So yeah, sorry to those who are eagerly awaiting update on my other stories, at this point I got no excuses. I swear to god I had notes on all of them, but they disappeared during the last house clean... I will finish them, but for now, have some Undertale.

Found Something

It started as just a regular day, as all other things typically do. God only knows how long it had been since the last thing – it was a little hard to tell the time with no sun in the sky, no seasons, no weather or natural light or wind or fresh air or... well, it was just another regular day, according to the clock.

Get up, have breakfast, get dressed, go to work, same old same old. It was probably obvious to many that Sans was is a rut: while he loved his job at the lab, their research had stalled somewhat recently – while geothermal energy was proving adept at providing electricity enough for the entire underground, it was nothing compared to the energy of the barrier. Hell, if they could have found a way to use the barrier to create electricity, they would've been golden!

The stagnating research into the barrier had been taking its toll on the teams morale: every test came back negative, or else the numbers were so ridiculously high that they had no hope in hell of ever replicating them. The King wasn't the type to pressure people for results, but it was his money they were spending, and people kept asking...

After another fruitless day, Sans felt even more disheartened, stopping at home just long enough to change before heading to Grillby's. Grillby always teased him about the way he changed into clean clothes the second he got home from work, and truth be told he was starting to wonder why he bothered. It was just clothes, who cares if they were a little dirty from work. Would work even care if he wore slippers? They might not even notice. Probably. God, he was tired... Dinner in hand, Sans paid the bill and headed home. He wasn't sure if he was hungry or not. He had last eaten at breakfast... hadn't he? He remembered there being breakfast, at least. Had he eaten it?

He looked up as he got to the door of his house, fiddling around for his keys. Hearing a familiar sound, he looked around, feeling his spirit lift for the first time today – Papyrus bounded towards him, book bag slung over his shoulder as he ran home from school. He had just had a growth spurt, which left him looking gangly and awkward, and he wasn't quite used to how long his legs had become, kicking up snow as he ran.

"Sans!" he greeted, holding up a tatty old book excitedly "I got a new puzzle book! The librarby just gave it to me! Isn't that neat?!"

"That's great, bro." Sans agreed.

"What's for dinner?"

"I bought spaghetti."

Papyrus stopped before him, swaying awkwardly for a second. His hands and feet had also grown, and as such were far too large for his spindly limbs, throwing off his balance.

"Sounds good." he agreed "I like spaghetti."

"I know you do."

Sans unlocked the door, leading them in. Papyrus immediately threw his bag on the sofa and went to the kitchen to get the plates and forks. Seeing the breakfast dishes still on the side, he took a moment to wash them up. Papyrus was a good boy, and the way he was always smiling and so full of energy... it made it easier to be broke, to support his little brother, to be the responsible one, to get up in the morning... his smile made things easier.

Papyrus talked non-stop as they ate dinner, telling Sans about what he had learned at school. When he noticed Sans picking disinterestedly at his food, he asked what was wrong, reminding him to eat properly. After dinner, Papyrus did his homework as Sans watched television. Sans was so tired, he just wanted to go to bed. Forever. But he made himself stay up, at least long enough to read Papyrus his bedtime story: he knew he was too old for stories, but it was one of his few joys, and as long as Papyrus didn't mind...

It was pretty late when the knock on the door came. It was Dogamy and Dogaressa, those dog brigade members who had just started dating (which everyone knew, as they could hardly keep their hands off of each other in public). Needless to say, Sans was surprised to see them: he was a scientist, he didn't have anything to do with the Royal Guard. They were polite, but clearly tense and confused.

"You're that scientist, right?" Dogamy asked.

"(The smart one.)" Dogaressa clarified.

"I-I work at the lab, yes." Sans confirmed unsurely "Is everything okay?"

The dogs looked at each other a moment, beckoning Sans closer as they leaned down. Taking a conspiratorial look around, they whispered.

"We found something."

'Something'? Sans wasn't overly happy at how vague that was, but after telling Papyrus to lock the door and not answer it, he duly followed the Royal Guard members out of Snowdin. He grew increasingly uncomfortable the further they went: the only thing in this direction was the ruins, and a whole bunch of bottomless cliffs. What could they possibly have found? They were joined by two other dog brigade members – the Greater and Lesser dogs (weird names...) – with the last (the one who couldn't see right) standing at the ruins doors. Was whatever they found serious enough that they needed all these Royal Guard members to attend? He felt vulnerable. There was a reason Mr 1HP was a scientist.

