
Papyrus may be more innocent than many in the underground but there was no way he would mistake what that meant, this human had been killing monsters, and judging by the amount of dust covering her small form... he'd say she hadn't shone even a single ounce of mercy.
"IT FEELS... LIKE YOUR LIFE IS GOING DOWN A DANGEROUS PATH. HOWEVER! I, PAPYRUS, SEE GREAT POTENTIAL WITHIN YOU! EVERYONE CAN BE A GREAT PERSON IF THEY TRY!" The small girl merely scoffed at his encouragement, making doubts flare in his head.
What if he had been wrong? What if this child truly had no good inside of her?
Trying to hide his nervousness, the scarf wearing skeleton continued. "AND ME, I HARDLY HAVE TO TRY AT ALL! NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!"
If anyone had been around they would have been able to tell that his laugh was uneasy and forced, rather than the normal jubilant one they had grown so accustomed to hearing in his presence.
"HEY, QUIT MOVING! THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!" He yelled, noticing the kid slowly creeping toward him.
"HUMAN! I THINK YOU ARE IN NEED OF GUIDANCE! SOMEONE NEEDS TO KEEP YOU ON THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW! BUT WORRY NOT!" The tall skeleton announced, pointing to himself with his thumb as he continued. "I, PAPYRUS... WILL GLADLY BE YOUR FRIEND AND TUTOR! I WILL TURN YOUR LIFE RIGHT AROUND!"
He prayed that the child would come to her senses and realize the error of her ways. That hope was the only thing that kept him from fleeing. Pap had never felt as scared as he did in that moment as the young girl began moving steadily towards him, hand reaching for something she'd kept concealed behind her back.
"I SEE YOU ARE APPROACHING. ARE YOU OFFERING A HUG OF ACCEPTANCE?" Papyrus spoke, barely hiding the dread he felt growing withing his soul. "WOWIE! MY LESSONS ARE ALREADY WORKING! I, PAPYRUS, WELCOME YOU WITH OPEN ARMS!"
He stood there, arms outstretched as if to greet a dear friend, the smile still present on his face. Though if one were to look closely enough they would be able to see the faint tremor racking his bony frame and tears beginning to gather in his eye sockets as he faced his impending doom.
'Well brother...' He thought as the child pulled out her concealed weapon and began to swing it in a sweeping arch toward his unprotected neck. "It looks like this is farewell. I should have listened to you, after all, you always had my best interests in mind. I'm sorry..."
The pain was nearly unbearable as the blade sliced across his lower cervical vertebrae, catching on his scarf in the process and tearing it free from his neck. Blood began steadily seeping from the wound and he fell to his knees, unable to remain on his feet any longer as the torn red fabric floated to the ground beside him.
"W...WELL. THAT'S NOT WHAT I EXPECTED..." He gasped, hardly able to speak due to the pain and blood loss, but the child didn't hear... she was already walking away. "BUT... ST...STILL! I BELIEVE IN YOU! YOU CAN DO A LITTLE BETTER! EVEN IF YOU DON'T THINK SO! I... I PROMISE..."
If he had been a normal monster and not a skeleton... Papyrus would already be dead. As it was he had been dealt a critical blow that, if not taken care of quickly, would surely result in him bleeding to death. Dragging himself over to the treeline, the normally excitable monster hid behind a large pine, worried that the human may look back and notice he was still alive. If that happened he would be finished. Placing a shaking hand against the wound, the skeleton tried to summon his magic... but he was too weak. All he could do was try and put pressure on the cut in order to slow the blood flow.
All of a sudden he heard a kind of whooshing sound and hope filled his soul. That was the noise made when his older brother teleported! Still wary that the human was around he peaked out from his hiding place slowly, hoping to spot the shorter skelebro. His eyes widened at the sight that lay before him. Sans was collapsed on his knees, sockets unseeing as he clung tightly to the scarf clutched against his chest, tears trailing down his face. The injured monster couldn't move, he was frozen in place as the elders muffled voice reached him.
"I'm s...sorry Pappy..." Sans sobbed, face buried in the soft material. "I thought I w...would be fast enough this t...time! I thought I co...could save y...you! But I was too late... like always. Why? W...WHY DID THIS HAVE TO H...HAPPEN AGAIN!? Please b...bro... forgive me for not being able to pr...protect you. I'm... I'm so..."
As Sans let out an anguished scream, Paps eyes teared up. He sounded so devastated...
'What is he talking about?' The enthusiastic monster thought worriedly, unable to comprehend what the other was talking about. 'Brother? What do you mean by when you said that it happened again?'
Deeming it unimportant for the moment, the twenty one year old gathered up what little strength was left in his body and managed to get to his feet... taking a shaky step toward his distraught brother.
"S...Sans?" He called weakly, wanting to let the other know that he was alright. His legs threatened to give out as he swayed dangerously.
