Sans grunted, sulkily walking behind Mettaton as they both made their way through the musty halls of Alphys' lair. The air was thick with traces of incense and smoke, and the smell of stale potions and burnt experiments made even Mettaton squint a bit. The floor underneath their feet was gritty, and the only sounds were the clacking of Mettaton's heels, the occasional creak of leather from Sans, and the faint squeak of his sneakers as they glided over slick spots every now and then.
"Never call me 'Sansy' ever again," the small skeleton snarled, keeping his voice low. Mettaton rolled his eyes and looked down at him briefly, giving a small scoff at the sheen of sweat on Sans' skull. Not threatening in the least- not anymore, anyway. It was almost.. Funny. The robot gave his scarlet and silver tinged lips a pout and clicked his tongue at him mockingly, shaking his head.
"Now, now, Sansy- is that any way to talk to a bot that just did you a favor?" he cooed, expression twisting into a sickening smugness. "I can always just leave you here to get lost, you know, bone bag-"
Mettaton cut off with a snicker as Sans' eye socket throbbed red, and he waved two of his arms dismissively. His mood had been significantly lifted in the past five minutes. He had the upper hand on Sans, Alphys was going to pay for making him look like an unintelligent scrap heap, and there was a slim chance they could all overthrow Asgore. Much win.
Things were good.
For now.
"Relax, will you?" he chided, rounding a corner. "We'll find Alphys eventually, and everything-"
For some reason, his wording made Sans pause, his grip on Papyrus tightening ever so slightly as his shoulders raised with suspicion. He tilted his skull and Mettaton's steps slowed, the pointed heels to his metallic boots ceasing in their clatter.
"Eventually?" Sans echoed slowly, taking a step back. "So you don't even know where she is right now?"
Mettaton hummed and suddenly turned into a scolded child, staring down at his toes and swaying a bit. His voice was hardly audible when he spoke next, and it made Sans' metaphorical stomach twist dangerously.
"N-not exactly, no," he mumbled. "She's.. around, somewhere, I'm sure. It's just that, since she's always busy-"
"Can't you use your sensor to locate her?" Sans barked urgently, interrupting the beginning to his pitiful excuse. "Turn the damn thing on! What are you waiting for?"
Amber eyes flashed with shame and tints of fear, and Mettaton took a few steps back from the furiously sweating skeleton before him. Thick silence hung in the air like mildew before his lips parted.
"A-about that, Sansy, uh.." he stammered, fiddling with all twenty of his fingers. "I might have lied. Just a tiny bit. I.. I actually don't know if Papyrus is alive or not- I mean, he doesn't look totally dead, just.. Just a little.. in pieces."
He shut his mouth when a soft thunk sounded, and looked up to see Sans placing Papyrus on the floor a few feet away. The small skeleton made the greasy walls shine with crimson as he cracked his knuckles deliberately, menacingly. Mettaton's good mood permanently flew out the window.
"Take a good long look at him," Sans growled, the floor beneath his sneakers heating up and glowing. Fury bubbled within him like poison, and when he looked up, flames licked at his eye sockets. "Because when I'm done with you, you'll look a thousand times worse!"
A fire ball appeared in his palm, and he reared his arm back threateningly, making Mettaton flinch in spite of himself. He cowered and covered his face with four hands.
"Sans, wait! You really don't want to do this-" he cried, cutting himself off with a frightened hiccup, amber eyes wide.
"And why the HELL not?!"
"Because I'm standing right here."
The skeleton turned at the sudden voice, dropping his fireball so a ring of flame appeared at his feet, startled. Alphys stood a few yards away, in all her magical glory.
Her hands were stained with ash, and her glasses were fogged with vapor residue, but that didn't stop her eyes from glinting menacingly behind the lenses as her lips curled upwards mischievously. A slow laugh left her, and she shook her head almost lazily, yellow sparks beginning to shine at her fingertips.
"Hello, Sans. Long time no see."
