The rubber gloves pinched against Grillby's arms as he finished cleaning off the dishes. It was the weirdest feeling - it wasn't like he had skin or any other solid surface on him, and his flames were always in a state of perpetual motion. Logically he shouldn't feel anything like this. His only explanation was that the material was rubbing against the silhouette his magic maintained, and somehow that manifested in a physical sensation. Or something like that.
The whole family had slept in today, opting for a Sunday brunch once they had finally woke. Throughout the meal Papyrus could not stay still, bouncing in his seat the whole time like he was going to burst with excess energy. It took a lot of prompting to get him to eat any of his cereal. He was only now starting to expand his food palette, and cereal had seemed like the best choice to try next. It was clear he loved the overabundance of milk but with all the moving around it made it hard for him to finish. Sans had asked if he was trying to 'cerealy' choke himself eating that way.
Even now he was basically jumping on the couch, watching Grillby with an intense fixation.
"Do you have something you want to say?" Grillby asked amusedly, turning off the water and taking off his gloves.
Papyrus nodded. "I WANT TO DO ANOTHER PRACTICE FIGHT WITH SANS!"
Ah. That explained all the excitement. Grillby looked over at his other son, who was lounging on the opposite end of the couch.
"wasn't really planning on doing anything today," Sans shrugged.
He had been completing all his homework during class, so it really did leave little to be done at home. At one point he had brought up that he was going to join the school band, but it turned out his interest mostly stemmed from a pun he wanted to tell about learning the trombone. Grillby bet, if left to his own devices, Sans could easily sleep the day away. Getting him to do anything would be beneficial, and Sans was always willing to get off of the couch if it meant making his brother happy.
Grillby walked over to the coat rack to get their outdoor gear.
"WAIT! I'LL BE RIGHT BACK!" Papyrus called out, jumping off his perch and dashing up the stairs.
The elemental paused for a moment, then continued to get ready, putting on his jacket, gloves and scarf. He also tossed Sans' coat and mittens onto the couch, where the boy was stretching, delaying the inevitable departure from the cushions. Soon enough, Papyrus was stomping down to the first floor, dragging a cardboard box with bones sticking out the top behind him. It was a precarious trip down the steps, and several times Grillby was sure he was going to fall on his face, or lose half of his bounty, or both. Thankfully neither happened, and he made it to the bottom with the box, albeit a bit clumsily.
He ran over and threw on his jacket and hat, then rushed back to the box, sliding it across the floor toward the front door. "COME ON, LET'S GO!"
They followed him outside, Grillby opening the door so he could push the box out and then shutting it behind them to keep the snow from getting in. It was precipitating a smidge harder than usual, but not enough to deter Grillby from spending a day out in the front yard. They could easily head back inside if it got worse. Still, just to be safe, he pulled his scarf up to cover most of his face.
Papyrus was quick to get ready, setting the box up and then taking his place a few feet in front of it, posing confidently. "ARE YOU READY, SANS?"
"yup," his brother replied, sitting himself down across the way, making a satisfied crunch in the fresh bed of snow.
"NO! NO, YOU HAVE TO STAND UP!" Papyrus huffed.
"i'm not sitting it out, pap. just sitting down," Sans joked.
"YOU NEVER TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY!" He pouted.
Sans' eyes softened a bit, then he slowly got up on his knees. "better?"
Papyrus looked at him for a moment, contemplating. "BETTER."
Grillby zoned up on the sidelines and the fight officially began. It went pretty much the same as last time, Papyrus sending out attacks with incredible precision while Sans put in minimal effort to keep the battle going. The only real difference was Papyrus' restlessness. He jumped from foot to foot, occasionally sneaking quick glances back to the box. It was clear that he was anxious to show off whatever he had come up with. Considering how long he had been planning it, it had to be something cool.
