[WING DINGS]
"normal speech"
[Papyrus,] Sans said picking up his younger brother and started running, [we have to go]. Papyrus was so confused, his brother only spoke in this language when he was scared or upset. What was going on?
(*****)
He held on tight to his older brother. He didn't understand the sirens blaring, why the scientists
weren't trying to catch them as they made their escape. He didn't understand the fire that would sometimes block their path. He tried closing his eyes that hurt because of the bright lights. He didn't understand when they stopped running, until he saw his brother. Then he did understand. His brother was hurt. He was surprised that they made it this far. He did what he could to cover up the really bad wounds.
It has been two days since then. He was so hungry. He didn't think mister turtle man would leave his stand after he got caught last time. Sans wasn't awake to eat it any way. He was so scared. Nothing he did would wake his brother up. "Why did daddy do this?" He whispered in the cold caverns of Waterfall. The chill seeping into his bones. He peered down at his older brother's unwaking form. The makeshift bandage around his brother's eye, it was filled again with a red sticky substance. Carefully he removed the bandage sighing in relief as he saw the crack over the right side of his skull and eye had started healing. He used the scarf he found in the dump to keep warm with to cover the wound.
"Sans, wake up, please!" the young skeleton cried shaking him "SANS!" Papyrus screamed he didn't know what to do. Sans groaned slightly, pain pulsing through him. Papyrus cuddled up next to him tears coming from his eyes.
[P-p] Sans whispered before the excruciating pain caused him to fall unconscious again. Papyrus cuddled next to his brother, taking in the warmth of his brother's fever, sobbing.
(*****)
Grillby didn't know what to expect when he heard pained screams on his way to his sister's home in Hotland. The flame sprite hurried his steps following the distressed cries. If there was something he could do to help he would do it. As he got closer he noticed he was straining to hear the pained cries. It was as if it had given up.
He sped up to a run and saw two children huddled under an echo flower. The larger child looked no older than five. The closer he got the more nauseous he felt. The larger skeleton's leg was twisted in a strange angle, the right eye was covered in a grossly stained piece of cloth, and his breathing was ragged. The grey shirt he was wearing was ripped and the cyan soul was dim, nearly giving up. If he wasn't helped soon he would turn to dust. He looked at the crying form. The smaller skeleton was covered in scratches, bruises, and these strange holes in his bones. He was shivering in the cool air of the cave, but it shouldn't have been cold enough for the child to shiver so violently.
Grillby forced himself not to get sick as he realized that something horrible must have happened to the children. He tried not to think it about it at the moment, he didn't have the time. He didn't know if he could help the older child before the child became dust.
Grillby gently scooped up the two children into his arms, careful not to shift them too much. They were much too light for the ages they appeared. The bigger skeleton felt warm in his arms, and smaller skeleton coughed slightly. Brows furrowed with worry he went to the gondola. Silently the ferry-woman looked at the fire sprite who never rode her gondola out of fear of getting wet. She saw the two children and how bad of condition they were in.
"Snowdin" Grillby said. She nodded and hurried her ferry faster than normal. Some of the water splashed onto Grillby's arm and leg causing him to cringe, but he tightened his grip on the children.
As soon as the gondola stopped Grillby ran off the dock and towards his bar, not noticing the looks he got from the inhabitants of the town. He placed the smaller skeleton down so he could open the door still holding the unconscious child. The younger child wobbly walked after Grillby, nervous but cared more about his brother than to distrust the large flame.
Grillby placed the child in his arms on the queen sized bed in his bedroom, then placed the smaller skeleton next to him. He knew that both the boys needed medical attention, but didn't want to leave the larger child alone or move it any more. The smaller child cuddled up to the bigger skeleton with the blanket and fell asleep. Grillby sighed and went to the bathroom, looking through the medicine cabinet for fever and pain medications. He grabbed the thermometer and wondered how he could take the children's temperatures. He grabbed whatever he could that could help. Taking the few spare bandages from cabinet, he went back to the bedroom and quietly closed the door..
Quietly he made his way towards the bedroom, careful not to drop anything. As he entered the room he placed the medical supplies on the dresser. He walked to the side of the bed where the older skeleton was lying down. He stared at the ratty, hastily wrapped, stained scarf with apprehension. Gingerly he began to unwrap the dirty garment. Once the offending article was off he gagged. The crack on the poor kid's skull was so large. It was bleeding profusely. Grillby held his hand in front of his mouth trying to will the vomit to stop. Unable to, he ran to the nearest trash can and vomited molten bile into the receptacle. The sound caused the younger child to stir awake.
"Mister?" Papyrus whispered and rubbed his socket, "whatcha doin'?" He looked over and saw the flame sprite hunched over the trash bin. Grillby wiped his mouth and turned around with a small smile. This child seemed so trusting yet so fearful for someone he just met.
"Kid, what happened?" Papyrus didn't answer and stared at his brother. "Okay then can you tell me your names?" Grillby tried.
