Notes! *please read*

This is my own interpretation of how Sans and Papyrus grew up, however I am taking a lot of inspiration from Zarla,and the reminiscence comic. (i love them so much!)

In this fic Sans is 16 and Pap is 7 :D

ENJOY

It was bright. Too bright, what had just happened? Flickers of memories passed through Sans's mind in a whirl. "Doctor Gaster!" He heard a faint scream. It was muffled under the own screaming of his mind. "Someone get the kids out of here!" Another voice said. The bustle around him felt as if it was going in slow motion. The colors faded from his vision as he collapsed onto the floor. "Brother! Wake up!" A small voice peeped. Sans felt his consciousness fade. The nausea he felt was too strong, and he welcomed the darkness.

Four years later

Sans awoke with a start. His breathing was heavy and beads of sweat dripped from his forehead. He blinked the sleep from his eyes and looked around him. Same old room, same old mess. Nightmares were nothing new to Sans, he had grown accustomed to them now. He slowed his breathing down and took a big sigh, letting the stale air fill his lungs. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and rubbed his face in discontent. Although he was used to the nightmares, any about that day sent chills up his spine. He sighed once more and stood. He pulled on a pair of gym shorts and his signature hoodie. He couldn't go anywhere without it, it was a part of him at this point. He slowly made his way out of his room and down the stairs. He was surprised to hear a sizzling in the kitchen, the TV was blaring Mettaton and a faint humming could be heard. "Pap?" Sans called from the living room. The humming stopped and small patters bounded over to Sans's location. "Good morning brother! I made you your favorite~" Sans slumped down on the couch and smiled. "Oh yeah?" He said, eating up every second of Papyrus's cuteness. Papyrus nodded and ran back to the kitchen. Sans began to doze off a bit but was jolted awake by a plate being shoved in his hands. "It's called Papcakes!" Papyrus giggled. The pancake was in an oval like shape with two divets making somewhat of the shape of Papyrus's face, he used blueberries as eyes and a mouth. What really set it off though was the… Marinara… "Uh pap…?" Sans said, feeling slightly queasy. "I see you notice my scarf detailing! Nyeh heh heh! Isn't it great?! We had leftover sauce from last night so of course I thought it would be perfect for this occasion!" Sans forced a smile and gave his bro a small thumbs up. "Looks G-great bro." Sans lied. Papyrus naive as he was, smiled and bounded off back into the kitchen. Sans quickly teleported himself to the outside trash can and threw the Papcakes away. He figured he could stop at Grillby's after he dropped Papyrus at school. He quickly teleported back inside and walked into the kitchen to see a gleeful Papyrus cleaning the mess he had created. "So, why up so early?" Sans asked. Usually Sans would make breakfast for Papyrus while he got ready for school, then nap before he had to go to the lab for work. "Don't tell me you forgot!" Papyrus frowned and crossed his arms. Sans sat at the kitchen table and leaned back in his chair, putting his feet on the table. He put his finger to his chin and rubbed it. "Hmmm… tibia honest I don't remember… Is it, national pun day?!" Sans joked. Papyrus frown grew. "I will let that slide for now." Papyrus paused, "Because it's your SIXTEENTH BIRTHDAY YOU LAZY BONES. DON'T TELL ME YOU FORGOT ABOUT YOUR BIRTHDAY?!" Papyrus was steaming. Sans jolted upright in his chair, he had truthfully, completely forgotten. Birthday's were just a day to Sans now. He had plenty of other things to worry about. "Oh right, thanks for reminding me bro." Sans said cooly, playing off his own shock. "UGH YOU ARE HOPELESS." Papyrus stormed upstairs. "I'm going to get ready, don't fall asleep!" Papyrus said as he closed his door. "Roger that boss." Sans said, giving a thumbs up. His smile faded and he put his head in his hands. The nausea he felt since he woke up had not gone away, and he could feel a pounding headache begin. Sans smiled to himself. "How pathetic, i've even forgotten my own birthday." he thought. He didn't particularly care however, Sans had grown out of the euphoria of birthdays. Papyrus came bounding down the stairs, his energy level at top performance as usual. "Come on Sans, lets go!" He yelled. Sans got up and joined Papyrus at the front door. "Got everything?" Sans asked, Papyrus nodded.

"Lunch money?"

"Check!"

"Homework?"

"Check!"

"Super cool jacket?"

"Check!"