The smaller monsters head whipped up at lightning speed and his wet eyes landed on his younger bro, disbelief and hope fighting for dominance on his tear stained face. "Papyrus? Wha... how? Y...You're alive?"
The younger gave a weak nod as the comedian stumbled over, wrapping his arms around him in a desperate embrace...
"You're alive..." The smaller monster repeated, voice betrayed the relief he felt as he tightened his hold, only to pull back moments later as his bro gasped in pain.
Sans' eyes darkened as he noticed the deteriorating state the taller skeleton was in and he slowly lowered him back to the ground, being extra careful not to aggravate his brothers injuries. After Pap was situated, the hoodie wearing monster reached up to remove his siblings hand from the injury in order to get a better look at it. He growled lowly as he saw the damage that had been done. That demon spawn could have sliced his bros head off! Sure, he'd seen the aftermath several times... Pappy's dust scattered over the snowy field where he'd stood up for what he'd believed. But knowing that this wound could so easily have had the same outcome if that brat had stuck but a few inches deeper... it was enough to make his soul feel as if it had twisted itself into an ever tightening knot.
"Hold still bro..." The elder stated, pushing those thoughts to the side as he summoned his magic. "This may hurt a bit."
Papyrus scrunched his eyes shut and allowed his brother to heal him, wincing slightly at the sting that was left behind. He sighed in relief when the pain finally subsided and he felt a small portion of his strength return as the other skeleton shared some of his energy. He was dizzy, weak, and to be honest... a little bit frightened, but he would live... and that's what truly mattered.
"That's better... can't have the great Papyrus being scarfless, can we?" The older skeleton said, hoping to offer some comfort to his traumatized little brother as he gently wrapped the tattered scarf around Paps neck.
"Nyeh heh heh..." The pasta lover chuckled unconvincingly as he was helped to his feet, leaning heavily against the shorter monster.
"Come on... let's get you home." Sans whispered, concern still prominent in his voice.
Pap wavered as he felt magic surround him and, suddenly, the two skelebros were standing outside their house. He was led inside and swiftly deposited on the couch as the jokester rushed into the kitchen and began rummaging around, searching for something. The would be royal guard craned his neck in order to try and see what it was his brother was doing when the elder made his way back into the living room, a piping hot plate of spaghetti held in his hand.
"You should eat." Sans declared, not even glancing at his battered companion as he placed the food on the small table in front of the sofa, guilt reflecting heavily in his eyes. "It will help replenish the blood you lost as well as your HP."
Pap ignored the food, choosing instead to address the other monster.
"Sans, please look at me." The normally energetic skelebro pleaded, smiling fondly as the other reluctantly did so. "This was not your fault. You were right when you told me to stay away from the human. I should have listened to you, but instead I decided to try reasoning with her. Maybe I was wrong but... I just couldn't believe that anyone could be completely evil, especially such a small child. I knew there was a chance that I would be hurt but even so, I walked out that door of my own free will... no one forced me. So please brother... don't blame yourself."
His smile faded as he saw tears forming in the other skeletons eye sockets and he watched in horror as his older brother broke down for the second time, burying his head in his hands to muffle the sobs. Reaching forward, Pap dragged the smaller monster into a warm hug, hoping to offer even the slightest bit of comfort. They stayed there like that for nearly ten minutes until Sans had calmed down enough to speak.
"Y...you don't understand P...Pappy." The comedian sobbed, voice rough from all the crying. "It's not that s...simple."
"Then make me understand..." He replied impatiently, wanting nothing more than to figure out what had caused this. "For the last couple of weeks you've been shutting me out and I want to know why. We used to be so close, we could tell each other anything, but now... all you do is keep secrets! And don't think I can't tell how upset you've been lately. You use those stupid puns of yours to hide behind, but you know what Sans? It doesn't work on me, I can see straight through you!"
The spaghetti lover saw his older bro flinch at his words but refused to back down now, not when he finally had the chance to learn what had caused the jokester to change so drastically over such a short period of time. So, completely forgetting his fatigue, he waited silently for the other to answer.
"Heh, welp... guess I don't have a choice." Sans stated, voice barely loud enough to be heard. "Hmm... how to begin..."
The stocky skeleton remained quiet for several minutes and Papyrus couldn't help but fidget. He was curious to learn what the comedian would reveal yet, as the silence stretched on, apprehension began to fill his soul. The taller monster was certain that whatever was bothering his brother couldn't be anything good.
"The thing is, Pap..." The slipper clad skelebro said at last, reaching out to take his bros hand in his own. "That human has already killed you at least a dozen times."
Papyrus' eye sockets widened, first in confusion, then later in horrified understanding as Sans proceeded to explain about the timelines and all the heartache that came with them. In that moment he made a vow... never again would he be left in the dark as his brother bore the weight of all monster kind. From now on, the great Papyrus would be there to help carry the load. No matter what happened... he would find a way.
AN: Well I hope you liked this, if so please let me know ;) I've got awesome plans for this so stay tuned for more!