((Another note, I'm not gonna be editing these AT ALL. I'm copy/pasting them on here. So, sorry not sorry.))
Sans leads Papyrus to the curb and hails a taxi. The driver sees Sans and pulls over immediately. Papyrus thinks he's knows now why the divers are so nice to him and Sans...
The drive is silent and only when they pull up to "Flameheart's" bar does anyone speak.
"Thanks." Sans says and pays double the fare, just like always. The driver looks confused for a second, but then smiles at Sans. Papyrus remembers what Sans told him the other day about why he does that... Pap feels so torn.
The two head into the bar and there really aren't many people tonight. Sans gives a weird wave to Flameheart and Grillby. The two look at him with slight shock... but Flameheart goes to the special flame door and opens it then steps aside. Sans leads Papyrus to the door. Papyrus looks at his fire friends as he walks by and can't believe this... They knew all along too, didn't they?
Inside the room are several dimly lit red lights, ten beautiful thick chairs and a gorgeous mahogany table in the center of the chairs. In the middle of the table are several magazines and newspapers, a few blue crystal ash trays and a tall, thin vase with a few yellow roses in it.
"Have a seat Pap." Sans says and sits down in a seat specially marked for him with magically glowing blue words that say "Comic Sans." It goes away once he sits on it. Pap notices there doesn't seem to be a chair specifically for him. Why?
Papyrus takes a seat at a chair across from his brother and can't help but feel the weight of this room... Is this what it feels like to regular people when they come here to get interrogated or something? Is this an interrogation room at all?
"Alright bro... I guess... Questions?" Sans says, trying to keep chill, but he still can't believe this any more than Papyrus can. A long pause.
"I MEAN… ARE YOU A PART OF THE MAFIA?..."
"Yeah." Another pause.
"ARE MOM AND DAD?"
"Yeah." Papyrus clenches his skeletal fists in his lap.
"HOW LONG HAS THIS BEEN GOING ON?"
"Since before you were even born. Our parents were kids when they joined."
Papyrus stays quiet for a while... He has so many questions. But they all seem to come out in the wrong order.
"WHY- HOW... HOW DID YOU GET TO JOIN BUT NOT ME? WHY WASN'T I TOLD ABOUT THIS? WHAT WAS SO DIFFERENT ABOUT ME—WHY WAS IT THAT I COULDN'T BE INFORMED OF THIS?!" Papyrus half grits out and half yells. Sans' sockets go wide... and then he relaxes back in his seat.
"Pap... I got in because I wanted to. I worked really hard to get in. But honestly half of the work was just trying to convince mom that I should be allowed in at all. She's already seen a lot of stuff and didn't want that for me. Or for you. I've almost been killed several times bro. Mom and dad and I didn't want this sort of life for you." Sans sinks into his chair and finally takes his hat off.
"Papyrus we love you very much. We want you to get an education. A real job. A life where you can go outside and not have a gun to your back at all times. We all wanted the best for you... So we made everyone keep it a secret. If you never found out then you couldn't be swallowed up by this life... Can't you understand now? We didn't tell you because we were trying to protect you... I know mom and dad are scared that you won't make it in this business. You're... too nice. Too innocent. And I'm off the mind that you don't belong in the mafia bro."
Papyrus looks up at his brother now, the two making eye contact.
"I UNDERSTAND... BUT... I GUESS I'LL HAVE TO ASK MOM AND DAD WHY THIS ALL STARTED... DID... DID THEY KILL THAT MAN WHO WAS HUNG UPSIDE DOWN?"
"No." Sans says quickly.
"What you saw on tv last night. Those people who were running away were mom and dad. I admit, I lied to you. But they DIDN'T put him there. They were trying to get him down..." Sans says. Papyrus raises his brows and leans in a little bit, curious.
"That guy helped us when he was working for an opposing family. So when his captain found out, a hit was ordered. Our parents were trying to help get him down when that schmuck with the camera rolled up and chased them away. We do our best to stay as hidden as we can because we didn't want you to get involved or hurt. And they certainly didn't want you to see them on the news and start asking questions."
"AND… THAT EXPLOSION. I HEARD YOU TALKING TO THAT MAN JUST NOW. HE WAS THERE WHEN THE BOMB WAS THROWN AT THAT HOUSE. MOM AND DAD REALLY WERE THERE? WHY DID THOSE PEOPLE TRY TO KILL OUR PARENTS AND THOSE OTHERS?"