Grillby wished he could say he wasn't nervous again, but it was still hard to watch his sons having attacks thrown at them, even if they were never going to hit. He tried to focus on the positives: namely, Papyrus' strategy and magic control. For someone whose magic only emerged a few months ago, he was displaying and amazing proficiency. He planned coordinated moves that would take some thinking to dodge - impressive for a six year old. And yet there was absolutely no ill intent behind his attacks. He guided the bones in a way that would provide minimal damage, even if they weren't swerving away from Sans before they would hit. Occasionally he even gave hints on how to avoid the hits when it was clear they would be a bit tricky. It really reflected his heart, his unwillingness to hurt others, and that made Grillby so proud of his compassionate child.
At the same time, he was terrified of what would happen if Papyrus was ever put in a situation where he would really have to defend himself.
"YOU BETTER STEP IT UP, SANS!" Papyrus taunted. "YOU WON'T BE READY FOR MY SPECIAL ATTACK!"
"oh, so you finally have one?" Sans asked, flicking a bone halfway over, which promptly buried itself in a snow poff.
"YES! AND IT'S SO GREAT, YOU CAN'T EVEN STOP IT!"
A row of bones shot out, some even hovering a bit off the ground, coming to a halt about a foot in front of Sans. The boy didn't even flinch.
"really? even if i use my special attack?"
It looked like a bone appeared but quickly dematerialized.
"YOU'RE NOT GOING TO DO THAT BECAUSE YOU WANT TO SEE WHAT MY SUPER COOL ATTACK IS!"
A series of attacks spelling out 'cool' filled up the battle area.
"got me there, pap. wouldn't want to miss the debut of your special attack for the world."
Sans lifted a finger, but whatever he summoned didn't even break the surface of the snow.
"GOOD, BECAUSE I'M GOING TO START IT SOON!"
Another attack, this time a little sloppy and erratic. Papyrus was bouncing on his heels so quickly he was almost a blur.
Sans looked like he was going to say something, some quip most likely, but he hesitated. His head tilted slightly, peering past his brother. "uh...not too sure about that, bro."
Papyrus blinked, lowering his hand. "HUH? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?"
"looks like someone else really wants to see your special attack," he said, pointing to whatever had caught his attention.
Both Papyrus and Grillby turned to look. At first the elemental couldn't tell what they were supposed to be seeing: the only things in his line of sight was the box of bones and the snow covered ground. Nothing worth taking note of.
Then the box moved.
It rustled from side to side, some of its contents spilling over the brim. Grillby almost wondered if he was seeing things when suddenly a furry head popped out of the top. It was a small white dog, barely visible amidst the snowy backdrop, gnawing on one of the bones. He thought he knew all the dogs in Snowdin, most of them regulars at the bar, but this one looked entirely unfamiliar. Perhaps one of Lesser's relatives?
They all stared at the intruder, who seemed too focused on chewing his treat to notice them.
Papyrus quickly lost his patience. "DOG! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?"
There was no way you could ignore that. The dog started, eyes wide.
He put his hands on his hips, frowning. "THAT'S MY SPECIAL ATTACK! YOU CAN'T JUST - HEY!"
The dog didn't even let him finish berating, jumping out of the box, knocking it over in the process, and bolting off. Without any semblance of hesitation, the boy dashed after it, narrowly avoiding Grillby's attempt to catch him.
"Papyrus, wait!" He called, arm still reaching out. Running about in this weather wasn't wise, especially since the dog could be leading them who knows where.
"I HAVE TO GET MY SPECIAL ATTACK!" Papyrus' voice echoed back. He showed no intention of stopping, and Grillby knew his son. He knew he wouldn't give up something this important to him this quickly.
"c'mon, dad!" Sans prompted, starting after them.
Yep. He had no choice. The chase was on.
They raced through Snowdin town, past the restaurant, the Librarby, the inn and the shop, even the welcome sign. No one was really out and about, as it was a Sunday, but the few monsters who were gawked at the sight. It wasn't every day you saw skeletons and a man of fire chasing after a dog.
Sans was surprisingly keeping pace, moving faster than Grillby had ever seen him. At one point it even looked like he had somehow appeared in front of Grillby when the elemental knew he had been behind only a second earlier. Must've been an optical illusion with all the snow falling.