Luckily (perhaps), what they had found wasn't too far from the ruins entrance. On the ground, smeared on one of the old puzzles, was an odd red liquid. It was thick, drying brown, and smelled oddly metallic. The dog brigade were stumped, never having seen anything like it, but Sans had an inkling as to what it was. He had read about 'blood', and knew it only came from humans. An injured human... didn't the King and Queen have a human child? This could be bad.

Greater dog was the one to find the child, hiding behind a pillar – it was curled up into a ball, shaking and terrified. Poor thing... it wasn't even as big as Sans, its leg clearly broken.

"What is it?" Dogamy asked, poking his head around the pillar.

"(It smells weird)." Dogaressa agreed.

"It's a child." Sans told them "A human child."

"What's all this red stuff?"

"(It tastes weird)."

"Don't lick it." Sans scolded.

It had been a while since Sans had glimpsed that human child the King and Queen had, but he was sure it was bigger. Sans sighed: he just wanted to go home. He didn't want to deal with this. He wanted to go to bed. However, if the King and Queen found out that he left the kid here, he'd be in trouble. Making himself as friendly looking as possible, he held out his hand to the human.

"Hey, kid." he greeted "Are you okay? That looks like it hurts. Do you need any help?"

The child flinched violently, curling up even tighter. It had clearly heard him. It tried to crawl further into the corner, blocked by the solid stone wall.

"Should we fish it out?" Dogamy asked.

"No, it we scare it, it might injure itself." Sans thought.

He sighed, thinking about Papyrus all alone at home. Hitching up his trousers, he sat down on the ground, still facing the human. What should he do? He wasn't a biologist, nor a parent. Looking at it... well, when Papyrus had been that size, he had been 8 or 9 years old. Although he had always been on the tall side. As he thought, he absently stuck his hands in his pockets, startling when his hand brushed something unexpected. What was that? Pulling it out, he smiled: it was one of those astronaut food bars, which Papyrus had stuck a post-it note to. 'Have a great day! =D Papyrus', it read.

Sans stopped smiling, jumping clear out of his... well, he didn't have skin, but if he did, he would have leapt clear out of it as he was launched at from behind the pillar. Luckily for him, it was the food that the human was after, tearing into it when the wrapper was barely off. In a rare moment of quick thinking, Sans grabbed it, but it didn't seem to mind too much: it was more hungry than anything. How long had it been down here before the dogs had sniffed it out? Although, that blood was fresh, so...

Sans tried to pick the kid up, but it was only a little smaller than he was. The dogs caught on pretty quickly that food was the key, plying the kid with whatever they had in their pockets and some random sweets that they found as Sans took a look at its leg. Being a skeleton, he had a certain knowledge where bones were concerned, but you didn't need to be an expert to be able to see the humans leg was pretty badly broken. He set it as best he could with the things at hand, the human mutely smacking him on the shoulder and head when it hurt.

Weird... the human was completely silent, aside from a few whimpers, despite the fact it was clearly scared and in pain. It had a hell of a squint, too. Did it need glasses?

"(What do we do with it?)" Dogaressa wondered as the brigade made its way back to Snowdin "(It's too late to take it to the palace)."

"Yeah, I'll take it in the morning." Sans agreed "The King and Queen will know what to do with it."

"You okay?" Dogamy asked him "It looks heavy."

Indeed, Sans was struggling under the humans weight as it slept on his back.

"Human's physical matter is a bit denser than ours." he admitted, hoping one of the Royal Guards would take the burden.

The hint was lost on them, however, was Dogamy and Dogaressa were too interested in each other, and the others didn't seem to be particularly bright... After what seemed like a mammoth walk, they finally reached home. Were they going to deposit the kid in the inn? Was one of the dogs going to take it for the night? Apparently not.

"It's really good of you to take the human in." Dogamy complimented "I wouldn't feel safe with it in my house."

"Y-yeah..."

"(Especially with it leaking like that.)" Dogaressa agreed "(You're pretty brave!)"

Sans wasn't brave, he was tired and didn't have the energy to argue. The human was tiny and had poor eyesight, it was unlikely to be any threat, especially injured. He thought about how Papyrus would handle their guest, but he was pretty good with younger kids. There couldn't be that big a difference between human and monster kids... The dogs promised to return in the morning, but Sans wasn't going to hold his breath. He sighed when he realised he couldn't get his keys without letting go of the kid, calling for his brother to open the door.

Sans woke up with a burden. He had a thing he had to do today. Even though he logically knew it was a simple enough thing, it felt like the weight of the world was on him. He'd drop the kid off with the King and Queen, and it wouldn't be his problem any more. He'd have to drop by the lab to tell Dr Gaster where he was going, but he was sure he'd understand. Papyrus was awake first, of course, but Sans wasn't sure where he was, as his room was empty and there was nothing but silence in the kitchen. Had he gone to school early? It wouldn't have been the first time.

