On the surface, Sans was the perfect picture of apathy and laziness.

Underneath, he was terrified.

He had teleported away before Mettaton could even finish telling him where they were at. He knew where the ghost cousins lived. He took a deep breath to compose himself enough to maintain his facade. It had already been damaged enough with his sudden arrival, but that didn't mean he couldn't try to salvage what he could of his damaged image.

Sans didn't even have a chance to knock before The door flew open.

"Sans, darling, thank you for coming," Mettaton was obviously trying very hard to maintain his image that he had perfected. Sans could hear the edge of weariness in his voice and the forced smile. Sans rolled his eyes. Mettaton pushed Sans back gently and stepped out so he could shut the door behind him.

"What happened. Do not leave anything out."

Mettaton's smile crumbled and he let out a weary sigh.

"It was when we left the party. He was so upset and I didn't know why. I tried to get him to stop and he… he hit me," Mettaton said. Sans winced. "I… I panicked. Got, I feel so stupid. I just… it reminded me of…"

Sans knew perfectly, but he remained silent.

"He lost it," Mettaton said. "I don't even know how to describe what happened. He was panicking and kept… apologizing."

Sans' eyes widened. Oh god, could it be…? Sans pushed Mettaton aside and opened the door.

"Sans-"

"Stay out here," Sans said.

"But-"

"Stay. Here."

Sans walked in and shut the door behind him. Any other day, he would laugh at the sight of Papyrus curled into a ball in a bright pink bed with a matching bright pink blanket pulled over his head in the middle of a bright pink room. Now was no time for laughter. Papyrus was shaking and still mumbling that same word, over and over and over again.

"Papyrus?" Sans whispered.

Papyrus froze. Than he shook even harder as he sobbed. Sans crossed the room in a few quick steps and attempted to lay a hand on Papyrus' shoulder. Papyrus recoiled from the touch like he had been burned.

"S-STAY AWAY!" he cried. "PLEASE… I DON'T… I DON'T WANT TO HURT ANYONE ANYMORE!"

"Papyrus," Sans' soul ached. It was just as he suspected.

"WHAT HAVE I DONE? OH NO. NONONONONONONO!"

"Papyrus, listen to me," Sans said softly.

Papyrus didn't respond. His sobbing grew grew in intensity.

"Papyrus!" Sans called even louder.

No response.

"PAPYRUS, FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE, YOU WILL LISTEN TO ME."

Papyrus froze. Before he could react, Sans had him wrapped in his arms.

"This isn't your fault," Sans said.

"I- I DID SUCH HORRIBLE THINGS, I-"

"What did I just say?" Sans reminded him calmly. Papyrus shut his mouth. "Now listen to me. Do you remember our father?"

"... WE HAD A FATHER?"

It was just as Sans suspected. As time wore on, Gaster had drifted front everyone's memories, even Papyrus'. Sans was the only one who remembered. Lucky him.

"His name was Gaster. He was the Royal Scientist before Alphys. Gaster was our father in name only. To him, we were nothing more than lab rats. He wanted to turn us into weapons to use against the humans," Sans said. "He used magic to try to seal away out personalities and turn us into nothing more than killing machines."

Sans pulled away and took a hold of Papyrus' chin. He gently raised Papyrus' tear-streaked face to meet his eyes. Papyrus had never looked so young.

"He failed, for the most part, but not without its effects. In me, he created an anger towards the humans, one that was easily destroyed by Frisk," Sans smiled softly at the thought of her. "In you, it sealed away your conscience- your ability to tell right from wrong. But that wasn't all. It gave you an overwhelming thirst for violence. One you could not control."

"WHY… WHY DO I FEEL THIS WAY?" PAPYRUS ASKED.

"I was freed from my hatred for humanity thanks to Frisk," Sans said. "Do you know why?"

Papyrus shook his head.

"Because the only thing more powerful than hate, is love," Sans chuckled. "Sounds cheesy, I know. Like some kind of children's story, but it's true. I think your guilt over hurting the one you had fallen in love with broke through the seal and the thirst, freeing you from it."

"I DON'T KNOW IF I WANT TO BE FREE," Papyrus mumbled.

"It must be painful," Sans whispered. "But you have to deal with it. You must still deal with the consequences of your choices, even if you had no real control over them. But you are strong enough. And you aren't alone."

"IS THAT… IS THAT WHY YOU NEVER LEFT ME?" Papyrus asked.

Sans smiled.

"I wasn't going to abandon my only real family just because some quack messed with his head," Sans whispered.

"I'M SO SORRY, SANS. I'M SO SORRY I'M SORRY I'M SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY-"

"It'll be okay," Sans said. "We'll always be here for you. Frisk, me… Mettaton."

Papyrus fell silent.

"EARLIER… YOU SAID… THAT ME AND METTATON… BUT… WE HAVEN'T EVEN BEEN TOGETHER THAT LONG, HOW COULD YOU… DO I REALLY…?"

"You're rambling," Sans chuckled. "Monsters don't take that long to fall in love. Our souls just know, even if it takes us longer to catch up."

"SANS…"

"Yeah?"

"CAN… CAN I SLEEP WITH YOU TONIGHT?"

"What's wrong? Feeling bonely?"

"CONSCIENCE OR NOT, I WILL HIT YOU."

"I'd expect nothing less."