'Open Directory: Library'
'Open Folder: Application Support'
'Open Folder: AddressBook'
'Open Folder: Images'
'Open Folder: ©å߆´®'
'Run Application: ج∂ ¬å∫.jar'
ERROR: This application can not be run on this computer.
'Run Application: ´µø®¥ ßø®†´å©´'
ERROR: This application can not be run on this computer.
"Huh."
Sans didn't have much experience with dying.
That is to say, THIS Sans didn't have much experience with dying. Hell, until this morning, he barely had any experience with death, considering the two times he had seen someone die, the deaths were rendered moot by the universe's odd whims. All Sans, throughout timelines and throughout the multiverse, had plenty of experience with death, between Flowey, the kid (or kids, he assumes), or even his own hand, apparently. None the less, Sans had never really DIED, at least that he could remember, before this.
But he was pretty sure you weren't supposed to wake up in bed without so much as a scratch on you.
He had to catch his breath first, make sure he was actually remembering something that happened, and not just some random nightmare. He didn't have them often (thank FOX for that, or his sleep schedule would be even worse), but when he did have them, they usually didn't involve so much…blood. Then again, he's the only monster underground WITH blood at this point, so maybe they should.
No. This wasn't a dream. His journal wouldn't have all this "KILL THE KID" and "27 times" stuff written in it if it were. He'd fought the kid, he'd lost, and he'd died.
So why was he back in Snowdin?
He didn't ever remember past resets, and the only one that had even registered with him in the moment was the one from the surface.
(Calming down Papyrus after that one was a real problem, considering one second he had been admiring the night sky, and the next he was underground in his old racecar bed without so much as a warning.)
Maybe this time was different because the kid killed him? He didn't think dying was the key to remembering beyond resets. Maybe it was because they killed everyone?
He checked his clock. 6:16 AM. The estimated time of the human's fall. And it was the same day, so it probably wasn't a coincidence he woke up now. 6:17 now. He was really back. He actually remembered the reset. He remembered meeting the kid, he remembered watching the fights, he remembered bribing the bot…
He remembered his brother dying in front of him. He remembered Undyne melting away before evaporating quicker than water in Hotland. He remembered monsters refusing to evacuate because this was the only home they had now. He remembered telling Alphys that he had to go, he had a job to do, she could protect the evacuees, she had to-
He remembered bleeding out on the floor of the judgement hall, teleporting just far enough away to feel some semblance of peace, before dusting on his favorite bar stool at Grillby's.
He remembered dying.
God, was this how Papyrus felt?
'Wait. Papyrus. Shit!'
He knew he was forgetting something. Papyrus, from his own perspective, had just been killed by one of the few people to ever call him friend. He needed a million times more support than Sans did at that point.
Sans ran as fast as he could, for an admittedly short distance, before almost breaking the door trying to get in Papyrus's room.
And there he was. He was just sitting there, staring off into nothing, like he was barely even alive. He looked over at Sans, and for the first time, Sans knew what he was going to say before he even said it.
"YOU REMEMBER THIS TIME, DON'T YOU?"
"…yeah. yeah i do, paps."
AN: Based mainly on one headcanon, and one AU-ish element. The AU-ish element is kinda spoilery (even if you can pretty easily guess it already), but the headcanon is that Papyrus remembers the timelines and resets, but Sans doesn't. It's not supported much by the game, but it makes things even more tragic.
Also, in case you couldn't tell, this takes place right after a No Mercy/Genocide run, which itself took place after a True Pacifist run. Sans doesn't even notice resets happening most of the time (unlike most monsters who have some Déjà vu or discomfort), but he did notice when the TP run got reset. So Sans only noticed a True Reset. Have fun working that out!
Finally, the folder and application names were basically just me typing the names on Mac with the alt-key held down. In order of appearance, we've got Gaster, Old Lab, and Memory Storage. No points for guessing what THOSE mean.
Will be updated irregularly. Feel free to cuss me out in comments.