Once he got to the landing, Sans looked over the banister to the sofa, where he left the human sleeping the night before. He startled when he saw the kid was gone, causing him to bolt down the stairs, nearly tripping. Did it escape?! Did Papyrus let it out? It was injured, it couldn't get far! Being short had some advantages, and as Sans ran for the door, he managed to spot something under the table: all wrapped up in the blanket the brothers had left for it, the human was fast asleep, fit snugly under the coffee table. Well, at least it hadn't gotten out. Sans sighed, feeling his heartbeat return to normal. At least now he had time for a cup of coffee.

The poor thing must be terrified, to hide under the table like that. Sans had never seen the surface himself, he couldn't imagine it was that much scarier down here. Still, it was just a kid. What if the situation had been reversed, and it had been Papyrus on the surface alone? The thought stayed his hand a moment... the kid would definitely be hungry, but there wasn't much food in the house. He started as the front door clacked open, Papyrus hurrying in and closing it behind him.

"Oh, you're up!" the declared, surprised "I was worried I wouldn't have time to wake you properly."

"Where did you go so early?"

"To get breakfast!"

Papyrus pulled a steaming package from his book bag, laying it on top of the table.

"Fresh cinnamon bunnies!" he declared "They're super scrummy!"

He immediately dropped to the ground, looking under the table, and grabbed one of the buns.

"Human!" he called "Are you awake now? Remember me? Papyrus? I bought you breakfast!"

"Good thinking, bro." Sans complimented, coffee in hand as he shuffled into the living room.

"Human!" Papyrus tried to tempt, holding the bun out to them "Wakey wakey."

"Don't force the kid." Sans recommended "They had a long day yesterday. You ready for school?"

"Almost. Watch the human, okay?"

Sans chuckled and Papyrus leapt up, grabbing another cinnamon bunny and shoving it in his mouth before running up the stairs. Hearing a shuffling under the table, Sans put his coffee on top and leant down to take a look: the cinnamon bun Papyrus had left had disappeared, the blanket shuffling slightly.

"So you are awake."

The lump under the blanket flinched. Sans stayed quiet as the human carefully unwrapped itself from its fabric cocoon, peering at him uncertainly. It seemed to recognise him from yesterday, cautiously emerging with the bun still in it's mouth.

"How are you feeling? Does your leg hurt?"

The human gestured with its hands. It took a second for Sans to realise: it was sign language. The kid was telling him it was thirsty. Sans got to his feet, going back to the kitchen, and got a glass of water, which the kid gratefully downed before shoving another bun into its mouth.

"Hungry, aren't you?" Sans noticed "More water?"

The kid drank three glasses before Papyrus came back down. The kid startled at the sight of him, grabbing Sans shirt, but calmed down soon enough with the application of more cinnamon bunnies. The kid sure was hungry. And thin. It's clothes were baggy and tatty, and some of its injuries looked older than that broken leg. Papyrus seemed not to notice, making friends with it immediately.

"Sans, the human's not dressed for the cold!" he did notice "They'll freeze before they get to the capital!"

"I'll lend them a jacket." Sans promised.

Papyrus bid them both an excited goodbye as he left for school. Headed for Waterfall, the kid got the first echo flower before the pain in their leg became too much. Unfortunately, since they had eaten, they were even heavier than yesterday, so carrying them to the capital was out of the question. Leaning on Sans, they managed to make it back home, but was practically in tears from the effort of it.

Well, time for plan B – Sans called work, knowing that Gaster spoke often to Asgore and hoping that the two of them would be more willing to deal with it. Unfortunately, judging by Alphys' stuttering as she answered the phone, Dr Gaster was in a bad mood.

"Oh n-no, I'm not telling him!" she insisted "You t-tell him! He l-likes y-you more!"

"I guarantee that's not true." Sans disagreed.

However, she was already handing over the phone. Before he had even bought it to his mouth, Sans heard Dr Gaster sigh irritably.

"Sans." he greeted coldly "Why aren't you at work?"

"Boss," Sans reported "I'm sorry, but something happened last night."

"Well, this had better be good."

Keeping one eye on the kid, who was busy rebuilding their blanket cocoon on the sofa, Sans quickly relayed the story of their mysterious appearance. Gaster listened silently, but Sans could hear him grinding his teeth as his tale ended. There was a tense silence as the good doctor came to a decision.

"You did the right thing." he begrudgingly admitted "That royal guard is so lazy, they can't be trusted to follow through on anything. I'll let the King know what you found: take care of the human until someone shows up to get it."

"R-right."