The chase took them outside of town, all the way to the chasm with the stone bridge laying across. Grillby felt his chest tighten as Papyrus approached it - stars, they were so high up! - but there were barriers around the sides of the bridge, reaching about halfway up Papyrus' head. It made it safe to cross, but it didn't stop Grillby from nearly having a heart attack. He watched as his son ran across with little to no regard to how long a fall he would take if the bridge somehow gave way. Papyrus was definitely more concerned about catching the dog at this point.
"hey...uh…"
Grillby nearly tripped over his legs coming to a stop, turning around quickly. Sans was a few feet back, hands on his knees. He smiled up weakly. Obviously he had hit his limit. In all honesty, it was surprising he had made it this far. It would take some more time and energy, but Grillby wasn't about to leave one of his sons out here alone. He scooped the boy up onto his back and continued on, keeping his gaze locked ahead as he crossed the bridge, knowing his legs would give out if he even so much as glanced down.
It was getting harder to keep track of Papyrus. The snow was picking up, and Grillby strained his vision to find the red snowgear amid the roaring sea of white. He nearly ran into Greater's sentry station, causing the guard to yap in alarm. He mentally apologized but didn't waste the precious moments to say it aloud; maybe on the way back he could explain it all. For now, he had to focus on following Papyrus.
They made a sharp turn left, leading down a small hill. Grillby found it difficult to keep his footing at this speed, slowing down a bit to remain steady. Papyrus wasn't paying nearly as much attention to his steps. It took less than a minute for him to lose his balance, tumbling down the rest of the slope. Grillby felt his breath hitch as he lost sight of the boy.
"Papyrus!?" He cried, using his heels to slide down the rest of the way. Snow was assaulting his vision, covering his glasses and fogging everything around him. He looked around desperately, praying for even a glimpse of his hat or gloves.
Some movement caught his eye, and he rushed toward it. As he ventured forth a tall brown figure emerged from the flurries: Gyftrot. The solitary monster was rarely seen in town, and Grillby hardly blamed them. The teens abused Gyftrot on such a regular basis, it was surprising to see them without any intruding decorations stuck all over their body. Only during Gyftmas would you catch sight of them, and even then it would only be for a short time.
"Ah, I'm sorry, have...have you seen…" Grillby began as he slowed to a stop in front of them, panic overwhelming his already shoddy communication skills.
"...I believe you are looking for this small one," Gyftrot drawled, lowering their head. Grillby followed their line of sight.
Immediately he felt like he could breathe again. Papyrus was sitting by Gyftrot's hooves, covered in snow and looking a little dizzy, but other than that, unharmed.
"...THAT WASN'T ANY FUN…" he mumbled.
"No, it wasn't," Grillby agreed, lifting the boy onto his feet with his free hand. The elemental redirected his attention gratefully toward Gyftrot. "Thank you."
The hermit shook their head like it was no trouble to them, then motioned behind. "The thief lives in there."
It was a small cave opening carved into the side of the hill. Undoubtedly that was where the dog and Papyrus' bone would be. Seeking some shelter from the ever growing snowfall didn't seem like a bad idea either. He nodded in appreciation, Gyftrot nodding back.
"THANK YOU!" Papyrus called as he was led forward, legs still a little wobbly.
The three of them hurried into the cave, more than ready to leave the snow behind. Grillby couldn't help but sigh as soon as they entered, relieved to have the precipitation no longer assaulting his face every second. Without the wind it was also a bit warmer, and that was a plus.
"you can put me down now," Sans said, voice muffled in Grillby's back.
Grillby knelt down and let the boy jump off onto the ground. Once the weight on his back was lifted he straightened up, adjusting his shoulders and wiping his glasses on the end of his jacket. It was only then that he could really see what they had walked into. The cave was more like a small foyer, with four mushrooms near the corners and a door on the far end with a delta rune emblazoned on it, slightly ajar. Flecks of blue light appeared to float about in the air around them. It seemed very out of place in Snowdin. Grillby wondered why he had never heard of this area before.
Papyrus approached one of the mushrooms and cautiously touched it, causing it to illuminate. He turned to Grillby with wide eyes. "ARE WE IN WATERFALL?"
"No," Grillby said slowly, though it surely looked like they were.
