It's been a year since he'd lost his family.
Today was the very day it'd happened, a year ago.
Zach stared at his reflection in the mirror, studying the dark clothes he'd donned for the ceremony, wondering idly if Sans would be able to see the tears that had fallen from his face. He sighed and trudged out of his room.
Sans was already downstairs, slipping on a semi-formal black jacket over his snowy white dress shirt. The skeleton turned when he heard the monster child's heavy footsteps on the stairs, giving him a sad smile when the kid looked up at him. Sans took a napkin out of his pocket and bent down slightly, beckoning Zach towards him. He shuffled closer, allowing Sans to cup his face as he wiped it dry.
"lookin' sharp kiddo," Sans complimented quietly as pocketed the dampened napkin, flipping up Zach's collar to slip a shiny, black strip of cloth around his neck. He fiddled with it for a moment before he tied it into a neat bow, only to spent another long moment touching it up.
"Thanks," the armless monster murmured in return as Sans straightened to fix his own bow tie. Silence pressed in on them, before Sans abruptly cleared his throat.
"ya ready to go, zach?" The monster kid nodded his head and commenced to following the skeleton out the door. Sans put a bony hand on the child's shoulder, squeezing it lightly as they phased away from their snowy home.
They reappeared near Dr. Alphys's lab, the sound of rushing water behind them. Zach turned his head, almost surprised to see the River Person absent from its usual post, but shook away the thought as Sans started forward. The door to Alphys's home slid open smoothly as they approached it. Stepping inside, they found the yellow lizard monster fussing in front of the monitor, the camera above it focusing on her face to act as a mirror. Zach looked around, noting how the room didn't stink of ramen, burned bubblegum, and grease, but instead of fresh paper, cleaning supplies, and lavender. Her desk was cleaner and more organized, a vase of the said flowers set next to a dust-free computer. Things are really different from the last time I visited, Zach thought in approval, breathing in deeply. Sans cleared his throat and the scientist glanced over, smiling slightly as she picked up some dangly black earrings that clicked and clacked as she put them on.
"Hey."
"hey."
"Shall we?" She asked, nodding her head towards the door the others had entered from. Sans and Zach glanced at each other, before Sans made a small sound of agreement. Alphys grabbed a long black coat and slipped it on as they walked out the door, turning right and winding through a twisting hall to enter the L1 elevator. Sans glanced around as casually as he could, a bony hand resting protectively on the monster child's shoulder. Something didn't feel right. The elevator door slid slowly shut, but not before the skeletal monster caught a glimpse of a golden flower disappearing into the ground.
The auditorium was a few numbers short of reaching maximum capacity with the remaining monsters of the Underground, allowing all attending monsters to sit comfortably as well as remember just how many of their brethren were murdered exactly a year ago. Alphys had chosen to sit in the front between one of her amalgamates and Napstablook whilst Sans and Zach had seated themselves two rows back behind her. The auditorium was softly buzzing with chatter, a gentle sound that made Zach's head feel sluggish. The kid yawned and leaned against Sans, who'd responded by lifting the armrest that separated the two of them out of the way and putting his arm around the kid's shoulders, allowing him to snuggle further into his guardian's strangely warm body.
How do skeletons stay warm? Zach almost wanted to voice the question, but he was afraid of hearing a punny answer.
The voices of the crowd then faded into a stiff sort of silence as the king walked onto the stage, stopping to stand at the podium, a sad expression on his usually more jovial face. Zach shifted a bit, moving so he could see the king more easily. The king cleared his throat, sniffed, sighed and began to speak.
"My fellow monsters, we are gathered here today to reminiscence the passing of our family and of our friends. Today is the first annual day of commemoration for the loved ones who aren't with us anymore as a result of a heinous crime. I would first like to say the names of all those who had 'fallen down'…"
Zach sighed as King Asgore began to list all the families that suffered loss, naming the deceased and wishing peace upon their graves. The names of his parents brushed against his ear and he winced, feeling prickling behind his eyes. Sans squeezed him slightly, allowing the monster child to turn and bury his face into the skeleton's comforting embrace.
Ghostly apparitions drifted around their mortal loved ones as they mourned their unfortunate deaths. Papyrus reached a gloved transparent hand towards the solid white of his elder brother's skull, halting his approach inches away from touching. He retracted his arm, feeling tears burn behind his empty sockets. What was the point when his hand would just go right through? A pressure squeezed his shoulder gently and the skeleton turned his head to meet the gaze of his cooking teacher. She gave him a pained smile before she cast her gaze towards his brother.
"I almost can't believe he did it. He killed the human, without even trying it seemed," she murmured, frowning fiercely for a moment before her face relaxed again. "He's so powerful, so gifted… Why didn't he…?" She cut herself off, knowing where the thought would lead to. Papyrus only sighed, his once confidently held up shoulders drooping.
"SANS HAD BEEN KEEPING SECRETS FROM ME EVER SINCE I COULD REMEMBER… I THINK IT WAS TO PROTECT ME, FROM WHAT, I AM NOT CERTAIN, BUT THERE ARE A FEW TIME WHERE I WISH I KNEW WHAT HE WAS HIDING," Papyrus said thoughtfully, his tone dampened somewhat with sadness. Despite the tragedy that had befallen the younger skeleton brother, his voice still held its heightened volume, one of the many things that never changed, of which Undyne was incredibly relieved about, even though it did hurt her eardrums every now and then. The fish captain continued to study Sans, watching as his kept his eyelights trained attentively on King Asgore, his gaze equally studious. Occasionally, the king's eyes would flick up and meet the skeleton's before traveling over his paper again.
Undyne watched the exchange with interest, before her eyes narrowed again at Sans. The skeleton blinked and turned his head, seeming to look straight at her. She flinched and drifted back, and his eyelights followed. He turned away, Undyne releasing a breath she realized she'd been holding. Her trembling hands clenched into fists. What is he?
Howdy! This is...my first Undertale fanfiction...I think. Feel free to R&R and tell me what you think, point out my mistakes, maybe give some advice on how to further capture the personalities of the characters I use.
Responses!
NanciTheShurtugal: I'm glad you like it! I can't decide whether to hate or love all the depressing emotions circulated throughout the entirety of the Genocide Route. I reset the game when I first killed Toriel, and then again once I got the nerve to open my computer again. I can openly admit that I cried when I killed Papyrus, and cried again when I killed Sans. I felt goosebumps when I killed Undyne, probably because I was wondering what Alphys must be feeling since she just witnessed me killing one of her crushes.