Orders given, Dr Gaster hung up. Sans sighed – that could have gone a lot worse, so at least there was that. Well, what now? Children were children, regardless of species, right? They didn't look that much younger than Papyrus.

"Hey, kid," he said tentatively "You like stories?"

Good news: the human liked storybooks. Bad news: the longer Sans sat next to them reading, the more he became aware of how bad they smelled. Half way through 'Fluffy Bunny', it became too bad for him to ignore, promising the end of the story after a bath. The kid didn't argue – in fact, they seemed pretty excited about the idea. Sans had to rig up some kind of hoist to keep their leg above the water, but at least after the bath he'd be able to put a better splint on.

After throwing a couple of Papyrus' bath toys in with it, Sans took its clothes downstairs (god, they smelled!) and threw them in the washing machine. They wouldn't be dry for some time: there had to be something around here that they could wear. Keeping an ear out as he looked through his and Papyrus' closets, he heard the kid laugh a couple of times as it splashed around in the water: so it could make some noises. After 20 minutes or so, Sans stuck his head in the bathroom.

"Water cold yet?" he asked.

The kid made an embarrassed, somewhat scandalised noise, followed by the sound of water splashing indignantly.

"Don't worry, I'm not looking." he promised "All washed up? Clean your hair?"

The kid made a noise of confirmation.

"Okay, time to get out."

Closing his eyes, Sans held up the towel and stepped in. The kids leg was still broken, of course, and it used Sans arms as an anchor as it pulled itself out. Feeling it fall against him, he wrapped the towel around it and opened his eyes again.

"Hey, there was a kid under all that dirt!" he teased "You missed a spot."

Grabbing the flannel from the side, he dipped it into the (almost brown) soapy water and ran it over the kids face. Yeah, yeah, he was that kind of big brother, so sue him. He was used to Papyrus flailing away and saying he wasn't baby bones anymore – especially since he got old enough to take baths on his own – and expected the same reaction. Instead, the kid smiled at him, giggling a little. In spite of himself, he couldn't help but smile back.

When Papyrus arrived home from school, he was excited to find the human still there, not at all upset to find it decked out in his old clothes. He even brought his action figures down from his room for it to play with, sitting on the floor with it as the tv played in the background. Sans hoped he was going to be reimbursed for the humans food as he paid for the takeaway: he could afford to feed anther person, especially if the kid usually ate as much as it did this morning. When he returned home, Papyrus and the human were both leant over a book.

"Sharing some puzzles?" Sans asked.

"It's a puzzle the human gave me!" he replied excitedly.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yes, I have to figure out their name based on clues they gave me!"

"What's the clues?"

The kid signed at him, spelling out its name: 'Frisk'. Sans was torn between telling Papyrus the answer and letting him figure it out himself. Both of them seemed to be enjoying the game, so he left them to it as he got the plates.

"Nyeh heh heh, I won't be beaten at puzzles!"

Frisk laughed.

Papyrus really was good with kids: after dinner, he made a fort under the coffee table with blankets and pillows and entertained Frisk with stories and puzzles until the human fell asleep.

"Should we leave it here?" he asked quietly.

"Seemed happy enough last night." Sans figured "Looks warm enough."

Papyrus yawned widely: he'd been busy tonight, and Sans was a little bit proud of him.

"Gotta finished my homework." he declared, rubbing his eye socket "I will be victorious over quadratic formulas tonight!"

"Knock-em dead, bro."

"Nyeh heh!"

Sans took another sip of his coffee as he watched Papyrus grab his book bag and go upstairs, yawning again. Not having done much today, he wasn't too tired, which was weird for him, so he settled back onto the sofa with a book, turning the sound on the tv down. After a while, Papyrus opened his bedroom door to request his usual bed-time story, after which Sans returned downstairs to wash up the plates and cutlery before turning in himself.

As he turned the water off, he heard a quiet noise, almost inaudible but for the silence of the rest of the house: a tiny whimper. Was the kid awake? Silently, Sans crept back over and looked under the table: the kid had curled up into a ball and was shaking again, sniffing and occasionally whimpering. A bad dream? Poor kid.

Feeling his heart strings pull, Sans reached out and touched Frisk gently on the shoulder. The kid flinched violently, like they'd been shocked, which was apparently enough to wake them up. Frisk looked at him cautiously, like they were trying to figure him out, before slowly uncurling. Sure enough, the kid had been crying.

"You okay?" Sans asked "Bad dream?"

Being careful not to smack their head on the low table, Frisk crawled out, putting their arms around Sans. Not able to resist a child in need of a hug, he returned the gesture. Almost immediately, the kid was asleep again. Well... the dishes could wait until tomorrow.