He walked over to the door, pushing on it gently to get it open all the way. His sons followed behind him as he entered the new room. The first thought that ran through his mind was that there was no trace of the thieving dog. The second was that it would almost be impossible to spy the perpetrator even if they were here. The floor was covered in piles of junk, the items almost indistinguishable in the messy heaps. Only an old desktop computer on the back wall stood out, it's monitor flickering lightly. If there was any place Papyrus' bone would be, it would definitely be here. Even though it would be easier for him to just conjure a new one, Grillby knew he wouldn't be satisfied until he retrieved the bone made specifically for his special attack.
Sans sighed overdramatically. "well, pap, might as well get started."
He shuffled over to one of the piles to start looking. Papyrus scrunched up his nasal cavity, rubbing his fingers together as he went after his brother. The disorder was likely overwhelming him. Hopefully they could get this done quickly and return him to a more comfortable environment.
Grillby turned to the mound closest to him, ready to get to work. Kneeling down he began to pick through the junk, careful not to make it a bigger mess than it already was. The dog definitely was some sort of packrat. About anything and everything was here. So far Grillby had come across a paperweight, a whistle, marbles, and…
He stiffened, looking down at the object in front of him. The Librarbrian's stamp. The one that had gone missing nearly a month prior. Now that he thought about it, almost everything he had found so far was something he knew had been reported missing. Stolen. With the amount of piles around, everything that was stolen could easily be contained in this room. If all those thing were here, then that would also mean…
"OH! OH, HERE IT IS! SANS, LOOK! I FOUND MY SPECIAL ATTACK! ...SANS?"
Grillby hesitantly looked up, Sans' refusal to answer his brother already sending off alarms in his head. It didn't get any better. The older boy was standing stock still in the middle of the room, eyelights extinguished. He was clutching onto something small, hard to see in the low light. The desktop monitor flashed on again, the glow catching something shiny in Sans' grasp. A sparkly bookmark.
Grillby's bookmark.
He felt like the entire Underground was crashing around him.
"...what is this…?" Sans asked quietly.
Grillby could hardly even think straight, blind panic coursing through his body. This wasn't how this was supposed to go. This wasn't how he planned this to go.
"...this...its mine, isn't it?" He sounded confused, distant.
Papyrus eventually seemed to notice something was off. He held his newly found bone close to his chest, taking big, deep breaths of air as he started at his brother in apprehension.
Grillby managed the mental acrobatics required to form words. "...Papyrus, why don't you go wait in the other room."
He didn't want the boy stuck in the middle of this. None of this was his fault. Papyrus was torn, eyes flicking between Sans and Grillby in anguish. Finally he did as he was told, nearly tripping in his rush to leave.
That just left the two of them. Suddenly everything seemed colder, icy. The kind of cold that could snuff a flame in an instant. It was eerily quiet, the absence of sound only furthering Grillby's anxiety. This was not good. Not good. He hadn't prepared himself for this situation and now that he was in it the only thing he could do was let it tear him apart.
"...you knew…" Sans mumbled, his pupiless gaze directed at the bookmark. Then he violently ripped it out of the pages, throwing it down to the ground. "you knew this whole time!?"
His head jerked up, the hollow sockets boring into Grillby's soul. The elemental could barely get himself to breathe. It was overwhelming.
He felt his sins crawling on his back.
"you took it from me…" Sans realized, voice cracking. "you took him from me…?"
Grillby couldn't take it anymore. He needed to do something. Anything to stop this from hurting Sans anymore. Unable to think of words he shakily took a step forward, wanting urgently to comfort the boy in some way.
" no ."
Small rings of light appeared in both of Sans' eyes, flashing blue then yellow. Then he vanished. Grillby nearly cried out, only to have the boy reappear a few feet back from where he had been standing, almost as if he hadn't moved at all, eyes still glowing.
Had he just...teleported?
Grillby started to take another step forward. Everything was going too quickly, too wrong, for him to truly understand what was going on, but he did know that letting Sans run off in this state was not good. And yet he wasn't even able to stop that. He had hardly begun to move his leg when there was a sharp tugging sensation in his chest. Suddenly he was forced to his knees, an invisible pull dragging him to the ground. It was like his body was made of lead. He could barely breathe, his own weight feeling like it was going to crush him. Dimly, he realized that something was floating in front of him. His soul, dyed a deep blue, struggling against the gravitational force.
