Blue, Orange, and Green

:::

Chapter 10: Blue

:::

The reset put everything back to the way it was three days before. The innkeeper's kid was alive. Venus was alive. Sans was… tired. Sans wasn't answering her calls. But he was happy she was calling… still he wouldn't pick up. Sans spent most of his time at Grillby's, not drinking ketchup, but drinking alcohol.

A week and a half after the reset, Venus got tired of Sans not picking up the phone. She went to their house, and Papyrus answered the door, telling her to find him at the bar with a worried look in his innocent eye-sockets. Sure enough, he was at the bar in his favorite seat, drinking shots. She sighed, and sat beside him, ordering sake (Grillby started selling sake after she suggested it). "Hello." She said, pissed that he didn't realize she was there.

"oh, hey~." He was surprised to see her. "i thought of a great new joke. knock knock."

"Who's there?" She said, exasperated.

"dragon."

"Dragon who?"

"dragon me to hell!" Sans laughed at his own joke, taking another shot. She did her best not to laugh and just let out a sigh.

"Sans, you're drunk."

"i'm also insane." He says. "and stupid. i screwed myself."

"What do you mean?" She asked, drinking some of her sake.

"everyone close to me gets hurt." Sans gripped the glass hard. "hell, everyone here gets hurt, and they don't even know it. and when i tell them that, they all think i'm insane, right, grillbz?" Grillby just made a confused sound. "and the worst part is, i can't do a thing to stop it. it's morbidly hysterical."

"Sans, I… I don't know what you're talking about." Venus put her hand on his shoulder. He didn't look up at her, he just stared into the empty glass.

"that's why i act like i don't care, cuz i can't afford to care." He said. "i gave up. there's no point. nothing matters. i don't matter, you don't matter, our relationship doesn't…!" Venus put her hand over his mouth.

"I'm going to let this pass because you're drunk, but I will not let you say that." She said sternly. "Of course everything matters. Of course you and I matter, at least, I hope we still do. Now come on, Papyrus is worried about you. I'm taking you home. We'll talk about all this later." She took his hand and led him out of the bar. Amazingly, he didn't put up a fight. When they got outside, he passed out in the snow. "Sans!" She turned him over to find him dead asleep, snoring away. "My God." She picked him up bridal style and carried him home, having a hard time knocking on the door.

"SANS! VENUS!" Papyrus was quicker to answer the door than usual. "IS HE ALRIGHT?"

"Yeah, but he's gonna be seriously hungover tomorrow." She said. Papyrus led her upstairs so she could put Sans to bed. "Has this ever happened before?"

"YES, HE'S BEEN LIKE THIS BEFORE. HE CAN SAY TERRIBLE THINGS WHILE HE'S DRUNK." Papyrus folded his hands together. "SO, DON'T BE MAD AT HIM. AND HE'LL BE ALRIGHT. AFTER ALL, HE HAS THE GREAT PAPYRUS! AND YOU!"

"Right… I hope so." She looks down at Sans. "Hey, can I sleep on your couch tonight? I need to talk with your brother in the morning."

"OF COURSE!" He says. "I'LL GET YOU A BLANKET!"

"Thanks, man." She really hoped everything would be okay like Papyrus said it would.

:::

Venus woke up the next morning very early, earlier than Papyrus. She got up and peeked in the kitchen, seeing no one there. She decided to check on Sans, mostly to make sure he was still there. She was very worried about him. She'd seen him drunk before, but he's always been a happy drunk, and a hands-y one, too. This was scary… it reminded her of how she used to be.

She quietly entered Sans' room, and what do you know, he wasn't there. His scent was still strong, so it must have just left. She turned on the light, looking around, finding no trace of him. She sat at his desk, putting her head in her hands, holding back tears.

What happened? Everything had been going great. Then out of nowhere, he stops calling her, and she can't get through to him. Now, she prides herself on not being nagging and clingy. They live in separate homes, they have their own space, their own free time… and she doesn't get jealous (too jealous). So she didn't see a problem there. And then finds him drunk and talking about crazy shit like her and Papyrus getting hurt and not being able to do anything about it. What does that mean? He's never hurt her!