"The family that threw that bomb hates the Bonano family. And they hate us too. And somehow a snitch from the Bonano family got the information over to the other guys. They thought they'd kill two birds with one stone. So they drove up and threw a homemade bomb at the house. Only the guys sitting right against the front wall were killed. Mom and dad were sitting towards the back of the room. They don't ever sit near windows during a sit down for reasons just like that. Dad's leg got hurt pretty bad though. The blast from the debris cracked his leg and almost broke it in half. And mom got nicked a bunch too. But they're pretty good healers so they were able to make sure they looked good as new so they didn't look different or off to you the next morning."
"I… I HEARD THEM COME HOME." Papyrus says looking at is knees, the memory of his parents coming in sounding hurt. They WERE hurt. Badly… But they still did everything they could to not let Papyrus in….
"IT TOOK THEM A LONG TIME TO GET HOME. I WAS… I ALREADY SUSPECTED THAT SOMETHING WAS FISHY AFTER THAT NEWS STORY. BUT THEN THEY CAME HOME AND I FELT LIKE ALL THE PIECES WERE COMING TOGETHER. ALL THE EXCUSES, THE NEW CLOTHES BECAUSE OLD ONES WOULD GET RUINED SOMEHOW."
"Hm…. So they slipped up and you heard… No… No, I was the one that slipped up. You shouldn't have seen me." Papyrus looks up at Sans from his knees and feels something strange inside of him….
"SO… MOM AND DAD DON'T WORK FOR THE FBI AT ALL. AND YOU DON'T EITHER. AND… WHAT ABOUT FLAMEHEART AND GRILLBY? CIVETTA?"
"Nah, nobody works for the FBI. Flameheart and Grillbz work for our family and so does Civetta."
"SO… THEY'RE FORCED TO WORK-"
"No." Sans says quickly, holding a hand up.
"That ain't how the mafia works in real life bro. At least not OUR family. We never force anyone to work with us or for us. We offer people help and then actually give it to them, no strings attached. If they wanna join, they ask us. Mom and dad will explain later when I tell them…. Phew, I'm glad I'm not a kid anymore because I'd be grounded as hell for telling you this… And for even getting caught." Sans looks down at his knees and scratches his skull.
"THIS…. THIS IS STUPID." Papyrus suddenly says under his breath. Sans looks up at him curiously.
"What?"
"I SAID THIS IS STUPID!" Papyrus yells, throwing his long arms in the air. "I UNDERSTAND THAT THEY WANTED TO PROTECT ME… BUT I'M A PART OF THIS FAMILY TOO AND I SHOULD HAVE BEEN TOLD ABOUT /SOMETHING!/ I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU, MY OWN BROTHER, DIDN'T SAY SOMETHING. EVEN AS KIDS YOU NEVER TOLD ME! YOU HAVE TO TELL ME BECAUSE I ALMOST WATCHED YOU MURDER SOMEONE?! WHAT IF I SAW YOU KILL HIM? WOULD YOU KILL ME TOO? BECAUSE I SAW TOO MUCH?" Papyrus stands up, his whole world crashing around him like popped balloons. Sans stands up too and holds his hands out trying to plead with his brother. The "Comic Sans" magic words reappear on his chair.
"No no Pap, don't be ridiculous I'd never—"
"ARE YOU SURE? WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO IF I LEAVE?! ARE YOU GOING TO SHOOT ME IN THE BACK OR SOMETHING?!" Sans shakes his head with wide eyes, trying to think of something to say… But he just relaxes and then puts his hands up in defeat. He speaks quietly.
"If you wanna leave I'm not going to stop you. And I'd never EVER hurt you Papyrus…. Not ever. You mean too much to me bro. I know we kept this a secret, but I already told you my part. We wanted to keep you safe. And that's no lie and no joke…"
Papyrus stares at his brother hard and can see no malice. He's so confused…. Pap shakes his head and walks out of the room and into the bar. Not a single look is given to Flameheart or Grillby as he storms out of the bar into the street in the darkness.
He just saw a couple different sides of his brother and none of them are as cool or as flowery as he'd imagine they'd be. The world he apparently made up… It's like a forest that he took good care of and planted every tree and flower himself. But it's all being set on fire now. Everything he thought was true and good is going away and being replaced with a completely different world…
Not only were his parents and brother not the good guys…. They were the BAD guys… But Sans' words echo in his skull. Their parents didn't kill that man. They were trying to get him down. What is he going to do? He HAS to go home, there's nowhere else for him to go… Fine then. He'll ask his parents about this whole thing when they get home. This farce has to end, and if his parents won't, then he will.