"Then let's go." Sans smiled and took Papyrus's hand, he felt his magic bubble up in his soul as he teleported them to the school gates. Papyrus held his head. "Sans! Why did you teleport us? You know it makes me dizzy." Papyrus said. "Thought i'd liven things up a bit." Sans winked. Papyrus pouted. "See you after school bud." Sans put a loving shoulder on Pap and watched him walk into the school. He ignored the stares from the other parents. As usual. They used to bother him, but it became too much work to confront each and every parent who looked down on him, so he brushed it off and eventually tuned it out all together. Sans looked to the large clock on the school building. 7:45 AM, perfect timing. Sans smiled and began to walk back home. He enjoyed his morning walks after dropping Pap off. They were for the most part quiet, except for the morning bustle, but even that was soothing. The fresh layer of snow glistened, Sans loved the noise of the crunching snow under his feet. He had time to think all to himself, it was one of the few things he enjoyed about getting up so early. He stopped by Grillby's and got himself a quick bite to eat and headed home. The familiar scene filled Sans with calm. He flopped down on the couch and looked to the ceiling. The headache had mostly subsided, but his nausea still plagued him. He quickly set an alarm on his phone and dozed off. He had another hour or so before he needed to get ready to head to the lab, and it was a short teleport away. He let the darkness envelop him in a restless slumber.

"We are sorry to hear about your father Sans." A grumbly voice said through the darkness. The warm tone of his voice wrapped around Sans. It was another memory. "We know you and your brother were very close to him."

"Yeah." Sans's voice sounded younger, not yet fully matured.

"I know this is hard my boy, but we must talk about your future living arrangements."

"Future living arrangements? What is there to talk about? Me and Pap will stay in our home. Just the two of us. Is there an issue with that?" His voice was cold.

"Sans, you are twelve years old. Papyrus is a mere 3 years of age. It's not suitable or appropriate for a child to be raising another child."

"I lost the term 'child' a long time ago your highness. After seeing what i've seen, I wouldn't define myself as a kid. No way in hell."

"I understand, you have always been mature for your age. Gaster boasted about your wits often. But you have school, and an entire life ahead of you. I cannot allow you to throw that away."

"Who cares about school? Who cares about anything anymore. Life isn't exactly fair, if it were fair i'd still have my mother AND my father and we wouldn't be having this discussion right now. As for 'throwing my life away.'" Sans felt the magic pulsating in his eye

"Papyrus is the only life I have, and I would appreciate you not speaking about him as if he were a nuisance"

"I did not mean it that way Sans…"

"Whatever. I made a promise that I would always look after Pap, no matter what. I don't want someone else butting in and telling us how to live our lives. If you do not approve of me and Pap going on as we normally did…"

"YOU'RE GONNA HAVE A BAD TIME."

He felt awful for saything that. This was the king! But damn it, if Papyrus was involved, there was no stopping him. He heard a sigh, then a long silence.

"Fine. But, i will be routinely checking up on you, and if you don't meet the standards of living for you OR Papyrus, I will be forced to put you under the care of an adult." Sans felt a sense of relief.

"Also… You will have to pay the rent somehow won't you? So, how about you begin helping Doctor Alphys in the lab. I'm sure she would appreciate the help. The loss is a shock to her as well ya know. Becoming the royal scientist at sixteen is rough for anyone, especially someone as shy as Alphys." The King smiled.

"Heh, you got it boss." Sans said

"And Sans… Don't be afraid to ask me for help, I am just a boat ride away from Snowdin you know. Gaster always told me how secretive you are about your emotions. But it is more important than ever you keep yourself stable for Papyrus's sake. Do not forget you are still grieving, give yourself time to heal. I know how hard it is to lose someone you love." the aura around the king felt dark. Sans looked to the ground, the pinpricks in his eyes, gone.

"Okay." His tone was serious, and quiet.

The boat ride back to Snowdin was sile-

"SANS!"

What the?

"SANS ARE YOU IN THERE?"

Sans felt his dream crumble away as he opened his eyes. A hard pounding on the door resonated with the feeling in his head.

"SANS?!"

That voice… "Alphys?" Sans said getting up to open the door. He shuffled over and swung the door open with ease. Alphys stood with her arms crossed, her face perturbed. "Wh-where have you been? I t-tried calling and you didn't pick up!" Alphys said uncontented. "Woah there, what happened? I still have time before work begins, was there an emergency?" Sans asked, rubbing his eyesockets. "Wh-what? Sans its 1:30 IN THE AFTERNOON." Alphys said, her eyes going wide. "What? Damn. Must've slept past the alarm." Sans said rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "I'll be there in 10, just gimmie some time to wake up." He said.