She smashed the desk with her fists, hitting a hidden button on the top of it. She heard a beep and a hiss, and the desk started moving to the right to reveal white stairs. "What the fuck?" Was all she could say. She had no idea this was here. Did Papyrus know? Most definitely not. She slowly went down the stairs, while the desk slid back into place above her. She hoped there was another way out of this… secret lab? That's what it looked like. Was Sans some kind of evil scientist all along? She looked around, seeing nothing much except these blueprints and strange words on the wall that made no sense to her, and finally a tiny picture with little Sans, Papyrus, and another skeleton – who looked very familiar – with 'don't forget' written on the back of it. "The fuck is this, Fullmetal Alchemist?" She saw some drawers, instinctively reaching for them, but then stopped herself. "Damnit, I'm snooping and I hate snooping!"

"so then stop." Venus yelped and turned around, seeing Sans standing on the steps. He had bigger bags under his eyes than usual. "don't jump out of your skin, or you'll end up looking like me."

"Sans, wha- where were you?"

"hiding, after i heard someone come down here."

"I'm sorry, I found this place by accident, I didn't mean to…"

"it's fine, just don't tell pap. there's a door over there, so you can see yourself out." He said, about to leave himself.

"Wait!" Venus went up to him. "Please talk to me. Tell me what happened last night, tell me… why you stopped calling."

"you wouldn't understand. you wouldn't believe me if i told you." Sans' shoulders sagged, turning his head away from her.

"Try me." She turned him around to face her gently.

"i can't." He insisted. "i'm sorry, just… please go." She had been patient long enough; now she was pissed.

"You know what? Fine. Have your damn pity party. I'm so sick of this shit. I've been surrounded by people who keep secrets and liars my whole fucking life, and I'm sick of it. No one ever tells me anything! I'm not Papyrus, okay? I'm not some angelic being that you need to protect from the evils of this world! And even that is a load of shit, cuz he deserves to know more than me! So fuck you, Sans!"

"you hypocritical bitch." Sans' eye glowed blue, pissed that she would bring his brother into this. "you say that when you've got secrets of your own?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" She turned to leave, almost to the door.

"you think i don't know who you are, scorchia?" He said, and she stopped dead in her tracks, the look on her face full of shock. She turned around slowly, her eyes so wide they looked like they were going to burst out of her skull.

"How… do you know that name?"

"your name." Sans corrected her. "i worked at the palace a long time ago as a lab assistant to that guy." He pointed to the picture on the wall. "w.d. gaster, my father."

"Gaster!" She finally remembered him.

"i would see you sometimes, there." He continued. "scorchia, the greatest warrior under the king. you would stand by his side sternly, looking down at everyone else cuz they couldn't match up to you. i'd see you sparring, training, laughing with undyne… you used your other form, back then, wearing armor with a spiked whip in your hand… heh, you were like a warrior goddess. you never saw me; i would hide, cuz if i was caught, i'd get punished for slacking off."

"You knew who I was this whole time?" She was still wrapping her head around that.

"yeah, but that's all i know." Sans sighed. "i have no clue why you suddenly up and left the royal guard." Venus – Scorchia - couldn't help but laugh. This whole situation was too weird.

"You're right, Sans. I am a hypocrite." She sighed. "I never told you because… well, I didn't know how you'd react. But, if you're willing to listen, I'll tell you the rest of my story."

"ah, well… sure, but you don't have to…"

"It's fine. I'd feel a lot better if I did." She smiled. "I'm sorry I yelled at you."

"me too, and i'm sorry i called you a bitch." Sans smiled. "you wanna sit down?"

"Where?" She looked around.

"here." Sans went and hopped up on the desk, leaning back against the wall and crossing his feet.

"How snug." She giggled, hopping up also, sitting opposite of him. "May as well start from the beginning. And don't you dare fall asleep on me."

"if i do, just kick me." He said. Venus took a deep breath before she began her story.

:::