Papyrus makes it home and sits on the couch, lying in wait for his mom and dad to come back from their "JOBs."
()
It's not long. An hour maybe. Papyrus hears the front door being wiggled and he can hear his mom commenting on how someone didn't lock the door. The two pop their heads in warily, but when they see Papyrus, they relax.
"[EVENING, PAPYRUS.]" Gaster says.
"What's the matter honey? You look upset." Vrinda says, walking in next to Gaster and shutting the door.
Papyrus is nervous. But he's determined.
"HOW WAS WORK?" He asks. Gaster hears the tone and looks at him, almost unbelieving.
"[IT WAS FINE?... WHAT'S WRONG?]" The parents take a few steps towards Papyrus, worried something has happened. And something has…
"TELL ME THE TRUTH." Papyrus says. Vrinda and Gaster's brows pull together.
"The truth honey?" Vrinda says. From nowhere, Sans walks in and leans against the door frame, hands in his pant pockets. Gaster looks back at him and stares at him, asking silently 'what is going on?'
"YOU TWO DO NOT WORK FOR THE FBI. I KNOW WHAT YOU TWO REALLY DO… YOU'RE IN THE MAFIA AND YOU… YOU'RE BAD GUYS!" Papyrus finally blurts out. The parents are stunned, eyes wide. They're completely speechless. Vrinda finally looks down at her clutched hands sadly… Then she looks at Sans with a look the short skeleton hasn't seen before. Actual anger towards him.
"What did you tell him?..." She says. Says looks to the side, trying to hide how irritated his is right now.
"I told him the truth. I went out to talk to the guy that bombed you and Pap found me somehow. It was hard to deny and he already figured it out pretty much. I knew you guys weren't going to tell him ever so as the big brother, I was the one that was going to tell him."
"Sans you KNOW how hard we worked to keep this from happening!" Vrinda says, turning towards him now. Sans stands up straight from the doorframe.
"Papyrus isn't an idiot. I told you and even dad told you that Papyrus was going to find out someday. He's smart—"
"And that's why he doesn't belong in this sort of life!"
"I AM STANDING RIGHT HERE!" Papyrus shouts. The family all look at him, jaw tight and eyebrows pulled together.
"[THAT'S ENOUGH EVERYONE… LET'S GO HAVE A FAMILY SIT DOWN.]" Gaster says. He walks to a hallway and pushes a small square on a back wall. The wall opens up into a door. Papyrus' jaw drops.
"THIS IS INFURIATING! I'VE LIVED IN THIS HOUSE MY ENTIRE LIFE AND I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THAT?!" He says, gesturing wildly to the button.
"[HUSH.]" Gaster says flatly. Papyrus can feel the fatherly weight on him… So he quiets down and follows Gaster. Sans and then Vrinda follow him. The concrete room is just a bit smaller than the room at Flameheart's but it really only fits the four of them anyway. Four well cushioned chairs are there. Three of them all have names. "WDGASTER" spelled out in purple wingdings, "Vrinda", spelled with yellow magic, and the same
"Comic Sans" from Grillby's on the third chair. The fourth chair has nothing on it. It pulls at Papyrus that he was excluded...
"[SIT DOWN EVERYONE. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A TALK.]" Gaster says. Everyone takes a seat in their chairs, Papyrus between Vrinda on his right and Sans on his left and across from his dad. A small circular table is in the center with an identical tall vase but this time with a few different colored roses.
"[PAPYRUS, TELL ME HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT KNOWING WHAT YOU KNOW NOW. I CAN FEEL THAT YOU'RE ONE FOOT ON ONE SIDE AND ANOTHER FOOT ON THE OTHER.]"
"I... I... I'M... IT'S HARD TO EXPLAIN. I KNOW WHAT'S GOOD AND I KNOW WHAT'S BAD... I THOUGHT FOR MY WHOLE LIFE THAT YOU TWO WERE NEGOTIATORS FOR THE FBI. THE GOOD GUYS. BUT... KNOWING NOW THAT YOU LIED TO ME ALL THIS TIME AND YOU WERE ACTUALLY BAD... I JUST CAN'T BELIEVE IT. BUT AT THE SAME TIME... I UNDERSTAND WHY YOU DIDN'T TELL ME. SANS TOLD ME." Papyrus says. Vrinda nods.
"We love you so much. And if lying to you kept you safe then I'd do it all over again. I wish we had done the same for Sans. But he find out, just like you did Papyrus." She says with a sigh. Gaster crosses one leg over the other and observes...