" you lied to me ."
Sans no longer sounded like himself, dark and empty, volume raising every second, full of judgement.
"you lied to both of us ."'
His eyes started pulsing the two colors again, starting slow and progressively alternating faster. He was heaving quick, labored breaths as sweat started to form on his head. There was a tearing sound, then particles of matter appeared above him, gradually materializing into a large white mass. Once it had formed enough it became clear what it was: a large animalistic skull.
A twelve year old had just summoned a giant weaponized skull. Grillby didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
The magical construct stared down at Grillby in a way that almost suggested sentience, causing him to shudder. Magic began building up behind its jaws, filling the room with a growing hum. It was preparing for an attack, and from the sound of it it was going to be a big one.
If he was in a normal state of mind, Grillby knew his first instinct would be to run. Get out before this attack dealt whatever kind of ridiculous damage it would do. And for sure, he was scared. Terrified. So overcome with panic it was hard to think straight. But at the same time, he had no desire to run, to even try and fight against the weight on his soul.
He deserved this.
Seeing what this was doing to Sans already was shattering his heart.
He deserved everything he had coming to him.
"you...you promised!" Sans cried in between strained gasps of breath. He sounded more like a child again in that moment, hot, angry tears welling in his eyes sockets. "you promised you would help us find him! ...y-you…"
It was almost like someone flipped off a switch. The boy's eyelights flickered then blinked out completely, just before he collapsed forward, hitting the floor with a dull smack.
Almost immediately the hovering skull burst into pieces and dissipated. Grillby watched as the color drained from his soul, the upside down heart returning to his chest.
And then...nothing.
It was quiet.
"Sans!"
Grillby didn't hesitate, rushing forward toward the boy as soon as the oppressive weight was lifted. His body was working on autopilot as his mind struggled to work through the panic. The only thing he could think of was Sans, and making sure he was okay. The boy was lying on the floor face first, limbs sprawled out. He was completely unresponsive, not even reacting to Grillby's touch as the flame gently turned him over to check for injuries. A quick inspection only revealed some light bruising on his forehead, but that didn't rule out any internal damage.
What was worrying Grillby the most was the stillness. There was no movement from the boy at all, not even a simple reflexive motion. Not even his chest rising and falling. Oh stars, was he even breathing!? Grillby searched in anguish for any sign. He felt a little bit of relief when he saw the small clouds of warm air caused by shallow breaths. Sighing, he reached over to prop Sans' head up to make it easier to start lifting him into his arms.
It was then that he realized that Sans was soft. Pliable.
He flinched, drawing back. No. No, no, no. He was too hot. He was melting the child. In all the chaos maintaining his temperature hadn't really been on the forefront of his anxiety-addled mind. He took a calming breath, focusing on his magic, trying not to think about what could have happened if he had continued to -
Wait. He could feel his internal heat. It wasn't any hotter than normal. Definitely not hot enough to melt bone. Grillby froze, then cautiously touched Sans' head again. Soft, just like before. Almost like he could mold the bone into a different shape if he pressed hard enough. The slick texture of the boy's body made Grillby feel sick.
This wasn't right. Wasn't right at all. Something was very, very wrong. With how still Sans was it didn't even seem like he was just unconscious. It was almost...almost like he was falling.
No.
Not again.
He couldn't waste anymore time. He fought against the headache that was already trying to seize what was left of his capable mind, carefully picking Sans and holding him gingerly against him left shoulder. In the other room he found Papyrus, covering his 'ears' and rocking slightly, staring blankly at the wall. The boy allowed himself to be lifted up as well, somewhat awkwardly considering Grillby only had one free arm. With both brothers in tow he raced out of the cave, not even stopping to consider what the weather outside was like. The snow immediately starting pelting him as soon as he got outside, burning his face, but he didn't let that slow him down. He needed to get home and get a doctor, quickly. It was all that mattered now.
Stars, this was all his fault.