"Wait.. Sans are you okay?" This shocked him a bit, since when was she concerned about his well-being? "Y-yeah why?" Sans replied. "Y-you are never late… And the dark circles under your eyesockets are bigger than usual. Have you been eating well? Getting e-enough sleep?" She asked concerned. "Yeah Alph i'm fine. Don't worry bout' me." Sans said, although he felt horrible. The headache had returned with a vengeance and all he wanted to do was lie down. "You came all the way from hotland just to check on me?" Sans said, guilty for making Alphys come so far. "D-duh! Why wouldn't I? We are friends aren't we?" She said. "Yeah, but... " Sans's voice trailed off. The guilt crawled on his back. He hated for people to worry about him. "L-look Sans, why don't you take a few days off? I can handle things for a while. Just get some rest okay?" She said, rubbing her arm. Sans smiled, "You tellin me to sit around and do nothing? Count me in!" Alphys rolled her eyes in response. "C-call if you need anything. If you need me to I can watch Pap for the weekend, so you can catch up on your rest…" She suggested. "Nah, don't worry about it Alph. I got things under control." He said. Alphys let out a sigh and turned to leave. "Well I guess i'll b-be heading home now." She said. "M-maybe since i'm out, i'll stop by Undynes place." She said more to herself than Sans. He walked out to meet her and put an arm around her shoulder. "Oooo you mean the fishy? I'm sensing a connection thereeee~" Sans teased. He could feel Alphys's face turn red. "N-no! Thats n-n-not it! We a-a-are just friends!" She said, her stammer growing worse. "Mhmmm, good luck! Maybe she'll actually smooch you today!" Sans cackled. Alphys huffed and left. After she was out of sight Sans let his smile drop. The headache was infuriating, and he felt so tired… Sans knew however he shouldn't fall asleep. If he did he might not wake up in time to pick up Pap. And some dick move that would be. He instead went inside and turned on the TV. Nothing interesting as usual, but it kept him occupied for the time being. He looked back on the dreams he's had recently. Well- more like a replay of memories. He hadn't had dreams like that in such a long time, it was off to him why it suddenly was happening. It gave Sans a sense of dread. He hated being reminded of the past. He rubbed his head and stumbled to the kitchen. He searched around the cabinets, hoping to find something to relieve his headache. "Damn. All out." He sighed. He didn't get paid for another week, and meds were way too expensive. They were rare in the underground. He could always ask Asgore for help… "Forget it." he thought. He grabbed some water and flopped back onto the couch, fighting the urge to sleep. "Only two more hours and I go pick up Pap. Come on Sans you can stay awake for that long, right?" He chuckled to himself.

The time went by at a snail getting encouraged too much's pace, but soon the time arrived and Sans teleported himself to the entrance of the school. He felt awful, and using his magic like that took a lot out of him. Sans rolled his eyes. It was so inconvenient. He just prayed he wasn't getting sick, he had too much to worry about. Making Paps dinner, reading Paps a bedtime story, helping him with his homework, getting groceries, working, taking Pap too and from school, getting sick on top of it would be a pain.

"Who is that?" Sans overheard a lady, he glanced to see a cat monster whispering to a bunny-fish hybrid thing. "Oh that's right. You are new to Snowdin aren't you? That's Sans." The bunny-fish replied. "He looks young. Shouldn't he be in school right now?" The woman asked, not noticing that Sans was staring right at them. "Get this, he dropped out of school when his father died, and is left taking care of a seven year old by himself! A rambunctious seven year old from what i've heard. My son says he's so disruptive and over the top. Obviously not getting enough guidance at home." The bunny-fish snarled. "How is that even allowed? A teenager raising a little kid all on his own? Sounds crazy to me." The cat said.

"Well, Asgore himself approved it. Only heaven knows why…" Bunny-fish said.

"That poor kid. He looks so sickly too. How awful. It must be hard dealing with a brother if he's how you are describing it."

Sans was steaming. You could talk bad about him all you wanted… But again, when Papyrus was involved… He felt his eye glowing, the magic erupting from his soul. He wanted to dust these two right there. He took a step towards the ladies, ready to give them a bad time.

"SANS!" He stopped, a small voice woke him from his rage. A tiny skeleton came bounding up to him, his smile was larger than life itself. "H-hey Pap. How was school?" Sans asked, shoving his hands in his pockets. Magic was leaking out of them, he didn't want Pap to notice. "It was good, but i'm ready to head home." Pap said. Sans smiled. He sent a glare to the ladies and grabbed his brothers hand, they began to walk home.

The walk was mostly silent. Pap explained little about his day, what kind of homework he had. Sans listened to every word, but didn't make much of conversation. "Sans are you alright?" Papyrus asked, looking up to him with big eyes. "Yeah bro i'm good. Just a bit tired is all." Sans said, trying to hide the exhaustion from his voice. "Are you sure? You seemed kinda upset when I walked out." Papyrus said. He noticed everything, he was so cool. "Ah, it was nothing. You know us skeletons, nothing gets under our skin." Sans winked. "UGH! I REGRET EVER FEELING BAD FOR YOU." Papyrus yelled. Sans laughed

Suddenly his vision went blurry.

"What…?" He fell to his knees, the blurriness continued. "Sans? Hey what's wrong? SANS?" Papyrus knelt down beside him. Sans head roared and spun. His body began to tremble. "Sans! Are you okay?!" Pap was crying… He needed to comfort Pap… He felt a hand on his back, it was warm. A crowd of people formed around them, expressing their concerns. It was too loud. Sans felt like throwing up. "Sans! Sans!" More voices. He could barely feel someone picking him up before he fell unconscious

End of chapter one!.