"Sans asked us when he was for years old. And if course I was completely against it. Dad was too. But Sans was determined. As he got older he never ever changed his mind. We did our best to keep him away from this. And when you were born he wanted in even more... And when he finally got inducted and started doing bigger jobs, people came after him. He nearly died several times because he was related to us. Papyrus honey, can you imagine how dad and I felt knowing that because of US one of our children almost died? I knew that I never wanted that for you. So dad and I decided to keep this a secret as much as we could for as long as we could..."
Papyrus listens to his mom and nods a bit. But trying to picture her in her pink apron cooking breakfast feels weird now...
"[YOUR MOM IS RIGHT. BUT NOW THE JIG IS UP. AND I NEED TO KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO DO PAPYRUS.]"
"Gaster..." Vrinda says quietly, giving him a look.
"[IT'S IMPORTANT THAT I KNOW. THAT WE KNOW, VRINDA. PAPYRUS.]" Gaster says, looking directly at Papyrus. The youngest skeleton straightens up and gulps.
"[YOU THINK WE'RE THE BAD GUYS. BUT I'M GOING TO REASSURE YOU THAT WE'RE NOT. WE DON'T JUST GO OUT AND MURDER PEOPLE. IN FACT, WE'D REALLY RATHER NOT. WHAT WE DO IS MAKE SURE THIS TOWN IS SAFE. WE PROTECT PEOPLE SON, AND IF THEY'RE THREATENED, WE TAKE CARE OF IT. IF WE SEE A HOMELESS PERSON WE OFFER THEM DID AND SHELTER SOMEWHERE. IF SOMEONE STEALS A WOMAN'S PURSE AND WERE AROUND, WE GET IT BACK AND SEND THE THIEF TO JAIL. IF SOMEONE THREATENS TO MOVE IN ON OUR CITY, WE TALK. IF THEY TRY TO HURT US, WE FIGHT BACK. WE TRY TO WORK WITH ALL OF THE FAMILIES THAT WILL COOPERATE WITH US AND SET UP DEALS WHERE EVERYONE IS HAPPY AND SAFE... I'LL ADMIT, WHEN YOU'RE MOM AND I FIRST STARTED THIS, WE WERE... VENGEFUL. AND WE GOT OUT REVENGE. AND IT FELT GOOD. BUT WE WERE KIDS AND WE DIDN'T REALLY KNOW WHAT IT MEANT TO BE A MAFIA FAMILY. THE MAN THAT SAVED US WAS KILLED AND THAT'S WHEN WE KNEW. WE WANTED REVENGE AGAIN... BUT WHILE WE WERE TRYING TO GET IT, WE SAW SO MUCH MORE. CRIME WAS RAMPANT. INJUSTICE WAS WIDE SPREAD. WE DIDN'T WANT TO WASTE TIME ON REVENGE AGAIN WHEN WE COULD BE HELPING PEOPLE. AND NOW THAT'S WHAT WE DO. SO WE ARE THE GOOD GUYS. JUST IN A MORE ORTHODOX WAY THAN YOU WERE IMAGINING.]"
Papyrus thinks seriously about this...
"SANS SAID THAT THE MAN WHO WAS KILLED AND HUNG UPSIDE DOWN WAS HELPING YOU..."
"[THAT'S RIGHT. HE WAS A DOUBLE AGENT. HE WORKED PRIMARILY FOR A FAMILY THAT'S AGAINST US AND THE BONANO FAMILY, WHO WE'RE WORKING WITH NOW. HE WAS THE ONE THAT ALLOWED US TO ARRANGE THE MEETING WITH THE BONANO'S. BUT HIS BOSS FOUND OUT AND HAD HIM KILLED AND MADE AN EXAMPLE OF... WE FELT AWFUL ABOUT HIM BEING PUT ON DISPLAY LIKE THAT, SO WE WENT TO GET HIM. BUT WE COULDN'T GO IT BECAUSE SOME HEH WAS THERE WITH A CAMERA. AND WE COULDN'T HAVE YOU SEEING US ON TV NEXT TO THAT SCENE, SO WE HAD TO RUN. THE BOMBING THAT HAPPENED THAT SAME DAY AFTERWARDS WAS FROM THE FAMILY THAT DEAD GUY WORKED FOR. THEY HEARD ABOUT THE MEETING AND THOUGHT THEY'D TAKE US ALL OUT. BUT WE BARELY GOT OUT. THE CAPTAIN WHO WAS RUNNING THE MEETING TOLD US TO RUN, SO WE DID. AND TRUE TO HIS WORD, HE DIDN'T SNITCH ON US. A VERY GOOD SIGN OF FAITH...]"
