A ten-year-old Papyrus peeked his head into his house, lit eyes looking around to see if his older brother, Sans, was home from work. Seeing no one on the couch or in the kitchen, Papyrus allowed himself to slip in the door.
To confirm his suspicion, he climbed the stairs of his house and looked to Sans's room. Not seeing any lights flashing underneath the doorway confirmed that Sans was indeed not home. That was all of the signal Papyrus needed to allow his tears to flow down his cheek bones.
He opened the door to his room and threw his backpack down onto the ground. He closed the door behind him and allowed his back to lean against the shut door.
Why didn't people like him?
Was he mean?
He tried not to be. If anything, he found himself becoming a pushover. Anything anyone asked of him he did. Well, as long as it didn't involve hurting others, which almost never happened.
Of course, he was to do what Sans told him because Sans was his legal guardian, but every child has that moment where the try to disobey.
Not Papyrus.
Or…at least…not anymore.
He did everything Sans told him, even if he had doubts. Not that Sans told him to do anything bad, but no child was perfect.
Not that Papyrus hadn't tried.
Oh, he did everything he could do so people would like him. But it was all in vain. He did other kids' homework; he did dangerous tasks that could have killed him. He had even tried to cross the barrier alone. Kids watched as he did it, claiming he was too afraid to do it.
He had entered the barrier, but he hadn't even made it halfway before he was pushed back by an invisible force. He was being manipulated by these kids, and he knew it. He just didn't want to admit it.
But they still avoided him in school and called him ugly names. No matter what he did to try and please them, it never seemed to work. He had disobeyed Sans to obey what the other children told him to do.
He could feel the sins of what he's done crawl against his back. Or…his spine. He wasn't supposed to go into the Hotlands without Sans because he had been afraid that Papyrus would fall into the lava.
Papyrus went to the Hotlands and did more than just be there without sans. The kids had set up a tightrope and told Papyrus to cross the lava.
He did.
He stumbled a few times, his eyes wide with fear of falling into the blistering hot lava. Needless to say, he hadn't fallen. Thankfully, Sans hadn't been working in that spot. He may have been off with the telescope, allowing monsters to look through.
Papyrus lifted a boney hand towards his cheekbone and wiped the tears dry. He had done so much to make people like him…but nothing worked. He looked to the photo on the top of his bookcase. It had his father, Sans and himself.
But he had only been a baby bones.
He didn't remember much about his parents. If he wanted to know something about them, he had to consult Sans. And that was a very hard thing to do.
Every time he asked Sans about their parents, Sans would always tear up and get choked up.
But he digresses.
He had also thought that it may have been his voice. It was extremely high pitched which kind of didn't make sense due to his tall frame. Well, he was tall for his age anyways. He was still maybe six inches shorter than Sans, but he was catching up to his older brother at a rapid rate.
To be fair, though, Sans had always been rather short for his age, ranging around at about five foot two at the age of eighteen.
"I just want to make friends." Papyrus said with a sniffle, his voice crestfallen. He heard the sound of the front door opening and closing; the sound of his brother's worried voice wasn't too far behind.
"I'm home! Papy, are you here?" He called. Papyrus took in a deep breath before cracking his door open slightly.
"I'm home, Sans." He called back, trying to hide the sadness that was in his voice.
Though the older skeleton was very observant, his brother's voice sounded fine to him. "Did you get your homework done, bud?"
Papyrus looked back to his backpack, the red cloth shining brightly in the light of his room. He only had to read a chapter left in his book. It wasn't that much. Maybe about five pages. He could honestly get it done in study hall. He turned his head back towards the door.
"Didn't have any." He called back. He ran to his closet, knowing Sans would want to see him. He grabbed the nearest shirt he could fine and wiped at his eye sockets and cheekbones. Make it look like you weren't crying, he told himself. Sans will want to get involved if you do. Not to mention the constant bullying he endured. Sometimes they got physical, sometimes they didn't.
He opened his door all the way before running down the stairs to his oldest brother who was currently looking in the kitchen for something to make for dinner. Well, he hadn't really needed to. The only food in the entire house was spaghetti and half a bag of chips.
The two also went to Grillby's sometimes. "Did you have fun in school?" Sans asked as he continued to raid the cabinets.
Papyrus shrugged. "I learned stuff if that's what you're implying."
"Educate me." Sans said as he turned to the kitchen table only to pull out a kitchen chair to sit down. Due to Papyrus and himself being orphans, Sans hadn't been able to go to school since he didn't have much money, but he did have enough to send Papyrus to school. Though, the time where he worked with Alpyhs in the lab made up for the seven years of missed schooling.
Papyrus sat down across from his older brother, his hands folded on the table.
"Well, we're learning how to add and subtract fractions. We're also learning about atoms and electrical circuits." Papyrus said, knowing that his brother had a certain fondness for science.
Sans smiled at his little brother. "Now that's more of my area. Did you guys make electrical circuits?"
Papyrus nodded. "Yeah!" He said happily. "I got mine to turn on lightbulbs, and power fans!"
Sans smiled at his little brother fondly. "That's great! Did you have a lab partner?"
Papyrus felt a pang at his soul. No, he thought, because no one is willing to be with me. "Pap? Hey, Pap, can you hear me?" Sans asked as he snapped his fingers in front of Papyrus's face. Papyrus shook his head as he found himself finally remembering where he was.