Papyrus perked up at this "I am Papyrus and this is Sans" he grinned.
"Can I get you to take some medicine?" Grillby asked standing up from the bed.
[No] Sans stated, with a cold ice. He had only awakened in time to hear the last part of the conversation about the medicine. Medicine was bad. He groaned opening his eyes. He began to panic. The cloth wasn't around his eye, so why couldn't he see? His hand went up to his face and when he tried to touch the eye he winced back from his own touch. When Sans went to go touch it again, Grillby grabbed the boy by the wrist. "Sans, are you ok?"
[DON'T TOUCH ME] He screamed.
"I am sorry kid I don't understand what you said," Grillby admitted. Papyrus understanding the garbled mismatch of sounds, puts himself as a barrier between him and his brother. "Don't fucking touch me" He sobs. Grillby shocked at the child's behavior gets down to his knees.
"Hey little man, how are you feeling?" Grillby offered keeping his hands away. Sans did nothing to answer or even show he was listening. Papyrus hopped off the bed and grabbed the bandages and showed them to Grillby. "Hey kiddo will you let me bandage your head? It looks like it hurts."
Sans flinched as Grillby took a step closer. "Will you let me take a closer look at it?" Eventually Sans nodded. "Hey Papyrus could you get me a wet cloth? There should be a towel in the bathroom, just run some water on it." Papyrus nodded and hopped up. Sans didn't like this and tried to stand as well, ignoring the crack in his skull or the break in his leg. Grillby tried to placate the boy by taking a step back. "Just lay down he will be right back." Just liked he promised Papyrus waddled in with a soaking wet towel. Grillby grinned slightly at the young child. "Now Sans I am going to wash out the injury, it may hurt." He took it in his arm with water damage and washed the blood and dirt away. Then he folded the towel clean side out and placed it underneath the feverish child's head.
Sans felt oddly soothed by the gentleness of Grillby's cleaning. It wasn't what he was used to. It was so gentle he found himself falling asleep. He barely noticed when Grillby had stopped and placed the cool cloth under his head as he fell asleep. Grillby rewrapped the poor child's skull. After tending to the worst of the child's wounds, he turned to brother and did the same.
Grillby knew he needed to get help but as afraid as the children seemed to be, he knew that it would be a bad idea. Neither of the children cared for touch and neither would take the simple medicine he had at the house let alone the medicine a doctor would provide. He tucked in the two boys. He stepped into the kitchen and made soup for the kids. Considering the size and weight of the children he assumed they hadn't had much to eat for a while. He chopped the meat and vegetables small so they could eat it easier.
Unbeknownst to Grillby, Papyrus got out from the blankets in search of food. He snuck out of the bedroom, his small footsteps on wood floor, were barely noticeable. When he opened the door to the front of the bar Grillby turned around. "What are you doing Papyrus?" he asked.
Papyrus frowned and held his grumbling stomach and shook his head. "I will go lay back down mister" he mumbled, headed towards the bedroom. Grillby caught the child and crouched down to his level, looking him straight in the eyes.
"Papyrus are you okay? Is there something you want? Food? Medicine? Something to drink? I want to help." He told the boy in a reassuring manner.
Hollowly Papyrus answered food. He downcast his eyes afraid of what was going to happen. He didn't want this man to be mad at him. Grillby picked up the boy and placed him on a booth seat. He brought the child a half chicken and grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of tomato soup. Papyrus eyes widened at all the food he was given and looked at Grillby with confusion. Why had he given him so much food? Was he going to withhold it for longer than a week?
"Go ahead it's all yours, eat however much you can." Grillby said.
"Daddy gave me less than this last time he fed me," Papyrus admitted.
"When was that?" Grillby asked concerned.
"The last time Daddy fed us was a week ago. I grabbed some round fruit from mister turtle man though," Papyrus whispered. Upon hearing this Grillby grew angry. Who wouldn't feed their children at least two times with school if not three times a day?
Grillby forced a smile to reassure the boy "You can eat as much as you want, and if you are still hungry you can ask for more. Don't worry, you and your brother will get three meals a day as long as you stay with me."
Papyrus grinned and thanked the man. He took a bite out of the sandwich with a hungry vigor that Grillby has never seen before. "Woah slow down there buddy, if you eat too quickly you are gonna get sick. I won't take it away from you." Papyrus slowed down. He only got three quarters of the way through the half sandwich and halfway through his soup before he was full. Grillby frowned because the child didn't have that much to eat in the first place, and he only ate part of what was given.
Grillby lifted the boy in the air and he carried the boy back into the bedroom. He tucked the boy in the comforter. He pulled the chair closer to the bed. "Take a nap, buddy" he said softly. Papyrus fell asleep quickly with his full stomach. Grillby pulled out his phone and considered calling his sister. He glanced over at the two sleeping children and decided to turn off his phone. He watched the boys and as time goes on he eventually fall asleep.