Sans watches Vrinda wring her skeletal hands nervously.
"SO... WHAT IF... I WANTED TO HELP YOU?" Gaster can't stop a sideways smile, while Vrinda tightens her jaw.
"Honey, wait come on, think about this more. Don't... don't you want to do something else? Be a doctor? They help people a lot too! Or- or a gardener! One of the last dangerous jobs there are. You haven't even graduated yet, don't you want to see where all that education takes you?" She says almost pleadingly. She knows exactly where this is going...
"IF I CAN HELP YOU HELP OTHER PEOPLE THEN I WANT TO DO THAT. I WANT TO HELP, I WANT TO WORK WITH MY FAMILY IF I CAN!" Papyrus says to her. Vrinda leans forward and then turns to the side to face Pap in her chair.
"If you were ordered to kill someone, could you really do it?"
Papyrus is quiet now... No, of course not...
"Ma, if something like that comes up, he won't have to be the one to do it anyway." Sans says, implying that it'll be him. Vrinda gives Sans a look that says 'You're not helping' and leans back in her chair.
"[PAPYRUS, WE'LL GIVE YOU TIME TO THINK. MOM IS RIGHT. THIS IS A BIG CHOICE YOU'RE MAKING... YOU CAN'T JUMP INTO IT. AND JUST KNOW. THIS ISN'T A JOB YOU CAN QUIT... ONCE YOU'RE IN YOU CAN'T LEAVE. EVER. THE ONLY WAY TO GET OUT IS TO DIE. AND NONE OF US WANT THAT FOR YOU. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?]" Gaster says with seriousness. Papyrus nods.
"I WILL THINK ABOUT IT."
"[AND NOW THAT YOU KNOW ALL OF THIS, YOU'RE SWORN TO SECRECY. YOU CAN'T TELL ANYONE ANYTHING EVER.]"
"WHAT WOULD HAPPEN... IF I DID?" Pap asks and immediately regrets it. Gaster shakes his head a little.
"[DON'T LET IT HAPPEN AND YOU'LL NEVER HAVE TO KNOW... ANYWAY, I'D CALL THIS SIT DOWN OVER.]" Gaster stands up and straightens his suit and loosens his tie. Vrinda stands with him and puts her hand on Papyrus' shoulder.
"Help me with dinner?" She asks. Pap nods and stands up. He hears dad and Sans leave and then decides to ask about the chairs.
"MOTHER, I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT THE CHAIRS DO. I'VE NOTICED THEY'RE STRANGE."
"Yes well... this is a family thing. I don't think anyone else does it. When we're inducted, we set these chairs up with our own magic so we can talk to each other magically without another part hearing us. But also do we can keep an eye on each other. So if dad has to do something alone, I can sit in his chair to talk to him and make sure he's okay. Sans can sit in his own chair and listen in on things. The chairs do a lot of things... and if any of us are dusted, their name will disappear. The magic will disappear... That fourth chair was going to be yours. But I argued with your dad a lot over even putting it in this room... Sweet heart, I REALLY want you to think about this. Don't make me watch you get hurt, or worse..."
"I KNOW MOTHER. BUT… I REALLY WANT TO HELP YOU ALL. I… I WANT TO BE INCLUDED THIS TIME. AND IF I JOIN I'LL DO MY BEST TO STAY OUT OF DANGEROUS SITUATIONS…. YOU KNOW, SANS TOLD ME THAT THIS LIFE IS SCARY BECAUSE I COULD HAVE A GUN TO MY BACK… BUT WHAT IF…. WHAT IF /I'M/ THE GUN IN THE BACK? THEN THERE WON'T BE MUCH OF A PROBLEM RIGHT?" Papyrus says, trying to smile for his mom. Vrinda just sighs and rubs her face with one hand.
"You boys are all so stubborn… No matter what you choose, you're my son and I love you so much. I just want you to be safe… and happy and healthy… It's what every mom wants. I'm going to baby you for as long as I can, hear me?"
Papyrus chuckles a little and hugs Vrinda. She squishes him and kisses his cheek.
"I HEAR YOU. NOW. LET'S GO MAKE A GREAT DINNER." Papyrus says. The two walk out of the room and do in fact make a great and delicious dinner. Pap looks at his family again, in another new way. So they may not be good guys the way he pictured them, but they appear to be good guys regardless. Papyrus wonders what else he'll see if he joins them…
