PART 2
Sans had to admit to himself that his life was fan-flipping-tastic.
Not only did he have a steady girlfriend—oh wow jeeze, she used to be the QUEEN too!—but he also had a nice house, a good job, Frisk calling him 'Dunkle Sans', and all the fresh air and sunshine he could nap under.
Things had been understandably shaky when the Monsters first came up, but with peaceful albeit tentative meetings between representatives on each side, misunderstandings were cleared up and treaties were made.
Come to find, the initial genocide of the Monsters was not officially sanctioned, and was instead the work of multiple anti-Monster hate groups working together. The previous country leader had been anti-Monster as well, and turned a blind eye to it all, and everyone now was lucky that the current leader was a very understanding man who didn't want another war on his hands.
There was a fifty-mile diameter of land around Mt. Ebott—mostly remained empty because of passed-down superstitions—that was given over as official Monster territory, and, to Toriel's chagrin but Asgore's paranoid insistence, was protected with diplomatic immunity. If a human came within those borders wishing a Monster harm, there would be retaliation.
Sans was not ashamed to agree to this. He had too many nightmares of humans taking what was dear to him to not have at least that safety insurance.
But it would seem that for the most part, he didn't give many humans enough credit. The majority of humans were more curious than afraid, and the moment Mettaton discovered social media, that was just the gap that was needed to bridge the two races by the one thing they both loved—entertainment.
Toriel opened a school for Monsters, and soon accepted human children as well from the more open-minded parents, and was met with great success. The frosty disposition she had for her ex husband began to thaw over time, when Asgore divided his time between assisting Frisk with their ambassador duty and indulging in horticulture, mostly keeping to himself.
As for Papyrus, the younger Skeleton brother wanted to indulge in EVERYTHING, and threw himself into any and every activity class he could find. As worried as that sometimes made Sans, he had to admit, Papyrus's cooking improved by leaps and bounds. Sans was also incredibly impressed when Papyrus passed his driver's test on the first try, and as a reward, bought his brother a snazzy red sports car.
Turned out their monetary system was worth a LOT more up here than it was in the Underground. Gold was apparently a hot seller and even the poorest of Monsters traded their gold for a hefty start-up fund.
With the Royal Guard no longer an option, Sans often found Papyrus looking through career books to try to find something else to aspire to, studying them with a surprising fervor. Normally, Papyrus barely had the attention span to read through his own books.
Toriel noticed his dedication and brought it up during dinner one evening. "You've been looking through many of those books, Papyrus," she said, dishing out something onto his plate before tapping Frisk's hand to let them know she SAW them put those vegetables under their napkin. "Have you decided on anything?"
Papyrus closed the book and put it under his chair, knowing that it was impolite to read when food was being served. "Not yet," he said, his voice uncharacteristically quiet and uncertain. "There's...a LOT more to choose from up here. And you have to go to school to be certified in most of them."
"Well, maybe schooling wont be so bad!" Toriel said, smiling. "You want to learn, yes? Maybe this is the way to do it. I'm going to a few teaching seminars myself, and they've been very informative." She took a few bites of food. "Just think about what you really want to do, and then narrow it down from there."
Papyrus was contemplatively silent for awhile. "...I like to help people," he finally said, getting everyone's attention again. "And...even though I'm good at fighting...I don't really...LIKE it...you know?"
"You're good with kids!" Frisk chirped, smiling. "All my friends love you! Like when Jeff fell off the jungle gym and you cheered him up while Lisa got his parents. That's something!"
"So, y'know, try something along those lines," Sans added, eating his peas one at a time, snickering at the irritated look Papyrus gave him for doing so. "But seriously, bro...you can do whatever you want."
Papyrus smiled, picking up his fork to eat. "...I think...I would like to become a doctor."
Everyone jumped when Sans spewed out the milk he had been drinking. Frisk squeaked, having gotten the brunt of the spew. "SANS—!"
"Goodness, Sans, what on earth was that for?" Toriel asked, handing Frisk another napkin. Sans's cheekbones tinged blue, wiping at his mouth.
"Heh...sorry...guess I got..a little choked up there..." he replied.
Papyrus stared. "...that pun was weak, even for you," he said. "Honestly, Sans, what's so surprising about me thinking about being a doctor? I was thinking a pediatrician...since Frisk said I'm good with kids and all...and I like helping people...and you SAID I could do anything I wanted..."
"Aw, Paps, I wasn't saying you COULDN'T!" Sans quickly reassured. "It just...it..." He frowned, his hand unconsciously going to his chest, feeling an odd flickering in his soul. "It...uh...wow...I'm...not feelin' too well..."
"Sans?" Toriel stood up, hurrying over to him, sitting him upright. "Sans, are you alright?" She noticed his hand clenching the front of his shirt tightly. "Sans, what's wrong?"
Sans's left eye began flickering softly, his hand shaking as it clutched his shirt tighter. "I...I don't..." he mumbled, his gaze going unfocused. "...̴.͠.̧Da̴d..̵. ..." His voice began to glitch slightly.
"Frisk, go call Alphys!" Toriel commanded, turning to Papyrus. "Papyrus, help me get Sans to...Papyrus...?" She saw Papyrus staring blankly into space as Sans was, his right eye glinting orange. "Papyrus? Papyrus!"
"...don't...feel well..." Papyrus mumbled, swaying slightly before pitching face-first into the table.
"Oh my god! FRISK! HURRY!"