"Oh…uh…no…I did it all by myself." Papyrus told his older brother.
Sans squinted an eye. "But…don't they usually have you guys pair up for experiments like that?"
Papyrus looked down to the tile floor. I don't like lying, he thought bitterly, but if I tell the truth, Sans will get mad at those kids for making me upset, and then his eye will turn all blue, and I don't like it when he's mad. Comedy suits him better. "Well…yeah…but…I wanted to do it on my own, so I didn't pair up with anybody." Papyrus lied.
Sans looked into Papyrus's pupiless eyes and shrugged. "Alright. I guess that's fine. I'm going to make dinner. Do you want spaghetti because that seems to be the only food item we actually have?" Sans joked.
Papyrus laughed lightly. "Yeah, sure. That's fine."
"And I'm not joking when I say this, kid," Sans said as he stood up to get a box of spaghetti. "We have a ton of spaghetti. A skele-ton."
Papyrus groaned at his brother's terrible pun. "Sans! Again with the puns?!"
Sans smiled at his younger brother. "Well, I'd tell you another joke about skeletons but tibia honest, I don't think you like them all that much."
Papyrus groaned as he threw his head back. "You're a lost cause, Sans, y'know that?" He asked before heading towards the stairs.
Sans chuckled as he shook his head. "I know, Pap."
Papyrus would have rolled his eyes…that is…if he actually had any. He opened his door and walked in to the welcoming sight that was his bedroom. He shut the door behind him with a sad sigh.
You know he doesn't actually like you.
Papyrus looked around the room. "Wh-Who's there?" No one was in his room but him…so where could…
You don't know me, but I know you kid. I know all about this life. I know about all of the different timelines as well.
"T-T…Timelines?" Papyrus asked in confusion as he continued to dart his eye sockets around the room in search of the voice.
Yes, the voice spoke. But that is for another time. But you really are an idiot.
Papyrus looked hurt. "Hey," He said sadly, "that's mean."
You really are an idiot, aren't you? In this life it's kill or be killed. And your upset because of one insult? Pathetic. I could kill you on the spot right now. Same for your stupid brother.
Papyrus could feel a bit of anger well up inside of him. "H-Hey!" He said angrily. "Sans is not an idiot! He is smarter than you'll ever be!"
And that's where you are wrong. I know everything, Papyrus. I know you, I know Sans, I know Frisk, I know Chara, I know Asgore, I know Toriel, I know Undyne, I know Alphys, I know 'em all.
Papyrus growled lightly. "I don't know a Frisk or a Chara. Queen Toriel has been gone for years and everyone knows king Asgore. How do you know my name, though?" Papyrus asked, a bit of fear lining his words.
For a kid whose brother used to work in a lab, you really are an idiot! I'm all knowing! Which is also how I know that you are a useless, worthless, selfish, brat who cares for nobody but yourself. That's why Sans hates you.
Papyrus could feel tears welling up in his eyes. Sans didn't hate him…did he? He wasn't worthless, useless, selfish or a brat…was he? That couldn't be true…could it? "Th-That's not true. Sans doesn't hate me. I'm not useless or worthless. I mean something! I do!" Papyrus cried in despair.
The voice cackled. Do you? Do you really, Papyrus? Does Sans really love you, or is he taking care of you merely because your father made him promise to do so? Your brother hates making promises. Now why is that?
Papyrus shook his head in disbelief, tears silently falling from his eye sockets. "I…I don't know. He…He never told me…b-b-but he loves me! I know he does!"
Why would he love the monster that killed his mother?
Papyrus shook his head venomously. "I…I didn't kill mom! I didn't!"
The voice tisked before showing itself. It was a small golden flower in a pot. It was either you or her. They chose you, though I don't know why. Sans wanted your mother to live rather than you. But no. She died when you were born. A soul parted from another only to destroy the soul that had carried it. You should be dead, Papyrus. You deserve to be dead.
Papyrus growled through his tears while he walked near the flower. "Shut up!" He yelled as he went to pick the potted flower up, but as soon as he did, his fingers began to burn causing him to lose one HP. "Ow!" He yelped, his finger instinctively going to his mouth.
The flower chuckled evilly. You can't touch me, Papyrus. Not without hurting yourself, anyways.
Papyrus growled at the flower. "You're stupid," He told the flower. "I don't like you."
Well, at least I have people who like me.
"I have people who like me!" Papyrus protested.
Who? Sans doesn't like you. No one at school likes you. So…who does, exactly?
Papyrus looked to the flower before sitting on his bed. Papyrus sent teary eye sockets towards the flower. "Why are you here anyways? Why can't you go bother anyone else?"
Because you need a wakeup call, Papyrus. Someone has to tell you that you're worth nothing.
Papyrus looked to the flower before lying down in his bed. He suddenly felt…empty. Had Sans really wanted him to die? Was he really only taking care of him because his father made him promise to do so?
He looked to the flower with a breaking look. "What's your name anyways?"
The flower smiled maliciously. "Flowey the flower."
I don't know how long this story is going to be, but it should be at least a few chapters long. Did you like it, love it, hate it? Let me know! Your opinion matters! :)